The transitional hill country between Vokas Enrisikna and the Tyror plains—broken terrain where the mountains give way to grassland in a tumble of ridges, draws, and rocky outcrops. "Ektolmni" means "fingers" in Rakiten; the hills reach out from the mountains like a hand grasping at the plains.
Character
The Ektolmni Grif is neither mountain nor prairie. The grass grows here, but shorter and sparser than on the plains. Trees cluster in sheltered draws. Streams cut unexpected valleys. The terrain changes every few hundred yards, a maze of elevation and vegetation that rewards those who know it and punishes those who don't.
The Rakiten use the hills for hunting—deer, elk, and mountain goats descend from Vokas Enrisikna, and the broken terrain makes stalking easier than on the open plains. But they don't camp here overnight. The hills have too many hiding places, too many blind approaches, too many ways for something to watch you without being seen.
The Edge Camps
During summer hunts, Rakiten parties establish temporary camps at the transition zone where the hills meet the plains—close enough to access the hunting grounds, far enough to maintain visibility. These camps shift year to year as game patterns change, but a few locations are used regularly enough to have acquired names.
Grif's Mouth: A gap where the Ver Kanis emerges from the hills onto the plains. Good water, good sight lines, bad memories—according to Rakiten oral tradition, a war party was ambushed here generations ago, and spirits still linger.
The High Seat: An elevated ridge with views across both the hills and the northern plains. Scouts use it to track herd movements. It's exposed and waterless, but the visibility is worth the discomfort.
What Watches
The Rakiten say the Ektolmni Grif is inhabited, though they're vague about what inhabits it. Not orcs—the Xi'ivrach stay on the far side of the mountains. Not animals—the wildlife here is unremarkable. Something else.
Hunting parties report being followed. They hear footsteps that stop when they stop. They find their campsites disturbed when they return to them. They glimpse movement on ridgelines that turns out to be nothing when they investigate.
Most dismiss it as nerves—the hills are disorienting, and the broken terrain plays tricks. But enough hunters have reported enough strange experiences that the tradition holds: hunt in the Ektolmni Grif, but don't stay past sunset.