Mordins

Mordins are a culturally cohesive group traditionally described as inhabiting the highland and valley regions of the northern frontier. They are commonly depicted as mountain dwellers known for close-knit clans, self-sufficient rural communities, and a distinctive oral tradition. The Mordish language is spoken across settlements and features a rich system of suffixes to mark kinship, tense, and evidentiality. The ethnonym Mordin is believed to derive from a root meaning "mountain" paired with "people."

Origins in the fictional chronology place the Mordins as early settlers who organized into alpine communes, later forming confederations for mutual aid. Their history includes periods of fortification building, intertribal alliances, and trade with neighboring groups. While external empires operated nearby, Mordin communities maintained internal customary law and collective decision-making through elder councils.

Society is centered on patrilineal clans and a strong sense of communal responsibility. Economic activity combines hillside agriculture, pastoral herding, and craft production such as weaving, metalwork, and woodcarving. Women participate in weaving and market life, while men often serve as herders and smiths. Traditional clothing emphasizes woolen textiles and natural dyes; music features reed instruments and vocal polyphonies during festivals.

Religiously, Mordins typically follow a syncretic animist system that honors ancestors and landscape spirits. Seasonal ceremonies mark planting, harvest, and solstices, with communal feasts and storytelling that preserve lineage histories and epic poems. Some groups incorporate neighboring beliefs, creating a landscape of shared rituals.

Today, Mordins participate in regional governance and cultural revival efforts that emphasize language preservation, education, and the transmission of oral literature.