The northern grasslands of Rakite—summer territory for the buffalo herds and the tribes that follow them. "Tyror Miig" means "high grass" in the Rakiten tongue, and the name is accurate: the grass here grows taller than anywhere else in the plains, sometimes reaching eight feet in good years.
Character
Tyror Miig is gentler than the southern plains. The land rolls in long, slow swells, and the rivers cut deeper valleys that provide shelter from the wind. The Ver Kanis flows down from Vokas Enrisikna, bringing snowmelt that keeps the grass green well into summer.
The buffalo come here in late spring, following the fresh growth northward. By midsummer, the herds number in the tens of thousands—a sea of dark backs moving through a sea of golden grass. The Rakiten tribes spread out across the plains during these months, hunting, trading, and gathering for the season ahead.
The Summer Camps
During summer, the tribes establish temporary camps along the river valleys. These aren't villages—nothing permanent is built—but the same sites are used year after year, and certain locations have acquired names and significance.
Ver Kanis Ford: The main crossing point on the northern river. Tribes gather here to trade and arrange marriages between groups that rarely meet otherwise.
The Watching Rise: A low hill that provides unusual visibility across the plains. Scouts use it to track herd movements. According to Rakiten tradition, this is where the first elves saw the first buffalo.
Ektolmni Edge: The transition zone where the plains meet the Ektolmni Grif hills. Hunting parties venture into the hills for deer and mountain goats, but they don't stay long—the terrain advantages belong to whatever lives up there.
The Palace's Shadow
The Palace of Flickering Lights stands at the northern edge of Tyror Miig, where the plains give way to the Ver Kanis headwaters. The Rakiten don't camp within sight of it. They don't hunt near it. They pretend it isn't there.
The angels inside pretend the same about them. It's worked for a thousand years.
Dangers
The grass conceals more than buffalo. Tyror cats—tawny predators the size of ponies—hunt the herds and occasionally take isolated elves. The tall grass makes them nearly invisible until they're already moving. Rakiten hunters learn to read the grass-patterns that indicate a cat's presence, but mistakes still happen.
During dry summers, fire is the greater threat. A single spark can ignite miles of grass in hours. The Rakiten have learned to use fire as a tool—controlled burns clear old growth and drive game—but uncontrolled fires have destroyed entire camps and scattered tribes for seasons.