Wintermark territories

Wintermark is criss-crossed by a network of watchtowers and beacons that allow the Winterfolk to maintain vigilance against barbarian attacks. Many of these structures are isolated, but halls have sprung up around several of them, often taking their names from the beacons or watchtowers they protect.

Hahnmark

The territory of Hahnmark is spread along a series of treacherous mountain passes, the rolling foothills beneath and the wide plains that stretch toward Sermersuaq and Kallavesa. It is the ancestral homeland of the Steinr in Wintermark, and in ancient times was the centre of the troll kingdom.

The largest settlement in Wintermark, the great town of Kalpaheim, was once the capital of the Winterfolk. It guards the largest pass through the mountains that lead to the more hospitable lands to the south. A massive carving of King Ulmo in the side of a mountain looks down upon Kalpaheim, to remind all that the eyes of history are upon them. This impressive feat is one of the wonders of the Empire, constructed long before the nation joined the Empire by a trio of Artok under the control of the icewalker Gilda Heimssdottir. She also dug out a number of tunnels into the mountains and parts of the hall now occupy them.

The other passes through the mountains are likewise protected by fortified halls, preventing access to the rolling hills that drop down towards fertile plains.

Kallavesa

This is the ancestral home of the Kallavesi, a land of cold stagnant bogs. Ancient Kallavesi myth says that the world was formed by a great, cosmic eagle spirit just prior to its death, that they were the first people to enter the world and the only to pre-date it. The land changes through the seasons, but always has a feeling of brooding stillness. In the warmer months it is a boggy marsh cut through with streams and fjords. In the winter the waterways freeze over and the whole land is covered with frost and snow. The marsh serves as the national graveyard and this is a place of ancient secrets and mysticism.

Thanes' halls are traditionally constructed entirely from wood here and those built in marshy areas are raised up on stilts. Many halls in Kallavesa are built around sacred places or places with a magical reputation.

Sermersuaq

Sermersuaq is the ancestral home of the Suaq people. The forests and tundra of this territory are rich with animal life that sustains the Winterfolk, ranging from great furred beasts to small game and hunting birds. The northern waters are home to seals and penguins, and full of fish and whales. As one travels further north, the land becomes colder and colder until a traveller comes to transient ice floes that mark the the farthest extent of the land claimed by the Winterfolk. This fertile territory is under constant threat from northern barbarians whose hunting parties also seek to exploit the profusion of life here, regularly engaging in skirmishes with the Winterfolk who live here.

The territory takes its name from the legendary figure of Sermersuaq. Sermersuaq was 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. According to legend, Sermersuaq 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, others argue she is an allegory for the enduring and tenacious spirit of the Winterfolk.

Beyond the ice floes is the wasteland of Tsirku, where the ground is permanently covered in snow. The landscape is far from flat, there are ice plateaus pock-marked with crevasses and areas where the ice is rent apart giving way to cold salty lakes. Here rages the eternal ice-storm Sydanjaa, a roaring blizzard that blows all year round and from whose depths no traveller has ever returned.

Skarsind (Lost)

Skarsind a place of alpine slopes and valleys, pine forests and rising mists. Gildenheim in the east was the second largest settlement in Wintermark. Founded by Gilda Heimssdottir, it stands over the entrance to a frozen underworld cavern into the walls of which are carvings in a mysterious alphabet that are said to be the source of the magical runes used throughout Wintermark.

The folk of Skarsind were particularly noted for their fine rune work and many of the best craftsmen travelled here to study their craft. There were troubles with tribes of yetis that live in the valleys above Skarsind, but most of the danger here came from the barbarians living on the far side of the mountains.

In 373AE a savage blizzard swept down out of the mountains. The blizzard raged for three days, serving as magical cover for an army of barbarians who marched beneath it. They attacked Gildenheim with the assistance of a dozen enslaved Artok, smashing great holes in the defenses. The blizzard continued for another four days, and the orcs used the advantage it gave them to ravage many of the low-lying halls. The Winterfolk who were not killed in the attacks are now kept as thralls by the victorious barbarians.

There are still pockets of resistance in Skarsind, mostly based around the mines and halls to the north-east, but the situation is looking increasingly desperate. Since the initial attack the weather has remained unnaturally harsh, with snow falling for nine months out of each year, and supplies and the will to fight are both dwindling. There is little doubt that the barbarians here have the support of powerful magic, and unless it is dealt with Skarsind will never be reclaimed by the Winterfolk.

A saga called Lament for Skarsind is popular in some parts of Wintermark.