The Mammoth Herders

Northern nomads tied to the Whitefangs and the tundra beyond, the first to notice what's moving across the cold empty places.

Bands move in warmer months, trade ivory, wool, meat, and dark ice with fortress-monasteries and farm valleys, and provide some of the disciples, guardians, and travelers who connect the high north to settled places. Their camps are seasonal presences — likely empty or abandoned in warmer months depending on where the herd has gone, and stiffly polite when encountered. They belong to the same broad northern cultural world as The Mountain Folk and the descendants of The Rime Lords' disciples.

• Seasonal trade partners — sources of ivory and wool
• Wary guides across the tundra
• Kin to monks or guardians at fortress-monasteries
• The people most likely to know what's moving in the cold before Stonetop hears about it