Harsh conditions prohibit extended settlements in the Mamont Tundra, a vast expanse occupying north-central Karrnath. In addition to the signature wooly mammoths, the wildlife of the Mamont Tundra includes other large herbivores like wooly rhinos, mid-size predators like wolves, and of course smaller creatures like rabbits.
The most populous group of humanoids within the Mamont Tundra are the Tuskul goliaths, but several other groups with slightly different practices and made up of different ancestries also live here. Hunkering down for winter and migrating in the warmer months, these peoples have existed as a separate polity from the rest of Karrnath for thousands of years.
The peoples of the tundra generally follow what Galifaran scholars would identify as “primal practices”, with faiths that identify many spirits rather than just the nine and six of the Sovereign Host. In addition to serving as healers and spiritual guides, the shamans of these groups also practice a form of artifice powered by primal magic. During the cold winter months primal magic maintains furnaces, with the excess heat carefully maintained and spread throughout the large communal home. Rather than the extractive mining techniques used in the rest of Karrnath, tribes acquire ore and other precious resources by bargaining with primal spirits.
The peoples of the Mamont Tundra lived in relative isolation from the pre-Galifaran period until King Jarot’s lightning rail project in the 9th century. At that point, Galifaran surveyors, aided by House Tharashk, realized the incredible wealth of resources lying just below the surface of the tundra. This focus on the area also buoyed interest in mammoth wool, leading to a continent-wide craze in the 860s. Supply simply could not keep up, leading both to horrific violence enacted against the native groups and a proliferation of charlatans selling fake mammoth wool clothing. The eventual failure of the lightning rail project in the 870s and the withdrawal of widespread interest did not undo the damage that had been done, especially by missionaries of the Sovereign Host. Failed mines and other structures still litter the tundra’s landscape, a reminder of Galifaran imperialism.