Himmländ (Shard Ne'Vaal Supplement)
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The continent of Himmländ is the northernmost landmass in the Old World. It is understandably a place of cold climate all around, but this has not hindered the growth of plants and animals, nor the rise of powerful civilization.
Kingdoms[edit]
The frigid landmass sports only three nations. Peoples here are largely homogenous in the nations. But in the swaths of wilderness and mountains lie tribes of orcs as well as fey people who are as intelligent as they are cutthroat.
Hocheim[edit]
One of the three kingdoms located on the continent. They own about a third of the continent, and have been relatively sheltered from their neighbors in the West due to their location across the Igdrys' Scepter mountain range. This however also hampered them from expanding in that direction. They are a proud, warlike people ruled by a cross between a monarchy and tribal network.
Larysas[edit]
A less prosperous confederacy compared to its eastward neighbor, Larysas is a network woven of ancient, nomadic hunting tribes. The frozen terrain here is more bountiful than that of other areas.
Sattery[edit]
Largely unpopulated, Sattery is a nation in the loosest sense. It was essentially land no one wanted. Persecuted peoples from Hocheim conquests fled here after being turned away from Larysas. Their unification was hinged upon a single leader who arose among their poor and huddled masses, establishing the country. But it remains the most impoverished nation on the continent.
Landmarks[edit]
A large amount of natural wonders lay in the frozen land, as well as unclaimed areas which sport interesting geographic formations.
Frigid Lands[edit]
The northernmost area of the continent rims about the top of the planet. It is colder here than anywhere else, even at the south pole. Creatures who like the cold are often the only ones found here. It used to be one collective piece of unwanted land with Sattery, formerly known as the western wasteland of the continent. Upon Sattery being populated, the Frigid Lands were given their own jurisdiction. While peoples from Sattery and Larysas venture here to hunt, there are no known permanent settlements here. It is considered a wild land, though there are legends of an ice giant city somewhere. On days of blizzards, one may see their shadows, though they could well be predatory yeti.
Gulf of Tokay[edit]
This body of water runs west of the strait connecting the Himmländ and Bevel continents. It is an excellent source of oily fish types like herring and salmon. As the waters grow more temperate towards the south, aquatic sedge and kelp grows year round in semi-deep underwater beds. These foster large amounts of succulent uni. These are then devoured by the local otter population, who live among scattered rocky islands about the waters. They were once almost hunted to extinction due to a fur trade, leading to an explosion of uni reproduction. At a time, the kelp and underwater plants were almost thus wiped out from the overhunting of otters. The numbers had begun to resurface.
Icefynn Valelands[edit]
The area here is probably the greenest, with many evergreen forests contrasted with the snows. A small fey kingdom of elves is known to have been established here, and they are hunter-gatherers who migrate around the area to avoid overhunting. Game here is plentiful, but so are bears and wolves. Flora show more fruit here, like frostberries. Water runs down thin rivers under sheets of ice southward from the mountains and glaciers. The valelands is accentuated by valleys of smaller trees where wind has a tendency to bowl up and howl sometimes, whipping up snow and dumping more.
- The Wilds
The southern valelands is where the least amount of snow falls on the continent. It is still very chilly here, and not many trees grow. Instead, hardy, wild shrubs and grasses span the entire flat terrain as far as the eye can see. Shaggy horses and deer frequent here, as well as field mice and foxes. The elven tribe from the main valelands often ventures here for hunting in the month of Iritos, in preparation for the harsh cold of Delia to Onuiro. During the months from Ferx to Hamad, there is plenty of vegetation for wildlife to graze on.
Igdrys' Scepter[edit]
This legendary strip of mountains bridges the continent with that of Bevel down south.
Ohr Strait[edit]
This is the only the strait in the world that spans the continents south sea to Bevel. This has allowed the two to exchange a variety of culture and trade, and they both are very similar to a degree in these aspects. The strait was named after supposedly the first human to have crossed it after its creation. Some just call it part of the Igdrys Scepter. There is also some contention among geographers over whether this is actually part of Himmländ or Bevel.
The Crown of the World[edit]
These are mountainous islands that surround The Slumber, resembling the points of a crown. Frost giants are said to live up in those peaks, having carved out the mountains to serve their purposes. It is said this was also the crown of the head of the Unity. Icy mists seem to always flutter about the place, and they overlook the pristine waters of the Slumber.
The Slumber[edit]
The Slumber is supposedly a deeply vast ocean basin carved into frozen ice and oceanic rock. The curious name comes from the legend that this is the part of the Unity's head which controlled his sleep. Others believe the very spirit of the north rests here, and the breath from its sleep is what keeps the crown of the world so frosty. The spirit is believed to be King Cold. Odd phenomena occur here to support this theory, including the fact that no fish swim here, and waters are ever pristine. Early efforts to start farm fishing here observed that fish who swam for a few minutes in the water of the Slumber eventually began to float on their backs.
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