Nomadic tribes of varying ideologies populate a most dangerous region of the world of Llyr, and they call it The Land. Their seemingly incongruous philosophies are united in their common heritage and their quest for survival; they are all descended from People exiled from their homelands. Cultural memory makes them typically xenophobic and mistrustful of others. Viewed as barbarians by Outsiders, the People's interactions with each other are intricate and complex, but politics are handled in the woods and fields rather than in taverns and courtly halls.