The Food & Drink of the Nordic People

PREAMBLE TO ALL,

The Kingdom of Norland is a realm shaped not only by war, faith, and harsh wilderness, but by hunger. The geography of the north has forged a culture where food is not merely sustenance, but survival itself. Long winters, marshland isolation, rugged mountain terrain, and dangerous coastlines have forced the peoples of Norland to become masters of preservation, fire-cooking, hunting, fishing, and communal feasting. Nearly every meal within the kingdom reflects the land from which it came.

Unlike the southern realms, where exotic imports and fertile climates allow for excess and luxury, Norlandic cuisine is born from practicality. The people of the north eat what can survive the frost, be preserved through the winter, and be gathered from forests, rivers, marshes, and mountains. Smokehouses, drying racks, underground cellars, and iron cauldrons are as common throughout the kingdom as swords and axes.

Food in Norland is heavy, warming, and designed to sustain labourers, hunters, sailors, and warriors through brutal climates. Thick stews simmer over open hearths for hours. Meat hangs blackened above smoke pits. Fish is salted in barrels for long voyages across the Skjolvar and the northern seas. Ale is safer than stagnant marsh water, whilst mead is consumed during ceremonies, funerals, and victory feasts alike.

Yet despite its harshness, Norlandic cuisine possesses remarkable regional diversity. Each territory of the kingdom has developed its own culinary identity based on the surrounding landscape.

༺𓆩༒︎𓆪༻ 

THE FOUNDATIONS OF NORLANDIC FOOD 

Grain and Bread

Much of Norland’s grain production originates from the fertile agricultural lands of Karoslund and Kastell Hamaracz, where hardy crops survive the colder climate. Rye, barley, and oats dominate the fields, whilst true wheat remains comparatively rare outside noble estates and major settlements.

As a result, bread throughout Norland tends to be dark, dense, and filling rather than soft or refined. Thick rye loaves, oat flatbreads, barley cakes, and blackened hearth bread are staples of nearly every settlement. Travellers often carry hardened trail bread that can last several weeks without spoiling.

Porridge is perhaps the most common meal across the kingdom. Oats boiled in water, milk, or broth sustain peasants, labourers, and soldiers alike. During harsher winters, the addition of dried berries, nuts, or preserved fats becomes a sign of relative prosperity.

Meat and Preservation

The climate of Norland has created a culture obsessed with preservation. Very little food is wasted, particularly during the long winters when hunting becomes difficult and travel is dangerous.

Smoking is perhaps the most widespread method of preservation. Nearly every village possesses smokehouses where strips of venison, boar, elk, river fish, and mutton hang suspended above slow-burning pinewood fires. The scent of smoke and curing meat often lingers permanently across Norlandic settlements.

Salting and drying are equally important, particularly along coastal regions such as Skollreach Dock and the March of Konansfjord. Fish are packed into barrels layered with coarse salt before being stored for months at sea or throughout the winter.

Common preserved meats include:

• Smoked elk
• Salted boar
• Dried venison strips
• Blood sausage
• Goat sausage
• Peat-smoked mutton
• Juniper-cured beef

Among poorer settlements, entire communities may rely almost entirely upon preserved food stores during periods of deep winter.

Fish and River Trade

The River Skjolvar and Norland’s northern coastlines provide one of the kingdom’s most important food sources. Fishing villages and dock settlements line the waterways, supplying inland regions with dried and salted catches transported by river barge.

Fish forms a major part of the common diet throughout the kingdom, especially in Skollreach and the northern reaches. River trout, salmon, herring, eel, cod, and whitefish are commonly consumed either fresh, smoked, or pickled.

Large communal fish stews are especially common among sailors and dockworkers, often thickened with barley and root vegetables to create hearty meals that feed large groups.

In harsher coastal territories, whale fat, seal oil, and fermented fish products may also appear within local cuisine, particularly during times of scarcity.

༺𓆩༒︎𓆪༻ 

REGIONAL CUISINE ACROSS NORLAND

CROWHOLLOW AND VEDRGRAD

The eastern heartlands surrounding the capital possess the most refined cuisine within Norland. Though still unmistakably northern in nature, the proximity to trade routes and noble courts has introduced more sophisticated methods of preparation.

Large feasts within Vedrgrad commonly feature:

• Honey-glazed boar
• Roasted elk
• Thick onion gravies
• Juniper-seasoned game
• Cream-braised vegetables
• Fire-charred river trout
• Mead reductions
• Spiced winter stews

The halls of the capital are also among the few places where imported spices occasionally appear among the nobility, though these remain symbols of wealth rather than common staples.

Communal feasting forms a central part of Crowhollow culture. Great halls are designed around long wooden tables where entire households dine together beneath torchlight and smoke-darkened rafters.

SKOLLREACH

The cuisine of Skollreach reflects both mountain hardship and maritime survival. Food here is simpler, saltier, and heavily reliant upon fire and preservation.

The harbour settlement below the mountain survives upon fishing, trade, and hunting from the surrounding forests. Meals are often cooked quickly over an open flame, designed to sustain sailors, dockworkers, and hunters rather than impress nobility.

Common foods include:

• Smoked trout
• Salted cod
• Birch-fired venison
• Fish chowder
• Ale-bread
• Blackened shellfish
• Hard cheese
• Thick root stews

Juniper berries and pine herbs are frequently used throughout Skollreach cooking, giving many dishes a sharp woodland flavour strongly associated with the region.

Warm broth and heated ale are especially common during winter storms when the harbour becomes isolated by sea ice and mountain snowfall.

ELDMYR AND THE NORHOLLOW

Perhaps nowhere in Norland possesses stranger cuisine than the marshlands of Eldmyr and the surrounding Norhollow.

The wetlands provide a unique range of ingredients unavailable elsewhere within the kingdom. Marsh dwellers survive through fishing, trapping, foraging, and harvesting what grows within the bog itself. Outsiders often view their food with suspicion.

Dark stews dominate the region, often made from:

• Eels
• Marsh birds
• Reed roots
• Bog herbs
• Black mushrooms
• Frogs
• Peat-smoked fish

Many Eldmyr dishes are cooked slowly within iron cauldrons over peat fires, giving the food a dense smoky flavour unlike that of the mainland.

Bog teas and herbal broths are also common, brewed from bitter wetland plants believed to ward off sickness and marsh fever.

The people of the south often mock Eldmyr cuisine, though many northern hunters quietly admit that marshfolk stews are among the warmest and most filling meals in the kingdom.

MECHANIKAS AND WYNLOMERE

The underground settlements of Mechanikas and Wynlomere have developed entirely different culinary traditions shaped by subterranean life.

Surface farming is limited, forcing these settlements to rely heavily upon imported grain, preserved supplies, cave fungi, and underground water systems. Meals are practical, dense, and designed to sustain labourers working long hours underground.

Common foods include:

• Mushroom loaves
• Bone broth
• Root mash
• Fungal stew
• Pickled eggs
• Hard cave cheese
• Fermented black ale
• Mineral bread

Mechanikas in particular possess a heavily industrial food culture. Massive iron cauldrons feed entire workshop districts, whilst communal eating halls allow labourers and machinists to dine beside roaring furnaces and steam pipes.

The smell of oil, smoke, iron, and cooking broth often mingles throughout the underground streets.

༺𓆩༒︎𓆪༻ 

DRINK WITHIN NORLAND

Alcohol and heated drinks are deeply embedded within Norlandic culture. In colder regions, warm beverages are often consumed daily for both comfort and survival.

The most common drinks include:

• Mead
• Dark ale
• Honeywine
• Heated cider
• Juniper spirits
• Pine needle tea
• Mulled berry brew
• Marsh herb tea

Mead occupies an especially important ceremonial role, as it is consumed during marriages, funerals, oaths, coronations, and warrior feasts. Certain halls within Norland are said to judge a lord's wealth not by his coin but by the quality of the mead served at his table.

And so, Words were merely written to take cuisine into account.
Penned by Malric Rhed, Vargbane of Kaer Skollreach,

With advisement of HER MAJESTY, Anastazie Brzezinski,

 Queen of Norland, Lady of the Ashwood Throne, Protector of the Highlanders, Lady Protector of the Korvians

The Kingdom of the Norlandic people

This document exists to establish and clarify the cultural identity of Norland beyond the simplified perception that reduces the kingdom to a purely “Viking” archetype. Norland is not a singular ethnic or cultural entity, but a realm shaped through centuries of migration, conquest, faith, labour, governance, and the gradual integration of many peoples beneath a unified crown.

The kingdom is intended to represent a broad and structured cultural identity composed of regional traditions, social hierarchies, religious institutions, linguistic development, and interconnected communities rather than a single historical inspiration alone.

This work serves both as a cultural foundation for Norland as a whole and as a framework through which vassals, settlements, and individual characters may explore differing identities, customs, and roles within the wider kingdom.

Supported writing and advisory contributions provided by LuxyLucy and Balthy. 

PREAMBLE TO ALL,

Let it be known to all who dwell within the bounds of Norland — whether Ealdorman or freeman, keeper or craftsman, oath-bound or newly come — that this kingdom stands not through fortune alone, but through labour, covenant, endurance, and the unbroken will of its people.
 

Norland is a realm shaped by many hands and many histories. Among these are the ancient Norlandic clans of the mainland, the river folk of the eastern marches, the traders and fisherfolk of the western coasts, and the Norn peoples who once journeyed from beyond the frozen seas of Sólgrunnr. Though many came as strangers to the heartlands, they became woven into the kingdom through migration, service, war, oath-making, and the shared shaping of law and society.
 

Whilst they are not the sole historical foundation of Norland, they remain enduring strands within its composition.
 

For more than six centuries, the peoples of Norland have endured hardship and prosperity alike; from fractured kinship and scattered clans, through wars of unification and dynastic struggle, to the present age of roads, burhs, assemblies, and royal law. The kingdom has endured not through conquest alone, but through shared necessity and the recognition that survival is strongest when burdens are carried together.

༺𓆩༒︎𓆪༻ 

ON THE FOUNDING AND GROWTH OF THE KINGDOM 

In ancient times, the lands now called Norland were divided among many peoples, where loyalty belonged first to kin and soil, and only loosely to wider authority. Kingship remained uncertain, law was preserved through memory and spoken judgement, and no lasting unity endured beyond temporary alliance.

Through generations of conquest, diplomacy, marriage, and oath-making, the Ruric line rose to prominence; not the first rulers of the land, but the dynasty that gradually assumed the greatest burden of leadership. Under their rule, the scattered domains of the north were drawn into a single kingdom.

