Sternenhellwolf (stûrn ĕn hĕl woolf)

The youngest of the frontier kingdoms the people of Sternenhellwolf face constant raids from the orcs of the Tågbaf mountains and the creatures of the Barrir swamp to the east, as well as the occasional raid by the Fjernhjem and Ledigklar barbarians. Consequently, the people here are very hardy and always have weapons handy whatever they’re doing. If not for the discovery of iron in the nearby hills the kingdom would be growing at a much slower rate.

Structure

Taking after the feudal model, Leofwine Bach is king of Sternenhellwolf he has appointed several dukes who in turn have appointed a few barons, but yet the kingdom is too small to have a full feudal structure. However, Leofwine is looking for men to establish dukedoms and baronies in the hills to the east where iron is being mined in hopes of expanding his kingdom and claiming the resources there.

Culture

The people of Sternenhellwolf are a tough and hardy lot. They have to be to survive the hostile land in which they have settled. Weakling don’t last long in Sternenhellwolf, either dying or moving to more hospitable lands. Because of the constant threat of raiders from the westand north as well as monsters from the Barrir swamp, its citizens are trained to wield a weapon from the time they are old enough to hold one. Its citizens never go about unarmed, having learned that trouble can strike at any time and safety is found in the strength of one’s arms. Despite this the people are not dour, but a genial and cheerful people who live life to the fullest seeking to squeeze every drop of happiness they can out of each moment. They are also a very welcoming people, who will invite strangers into their homes and aid newcomer in adapting to the harsh conditions of their tiny nation.

Public Agenda

Sternenhellwolf has made no secrets of its intentions to claim the Tågbaf foothills to their west where rich deposits of iron have been found. They also seek to expand north and south though are not as eager to claim land in those directions. Young and small the nation under Leofwine Bach is eager to secure its lands and people, and to this end have made overtures of peace to the Fjernhjem and Ledigklar peoples seeking to establish trade instead of raiding.

Assets

The land has little to recommend it, it is cold, the soil rocky and the growing season short. This means that farming is a difficult task but the hardy people of Sternenhellwolf persevere and manage to eke out an almost comfortable living. Herding of sheep and goats, particularly in the lower foothills is a common industry and the long cold winters ensure that the sheep develop thick coats of wool that the people need both to clothe themselves and to export. The Barrir swamp provides a variety of fish and other small game, in addition vast deposits of peat exist in the swamp which brave souls harvest for use both as fuel and as fertilizer. There are also the giant eels of the Barrir swamp, which some hunt for their meat which is something of a staple and also a popular export. Finally rich deposits of iron have been found in the Tågbaf foothills to the west, the kingdom is eager to lay claim to this valuable resource, though they have no real competitors. Dwarves seldom mine this low and the various tribes of orcs and giants can’t be bothered to develop the resource themselves.

History

Sternenhellwolf was established 20 years ago, when the ranger Leofwine Bach lead a group of daring souls to settle in the harsh land establishing the settlement of Lethetuh along the banks of the Shwester river. Almost immediately the settlement had to contend with orc raiders from the Tågbaf mountains. In typical adventurer style, Leofwine gathered a group of experienced adventurers and took the fight to the orcs, successfully wiping out or riving away most of the orcs and giants in the region and acquiring quite a bit of loot in the process. Where the orcs and giants had acquired the treasure themselves no one is quite sure, the most accepted theory is that it is treasure looted from the dying days of the Iliosgy empire. With the orc threat dealt with a process that took two years of campaigning, the settlement began to flourish. Leofwine invested the treasure he recovered into his kingdom using it to fund building projects and to import necessities that the kingdom couldn’t yet produce and which the inhabitants couldn’t yet afford to purchase themselves. As the burgeoning kingdom grew, it attracted people, mostly from other Frontier Lands kingdoms, many of which had fallen on hard times, due to ill luck or bad planning. Sternenhellwolf was seen as something of a last chance for Frontier Lands people, who had nowhere else to go. Four years ago, prospectors found large deposits of iron ore in the hills to the west. Leofwin immediately claimed the hills as part of his kingdom, though as yet there are only a couple of small thorps in the region. Though since no one has contested his claim the hills are for all intents and purposes part of Sternenhellwolf. The discovery of the deposits have increased immigration into the kingdom slightly as many prospectors now come to try their luck hoping to find a deposit to claim for themselves.

Demography and Population

Sternenhellwolf as of yet has only a small population, a little in excess of two hundred thousand. At the last census, which Leofwine conducts every five years, the total population of Sternenhellwolf was 226,363 souls. This breaks down as 178,827 humans, 20,373 halflings, 11,318 dwarves, 6,791 gnomes, 4,527 elves, and 4,528 other races. The number of dwarves is expected to increase as news of the iron deposits spreads throughout the Frontier Lands and into the Tågbaf mountains. Of the other races, quite a few are half-orcs many of which are just coming of age. While some of the prejudice against them found elsewhere remains, most people welcome these tough mixed breeds into their communities.

