The Commune of Moroz

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*Like thread, we are connected. Like ice, we remember.*

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## *Overview*

The Commune of Moroz is the central power that worships Nitbuza, but it feels wrong to call it a power. As the name of their government suggests, the people of Moroz believe in communal, non-hierarchical living. Moroz is spread across Zeema Lake: a vast, perennially frozen lake in the northernmost reaches of the mainland. The people of the Commune venerate Nitbuza of the Northern Tempest, the Goddess of Ice and Thread.

### Bolshaya

The capital of Moroz is located at Bolshaya, the largest village in the Commune. Bolshaya is also the site of many ceremonies, festivals, and holidays, due to its favorable location on a wide portion of flat, even, navigable ice. Bolshaya is also where the Council of Elders annually meets to settle conflicts, solidify alliances, and celebrate victories among the community. Although the Commune is non-hierarchical, the advice of the Council is attentively considered during these gatherings, and elders are generally revered for their knowledge and wisdom. The veneration of elders also stems from the common depiction of Nitbuza as an older woman.

### Culture

The Commune is made up of a tight-knit network of shanty villages. These settlements are made from blocks of ice, wood, and animal skins, with furs draped across the outsides and insides as insulants. The pride of every village is their shrine to Nitbuza, which takes the form of a long, wooden pole with colorful woven rope tightly wrapped along its length. The rope is wound and unwound during religious ceremonies throughout the year, an act that both venerates Nitbuza and tells a constantly evolving story about the village. Ice fishing, hunting, and trade are the primary ways that Morozans make a living out on the ice.

Morozans believe in the sharing of all things: food, shelter, clothing, stories. Those who hoard excessively are subject to social shaming and a year’s worth of community service. Weaving is a community activity undertaken during downtime; those who are deft with fingers and needle are highly praised. Storytellers, dancers, and poets are also highly valued members of Morozan society, because cultural memory is passed down through both song and twine.

## Landmarks

### Zeema Lake

The Commune of Moroz is housed atop the vast, perennially frozen Zeema Lake looms to the far north of Andake. In terms of sheer square mileage, Zeema Lake is the single largest landform in all of Andake. It is famous for its constant blizzards and pileups of thick, frozen ice that loom as tall as mountains. Strange creatures lurk in flurries of snow, and it is said that ancient monsters make their home in the frigid waters buried underneath thousands of feet of solid ice. As we travel northward across Zeema, the ice thins and eventually breaks off into the frigid waters of the Sigyrny Sea.

### The Iron Citadel

The Iron Citadel is a fortress from the Age of Titans and the headquarters of the Chromium Order.

### Zhinka's Vigor

Zhinka's Vigor is a beautiful, if forgotten, temple dedicated to the first Paragon of Nitbuza, Zhinka Da. Legends say that this temple is where Zhinka was born and raised as a monk, before he turned it into a secret rebel outpost during the Gambit of Queens. It is a temple shaped like a snowflake, whose halls are twisted and spiral toward a beautiful chamber at the center. This is where Nitbuza's Godshard is hiding after the Cataclysm.