Swenmark

Swenmark is, for the most part, mountaneous in terrain. The Hjalboras mountain range is rivaled only by the Iceridges in Pallas and Libertia. High up in these peaks live the race of the Goliaths - large, bulky humanoids who possess a brutal, tribal culture, and a long standing rivalry with the Mjande and Firbolg people. Little flat land exists in Swenmark, though the gaps between the peaks give way to valleys covered in pine trees where small villages can often be found. Glaciers scar the landscape at the furthest point of the land, where ice storms scoure everything they touch.   The coasts are more hospitable, where most of the human Mjande natives reside. Fishing and whaling provides much of what the Mjandir require, though sea monster hunting is equally part of their warrior culture.  

Hjalboros Mountains

In all of Karthica, three great mountain ranges are known to most as both beautiful and legendary in their sprawl across the continent. The Skywards, which divide Viscovy, Pallas and the Sunderlands. The Iceridges, which form an infamous border between Pallas and Libertia and are known for their harsh and bloody history. But the greatest peaks are undisputable.   The Hjalboros rise higher and greater than any other. They define the land of Swenmark by consuming the bulk of its land and roll on for many hundreds of miles. Flat land simply does not exist here. The mountains climb to their highest points at the centre, with the tallest mountain in the known world, Rallheim, providing a view for as far as the eye can see. The peak is said, in Goliath lore, to be a ladder to the realm of Jötunheim, another world forged by the Giants themselves and where they still reign beyond the concerns of lesser beings.   The dangers of the mountains equal their beauty. Yetis prowl the peaks as do Wind Dragons, Rocs and all other manner of vicious creatures. The Mjande and all other races prepare for any ascent into the mountains with great care. The Goliaths are used to the dangers of their home, but still move through the mountains with great care and respect.  

Northern Hjalboros

Southern Hjalboros

Rumir's Teeth

North Western Reaches

 

Windshear Coast

The Windshear Coast stretches all across the south of Swenmark, from the border with Viscovy to the frozen seas beyond Karthica. It is the least harsh of Swenmark's regions. Though it remains a cold and frigid tundra of hills and woods wedged between the mountains and the sea, it is the least cold and frigid area in the land and its proximity to the ocean means that there is bountiful food and resources available. As such, this is where the Mjande people make their home. Ten major forts, villages, strongholds and small cities lie along the coast with the Chieftan's Road linking them all together. Though the Windshear Coast is the most hospitable part of Swenmark, it is not without dangers. The Skálm Berserkers - wild men who plunder and kill as a way of life - roam the hills and ambush upon the road. Frost Orcs from the foothills come down to raid of their own volition, as do many other kinds of wandering monsters.   The settlements of the coast are:

• Caern Eria
• Caern Hafnar
• Caern Kjarr
• Dromdall Pyke
• Skegg
• Frostholm
• Gruth’s Rest
• Bralk
• SumarJarl’s Rock

Seven Spears

Seven tips of jagged land and ice stretch out into the coldest part of the ocean on Swenmark's western reaches. They are known as the Seven Spears by the locals. As ships sail around from Windshear Coast to Whaler's bay for the whaling and monster hunting trades, they often make stops at the small outposts situated at the tips of the spears. A great amount of trade is conducted here, though it is also a place of ample mercenary and adventuring work as ship captains seek extra hands for the perils of the northern seas. Old myths suggest that the Spears themselves were raked out by a titanic monster of ancient legend that clawed at Swenmark with its dying breath as the Northern Gods saw its defeat.

Glacial Way

To walk from Swenmark's hospitable south to its bleak and frozen north without crossing the Hjalboros, one must make their journey through Glacial Way. An easy journey it is not. Great glaciers stretching on for miles must be traversed by travellers and traders alike. The road breaks away from being useful. Certain sections are impossible to traverse without climbing gear. All the while, predators lurk in the icy caverns and ravines, and one wrong step will spell a cold and terrifying end for any traveller. It's no wonder most choose to travel by boat.

Whaler’s Bay

If it weren't for its plentiful resources, whaling value and roaming beasts, Whaler's Bay would never have been permanently settled. Temperatures plummet well below freezing year round and the bay itself is so lodged with sea ice that navigating it has become a life-long profession for many northerners. All the while, there is gold to be made here. Whale oil and monster parts fetch great sums both in Swenmark and in the warmer south of Karthica.  

