Windari (Win-darr-e)

Windari is a Nordic inspired community of raiders, druidic figures, and a deep sense of individualism.

"I saw it all of course, nearly got hit by the first thrown spear in fact. The ship was small, something that couldn't leave the shallows. Of course, that meant it was fast, and it was coming from behind the mountain and right on our tail before the crew knew what was going on. The dark oak ship only had a single sail, but rows on rows of paddles! When we heard the drums and rhythmic singing though...
That still gives me nightmares sometimes."

-Kibal, Worldly Bard

The long history of Windari is troubled, violent, and simple. Formally a group of 5 clans, it was brought together by a single king at it's more dire of times.

History

When Windari first joined Sinstram, it was a collection of 5 disparate tribes, each headed by an elder. These 5 tribes often fought against each other each autumn for supplies for the winter to the point of tradition even in times of plenty. There were smaller outlying villages and groups that didn't find themselves aligned with any 1 particular group, but as a result found themselves often raided without consequence. The 5 major tribes are listed below, but as Windari is now unified under a single king due to The Mournfrost War, this information is largely no longer relevant to the current politics of Windari, though knowing the history of where you come from can never hurt, and so it was written down by the few scholars Windari raises within their borders.

• The Bladinkins was a tribe of warrior poets. They sought legacy, wealth, and fame through acts of bravery and battle, and often are cited as the birthplace of skalds and eventually more arcane focused bards. While they fought other tribes just as often as any other, they also sought out giants, dragons, and other mountain dwelling monsters to further extend their legacy.
• Clan Truic was a tribe of nomadic herders. Often seen with domesticated yaks, stout but strong horses, and other winter resistant animals, they traveled throughout Windari and the northern parts of the Golden Expanse seeking out winter forageables and fresh pastures they could let their animals better endure the winter. Notably, Clan Truic created a formidable mounted force that used spears and javelins, which they used in both hunting, defense and war.
• The Crowsmen were a turbalent and barely held together tribe of mountain folk with feral heritages. Nearly exclusively made of feral bloodied members, lycanthropy was a rampant issue that contributed to their lack of allies and structure. When the Mournfrost war demanded the tribes gather forces to fight a single foe, the Crowsmen refused to join, and were wiped out. Rumors persist however that some survivors did manage their way into Kalzarum, and their descendants live to this day.
• Clan Khillsink was the largest, and most neutral group, consisting mainly of miners and smiths. Making their homes in the mountains across Windari, they often lived exclusively underground with a single way in and out of their temporary, and constantly abandoned homes as closer to the surface veins ran out. It is speculated that at one point, all 4 other tribes made trade deals for food and supplies with them for weapons, armor, and tools that the Clan Khillsink had become masters at crafting.
• The Seahawks is at it's surface, blood thirsty raiders. They created and maintained a constantly moving fleet of shallow water vessels that could land directly on beaches for quick hit and run stops on coastal and river lain villages. While they often headed outside of Windari for new pillaging spots, they would always return to their homeland whenever they found need to repair their ships or recruit more men. While they certainly caused many problems for innocents and hard working people, the wealth, knowledge, and maps they brought back for trade kept Windari from stagnating technologically and culturally.

Geography

Windari has gotten it's name from a few different sources, but the main inspiration for it is the constantly windy flatlands that make up the majority of it's landscape. As you go further north, the constantly snow covered hills that gradually turn into the Kettlethorn Craig become more and more inhospitable, typically only holding dragons and giants and a few scattered villages. In the heart of the Kettlethorn Craig lies a mostly dormant volcano, so called the "Smoking Mountain" by those that first witnessed it. As a direct result of the volcano, hot springs are commonly found in the mountain range, but are often seen occupied by wildlife and giants.
To the northwestern coast, a large craggy chain of raised, storm battered sea cliffs protects Windari's capital of Kirov. While safe passage is possible, taking the long way around the constantly churning and foggy pass, it takes nearly 3 extra days. Rumors persist of a massive sea creature that lives in the pass, though survivors have given conflicting accounts of hydras, wurms, and a shelled dragon.
Central Windari is a large and flat, and mostly clear collection of unchanging terrain that lacks clear landmarks. While the occasional forest may grant a break the in the unchanging expanse, it is mostly a long trek fraught with roving wild animals, both dangerous and skittish. It is rumored that in winter, windspeeds can reach up to 60 miles per hour, and the terrain offers little hope of finding shelter.
As you get to lower Windari, you'll find the Worldbeard Mountains, which is a collection of low but rough hewn mountains littered with stony cliffs and pine trees. It is a rich collection of iron, which is used by both Windari and it's neighboring country of Kalzarum, for mining, despite the drakes and large birds of prey that live there.
Stemming out of the Worldbeard Mountains, a major river simply called "The Riverway" provides an obvious and direct trade and travel route from the outlying and unnamed villages that decorate the lowlands of the range. As you follow the Riverway, you eventually find yourself in the Tiderun Strait, a major travel hub that connects both the Porpin Ocean and the Shield Sea.

Politics

Windari, as previously mentioned in the history section, was formerly a tract of land of the same name, occupied by various tribes that often fought with each other, as well as raided and traded with nearby nations. After The Mournfrost War however, First King Trok, united the tribes under the promise of bringing Windari to a place where it could work stronger together. He assigned each of the Tribal leaders the title of "Earl", in which they were the local rulers of law makers for their particular cities and swaths of land. Each Earl was expected to assigned any amount of Jarl's or "Dignified Landowners" that would assist in enforcing laws, protecting the land, and so on in exchange for political power and land. In time's of war, it was common for Jarl's to leave their towns and villages, leaving the Earl in solitary control of a city until the Jarl's returned.
When First King Trok was on his deathbed due to an effort to push back giants from northern settlements, (an effort later to be known as the Marched Giant Migration), he took wounds in battle that caused compilations that would eventually take his life. Seeing the end of his reign, and fearing that Windari would again regress into warring tribes, he hosted an event still celebrated to this day. Now, the Cronwick Festival is a rare, but celebrated gathering of people across Windari, meant to remind them of the former warring but now united people they once were.
As time has gone on, various king's of Windari have loosely followed the law of Earl's, but as cities became larger and larger at various ports, and outskirt village shrank, so did the total number of Earl's and Jarls. Eventually, Good King Sten the Loud Mouthed decided away with the system of earls entirely, and instead assigned his Jarl's large tracks of land to rule over. Now lords with proper jobs beyond social influence and moral, Jarl's make local laws, deal with legal issues, help settle disputes, and in times of war, rally fighters from their lands to help the king.

Demographics

Windari is primarily Humans, but it has a healthy population of dwarves, goliaths, and orcs.

Warriors Conditioned by Storm and Snow

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Alternative Names

Whitecloak, Hawkhome

Demonym

Windarin

Leader

Good King Sten the Loud Mouthed

Non-Agression Pact

Windari

5

Kalzarum

15