The Land of Ice
Primarily there are glaciers and frozen fields of snow and ice, evergreen pine trees in small spots. The nights are harsh and the tempter drops quickly the sky is filled with many stars. At times both moons can be seen, the smaller one more often than its larger brother as it is tidally locked to always be in the shadow of Warthos never seeing the light of its sun. The other moon orbits further out and runs counter to the planets rotation. During the day time the suns refection off the white snow and ice can be very blinding so the locals fashion eye protection using whale bone with small slits or holes so they can see.
Continents and countries
The land of Ice is almost completely polar, the frost reach and the land of the winter king, which are part of a much larger land mass also dip into these areas. But have more of a seasonal change than the land of Ice does, as summer here only differs in that the nights are not as cold and the day is marginally warmer.
There are no real countries as the people who live here are mostly barbaric and nomadic and have only a tribal form of government. This Land mass is dominated by primitive tribes of ice barbarians they subsist on seal and whale and fashion weapons from their bones and clothing as well. They pull their villages around on large skis and are nomadic they use wooly mammoths to do this. Some even befriend frost wolves, snow bears and Great white owls. They both fear and respect the great white dragon a few even worship them as a holy beast some take them as a totem. It is rumored that some have even become white dragon men after seeking out these great beasts, transformed by their magic’s.
Natural Resources
The white dragon tribe doesn’t trade with the other barbarian tribes and even are viewed as enemies almost. The wolf, bear, and owl tribes respect and meet at high summer to trade and pass along information. They have only recently developed boats that are moderately sea worthy and have encountered people from the island nation of Khmimarn. They have started trading with them what they can but their goods are only what they can spare, they have found that the tusks of some of their animals are of value to this new nation.
Also furs of some of the creatures of the land of ice such as the great white bears, and hides of the massive wooly beasts. The do not trade wolf pelts or other things they need or find sacred to their beliefs. Fish is a main staple of their diet as well as other sea creatures such as the blue crabs and other cray fish. There are limited areas that they have harvested large clams but only at high summer as normally it is far too cold to do so. They make and export much leather work and ivory carvings which are highly prized by those they trade with even to the point of some pirates attacking some coastal towns to obtain some of their goods.
For the most part many build inland locations with various conifer trees, some even building within the larger ones branches. They have many natural resources in the form of streams of pure water and fish fresh water as well as from the sea. As to domestic animals there are few, some have befriended wolves and large owls and fewer still the great white bears. There wood from their forests is not the best for making boats but great for structures. They make eye pieces that help prevent being blinded from the suns reflection off the snow and ice, as well as padding from some of the native animals that help protect from the extreme cold of the land. They skills of crafting these and many things are passed down from generation to generation and is not shared outside of their clans.
While fish and sea creatures meat is plentiful land based animal meat is less so, as most are considered sacred and are forbidden to be used as a food source and only ate on special occasions or during ceremonies. Staying warm is a main skill to these people and over the centuries many have found different ways to do so. One such way is with the heating stones, very rare rocks composed of a substance that conducts and holds heat longer than anything else. The heat stones are the most valuable and scarce item and resource this nation and land has. They do not sell or trade them and any one possession of one outside the lands of ice is viewed as committing the highest crime. The offending person is usually killed on sight and the person is tasked with the sacred duty of the stone travel to return it back to the lands it belongs. This task can be passed to another worthy of the task, but only if in the event if something prevents the other person of performing the task.
Seasons
There are only really two seasons in this land but both are broken up into two parts, winter and high summer. Winter is dark most of the year, and only when the light returns is it a sign that high summer is coming. Seven months out of the year it is cold and dark for five of them with twilight of two still cold but free of storms. Five months of sun light no night all day it is much warmer during this time, but to nonnatives still feels like a brisk fall from further south.
The long winter runs about 5 months with about a month of twilight separating it from the coming of high summer and the return of the light. High summer is around 5 months long and during this time is a celebration of life returning and plants and the gathering of nature’s bounty from the sea and of the land.
Weather
Well to put it simply its damn cold, as most the time the temperature is that of freezing and only during high summer does it get slightly above that. And during deep winter the darkness and the storms tend to discourage most travel and many hold up in small communities.
