NAROOK

Of all the inhabitants living on Karadas, Narook are the most humanlike in appearance. Adults stand taller than a Borini, but not by much. They grow to around five feet, although it is their stubby limbs—and in particular their uniquely round body shape—that catch the eye. Well-maintained beards are popular among males, and whether braided, oiled, or adorned with beads, when it comes to a beard, big is best.

Despite their cumbersome appearance and somewhat grouchy demeanour, in truth, Narook are highly perceptive, industrious, and extremely hardworking. Their people are well thought of in the south, and are known affectionately as the Gardeners of Karadas. They have achieved this complementary title for their devotion to growing and cultivating food.

PRODUCTIVE

Narook Isle on the eastern coast is the place the Narook call home. Almost every inch has been converted into farmland, but it was not always an island. Over time, landslides and coastal erosion steadily created an ever-widening channel, cutting off a large section of the headland. Still, the Narook were undeterred. They set about devising a complex pulley system, enabling their workers to transport produce over the waves to reach the mainland. Wheat and barley by the cartload, along with meat, fruit, and all manner of vegetables, arrive daily from Narook Isle, all ready to trade.

COLONISTS

There are few locations in central and southern Karadas that the Narook have not scoured in search of new opportunities. They leave no stone unturned, seeking the richest soil and the most abundant fishing waters.

One particular region at the very heart of Karadas—Silverfields—has become a favourite location. It stretches for many miles between the Heart Mountains, Giants’ Wood, and the Eastern Marshes. This expansive area offers wide-open spaces, perfect for sowing crops and allowing livestock to graze. Silverfields has become a second home to the Narook, and is unrecognisable from when they first discovered it. Farmsteads, mills, and hamlets stand amongst countless fields and lush orchards, ponds stocked with crayfish, and pens in rows housing hogs and poultry.

The Emerald Valley is another location the Narook have settled in high numbers. Here in the south-west, they provide trade not only to Tower Town, but also the great stone city of Hollowshore; home to the Kalguera. Market days at both locations are highly profitable and entice folk from miles around to barter for the very best produce.

SETBACK

While the development at Silverfields has worked out very well for the Narook, not all of their ventures have been so rewarding. A fruit plantation at the northern tip of the Jetta Deep turned into a gruesome catastrophe because of the Massuki, and not one among their number would ever consider casting a net back into the Dead Waters anytime soon.

OPPRESSED

More recently, life has been far from pleasant for the Narook. An uprising in the north has resulted in frequent raids by the Vorath. They arrive with clay pots, baskets, and wheeled carts to demand food and supplies at Silverfields and Narook Isle. The encounters are always distressing, particularly when aggressive threats are made and weapons are drawn. Inevitably, the Narook relent and hand over a small fortune in provisions, without so much as a copper in payment.