Kaltlan

Kaltlan, a figid land of hearty warriors marked by a sharp contrast of hostile nature and harsh winters with kind-hearted people and warm hearths. Kaltlan is one of two countries to join the Empire via treaty instead of conquest, a point that contributes to the ongoing political tension in the region.

## People

Tall and broad, Kalts have earned the nickname of half-giants, with lighter skin tones and fair hair often accompanied by wide and blunt facial features.

Languages: Common, Kaltic, Old Kaltic (Troskal only)

Modifiers: Kalts stand about 6" taller and weigh 30 lbs heavier on average, with a broad frame others find imposing. Kaltic skin tends to be lighter than normal, going nearly white for those living in the northernmost regions, with hair that ranges from black to red, with blond being the most common. Light blue and green eyes are most common, with some having steely grey eyes.

Common Names: In addition to their given name Kalts will also often have a family or clan name from the family or clan they are born into or are adopted by. It's also common for Kalts to give themselves and others titles based on deeds and accomplishments, such as Ingrid the Hard-Hearted, Olaf, Bane of Ogers, and Blaad Swiftfooted.

Male: Arne, Brigir, Bjorn, Erik, Frode, Gorm, Halfkan, Harald, Kare, Leif, Njal, Roar, Sten, Skarde, Sune, Svend, Troels, Ulf

Female: Astrid, Bodil, Freya, Frida, Gertrud, Hilda, Gudrun, Helga, Inga, Randi, Signe, Sigrid, Revna, Sif, Ysra, Ulfhid

Family/Clan: Aseir, Ango, Aze, Arnulf, Brudmaor, Estur, Godefroy, Gunnulf, Vilulf, Harou, Hastain, Havald, Herulf, Hvalman, Njall, Odalbert, Osouf, Rabac, Ragnulf, Torvald, Turgot, Unfrid, Vranger, Yvar

## Culture

**Weapons and Armor:** Kalts are fond of the longsword, axe, and spear, with warriors and soldiers alike bearing these arms whenever possible. Kalts are a practical people, however, and will often consider whatever weapon they have on hand to be good enough, and are willing to use other arms should the situation call for it. The image of the Kaltic warrior often has them with a wooden round shield and their weapon of choice, or one in each hand in certain cases. As for armor Kalts like to remain flexible in combat, often selecting medium armors of chain mail, hardened leathers, and thick hides, often decorated with family colors and crests, scenes from myth, or animal heads to intimidate their foes. Kaltic warriors have a reputation for being swift and brutal, collapsing an enemy line and forcing a rout within seconds as they lay about with their blades. Kalts place less emphasis on ranged combat, as well as fighting while unarmed, considering it ideal to face your opponent with blades in hand rather than from across a field, and when someone's after your life you'd best have more than a chokehold to save yourself. But again, the Kalts are practical if nothing else, and see skill in both as worthy talents, just not ideal ones.

**Clothing:** Furs and thick wool are the center of Kaltic fashion, the colder climate and relatively frequent rainfall lead to a prevalence of cloaks, hoods, and thicker clothing than normal. Unique to Kaltlan is the Pelkap, a cloak made of patched together furs and hides from animals they've personally hunted, often built over time with thick wool or cotton cloth filling in the gaps. Kalts often wear belted tunics and both men and women will wear thick wool skirts that often come down to their shins. Clothing is often durable, warm, and at least somewhat waterproofed to help combat the elements, even the most cosmopolitan Kalt is dressed as though they're prepared to hike through the wilderness later that day. Leather bags and satchels are common for carrying equipment, tools, and personal belongings. Further north the tunics and skirts are replaced with full body Parkas made of thick furs to combat the extreme cold of Kaltlan's northern regions. Leather boots are more common than shoes, often sturdily built and made for long travels, and though shoes are common among the upper classes no self-respecting Kalt would have a heel over an inch high. Formal attire is often just regular clothing with a few more accessories, often a sash bearing Clan colors going from shoulder to waist, with dresses, robes, and suits uncommon sights. Clothing is often dyed in the unique color and pattern of the Clan to signify membership, though this is occasionally limited to a simple sash should dyes become too scarce. Jewelry is relatively simple, though common, with many Kalts bearing rings, necklaces, arm bands, and earrings of silver, with the occasional sapphire or topaz if they contain gemstones at all.

