Frostmarch

Frostmarch, officially the Fourth Jarldom of Frostmarch, was a Valdic nation within the tundra of eastern Sørligste. The country's former capital Hafnarfjoll is one of the biggest cities in Sørligste, and the cultural capital, Erðvald, sits on the banks of the River Artir overlooking the Bay of Cod to the east. Frostmarch currently encompasses much of north-eastern Sørligste.
== History ==
===Prehistory===
The Valdic people, the ethnic group of Frostmarch, originally dwelled in the Old March region of modern Frostmarch, along the Artir River, although ancient migrations south and west occurred following dramatic climate shifts. In southward migrations, conflicts would occur with the Kapalanan cultures (precursor peoples of Pahonja), who had control over much of the coastal south.
Meanwhile the population that stayed on the native land relied heavily on fishing to sustain stable populations, and technological advancement was slow. Eventually, through naval trade with the Kapalanan, bronze working was introduced to the region, and progress in tilling the land began. From here, the increase in urbanization and population lead to the first Jarldoms.
===Early History===
Early Valdic history is composed of dozens of minor petty Jarldoms, jockeying amongst each other for regional dominance. Despite technological advancements, life expectancy remained low due to constant conflicts between the Jarldoms.
Over time, Valdic Society would steadily progress, and the many dozens of Jarldoms would coalesce into greater powers, the most powerful being Skjaldreyja, Erðvald, Suðerlind and Norðurstod, along with the Kapalanan temple city of Grajavit.
===Trisected March===
As contact between the Jarldoms increased, conflict began to arise over the River Danor, which was used to ferry tin and copper southward. Through control of the river, and by extension the trade of bronze, three of the Jarldoms would grow to immense strength.
Norðurstod, despite its barren, rocky soils would accumulate wealth through the abundance of tin it had access to, which was incredibly scarce in this period. Erðvald's defensive position afforded it the ability to project power over vast lands without risking attack. Grajavit, being part of the greater Kapalanan sphere, was able to use its position and cultural influence to dominate trade, and ferry supplies from the Danor to Kapalanan cities south.
For a period of around 200 years, these nations would reign as undisputed superpowers amongst the Valdic State, even establishing trade connections with northern Akratian communities. Due to their power, the nations would frequently clash over control of the Danor and coastlines.Toward the end of this period, the Danor would begin to slowly dry as glaciers of the Syktar Mountains were displaced. As precious tin could no longer be ferried southward as easily, both Norðurstod and Grajavit diminished in influence, and the period of intense warring would end.
===Classical Valdic Age===
During this time, Valdic society would meet its first period of cultural development. With travel safe between the Jarldoms, trade began, and the once local stories travelled across the March through the mouths of bards and poets. A great deal of epic poetry was written in this time, largely centered around the large numbers of northern migrants entering previously Valdic realms and the conflicts that would ensue.
In this time, the cities of Grajavit and Norðurstod would be laid to ruin by foreign invaders. Norðurstod's ruin came by mercantile operations seeking to exploit the local ice spikes. Grajavit's destruction is far more speculative, however, as its assailants have never been concretely identified. 
===First Empire of the March===
During the conflicts against the colonial migrants of the northern Empires, one great leader would rise, Horfan of Skjaldreyja. His leadership would unite many of the displaced northerners into one great host, which he would lead on his infamous crusades.
While these conquests were portrayed as a resistance against invaders, his army would more often fight with rival Valdic Kingdoms than colonial ones. Following 13 years of war, the Valdic Empire was established, stretching across much of the Old March, Suthistoð and Nordurstoð.
Following the expulsion of many of the colonial settlements, Horfan lead his host into the wastes to construct the Horfanvirk, a potentially fictional fortress. He and his host would never again be seen, although rumour of the mythic Horfanvirk would hang over the Valdic for much of its history. 
===Declining Empire===
The Valdic Empire established by Horfan would be managed by his son, Halvag, following his mysterious disappearance. While Halvag would do his best to maintain the realm by expanding infrastructure of travel between Jarldoms, he would continuously encounter resistance from his subjects, increasingly unwilling to cooperate without a foe to rally against.
Over the generations, the power of Skjaldreyja would continue to wane, as no means to exert power could be established. Under the reign of Bjørn Blackhand, a brief revival would occur, although it would be cut short during his western campaigns, where he was killed in combat at the age of 23.
In total, the Valdic Empire would only last approximately 260 years.
===Dark Age===
Following the collapse of the Valdic Empire, the March would descend once more to its regional bickering. Technological progress beyond its shores made much of the world less reliant on tin for the production of weaponry, which began the regions long fall into irrelevancy. A combination of poor harvests, spreading disease and colonial incursion would intensify the collapse in the West, which lost much of its ancient nations and cultures. 
