Skelsía

Region
Skelsía is a large expanse of wooded and mountainous territory in the southernmost tip of the Rift, home to the falcons and hawks of the Skelsía and Elmjir tribes. The name Skelsía means "mountain eyrie" and is the site of the Third Battle of the Rifmâlkin, a war between the Skelsía and the Rakarr over hunting rights on the Rín and Píer Rivers. For centuries the Skelsía territory has been home to some of the most skilled and powerful battlehawks and warrior falcons (mírfalcons) and is the only tribal territory with a temple for religious purposes. The Skelsía territory, in addition to falcons and hawks, supports a colorful and unique ecosystem including sheep, bears, otters, various species of fish, deer, and wild dogs.

The Skelsía territory is divided into three sub-regions—Skelrí (of the Skelsía tribe), Elmjí (of the Elmjir tribe), and Anirr, an unoccupied mountainous territory in the northernmost part of Skelsía, kept uninhabited due to a large population of bears and wild dogs. It later became a military base for the Skelsía after the Fourth War of the Rifmâlkin began, to ensure that no enemy tribes would be able to enter Skelsía territory unseen.

The Skelsían territory has two rivers running through it: The Rín and the Píer. The Rín is a small river that extends from the tip of the mountains down to the Crescent Valley, and tapers out into a small lake, where black fish breed and populate. The Píer River is the largest river in the Rift, and extends from the beginning of the Píer mountains to the sea where the Lezdelen goshawks live. It starts out as a magnificent lake. It is difficult to reach the lake it sprung from as the mountains are even too high for falcons and hawks to endure.

The first falcons were said to have bred and multiplied in the Skelsían region, and the goddess Mirlátma was thought to have been born in the Skelrí tribe. The Skelsíans were given the responsibility of protecting the Gyr from the truly evil, but as the Elmjir and Skelsían tribes began to quarrel, the country was split and the Skelsrí tribe was given full rights over the area. Their king, Albiön, and his queen, Leira, became rulers of the area.