Sunderland
a nation of nomadic people that live in cities based on the backs of massive beasts that roam the stormy and hostile lands of the southern valleys and the notorious valley of storms. the people there practice the arts of peace and harmony with others and within themselves as taught by their lost spiritual leader the Nomad who brought peace to all peoples that he could find. the people are in constant movement to stave of the immense cold and frosted winds of the land, living off the chitinous shells of their old companions the Uthsrak beasts and in the arms of their loved ones. sunderland itself accepts people of all backgrounds and deeds. once one submits to the Calling their deeds and shames are forgotten in a passed life of violence or shame. they are accepted into the community of individuals that seek to bring peace to the hearts of all. and this sentiment is shared by the nation itself to bring peace to the heart of a fractured and injured world.
Structure
the organization that leads Sunderland in a band of tribes and nomadic leaders. they are called the Reins, as the head of each nomadic city is the one who guides the massive Uthsrak beasts that the settlements are built on. each of the 16 known settlements has a Rein Holder that controls the path of the city and is usually the eldest and most wizened member of the society housed on the back of the beasts. when the Beasts meet up the the Reins from each of the settlements will converse and decide what information and goods to share with the other settlement or whether to send civilians over to the other beast. generally these meetings and interactions are what is used to establish the rough expectations of the different settlements. normally no more than three Rein Holders will meet at the same time due to the mobile nature of their settlements, and due to this fact Sunderland does not function as a single entity that has single motives that drives the region. in terms of the single Uthsrak Beasts they function as a nomadic tribe, being lead by the eldest and the perceived wisest members of the society. the wisest and eldest will be the Reins Holder who is charged with directing the beast to places where it and its inhabitants can feed and gather supplies for their continued survival. under the Reins Holder are the Care takers which maintain the health and well being of the beasts so they can continue to carry the settlements. then come the warriors and hunters, and finally the home keepers and general settlers.
- Reins Holder: the elder that guides the Uthsrak beast towards food and shelter from storms ensuring the continued survival of the settlement and the beast itself.
- Caretaker: an elder or older member of the society that has the knowledge to adequately take care of the beast that the settlement is mounted on (feeding, water, dental hygiene, and treating injuries that it may sustain.
- Hearth Keeper: Member of society charged with the maintenance of the shelter and buildings on the back of the beast, as well as the stocks and supplies carried by the settlement.
- Hunter: member of the food gatherers and warriors of the settlement in charge of feeding the settlers and other citizens of the beast.
- Settler: standard member of the society who keeps homes warm and handles various miscellaneous professions in the settlements.
Culture
The culture of Sunderland is based on hunter gatherer society and the ideas of pacifism and peace. they are all about discussions and peaceful transactions with one another. the Sunderlanders abhor violence and fighting, though they will hunt for what they need from the world they will never be violent for things like war, the gain of land, or the disagreement over differing ideals.
Public Agenda
the Sunderians seek the path of peace, as most of their civilians are descended from beings who once fought for the forces of chaos the Sunderians seek the path of enlightenment and peace. they have distanced themselves from most magic and technology preferring to live basic lives on the backs of their Uthsrak companions. to the rest of the world they have little value in trade or utilities, however their warriors and in fact the cities themselves perform as excellent guides and transport through the massive drifts of snow during Frostweiss. the only way to travel to the southern areas of the Northerlands during Frostweiss would be to fly by airship or to catch a ride on a Sunderian city, the latter being much cheaper. as such if anything needs shipping down to the southern regions the merchants best bet would be to catch a ride with the mild mannered Sunderians and their massive Uthsrak beasts. as the Sunderians follow what they refer to as the Calling which tells them to be kind and live as peaceful individuals they are kind to most other peoples in the northerlands. they have a very lax attitude and kind demeanor as if they are still trying to atone for the actions of their ancestors who served Apoc during the Crusade hundreds of years earlier.