**Family:** Kalts place a high emphasis on family and familial ties, often championing the idea of a family working together for the good of the family, with everyone doing their part and no member being lead behind. This includes both blood relations as well as found families such as guild mates, squads of soldiers, or members of a village. Often times these families will form a Clan, picking a name for themselves that best exemplify their virtues and heritage as well as a unique color scheme and pattern to identify themselves with. Clans can be as small as a single household or large enough to encompass multiple cities. Joining a clan often requires the approval of the Clan Leader, often after the result of a great service rendered or the endorsement of another member. Marriage will often lead to one family, or part of a family, to join one another's Clan, chosen upon agreement of the married couple and whomever else they decide to bring along. It is considered incredibly disgraceful to harm another member of the Clan, be that physical, mental, or financial harm, with minor cases leading to a shunning of the offending member for a time, and in extreme cases an Exiling. These Clanless are highly distrusted in Kaltic society, bearing no colors they often end up as hermits, impoverished, or as criminals due to the lack of trust.

**Professions:** Kalts consider battle and combat to be one's highest calling, simple, straightforward, and honorable, Kalts will look highly upon any job involving conflict and challenge, be it mercenary work, guard duty, or service in the army. However as long as your work allows you to hone your skills and prove your talents most Kalts will be accepting of it, the world cannot all be warriors after all. Kalts have a general distrust of arcane magic, however, and while not hostile will generally look down upon the Mage's Guild and their ilk, though more natural and holy magic like those of clerics, druids, and rangers are perfectly acceptable. Kalts also dislike the arts of stealth and thievery, with theft being punished more severely than in other countries and finding out one's own is a thief or assassin earning one swift exile from the Clan.

**Art:** Kalts prefer engravings and reliefs for artistic depictions, often incorporating it into their architecture. Large walls and pillars will be built and left blank specifically for this purpose, with engravers adding in works later on, often over the course of several years. Kalts prefer depictions of old stories, heroes, and gods from their old Trosk religion, allowed by the Temple of Eight so long as they are not worshipped. Personal deeds, fantastical creatures, and depictions from the Book of Eight are also common in Kaltic artworks. Unique to the region is the Kaltic Knot, twisting series' of lines that resemble ropes or vines crossing over one another to form elegant patterns, often one is able to trace a specific line throughout a piece as it crosses over and under other lines, with smaller works containing as few as three, while larger works will have dozens of lines. Often the Kaltic Knot is used to frame pieces and separate sections within a single piece, common in works that depict a larger narrative, though it's not uncommon for the Knot itself to be the focus of a piece. Kalts also favor tattoo work, similar in style to the engravings on walls and pillars of their buildings. Stained glass, statues, and metalwork are all relatively common mediums for visual artworks. Poetry and Song tend to be simple and straightforward, often telling a story of legend or extoling a virtue of some sort, with songs favoring rhythmic chants accompanied by drums, lute, and flute, while poetry will contain simple rhyme schemes, often an ABAB formula, though Limericks are growing in popularity.

**Faith:** The Kaltic practices of worship are largely carried over from the old religion of Trosk, with several general beliefs still practiced as a part of the modern worship of The Eight, a practice that is closely monitored by the Temple in order to ensure orthodoxy. This largely manifests in the Kaltic people not going to their local Temple very often, usually only once a week to meet with a Priest and ruminate on their faith for a short time before going back to their duties. The Kalt generally prefer to study and practice their faith on their own time, often as a part of their other labors, looking for ways they can appease the Gods while they carry on their earthly duties. Most Kalt tend to be devotees of Nallas, Karaktas, and Merios due to their cultural love of the natural world, freedom, and strength of arms those three represent most strongly, though worshippers of all Eight are present, of course. Most Priests within the Temple tend to follow similar thought, with most of them acting as traveling priests, walking the land and meeting with the people who live within it rather than staying in a stuffy temple and expecting the people to come to them.

