To the north, in the small village of Anikmaar, the peasants and simple folk who till the earth and make due with their roughshod tools have a fear of sound. Specifically, they fear speaking. Each man, woman, and child is raised under the law that every word he speaks can be used by Morr to weigh his soul and determine his worthiness in the afterlife. Such trepidation leads to a silence so heavy that people go days and weeks without uttering a single word or grunt.[1a]
Elders speak not at all, and children often find themselves in silent prayer, begging for forgiveness for their idle prattling over games and chores. While it may seem extreme, this is simply the way of life for these people. They live in constant fear of their own voices, and believe that the gods overlook little and forgive even less.[1a]
Anikmaar is not alone in its concern for silence. Other villages throughout Averland practice diligent vows of silence, but none take their pathos to the extreme of the Anikmaari. Those who have visited these people claim no wish to return, and coincidentally surround themselves with the clamour of busy taverns and docks for their remaining days.[1a]