The Mossback Moot

Troll Clan Federation — Bridge-Caves and River Gorges, Nord-Vast to the Reach#

"The troll at Greystone Bridge knew the toll rates for twenty-three categories of cargo, current seasonal discount structures for wool, and the name of the factor in Crestmark who was skimming grain levies. She charged me fair and gave me information worth ten times the toll." — Reach caravan master

The Mossback Moot is a confederation of troll lineages whose territorial range spans the river gorges, cold floodplains, and bridge approaches from Nord-Vast's northern watersheds to the Reach's inland crossings. Human travelers who dismiss troll toll-takers as dim brutes operating on instinct encounter the Moot's reality quickly: troll clans have administered bridge crossings for generations, and their understanding of trade-flow economics, seasonal tariff logic, and the political dynamics of frontier commerce is detailed, practical, and current.

The Moot convenes seasonally at large rock formations called mooting-stones where lineage representatives exchange information on traffic patterns, commodity prices, human political shifts that might affect crossing volume, and internal disputes over territorial boundaries. This cross-lineage information exchange produces a collective intelligence picture of movement across an enormous geography. Every notable traveler who crosses a Moot bridge is catalogued: name if known, apparent purpose, cargo type, destination direction, and any unusual equipment or companions.

The Moot sells this intelligence selectively to larger powers — merchant guilds, border lords, occasionally state intelligence services — treating it as a commercial service rather than a political commitment. They maintain strict neutrality in human conflicts, regarding both sides as temporary customers. Adventurers who treat Moot toll-keepers with professional respect rather than contempt often find the crossing fee includes genuinely useful information about what has passed ahead of them and what is waiting.