The Northern Realms of Horizon

The Province of Horizon is a land of extremes: biting cold, dense forests, murky marshes, and chaotic, unpredictable weather. But even so, civilization thrives here, nestled in bastions of safety that pockmark the penninsula.   The people of Horizon are hearty, resilient, and as a general rule, fiercely independent. The vast (and often treacherous) swaths of land between settlements means that most cities must rely on themselves for survival. Since its occupation by The Aeturnum Elves after the fall of The Antecean Empire, Horizon has only once been united under one banner, that of Renaria, and that did not last.    In modern days, Horizon is chiefly inhabited by kingdoms of Humans, all of whom share an ancestral tie to the Kentran warlords that came to reclaim Horizon from the Elves. It is possible that some small enclaves of Antecean humans survived and carried on since the Empire's destruction, but they would be few and far between. Because of this, despite their independent nature, most human kingdoms of Horizon share common customs and traditions. Someone from Fendelen will feel relatively at home in Crucible and vice versa. Only the most distant and remote settlements like Nordstar and Ioma would feel truly foreign.    Horizon's geography also makes it uniquely difficult to invade from the other Provinces. The Oran Mountains provide an all-but-impassable barrier to entry along the southern border and only the foolish or the  desparate would try to enter via the Kateran Wastes. This does not mean the people of Horizon have enjoyed an unending era of peace, of course. Horizon's recent history is pocked with bouts of intercity conflict, especially between the cities of the Aurun Plains. Crucible and Ioma have in particular shared a common history of strife.   By the time of The Extinction War, the city-states of Horizon co-existed relatively harmoniously. After the Great Collision, they relied heavily on each other to rebuild. This collaboration ultimately resulted in an alliance of kingdoms not seen since Antecea ruled the province. Crucible, Fendelen, Precipice, and Nordstar spearheaded a unifying arrangement that resulted in the United Northern Realms; a coalition of independent nations that share resources and work together as a united front. As of 1590, this coalition is still running strong, and has even seen colonies established on the distant continent of K'allpa.