Assets
the Sunderians have upwards of 16 mobile cities based on the backs of colossal animals called Uthsrak beasts, there may be more but they are never in the same place at the same time but scholars have been able to confirm at least 16 from distinctive markings and the words of the Rein Holders on each beast. the Sunderians have no considerable gold or monitary assets as much of their income is spent on basic necessities and food for their citizens the rest they distribute to the citizens as the reins holders do not have use for it. money is not shared between settlements and so the "nation" has no cumulative GP Count or spending allowance, the amount available for adventurers and misc expense will depend on the city. Sunderland has no established military force and rely on the warriors of each settlement as well as their dangerous Uthsrak beasts that are able to provide some offensive and a great defensive capability to the cities. the soldiers commonly have primitive spears and bows however the Reins Holder of every city is said to have a fragment of the Ancestral armor from their days in the Chaos forces. alone these items provide minor bonuses to the prowess of the wearer as well as some special ability specific to the piece of armor. they have no access to mineral deposits or other natural resources but they have become very adept at using the waste from their Uthsrak beasts. they make armor from its shed chitinous shell and gather fibers from the discarded hairs on its legs to make blankets and other clothing. they have almost no organization so the count of horses and other riding animals cannot be evaluated correctly. their naval presence is non existent as they rely on the ships of other countries to bring them wares as the Uthsrak beasts rest on the beaches of the southern shores. they are the poorest of all the countries but still are regarded with respect for their taming of the great southern beasts and survival of the southern valley of storms.
History
the first member of the Nation that would once be known as Sunderland was a member of the southern wolves, a group of armored Goliath combatants that served the forces of Abadon the Black during the second crusade. this Goliath named Threkker the Blooded Sword a commander of the Gore Stealer regiment of shock troopers. he was separated from his regiment during the chaos retreat in P.C 9 when the Grey Bell Knights forced them back to the Far Shore. Threkker was lost in the massive snow banks of the Southern Northerlands and lost sight of his regiment. alone the ice he was seperated from the control of the control of the beings of chaos and reflected on his deeds in the war. he tore his armor from his skin and on each piece wrote a resolution or tenement of peace and reflection on the soul. and then Threkker died in the freezing winds of the Valley of Storms. 200 years later in P.C 209 the fragments of the armor were found in an ice flow by an individual refered to in history only as the "Nomad" who after 2 centuries of rest gazed upon the reflections of Threkker. the nomad returned to his village and presented the reflections to the people there who saw the writings and adopted them as their pseudo religion of peace and kindness. in the winter of the same year Nomad and his tribe were travelling in the Valley of storms during a particularly cold night, they were all at threat of dying to the winds and the ice that flew through the valley. but they were saved by a small Uthsrak beast that had been separated from its parent. the beast lead them to a cave and shelter for the night. in the morning the tribe left the cave to leave the valley, and the beast followed them, after a few months of the beast following and the various travelers in the tribe feeding and looking after the animal they began to grow attached to it, they named the creature Sterk Leder or Stout Guide. and 3 years later when the creature was large enough the tribesmen mounted a hut to its back for their sick and wounded. the Nomad declared that they would stay in these lands and would create a land of peace for all peoples and creatures in the crevices and valleys of this "Sunderland". the Nomad being of Aeldari blood was very long lived and continued to be the spiritual leader of Sunderland for many more years and under his leadership and with the assistance of Stout Guide Sunderland was able to befriend 6 more Uthsrak beasts from the valley of storms and established a society of mobile villages in the year P.C 268. the nomad rode his old friend Stout Guide in the quest to turn more people to the Calling. and he succeeded in acquiring many other peoples to form 20 other separate tribes that followed the calling of peace and harmony. in the year P.C 345 Sunderland had grown to be occupied by many tribes of peace and nomadic nature. years before, in P.C 334 the Nomad distributed the Pieces of armor to the different tribes to each keep a piece of the sacred texts. when war broke out the Nomad declared that he would go to seek peace in the conflict and left Sunderland to head for the front. at the front he sought out the injured and broken and invited them to join sunderland in peace and harmony, he gained many followers but his greatest achievement was when he encountered a Goliath shock battalion from the forces of chaos. he and 50 of his followers approached the Goliaths recognizing the armor, and with their belief in peace and reflection they were able to parlay with over 150 Goliaths which at the end of the war in P.C 375 he brought back to live among the other Sunderians. after he returned the Golaiths back to Sunderland the Nomad once again left on a quest to the far shore where the forsaken still fought with the forces of chaos, and he never returned. the people of Sunderland waited for their leader to return for 20 years while the conflict still raged, but he did not return. and the Sunderians slowly became less connected and unified. in P.C 400 the people of Sunderland split into their individual tribes and Uthsrak beast settlements spreading across the land and adapting their own unique culture and customs for each city. over the years Sunderland settlements have sent over 30 searches to possibly find their spiritual leader or at least his remains, to the current day the people of Sunderland still refer to the Nomad as their leader and the heavenly bringer of peace and kindness to the world. they believe that someday he will return to finally re unite the tribes and bring peace to the northerlands. over the hundred years since the disappearance of the Nomad the Sunderians have fractured and tried to practice the teachings of their leader, but have been unable to bring the teachings to the other formal countries of the northerlands. however they have had moderately more success with the chaos forces in the Skybone Mountains, where in P.C 430 the city of Stout Guide ran into a group of chaos Astartes and succeeded in turning them to the calling. they have since been seen participating in the civilization of Stout Guide as citizens and following the path of peace. with the help of the astartes they have been able to claim at least ten more Uthsrak beasts for their tribes and expand the roaming villages as of P.C 485. in the same year they began the tradition of migrating to the northern cities during early Frostweiss and transporting merchants and travellers to destinations in the south, all the while bombarding them with their traditions and the words of the calling. in the year P.C 500 Stout Guide the original Uthrak died of old age still waiting for his friend the nomad to return. the residents claim that during his last days the ancient Uthsrak made a journey towards the north of the region where he knew that his old friend has dissapeared before collapsing on the fourth day near the edge of the Shoreside lake. and dying on the fifth day still staring towards the far shore. this became the only stationary city in Sunderland, renamed Stoutlas for the venerable old creature that had served the tribes for nearly 300 years. the days of its travel as well as the day of death has become a holiday for the people of Sunderland called they Journey of Morning, where for the four days they mourn and wear black to commemorate Stout Guide and on the fifth day the celebrate his final ascension to join the Nomad in peace of the calling.
