Storm Island

Island located several hundred miles northwest of Wingmar.

History

This island was settled in the far past by humans, mostly, who somehow found there way here from the mainland. These humans lived there almost unmolested for millenia. (It is likely they came during the ice ages, when sea levels were lower and much of this part of the ocean was frozen.) These people mostly lived along the shores, hunting, gathering, fishing. They traveled extensively around the island, but did not cross the open sea. Also in those ancient times, dwarves, giants, and other creatures settled here, and lived. These lived underground, or in the interior, more than the humans did. There were scattered elvish communities as well, especially Drow, in the northern wastes. 
It was discovered again by travelers from the mainland in the 700s or so. Vikings sailed out here and landed. (There were probably previous sailors to come here, but none stayed, or survived.) Around 700 these arrived - they stayed, they went back, and over the next century or two, they began to deliberately migrate here. By 1000 they were well established. The first arrivals tended to stay where they landed; later groups began to explore inland, and soon found fine sheltered valleys in the interior. They settled there, and began to develop villages and towns. Several settlements appeared along the Shelter River and its tributaries, along the fjords and rivers around Skagget harbor, and on the fjords and rivers in the southeast. The latter spread, and quickly settled all of the southern coast.
The arrival of the Vikings displaced the natives, who retreated into the hills and the north, as well as the far west. The Vikings established a strong, well planted society here. They were warlike people, and they tended to be tribal and barbaric, though they tended to mitigate those factors here. They lived by agriculture and herding, mainly. They found less reason to fight, fewer targets for raiding, and had less reason to go to sea. They formed a mostly agrarian, though still tribal, culture, along the shores of the Bay, along the south-eastern and southern coast (out to South Point more or less), and up through the central moors. The areas along Sheltered River and the south coast - from Placid River to Southshire, basically - were more settled; the moors remained wild, with smaller settlements that were usually built around forts. 
This changed around 1300. About that time, fishermen from Lenay and Oceanside began to explore the western ocean, and found Storm Island. They had known of its existence before, but they tended not to have the navigational skills to go there, Now they did. Wars and other disruptions gave them reasons to leave at about the time seagoing technology began to develop. They began sailing all around the western ocean, including to Storm Island. This created a fairly steady trade by about 1450, mostly with LEnay (as well as Wingmar, which always maintained some level of contact.) This in turn leads to migration of Lenics to the island, and settlements of Lenics. This is also true of other countries. Fishermen, whalers and so on began venturing north from Oceanside and Wessex as well as Lenay. They established a presence on the island, as well as increasing trade. 
By 1500, there was a large Lenic presence on the island. There was plenty of decent land, especially in the south, good enough to sustain larger populations, towns and so on. These settlers lived along with the Vikings who were already there. Vikings continued to settle in the northeast; there were even attempts to settle int he far north. Places like Freewater developed, mainly as bases for arctic whaling and fishing. By the 1550s, though, Lenics were starting to contend with the Vikings for control of the island. There were political exiles, there were traders, there was sponsored emigration, there were people seeking opportunity. This did not really lead to conflict though, beyond the kind of local feuds that were common enough in this kind of frontier. Shelter Town in particular became something of a cosmopolitan center, supporting significant trade with the mainland - Vikings, Lenay and Oceanside alike. The south, around Southshire, and Placid River, were populated by sailors fromt he south, mostly Lenay. These were augmented by Oceansiders and even Wessexians (who were also notable sailors), who also tended to settle in Placid River, and spread north up the rivers, to the main river.
Thus it was in the 16th century. The Sheltered River valley was still mainly Viking, though had been altered by the arrival of the Lenic and Oceanside churches. The main town was very cosmopolitan - probably 50% Viking; 30% Lenic; 10% Oceanside; plus some from the Kingdom - the rest, elven, halfling (a large halfling population lives on Hobbit River, and in the hills between the Eberle and Placid Rivers, and quite a few others lived in small settlements in the southeast and between Southshire and Placid River.) The upper valley, toward Lake Pahoe, was more Viking - with quite a few elvish types and Natives. South - this was the case through the hills dividing the Sheltered valley from the south coast. The south coast itself was less Viking - Southshire was about 40% Lenic, 20 Oceanside, 20 Viking and others. Placid River - probably 25 Lenic, 30 Oceanside/Wessex, 30 Viking, 5 non-human and 10 - Caric: quite a few Carics started coming up here, to get out of Oceanside. West of Placid River, the country emptied out - there were still many old steadings and hamlets, mostly Viking - with quite a few Carics and Lenics living up through there. In the north - the central moors were dominated by the same people who had always been there. The eastern mountains were sparsely populated - though with lots of dwarves underground; elves in the forested parts; and villages - mostly of fishermen - along most of the inlets and fjords. The northern areas, along the coast of Summer Harbor were still mainly small farms and hamlets - Freewater, though, was a decent sized town, supporting a significant whaling fishery, and other similar groups. The far west was very sparsely populated - monsters, orcs, and os on far outnumber humans of any kind.
All this gets significantly disrupted by the warfare of the late 16th century. Floods of refugees come in from Oceanside - several thousand from 1596-1610 or so, though it doesn’t stop there. Also plenty of Bayport and other places overcome by refugees from the wars on the Northflood. And even people from the far south - it is known as a peaceful, safe place where a person can find land, have a farm and get along. This is not strictly true - much of it is howling wilderness, some of this really howling - the east coast mountains (which are buffeted by some of the worst storms on earth), the glaciers. It is untamed through much of it - even quite close to towns. Lake Pahoe, the southeast, are very dangerous places, and within an hour or so of towns. The influx of people does not help - they are often poor, there are a lot of orphans and broken families - they are politically divided - and all of it creates a kind of opportunism for pirates smugglers and other villains. Though al of this is better than open warfare.

Type

Island

Location under

Western Ocean