===Sorligste Confederation===
Some of the arriving colonists saw opportunity to reunify and modernize the March by establishing a unified confederation of all the March's many states, although they encountered significant issue in coaxing native Valdic peoples to coexist. Eventually, efforts to subdue and pacify Valdic culture occurred. This plan had initial success, but ultimately failed.
An Anti-Confederate movement began to grow amongst the Valdic peoples, largely amongst the people of the eastern coast, who still held to their traditional culture. This movement was lead by Jarl Gunnar of Erðvald and Jarl Theidr Skjaldreyja, along with a multitude of foreign individuals that would later become the Five Jarls of Frostmarch.  
===Arrival of the Five Jarls===
These individuals had come from the far north, arriving in the ports of Erðvald to spread word of an adapted canon of local folklore, which they called "Nostikur Kensla" literally translating to Wise Esoteric Teachings. These five were Green, Beans, Epic, Train and Cryo. They claimed to have arrived from another plane, bringing with them knowledge of powerful rituals. Whether by luck of by intention, these "Nostikur" teachings aligned closely to traditional Valdic practices, leading many amongst the populous to see them as prophets.
Jarl Gunnar would take particular interest in these visitors, calling him into his tower many a night for what the populous believed were attempts to scry into the future. Following Gunnar's death by an undiagnosed illness, traditional fights of succession would occur amongst challengers. Rather unexpectedly, Green was to participate in the fights.
Green's chief competitor, the son of the late Jarl, would cede from the match mere hours before its beginning for reasons he refused to disclose. By default, Green was awarded Jarldom over Erðvald.
===Foundation of first Grand Jarldom===
In , Frostmarch was officially founded, when Jarl Green of Erðvald declared independence through the insurrection of the Sørligste Confederation. Over the weeks following, Frostmarch slowly annexed land from the Confederation. This starting period would be known as the Early Boom, in which Frostmarch would gain a large population and quickly grow.
In , the Sørligste Confederation disintegrated, and all remaining territory was split between Frostmarch and Jarldom of Suðerlind.
Early in its history, Frostmarch was approached by the Crescent Concordant regarding membership. During early-mid December, Frostmarch joined the CC, wherein it would assist in attempts to stall northern aggression.
===War of the Pyramids===
Also in , two mysterious pyramids of bedrock appeared in the south, one in the far western land of Jcon, and one within the then Sørligste Confederation. Control of the pyramids brought about great power and wealth, and so conflict over them began.
With the assistance of the Crescent Concordant, efforts began to hide the Pyramid near Frostmarch (Pyramid B) and to fortify the pyramid near Jcon (Pyramid A). Warriors of Frostmarch were sent to stand among the forces of the CC to defend both. Despite their efforts, none of these efforts succeeded, either in securing the pyramids or in defending CC land.
In the effort, CC operatives created the Sárið through dark means, forever scarring the March. The Jarls were ill-informed, and much friction followed this decision. In the end, Frostmarch withdrew its warriors from the front and refused to cooperate with the pyramid offensive.
===Establishing DEASS===
Following the collapse of the Crescent Concordant, a vacuum of power existed in the south. Kronesia had always been a great ally of Frostmarch, having stood together during the savage the Massacre of Walmart, and cordially splitting the lands of Farnoka. Together, they agreed to form a union in which all nations of Sørligste could know prosperity, care, and resolve.
Frostmarch favored an economic union of regulated trade, given their experience in economics. Kronesia, having known first-hand the wrath of the north, instead wanted a military alliance against invasion. After negotiations, the Defensive and Economic Alliance of Southern States was born. Over the following months, Soumere and Pahonja would join the alliance.
===Expansion and occupation ===
As Farnoka was under Frostmarch's control, Suðerlind was the only Valdic State beyond the authority of the March. Frostmarch, seeing the lack of people within the state, seized the capital and put it under the watch of Jarl Metagall. Land from Regalia southeast of Frostmarch was taken, although most went to the members of DEASS, to whom the territory was closer.
As all the Valdic states were now firmly under Frostmarch's control, the only land left was in the west. Following the sudden disappearance of the Kronesian peoples in , and the worry of foreign annexation, Frostmarch, Soumere, and Pahonja began discussing what should happen to the former lands. Pahonja quickly took a small chunk of east Kronesia and some islands. Vandalah, now a Sørligste nation, claimed Kronesia up to the southern mountains. They, later on, had to renounce the claims. Soon afterward, the partition had happened, with Frostmarch gaining some in the east, and Soumere a bit in the west. Vandalah had taken up the rest, with support from Frostmarch and Soumere.
