The inhabitants of the Montaigne region are the proud descendents of the builders of the first city in the Nothern Valley, aptly named King's Hold. They were the first to begin taming the wilderness in the valley and set up farm lands and cities, often to the initial hostility of the Eiremen. Although the Eiremen lived near the Valley before the Montaigne, it was the Montaigne who conquered both the lands and the Eiremen in the first battles that erupted. Over several centuries, the Eiremen learned to combat the Montaigne's cavalry charges and heavy mail, until the border between the two peoples was virtually fixed. Hostilities between the two were eventually forgotten with the Khalif and Almohad invasion from the south. Initally, only the nobility of the Montaigne would go to war, but the recent wars against the south and east have created a new system of peasant levies to increase fighting forces. The Montaigne are justifiably proud of their history; they were the first to build cities, create metal armor, discover steel, and they were the vanguard of the armies that battled the Khaliphate armies four score years ago. The typical Montaigne nobility are mounted with platemail and lance. The lesser nobility fight on foot either in plate or mail, using a variety of weapons. These range from the longsword against lightly armored foes, to the mighty bec de corbin for armored knights. While most others find them arrogent and overbearing, few Northerners will begrudge the fact that it was the famous Montaigne pride that rallied the North from being overrun in just a few years.

Relatively new compared to the other inhabitants of the Northern Valley, the Frislenders have rapidly developed a reputation for their cold, methodical techniques of waging war. Centuries previously, while the Montaigne were still battling the Eiremen and their ancient rivals the Mercians, the Frislenders were proud farmers. More likely to be waging war against each other rather than uniting against outsiders such as the Montaigne, they did not emerge as a unified force until the emergence of Lotharr the Unifier only three decades ago. Tribal differences aside, the Frislenders became a frighteningly efficient fighting force, rapidly adapting the best traits of their opponents. It was only years after the Frislenders adapted the use of cavalry from the Montaigne, learned infantry formations from the Aengards, and the ferocity of the Eiremen. Few dare to speculate how the Valley may have changed should the Frislenders continued to expand beyond their own borders, and into the lands of the Montaigne and the Mercians, were it not for the invasion of the Khaliphate and the subsequent fighting with the Mughal Horde. Currently, the Frislenders excel at mass combat, their armies are the most well disciplined and trained of the Northern kingdoms, although they are still relatively inexperienced compared to the armies of the Khaliphate or the Middle Empire. In addition, the Frislenders are beginning to compete commercially with the Mercians, trying to break the Mercian monopoly on several goods. Frislender weapons and armor are also the finest among the Valley, much to the envy of the Montaigne; although they have been known to freely distribute their arms should outsiders transgress into Northern lands. The typical Frislender warrior wears either mail or platemail, and wields a variety of weapons, ranging from longswords, to axes and partizans. It was the Frislenders who copied and improved the design of two-handed swords from the Eiremen, creating the zweihander, a monstrous bladed sword that is surpisingly quick and light. Frislender infantry are famous for using this sword to break enemy lines, and wreck havoc against enemy foot.

Ancient legend states that before the Rain of Fire and the Great Winter, the men of the Eire and the men of Mercia lived on two separate islands. The source of their emnity has been forgotten, but it is nevertheless still quite real. When the Montaigne first entered the Valley and began to clear the wilderness, they found the Eiremen and Mercians fighting. In the tribal hierarchy of the Eire, pride is everything. A warrior who backs down from a challenge or shows fear is forever disgraced. Although the Montaigne fought the Mercians and Eiremen equally, the Eiremen viewed this as a tremendous insult. In the initial battles, the Eiremen were undisciplined and poorly armed, but their sheer ferocity shocked the Montaigne. Every man, peasant and warrior alike fought, unlike the Montaigne where only the nobility rode into battle. The Eiremen eschewed the use of shields, preferring to wield great two-handed swords. Armor was discarded to provide greater mobility, making Eire forces fast and deadly, but also vulnerable. Although the Eiremen were hesitant to join the long battle to repel the Khaliphate invasion, it was their charges that often broke Khaliphate front lines, allowing the Frislenders to exploit the gaps. Though they abandoned the Old Religion centuries ago, few Northerners trust the Eiremen completely, and rumors of old Eirewood worship still abound. The Eiremen typically wear either leather or no armor into battle, and use a variety of barbed spears and light two-handed swords called Claymores. The Frislenders copied this sword, and derived their heavier Zweihander from it. Before battle, the Eiremen often paint their faces blue with paint. Some rumors claim the Eiremen ingest strange herbs, to instill them with a battle madness that rivals the Aengard.

Rivals of the Eiremen, the Mercians are a pragmatic folk. Like the Eiremen, they have forgotten the origin of the ages old feud between the two kingdoms. The educated few believe it may be related to the two kingdom's previous status as Isle kingdoms before the Rain of Fire. On the surface, the Mercians do not appear to excel at any one thing, but appearances are deceiving. Like the Frislenders, the Mercians are quick to adapt the strengths of their opponents. The Mercian national character also appears to have an almost intuitive grasp of commerce. Their educated nobility easily rival and perhaps exceed those of the Montaigne. In warfare, the Mercians were able to hold their own against the Eiremen, until the arrival of the Montaigne. During the Montaigne invasion, the fame Montaigne mounted knights quickly learned to fear the Mercian longbow, which was able to penetrate the heavy chainmail. Even today, the Mercian longbow is able to penetrate the newly developed platemail of the Montaigne and Frislenders. During the invasion of the Khalifate and the Mughal Horde, it was the long range of the Mercian longbow that bought the beleagured Northerners time to maneauver and counter-attack. The Mercians, while quick to adapt the strengths of others, have a strong sense of identity and are quick to rebuke anyone who insinuates they are merely copiers of the Montaigne or the Frislenders. Currently, the Mercians are rapidly competing with the Montaigne for the quailty of their mounted knights, while at the same time trying to create an equally disciplined and trained force to rival the Frislenders. The Mercians typically go to battle in anything from leather to platemail, and use a variety of weapons similar to the Montaigne. While they possess fewer mounted knights than the Montaigne, their longbowmen more than compensate.

Distantly related to the Frislenders, the Aengard chose a life of constant warfare and battle to an agrarian culture. Since the Rain of Fire, the Aengard were united against all they considered outsiders, often sending large raiding parties to wage war against the Mercians and Eiremen. When the Montaigne entered the Valley and began to conquer, the Aengard attacked them. Despite the famed ferocity of the Eiremen, the Aengard not only equal them in sheer bravery, but excel in discipline. From childhood, the men of the Aengard are taught the arts of war. In Aengard culture, much like the Eire, no man can truly own what he cannot defend by force. The Aengard used great axes, combined with spear walls and shield walls to great effect, frustrating the Montaigne designs to rule the Northern Valley. It was this legendary combination of bravery, ferocity, and discipline that allowed the Aengard to join the Montaigne and suffer the most horrific initial battles against the Khalifate and later the Mughal Horde, giving the remaining Northerners time to rally their armies and battle the invaders. Famous for their warriors wearing leather or mail, wielding spears and great axes, the pointed helm of the Aengard still inspires fear. The most common weapons for the Aengard are either great axes or spears, round wooden shields and swords being reserved for great leaders. Despite the development of platemail, every knight still fears the massive cleaving blows of the Aengard great axe, still capable of splitting a knight's armor open like a nut.