The journey to the Icecrown Citadel was long.
According to the orders of the Patriarch, Ezran Partas took it slow; they were not in a hurry because the season was bad, and there were more Danger Beasts out there than during the usual time.
This was a unique opportunity to observe the working of the hunters of the Partas Tribe as they were carrying out the reconnaissance of the terrain, or how they dealt with the occasional Danger Beasts that were on the way.
"At this time of the year, there are many Danger Beasts active. Many of them are emerging from their lairs because winter is coming, so they are going to have their fill of food before many would go into deep slumber during the winter."
During the time we were traveling, I was having a discussion with the Patriarch of the Partas Tribe. The man was more amiable than he seemed, at least after a few minutes, though, that should be mostly because of my strength.
It was interesting to learn about the flora and fauna of the Fenran Rex IX. and the methods that the locals were using to not only survive but to thrive in this kind of hostile environment to everything moved.
"Is this common?"
Something similar was also in the Higher Dimensional World of the Baator, usually during the Long Night.
The Long Night took place every few decades; sometimes, it was once per century or even more than a century.
Or when the Magical Beasts and Monster population hit the limits in certain areas, which would usually result in them creating Magical Beasts Hordes that would attack cities, settlements, and practically everything in their path.
"Yes, during the centuries and centuries, only the strongest could survive on the planet. Usually, the weaker settlements and factions are wiped out every time, either before the Long Night or during the Long Night. Not many could survive the endless hordes of the Danger Beasts that are swarming almost everywhere."
The environment of the Fenran Rex IX. wasn't really nice, and the people who wanted to survive needed to adapt to the environment. Or else they would be devoured by them once for all...
"How many factions are on this continent are considered to be on your level?"
I was curious about how many factions or something like that existed in the hellhole. There shouldn't be many of them, the population of the planet Fenran Rex IX. was rather low, at least from what I have seen.
However, that could be just my own assumption, and it was said that in the southern parts of this continent, it was much higher than in the North. The environment of the southern regions was much better, and the winters were not as drastic as those of the northern areas of the continent.
"Not many... aside from the Partas Tribe, the Northern Hemisphere of the continent has only another faction that is on a similar level like the Partas Tribe, the Northern Tribes. They are coalitions of several tens of Clans and Tribes that were unified by one of the largest Tribes in the entire Northern Hemisphere. Though in terms of military might, they couldn't compare to even a fraction of the might of the Partas Tribe."
This wasn't that surprising to hear, because every single hunter of the Partas Tribe was very powerful; it was clear that the Partas Tribe was going for quality over quantity. Even though they were numerically outnumbered by the Northern Tribes, they were still stronger than anyone else.
"And the situation in the south?"
The political situation in the Northern Hemisphere of the continent was more than clear, but only one in the Southern part of the continent remained unclear.
"The South is warmer than the North, much warmer, and the population is approximately ten to fifteen times larger. There are even some nations in the South, a few Kingdoms, and there were rumors that even two Empires were established approximately one hundred years ago, but nothing is confirmed for sure. Not many people from the South are able to cross through the Central Ridge Mountain Range and survive the harsh winters of the North."
I learned much from talking with the Patriarch Partas; the Southern situation was much more complicated and stressful. There were many more humans living in the South due to a much better environment, and even the Danger Beasts were less powerful.
Though they lacked in powers, they were made up for by their sheer numbers because, in the South, species that had strong reproductive abilities lived. There were not many Super Danger Beasts living in the South, and thus, the people in the South had more time to wage war against each other.
"The ambition of the Partas Tribe is to unite the Northern Hemisphere of the continent under our rule. The sole obstacle that we have are the Northern Tribes; even though they are not a match for the might of the Partas Tribe, we need to cull down their numbers."
The Northern Tribes are something akin to a confederation of Tribes, Clans, and some other factions. They were unified approximately seventy years ago by one of the largest Tribes, the Numa Tribe, and currently, it is led by Prince Numa Seika.
The members of the Northern Tribes had relatively strong autonomy, depending on the personal strengths and numbers of each of the Tribes. This kind of internal divide made the Northern Tribes weak because there was no unified central command or anything like that.
"And for what end? Does the Partas Tribe have another goal aside from dominating the entire region of the North?"
I was wondering if there was more to it or not...
"Resources, ores, metals, meat, Danger Beasts, and access to better technologies. There were records that there were large mining operations in the Central Ridge Mountain Range and the surrounding areas in the Golden Age, so there is a high possibility that there are still remains of the olden age. We can obtain that to boost our strength and survivability. The Northern Tribes will be either assimilated by our ways or exterminated."
I quickly searched through my memories stored in the Architect about this, and indeed, it was true: within the Central Ridge Mountain Range of the Feris Continent, as it was called, there were enormous mining stations.
And...
They should even contain a whole bunch of STCs.