Norland was never forged as an absolute dominion. Rather, it emerged as a balance between the crown, the assembly, and regional authority. Ealdormen, landed houses, and local councils retained significant power within their territories, whilst the High King served as the binding force between them. Thus, the kingdom formed slowly across generations, as rivers shape stone through steady passage rather than sudden force.
 

More History can be found on the Wiki: https://wiki.lordofthecraft.net/index.php?title=Kingdom_of_Norland 

༺𓆩༒︎𓆪༻ 

ON LAND, CLIMATE, AND REGIONAL CHARACTER

Norland is a land of contrast and endurance.

Though unified beneath one crown and shared law, it stretches across many environments that shape the lives and character of its people; from northern seas where winter winds cut across dark waters and ice forms in long months, to southern valleys of fertile farmland, eastern forests and snow-crowned mountains, and western coasts shaped by trade, fishing, and open water travel.

Across this land, rivers and roads form the true arteries of the realm, binding settlements, burhs, keeps, and harbours into a continuous whole rather than fragmented domains. The seasons govern life in a full cycle; summer brings labour, autumn demands harvest, winter enforces endurance, and spring restores movement across land and sea. Among these settlements stand the burhs, centres of governance, trade, and craft, where people of many regions gather under shared law and authority.

Though varied in terrain and character, all lands remain bound together through shared law, trade, and allegiance to Crown and Hearth, forming the broader identity known as the Skjolvindr — the heartland of Norlandic life and authority.
 

Please refer to the geographical document for further information: https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/267474-the-norlandic-realm/

༺𓆩༒︎𓆪༻ 

ON GOVERNANCE, LAW, AND AUTHORITY

The people of Norland are governed through law, yet law is not understood as a blind decree or distant command. It is spoken, remembered, interpreted, and upheld collectively through tradition, custom, assembly, and recognised authority.
 

At the centre of governance stand the Inn Eldhidr assemblies, where freemen and appointed authorities gather to witness agreements, settle disputes, and render judgement. Lesser matters are resolved locally, whilst greater disputes rise through wider assemblies and ultimately toward the crown itself.

Law is maintained primarily through arbitration, compensation, and communal accountability. In severe cases, punishment may extend to outlawry, whereby an individual is stripped of lawful protection, recognised identity, and social belonging within Norlandic society.

The crown issues overarching codes of law, though these are shaped through consultation with Ealdormen, councils, and assemblies alike. Authority, therefore, survives not through coercion alone, but through recognition and consent. When this balance weakens, legitimacy erodes even if the rule continues in form.

Within Norland, honour is measured through conduct. Oath-keeping is sacred. Reputation outlives wealth. Restraint is valued above reckless cruelty.

All free persons are expected to defend hearth and kin when called upon, whilst equal dignity is granted to farmers, smiths, traders, sailors, labourers, and warriors alike. Across much of the kingdom, the teaching of arms and martial discipline is regarded as a proper part of upbringing, ensuring defence remains a shared responsibility rather than the burden of a warrior caste alone. In many settled regions, households are bound into sworn communal groups where responsibility extends outward through oath and kinship. Justice is therefore rarely separated from communal consequence. These communities are overseen by Earls, Lords, and regional authorities beneath the crown, some descended from older Hesir and Thanes, whose courts serve as the first formal layer of judgement.
 

Military organisations follow this same structure. Regional lords maintain command over their own levies and garrisons, though in times of wider conflict, these forces may be unified beneath royal command for coordinated action across the realm. Therefore, law and order exist not as hierarchy alone, but as interdependent authority between the crown, the assembly, nobility, faith, and the community.

༺𓆩༒︎𓆪༻ 

ON THE PEOPLE AND DAILY LIFE IN NORLAND

Norland is a realm of many peoples united beneath shared law, labour, and identity.
 

The Norlandic clans preserve the ancient kinship structures and collective memory of the mainland. Inland houses sustain agricultural and economic strength through cultivation, husbandry, and trade. Coastal communities maintain the kingdom’s maritime traditions, binding the realm to wider waters through fishing, travel, commerce, and shipcraft.
 

Among these peoples remain the Norn-descended families whose ancestors crossed the frozen seas through voyage, exile, oath, and settlement. From them came traditions of horsemanship, seafaring, oral storytelling, and frontier survival, which have long since blended into wider Norlandic life. Norland does not maintain a rigid caste structure beyond distinctions between the royal house, landed authority, freemen, and those in labour or service. Movement between these stations remains possible through service, achievement, recognition, or royal favour, though rarely without sacrifice.
 

Daily life follows the rhythm of necessity and season.
 

At dawn, labour begins across fields, workshops, harbours, roads, mines, and storehouses. At midday, assemblies gather, disputes are heard, goods exchanged, and contracts witnessed. By evening, halls are filled with firelight where stories are spoken, music is shared, and feasting binds communities together. Hospitality remains sacred law throughout much of the kingdom. To betray a guest once accepted beneath one’s roof is considered a grave stain upon honour. Across all stations of life, labour defines identity as much as birth. Farmers, masons, smiths, traders, sailors, scribes, and warriors alike are regarded as necessary pillars of the realm.

༺𓆩༒︎𓆪༻ 

ON LANGUAGE AND RECORD

The common tongue serves as the primary language of governance, trade, law, and administration throughout Norland, allowing communication across regions of differing geography and heritage. Yet language is understood as more than practicality alone. The High Hearth maintains that speech carries memory as well as meaning, and therefore, older forms of language are preserved alongside the common tongue rather than erased by it. Ancient Norlandic dialects remain present within ritual, oath-making, poetry, and ceremonial tradition, where form and symbolism hold greater importance than convenience. Among these tongues, the reconstructed Narvaukíana language survives through surviving manuscripts, oral traditions, and comparative historical reconstruction.
 

Language, therefore, forms part of a broader effort toward cultural continuity.
 

Writing itself follows a dual structure. Runes remain used for memorials, markers, dedications, and symbolic inscription, whilst manuscripts dominate legal, administrative, and religious record keeping. Within urban centres, trade and migration continue to produce blended dialects and evolving patterns of speech. Over time, these forms are becoming accepted elements of everyday Norlandic communication rather than mere regional irregularities.

Further language identity here: https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/263835-language-tunga-narvauk%C3%ADana-tongue-of-the-narvaukiaans-ia%C3%A1-592/

༺𓆩༒︎𓆪༻ 

ON RELIGION, BELIEF, AND MORAL UNDERSTANDING

Long ago, Thoromir Ruricsson Armahnk became lost within a great blizzard whilst seeking a homeland for his people. Upon the edge of death, the Dawn-Lord appeared before him in spirit-form and guided the wandering host into safety.
 

Upon the Day of Mercy, Thoromir received the First Flame: the divine essence of the All-Father. The Flame Imperishable has since passed through generations, and it is this same Sacred Flame that resides within every temple hearth across Norland, carried and safeguarded by the Keepers of the Faith as both spiritual and judicial authority. The organised faith of Norland is known as the Order of the First Flame, commonly called the High Hearth. It is led by the High Keeper, chosen from amongst the Keepers according to perceived wisdom, piety, and closeness to the example of Thoromir himself.
 

Beneath this structure endure older cultural traditions and moral understandings. The Paragons are honoured as embodiments of war, craft, sea, wisdom, harvest, endurance, and sacrifice. Though often venerated, they are not regarded as independent gods, but rather as reflections of divine order preserved through cultural memory. The authority of the faith is reinforced through the Ecclesiarchy, the sanctity of the Hearth Temple, and the enforcement of the Red Laws. Within this framework, the Order divides into two principal branches: the Keepers, who serve as priest-judges and spiritual authorities, and the Purifiers, who function as the militant arm of the faith. Within Norland, secular and spiritual authority are inseparable; each exists to reinforce and legitimise the other.
 

Balthy provides further information in his Red Faith document: https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/262448-fyrirm%C3%A6li-rau%C3%B0u-tr%C3%BA-ia%C3%A1-585/ 

And so, Words were merely written to take culture into account.
Penned by Malric Rhed, Vargbane of Kaer Skollreach

The Norlandic Realm

Please acknowledge that this includes all ideas and creative liberties of my own mind. This was created as a means of directing the settlements of the current time, May 2026, with accurate depictions of climate and regional characteristics. The choices for each area were primarily devised by me following the Prebuild map, where I, with the assistance of Prophetism and Psychra_notte, actively worked on the surrounding landscape of Norland whilst Elrith built the capital. For the entries within this post, I recommend using the Ctrl + F keys to search and explore the player-written narrative of each area. Happy reading!

All Images were taken by Luxylucy.

༺𓆩༒︎𓆪༻

Written introduction,

To preface this piece, I sit within the comfort of my keep and gaze across the River Skjolvar as it winds towards the sea. Beside it passes the lifeblood of the realm itself, with trade and travellers moving from the western reaches of Norland towards the east, where the Capital stands. Though many settlements of Norland have previously been founded because of the seas and rivers, the true paths of the realm instead weave through the deep woodlands and valleys that surround it. In watching this endless movement, I have been afforded ample time to study the history and character of this geographical land, uncover what once was, and form my own interpretations of how the civilisations of this realm first rose within its harsh northern wilderness.

CROWHOLLOW

The eastern lands and the realm surrounding the Capital are known as the Crowhollow. A cold tundra plain border, it stands apart from the high-tempered spirit of the Heartlanders and Imperials of the east, and the overpopulated Adunians in the west, reflecting instead the hardened character of those who dwell beneath the harsher climates that surround the Kingdom of Norland: the Skjolvindr, and the frost-bitten Rimelgen to the north east, where the dead are said to linger still. Long regarded as a bleak borderland and battlefield wasteland, the Crowhollow rests predominantly against the eastern walls of the Capital, but can also be regarded as stretching outward into the Veilwood that surrounds the capital city.

༺𓆩༒︎𓆪༻

Verdegrad, the capital Fortress city of Norland 

Verdegrad is the mountain capital of Norland, a heavily fortified city surrounded by the rich forests and rolling hills. Accessible only through Tancred’s Crossing, a vast stone-and-wood bridge spanning into the deep woodland valley, the city stands as both a symbol of Norlandic strength and a defensive bastion. At the heart of Verdegrad lies Ellennoresttorg, the Keeper’s Market, a bustling centre of trade filled with merchants, craftsmen, and travellers beneath timber longhouses and colourful market tents. Beyond the central square stands Thoromirshall, the Hall of the Kings, an immense longhouse-like throne hall built from timber and stone that serves as the seat of royal authority and communal gatherings.

