First settlement of Tolg, a druidic society, worships Tall Papa who is the antagonist of Oovi; they are constantly at war with Il-Oovi.
Cradle sits in the center of the map, as it was the birthplace of life on Tolg to the knowledge of scholars. It is bordered to the north by the Jaeter Grove that serves as a disputed border between it and Il-Oovi, to the west the great river The Weld, and the Papa’s Spine mountain range, separate Cradle and Cim-Khetar. The desert called the Risen Sea is a functional border between them and Brekkon as the people of Cradle have no desire to venture into sands filled with beastfolk. To the east are established borders with Biis and Althum.
The first settlement of Tolg, and devout worshippers of Tall Papa- which automatically puts them at odds with Il-Oovi.
Tall Papa is a pre-life giant deity that was tall enough to put the stars into the sky. He placed the sun and two moons- his wife and children, Mama, Tenzin, and Sintra respectively- into the sky before he shaped the land. In his absence they are said to watch over the people of Tolg. Tall Papa is said to have stopped the plane-meld by wrestling the Great Serpent Oovi into submission, and eventually putting it to sleep. His blood that was shed from this fight is what created both man and beast, but his wounds from the fight were so great that he, too, had to rest. From there he sank into the ground until all that was visible were his fingers reaching up, forming the Papa’s Fingers mountains that surround Cradle. The people of Cradle believe in the Dandra, the day that Tall Papa rises once more to finish his battle with Oovi once and for all, before reclaiming all of Tolg in the name of man. On death, each of his followers will be placed as a star in the sky.
The lake in the middle of Papa’s Fingers, named His Lake, is directly fed by the Weld and the Sea of Broken Bows and has always been pure.
The actual city of Cradle stretches across His Lake, where the homes of the seven shamans and wise-women are closest to the shore and the House on the Lake where they gather. Surrounding the seven homes are the lines of farmers and merchants and inner-city guard postings, and around them are the homes of all those who live in the city. On the outskirts are what would be considered the slums and the outer-city guard postings, as well as the lumber mills for Jaeter Grove- Cradle’s chief export as the lumber capital of Tolg- and additional farms.
The city is led by its seven shamans and wise-women as a druidic society. They are headed by Headsman Domis and Headswoman Elese who can convene meetings outside of their once a year meeting. They are followed by their Shouldermen Ip, Goro, Tyke and Shoulderwomen Tara and Rel. The shamans and wise-women are a 4 hour walk from each other, and greeting each of them is a pilgrimage known as the Walk of Seven Blessings. (about 36mi around)
Outside of the city of Cradle, the land consists mostly of hills and forests. There are also many caves rich with minerals that are only mined as-needed. Guards make occasional rounds outside of the city to the established and contested borders. Cradle is where most unmapped settlements would exist, as there is a lot of flowing water, flora, and fauna.
Cradle’s populace is mainly humans and humanoids, with beastfolk mostly serving as slave laborers on the farms or the lumber mills.
Cradle's military uses incredibly strong woods as armor and weapons instead of metals. They use druidic spellcasters as backline support for their fighters, who themselves are a second wave to both beast-tamers and those gifted with the power to change shape into beasts.
Work. Worship. Take only what is needed. Embrace the woods and what they give. Humans are most deserving of Tall Papa’s embrace.
Always warring with a deep-rooted hatred. Recently a peace treaty has been signed but relations are still shaky at best.
Cim-Khetar:Used to trade well, no longer have a connection as no word has been sent out of Cim-Khetar in months. But there are rumors of a plague spreading into Brekkon from the west, so guard postings are being reinforced.
Brekkon:Cradle has no love for beastfolk and no love for their city, thinking they are uncivilized abominations and must have taken over by force. But because they live in or past the Risen Sea desert, the people of Cradle don’t need to pay them any mind.
Biis:turning from the gifts of the land is evil, and their babylonian tower city deserves to fall.
Althum:the only good remaining connection, active trade support but no military support as Althum does not want to get involved in the war. Althum is the only city that the people of Cradle are allowed to caravan to in the current day.
Essilada:most people haven’t even heard of Essilada, and if they have it is far enough away that they aren’t relevant.