Mittilari

A dwarven people that lived in isolation until their discovery by Casadian explorers in 530 A.I., little is known about the Mittilari. Discussions with priests have revealed some limited insights about the history of the Mittilari. There are no written historical records save for epitaphs carved onto tombs. The stories told by these epitaphs combined with the oral history shared by the priests tell the tale of a great catastrophe that seems to align chronologically with The Fleeing. Prior to this cataclysm, the Mittilari lived in great cities to the south of the jungle. The Mittilari fled into the jungle to escape from what the epitaphs describe as a ‘great darkness’ that consumed their civilization. The exact nature of this ‘darkness’ is lost to time, as no records from that time remain besides vague legends. Their mistrust of strangers is partially rooted in a belief that they will bring the ‘great darkness’ with them.

the exact population of Mittilari is unknown, but it seems they live exclusively in the southern jungles of Casadia.

The Mittilari have the short, stocky build typical of most dwarves. Unlike other dwarves, however, the Mittilari shave their heads, likely in an effort to keep cool in the heat of the jungle.

The Mittilari are a secretive and cautious people with little desire to trust outsiders. Their secretive nature is believed to have arisen after the great cataclysm that sent their people in to hiding.

Each settlement is governed by a tribunal known as a kazarn. Each member of the kazarn is elected by the denizens of the settlement and maintain their position for life. The tribunal serves as a judicial and executive body operating by majority rule in both cases. Constraints on the power of the kazarn are few and far between and relate almost entirely to religious aspects handled by priests.

They worship a strange crystal called the Tarmoq, which they say keeps the evil that nearly destroyed their people at bay.

The Mittilari are skilled apothecaries and healers. The Mittlari are loath to part with their medicinal recipes, though gifts of fine tools and weapons have resulted in limited sharing of this knowledge. They have extensive knowledge of the various plants of the jungle and their uses in potions and medicines. Two notable concoctions are a healing poultice said to cure rot and a potent poison used on the tips of their arrows. The latter is so dangerous that Mittilari children are required to ingest small amounts of it over time to build up an immunity. Without resistance to the poison or an antidote, death is certain to follow within an hour should the poison enter the blood.