Funnis#

Funnis is a Woodlands Ursinor settlement roughly one hundred miles east of Bridgeport, nestled deep within the Whistle Woods where the eastern reaches of the Sanctum Hills give way to the lower slopes of the Livingstone Mountains. It sits on a low plateau overlooking Clear Creek, a fast-flowing river that cuts through a shallow ravine before turning south toward the Godsfall.

It is not a city. It is not a town in the Bridgeport sense. It is a community — self-sufficient, deliberate, and entirely on its own terms.

The People#

Funnis is home to approximately four hundred Ursinor — bear-folk, broad of shoulder and steady of temperament, organized into six clans: the Axe Beak, Blink Dog, Dire Wolf, Giant Owl, Owlbear, and Wyvern clans. Each clan maintains its own longhouse and selects a Clan Speaker to represent it in the settlement’s council.

From among the Clan Speakers, one is chosen to serve as First Voice — the settlement’s mediator and external representative. The First Voice speaks with collective trust rather than personal authority. Decisions in Funnis are reached by consensus, not vote, and deliberation continues until common ground is found. It is a slow system by outside standards. It is also a remarkably stable one.

The Ursinor of Funnis are conservative rather than closed. They do not seek outsiders, nor do they forbid them outright. Visitors are received through the Wayhouse just inside the main gate — a practical clearinghouse where names are recorded, intentions noted, and guests quietly assessed before being welcomed further or redirected elsewhere. Outsiders who observe this process with patience tend to find Funnis considerably more welcoming than its reputation suggests.

The Settlement#

A stout wooden palisade surrounds Funnis, reinforced by watchtowers at its corners and along the walls. A single wooden bridge over Clear Creek forces all road traffic through one entry point, which suits the settlement’s measured approach to visitors just fine.

Inside the walls: longhouses, barns, corrals, storehouses, a market space, a communal hall, and a council lodge. The construction throughout is Ursinor timber work — practical, restrained, and far more sophisticated than its modest appearance suggests. The bridge alone carries wagons at speed without so much as a creak.

Outside the walls to the south sits the sawmill, its windmill sails turning steadily above stacks of timber ready for trade.

Trade and Economy#

Funnis’s economy centers on wool, timber, fine woodwork, hides, and distinctive artisanal cheeses. The settlement is largely self-sufficient and trades most often through the river village of Brackle, some thirty miles south. Coin is accepted only as a last resort — the Ursinor place considerably more value on goods they cannot easily produce themselves: metal tools, cloth, rare foods, and spices.

Merchants seeking Funnis’s prized lumber frequently make the journey themselves. The quality justifies it.

Faith#

Funnis holds deep reverence for Soryn, the Ascendant credited with granting the Ursinor mortality, kinship, and the right to choose their own paths. Devotion is quiet and habitual rather than ceremonial — expressed through shared meals, seasonal observances, and the honoring of obligations. Each clan maintains a shaman who serves as healer, mediator, and keeper of tradition. Shamans do not form a hierarchy and do not outrank Clan Speakers.

The Forest#

The Whistle Woods that surround Funnis are old growth — dense, game-rich, and not entirely predictable. Deer, boar, wolves, giant owls, and the occasional owlbear wander its paths. Deeper in, the forest grows stranger. Giants are rumored in the Livingstone Mountains. The High Pass north of Funnis is passable only on foot, and only by those who know what they are doing.

The Ursinor manage the forest with care. They harvest what they need and no more. Whether this is philosophy, practicality, or both is difficult to say from the outside.

Getting There#

Funnis lies roughly one hundred miles east of Bridgeport as the crow flies — a journey of several days by road through the Sanctum Hills. The route follows Clear Creek for much of its length and is maintained through Funnis’s territory, though conditions in the hills can vary considerably by season.

It is not a casual trip. But the Ursinor have a saying, loosely translated: those who arrive tired are usually worth talking to.

Funnis has not yet been visited by the party. This entry will expand as they learn more.