===Second boom===
With the newly acquired land from Kronesia, Frostmarch, and Soumere became the two dominant powers in Sørligste. Using the crises brewing in the north, and the general distaste for Rathnir politics at the time, Frostmarch became a great place to move from northern wars.
Frostmarch's population began to explode when the city of Vesturperla was founded to secure Frostmarch's place in the West. Edgeland would serve as a way to gather resources such as potatoes, wood, stone, and any essentials. Roads to reform transportation, creating easy and quick travel through the overworld. Nether portals were formed in many cities throughout Frostmarch, allowing for even faster travel.
Science was at an all-time high in Frostmarch despite its history of little research, with research being conducted on various diseases thought the nation, especially ones from Suðerlind. Alchemy was also beginning to grow in Frostmarch, as Vesturperla became the first city to create a place for alchemy. Trade also began with nations outside of Sørligste, for one of the first times ever.
===Second Jarls Council===
Having completed their work of spreading Nostíkur teaching throughout Rathnir and raising the Valdic people from their Dark Age, Jarls Green, beans, Cyro, Epic, and Train prepared their ascension. Through the power of mass ritual sacrifice, they breached the Firmament and escaped Rathnir on the 5th of April, 2021. Once word had spread of their departure, talks began amongst the people of the March regarding leadership. Jarl Host, Jarl Roduct, and Jarl Flaming to the Jarldomship would lead Frostmarch into its next chapter. Along with the ascension, the Old Jarls hid all of their treasures in a crypt, with it later found the next day.
===Conquest of Vandalah===
Despite the Old Jarls intentions of welcoming the wayward to Sorligste, the people of Vandalah were beginning to prove themselves more an obstacle than an ally. Jarl Host, who was eager to expand the Ice Rail of the March across all of Sorligste, found himself repeatedly blocked by King Pierogi, who refused such a rail be built unless he could directly tax its use.
Over time, relations soured between the states, as Vandalah began forced deportation of certain "undesirable" peoples in its lands. Angered by this, and the kingdoms repeated refusals to co-operate, the New Jarls reached out to the people of Soumere to find a solution. Eventually, they decided that war was the simplest means to solve their problem.
With the assistance of Kostarion, an invasion began, and the capital city of Vandah was seized. The King of Vandalah, along with his closest confidants would flee before the battle, entering hiding in the far north. With this, the War was swiftly won, and lands were shared as planned. Osteria, Kostarion the eastern plains, and Frostmarch all of the south.
===United Sørligste===
After the conquest of Vandalah, the leaders of the nations in the continent of Sørligste drafted a constitution for a union. On May 19, 2021 all the nations in Sørligste, with the exception of Osteria, united under one banner bearing the name of the Grand Union of Sørligste. This unification discouraged the further expansion of large, neighboring empires such as Uldarash and Viodoxa that threatened the region, and also strived to prevent wars like the conquest of Vandalah from ever happening again.
===Mushroom Valley Crisis===
While busy dealing with a potential global coalition, agents of The Grand Union of Sørligste discovered a new town called Mushroom Valley had been setup right next to Vesturperla. The leader of Frostmarch, Jarl Host, surveyed the town himself and found that it was claimed by Osteria, and very far from their actual borders. The leadership of Osteria was immediately informed about this, to which they demanded a large swath of Sørligstan land (from Not Venice to the entirely of Vesturperla and Iceland), and to otherwise expect invasion. This sent the Sørligste government into a panic. 
BackToTheHub stepped in, and said they would buy just enough land to reach Mushroom Valley for a large sum of money. The deal was then made and Osteria annexed that land. This still caused fear of invasion by Osteria, especially after The Magisterium was formed between Osteria, Azuria, and the Abyssal Isles. 
===Annexation by Tortuga===
After the Mushroom Valley debacle, Sørligste dealt with multiple internal stability issues including the formation of minor rebel factions. One rebel leader, a man named Ederan, declared independence in West Soumere. Seing the instability in Sørligste after the newly-formed Magisterium gave Sørligste an ultimatum, to join the Magisterium as a province or face war. 
Seeing the writing on the wall for Sørligste, the government dissolved their autonomy and allowed themselves to be vassalized by another willing neighbor, Tortuga.
After a war against Ederan, foguht alongside the Tortugans, met little resistance and a 0-1 victory for Sørligste, Swiggan declined Hub's proposal and quickly joined Tortuga. During that time, Not_Venice was raided by agents of the Magisterium. Significant valuables were stolen and carted off, likely never to return to Sørligste. Frostmarch was then annexed as a region of the now Tortugan Empire. 
