Nordint

Nordint is a strange country to the far north, inhabited by the Nords. Nords are mostly Human or Elven, or a mix of the two. Nordint is a large country, though with a small population. It's southern lands, Tropal Nordint (Where the environment is more green and less cold) is at war with Shatir, whom attempted to invade after a group of Tropal guards in a border town refused to go after a local general who murdered a group of Shari.

Nordint is also in a near-permanent state of limited civil war. The rules of this war are enforced by tradition laid down, supposedly, by a half-giant, the first queen-ruler of Nordint. The rules are intended to keep the civil war fair by limiting the number of people who can be marshalled to war at a time, and these traditions, alongside the nature of the civil war and Nordint politics, have created a warrior culture, where the only thing keeping your boss in power is the fact that your private army hasn't overthrown theirs yet.

## Politics

Nordint politics are a mix of "Might makes right" and a popularity contest. There is currently a High Queen, Josrint, who claims to be a direct descendant of the first Queen, Rheta. She has taken a back seat, content only to help in protecting the traditions while lesser monarchs battle it out. Josrint's armies currently march against Shatir, occasionally getting assistance from Prince Xel (Son of Xerot) or Queen Yvel's armies (These two being dominant powers in Tropal Nordint). The three, as well as the three dominant powers in Tundral Nordint also agreed that any war waged in the south would be with smaller armies, so that more people could focus on protecting Nordint as a whole.

Under Josrint are six other monarchs; Xerot (Though Xerot allows their son Xel to handle war and politics) and Yvel in the south, Monarch Jalden, King Kelder, and Queen Elren in the north, and Princess Josdent, Josrint's daughter, on the Bridge. Josdent is currently understood to be the next High Monarch, though she would need to claim, fight for, and defend that title if and when she wishes to claim it. Nobody in Nordint pays heed to heritage over skill, at least nobody important, despite many in Tropal Nordint claiming that Josdent would be the "rightful" queen. Josrint has also pushed back on this, though she has trained Josdent in the arts of war and command, not to mention her training as a Rune Knight. Josrint seems to think of Josdent as the next High Queen; Not by birthright, but by war and talent.

## Religion

Nordint is primarily dominated by Lyrians and Ashur. The Ylrians almost exclusively follow the Dekatheon in Tropal Nordint, and the Aina and Vayna in Tundral Nordint and the Bridge. Ashurs are most common in the Bridge, but are spread throughout Nordint. Ashurism is a religion which recognizes Heroes, and pays little homage to the Gods of the Ylrians. Some Ashur think that the Gods are just overblown Heroes whose legends have become too bloated, others think that while they exist, their powers must be too little to revere as you should a Hero.

Despite this, Elemental magic, associated with the Gradeos by Lyrians and the Hall of Monsters by Ashurism, is the most common magic, and seems to be the ancestral magic of the region, with some crafted Runestones, some of which still work, being centuries or millennia old.