Great men of the South

The men of the south came from a forgotten island that was long engulfed by the sea, they were stronger and taller fairest of all that hailed in the south. From a long line of kings washed away by the waves, and at the bottom of the ocean is buried great tales and secrets long forgotten.

Difference between normal men
Normal men have a height of 6'3 (188 cm) but they have a height of 7'1 making them half a foot taller than normal men, not only are they taller but they are also stronger being able to lift and carry more and are faster. Unlike the natives of the land the great men were blessed with long life allowing them to live to 170 years whereas normal men live to 100.

Settlement of the South
Long before the time of Solomon and King Thalias, they had sailed into the lake Mirormere setting up trade routes and small towns, Solitude was one of the major ports in which they had set up. These settlements and trading posts led to the formation of early southern kingdoms, later after some hundred years they began to migrate to the mainland, at first they were merchants and scholars eager to learn more and explore the land, but later armies had marched into the mainland and waged wars upon the local middle men.

But warning came from the gulls, news that a great wave was headed their way to the lost isle and so the ships departed to the land, to the fortresses and the holds of south men before them. There they dwelt and there they prospered setting up the foundations of new kingdoms, Solitude of which was developed more and made more significant than all.

A few hundred years later the kingdoms had become arrogant and blind to threats that did not yet oppose them, the men from the north returned raiding their towns and villages along the border. Soon they were roused again and sent armies to push further north in order to drive the wild men back. They had marched north until coming into contact with elves and then staying their land making a truce with some of the wild men allowing them to settle down and claim some lands near the lake.

The Long Winter
A few decades after the agreement a long winter swept over the land lasting for two years, causing a massive famine and the death of a fifth of the population in the south. This had lead to the north being scarcely populated and Solitude being abandoned as people fled further southwards to escape the cold.

Trade had stopped for the two years causing industries to fall apart and the decline of the economy, wise kings used their wealth to feed the people and restart farms, whereas others horded their wealth and watched their people suffer. For the greedy and foolish kings, rebels had sprung up taking up arms to start anew, this caused many conflicts and in the end brought down more kingdoms with them.

At the first sight of the ice thawing, the sprout of a tree growing the people rejoiced despite their hunger. Farms were sprung up and trade was beginning to reappear in those regions once more. After four years everything was restored to back to its former glory at least all that was still standing the broken kingdoms were still shattered and the north parts of ithilen including Solitude was still abandoned or had survivors roaming the lands.