Demography and Population
the main races that live in Sunderland ate traditionally the Goliaths and Dragon born who are suited to the harsh living conditions and nomadic traveling. these are the most common, however the actual population is much more varied as anyone is allowed to participate in the society as long as they follow the lifestyle and the pacifist culture of the country.
Territories
Sunderland is defined as the area of rocky crags and snow dunes down in the south near the skybone ridges. the area is uninhabitable by any other means than Uthsrack cities and has no real natural resources, thus the borders are rather undefined save the beginning and end of the snow dunes to the south.
Military
the Sunderlanders refuse to engage in conflict and thus do not have a military of any size.
Technological Level
they are at the technological level of the neolithic era, and traditionally build out of mud and stone, use stone implements and tools to do their work. but they have a gift for crafting their items and materials out of any creature they kill so that no portion of it goes to waste.
Religion
the Sunderlanders worship the Nomad as their god of peace and pacifism, they are the one who first came up with the teachings of peace and calm that guide the nation to this day. he is not really regarded as a god persay, but they worship the spirits that he wrote about in his first manuscripts and teachings. the spirits of the wind, the land, and the water, these can be approached by Sunderlanders for acts of nature and the gifts of nature.
Foreign Relations
Relations vary depending on the city that is interacting, there is no solidified government so relation depends on what city is interacting with what outside force.
Agriculture & Industry
the Sunderlanders have next to no industry or agriculture, they work as hunter gatherers and take what nature has provided them usually taking stops on their beasts to hunt for meat and forage for food that will sustain their cities until the next stop. as such there are no farms or actual real industrial businesses.
Trade & Transport
the Sunderlanders commonly trade with the Etarians and the Greywatch. they have no dedicated trade routes but carry most of their goods with them on their mobile cities. different cities will have different trade partners but they are generally amiable and willing to trade for basic wares on small scale with the neighboring nations whenever an Uthsrack beast decides to cross out of the snow dunes into foreign territory.
Education
education is handled by individual families. most citizens cannot read or write anything besides giant, though they speak broken common. basic math is not their strong suit either, as education on such things is not traditionally focused on. the level of traditional education varies from city to city, but they usually have the base knowledge of their area, wildlife and language nothing beyond.
Upon the Backs of Giants
Founding Date
P.C 212
Type
Geopolitical, Nomadic tribe
Alternative Names
Normani, The Jagged Plains, The Wandering Wastes
Training Level
Untrained
Veterancy Level
Recruit
Demonym
Sundurian
Leader
Currency
Sunderland deals in trade, their lack of industry and technology make precious metals and other materials viewed as valuable all but useless to them. they prefer to deal in goods such as leathers, animal hides, and other useful tools, their values are based on the buyer's current need of that item.
Legislative Body
there is no legislative body in the kingdom save the occasional meetings that Uthsrack beast leaders have with each other to discuss the current state of affairs in the kingdom, other than that there is no traditional ruling body that governs the entire area. for individual beast cities they will be lead by their chief who makes decisions for the beast city based on the current state of affairs for that individual city. they are not swayed by other chiefs or outside forces and make their decisions based only on the wishes of their city and their beast.
Judicial Body
there is no law making body officially employed by the nation, if the need arises for judgment, the matter will be brought before the council of elders that exists within each of the cities, and they will use their wisdom to lay judgement on the matter, the judgment is then either accepted or denied by the chief.
Neighboring Nations
Related Ethnicities
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