Only three states survived the Grand Union of Sørligste: Frostmarch, Pahonja, and Soumere (however Soumere lost around 90% of their land).
===Third Jarldom===
After the Tortugan annexation, the Second Jarl Council of Frostmarch became the sole government of the nation. However, for a multitude of reasons (including the fact that Jarl Flaming was still dead and had not been replaced), many of these Jarls were unable to perform their administrative duties to reasonable extent, and much of Frostmarch fell into disarray. The city of Skjaldreyja was abandoned and entirely destroyed in a violent hurricane. The settlements of Novishk and Gooseburgh appeared in the wastes of Frostmarch, and grew to considerable size before being found and inducted into Frostmarch. Considered a dark age for the government of Frostmarch, what few administrative and military activities performed were orchestrated by the noble High Jarl Host.
Seeing Frostmarch struggling to stay alive, Jarl Host reformed the Frostmarch government for the second time, forming the Third Jarldom of Frostmarch. Jarl Alcon retained control of the West, but the east and south were entrusted to the new Jarls Frug and Temsyod respectively. This arrangement lasted for several years before the death of Jarl Host, as his sudden death left no heir prepared to usurp the throne. 
The title of Grand Jarl was officially decided to Jarl Frug through an election (see "The Grand Sorgliste Federation Merge") 
=== Grand Sorgliste Federation merge ===
After the Grand Sorgliste Federation had received threats of war from the small Empire of Leveros, which wasn't considered a threat on it's own but had backing by Uldarash. In fear of annexation, Shark, the Head of State, merged with Frostmarch whom was a vassal of Tortuga. This threatened major conflict should Frostmarch be attacked, delegitimizing any major claims made by Leveros.
This merge had the unintended consequence of uniting the majority of Sørligste under a local government. This was the first time a single Sørligstan state controlled this much of Sørligste since the dissolution of the Grand Union of Sørligste many years prior. 
In a bout of nationalistic pride following the annexation of The Grand Sørligste Federation, the (then) Assistant Grand Jarl of Frostmarch Temsyod reached out to the Pirate Emperor of Tortuga with the intention of purchasing their independence. A deal was eventually reached at $400,000, plus a barrel of fine beer and a single cow in exchange for the independence of Frostmarch.
===Leveros banditry and war===
Shortly after the nation of Frostmarch reasserted her independence, several bandit militants, primarily citizens of the Empire of Leveros, attacked cities of the former GSF. The coup of Severos (merge between Serenus and Norvos) had caused the Leverosi to escape and harass the newly formed Grand Sorligste Federation, causing a strong grudge on both side against each other. The cities of Not Venice Port Leon, and Serenity caught the worst of it, witnessing the slaughter of dozens of citizens over months. Enraged by these aggressions, the Jarl Council attempted to contact the leadership of Leveros, however diplomacy failed for a multitude of reasons. Neither side would opt in to give up any land or cities, and both stretched their claims far, with Leveros claiming the entire former Grand Sorligste Federation. Seeing no other solution, the Jarl's Council, led by the two Jarls Temsyod and Host, declared war on Leveros on December 14th, 2021.
As Frostmarch troops approached the small Empire of Leveros, they were halted by the Stoneworks admins mere minutes before the war was going to be declared. They were forced to reorganize the war for after the winter-break peace. However, the Leverosi leaders quickly realized their situation was bleak and allowed themselves to be vassalized by the Second Empire of Uldarash. Due to the sheer toxicity between the two nations and the countless bans on both sides, the admin team decided that if a peace wasn't forced, the leaders of all the nations would be permanently banned. After weeks of negotiations, a peace deal was reached between Leveros and Frostmarch, with the agreement that banditry will end and the old town of Argadon ceded to Leveros. This conflict was one of the longest conflicts on Stoneworks history, lasting just over three months.
===Peace period===
The peace forced between Frostmarch and Leveros would allow Frostmarch to regather itself and focus on internal affairs rather than external ones. However, the Jarls of Frostmarch had gotten tired of the Leveros debacle, and had most gone inactive with only a handful of Jarls active and taking care of their regions. Jarl Makkis and Shark would resign during this. Jarl Starlorde was kicked out of his position and replaced with the thane of Not Venice, Urban Milante, during a series of reforms being presented by Grand Jarl Temsyod. However, these reforms were too late too little, and wouldn't be fully implemented in time for the newest threat to emerge.
