Leikskalar

Geography

The continent of Leikskalar consists of five different landmasses. These isles are Ostland, which is split into two parts, Vöstland, Nordenland, and Sutrheim. Each of the isles is perpetually covered with snow and ice, making travel slow, chilling, and dangerous. Sparse forests dot the isles of Ostland, Vöstland, and Nordenland. Ostland is actually two separate pieces of land, but it was not always that way. In ancient times, Thor battled with Jörmungandr on the coast of Ostland. Their skirmish was so devastating that they fractured Ostland and caused part of it to drift away. Vöstland is home to the ten-mile high glacial mountain known as the Throat of Thrym. As was confirmed by the adventuring party Varahosst's Host, a sprawling kingdom of frost giants lives atop the glacier. Also of note is the isle of Sutrheim, where Varahosst's Host was also able to confirm the existence of a kingdom of fire giants living inside the supervolcano that takes up the entirety of the island's surface.

Localized Phenomena

The Bifrost is known to temporarily open its path to Asgard for mortal heroes to prove themselves by shining down upon the northmost point of Vöstland at random intervals.

History

The continent of Leikskalar was created by the gods Freyr and Odin as well as their pantheons. Together, the two pantheons of Aesir and Vanir were able to create a land and attract a following of hardy humans to live there and worship them as gods. After thousands of years of direct rule and adventuring, the gods retired to their divine strongholds upon the plane of Ysgard and allowed for the mortals to do as they pleased in the time before the end of days for both the continent and most of its gods: Ragnarök.
It is shortly after the beginning of this period of divine absence that the dragons chose to strike. Swiftly, draconic hordes ravaged the continent and brought its people to their knees. Slowly, the people began to grow in strength and resist their dragon overlords as they grew complacent with their tribute and destruction. Eventually, the heroes of Leikskalar discovered the magical art of truespeaking with the divine aid of the gods, though it is widely theorized that the main force behind the discovery was the trickster god Loki. With their physical prowess and numbers bolstered by the new magic of truespeaking and the old magic of runecasting, the people of Leikskalar were able to mostly eradicate the draconic presence on the continent, with only a few dragons having been known to survive and live on the continent still.
In recent times, the adventurer Leif Eriksson who hailed from the tribe of Sútvegr was able to slay his tribe's patron god and absorb his divine might, becoming a god unto himself in the process. He is known to have joined the Aesir pantheon as the god of flames and redemption. Also of note is the rise of the Ironbreaker tribe, who have instituted a set of pseudo-feudal laws and adopted the use of heavy arms and armor despite the disadvantages in the weather and the general lack of high-quality iron. Their might and numbers have allowed them to spread their presence to Ostland, Vöstland, and Nordenland and even force most of the tribes into becoming their tributaries. Since their subjugation of the continent, they have begun to launch deep raids into the other continents to bring back vast fortunes of gold, jewels, and magical items.

Type

Continent