The spiritual heart of the city is the Temple of the Triune Covenant, carved within a colossal Ashwood tree and consecrated to the All-Father. More than a sacred site for rites, sermons, and theological discourse, the temple also serves as the city’s great library, preserving the histories and teachings of Norland. Nearby lies Haakon’s Pingvellir, a vast assembly ground named in honour of a former High-King, where citizens gather beneath the banners of the clans for speeches, festivities, and matters of public council. Nestled to the right stands the Pyre, where the honoured dead of Norland are committed to flame, and where those deemed corrupted are condemned to damnation through fire. Beside this rises the Healing House, a grand hall of care and learning that overlooks the city with solemn pride, standing apart as one of Verdegrad’s most respected institutions. 

Deeper within Verdegrad are the Grounds of Celebration, forested festival and marriage grounds decorated with lanterns, banners, and the remnants of ancient stone walls, serving as places within the Kingswood for communal joy and cultural tradition within the fortress-city.
 

Much of this is expanded here in this document (screenshots are outdated): https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/261689-the-fortress-city-of-verdegrad/ 

༺𓆩༒︎𓆪༻

The Veilwood 

Below Tancred’s Crossing, already mentioned within this document, lies a dense woodland and the main path leading towards the remaining vassals of the Kingdom of Norland; this is known as the Veilwood. Little is truly known about this location, though it has often been reported as a prime hunting ground for the Kings and Lords of the North, with a stone tower, long since succumbed to ruin, resting at its entrance. 

BRUNNFELL

Brunnfell stands as the newly raised seat of Clan Drekvar, ruled by the Harbinger of the clan, who bears the duties and authority of a Laird within the central east reaches of Norland. The settlement lies between the cultural regions of the Crowhollow and Skollreach, situated upon fertile highlands not far from the Capital of Vedrgrad, making it one of the closest strongholds to the heart of the realm. Built around a towering stone keep that overlooks the bailey village beneath it, Brunnfell commands the surrounding countryside and the roads leading towards the Capital. 

Beyond the settlement stretch vast wheat fields and open farmland, broken only by sparse woodland and winding paths used by merchants, travellers, and patrols moving between the eastern territories. The nearby riverlands and rich soil have allowed Brunnfell to grow steadily despite the harsher northern climate, serving as both an agricultural centre and a defensive bulwark for the region.

SKOLLREACH

Skollreach is a central region of Norland encompassing the southern bank of the River Skjolvar, which widens and cuts towards the Rimelgen. The land of Skollreach comprises two settlements: Kaer Skollreach, a keep that once lay in ruin but, as I now write whilst sitting within it, has become far grander than it once was; and Skollreach Dock, which houses many beautiful vessels of varying size and design suited to warfare and trade alike. 

༺𓆩༒︎𓆪༻

Kaer Skollreach

Kaer Skollreach stands within the central regions of Norland, raised atop a towering mountain overlooking the surrounding forests, valleys, and the harbour settlement of Skollreach Dock below. Though once a formidable stone fortress, centuries of storms, neglect, and harsh winters have left the keep weathered and partially ruined. Cracked walls, broken battlements, and worn towers still cling to the mountain peak, giving the fortress a grim and ancient silhouette visible from far across the realm.

The mountain itself is unusual for the region, as dense woodland stretches even across its upper slopes and summit. Thick pine forests and moss-covered undergrowth press close against the ruined stone, swallowing old pathways and concealing much of the keep from travellers approaching on foot.

From nearby, Kaer Skollreach can feel almost hidden within the wilderness itself, obscured by trees and mountain fog. Yet from afar, the forests only add to its imposing presence, with the dark remains of the keep rising above the treeline like a forgotten crown overlooking the land.

༺𓆩༒︎𓆪༻

Skollreach Dock

Below the mountain lies Skollreach Dock, a rugged harbour settlement set along the cold, windswept shoreline beneath the looming presence of Kaer Skollreach. The settlement is built directly into the edge of the coast, where dark waters meet jagged stone, and the sea air carries a constant chill inland.

Timber piers extend into the water, weathered by salt and storm, alongside clustered fishing halls, drying racks, and small shipwright workshops that sustain the dock’s maritime trade and fishing industry. Though modest in size, Skollreach Dock serves as a crucial point of exchange between Norland’s inland territories and its wider sea routes, linking coastal travel, trade, and supply lines beneath the keep’s distant oversight.

From the harbour, narrow cliff roads and winding woodland trails ascend into the mountain. These routes are partially sheltered by dense birch groves, their pale trunks forming a natural corridor that softens the ascent whilst obscuring movement from the coast below. The grove stands as both a passage and a barrier, marking the transition from harsh shoreline settlement to the elevated stronghold above.

ASHMERE

Ashmere is the name given to the south-western lands housing the underground settlements of Wynlomere and the Mechanikas. This land was once rich with ore wealth, leading to the establishment of a mine known as the Greyvein. 

༺𓆩༒︎𓆪༻

Wynlomere

Wynlomere is an underground settlement located south-west of Norland, built within an extensive network of naturally formed caverns that have been expanded and structured over time. The settlement is concealed beneath a ruined surface site, its entrances hidden within collapsed stonework and overgrown remnants of an older abandoned structure, allowing its existence to remain largely obscured from the outside world.

Beyond these concealed entry points, the caverns open into a vast tiered system of subterranean levels, each carved and reinforced to form distinct districts connected by stepped tunnels, bridges, and spiral descents cut into the rock.

The natural geology has been carefully incorporated into the city’s design, with the settlement following the vertical structure of the cave system rather than resisting it. Upper tiers tend to house administrative halls, academic spaces, and refined civic structures, whilst deeper levels are devoted to workshops, storage vaults, and denser residential clusters.

A central feature of Wynlomere’s subterranean landscape is its flowing underground stream, which winds through the cavern network and serves as both a natural resource and structural anchor for the settlement’s layout. In places, it broadens into still pools and subterranean basins, whilst elsewhere it cuts through narrow rock channels bridged and channelled to support safe passage and water management systems.

The sound of moving water carries throughout much of the city, shaping both its atmosphere and practical infrastructure.

༺𓆩༒︎𓆪༻

Mechanikas

Mechanikas is an extensive underground vassal-state established within a vast former crypt complex that has been repurposed and expanded into a subterranean industrial and religious city. Its foundations consist of ancient burial halls and ossuary chambers, long since reforged into structured living quarters, workshops, forges, and civic halls carved directly into stone and bone-lined bedrock.

Over time, copper piping, brass fittings, and reinforced stonework have been woven throughout the old crypt architecture, giving the settlement a distinctive fusion of sacred burial space and heavy mechanical industry.

༺𓆩༒︎𓆪༻

The Greyvein 

The Greyvein is a once-industrial mining region now left in deep abandonment, situated along the turning road between the paths leading to Idunia and the Blisterwoods. The road here becomes fractured and uneven, cutting through a bleak stretch of terrain where the land breaks into exposed stone, shallow sinkholes, and wind-scoured earth.
 

Multiple disused mine entrances are scattered across the surrounding slopes and roadside cuttings, their timber supports collapsed and their mouths choked with rubble and overgrowth. These tunnels once fed into a wider network of extraction workings that now lie dark and unstable beneath the surface, largely lost to collapse and time. At the outer edge of the region sits the quarry entrance itself, a vast open cut carved into the land like a wound. This descending outskirt marks the primary access point into the deeper workings of the Greyvein, where terraced stone walls fall away into shadowed depths, and partially collapsed ledges hint at older, more extensive excavation layers below. From this threshold, narrow paths and fractured access routes lead inward towards the buried mine network beyond.
 

Since its abandonment, the Greyvein has become a place of unease along the road. Travellers report an unnatural stillness broken only by distant movement within the old shafts. Large spiders are said to have claimed the deeper tunnels, weaving dense webs between broken beams and narrow passage mouths, whilst other, more indistinct creatures are rumoured to move beneath the quarry floor where light no longer reaches. Now left to decay, the Greyvein stands as a forsaken threshold between the travelled road and the forgotten depths below — a quarry-edge ruin marking the point where the land was once torn open and never reclaimed.

KAROSLUND

Karoslund, or Kastell Hamaracz, occupies a central northern position within Norland, forming a key agricultural and administrative heartland for the surrounding territories. The estate is set upon gently rising ground, where fertile soil and a milder inland climate have allowed for the extensive cultivation of grain and hardy crops. These broad, organised fields stretch outward in structured plots, forming one of the region’s most productive agricultural zones.
 

This productivity allows Kastell Hamaracz to function as a vital provisioning centre, supplying agricultural goods to its surrounding vassals and contributing significantly to the sustenance of the regional capital. Well-maintained farmsteads, tenant holdings, and granary outposts are scattered across the landscape, all tied economically and administratively to the castle estate.
 

Despite its agricultural character, the region retains a defensive and noble presence. Kastell Hamaracz itself rises above the fields, its reddened Haeseni stonework and architectural style heavily influenced by New Valdev, serving both as a governing seat and a symbolic reminder of ancestral Haeseni holdings within Norland. From its towers, the castle maintains oversight of the surrounding farmlands and trade routes, reinforcing its role as both provider and protector within the northern central lands.

NORHOLLOW 

The Norhollow is a harsh northern region defined by wetlands, waterways, fortified outposts, and long-abandoned sacred and noble sites, where civilisation persists only within scattered, heavily defended pockets. It is a land shaped by mist, marsh, and sea-borne threat, where visibility is often low, and travel is dictated by narrow routes through unstable terrain. 

༺𓆩༒︎𓆪༻

THE ELDMYR

Eldmyr is a vast marshland situated predominantly within the Norhollow, forming one of the region’s most defining and inhospitable landscapes. It is a sprawling expanse of blackwater pools, reed-choked channels, and unstable peat ground that shifts beneath the surface, concealing deeper waters and submerged paths. Travel through the marsh is slow and treacherous, with only those familiar with its hidden routes able to move through it with any reliability.
 

A near-constant mist hangs over Eldmyr, thickening in the early hours and lingering well into the long northern evenings. It drifts across the wetlands in dense sheets, swallowing sightlines and distorting distance so that even familiar landmarks can vanish within moments. The waterways cutting through the marsh form a tangled network of shallow streams and winding channels, feeding outward into the wider river systems of Norhollow.
 

Scattered throughout Eldmyr are the remnants of older structures, long abandoned and partially reclaimed by water, moss, and reed growth. The most prominent of these ruins is a collapsed central castle, now little more than broken foundations, fallen towers, and waterlogged stonework rising from the marsh like a half-submerged memory of former authority. Its presence suggests that Eldmyr once held greater strategic or noble significance before the land was consumed by wetland and decay.
 