===Reannexation by Tortuga===
From the beginning, the Grand Jarldom was a loose confederation of mostly independent Jarldoms, and were unable to centralize the nation. The resignation of Jarl Shark also caused the population of Ato to collapse, as most left for the newly independent Great-White Isles. The Lorentish Empire, under a new alliance with Vinovia, were planning an invasion of Frostmarch. Jarl Host, knowing that the nation was eventually going to fall to the Lorent, went to the Pirate Lord of Tortuga Ulifer to reannex the Grand Jarldom back into Tortuga. The Grand Jarldom was the longest lasting Sorligstean Union in the continents history, lasting for just over 5 months.
===Cold Era===
Frostmarch was divided into 5 separate regions in Tortuga, Ato, Norvos (later integrated into Soumere-Serenus), Serenus (later Soumere-Serenus), SAS (later Featherian Federation), and North Frostmarch. The borders of all the regions remained mostly stable outside of Frostmarch. Serenus annexed the entirely of Neo-Kronesia, and the Featherian Federation annexed Riga and some northern territories. This would make SirVoske, who was now the Grand Jarl of North Frostmarch, bitter. The majority of Frostmarch activity would be centered around the city of Hafnarfjoll, with the capital of Erðvald being moved for the first time, to the western fort city of Vesturperla. This would mark the beginning of the "Cold Era" where Frostmarch became extremely unstable. 
===Age of Crisis ===
The division of Frostmarch during the Grand Jarldom of Frostmarch into the Jarldoms of Erðvald, Sutherlind, and Vesturperla were mostly served to ensure Frostmarch would have adequate representation in the Jarl Council. However, when the Grand Jarldom was merged into Tortuga, the divisons stayed and Sutherlind took heavy measures to ensure that anything close to Frostmarch was to be removed. The name was changed from the nordic Sutherlind to Sanctus Anser Servitus, then later the Featherian Federation. The very existence of the region was disputed, with Ulifer originally giving it to Frostmarch, then retracting it from Frostmarch, then giving it back to Frostmarch on the basis that Temsyod had mysteriously disappeared. However, the SAS protested and they returned as their own region. This immediately caused the SAS to believe that North Frostmarch was attempting to annex them, which North Frostmarch denied. This caused tension between the two regions which would cumulate in the Jrunmarch Crisis.
In the west of Frostmarch, Soumere-Serenus, who had settled the thanedom of Neo-Kronesia which was under the Jarldom of Vesturperla during the Grand Jarldom, had been giving the land by Ulifer. North Frostmarch instantly disputed this, claiming that they had "illegally" settled the lands and had no permission from the Jarl, Roduct. The dispute lasted until August, where a verbal agreement was made that if North Frostmarch settled the former squatter settlement of Syvansia in Neo-Kronesia, they would drop the claims on Neo-Kronesia. This agreement would only last 4 months.
The area known as Jrunmarch, was under the SAS. However, Jrunmarch was unhappy with the state of the SAS and wanted to unite with North Frostmarch, citing that they never wanted to be apart of SAS in the first place. North Frostmarch immediately accepted them in, however, Serenus was on the verge of merging with the SAS, and so both of the regions disputed the claim. Serenus merging with the SAS then became an even bigger reason why they wanted to leave to join North Frostmarch. Neither side would give in. The SAS claimed that Jrunmarch was illegally ceding from them, while North Frostmarch claimed they were respecting the wishes of the people living there. Serenus sided with the SAS and also began the dispute. After well over a month of arguing, it was decided by the Pirate Lord Ulifer that the entirety of Jrunmarch (both Jrunmoor and St. Istvanvar) would be annexed into North Frostmarch. This would end the Jrunmarch Crisis.
Elsewhere in the SAS, two players called twinkycome and Diarria would begin a new town in the region. Problems quickly arose and they were kicked from Tortuga. They began raiding Tortugan regions constantly, however did not raid North Frostmarch. They orginally joined Serenus, but were quickly kicked out of there and began raiding Tortugan cities again. The debate happening between this time caused a lot of problems, because both the players wanted to annex their town into North Frostmarch, however, North Frostmarch refused to and so they abandoned the settlement and joined North Frostmarch, settling in the former town of Paskon, forming the regions second biggest city, Edenville.
===Lorent War===
The new Pirate Lord Fury Astaseul was currently running the war between the Lorent and Tortuga. The Siege of Relmont commenced on August 11th, 2022. The battle was a resounding victory for Lorent due to it's mountain in Relmont being near-impenetrable. The war was a complete disaster for Tortuga. Most of the western regions were "sold" independence by Fury in the coming days. Frostmarch, which was debating on whether or not to join Aateyli, opted to join Lorent on the promise that it will get the SAS (now Featherian Federation). The rest of Tortuga collapsed and the only two regions in Sorligste that were independent were Serenus and Featheria.
