Calebinn
The northmost of Wesrino's provinces, Calebinn is constantly under siege from threats that are, at once, both without and within. Raids of desperation from their kin in Nortanna in combination with regular skirmishes, if not outright battle, with the native "Half-men" and Fenn of the land have left Calebinn economically poor while transforming their people into hardy, xenophobic survivalists. The people of the boreal province live unbowed by the ravages of weather, enemies and time, determined to survive no matter how much hatred, blood, and sacrifice is demanded of them.
Calebinn was the last of the provinces to be settled, its lands already inhabited by mysterious, squat, tree-dwelling humanoids and strange plantlike creatures that lived in the frigid swamps. Owing to these creature's territoriality, as well as their frigid climate and lack of agricultural potential, these lands were largely left to their native occupants, even after the downfall of the Elders. However, once elves and the ogrish began to walk the face of Tonad, no inhuman presence could be tolerated on the continent. During the 2nd Crusade the lands of what are now known as Calebinn were conquered by the burgeoning Wesrinan nation. Despite their best efforts, however, the crusaders could not fully exterminate their indigenous populations, finding their forests and swamps near impenetrable owing to the frigid climate, withering sling-fire, and hostile plant life that the "Näkki" and Fennbeasts could bring to bear.
Despite their setbacks, the Crusaders would eventually come to occupy these lands, forcing their denizens to seclude themselves away within their hostile, secluded woodlands. Left to civilize hostile lands, the soldiers-turned settlers put their military training and experience to use, becoming proficient hunters and trappers to make up for the lack of arable land in their new homes. Not all could eke out a living in the frozen wilderness; those who did not return to warmer climes took to the seas, trading with their southern kin and exploring the high seas in search of fortune and glory. It was these waterborne wanderers who would eventually settle Nortanna, just as it is their descendants who wage desperate war upon their ancestral homeland.
Raiding parties from the frozen north have become a steadily growing threat to the people of Calebinn, further stressing their already thinly-spread defenders and resources, yet they are far from their only threat. Starvation, Nortannan raids, skirmishes with the Näkki and Fenn, and the near-perpetual inclement weather claim more lives every month and the poor reputation of their Herald and their people has led to little aid from other provinces. Despite all this, the people of Calebinn remain unbowed and independent, always ready to fight tooth and claw for their right to exist.
Culture
The struggle for survival has come to define the Calebian lifestyle. Martial skill, huntsmanship, and fierce independence are not just virtues; they are the virtues. While the spartan way of life demanded by the land has molded its people into peerless survivalists and skirmishers, it has also caused their lives to be defined by paranoia, aggression, and hatred for all things foreign. This distrustful disposition, in combination with frequent storms of sleet and hail, has caused Calebians to form small, tight-knit communities that shun outsiders and the weak, often led by a rimeheart.
It is said that where others have blood, one may only find ice and frozen water in the body of a Calebian. While a fitting descriptor given their hatred of non-humans, disdain of non-Calebians and fearless, grim reputations, it is not wholly metaphorical. Calebinn's abnormally frigid climate is partially due to the abnormally dense leyline network, indicative of particularly close proximity to Aeons. The most prevalent of the Aeons in the land has come to be known as the Maiden in White Frost. Those that drink from waters affected by "her" presence that are not killed outright or immediately Consumed are often imbued with a degree of control over the hostile weather and plant life of the region. These rimehearts are afforded immense respect and are arguably the only reason for Calebinn's continued existence; all but the most naturally rich settlements are forced to endure population-decimating famines and storms if there is no rimeheart to offer the land's blessings. Without one, even the most determined hamlet is unlikely to survive for long.
The unforgiving nature of the region's weather and wildlife has given birth to a strange reverence in Calebian culture. Fennbeasts, for all their danger and destructive potential, are seen as yet another test of the land and the bounty of fruits within their bodies as the just reward for success. Even the Näkki - once seen as pests to be exterminated (or enslaved if one was desperate - are given grudging respect for their connection to the land, skill at guerilla warfare, and their ability to thrive despite hardship. In places particularly close to the bogs, it is not unheard of for Näkki to integrate into human settlements and vice-versa.
Comments