To the west of the marsh entrance, just beyond the main bridge marking the threshold into Eldmyr, stands another major ruin: a shrine-temple dedicated to the Veil of the Six, believed to be the ancient deities of this land. Though now weathered and fractured, its remaining stone arches and carved reliefs still suggest ceremonial importance. The site is often shrouded in heavier mist than the surrounding marsh, and locals treat it with cautious reverence, as though it remains spiritually active despite its abandonment.

༺𓆩༒︎𓆪༻

March of Konansfjord

The March of Konansfjord is a fortified coastal keep constructed by the Norns as a primary border defence against seaborne invaders. Positioned at a strategic junction where the River Skjolvar meets the outer coastline, it commands one of the most important maritime approaches into the Kingdom of Norland.

The keep rises prominently from the shoreline cliffs, its towers and ramparts engineered to remain visible from far out at sea, serving as both deterrent and warning to approaching vessels. From the water, it is the first true sign of Norlandic territory: a looming silhouette of stone and steel marking the transition from open sea into contested inland waters.

༺𓆩༒︎𓆪༻

The Lodge

The Lodge is a fortified island settlement situated north of Eldmyr, set within a broken landscape of low-lying waters, marsh channels, and wooded islets. It was established by the Berserkirs of Norland as both a retreat and a stronghold, occupying a naturally elevated stretch of land rising above the surrounding wetlands. Its isolation is reinforced by the terrain itself, with access limited to narrow causeways, shallow crossings, and controlled approach routes through the marsh.
 

The settlement is enclosed by palisaded walls of hardened timber, driven deep into the earth and reinforced to withstand both siege and the shifting conditions of the wetlands. These defences encircle clustered halls, lodgings, and communal structures arranged around the Lodge’s central sacred space. At its heart stands a stave church dedicated to the Red Faith, its timber frame darkened by age and weather, with steeply pitched roofs and carved wooden supports reflecting traditional Norlandic construction. The church serves as both a spiritual centre and a communal gathering hall, anchoring the settlement's identity in its martial and devotional roots.
 

The raised ground upon which the Lodge is built provides a natural defensive advantage, lifting it above much of the surrounding mist and flood-prone terrain of Eldmyr. From its edges, one can look out across the marshlands to the south and the scattered waterways defining the region, whilst dense woodland and reed beds help conceal its presence from distant approach.

And so, Words were merely written to take into account geography.
Penned by Malric Rhed, Vargbane of Kaer Skollreach

Tunga Narvaukíana

TONGUE OF THE NARVAUKIAANS

Issued by Acolyte Emaria Eldrsdóttir, on the 14th of INN RÍKISMÁNAÐR, IAÁ 592, AGE OF DRAGONSFYRE

PREAMBLE

For much of the history of the Nordling, our peoples have been desolated by terrific wars of envy & conquest - pursuits of power & domination that only left the Narvaukiaan race cast to the wilds & hinterlands of the realms. Thus, it is with these terrible times that much of our history & lore would be lost. With that, it is the High Hearth's effort to look deep into the past & rediscover our lost legacy. Much of this requires ancient texts & oral histories to be recorded, as well as research into the records of foreign nations. To reignite the dimmed flame of our people, our past must become our present, & the lost history & culture of the Narvaukiaan race must be born again, anew. In the words of the High Keeper Ellenore:

“Must frost claim all? Must fire ever fade?”

CONTENTS

1. COMMON PHRASES
2. DICTIONARY OF WORDS

COMMON PHRASES

GREETINGS

Heill! - Hail! / Be well!

Heill ok sæll! - Hail and be blessed! (for addressing a male); Heill ok sæl! - Hail and be blessed! (for addressing a female) - note, these phrases would not sound different, but their spelling is used to infer gender in writing.

Heill, útlendr! - Hail, outlander!

Velkominn! - Welcome! (for addressing a male); Velkomin! - Welcome! (for addressing a female) - note, these phrases would not sound different, but their spelling is used to infer gender in writing.

Góðan dag! - Good day!

Góðan morgun! - Good morning!

Góðan kveld! - Good evening!

Logi með þér! - May the Flame be with you! (literally: flame with you)

Sannleikr loga sé með þér! - May the Truth of Fire be with you!

FARWELLS

Heill! - Hail! / Be well!

Far þú vel! - Go well! / Farewell

Sjáumst! - We shall meet again! / To next time!

Helgi Loginn varðveiti þik! - May the Holy Flame guard you!

Standið gegn hinu Langa Myrkri! - Stand against the Long Dark!

INTRODUCTIONS

Mér er heiðr at hitta þik. - It is an honor to meet you.

Heill, vinr. Hvat heitir þú? - Hail, friend. What is your name?

Heill, Konungr minn. - Hail, my King. 

Heill, Dróttning mín. - Hail, my Queen. 

Heill, herra minn. - Hail, my lord. (for a male).

Heill, frú mín. - Hail, my lady. (for a female).

SOCIAL

Skulum vér drekka saman? - Shall we share a drink?

Hefir þú etit? - Have you eaten?

Ert þú mettrw? - Are you full?

Hvat heitir þú? - What is your name? (literally; what are you called?)

Skulum vér leggja af stað. - Let us set off / depart.

Já! - Yes!

Svá er. - So it is.

Sannliga. - Truly.

Nei! - No!

Alls eigi - Not at all.

Þat er eigi svá. - That is not so.

FORMAL

Ek þarfnask fylgðar. - I require an escort. (literally; I need accompaniment)

Ek ber tíðindi. - I bear news.

Ek mun fylgja þér. - I will follow you.

Ek mun fylgja þér, herra minn. - I will follow you, my liege.

Vér munum sjá þetta til enda. - We will see this to the end.

INSULTS

Níðingr - Villain / Scoundrel / Coward (questioning the honor of the accused)

Skræklingr - Weakling / Timid

Keisarahundr - Imperial Dog

Eitrstunga - Serpent Tongue(literally; poison-tongue)

Svín - Pig

Svikari - Traitor

DICTIONARY OF WORDS

THE RACES

Fólk - People

Kyn - Race

Mannkyn - Mankind

Maðr - Man; Menn - Men

Kona - Woman; Konur - Women

Hárlandsmenn - Highland Men; Hárlandsmaðr - Highland Man

Fjallsmenn - Mountain Men; Fjallsmaðr - Mountain Man

Norðrmenn - North Men; Norðrmaðr - North Man

Miðlandsmenn - Midlands Men; Miðlandsmaðr - Midlands Man

Heitlandsmenn - Hotlands Men; Heitlandsmaðr - Hotlands Man

Suðrmenn - South Men; Suðrmaðr - South Man

Fjarlandsmenn - Farland Men; Fjarlandsmaðr - Farland Man

Sandlandsmenn - Sandland Men; Sandslandsmaðr - Sandland Man

Austrmenn - East Men; Austrmaðr - East Man
Álfakyn - Elfkind

Álfar - Elves; Álfr - Elf

Silfálfar - Silver Elves(typically high elves of Haelun’or); Silfálfr - Silver Elf

Myrkálfar - Dark Elves(of a different Realm, Mori, in most cases); Myrkálfr - Dark Elf 

Svartálfar - Dark Elves(of darker tones such as black or gray); Svartálfr - Dark Elf

Dökkálfar - Dark Elves(of lighter tones such as purple or blue); Dökkálfar - Dark Elf 

Bjorkálfar - Wood Elves(taller, lighter browns, literally: birch elves); Bjorkálfr - Wood Elf

Eikálfar - Wood Elves(shorter, darker browns, literally: oak elves); Eikálfr - Wood Elf
Dvergakyn - Dwarfkind

Dvergar - Dwarves; Dvergr - Dwarf

Fjallsdvergar - Mountain Dwarves; Fjallsdvergr - Mountain Dwarf

Hellirdvergar - Cave Dwarves; Hellirdvergr - Cave Dwarf

Eikdvergar - Forest Dwarves(literally: oak dwarf); Eikdvergr - Forest Dwarf

Svartdvergar - Dark Dwarves(halfbreeds of dwarven & dark elven heritage); Svartdvergr - Dark Dwarf
Orkkyn - Orckind

Orkar - Orcs; Orkr - Orc

Svínmenn - Goblins(literally: boar-men); Svínmaðr - Goblin(literally: boar-man)

Trollar - Olog; Troll - Ologs

THE COLORS

Ljós - Light(masculine); Ljós - Light(feminine); Ljóst - Light(neuter);

Fagr - Fair(masculine); Fögur - Fair(feminine); Fagrt - Fair(neuter); 

Dökkr - Dark(masculine); Dökk - Dark(feminine); Dökkt - Dark(neuter)

Rauðr - Red(masculine); Rauð - Red(feminine); Rauðr - Red(neuter)

Blár - Blue(masculine); Blá - Blue(feminine); Blátt - Blue(neuter)

Svartr - Black(masculine); Svört - Black(feminine); Svart - Black(neuter)

Hvítr - White(masculine); Hvít - White(feminine); Hvítt - White(neuter)

Grárr - Gray(masculine); Grár - Gray(feminine); Grátt - Gray(neuter)

Grœnn - Green(masculine); Græn - Green(feminine); Grœnt - Green(neuter)

Bleikr - Yellow(masculine); Bleik - Yellow(feminine); Bleikt - Yellow(neuter)

Brúnn - Brown(masculine); Brún - Brown(feminine); Brúnt - Brown(neuter)

THE ANIMALS

Úlfr - Wolf(male); Ylgr - Wolf(female, literally; she-wolf)

Bjorn - Bear(male); Bera - Bear(female, literally; she-bear)

Hundr - Dog(male, masculine)

Hestr - Horse(male); Merr - Horse(female, literally; mare)

Uxi - Ox(male); Kýr - Cow(female)

Hjortr - Deer(male): Hind - Doe(female)

Hafr - Goat(male, literally; he-goat); Geit - Goat(female)

Sauðr - Sheep(male); Ær - Ewe(female)

Goltr - Boar(male); Sýr - Sow(female)

Refr - Fox(male)

Hrafn - Raven(masculine)

Orn - Eagle(masculine)

Haukr - Hawk(masculine)

Ugla - Owl(feminine)

Svanr - Swan(masculine)

Gás - Goose(feminine)

Hani - Cock(male); Hæna - Hen(female)

Ormr - Snake(maculine, general word for serpent, usually those of the larger variety)

Naðr - Adder(maculine, specifically for venomous serpents)

Froskr - Raven(masculine)

THE MONSTERS

Dreki - Dragon(masculine)

Vargr - Wolf-monster(maculine, those who suffer from curse of lycanthropy or other wolf-kind)

Jotunn - Giant(masculine); Gýgr - Giantess(feminine)

Draugr - Undead(masculine)

Aptrganga - Revenant(feminine)

Hamrammr - Shapechanger/Skinwalker(masculine)

Völva - Witch(feminine, a female conjurer)

Saiðmaðr - Sorcerer(masculine, a male conjurer)

THE NUMBERS

One to Nine 

By the standards of the year Five-Ninety-Two IAÁ, the methods of which our Narvaukiaan ancestors reckoned are both primitive & complex. The first four numbers, Einn, Tveir, Þrír, & Fjórir are all gendered; masculine, feminine, & neuter variations of these words exist. This is due to the frequency with which these numbers were used in everyday speech, resulting in the words developing purely as adjectives & not as nouns. This would be carried further & when numbering was developed, these numbers would continue to remain as adjectives, despite all other numbers being nouns. This resulted in the reckoning system of our ancestors being somewhat convoluted for inconsistent reasons. For simplicity, the masculine & feminine variations of one, two, three, & four will be cut, but kept here as reference, respectively: Einn, Ein, Tveir, Tvær, Þrír, Þrjár, Fjórir, Fjórar.

