Fauwain

Fauwain is the last settlement in the north, situated on a narrow hook of rock in the Bitterfire Bay. A small village boasting a population of just under a thousand, Fauwain survives off the bay itself, trading in oil harvested yearly from the whales that annually visit the bay. Isolated and with relatively little to aspire to, other than hunting whales, of course, much of the younger generation flees south, if they can, to make their living.

Geography and Cityscape
Fauwain covers roughly four square miles, making use of every scrap of their narrow strip of land as possible with buildings crowded together, built of stone with steeply sloped roofs made of slate. Water is drawn down from the glacier in a complicated network of pipes and reservoirs, though the land boasts no natural sources of fresh water. The village sits largely above bluffs with docks floating down below accessible by narrow ladders and steep cliffs cut into the stone itself. Lacking useable soil, the population supplements their diet of meat with water plants farmed in massive rafts in the shallows, similar to kelp.

Though chilly nearly year round, Fauwain is largely sheltered from winds and storms by the surrounding glacial walls, making the weather as comfortable as one might expect for the frozen north. Spanning the "spring" season, the weather warms slightly and for those few weeks concerns of flooding are closely monitored as the glacier melts dramatically faster during these "warm" periods.

Bitterfire Bay
More or less a massive pit, the Bitterfire Bay extends to untold depths. Host to a vast multitude of birds, fish, seals and strange plants, as well as being the annual mating grounds for pods of small whales, Bitterfire has a surprisingly strong ecology. The origin of the name "Bitterfire Bay" is largely debated, the two most popular theories being that the name is a nod to the periodic spills and burns of whale oil (reponsible for melting the nutrient rich water of the glaciers into the Bay, supporting the stunning array of animals), or to the bioluminescent plants that grow in it, lighting the water a murky orange, green, yellow and blue.

Coldmouth Desert
Stretching beneath the easternmost edge of the great glacier, the Coldmouth desert is relatively small and not altogether too intimidating. The ceiling has been chipped away by the villagers to make a narrow road, passable at all points, though this path is often lost in the dark without an experienced guide or waypoints by which to guide yourself. The floor itself is incredibly slick, a mixture of both ice and stone worn smooth by both the water that melts off the glacier and runs into the Desert during the warm season and the glacial activity itself.

Culture
Fauwain is, obviously, a fishing culture, strongly centered about family and tradition. Though friendly toward strangers, the villagers are known for their suspicious natures, especially toward iskra or complex technology. Lacking much in the way of natural resources, the people are shrewd merchants and are often stereotyped as greedy misers, valuing their coin and stockpiling it, haggling everything. Naturally, those that participate in the whaling and fishing trade are excellent sailors, rivalling even the elgfreyn.

Religion
Largely populated by doresh, Fauwain is a highly skeptical community, though there exists a small shrine to the Sun Pantheon maintained by the few that attend it.