Unbound Lands Climate and Culture

collection of clans spread throughout the northern-eastern reaches of Daënfel, the Freemen of the North submitted to Avlar's rule during his conquest but lie outside of the governance of The Dawning Empire. They would only ever cede dominion of their lands to a power strong enough to destroy them, and unlike Avlar the Dawning Empire hasn't the means nor the desire to do so.
The people of the Unbound Lands are regarded as fearsome due to their unending battle against the creatures of the Rhakhis Peaks - monsters who escaped The Maw and have made their homes within the mountain ranges. Some people of the Empire respect them for their strength, while others look down on them as uncultured savages.
A few decades ago, Clan Fury, led by The Twin's Chosen, united some of the clans and attacked the eastern coastal settlements of the Empire. Other northmen resented this unwarranted destruction, and stood against their own kind. Two decades ago the conflict was resolved, with Clan Fury dismantled and the Chosen banished to the Rhakhis for her crimes.
In recent years the northmen are left mostly to their own devices, trade being the main reason for their interactions with the Empire.
Northmen mercenary companies are not uncommon around the Empire, as their strong and wild upbringing makes them fierce warriors and shamans.
The Unbound Lands are mostly comprised of huge valleys, coniferous forests, tundra, arctic plains and frozen peaks. Pelts, furs, bone and ores flow from the Unbound Lands to the Steppes, with jewellery, fruit and other luxury goods making their way northward.
Aegis Meer stands as the largest settlement of the region, with its distinct amber-coloured rooves and old stone buildings that feel incredibly ancient.
The Vale of Cwydd is a hotspot of activity. Governed by the hero Manannán, the area has grown incredibly prosperous of late, as trade with the south has blossomed.
The people of this land worship The Avanís Pantheon, but not in any way that Empire citizens would recognize, as their practices far predate that of the Dawning Empire. Some members of the faith go so far as to call this difference in practice a form of sacrilege, and the tribal people heathens.
Pictured: The home of Venghen Wulfhelm, of Clan Blaidd (left), a farmhouse in the Vale of Cwydd (right)