The North
The North is the traditional homeland of the Norsken (sometimes called North-Men), and as its name implies, is the farthest north region in the Free Kingdoms. To the south are the Dales and the Kingdom of Oster, and to the east are the northern edge of the Giantshield Mountains.
Lay of the Land
- Frigid Forests and Rocky Coasts: The North is a frozen, inhospitable land dominated by the great pine-forest called the Yswald. Agriculture here is difficult and most folk live by hunting, fishing, and foraging.
- Remote: Little in the way of civilization exists in the Yswald; most North-Men live in small villages along the northern coast, and Aelgard is the local seat of power. They do not see many outsiders, and the culture and customs of the Norsken hold fast here.
- Favnir: As the legend goes, this white dragon was formerly a king of the North, who was so corrupted with greed for gold, that it transformed him into a reptilian brute who behaves more like a hungry animal than a proper dragon.
- Trolls: With voracious appetites, these giants attack villages and herders in the wee hours of the night. When the sun rises, they must return to their caves -- for whatever reason, the trolls native to the North are turned to stone in the light of day.
- The Yswald: This forest is second in size only to the Forest of Veils, but is no less dangerous. Among other beasts, it is the hunting grounds of the frost-giants, who do not tolerate intrusions from men. They are attended by ysvulfen, horse-sized wolves with the ability to exhale clouds of magical cold.
- The Black Winter: In the winter months, rivers freeze over, snowstorms pound the earth, and traveling with improper gear can cause frostbite, or even kill. Camping is nearly impossible. Even more dangerous than that is the pervasive night -- the North-Men call it the Black-Winter because there are only a few hours of sunlight each day. Creatures that fear the light, or those that rely on the cover of night to strike, grow bold and aggressive during these months.
- Aelgard: The Jarls of the North meet in this remote trading town once per year to discuss matters of political importance. Not ones for complexity, the Norsken simply call this annual meeting "the Thing." It practically doubles the population of the otherwise small city, filling it with drunken warriors in the Jarls' hosts.
- Pine Treants: These coniferous tree-folk are far sterner than their cousins in the Forest of Veils. Their chief concern is maintaining the balance between the North-Men and the monsters that inhabit the Yswald itself. They occasionally grant magical powers to humanoids that form pacts with them.
- Favnir’s Lair: The great cave is at the heart of the Yswald, spitting forth a river of ice, regardless of the season. Those who have survived report that the dragon's treasure is trapped beneath a blanket of ice.
- Longhouses of the Giants: The frost giants move with seasons, leaving some of their buildings abandoned during certain months out of the year. Brave souls might steal away into their longhouses, built of wood or sometimes the ice itself, and leave with some of their treasures.
- City of the Grey Dwarfs: Entrances to the Lands Below can be found anywhere in the Free Kingdoms. Those beneath the North lead directly to Svartalfhar, the capital city of the dvergar, evil perversions of the dwarven-form. Svartalfhar is a maze of mines and forges full of treasures, and is a common destination for those enslaved by the Grey Dwarfs.
- The Ruins of Skultisfjord: This snow-covered ruin was once a prosperous fishing village in the northeast of the Yswald. But during one Black Winter, its inhabitants vanished, eaten by the night. Some say the darkness allowed the Grey Dwarfs to lay waste to the village and bring its inhabitants to Svartalfhar, while others contend vampires stole out of the forest to feed for weeks straight. Many have disappeared attempting to solve the mystery.
- The crumbling body of a petrified troll, struck in a pose shielding its eyes from the sun.
- During the summer months, as the bogs begin to defrost, a mummified arm sticks out of the muck. On its finger, a gold ring glistens in the sunlight.
Legends & Lore: The North-Men and the Dwarfs: The North is far from the Giantshield Mountains, and close to Svartalfhar, the kingdom of the grey dwarfs of the Lands Below. As a result, in the mind of a North-Man, a “dwarf” is what others might call the dvergar. They think of dwarfs as cruel, magically inclined slave-takers, and as a result, are fairly mistrustful of the dwarfs of the Giantshield Mountains. While anyone can tell a difference between a mountain-dwarf and a grey-dwarf, the Stout Folk are still met with superstitious locals and suspicious glances in areas of the North.
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