Norn

*Written by* Karmatose*.*

### Territory

The city of Norn is built to the West of **Old Vetus**, on an arctic island originally inhabited by the **Vinevirke Vikings**, in a massive natural cavern beneath the **Engleher Mountain Range**. Every inch of usable space within the cavern is occupied by some form of building, and as a result the city is rather crowded at best. Expansion efforts have been made deeper into the caverns with some success, but cave-ins are common pitfalls of such mining efforts.

Although most of the populace lives underground in Norn, there are a handful of small, low-populace nomadic herding villages that raise mountain goats in the tundra. The climate is far too cold for farming most of the year, but underground mushroom farming is a steady source of food for the citizens of Norn, who survive primarily off of livestock meat, mushrooms, fish, and imported vegetables.

### Important Places

Norn is less a nation and more a massive, sprawling city-state. The city of Norn primarily stretches across one major road, which reaches from the cavern entrance to the plaza near the very back of the cavern. The city is divided into districts, and what district you live in is primarily determined by your trade. The major districts are as follows: **Stalagmite Falls**, **Silverborough**, **Irontown**, **Glassborough**, **Tintown**, **Forgetown**, and **Golden District.**

* **Stalagmite Falls** - Stalagmite falls is named after the great many massive stalagmites which impale the city from below in this district. Houses are frequently scattered around these massive mineral formations, sometimes built into them. Ironically, this is where many of the non-mineral related businesses and their owners reside. Tailors, carpenters, cooks, and more make their homes here, primarily to be closer to the raw materials used in their trade, which primarily come from outside the city.
* **Silverborough** - The largest district, consisting mostly of miners, who delve into the depths of the caverns to retrieve raw ores and minerals for use in the more production-focused districts further into the city.
* **Irontown** - This is where the city's most skilled ironworkers reside. Although it's residents pride themselves on being able to work with most any metal, their specialty is ironworking. Architecture here features iron more prominently than the other districts.
* **Glassborough** - This is where the city's glassblowers have made their homes. The residents of Glassborough tend to be the most artsy of this primarily practical society, and are often viewed somewhat affectionately as the odd ducks of the city. There is rarely any ill will towards them, however, and while art is not highly valued by most Norns, the citizens of Glassborough do manage to sell their art outside their district, although their primary trade is the creation of glass dishware, pickling jars, water jugs, and more.
* **Tintown** - Contrary to it's name, Tintown is not strictly for tinworkers. Rather, it is where those who work in infrastructure-related trades, such as delivery, construction, architecture, and more reside.
* **Forgetown** - The second largest district after Silverborough, and where most of the smiths that are not specialized or specialize in non-iron or glass materials reside.
* **Golden District** - This is actually not a residential district at all, but rather is occupied primarily by warehouses, filled with preserved food items and raw materials, as well as processed items due to be exported outside the city. It is named as such as it is the culmination of the city's wealth, hence it's easily defensible location in the back of the cavern. Most of the city's mushroom farms are found here, as well.

### Society

The people of Norn are a practical sort, believing strongly in the power of the people and the importance of self-government. As such, Norn is a primarily anarchist society, with only one law to speak of: Respect your fellow citizens, and treat them as you should desire to be treated. Those who break this law are judged by the citizenry as a whole, and if deemed severe enough, are forced out of the city by a mob of their fellow citizens.

There is no governing body, and as a result the people of Norn experience a sense of independence and freedom far greater than many other nations. In less severe criminal cases, the accused may not suffer from any direct consequences for their actions, but word travels fast in Norn, and they will certainly experience judgement for their crimes. Shops may refuse to sell to a known criminal, friends and family may ostracize them, and they will have to work to earn the trust of the people yet again.

The economy is one of trade and barter, with the closest thing to currency being precious metals in their raw state, as raw materials are always in high demand by the blacksmiths of Norn, which make up a high percentage of the population. It is common when commissioning another's services to provide the raw materials required for the job, and to not do so may be considered a sign of disrespect to the service provider, unless an alternate arrangement has been mutually agreed upon.