Military

As of yet Sternenhellwolf hasn’t the population or resources to maintain a standing army. However virtually every citizen is trained in the use of arms and militias can be called up at a moment's notice. The Church of Kello is very popular in the land and organizes monthly militia training for the people to keep them ready should raiders or worse come. Still in the summer months Leofwine will hire a mercenary company or two to patrol the foothills of the western boundaries and fight of raiders.

Religion

While no religion is specifically forbidden most worshipers of evil deities do so clandestinely. The exception being the few worshippers of Asmodeus, who are careful to refrain from openly committing evil acts. Still the most popular deities are Kello, Eresu, Utu and Voimakas. Rohkea, Azu, Metsäst and oddly Arammu are also popular. Surprisingly Bahamut is a popular deity in the region, not on par with the previously mentioned but having a larger presence than in most human lands. Equally surprising is that worship of Laki is not very widespread, as his emphasis on law is not popular with the freedom loving people of the land.

Foreign Relations

Sternenhellwolf is currently on good terms with its only neighbor Hirschtal. Since the Barrir swamp currently provides a nice boundary between the two nations. However, as the nations expand south and west past the swamp, it remains to be seen if these good relations will remain. Starnenhellwolf is a little stand-offish with Onzethcalet out of deference to Hirschtal. The people maintain good relations with Cektoh, Tiefhohl, Windbrücke and Orthatebh with whom it engages in trade. It has made overtures towards Ethfamen and is currently in negotiations for a treaty with its neighbor to the south. They have also made overtures of peace to the Fjernhjem and Ledigklar peoples, hoping to end the raiding. There has been some success with a few of the communities willing to trade in lieu of raiding, but since there is no unified government, each community has to be approached individually a process that is taking a long time.

Agriculture & Industry

Owing to the rocky nature of the soil and short growing season, farming is difficult and often unrewarding. Most people have small vegetable gardens, but few try to plant the vast fields of cereal that are often seen in more southern regions. Still, a few of the older farmers have managed to clear enough land to eke out a living growing rye or winter wheat and winter rye. Most peasants however turn to shepherding, as sheep raised in this climate develop especially thick coats of wool. Goats are another popular crop with a recently developed breed giving a particularly luxurious wool. Like most young kingdoms there is little in the way of industry. However, a few things bear notes. Some of the peasants manage to make a satisfactory living catching and selling the fish in the Shwester river an Barrir swamp. A species of giant eels dwell in the Barrir swamp and some hardy souls brave the swamp to hunt these for there is a demand for the meat much of which is smoked and shipped downriver. As previously mentioned, the discovery of large deposits of iron in the nearby hills has spurred a minor rush of prospectors to the region. This is also attracting workers to several smelting operations which buy the ore and refine it into iron or even steel.

Trade & Transport

The primary artery of trade for Sternenhellwolf is the Shwester river, which begins in the Tågbaf Mountains where it flows Southeast into the Barrir swamp where it joins the Rozux. This is Sternenhellwolf’s lifeline to the rest of the Frontier lands and in an agreement with Hirschtal both kingdoms routinely patrol the rivers from the spring thaw until the river freezes over in mid-autumn. One of the things that is being negotiated with Ethfamen is the establishment of an overland trade route between the two countries. However, in addition to the great distance that would have to be covered (and patrolled) there is also the issue of the Timchekabh Forest. Any such overland route would have to skirt the Eastern edge of the forest but would still be vulnerable to the denizens of the forest unless the route went miles out of the way to the East.

Education

As ruler Leofwine recognizes the value of education and seeks to have all of his people literate and versed in numbers. To this end he encourages the temples of Emku and Rohkea to establish their schools throughout the land. There is a shrine to one or both in virtually every community and a temple to both in Lethetuh. In addition, he subsidizes the importation of books to ensure that his people have things to read, and has established a library of sorts in Lethetuh, to further encourage his people to read an expand their minds. While higher education is out of the reach of his people just yet, he is watching with great interest Ethfamen’s construction of the first university in the Frontier Lands.

Infrastructure

As of yet the infrastructure of Sternenhellwolf is in its infancy, Outside of Lethetuh roads are largely unpaved, and turn to muddy morasses in the spring when the melt water soaks the land. Leofwine has begun purchasing the gangue overburden and tailings of the mining operations. This is mixed with clay from the river and swamp and made into a macadam to cover the more vital roads. It works surprisingly well and lasts a while. Leofwin hopes to one day have all the major roads paved in this manner. None of the communities yet have a working sewer system though Leofwine is currently having one built in Lethetuh and hopes to one day have them in all the larger communities. In the smaller communities human waste is often used as fertilizer for the home gardens along with animal waste and compost. There are several water mills built along the Swester river and a few windmills built throughout the land, so people don’t have to transport their grain too far for processing.