Eitt - One

Tvau - Two

Þrjú - Three

Fjögur - Four

Fimm - Five

Sex - Six

Sjau - Seven

Átta - Eight

Níu - Nine
Eleven to Nineteen 

The compounds of numbers in Narvaukíana are complex & nuanced, with some changes being made to create logical consistency that otherwise was not present in the language of our ancestors. Particularly, changes to Eleven & Twelve, where words such as Ellefu & Tólf did not follow the rules of their companion numbers, due to the words being carried over from a distant past. Eintán & Tveitán are not truly authentic, but were created to maintain consistency.

Eittán - Eleven(literally; one-ten)

Tvaután - Twelve(literally; two-ten)

Þrettán - Thirteen(literally; three-ten)

Fjórtán - Fourteen(literally; four-ten)

Fimmtán - Fifteen(literally; five-ten)

Sextán - Sixteen(literally; six-ten)

Sjaután - Seventeen(literally; seven-ten)

Áttján - Eighteen(literally; eight-ten)

Nítján - Nineteen(literally; nine-ten)
The Base Tens & Large Numbers

The continuing trend in Narvaukíana is the use of older methods to communicate ideas & intentions, often resulting in logical inconsistencies that arise organically. As our people began to develop both culturally & more as a society, larger & larger numbers were required to communicate amounts - hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands. Thus, one of the odd quirks of Narvaukíana is a rule that depends on whether a number is above or below one hundred.

Traditionally, numbers below one hundred would be spoken as ‘unit and tens’, an example being fimm ok tvéutíu - five and twenty, literally; twenty-five. This is then inverted with numbers above one hundred & would be spoken as ‘tens and unit’, an example being tvau hundrað tvéutíu ok fimm - two hundred twenty and five, literally; two hundred twenty-five. For the modern Nordling, Narvaukíana will standardize the rule: ‘tens and units’, resulting in ten-thousand thousand hundred tens & units.

Tíu - Ten(free, stressed); Tán - Ten(bound, unstressed)

Tvéutíu - Twenty(literally; two tens)

Þrjátíu - Thirty(literally; three tens)

Fjörutíu - Fourty(literally; four tens)

Fimmtíu - Fifty(literally; five tens)

Sextíu - Sixty(literally; six tens)

Sjautíu - Seventy(literally; seven tens)

Áttatíu - Eighty(literally; eight tens)

Níutíu - Ninety(literally; nine tens)

Ok - And

Hundrað - Hundred

Þúsund - Thousand

Tíutúsund - Ten-thousand

AND SO IT SHALL BE, BY THE WILL OF OUR ALLFATHER,

Acolyte Emaria Eldrsdóttir

THE FOTRESS-CITY OF VERDEGRAD

Fortress of the Worthy

TABLE OF CONTENTS

OVERVIEW

LOCATION

CULTURE

RELIGION

CIVIL AND MILITARY
NOTABLE LOCATIONS

STEWARDY INFORMATION

LEXICON

OVERVIEW

Constructed in the year 578  of the Ashen Calendar, under the reign of His Majesty Haraldr Sigmar Haakonson, King of Norland

The northern bastion of Verdegrad (As inscribed upon runes: ᚢᛖᚱᛞᛖᚷᚱᚨᛞ) serves as the capital of the Kingdom of Norland, commonly referred to as Norland. The Kingdom, which is a theocratic quasi-hereditary kingdom, is made up primarily of humans (of Highlandic descent) alongside elves and other races, whilst also serving as home to the Red Faith, a following of the All-Father and the numerous ancient clans of the Rurrikid. Located in the Northern parts of the Varheimr continent, the bastion was formed by the survivors who were forced to flee the former continent of Solheim when a common enemy, known to many as simply the ‘mountain’, ravaged the lands once inhabited by these very people.

LOCATION

Verdegrad is located on the north-western hemisphere of Varheim, nestled atop a mountain with only one entrance to the city; Tancred’s Crossing, an unmissable landmark in the region. Verdegrad is truly a fortress-city. Taiga forests and hills surround the capital. Before one enters the capital, they are met by lodges, which house hunters and such, who require easy access to the woods.

One might take the Northeastern Passage Pillar following the signs to the Kingdom, and from there take the road leading to the hill opposite Verdegrad, from there, take the bridge and soon you will stand at the base and gates of the fortress city.

Coordinates to Verdegrad: X: 219, Y: 79, Z: -1845

Surrounding the capital are the various vassals and bóndir, like Ledna, Karoslund, and Grenzstadt, all of which house people of differing cultures and the farmlands which feed the hungry Norlanders.

CULTURE

Verdegrad and even the rest of Norland, despite what one might believe, are accepting and tolerant people, but it should be stated that it is primarily made up of human Highlanders who are practicing Fatherists. Wherever you find Norlanders, you will find the Ashwood tree– a huge tree whose leaves are eternal fire. The High Hearth takes meticulous care of the Ashwood tree. Norlanders are hearty and jovial people who take pride in what they do, no matter how small the task is. Norlanders know that all people are integral to the nation, no matter how unimportant a southernerner might see the work; Norlanders know differently, all are of importance, as Norland stands against the Long Dark.

A Norlandic warrior telling a story to the children

Along with this pride, the Nordish men take up very headstrong ideals of themselves and their people, leading to brash, proud, and fiercely loyal ideals of which do tend to show in action. It is unnatural to see an unarmored Norlander; they know that corruption seeps within as well as it does from without, and are ready to stand and fight. This makes them somewhat suspicious of outlanders, now more than ever, given recent events. This suspicion changes when the outlander has proven themselves; suspicion might not always be shown

While a minority, there is also a significant number of Elven-Nords, who are Elves who have assimilated into the Norlandic way of life. Hailing due to the reign of the former High-Keeper of the faith, Ellenore, the elves who have assimilated to the way of the Nords have come to serve the northern realm in equal capacity to the Highlanders who inhabit the realm. Many can find them dwelling within the halls of the Nords and Norns, drinking, singing, even fighting amongst them as they have come to bear the life in the north. 

The ladies of Norland (and Uncle Hick), enjoying a moment of respite and joy

Although Haeseni and Raev mostly call Ledna and Karoslund home, there is a minority of Haeseni and Raev in Verdegrad, perhaps only because of its proximity to the other lairdships. Most, if not all of them, are staunch Canonists and hold to their culture whilst also deriving aspects from the broader Nordling cultures. Though they retain much of that which is original, keeping true to themselves.

RELIGION

The Red Faith is the primary religion of the Kingdom of Norland; it is so intertwined in the realm that should the faith falter, so too will the nation. The Faith bids all layfolk to uphold the Three Tenets set by the Allfather and live in the spirit of the Red Zeal. The High Hearth always encourages those with a passion for the faith and its study to become Hearthmen. Those dedicated may rise to become Keepers and perhaps, in time, also Luminary.

Unlike other beliefs, the Red Faith does not immediately condemn other faiths as evil and heretical, but rather teaches that they are misled and must be shown the Flame of the Allfather. With this leniency towards other faiths, there exists a minority of Canonists, Elven spirit-practitioners, and others within the Norlandic borders.

A Hearth-Brother performing an initiation in the Temple of Divine Revelation in Solheim

CIVIL AND MILITARY SERVICE

The Order of Purifiers is the militant body of the Red Faith and the Rurikid. They are led by the Lord Purifier, who is second only to the High Keeper and King of Norland. The Purifiers venture into the lands in search of evil to vanquish and corruption to cleanse. They are formidable warriors, specifically targeting Grendel. It has become apparent that there is a lack of law enforcement, thus purifiers have taken it upon themselves to also enforce the law, authorized by the King and High Keeper. They often perform rites, which demand them to go out and hunt specific Grendel, to become more skilled. After, the completed rites are proudly displayed on their armour as wax seals or engravings.

Young Nordish men often find themselves enlisting in the Purifiers as a way to bond with others, experience more of life, and earn a living. It is not uncommon for Purifiers to die in battle, but such is their way. They take the fight to the enemy, so others may rest peacefully in the night. To find more information about the services, one might speak to the Lord Purifier at this moment or any who are part of the Norlandic leadership.

The Norlandic Host standing in New Valdev in battle against Orsathiael

NOTABLE LOCATIONS

TANCRED’S CROSSING
The bridge of Verdegrad

As the only entrance into the city, Tancred’s Crossing stretches across a deep valley that was once the site of a mighty island upon land. Built from stone from nearby quarries and wood from the woodlands which surround the site, the bridge, which allows entrance into Verdegrad, has been carved with runic engravings in recent times. The bridge stands as a symbol of entry into the realm of the All-Father, of mighty engineering, and as a line of defence into the fortress. Those who travel to the Northern realm are thus subject to the sights of the red and black banners of Norland and guards who overlook this very entrance.

ELLENNORESSTORG 

The Markets

Elrithstrog, or “The Keeper’s Market”, is the centre point and beating heart of trade that is witnessed within Verdegrad. Between the longhouses and buildings of tall timber and cobble, with paths of coarse dirt that led through the stalls and shops. Rows of colourful tents and merchant stalls would fill the very air with the scent of meats, spices, and leather. It is here that one can find near everything from blacksmiths who made armour and weapons to jewelry and potions. Locals, traders, and travelers may all gather here to barter, gossip, or converse.