### Culture

The people of Norn are proud of their expert smiths, although the creation of weapons is not common, as the people of Norn strongly believe it is wrong to inflict violence upon their fellow humans. However, weapons are made occasionally, usually for the purposes of hunting or as ceremonial and decorative pieces, or for the purposes of defense against those who do not prescribe to their ways of life. Instead, smiths spend much of their time making tools and building materials. There is a saying that, "A Norn without his pickaxe will forever remain in the dark." The people of Norn believe that pickaxes are the gateway to progress, and an apprenticing blacksmith's first time making a pickaxe is usually a celebrated affair among family and friends.

The architecture of Norn is primarily stone-based, with wood rarely being used outside of furniture, and sparingly even then. Many Norn architects take pride in the usage of various types of stone to create color variety in their architecture. Houses also tend to be incorporated into the surrounding landscape, with natural stalagmites frequently used as support pillars, or entire walls made of polished stone. Most businesses are built directly alongside the homes of their owners, or sometimes merged into the same buildings. Norns tend to have very good night vision, having grown acclimated to their cavern homes, and their eyes may in fact be sensitive to bright lights.

### People

The people of Norn lack any prominent religion, with most Norns practicing Athiesm. They tend to be a proud people, with a strong sense of community and self-responsibility. Diligence is a heavily regarded virtue, and hard work is valued and often recognized by the community as a whole. However, Norns play just as hard as they work, and after finishing a project or reaching a milestone in their work, it is not uncommon for merry drinking and raucous partying to commence. Norns are expected to set their own work pace, with the concept of 'work shifts' being rare. Norns are typically self-employed, or perhaps work as an apprentice while learning a trade.

### History

The cavern within which the city of Norn was built was thought to have been discovered nearly five centuries ago by a group of explorers who were on an expedition across the sea West of what is now known of **Old Vetus**, searching for the mythical crystal known as **Eternal Frost**, which was thought to be able to freeze the aging of any who touched it. They searched the freezing tundra of Vinevirke for the crystal for many years on order of their king, and lost many good men along the way to both the cold and the **Vinevirke Vikings** whom had settled there. Eventually they were forced to return home empty handed. When they did, they found their homeland razed to the ground, discovering that the king they served was long dead, killed in a war marked by greed and ambition.

Left with nowhere to return to, and disillusioned to the ways of kings and queens, the explorers gathered all the refugees they could find from their former homeland and brought them to the cavern beneath the **Engleher Mountain Range**. There, they set about creating a new nation, one ruled not by a crown, but by personal liberty and honest work.

However, as they settled the land, they came into increasing conflict with the battle-hardy **Vinevirke Vikings**, who considered Norn and the surrounding islands their home. While the Norns wanted no more part in war, the Vinevirkians felt their territory to have been encroached upon. However, over the next couple decades, the Norns managed to form a tentative alliance with the Vinevirkians by offering precious metals as a tribute of thanks for allowing them to use their land. The Vinevirkians were far better at plundering than harvesting the resources of their own mineral-rich island, and so an agreement was formed. However, the cultural clashes between the two nations meant that while there was peace, the two peoples rarely saw eye to eye.

When the **Commonwealth of Vetus** was formed some centuries later and they were inducted into it alongside the Vinevirkians, the Norns were far more at ease with the alliance than the Vinevirkians were. Their way of life hardly changed, although they were not fond of the idea of being technically governed by a new ruler. They joined to promote peace, but on the strict condition that their independance is maintained.

### Playing as a Norn:

As a Norn, you are likely of a practical mindset. You believe in working hard for the betterment of your society and don't mind getting your hands dirty. However, you have no problem celebrating a job well done with drinks and merry partying that may last well into the night. You probably have some familiarity with metals and geology, even if your trade was not strictly related to them, purely through osmosis. You may not have a strong interest in art, although you likely haven't seen much art outside of glassblowing techniques.

You likely have a deep respect for good negotiators who can find a compromise in any situation, as your culture was built upon the idea of people managing their own problems through negotiation. Likewise, you probably despise violence and those who believe themselves to hold power or authority over others. Trust is also likely important to you - those who break your trust will have to work hard to earn it back. You value your independence and freedom, and concepts that limit that independence are probably foreign to you - things such as work shifts, bosses, government, and the like are everything your culture has sought to avoid throughout it's history.