Live life to the fullest for you never know when death will come for you.

Founding Date

707

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Demonym

wolves

Government System

Monarchy, Absolute

Power Structure

Feudal state

Economic System

Mixed economy

Currency

Sternenhellwolf uses the standard platinum, gold, silver, copper coin system used throughout the Frontier Lands and the New Kingdoms. The nation has not yet begun minting its own coins yet instead using whatever coins come into their land.

Major Exports

At this moment Sternenhellwolf’s primary export is wool. Their sheep produce a preponderance of high-quality wool which sells well in many markets. Also of demand is the luxurious goat wool they have begun to produce in amounts suitable for export. Fur, particularly sable is also exported from the land, as many enterprising peasants have taken up fur farming either as a side venture or, more rarely, as a full-time occupation. Furs from this chill land are extra thick and warm, making them much sought after in other lands. Another export is the smoked meat of the giant eels of the nearby Barrir swamp. While most of this meat is consumed by the natives, a fair amount is exported to other, sometimes distant lands. Due to the proximity of iron mines, a few skilled smiths have located themselves to the land (both human and dwarf) and Sternenhellwolf weapons are gaining a reputation of being of fine quality. While nowhere near as common as iron, small deposits of gold, silver, copper and even platinum are found here, as are several different gemstones. While the precious metals are in too small quantities for export, they are often combined with the gemstones found nearby to make jewelry, the latter which is often exported to richer markets elsewhere. A tangy cheese made from goats’ milk is very popular in the land and is among its more popular exports. While the iron industry in the land is still in its infancy the quantity and quality of the iron found is already making it a popular export, as are granite, basalt, and marble, which are also quarried from the hills, often in conjunction with iron mining. While the native trees are small and scrubby Leofwin has started a program of planting pine, fir, and cedar trees in abundance, both to prevent the need for importing timber, but with an eye on someday exporting it.

Major Imports

Among the two biggest imports of Sternenhellwolf are salt, and wood. So far from the coast salt is something of a luxury for the inhabitants, though Leofwine subsidizes imports to keep the cost down so that most peasants can afford at least a small quantity. Wood is scarce as the trees in the region tend to be short and scrubby useful for firewood, but not for building. The region has plenty of wool, and flax plants are grown to provide linen, but cotton must be imported from the south. In addition, small quantities of brocade, chambray, damask, gabardine, lace, satin, and velvet are imported for the few wealthy citizens (mostly the nobility). While almost enough rye and winter wheat are grown to sustain the nation, wheat, and especially oats must be imported. While some grapes are grown in the hills to the east, viniculture is in its infancy in Sternenhellwolf so wine is imported. Books are also imported, though the king, Leofwine, must subsidize the purchase of books as he does for salt, for he seeks to have a literate population. Horses are still imported to the land, though they have started to breed their own horses, and may cease importing them soon. While most make use of peat lamps and candles for lighting, among the rich it is fashionable to use lamps lit with imported whale or olive oil, the latter imported from the south the former occasionally acquired by trade from the Fjerhjem who in turn acquire it from the Fjernord people further north. Another popular import is rugs, an expensive commodity but sought after none the less to cover the otherwise bare stone or dirt floors. Spices, fruit and sugar are imported in small quantities as spices and most fruit don’t grow well in this cold land and sugar is often used to supplement the honey that the land is able to produce. As mentioned previously Leofwine must hire mercenaries from the south each year to help defend the nation from raiders. He is also importing and storing caravan supplies tin hopes that he will one day have an overland trade route with Ethfamen.

Legislative Body

Laws are created by the king, Lefowine, who seems to believe that less is more, and creates new laws only when it seems absolutely necessary. The result is there aren’t a lot of laws, though the people are developing traditions, many of which, are assuming the force of laws.

Judicial Body

As a feudal state justice is meted out by the nobles and their representatives. Every community has a reeve appointed by the local noble, who handles most disputes and low justice. Cases can be appealed to the nobles and cases involving high justice are referred to them as well. As always, an individual can appeal their case to the next highest noble, up to the king, who holds king’s court once a month. The king naturally has the final say in the administration of justice.

Executive Body

The nobles through their appointed reeves are the ones responsible for enforcing the law. Each reeve will have a few full time watchmen to assist with the enforcing of laws, and in the rare cases it is needed will deputize members of the militia to serve a additional muscle.

Location

Frontier Lands

Official Languages