County of Northfront View

**Ruler**
 **Ruling House**
 **Resident Houses**
 **Baronies**
* Barony of Laencaster
 **Beliefs**
* Shamanism (secondary)
 **Founded**

**The County of Northfront View** is a remote county with large swathes of land far between each of its few, meager villages. It is the northern-most territory of the Duchy of Zollern, and because of it's high peaks and harsh winds, snow, ice, and sleet are common occurrences here. The isolation has led the people here to be hardy and stoic folk who still worship Lordaeronian Paganism.

## Culture

With such isolation as a result of harsh weather and environs, many traders and travelers avoid these lands, though when they do pass through, they rarely make it past Hewe or Namore. The people here have been largely ignored by time and society, and without the introduction of new arrivals, the old ways are best, in their minds. They give praise to Northrend beliefs originating from the first Vrykul on the Eastern Kingdoms and give out offerings to beings like Odyn. The people here are also taller than average, much like the males of House Hillegas, and sport large beards and plentiful body hair - probably a generational trait gained from cold weather.

It is rumored that the people of Northfront View actually harbor Vrykul within their lands, and many old wives' tales and braggadocios men after a few drinks claim they themselves have seen these beings, or that they come down from the highest peaks and abduct children and women for brides and slaves and sacrifice. This, of course, has never been proven true, and any attempt to find a Vrykul population has been left with no results. In reality, the people of Northfront View are a tight-knit group that focus upon each other, rather than worry about the 'Southron' politics, as they claim.

## History

### Founding

Northfront View was founded by adventurous miners and daring explorers, hoping to find remains of Vrykul or other nice rewards. Instead, all they found were rocks. Still, these people were determined and stubborn, daring to create their lives here in this land and prove their worth to the others. Some were more reasonable and settled in what would become the Barony of Laencaster, for it was a source of lumber and shelter, whilst the more hardcore of folk settled in the northern-most point of Bleakhoar, suffering instead harsh winds and tall altitude.

### Hewe's Discovery

The people of Hewe resided within hill and mountain and decided to become miners like those in the outpost that would become Silverkeep. However, unlike the fortuitious miners of Silverkeep, the people of Hewe did not find rich ore and shiny mineral. Instead, they found only rock. So, they made the most of their situation and began to create quarries, turning their town into a primary exporter of gravel and stone and dull material for building. This resourcefulness may have saved their town, for now trade at least reaches Hewe, making it the de facto capital of Northfront View.

### The Bearstone's Consecration

Within the middle of one of Northfront View's wastes, a lone hill occupying a space surrounded by few alpine trees is located. Many travelers and natives of Zollern have trekked through these lands and over time it was taken into consideration that if one stands far enough away, it looks like the shape of a slumbering bear. The curvature of the stony hill and it's 'appendages' (offshoot hills or broken off chunks, likely) resemble that of a bear's limbs and body. As such, it was deemed to be another site of reverence within Zollern and many go to make offerings to the Bearstone. Unbeknownst to all, years ago it was indeed a carved stonework of a great bear, and an unknown prophecy claims that in Zollern's time of war, a great wizard will imbue the stone with magic and bring it to life as a giant elemental bear.

### Present Day

Lord Hillegas allowed his people to go out and return to their homes, and the mountain clansmen of Bleakhoar swore oaths of loyalty before heading home. With few others headed northward, many lands from Northfront View were gifted to mercenaries and others who were willing to live there. Bleakhoarers have returned to a life of solitude and rough living, while the people of Hewe started up their quarries once more.

## Settlements

### Hewe

Hewe is the leading quarry town in all of Zollern. Mountains and rocky terrain have been turned into quarry and picked of good stone and turned to gravel. In fact, it was the successes and resourcefulness of Hewe that led to many other villages within the Barony of Wandermere to become quarries themselves. Trade flows northward into Hewe to gather up the stone and other material, leading it to be the most prosperous of locales within Northfront View. That's not saying much, really, but it is enough to make it the capital city of the whole county. Some speculate it is the overbearing surplus of rock and stone herein that was transferred to be sculpted as the stone of the Bearstone.

### Bleakhoar

Bleakhoar is the northernmost village in all of Zollern. It is located within high peaks and often hit with harsh, hoary winds. The rocky, mountainous landscape surrounding it, dusted with snow, is barren of life and resource, giving a bleak outlook for the future, hence the name Bleakhoar. The isolation facing this town has turned the denizens into hardy barbarians, still holding true to Lordaeronian Paganism and worshipping Vrykul deities. Much like it is for House Hillegas, it is rumored that the people here still have strong Vrykul lineage in their veins - however, more so than the Hillegas', many speculate that actual Vrykul yet still roam around and visit and trade with Bleakhoar. This has never been proven. The people here are so savage that they have become known as the Bearmen of Bearmark, for their isolated and barbaric ways have made them feral.

### Namore

Once titled No More Land, this place is found on the eastern edge of Northfront View, embedded within a grove of trees. It's border unexpectedly drops off into sheer cliffs and rocky outcrops below, which is why it became known as No More Land, as a signifier to others that it was the eastern border. However, over time, the accent and cultural changes have bastardized the name of the town to be simply known as Namore. It is one of the few places to be visited by traders, for it's lumber is harvested for exportation.

## Houses

Since no major family wanted to live in Northfront View's harsh landscapes and little-to-no resource, the independent and rugged lives led by it's denizens turned more to clan hierarchy's and lifestyles. As such, it is several clans that swear fealty to House Hillegas, a more primitive fashion than having regular Houses swearing oaths. The mountain clansmen of Bleakhoar, known as Bearmen, are probably the most well-known of tribes, for they are akin to barbaric raiders and fierce warriors, often making up shock troops of Zollern armies.