Winterlands

The Winterlands are a great snowy landscape, riddled with temples and monasteries, where the devout go to worship in isolation. It is sparsely populated, but still sees a lot of travellers passing through, most often on pilgrimages or scientific excursions. The settlements, though few, have also developed ways to stay warm, thus attracting more people and increasing the population drastically.
  Although most of the Winterlands may seem like a barren wasteland, many Syollans agree that there are both cultural and historical values to it, and will defend it with vigour (as was seen during the War of Frost). It was the only aspect that was fully conquered by the Frost Forces during the War of Frost.
 

Political Structure

While the Winterlands are also divided into three holds like any aspect is, this division is mostly out of convention. The temples and other places of worship spread across the landscape tend to be separate from political processes, and the power of Triad Representatives tends to end at the outskirts of their hold capitals. The three holds are Darkfrost Hold by the coast, the Acolyte’s Fields in the centre of the aspect, and the Last Lands in the distant north.
  While historically the Winterlands have remained reserved in Syollan politics (Triad Representatives mostly taking over mundane organisational and administrative tasks more than anything else), the recent increase in population during the last century has seen the aspect become more active in such matters.
 

People and Culture

The population of the Winterlands, much like in Farathin and Riask's Marsh is concentrated in a few settlements that are densely populated, leaving a lot of the in-between land empty. The Winterlands are flecked with temples and monasteries where individuals go to live in solitude or in smaller communities, but a vast majority of the population is found in or around Darkfrost, Godcairn, and Coldrock.
  The people of the Winterlands are very focused on piety and belief, but value the differences and diversity of all the deities. At the same time, philosophies like those of some of the solitary monks there are also embraced as a belief in its own right. To the people, it matters what one's own beliefs are, and that those are protected and able to be practiced. An individual’s ability to choose their own path, then, is also valued in their culture.
 

Travel

While travel across the aspect is quite challenging, it is nevertheless very common. There are no roads besides the Lake Road, and any other pathways would be snowed over in little to no time, so the most reliable pathways are the rivers of the Winterlands. There are no plans for airship docks anywhere in the aspect, and this seems to be the case for the foreseeable future. Most trade is conducted over water, while the majority of journeys are on land.
 

Resources and Contribution

The low population of the Winterlands also leads the aspect to have moderate requirements from the Syollan material exchange. The aspect has a surprisingly large fishing and hunting industry. They also provide timber that isn't found in Colliennach (like some evergreens) and quite a number of non-magical medicinal items. All of these together form a collection of minor exports, which are enough to be swapped for the required items like food or raw materials.
  Surprisingly, the Winterlands do not struggle as much with food as certain other aspects (such as Amridge or Miennach) since they have developed their own production and preservation strategies, that work for the lower population numbers.