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Stalderheim

Stalderheim has long been the kingdom with the most political power and potential. In the centre of the realm, Stalderheim houses the source of the great river Whitefork, which nourishes their land. They are a large kingdom, and monopolise on their natural resources for industry. They mine for metals and stones, and also export their high quality wood which they grow in abundance in the western region.

The people of Stalderheim, the 'Stalder' are known for their hard work. Everyone has a trade, and everyone, man or women, are born to work. Sheep farming is considered the lowest of jobs, but has this old dignity to it in rural areas. There is lumber, metalwork, and of course the military, which is by now the most expansive in the Realm. Life is not easily in Stalderheim. Their landscape is dominated by coniferous forest and rocky rolling hills, and populated with villages and sprawling towns. The ruling city is known simply as 'The Capital', and is the most powerful city in the North Realm, ruled by the Patriarch of house Staedmon.

The people of Stalderheim tend to be strong and well built, their ethnicity closest to Anglo-Saxon. The other kingdoms snigger that the Stalder are the ugliest of the lot, but this is not true. They are simply the least 'elegant', and have a coarser and more rough appearance.

Stalderheim is home to the great House of Staedmon, the Patriarch's of the realm, who's seat is in the Capital Trescardion. Their patron animal is the barred ram.

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Gwylleth

A kingdom of rugged coasts, icy seas, Gwylleth bows to the sea's calls. They industry is fishing, and most Gwyllethi child can fish before they can walk. The great sea, Mordros, is their Queen. They know to respect her waters and her wishes.

Gwyllethi life is in small sea towns and fishing villages. Their lives are simple; they live to survive against the harsh environment, and there is a strong sense of community. The people of Gwylleth are tough, yet welcoming. They support each other, and keep well with the historical customs of the regions.

Though they have no army, they have the infamous Duwenai, the guard regiment. Highly skilled swordsmen and sailors, they keep the peace, defend the boarders and the peoples of Gwylleth.

Môrgwyll is the major sea town, which hosts the high house of Chiyen, who historically were expert ship builders and have a strong religious connection to Cliodena the goddess of the sea. Their patron animal is the sea wraith.
The peoples of Gwylleth are traditionally of East and Souteast Asian phenotypes. Their names are East Asian/Cornish composite.

They are also known for their good food and their wildlife; they have a large and diverse population of owls, and the famous Haitāna horses, a hardy breed of sandy coloured wild horses that roam the coastline.

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Iltensk

Rich and refined, the kingdom of Iltensk is small but proud. The people live pleasant lives on small farms, cowherds and grain farmers. In the winter the ground freezes and the villages support one another, but in the spring mountain flowers bloom and the landscapes are transformed into verdurous pastures and beautiful glacial lakes. The cities are a place of high culture, and the people proud and rich. Their export is music, art, poetry.

The capital city is Breganova in the south, and they make fine clothes and glass. The city dwellers are expensive, versed in the art of politics, and do not like to get their hands dirty. They dine fine on wine, pride their sense of dress and fine army. Although not the toughest or roughest, they have been known to be great defenders and a social force in times of strife.

While they may be haughty, most are good people and seek peace and a functioning society in their kingdom. The people are typically European/Slavic in appearance, and the inhabitants of other kingdoms joke they all look the same. They are ethnically similar to Stalderheim, but tend to be more elegant and delicate in build to their heavier cousins. Roughly comparable to Austria and it's capital Vienna in the past. Their names are European/Slavic composite.

They are ruled by the proud House Svellinski, who have a strong political allegiance with the Staedmons. Their patron animal is the deer.

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Ba'althos

Impressive rock formations, strong connection to the earth, the Ba'althosi are a liberal and accepting peoples. Queer history has long been a part of their past. Due to the bigotry of the other kingdoms, there are notoriously suspicious of outsiders. Although they have good trading systems, they prefer to live undisturbed by the turbulent politics of the other kingdoms. Like the Gwyllethi, they share a love for good food, and are infamous for the realm's best marketplaces. They are centre for trade, as the kingdom lies in the middle of the realm and provides important pass through to the other kingdoms beyond and around them. Zadab Ebinor, who befriended the Steadmons many moons past, built the great Tanakh pass which made the region accessible to those wishing to pass. But do not be fooled. Where Ba'althos may seem an empty desert scape, they have a fierce armed priesthood called the Szhakat, dedicated to protecting the land, and against the corruption of outsiders. Where a Ba'althosi household might invite you in to break bread and salt, if you were to stumble upon a Szhakat tent you might not be so lucky to make it out whole.

