Hrothgar

	Surrounding the "Imperial city of Skyrim" like a majestic crown, the mountains of High Hrothgar serve as the cultural symbol of the Nordic people. Yet even the people who settled hills and mountains before the valleys have never settled here, save for the monastic order of the Tongues, the Greybeards. For all the expansion the Nords have managed since the first of their men stepped ashore, High Hrothgar remains one of the regions where the sons of Skyrim cannot be found in big numbers. Here, it is where the sons of old Skyrim live - the ones known as the Hrothgarians.
	Once said to have been spread throughout much of central Skyrim, Hrothgarians managed to stay in balance with the Mer but the balance would be broken once the Atmorans began their conquest of Skyrim. Most native pre-Nordic folk would either move beyond the mountain ranges to the west and south or assimilate into the new culture that took over – but not the mountain people of central Skyrim. Settling high, even for Skyrim standards, Hrothgarians moved away from who they perceived as invaders. The heights which they moved to would prove too high even for the mountain-loving Nords but for the ancient natives, the challenge of the cold and hard to breathe in environment proved a goal to overcome. Built for the harsh conditions of Skyrim’s year-round cold climate, this goal was quickly beaten; the mountain people are of a stocky figure, their calves made for traversing the rocky ridges of the mountains they call home. Unlike Nords, they have no natural resistance from the harsh cold, so they fashion thick fur coats and boots to survive the frost. Nevertheless, they are naturally very hairy and no man is seen without a beard. Their low-set brow ridges bare thick eyebrows that protect them from snow and their eyes are narrow to protect from wind, much like the eyes of the people up north, in the Pale and the ice lands of the Sea of Ghosts.
	Because of their thick brows that seem to be stuck in a permanent frown, the mountain people came to be known among Nords as the “Modiskrer”, “the angry folk”. Additionally, their rugged mountain existence led to many legends among the Nordic people. In particular, Hrothgarians were said to all possess some were-form, from wereboars to werebears and were-ibices. Limited scholarly research has shown some of these legends to be at least partially correct, which might tie in with the Hrothgarian totemic beliefs. The legends are nevertheless primarily that – stories about the seldom seen people of High Hrothgar.
	There is, however, one group of Nords who have more experience with the mountain folk – the Greybeards. The monasteries of the masters of the Voice are located deep in Hrothgarian territory, so a relationship was born between the priests and the local folk, both out of necessity as well as respect. It seems that many Hrothgarians have a natural gift for the Voice, despite not being Nords, which may be explained with living in such close vicinity of the Throat of the World. Apart from the Tongues, Hrothgarians are also employed by the Greybeards to maintain the monasteries and provide supplies for the priests’ undisturbed existence high above Skyrim.