THOROMIRSHALL

Hall of the Kings

Past the central square and past the Ashwood tree stands Thoromirshall, known also as the Hall of the Kings. With walls built from massive timbers and stone, its style of building is comparable to that of an old longhouse. From the outside, it might seem simple compared to the decorations of red and black that adorn other buildings, but it is on purpose. Within, a grand throne made of ashwood, and in the design of the tree, overlooking a long feasting table where the warriors, clansmen, and all may gather during meetings or feasts. It serves symbolically and literally as the seat of the King and the unity of the people.

TEMPLE OF THE TRIUNE COVENANT

Home of the Red Faith

Past the gatehouse and Haakon’s Assembly, one is met with a grand Ashwood Tree. At first glance, one might think that is all to it, but in fact, if there is a bridge leading into the Ashwood. Inside the tree, there lies the Temple of the Triune Covenant, the largest temple in Varheim dedicated to the Allfather. Great rites and theological discussions are hosted within. It houses the dead and the living; clerics of the Faith care for the temple, its belongings, and surroundings meticulously. In addition to these many things, it also hosts the only library and House of Healing in the city.

HAAKONS PINGVELLIR

Haakon’s Assembly

Named after the former High-King, this vast and open swathe of ground serves as the assembly point and grounds for the city. It is said that all paths in Verdegrad lead here, where the people gather to converse and to witness, to tell tales or be witnesses to the sights within the tavern. A statue of - stands in the very center of the square, with the tavern, Ashwood tree, banners of the clans, and temple of the triune covenant all overlooking and surrounding it. In times of gathering, it is said that the Pingvellir remains as the center-point, if not the starting point of any gathering.

THE GROUNDS OF CELEBRATION

The festival and marital grounds

Found deeper within the fortress and past the tree once more, sits a ground where lanterns and banners hang from the pillars of a ruined wall and the branches of old pines. The grounds of celebration are located within the high forests around which the city is built. It serves as the point where both festivities take place, and where marriages are made and celebrated.

STEWARDRY INFORMATION

The office of the Master of Coin is responsible for the stewardship and taxation of the city. For housing inquiries, contact them or one of the stewards of the city. A steward can often be found at the tavern or wherever the Nords are congregating. Should one not be readily available in the city proper, send a letter or leave a note in the stewardry booth across from the tavern.

MASTER OF COIN
Livius Flavius - Memenade

STEWARDS
Eistalyn - Calise11

Soren - igscoobi

Haraldr - __Stal27

Io - ichigomaster98

LEXICON

CREDITS

Credit to @Balthasarfor co-writing this.

Massive credits to all those who were involved in reading over and making sure that everything was up to date.

 
[ART SOURCE]
[!]

A cold breeze wafted down from the north, bearing with it on fell black wings encircling ravens far above the tree-tops. A raven caws, answered swiftly by the howling of a direwolf to the west, and another closer still. Finally, behind the wall of mist that obscures the shoreline, a raspy horn wails in answer to them both, shaking the trees, followed by another, deeper, bellowing horn behind it, which shakes you to your very bones. Piercing the mist is no dragon-headed prow, but a coiled serpent, ready to strike, the skin of men stretched over it in offering- You swear its eyes follow you. 

The drums begin, as mail-clad giants disgorge from their grisly warships, their shields painted with icons of the Archdaemon, and runes that strain your eyes to look upon for any length of time. You swear you hear a malevolent cackle on the winds, and your skin turns clammy.

You swallow a nervous breath and mutter a prayer. They are coming for you now, and their Gods are hungry.
The Svarlings

Mortal Champions of the Dark Gods

[MUSIC]

OVERVIEW

The Svarlings, or Svarlanders (Singular, Svarl) are a northron people of common ancestry to the Nordlings of Ruric’s Folk, though they have long since diverged from their fellow northern peoples of man. Sharing some heritage with their fellow northmen, they speak an insular dialect of the northron tongue, and retain a primitive, barbaric sort of honor. Here the similarities end, for in faith the Svarlanders have fallen far and long into the worship of dark, ruinous gods- Greater Demons from the Hells, immortal lich-kings from long kept barrows, and horrors beyond mortal comprehension. Svarlandic Mythology is built up around the worship of their gods of death, savagery, and chaos, the Raven King, Iskharr, and his ruin-wrought sons, the Great Wolf, Svårl, and the Serpent, Bráðnálgrím, whose name they daren’t utter lest its wrath be invoked.

Svarlings are primitive by the standards of most modern men, and remain predominantly a tribal iron-age society built up around particularly influential clan-heads or Undead Demigods called Chosen. These Chosen, also called Slumbering-Ones and Draugr, dwell often and long in their crypts, where lavish tribute is foisted onto them by their living mortal descendants. In times of war, these Chosen will be summoned forth by Svarlandic Necromancers (called Vitki, plural, Vitkar) and placed at the head of Svarlandic Warbands, from where these Undead Champions lead from the vanguard. Also counted among the Chosen are Mortals bearing the ‘Blessing’ of the Hells, be it by birth or boon, and many of their ilk have become sorcerous kings, regarded as cruel and cunning even by the standards of Svarland.

Svarland itself, the land from which these peoples predominantly hail, is a cold, dark place locked in polar night throughout most of the year. Far isolated from the nearest civilizations by the span of a tumultuous and frigid sea, Svarlandic Marauders are an intrepid, daring folk whose bravery would be admirable were it not turned towards such vile ends. The island has long-since been twisted by the ruinous powers venerated by its denizens, what wildlife survives there has been horrifically mutated, and few children born on the island survive to adulthood, as they are often taken by mutation, war, or famine. The southern region of the island is marginally more inhabitable than the north, with the southern coast hosting the island’s only city and its de facto capital, Bergthorshvall. In Bergthorshvall is found the Alþing, the tribal assemblage that rules the island in the absence of a High-King, wherein cutthroat tribal elders from across the island gather to vie for power and dictate matters affecting the entire island. Bravest of all in Bergthorshvall are those few unscrupulous foreign traders and explorers who make anchorage in the island’s only neutral port, wherein they will trade weapons, armor, and food to the Heathens in exchange for Svarlandic ivory, serpent-hide and reindeer velvet. To be a foreigner in Bergthorshvall is to sit upon an island in a sea of violence, for outside its walls no protections from the Alþing guarantee safety.

Northern Svarland is an even drearier, grimmer place, whose living denizens are outnumbered by the Dead and the Damned. Mortal men who dwell in this land are truly driven to insanity from its lightless nights and fell voices in its howling winds. Their lives are short, their prospects few, and so most often do they find themselves in the employ of sorcerers from the Black Citadel at the Island’s northeastern peninsula, Brimnesskogar, whose rulership trades hands between the conclave of its most cunning and ruthless Warlocks and Lich-Kings.

In the island’s center is the wealthy Dwarfhold of Kal’Drangavik, built upon a volcano said to possess a portal to the Svarlandic Underworld. It is ruled by the pale grey-skinned, blue-eyed, white-haired descendants of Velkan Ironborn, Urguan’s cruelest son. Having been hunted to the uttermost north of the world during Simpa’s Rebellion in ancient days, the Clan Irontide, kin and kith to Clan Ironborn, have made a home for themselves in Svarland, sponsoring their favored tribes as the island’s only producers of steel and plate armor, Dwarf-made weapons and armor line the burial-troves of many a Svarlandic Chieftain and King, and are held as more valuable heirlooms than any gem or jewel.

“If the Svarlings are about to take you captive, slit your own throat. It’ll be a mercy compared to whatever they’ll put you through.” - Alara Camian, Norlandic scholar.

Svarlandic Mythology

In the beginning there was Ýngr, King of the Star-Giants, Greatest of Sorcerers and Ruler of the Cosmos, and many were the children he bore. First and foremost were the son and daughter, Iskharr and Valhild, whose masteries were wisdom and might. Countless aeons were the age of the Giants, and the rule of Ýngr, Firstborn of Primeval Chaos, whose tribe was called the Ýngringaz. Iskharr was talented, and wise in all lore, while Valhild was grim-faced and brooding, but fairest in all creation, and so was loved and feared by all.

Many were the creations of Iskharr Ýngrsson, yet ephemeral were they all, transient things that came and went with the winds of chaos. This ill-suited Iskharr, who desired something wrought by his own hands that would not fade, and so he began to devise greater, grander things. Ýngr saw this in his son, and in that moment saw a force that might yet one day replace him, and end his immortal rule of the Giants. So, with cunning he set himself against his son, wishing to hew him from behind with a stroke from his terrible sword.

Perched upon Iskharr’s shoulder was the raven, Haski- A creation of his make, a wise and crafty creature, father of all its kind. He saw Ýngr come up from behind Iskharr, and warned him of the impending strike. Iskharr turned, and drove the spear in his hand forward, driving it through the King’s belly, and spilling his guts upon the mortal world. The blood of Ýngr spilled forth and filled the seas of the world, from thereon seeding it with life. From then on it was called Wiragarðaz. Taking up Ýngr’s bones, Iskharr began to shape the land, and laid out the mountains and valleys from them. His flesh began to rot, and this rot became the earth.

Iskharr Ýngrsson wrought the world, and was glad. But his sister’s wrath was a terrible thing. She bore the favor of their father, and when she learned of his death, she was roused in fury. Rallying the Ýngringaz to her, she descended into newborn Wiragarðaz to slay Iskharr and claim the world as weregild for the death of their father. Iskharr expected this, and so fought back. A great fence was raised against the heavens’ fierce, fiery gaze, and Iskharr prepared for battle. From the soul-stuffs of Ýngr Iskharr shaped descendant-kind, clothing them in new flesh and giving them new names. The sons of Iskharr, Svårl and Bráðnálgrím taught these mortal men the ways of war, and prepared them for the coming of Valhild’s host. After a counting of years came the day that Valhild broke through the girdle that was raised about the world. Her host descended on many wings, and the sun was to their backs, scorching the world with its heat.

Great was the strength of men in those days, and with Iskharr’s wisdom, and the lore of war they learned from his sons, they repelled the giants with their fury, though also great was the counting of their grief. Valhild knew then that she could not assail the mortal world through strength of arms alone, and so devised a cunning plan. Disguising her fierceness, though not her fairness, she descended into the world once more bearing a new name and a new, beautiful guise. Wise as she was, she instructed mortal men in the lore of sorcery, and turned many of them against Iskharr and his sons, whom she had claimed made them weak so he might never be overthrown by them. Generations passed, and soon these embittered men became the greater portion. In bloody revolt they slew Iskharr with guile, and chained his sons, delivering them onto their sorcerous queen.