Drannach’s Pines

In the east of Windshear Coast, as one draws closer to the border with Viscovy, a great wood stands between a traveller and their path forwards. This is Drannach's Pines, named for the druids who have transcended mortality to become beings entwined with nature that are rumoured to make their homes here in Mjande myth. The pines provide bountiful life-preserving lumber to the inhabitants of the coast, and so many lumbermills can be found on the forest's edges. Within, there remains great danger from native beasts and predators. During the invasion of Swenmark a century ago, a great battle was fought beneath the canopy of the pines. The remains of the fallen can't be avoided, and it is said that the spirits of the fallen still haunt the woods; clashing with one another in endless resistance.  

The Everchills

Swenmark's great tundra - which rolls into the Frozen Wastes region of Karthica - is known as the Everchills. For civilised folk, there is little to build a life upon here. This being said, great mammoth herds roam the tundra for hundreds of miles, giving hunters a reason to travel to this desolate region. Dwarves strike out from their stronghold Varroc to mine rare mineral deposits and hunt the beasts of the Everchills. Outside of that, the only civilised life found here are simply visiting.  

Giant’s Shelf

Opposite to the Windshear Coast of the south, Giant's Shelf of the northern coast is nearly completely inhospitable. The sun rarely rises all year round here, leaving the great ice cliffs in a constant state of twilight. Both the Goliaths and the Firbolgs come to this northern coast when they wish to reach the sea's resources. They are both also said to have some form of reverence for the region; depending on each tribe's religion and faith.

Kyotese Occupation

In 1156 AR, the Empire of Kyotai was at Swenmark's borders. The easterners had marched across the Frozen Steppe four years prior with little resistance in their continuing campaign of conquest. At the borders of Swenmark, they would find no difference.   Swenmark's ununified nature made it an easy target in the eyes of the Kyotese. The Mjande were little more than a loose confederation, the Goliaths and Firbolgs hid away atop mountains that the invaders would have little interest in visiting and the different cultures being at odds with one another would make taking Swenmark a simple affair.   They were only half correct. As the shogun's armies finally marched west, into Drannach's Pines, they found themselves facing an unorganised but threatening force of Mjande warriors. Battle rung around the woods as each sides fought a bloody skirmish in an unconventional battlefield. It would be the only major battle of the invasion. Routed, the Mjande scattered to the wind up Windshear Coast with the Kyotese hot on their heels. Though they would meet resistance that would slow them down, none of it could stop them. In roughly a year, the Mjande were conquered, with Jarls forced to bend the knee or be executed and replaced by leaders who would be loyal.   The Goliaths and Firbolgs were left alone. They weren't coming down from the Hjalboros and the shogun was not in any hurry to fight in such a dangerous environment.   Almost 100 years later, Swenmark has settled into its occupied status with great reluctance. The Mjande's spirit of resistance had faded after two failed rebellions and several massacres. A significant amount of the population has been drafted into the Imperial Army, which has conquered Viscovy, fought Pallas in the Great War, and now prepares to fight Libertia for final and definitive control of Karthica. Mjande warriors have filled a niche of aggressive frontliners for the more disciplined and reserved easterners.   Each Mjande man and woman is taxed by the empire and must provide 60% of their foodstuffs from harvesting, farming, fishing or hunting to the Kyotese garrisons. They are enlisted as guides by the Kyotese, who patrol the Chieftan's Road with great frequency to put down beserker, orc and rebel attacks on their caravans headed back on the thousand mile journey across the Frozen Steppe. It is a life despised by many, but in many others a sense of begruding contentment has crept into their hearts. The Kyotese seem to show no sign of leaving and the Mjande gradually come to accept their reality as an occupied people.   But waves of rebellion are starting to sweep across Swenmark once more. Not just from the Mjande people, but down from the mountains as well. The Goliath tribes are beginning to stir to the affairs of their neighbours. Kyotese expeditionaries to their mountain home have formed an alliance with Clan Kov and their brutal, feared leader, Tartum Kov. As Clan Kov looks to bring all of their kind under their fist (with Kyotese overlords at their backs), the other clans can no longer ignore Swenmark's plight. How long it will take them to realise this before it is too late is anyone's guess.