South Colovia

	At the time when Colovian folk were contained to the highlands that bear their name to this day, content in hunting and raiding, they rarely encountered their southern neighbours. In contrast to the rather untamed existence among the southern Tors, the peoples of the wealds thrived in scattered farming communities, engaging in trade with Abeceans on one side and Heartlanders on the other. The exact relationship between these three groups (as well as Colovians) has largely been lost to time but what is known is that the majority of peoples in this region were closely related to the modern Wealdmen, a fact that is remembered by one of the names for this region, the West Weald.
	Once the highlands started becoming too overcrowded and resources too scarce, the migration period began. Tribes of Colovians poured out, leaving their ancestral land to their tribal kin and leaving for new, fertile lands. The majority of these people took off southwards, towards the river Strid. Despite commonly being known as the Colovian Lowlands, South Colovia is a land of rolling hills, in many aspects similar to the foothills in the eastern part of Abecea. It was the height difference that led the settlers to come to know this land as the “lowlands”; the original name used by the original people has been long lost.
	The native folk accepted the new arrivals, some did so after experiencing the full force of the highland warriors, others openly accepted the tough northerners due to the potential this new fighting force would have in combating intrusions by the wild Orcs, Bosmer and Imga. With time, the two cultures melded together while Colovian tongues prevailed, although they took on many distinct southern influences. A new culture was born, one combining the frontier spirit of the settlers as well as the hardworking nature of the proud native farmers. Furthermore, the many skirmishes with the neighbouring men, mer and beasts forged a highly militaristic society.
	Just as the tribal invaders once subjugated the native agricultural societies, so then did the new Southern Colovians then move forth, carving out an even bigger realm at the expense of their neighbours. It is no wonder, then, that, partly due to this militaristic history and partly possibly due to an internalised sense of inferiority compared to their kin of Colovia Proper, the people of the southern lowland would rally vehemently, almost zealously, around the banner of “Magna Colovia”, the idea of a unified land between Hrothgaria and the Strid river. Undoubtedly, the almost mythical idea of the southern Colovians as the near-divine defenders against Mer intrusion into the old homeland is helped in great extent by the land’s wealth – the great cities of the region, among them Skingrad, Sarchal (not to be confused with the Abecean city of Sarak that is often called by the same name) and Dethagrad are supported by fertile surrounding land as well as mineral-rich hills and have always been important members of the Colovian estates.