Valhild delighted in her enemy’s ruin, And so rather than slay the sons of Iskharr, twisted them. She fused Svårl’s wolf-coat to his back, and drove him to madness, garbing him as a dog, and keeping him bound a slave. Bráðnálgrím was the more cunning brother, and so she garbed him in the form of a snake, so none would trust his words. Then she cast him down into the crevices of the earth. Those men who Iskharr and his sons had slain when defending themselves, she rewarded, sending forth her winged-kin to bring them up towards the heavens once more, where they might join her court and serve her.

Iskharr’s body was broken, his soul retreated deep into the cracks of the world, and at its center he reformed himself, though he was garbed no longer in flesh, and wore a cloak to hide his bare bones. Too had an eye been stolen from him, and worn as a jewel by mortal man, and so Iskharr One-Eyed he was called from thereon after. Down there in the grim warrens of the earth he found his wounded son, Bráðnálgrím, who writhed in agony and who loathed the shape he had now taken. The Underworld was a dark place then, and dead though he was, Iskharr was still mighty in the lore of creation, and so raised a new fence around the underworld, and lit it with the terrible fire of Bráðnálgrím’s fury. Still loyal to Iskharr was Haski, his raven, who he set forth into the mortal world once more to collect the honored dead, those who had fallen in his service and his defense. Haski guided their souls into the Underworld, wherein Iskharr gave them physical form once more, and imbibed their souls into their broken bodies. These were called the Honored Dead, and were the first of the Chosen. From thereon the Underworld was known as Nárgrindheim, Home of the Corpse-Gate, behind which the Dead Hosts assembled.

Many years passed, Valhild’s servants still held rulership of the Earth, and Valhild still had the mastery of the Dead save for those claimed by Iskharr. In the three-hundredth year of the world, the Gates of Nárgrindheim were flung open, and the Host of Iskharr marched under the banner of his single, baleful eye, intent on liberating the world from the tyranny of the Star-Giants and their queen. To aid them, Iskharr raised his girdle about the skies once more, and blotted out the sun. Mortal man, who knew only its burning light, quailed in terror at this, save for the loyal of Iskharr, who rejoiced at his coming. A terrible war was waged for many a year, during its span many lands were sunk beneath the waves of Ýngr’s blood. A cunning number of Iskharr’s mortal warriors (who had grown resistant to the sun’s wrath) slipped past the sky’s fence, and into the Halls of Valhild, wherein they broke the chains of Svårl, who descended in fury and slew many giants.

From the bones of slain giants, the Wyrms were raised, first by Valhild, then by Iskharr, until neither side could claim mastery over that tribe, though the chiefest among them was servant to Iskharr. In time, the Wyrm-King turned against Iskharr, betraying him on the eve of Wiragarðaz’s liberation. Wyrm fought both the Kin of Giants and Folk of Iskharr, and drew the war all the longer. This treachery allowed the Giants a moment’s reprieve from Iskharr’s onslaught, and they used this time to scheme against him, while Iskharr sent his dragons against the rebels.

With guile and treachery, Iskharr’s army was defeated, though no defeat could be forelasting, as Iskharr had mastery over his loyal, honored dead, whose numbers swelled with every valiant death. So Valhild bought the loyalty of the King of the Dwarves with a vast trove, and the Dwarfking forged a chain of adamantine to seal the gates of Nárgrindheim, and forestall the Armies of the Dead God. The Dwarfking did this gladly, and forever basked in his trove, until he was forever lost in his hoard.

The End Times

The day shall come, and fast approaches when a mighty hero of Svarland, who descends from those men who remained loyal to Iskharr in ancient days, shall shatter the adamantine chains that seal Nárgrindheim’s gates, and when that day comes, the swelled ranks of the warrior dead shall usher forth from the Underworld with Iskharr at the head of their host. The Demon-Sons of Bráðnálgrím shall join them, and shall avenge their serpentine father. Joyous will be the day that Wiragarðaz is liberated from the tyranny of the Ýngringaz and their misguided followers. When that day comes, the world shall be broken, and remade by Iskharr’s hand, as it once was, and was intended to be before the corruption of Valhild set so deeply into it. This new world will be made on the bones of fallen giants, from their flesh, and their blood, and Iskharr will reign evermore, a grim but noble king. The Svarlanders, who were once chased for their loyalty to him, shall laugh and sing as the world collapses around them, their long war finally won.

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CULTURE AND CHARACTERISTICS

Cultural Traits

Survival of the Fittest | Only the strongest thrive on that blighted island, for the weak, death is the kindest fate. For those who live, have only chatteldom or sacrifice to look forward to, their lives put towards slaving away for their warlike masters, or given up to placate ever-thirsting gods. As such, Svarlandic Warriors are usually strong and disciplined.

Honor among Madmen | Some shred of honor remains to the most wretched of the Northmen. They will seldom cheat deals and oaths sworn on the names of their Gods or their Fathers, and they do not balk before any foe. A contract taken with a Svarlander is one they shall abide so long as the terms of the contract are met. Furthermore, the Svarlanders observe guest-rights, swearing no harm against any who eat under their roof, lest it be in mutually-agreed combat.

Saga-Tellers and Runestone-Raisers | The Dead seldom remain such in Svarland, and so their deeds are honored, by doomful song sung by skalds or basalt runestone daubed in blood and redstone paint, the deeds of the past are held in high honor, and remembered well after their happening. Great value is held in a good story, and so, Showmen as they are, Svarlanders fight and act to impress their Gods and Ancestors, such has made them dramatic, and prone to doing whatever they think shall tell a better story.

Breakers, Not Shapers | The men of Svarland are primitive, and even the Dwarves who inhabit the island have regressed, though less so than their human counterparts. Technologically, the men of Svarland remain firmly in the iron age, and lack much in the way of technology or coordination to progress further. What steel or rarer metals that do exist on the island are made by the Dwarves of Kal’Drangavik, who retain some of the runecraft of that ancient folk, twisted with demonology. They are the weapon-dealers of Svarland, and thus are seldom warred upon, usually with disastrous results for the attacker. Plate armor is a rarity, and a status symbol among Svarlandic Champions, Chieftains, and Chosen.

Physical Traits

Blessing of Strength | Bred for War and little else, the Men of Svarland are either born strong, made strong, or killed. They are tall, broad-shouldered, and ill-tolerant of weakness. As such, they are typically some of the strongest among mortal men.

Blessing of Frenzy  | To die bloodily, stuck by a hundred wounds and upon a mountain of corpses is the most honorable way to die. To die a warrior’s death means to impress Iskharr One-Eye, and to join his eternal host in Nárgrindheim for the chance of someday being a harbinger of the End Times. Thus, Svarlings will throw themselves wholly into battle, and commit despite the pain. Their Gods are Watching.

Blessing of Winter | Should one go far enough back, it is evident that the Svarlanders are a Highlander people, cast out and unwelcome by their kinsfolk for their worship of dark heathen gods. Though Highlanders they are all the same, fair-skinned, with eyes of blue, green, or hazel. Their hair is often blond, red, or brown, with black being the rarest.

Blessing of Mutation | Physical deformities are commonplace amongst the Svarlanders, either due to the inherent saturation of fell powers that is native to their island, or the unfortunate fact that they are few in number and insular, and therefore likely inbred. The tallest of their number suffer great pains as a result, and should they live long enough, will break under their own height, and live a lesser length of men. Webbed hands and toes, jagged or rotten teeth, scaled skin, and albinism are also common, as are misshapen limbs, though the latter often results in a quick death before adulthood. The life of a Svarlander is short and brutal.

Blessing of Madness | Svarlandic society is brutal and traumatizing, those who are not born mad are most often driven mad by the cruelty that surrounds them. Hallucinations, Paranoia, and violent mood swings are all commonplace in a land where violence is venerated and the gods are bloodthirsty.

Blessing of Darkness | Svarland is a forgotten place in the far north of the world. As such, the men of Svarland are accustomed to their dark, frigid environment. They will suffer the cold gladly, for it is familiar, they will raid in the darkness, and are keen-eyed at night. The sun is an unwelcome tyrant, and the heat and humidity of the far south is uncomfortable and disorientating to these Northmen. Given time they may grow accustomed to it, but it is an unpleasantry all the same.

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HISTORY OF THE SAGA-KINGS

“Skilled am I in slaughter’s song, Fell-handed in fray, fierce in the fight.

A hundred battles, a hundred deaths, Heroes I’ve hewn, villains I’ve vanquished,

Felled them in frost-fields, and flames of war, Where doom-gods gaze with dreadful eyes.” - Jǫrmúnharr Konungr

Svarlanders love a good story, and high honor is held for those capable of telling them. Despite this, they are unfortunately dreadful recordkeepers. This is in part because stories will be heavily dramatized, and in part. After all, human blood makes surprisingly poor paint. What can be gleaned with certainty is drawn primarily from outside sources, with Svarlandic sagas filling in the gaps and providing context. Svarlanders undoubtedly descend from Northron tribes chased out of the descendant realms, but their claim to descend from veterans of the first war is laughable, and speaks to their ill-remembered ancient past.

The Svarlanders were not the first to inhabit their island, and while it was always a cold, dark place, it was not always accursed, for such was the doom they had brought with them. Once the island was home to a race of Elves who were kin to the Wood Elves, these Elves dwelt in a boreal grove along the island’s southern shore, where once tall pines rose up from the snow like spears. These Druids of the Northern Grove tended to the island’s arctic wildlife, and dwelt there undisturbed for many years, one presumes these Elves to have been the island’s first inhabitants, though little trace of them now remains.

Then came the Dwarves, exiles from a civil war they had lost, and they brought with them their terrible engines of war. Runecrafted Golems and Irondrakes that spewed forth a terrible fire. Armed only with stone, and the rare tool of bronze, the Elves knew they could not fend off this Dwarvish migration. The Archdruidess of the Northern Grove, Nesrina’sul appealed to the landspirits of the island. She spoke of the cruelty of the Dwarves, their wastefulness and their mutilation of the land around them. Her appeal was successful, and to ward off bolt or cannonball, a thicket of Ironwood was raised around the Northern Grove, and the wildlife turned against the Dwarves, who, few as they already were, retreated to the volcanic heart of the island, leaving the Elves to their forest. Dwarvish raids did not cease entirely, Intrepid Irontide Warriors would, on occasion, raid the Elfwood for timber and slaves, but the ironwood wall of the Grove was unassailable.