Frostmarch was in a good shape during this period. Ministries were added by Voske, roads were being built and Frostmarch was finally connected to other surrounding regions. Markets were built in the capital of Hafnarfjoll, and the population was steady at around 30-35. Hafnarfjoll went from 50 people to 170 people during this period. The city of Edenville was created and became the second largest city in Frostmarch. Whitemaw, which was under Hafnarfjoll at the time, began developing as a northern fortress. An internal census was conducted and over 50 people answered to it.
However, other regions were still bitter at Voske. Serenus and Featheria remembered what had happened during the Tortugan times, and it seemed like they wanted revenge on Frostmarch for the problems. Norvos, Frostmarch's historical ally, was no longer communicating with them. Frostmarch was isolated on the continent and had no reliable allies. 
===Civil War===
Jarl Rose had left Frostmarch due to an argument with the ministries. In early November 2022, Cole and Lindorm, the luths of Lorent, replaced Voske with Temsyod as Grand Jarl. This immediately caused Frostmarch to declare independence from Lorent, to ensure Voske stayed as the Grand Jarl.
The Civil War lasted for just over a month and involved the Jarldom of Frostmarch fighting the rebelling Jarldom of North Frostmarch. After 3 grueling battles in Hafnarfjoll, Frostmarch gave up their government positions to North Frostmarch, who then negotiated peace with the Lorent. Twinkycome was forced to pick a new mayor of Edenville, Hafnarfjoll would get RoseHost as it's mayor, and Voske would no longer be Grand Jarl. This caused Frostmarch to fall into a deep depression that would last for the next few months. More information can be found on the war in the article listed.
===Dark Era===
From December 20th 2022, when the peace deal was signed, until around March of 2023, Frostmarch fell into a dark era. Hafnarfjoll, Edenville, and some of the smaller settlements were ghost towns. The three active towns, Erðvald, Whitemaw, and Jrunmoor, were carrying the entire region. A lot of land west was lost to Serenus, and the city of Fjordmont became it's own region. These losses from the war would sting hard and cause a lasting scar on Frostmarch in the coming months
However, it wasn't all gloom. Relations with the neighboring regions were improving. Serenus became a somewhat trustworthy friend of Frostmarch, and peace was negotiated with Featheria. A census was conducted in Lorent and Frostmarch ended up with 17 people on the census, more than what was expected. Slowly, the former mayors began coming back to Frostmarch. The mayor of Farløarn, schants, returned after being unbanned in late January. The former mayors of Edenville twinkycome and Diarria returned after being let back in by Temsyod. A new, active mayor, was put in place in Edenville, SkopeoKnight.
===Independence from Lorent===
After some negotiating, twinkycome and Diarria, the former mayors of Edenville, were reinstalled. Schants, the mayor of Farløarn , officially returned and began to pick up from where he left off working on his city again. Hafnarfjoll, the Grand Capital, started undergoing renovations, spearheaded by its most prominent patron, General Imi. Meanwhile, the historic capital of Erðvåld, which had previously remained in architectural purgatory since its last activity in mid-2021, began the lengthy process of renovations and expansions in line with the new building styles of modern-day Rathnir. Predominantly carried out and maintained by Kasjös av Havardr, the city's new Mästare brought in from Lorent, Erðvåld was slowly beginning to reclaim its title as the City of Walls. 
It was clear that from this point onwards, Frostmarch would start to take its first steps towards both proper modernisation and early prosperity. The Jarls began to take a more active role in developing their respective regions. In the Jarldom of Ederia, the underground metropolis of Jrunmoor and its growing Trade Company was exporting many sets of armor and weapons across the continent. Previously forgotten towns like Maerlar and Havardr Harbor were finally getting a new purpose. Whitemaw was still flourishing and Edenville was also becoming active again.
An opportunity arose for independence in the Lorent. After losing in a hilarious manner to the Great White Isles, Lorent lost their historic capital Relmont to mercenaries. Seeing how Lorent couldn't even defend their own capital, the Thanedom of Ederia, along with the towns of Whitemaw, Darkwell, and Farløarn, declared independence as the Kingdom of Ederia from Lorent, though technically Frostmarch too. Seeing a perfect exit, the region of Frostmarch declared independence from the Lorent. Norvos, Leveros, and Dimes followed shortly after. Due to all the wars they would have to fight, the Lorent let all the regions go excluding Dimes. This would mark, for the first time since May of 2021, Frostmarch was a fully independent country without western influence.
