Hylanda (High-Landuh)

Hylanda
The people known as Hylandas are fierce warriors, explorers and poets. Long ago, brave settlers set sail across the sea to unknown lands, eventually finding themselves in a beautiful but often cruel land of snowy mountains and isolated fjords. They built new homes here, but the struggle for survival against the elements, and the great beasts that inhabited the mountains and meadows made them lose contact with their former homelands. Now, having tamed their immediate surroundings through force of will and arms, they have set out once again in search of trade, plunder and glory. These are a fierce but romantic people, with some dark of skin and hair, others more fair, reflecting the various groups of the original settlers.
Daring Explorers and Fierce Raiders
The Hylandic people are possessed by an unquenchable thirst to push the boundaries of what tales tell of the known world. The mountainous nature of their homeland has been thoroughly explored by brave men and women, and thus they have turned to the sea in search of new places to make their mark. With discovery comes opportunity, and many Hylandas earn their livelihood by taking to the seas and plundering what they can from those who cannot protect it. In many a Hylanda's mind, if you cannot hold what is yours, than you do not deserve to have it. Yet for every raider, there are plenty of traders, farmers, adventurers and explorers who seek only the glory and renown of being the first to discover something that none before them hand.
A New Land, an Old Home
The people of the Hylands did not originate in that rocky and unforgiving place. Long ago, they were once settlers from the lands of Sirene, seeking a new life in an unknown land. Nearly two centuries of near complete isolation has worn some of the memories of their ancient homeland, which now only lives on in the tales told by their skalds in the meadhalls. Yet their explorers have recently rediscovered the way to their place of origin, and since then hundreds of men and women have taken to the seas, eager to see the lands from which their ancestors hailed. The burgeoning settlement of Farrshor in the Wild Coast has become a hub for Hylandic settlers and adventurers seeking what fortune and glory they may find in this place they once called home.
Sagas and Skalds
Life in the Hylands is harsh and often unpleasant, as the people who live there eke out what sustenance they can from the rocky soil while fending off the dangerous beasts that see them as nothing more than a meal. In a place where death is such a close friend, it is no wonder that tales of those who came before have become so important. Knowing you will live on in the stories passed down through the generations gives great courage to those who set forth to protect their loved one from terrible beasts, or who head into the bleak mountains or tumultuous seas in search of new land to farm. The skalds who carry these tales from hall to hall, sharing the stories of glorious heroes such as Narth the Twice-Risen and Haralt Hardwraith, are welcomed with warm mead and hard bread and are given a place of great respect among the Hylandic people.
The Great Slayers
To say that the mountains of their homeland are fraught with danger would be doing a great disservice to the bravery of the Hylandic people. They have fought with sword and axe to carve out a life in a place where they cannot be considered the top of the pecking order. Jotenn, trolls, and demons of wind and stone plague their lands, killing the unwary with merciless abandon. It is a tradition among all Hylanda settlements, that men and women reaching the age of majority must join a band and set forth to slay a beast that threatens their home, thus earning their place in society. The greater the kill, the more honour they gain for themselves and their family. The greatest of these slayers are the Valkyr, an order of warrior women dedicated to the protection of their people, well respected for their unwavering dedication, fierce nature, and great skill at arms.
Hylanda Names
Male. Arthold, Heldan, Baldyr, Olek, Bruke, Knott, Dannek, Uthon, Dellan, Yulegar Female. Garlda, Fyra, Saif, Weldyra, Ignaila, Leifda, Tylar, Chelsi Given Names. Hylandas have no family names, but are given a name once they reach their majority, usually one that recognizes a skill or feat, such as Longstrider, Seaspanner, or Icekiller. This name may change throughout their lives.
Hylanda Traits

• Favoured Classes. Fighter and Bard.
• Ability Score Increase. Your strength or charisma increases by 2, and another ability of your choice increases by 1.
• Age. Like all humans, Hylandas typically reach adulthood in their late teens and generally live for less than a century.
• Alignment. Hylandas tend towards chaotic and neutral alignments as a general rule, but this is not universal. Valkyrs tend towards lawful.
• Size. Hylandas vary in height and build, but are generally between 5.5 and 6.5 feet tall. Regardless of their position in that range, their size is Medium.
• Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
• Languages. You speak Hylandic as well as some proficiency with Tradetongue.
• Seafarers. You gain proficiency with Vehicles: Water
• Brave Adventurers. You have advantage on saves vs. fear.
• Natural Explorers. You have advantage on skill checks made to follow a path or determine directions.
• Heroic Slayer. Once per long rest, as a bonus action, choose one Large sized or larger creature you can see. You gain +1 to attack and +1d4 damage against this creature if it is size Large, +2 to attack and +1d6 damage if it is Huge, and +3 to attack and +1d8 damage if it is Gargantuan. This bonus lasts until the creature is dead, until you transfer it to another creature, or until you are knocked unconscious or killed.