The Kingdom of Ba'althos is most commonly known for its cold desert in the centre of its landmass, surrounded by complex mazes of formidable stone passes and mountains. Their tricky landscape makes it impenetrable and they protect their land well. They are famous for their hawks and vultures, and boast fine, beautiful horses that are coveted by many rich families across the realm. Many marvel at how the Ba'althosi cultivate their land; even the Steadmon's could not yield results when they attempted after the conquest. This is one of Ba'althos' many greatly kept secrets.

These are a nomadic tribal peoples, based loosely on the cultures of Central Asia (Kazakh, Mongol etc). They have tanned skin and dark hair, often long and braided. Also common are the 'touched' people with skin conditions such as vitiligo, or brown skinned people with freckles and red hair. The Ba'althosi traditions calls these people touched by the special powers of the gods, whereas others look on them as sick or cursed. Their names are Hebraic/ Ancient Near Eastern/Arabic composite

House Ebinor rules Ba'althos, and lays claim to one of the only large sized permanent settlements in the region - Tanakh, the house of spears. Their patron animal is the Barkhan'va, a desert vulture.

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Marsan

Marsan is the newest a new kingdom, but a devious one comprised of outlaws. It was quickly taken by sailors who arrived by sea and settled in its volcanic landscape.

Marsan sits atop barren rock and sand, with fields of lava and volcanoes among swamps. Considered a wasteland until Gilfea Phyre found its suppositories of precious gems. Marsan is a rabbit warren of a territory, full of outlaw style towns, notable for its assassins and mercenaries. Considered a dangerous and unwelcoming place, it is not for the faint hearted. You must be as sharp as a knife to make success in this kingdom.

They have the best weapons, spices as poisons from overseas, but they do not like to share their resources with the other kingdoms. To them they mainly deal jewels to the hungry highborns of the realm who wish to gloat their riches.Their currency instead is blood and fire. The people of Marsan are dark skinned and beautiful, and show their status by their fine jewels and weapons. The society is matriarchal, and women are held in higher esteem than men. They have a long standing alliance with Ba'althos. Their names are Latinate / African / South Asian composite.

House Phyre, the house of rubies rules Marsan from the town of Redsmoot, a mercenary town full of vice and hedonism. But they wouldn't have it any other way. Their patron animal is a ruby eyed leopard.

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Valendor

A Northern Territory, sparse in settlement. Covered in snow, harsh territory. You could go miles and not see anything but a blizzard of white ice. The terrain is of impressive rocky formations, deep icy valleys and treacherous mountain passes steeped in snow. Many call it the white waste. Little grows there, and even less survived. Settlements are few and far in between, and mainly consist of strongholds and their surrounding villages.

Valendor has a living magic that scared the Stalder away from settlement. Giant baervolves roam the snow covered forests, fairies stalk children wondering alone at night, and the blue eyed curse freezes the blood of those who stray too far into the snow.

The Valendor are fierce warriors, and since their conquest have provided the most impressive soldiers to the Stalderheim forces. But in recent years, after the tragedy of Nightfall, little news has been heard of the Valendor people. They have vanished into obscurity beyond their borders.

The region has the smallest population of all the kingdoms, and they tend to be tall and pale (with high numbers of Albinism), but are rarely seen without furs covering every inch or their skin. Their names are Nordic composite.

Their rulers were the mighty house of Stormfjell, who ruled from the formidable seat of Nightfall. Their patron animal was the baervolf. The Stormfjells are now extinct and the Kingdom may have no new ruler but the Patriarch, under Stalderheim's decree.

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Dür

Dür extends the whole stretch across the north, and extends into the fog of the beyond. It is unconquered, deemed unconquerable. The borderlands are ever changing swamps and poison fogs that tempted wayward soldiers to their deaths. Stalderheim abandoned their campaign there after years of draining resources, with no inclination of what they had to gain.

Dür is a place where the land itself has a conscience, defying the rules of physics. The landscape shifts, speaks whispers of ghosts, and disorients those foolish enough to cross the borders. The people of Dür are servants to the land, itself driven by powerful magic beyond comprehension. Rumours of dark shamans, strange magic and human sacrifice find their way south of the borders, and are used to scare the young at night from ever venturing too far from their beds.

Dür is commonly known as the Wildlands, small villages, tribal people. Ethnicity varied. Like Viking (or the wildlings from Game of Thrones) but more wild, primitive. The land is like that of volcanic Iceland, shifting swamplands and deep lakes. Their names are global composite.

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