Such remained the status-quo for hundreds of years, until the coming of Men to the island. Ibleesian Cultists exiled from Mannish society for their ruinous faith had gathered under the leadership of the charismatic infernal warlord, Svarre Haargǫthsson, who is widely recognized as the first High-King of Svarland, as it is for him the island is named, Its original Elvish name having been lost to time. Svarre’s Folk spread across the length of the island, and eventually came into contact, and almost immediate conflict with the Elves of the Northern Grove, still under Nesrina’sul’s leadership. Throughout the grove, horns wailed and the Elves prepared for battle, and unlike centuries past, years of repelling Dwarvish raids had hardened them. From the moment Svarre’s Warriors entered the Elfwood, they were peppered with arrows tipped in bronze and obsidian, or skewered with spears. Elfsongs brought down avalanches from the nearby cliffs, and buried the Svarlandic Warriors in their armor, every boar and every muskox turned against the invaders.

Svarre himself was slain by the Elves, his throat pierced by the shaft of an arrow, and as he lay bleeding, his fist raised skywards, and his dying gurgled breath commanded his sons to swear vengeance against the Elves. As Svarre’s sons squabbled over the remains of his kingdom, and devolved into the tribes of Svarland as we know them today, the youngest of their number, Sigurth Svarresson took up his father’s command, and at the age of twelve inherited the smallest, but most loyal part of his father’s host. Sigurth’s Host gathered at the village of Akraby, where it is said that they trained for many a year, and when he grew to a man, Sigurth devised a cunning plan.

For many years, Sigurth’s Host hunted every bear, boar, and direwolf they could find, they garbed themselves in their furred hides, and anointed themselves in their blood and scent. They slicked their hair with their tallow and they hung their claws and tusks in talismans about their necks, until no beast- And no Elf could tell them apart from the animals whose skins they wore, at least from afar. They traveled light into the Elfwood, unarmored as not to alert their foes with the rattle of maille, carrying only their axes, and hooking ropes of iron with which to scale the ironwood thicket.

Nesrina’sul’s Folk were caught unawares, and as the Svarlanders entered into the Northern Grove, a great slaughter commenced. No man, no woman nor beast was spared, nor child. The alarms rang too late, and though a great many of the Svarlanders fell, for fierce were the Elves in defense of their home, they were eventually overrun, in war and fell sorcery, Sigurth’s Warriors had the mastery. Seeing the Grove was lost, Nesrina’sul bid her folk flee the Grove, and flee far, far into the forest and the tundra, into the mountains and the glaciers, she bid they scatter and hide so they might survive. A valiant few among the Elves then gathered around her like shield-thanes, and the Northern Elves made a last stand in the heart of their grove, as Bearsark and Hellhound set themselves upon them. With arrows bristling from his back like the spines of a boar, Sigurth carved through the Elfish host with hells-given strength, meeting Nesrina’sul in the center. There he issued a dreadful roar, and clove her head from her shoulders, cutting down the Archdruidess, whose death drove her remaining warriors into doom-driven fury. Few Svarlanders remained at the end, and fewer Elves, all who stood were slaughtered, their ears and skins worn as trophies by the remaining Svarlanders. Sigurth fell, and was borne on the shields of his Huskarls to a Vitki- Whose fell magics animated the Warlord’s body, raising him as the first of The Chosen.

The Undead Sigurth wove himself a cloak of Nesrina’sul’s skin, and became known as Sigurth Álfsbani- The Bane of Elves. In time, Sigurth subjugated his brothers and nephews and their descendants, breaking those who did not bend. Sigurth then became the second High King of Svarland, and ruled for many centuries. What little infrastructure exists on the island is credited to him, as well as the founding of Bergthorshvall and Brimnesskogar, which both claim to have been his capital. Sigurth led many a raid on the Southern Realms, exacting a bloody vengeance for his people’s exile many decades prior. Sigurth’s Svarlings became the terror of the northern seas, and a name which resounded in infamy from Daeland to Chathant. In time though, Sigurth began to tire of challengeless victories, and so raised a great barrow wherein he would dwell, and await Iskharr’s call to arms come the End Times. To rule the island in his absence, he established the Alþing, an assembly of tribal and cultic rulers drawn from all across the island to rule and, should one of their number prove worthy, crown the next High-King. When his task was done, Sigurth retreated with honors to his burial mound, Sigurth’s Hollow, where to this day, the skulls of Elves are laid in tribute to him.

Yet Sigurth did not slay every Elf of the Northern Grove. Though few survived, they linger still in those few corners of Svarland that remain uncorrupted, hidden from the outside world and fearful of outsiders. There are many legends of men shipwrecked upon Svarland who find shelter with these Elves, though these are mostly fairy-tales. An Imperial Explorer, Abelard d’Maine is said to have made contact with the remnants of the Northern Grove, three dozen elves, mostly elderly, sheltered at the base of a glacier, dwindling with the years. Some half their number fled the island with Abelard, with the rest fading from history.

Sigurth would not be the last semi-legendary High King of Svarland. Havard Gudværsson the Far-Traveler reigned as co-High King with his sister, Sigrid Gudværdottir the Farseer, with Havard being a peerless explorer, and Sigrid a seeress with few equals, though fame and sorcery the two united the island for a time. After they came Harald Háukonsson the Priest-Hater, whose claim to fame is having ousted foreign missionaries from Bergthorshvall, after which he would lead raids into the southern realms, and claim the skull of a Canonist cardinal as a drinking-piece, which from thereon would become a relic of the Norrsfarling tribe.

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RECENT HISTORY

After the Saga-Kings of legend, the most prominent Svarlandic King to enter history was Asarrtýr the Mad, hailing from the Rykhäring dynasty of the Helgrind tribe, who were better arms and armored than most, on account of the patronage of the Dwarves of Kal’Drangavik. Asarrtýr claimed descent from the Serpent-God himself, and backed up this claim with his supposedly hellwrought armor, inscribed with runes attributed to the serpent god. Asarrtýr violently subjugated many of the tribes of Svarland, and aligned himself with the Kjörnarlings of Brimnesskogar, Asarrtýr’s host encamped outside the walls of Bergthorshvall, which they laid to siege until the Alþing conceded, and named him High King. Asarrtýr Rykhässon assembled a Great Heathen Army on the southern shore of Svarland, and set out from the island, not with aspirations to raid- But intending to single-handedly bring about the End Times by flooding Nárgrindheim with the Warrior-Dead and invoking the ire of Valhild. He gathered many lieutenants to him from all the tribes of Svarland, most famed among them being Vikne Kjeldsdottir of Brimnesskogar, and the cannibalistic Gorm the Flayer, whose raids into the Snow Elven lands almost ended that race. Asarrtýr’s Army landed north of Varhelm, capital of the Kingdom of Norland, and swiftly established a foothold on the mainland. The surrounding tribes were either subjugated or slain, and a decades-long siege of the Norlandic capital began. The population of the Rurikid Kingdom dwindled, either slain or fled, and in the twentieth year of the war, Vikne led an assault upon the walls that took the city. The sack that followed slew many of its inhabitants, and forced the rest into thralldom or flight, though greatly depleted the Svarlandic army. What few remained of the host was not enough to conquer the remainder of the Kingdom, and so the Svarling Invasion stalled.

Soon thereafter Asarrtýr took a greater portion of the remaining Svarlandic host and returned to Svarland, wherein a rebellion had been staged against his rule by his own son, Knut. Knut’s Rebellion bore the popular support of the Alþing, who resented the rule of the mad self-proclaimed God-King. Landing on the southern shore of Svarland, Asarrtýr’s host of Helgrindings and Kjörnarlings were met in battle by a coalition of the Southern Tribes led by the Norrsfarlings of Bergthorshvall and Fjorgarders of Hafnarfjall. Asarrtýr was slain, and his son, Knut was thereafter charged by the Alþing to return to the Svarling holdings on the mainland, and bring the remnants of the Svarlandic Army to heel. Only then would they be so willing to declare him High King. He undertook this task, though was barred from the gates of Varhelm by Vikne Kjeldsdottir, who in Asarrtýr’s absence had been named War-Queen of the Svarlaw, the name given to the Svarlandic-populated possessions in Western Norland.

At this, Knut went to Alisagrad, the new Norlandic capital, and took up arms there as a member of their army, though southlanders soon slew him during a raid upon the city. After this, the Svarlings fade from common memory for a time, the Svarlaw being a sparsely populated place, with its population being the greater part Norlandic than Svarling, though the region soon played host to a mixed folk, among whom was Ysgrim Eiriksson, born from the unlawful union of a Svarlandic shieldmaiden and the thrall, Godred, who once belonged to the Rurikid Clan of Eiriksson. Ysgrim Half-Svarl would be taken to Svarland, wherein he rebelled and broke free from Thralldom, along with many other descendants of the Norlandic peoples taken during Asarrtýr’s War. Ysgrim made a bid for the High Kingship, and succeeded as far as building up a support-base from the ringfort of Akraby, but when he entered Bergthorshvall, he was torn apart by a mob, who decried him as an agent sent by the so-called ‘Red God of Ruric’ to subjugate the Svarlanders.

Ysgrim’s Death would be the last serious attempt by anyone to lay claim to the High Kingship of Svarland, though many tribal kings remain, and the island’s population has since recovered from the losses incurred during Asarrtýr’s War. To this day, Svarlandic Longships are seen the world over, though dreams of conquest lie in the lost ruins of Almaris, they prefer rather to raid, as they had for centuries prior. Svarlandic cults exist elsewhere in the world, usually the remnants of long-lost colonies, such as that of Jǫrmúnharr World-Walker, a planeswalking Chosen, whose father, Ingmorne Cruel-Iron, had been a Norrsfarling King who fled Svarland to avoid subjugation by Asarrtýr, and who established a colony on the shores of Aevos.

OOC CREDITS AND FINAL NOTES

Nearly four years ago, AstriaS and I, along with Daengie, Hyperdron, and a revolving cast of several others, started the Svarlings, a group of comically evil chaos-warrior vikings for the sake of player events and an excuse to CRP with our friends. In the times since I have always wanted to further develop them, and jot down all of the headcanons I had and put them on paper. It has been something I’ve always kept on the backburner and never got around to finishing until a sudden burst of energy caused me to knock out the vast majority of this post yesterday. I’m pretty pleased with how it finally came out.

The Svarlings are intended to be used as mooks and minions for events, and for players who want to play around with an inherently EVIL culture. If you end up using them, that’s awesome! I want to hear what evil shit you get up to with them, but if not, this post exists partially to satisfy my desire to have finished it. A huge thank you to everyone who over the years has roleplayed with me on Zharrtyr, Canute, and now Jormunharr, it's been a blast and I know whenever I want good CRP I can always throw my Satanic Heavy Metal Viking at someone.