=== Two nations===
With Ederia splitting from Frostmarch, Ederia would stay as a vassal of Frostmarch, cooperating with them in any affairs. Monsregium, a settlement near Vesturperla, declared independence from Frostmarch just days after its founding. The ruler of the town managed to pull mercenaries around the world and forced Grand Jarl Temsyod to pay a massive sum of 500k to get them out of the war. However, no battle ever happened because the leader quit the server, so Frostmarch waited until the claim was eligible for deletion. Fear of the Lorentish Kingdom would increase during this period because Frostmarch's and Ederia's independence was not technically legal, and the Second Empire of Leveros had just gone after (and destroyed) Norvos and joined Lorent not long after. Ederia and Frostmarch would begin to build up a war stash in the case of a conflict with Lorent, which thankfully never came. Jrunmarch would join Ederia due to a deal they had made with them during the independence of Frostmarch from Lorent in April of 2023. However, in Late April, the former Grand Jarl Voske would return.
Voske settled the former island of Hauksgrafir, now Venzor, and demanded to become Grand Jarl, getting the support of Ederia and the towns of Farløarn and Whitemaw. The rest of Frostmarch would stay with Temsyod and refused to give up the Grand Jarl position to Voske. Eventually, a deal would come to light to form a diarchy between Voske and Temsyod. Voske would manage the internal affairs of Frostmarch as the Aelder Jarl, and Temsyod would manage the external affairs of Frostmarch as the External Jarl. A parliament called the Parliament of Elders would be formed to advise the Grand Jarls and have the power to impeach one or both Grand Jarls under certain conditions.
===Diarchy of Frostmarch===
The diarchy, as expected, pretty much ended the conflict between the Voskemarch and Temsmarch governments. During the Diarchy, Frostmarch would boom in population, going from a measly population of 12 at the Rathnir census in April to a whopping 40 in the internal Frostmarch census, which was the highest since the internal Frostmarch census when Voske was Grand Jarl. However, this was not due to anything Voske had done.
Voske and Temsyod had gone inactive and barely even talked in the discord, with both going weeks without being on the server once. Most of the activity was in the newly founded town of Heimr, which was even the second biggest city in Frostmarch for a short time until Whitemaw retook its spot. Erðvåld had also gained a new population that was loyal and active. However, this was not true for their brothers in Ederia. The leader of Ederia, twinkycome, had been increasingly inactive and not playing Stoneworks. Ederia's population would fall as fast as it had grown, though it was kept alive by Jrunmarch's large population and importance in Frostmarch.
The other cities in Frostmarch would also gain importance. The town of Farløarn would become one of the most beautiful cities in the nation. Whitemaw would continue its activity and grow into one of the most important cities in the Frostmarch. Erðvald began sprouting new "suburbs" out of the downtown, and even Odemark would gain new towns such as Evermore. The diarchy wouldn't last long despite its success with the Parliament of Elders. The Parliament and the rest of the Frostmarch population decided it was time to impeach both Grand Jarls.
==Culture==
The peoples of Frostmarch are culturally Valdic (traditionally found along Sørligste's eastern coasts). Valdic peoples are easily identified by their practices and customs. The most prominent traditions in modern Frostmarch include;
===Alcoholism===
Drinking is integral to social interactions in Erðvald, with activities as simple as fishing and debate often resulting in substance abuse. It is tradition in Frostmarch for new members to drink poorly crafted alcoholic beverages, so as to test constitution. 
Another alcoholic practice of Frostmarch is known as the Siðasmal, or the "Last Supper". In this ritual, crimson wine is consumed in combination with rotten pufferfish to induce intense hallucinations, levitation and total organ failure. The fatality rate of this ritual is 106.2%.
===Calendars===
The times and dates of Frostmarch have stayed the same since the founding of the Valdic Calendar, which starts at the founding of Erðvald, or 0 AEC (before Erðvald is BEC). Each year in Frostmarch is 179 days, or 2.486111 real-life days. 
===Literature and historiography===
Despite the nation's reputation, its people have a strong appreciation of literature of all kinds, favoring historic texts of far away lands. A public library used to exist in the North Wing of Erðvald Museum, wherein texts of interest have been compiled from around the world for citizens to read. However, this was plundered and the books stolen, however Jarl Rose recovered the books and they are now in a vault in Edgeland. 
===Warrior culture===
Militarism is a core value of Frostmarch, part due to the harsh environment its people inhabit, another part due to its neighboring lands being known for imperialism, and part due to the nations history of near constant political tension. The fighters among the people of Frostmarch are held to high esteem, often permitted greater privileges and plunder than other citizens. Some privileges may include higher government positions, respect within the government, political influence, and free gear.