Animals
There are al kinds of artic creatures, White bears, artic wolves, the great snow owl, and the white dragons are all considered sacred. Other animals include various fox and other small birds, seals, walrus, ice lizards, and many other normal animals. The uncommon creatures like the wraith spider and white pudding that also hunt the cold nights are a hazard as well as ice ogres and a few frost giants who have been cast out or exiled from the land of the winter king.
Plants
Pine trees and other conifer types are the primary types of trees of the land, as well as a few types of flowers and hearty berry bushes and one or two fruit like trees and vines. Most of these grow in very hard to reach places and most of the animals know the locations and the times of their production. So most of the local people plan their lives around the harvest and keep a close eye on the locations.
Population & Politics
Races
Mostly the humans inhabit this land, but dragon born; frost giants, ice ogres, and a subterranean race of blue skinned goblins also share the land with them.
The humans are same as per the standard rules.
The Dragon Born of these lands are all descended from those whose ancestors made a pact long ago with the great white dragon Azergoth. The barbarian tribes to this day live apart from all other tribes and are viewed with distrust. An uneasy truce was reached long ago to no trespass upon their areas and in turn the dragons would not attack their lands and peoples.
Frost Giants of these lands are a sad lot as being cast out or exiled from their home lands to this land of constant ice, snow, and darkness. Many practice death magic and pay homage to evil forbidden gods or are just insane or brutal. It is said that the worse of their kind hold up in a great mountain keep carved from the mountain its self. Stories tell that it may have been a dwarves strong hold once and that maybe some of them as still there hiding deep inside its depths.
The Ice Ogers of these lands have a vary pail skin and practice druid like magic with a focus on ice and cold spells and such. Some even can even breathe the winter wind from their mouth causing icy death to many. Some take the shape of giant white bears some even seem to be part bear with hairy arms and claws. As that they are a very barbaric race the worst being berserkers that hold the great white bear as a god. Some say they have a high chieftain who himself is half bear and wears amor made from the scales of a white dragon.
The blue skin Goblins, what little is known is mostly based upon old wise tales passed down through the ages. To survive in this land and thrive these creatures have to be really good at something and in this case it is hiding and striking with speed and precision. Adults tell their kids scary stories about if they are bad that the night goblins will come and take them away. These creatures are cannibalistic and do not attack one on one if encountered is always a brood of 5 or more. If you ever see one it is because they want you to see them because others are already behind you. During the deep winter attacks of these creatures can wipe out and entire village leaving not a soul behind even carrying off their dead to be eaten later.
Governance & Economics
The primary governance of the people of this land is tribal hunter gather type, with an elder male and a spirit mother as the religious leader of the tribes. This is most commonly a husband and wife but is not a strict rule or law.
Everyone in the tribe has a job and helps to contribute to the tribe as a whole with whatever skill or abilities they are best at. This can be from crafting leather cloths and tanning furs, to fishing or hunting. Some are defenders and builders and still others are cooks and crafters of goods that are used as trade with non-ice landers.
Socio-economic Classes
Some form permanent settlements that are well defended and hard to reach unless you know the way. Most are very nomadic and move from place to place with their homes pulled by the large shaggy beasts of burden. Still others carve their homes from the ice its self but these communities are very small and reside mostly near the coastal areas and move more inland during high summer.
The people of this land are very sociable with their own and are slow to trust, but once you are accepted they are loyal unto death. The young are trained in a trade or a job from the time the take their first steps. The exception is the hooded ones, those who have no basic skills of value to those of the tribe such as hunting, crafting, etc. When a person is deemed a hooded one they are no longer have a name or are a member of the tribe and live apart from the main tribes.
The hooded ones are the trained in the skills of shadows and help protect the people of ice from others from lands from the sea. They can be called upon by the elder or the spirit mother only to seek out an enemy of the tribes. The people of the tribe are forbidden to look upon the faces of the hooded and act as if they don’t exist. The hooded ones are the only ones who have been known to travel outside their lands, usually if tasked to do so.
