Ashenvald

17/7/1252 5th era

In the north of the world there is a Peninsula, bordered by dangerous frozen mountains and treacherous seas; the Nation of Ashenvald is difficult to leave or enter. The danger is offset by the beauty of the boreal forests, northern lights, and caved coasts. The people of this land see this balance as part of their endless opportunity for a hearty life and personal development.   The National System - or The System - helps the nation navigate everyday struggles. The system tenants dictate who can have power over whom, who can creates stories of the world, and who resources are ultimately owned by. The System, though dated before the isolation, brings about the unique isolated collections of the people.   Now gripped by this policy of Isolation, the nation uses its dangerous surroundings to keep the national to itself, free of the issues and potential conflicts with other nations. Entry to the nation is possible but only after lengthy and complex checks and interviews, and then still you are likely to be watched while in the nation. External travel is permitted by citizens of Ashenvald but they risk the chance of being rejected for re-entry based on a dizzying number of criteria.   This policy has become a cultural pattern of thinking, culminating in each the creation of Localities - areas of only a few villages or towns. These localities seek to establish their everyday lives within themselves and maintaining their way of life within their space and personalised System. Only branching out to trade, as independent states. Core to the establishment of a locality is Religion-Craft: moral stories of Gods to establish a way of life for the people. The System dictates that all are free to move, change or create their own way of life as they see fit.   The world is still untamed though, villages, towns and cities only command select control over the forests, plains, and mountains. Animals control the wilderness, and monsters control the Below; coming to the surface to claim what they can. Magic and martial prowess keep the people safe but the danger is never too far away.   This danger, restriction, and checking are balance again the freedom, opportunity, and beauty of the nation. The System maintains the Publics freedom from each other, the Academies, the Rule and other nations to live the way they wish free of interference.