===Hoarding===
One thing that Frostmarch is very well known for is it's hoarding of materials and items for themselves. Many of the higher Jarls and Thanes hoard many building supplies and ores for situations in which Frostmarch would need them. Many artifacts were made for the nation and were stored in the Erðvåld Museum before it was ransacked. Jarl Rose was able to get almost all of the artifacts returned and they are now with most of the other Frostmarch resources in a vault in Edgeland.
thumb|Hospitable and Unhospitable regions of Frostmarch at the height of the Valdic Empire, 700 AEC.
===Disease===
Throughout the history of the March, disease has always been a problem. Especially in the deep parts of the March, and in almost all of Suðerlind, disease has been a common reason for these places never becoming a large state, and why the East Coast has always been the center of the Valdic people. Until 1100 AEC, when Red Wine first came to the March, most of the March was a rural, unurbanized place. Red Wine has since been used to explore the inner parts of the March and Suðerlind, with more stable and permanent methods being worked on in Erðvald. In recent times, Red Wine has been combined with Golden Rum to travel through Suðerlind.
===Nostíkur faith and custom===
While not solely practiced within the March, Frostmarch has the majority of Rathnir's Nostíkur practitioners. The following of this faith involves three main aspects;
====Ritual sacrifice====
For the average follower of the Nostíkur faith, this includes routine offerings to the Brotsjónir for good fortunes. The average town/household is likely to have access to an altar to perform these weekly sacrifices. On more important occasions, sacrifice can come to include living beings, and even people. Sacrificing was temporarily outlawed in the Grand Union of Sorligste due to it's policies on "evil" faiths and practices.
====Runecrafting====
Runes are often carved into stone or wood to produce magical effects. For daily uses, runes are carved into small "Runeshards" and placed beneath firepits, hung in doorways or simply disposed of in a river. For more significant projects, boulders are chiseled into "Weystones", used to inscribe many runes to convey a complex idea, such as instructions or a story.
====Oral tradition and folktales====
Stories are told of the ages past, of ancient Valdic heroes and the struggles of the Brotsjónir and Verðinir. These tales are typically told in the evening, around campfires. Due to these stories heavy reliance on music and dance, they are told outdoors. Valdic Bards can be expected to memorise up to 400 tales, along with their many variations, and are also expected to be able to improvise music around tales they may have never heard before.
==Demographics==
Within this territory, are three major forests, five major rivers, and a record breaking population of polar bears. There are three main sites of activity in North Frostmarch.
===Erðvald===
Erðvald is the former capital of North Frostmarch and cultural capital. This city acts as a hub of trade, travel and administration for eastern parts of the region. Among the most famous locations in Erðvald include the Erðvald Public Museum of "Acquired" Items, Erðvald Citadel, the Blood Pit and the Gurgling Donkey.
===Vesturperla===
The City of Vesturperla is the second oldest city in Frostmarch and the capital of the Jarldom of Blomstra within Frostmarch. It is the city that Frostmarch uses for wars and is currently undergoing renovation. The main religion is Nostikur and the building style is a Japanese-German mix. The city is known for its natural resources and warriors.
===Edenville===
The City of Edenville is the second biggest city in Frostmarch and lies south of the Syltar Mountains. It is the home of the religion of Edenism, and is the capital of the Kingdom of Ederia in Frostmarch.
===Whitemaw===
The City of Whitemaw was founded when mercantiles were looking for a connection to the larger city of Hafnarfjoll for trading with the then government under Valdic Tribes. The city grew, but we annexed into the City of Hafnarfjoll during the Region of North Frostmarch. During the Frostmarch Civil War it once again became it's own city without Hafnarfjoll control. The city is well known for it's port trading and armory business.
===Jrunmoor===
Jrunmoor is an underground city and the third oldest city in Frostmarch. It is located in the Myrvald Swamp, also known as the Jrunmarsh to the people of the region, it is home to the Jrunfolk people, a sub-ethnic group of the Valds and their Flanist religion.
===Grimagund===
Grimagund is a dwarven-city founded underground. It is a bastion for defense and the largest dwarven city on the continent.
===Hafnarfjoll===
Founded in one of the most inhospitable regions of Frostmarch, it has quickly grown to be a massive city in Sørligste and capital of the Jarldom of Frostmarch. It is not apart of any Jarldom in Frostmarch and is governed by the government of Frostmarch. It has been in disarray since the Frostmarch Civil War and is in process of being rebuilt. The city is known for it's politics and rich people.
Category:Traveler's Era
Category:Rathnir
Category:Valdic
Category:Former Nations