The Skógurmenn

*Page Status: Accepted Canon*

## Geography and Customs

Inhabiting the lush north-western woodland-plains, the Skogurmenn established themselves as the dominant force in western Forsvar in ancient times when Vestrians were still mere fishing village folk.

The water flowing from the Nordskeldr mountains brings fertility to the Skogurmenn farms before feeding into the Vestrian swamps and the Vestrian sea. The Skogurmenn are thought to have been first of the Forsvarians to bring about major constructions and were able to establish some of the first proper fortifications on the continent - a trait that the Vestrians would later immitate.

Crop yields enabled Skogurmenn populations to expand quickly, and as a result local warlords had been able to draw together impressive forces. The Skogurmenn warlords and chiefs wages war on one another for generations, taking a toll on Skogurmenn civility but bringing about veteran Skogurmenn war parties that left little chance for resistance when raiding neighbouring Midju and Vestrian villages.

## History

Soon after the first Skogurmenn clans had migrated to the far western lands of Forsvar, agriculture bloomed and provided a backbone for local village economies and growth due to the fertility of the lands. The Skogurmenn clans dominated the western lands in ancient times, advancing beyond the means of rivalling subcultures. Continuous fighting amongst the Skogurmenn chiefs and warlords did little to damage the prosperity of Skogurmenn villages, and in fact brought about advances in warfare, tactics and weaponry.

Eventually, after many generations of plundering and massacres of the neighbouring subcultures, the Vestrians established their sea-based authority in the west, and rose in power to rival the Skogurmenn, albeit only by learning from the Skogurmenn's own military practices. The Vestrian warlords would ultimately overpower the Skogurmenn on their path towards dominance of the entire Forsvarian continent. The rise of this Velosian kingdom resulted in the near-total decimation of Skogurmenn populations who suffered from massacre - seen as vengeance for the cruel treatment of Vestrians in the past.

At this time, contingents of Skogurmenn are said to have fled from Forsvar, across the Vestrian. This is believed to be the origin of the Chiefdom of Malmfjell in the far west. Meanwhile, Skogurmenn who stayed looked elsewhere for assistance against the Velosians, turning south to the southerner Republic of Nivoa. While initially successful, with Nivoan soldiers entering Skogurmenn lands and establishing a stronghold, it ultimately gave the Velosians additional leverage over the Skogurmenn, as many Forsvarians saw their deal with the non-Forsvarian southerners as an utterly despicable act. The Velosians would eventually overcome the Nivoan-Skogurmenn force, assisted by Midju and Vílið warriors, and Nivoans would never return to the continent.

After this time, it is said that the Skogurmenn underwent severe mistreatment at the hands of the Velosians, who massacred many villages for their refusal to submit. The Skogurmenn populations were so damaged by the killings and the by volume of Skogurmenn fleeing south that their numbers in their ancestral lands has never recovered to this day.