Wintermark history

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Origins

The people of the north, the Suaq and the Kallavesi, have lived in Sermersuaq and Kallavesa for longer than written records have existed.

The tales of the Suaq say that they are all descended from a single mother; the legendary Sermersuaq. Said to be so powerful that she could balance a kayak on the tips of three fingers, and kill a seal just by rapping it on the head with her knuckles, she rode out heavily pregnant from Sydanjaa on a mammoth. She gave birth to one thousand children, half of whom drowned themselves and returned as seals to provide food for the others. Some say Sermersuaq was an eternal and that all the Suaq share a trace of her bloodline while others argue she is an allegory for the enduring and tenacious spirit of the Winterfolk. Some travelers claim that to this day eerie seal spirits who can take the form of men and women still haunt the northern shores. They call them Hylje and consider them helpful, positive creatures who will aid a lost hunter or a sailor lost at sea.

The Kallavesi are the cousins of the Suaq. The stories of the mystics say that in ancient times a flight of crows flew over the marshes from east to west, scattering feathers into the waters below. Where each feather landed, a Kallavesi emerged from the marshes. Some scholars point to the sinister mora of Varushka and wonder if there is some distant connection; others suggest a similar link to an eternal - perhaps one of the wise powers of the Winter realm.

More recent scholars suggest that these stories - of seals and crows - are simply metaphors and that the forebears of the Kallavesi and the Suaq are the same people who would found the lands of the Ushka in the east, and eventually build the cities of Terunael in the south. No hard evidence one way or another has ever come to light, however.

For a time the Suaq and the Kallavesi traded and fought with each other, with the other early humans living in the nothern lands of what is today the Empire, and with the ancestors of the Jotun. At some points, however, they became isolated from the rest of humanity by a troll kingdom that held sway over the mountain passes of Hahnmark and Skarsind. The trolls warred with the humans and forced them further and further into the cold, bringing them to the desperate brink of extinction.

War Against the Trolls

Then the Steinr came. Their stories say that they fell from the heavens in a shower of falling stars. They claim that there is meteoric iron in their blood, and this is what gives them their indomitable spirit. Cousins to the Vard who conquered Varushka, the Steinr chose to head westwards while the Vard pushed east.

Caught between theorcs and the trolls their situation became increasingly desperate. Following visionary dreams sent by the shamen and mystics on the other side of Hahnmark, a small band of heroes made a heroic trek through the mountains to seek out the Suaq and the Kallavesi. Following a historic meeting. the warriors, the hunters and the mystics embarked on a bold campaign against the trolls. While the Steinr and Suaq embarked on a last-ditch campaign to harry their subhuman foes from north and south, the Kallavesi performed a great ritual that collapsed the glaciers of the mountains onto the troll armies, sealing them forever in a frozen underworld.

After the war a victory celebration was held in Hahnmark. A traditional Steinr grand moot – a Witan – was called, where three representatives of each people spoke on the nature of their achievement and of what must be done next to survive. It is said that amidst the speeches the leaders of the Suaq, the Kallavesi and the Steinr each shed a single tear for the trolls, and that these three tears froze in an instant, becoming clear gems. These gems were collected by the most cunning of the Suaq hunters and set in a crown forged from the torcs and rings of the fallen heroes of the three people. The wisest of the Kallavesi mystics crowned wily Ulmo of the Suaq King of the Three Tears, ruler of a new nation, Wintermark.

The crown was passed from monarch to monarch through the history of Wintermark; when a king or queen died the Witan would select another to take their place. When the nation joined the Empire, the last King of Wintermark Anolf Bearning returned it to the Kallavesi mystics and told them to keep it as a symbol of unity not only for the three peoples, but for their union with the Empire. The Kallavesi gave the crown to the Winterfolk hero they considered to best exemplify the virtues of Wintermark, until 373YE when the last wearer Inga Suvvisdottir was slain during the fall of Skarsind. Despite the recovery of Skarsind in 377YE, the crown remained lost; it was believed to be in the hands of the barbarians.

The three people joined Hahnmark. Sermersuaq, and Kallavesa into a single nation. The early decades were not without turmoil and conflict. The western orcs saw the opportunity for conquest, and a bitter war was fought that lasted nearly three decades until a peace was negotiated by the Kallavesi Queen Aku Millasdottir. War with the Jotun became a constant threat to the people of the north, with the orcs ever ready to fight their human neighbours.

The Winterfolk did not solely fight with humans; there were several clashes with the Navarr and the people of Varushka. When the Marchers claimed their lands south of Hahnmark, the border became a sight of regular conflict with raiders from both sides eager to claim the wealth of the other nation. Over time, however, these conflicts became less common and less desperate.

In the last decade before the formation of the Empire, however, the situation became more desperate. The king of the northern Jotun, reinforced with thousands of warriors from the southern queen, launched a concerted effort to conquer Wintermark. At the same time, the Thule orcs - who had until this time been a relatively minor nuisance - swept down out of Otkodov into Sermersuaq and attacked Wintermark settlements in eastern Skarsind, pushing the human defenders south and west. The Winterfolk were caught between a hammer and an anvil and, while they fought hard and with great courage, they were slowly being beaten back.

Joining the Empire

By the time of the First Empress the Winterfolk had learnt the strength that comes from standing together. King Alof Bearning was known to be a confidant and friend to the Empress. When the Empress spoke of her vision of one people united in defence of humanity, he was amongst her first and most enthusiastic supporters. The common opinion among Winterfolk is that they are the model for Empire and the bedrock on which it was built, and it is certainly true that both the Senate and the Imperial legal system are based on the traditions of the Winterfolk.

Building the Empire

The Winterfolk were enthusiastic supporters of the Empire. They worked closely with Emperor Giovanni to lay the foundations for the Imperial Senate, and to lay the foundations for Imperial Law. Their armies fought alongside those of the Marches, Varushka, and the Brass Coast to secure the western and northern borders of the Empire. Their magicians helped to shape the Imperial Conclave, arguing for the same principles of debate, diplomacy, and democracy that made the Witan so successful.

Alone of the Imperial nations, Wintermark gave three Thrones to the Empire; first Guntherm the Bold, then Mariika the Cunning, and most recently the tragic Empress Britta, the bright flame who began the period of resurgence that continues to this day.

Recent History

Beginning in Winter 378YE, and continuing through until the Spring Equinox 379YE, the folk of Wintermark fell under a malign curse that threatened to tear them apart. When the Thule responsible were defeated, the crown was recovered and Erkenbrand of Tyrsholm was chosen as the latest champion of Wintermark.

Further Reading

• Crown of Three Tears
• People of the North