The mountains of Tar are an inhospitable place.  They are covered with snow in every season.  Passage across them is almost impossible.  There is not time for any other thought than survival for anyone who finds him or herself in the mountains.

The mountains of Tar are home to tribes of humans called the Gobyns.  They can interbreed with other peoples.   The children of such unions are considered outcasts by the Gobyns, but are generally allowed to live.  Human communities frequently kill the children of such unions, or render them incapable of bearing children and then abandon them in the woods.  There are some half-breed sailors and pirates though.  Sailors are usually outsiders and outcasts anyway, so it is the one profession that an outcast may find some acceptance in.

Gobyns are a short people.  Adult males stand at an average height of five feet.  They are not an unattractive people, but they have a green cast to their skin that sets them apart.  Their hair color ranges from blonde to black and their eye color varies greatly.  Most Gobyns are very heavily muscled, though their muscle structure is very wiry.

The Gobyns tribes live in caverns and caves that they find the mountains.  These are a primitive people who cannot tunnel for themselves.  They have no knowledge of metal work and use stone tools and weapons.  There are many caves and large caverns though and each tribe controls a system of caves.

The tribes usually avoid contact with outsiders, but when conditions are tough, they tend to raid down into Odeland.  Both the men and the women are fierce warriors who abandon themselves to battle.  Some times bands do try to trade with humans are successful, but there is a hatred and fear of Gobyns among the people living by and in the edge of the mountain range.

The Gobyns are not inherently evil, but they do not worship a true goddess.  They worship all sorts of local spirits and mystical beings.  Each band has a shaman who is the go between.  He or she helps the tribe to avoid trouble with the local mystical beings. Each tribe has certain spirits that they are loyal to.  These spirits are all tied into the actual land.  In their understanding these spirits and beings have little influence beyond their immediate area of control, whether it be a certain mountain, a certain cave or a certain stream.  These mystical being have been know to manifest themselves in physical form.

The Gobyns speak many similar, yet distinct dialects.  No know human knows the Gobyn tongues, but the bands have taken up a broken form of the common trade language to communicate with other tribes.

There are some Gobyns who are well educated and well spoken.  Most of these are all slaves in the Empire of Get.   The majority of these slaves are used for force labor though.  A few Gobyn have been seagoing merchants and sailors, but they spent their entire lives as strangers and outsiders in every land.  The sea is their home.  A few Gobyns have established trade with Odeland, mostly using furs and pelts as their currency.  These fur traders have more knowledge of human language and some even read and write.

Both men and women hunt.  Gobyns are mostly carnivorous.  They can live for years on only meat with little health side effects.  The mountain sheep of the region have a layer of fat that contains many of their nutritional needs.  Children are taken on the hunts from the time they are born, strapped to their mothers' backs.

The ritual of adult hood occurs in the tenth spring of a child's life.  The girl or boy is left with not food, tools or weapons in an area well away from their tribe, clothed in nothing up a thin tunic.  They cannot return until they have killed an animal big enough to clothe them.  They then can return wearing its hide and hauling the meat.  Needless to say, even young Gobyns are hellishly quick and strong.

Gobyns generally wear the furs and hides of the animals they kill.  Some also wear the hides of fallen enemies.  Bones are common decorations.  They are worn around necks, around wrists and as piercings.  Nudity is a strong taboo.  The cold mountain air leads the clothing to be heavy.  Some tribes have a small knowledge of weaving and use simple fabrics.  Other tribes get fabric through trade.  Some tribes trade for simple jewelry and beads and use these instead of bones.  These tribes are rare though and humans who see Gobyn traders often attack them, mistaking them for raiders.