**Food and Drink:** Kalts are fond of hearty and heavy meals, often made primarily of meats with a healthy mix of starchy vegetables and grains mixed in. Stews are most common, often thickened by barley flour containing domesticated animals like sheep and pork and wild game like venison and rabbit. Roasts are also popular, with whole animals stuffed with grown vegetables and foraged herbs and coated with local alcohol. For drinks Kalts have a preference for mead, ale, and beer; often earthy, rich, and sweet to parch the throat of a thirsty Kalt, though most alcohol's are respected at the dinner table, particularly among foreigners and travelers. Honey is prevalent in Kaltic sweets, often baked into bread along with wild berries, those same berries defining the flavor of pies and tarts, occasionally integrating imported sugar and chocolate for special occasions. Cakes are usually only made in the case of weddings, often taking a small army of cooks the better part of a week to prepare and bake. Kaltic meals tend to involve the entire family or even village, with large bonfires to cook and long tables set up, with one meal often lasting several days with leftovers after a feasting night. Even inns and taverns will follow the tradition, with customers simply finding a space at the table and a plate to carve off a piece of the cooked animal. Travel rations for the Kalt usually consist of a piece of hard tack with various berries, nuts, and meats cooked in, sometimes supplemented with dried meats or salted fish.

**Social Issues:** Kalts are egalitarian by nature, the harsh environment leading to a general culture of necessity and practicality has lead to a lack of discrimination, preferring to let one's actions speak for themselves regardless of who's performing them. Kalts often don't care about race, heritage, gender, or sexuality when determining a person's worth, preferring to hear of their deeds and accomplishments. Many from Uri-Serim and Chator who find themselves ostracized for being homosexual or transgender will often make their way to Kaltlan, where their talents can shine without the weight of discrimination, even if they complain about the cold. Kalts still have a general distrust of Dark-Elves and Tieflings, however, their proclivity for the night and hellish ancestry respectively means they are often distrusted and thought of as thieves and blasphemers, an unfortunate blind spot in the otherwise fair society. Kalts are generally uncomfortable with the idea of slavery, though a few farms and mines will use captured goblinoids for forced labor, many Kalts can't reconcile their love of freedom and open skies with the idea of keeping other sentient creatures bound in chains, even execution is seen as preferable to imprisonment, much less the idea of a free creature forced into service. The growing abolitionist movement is taking hold in Kaltlan, though for now they remain mostly underground as it is technically defying Imperial law.

**Flaws:** Kalts tend to have simple and straightforward views on things, often preferring to boil down complex and nuanced situations into sides of good and bad, with often overly simplistic solutions. Culturally Kalts have a difficult time accepting a leader that hasn't proven themselves to the people, often requiring appointed leaders to go on hunts or survive harsh duels before the people will accept them as a leader. Kalts generally have a wanderlust, wanting to see the world and the people within it, making it difficult to keep a stable population in a larger city for more than a few years. Kalts tend to hold grudges, often remembering slights and offenses for years after the act has been committed unless a proper apology is given, sometimes leading to multigenerational feuds between families. Kalts are distrustful of arcane magic, often seeing it as tapping into powers best left undisturbed, with more rural villages ousting and executing a local mage for often unrelated issues, such as poor harvest or a sudden disease. Kalts can also be stubborn as a mule once they put their mind to something, often leading to violent outbursts if challenged on decisions or conclusions, especially if they're in a position of leadership and power.

## Geography

Rugged coasts lined with dense forests line the eastern portion of Kaltlan, changing to frigid lands best suited for whaling than inhabitation. Moving inland the forests only grow denser, broken up by the occasional settlement of miners and loggers using the crisscrossing waterways to move goods towards the interior, a place of mild plains and scattered farmlands broken up by frost-covered mountains. The eastern portion of Kaltlan is a scattered and unpleasant swampland broken by difficult to navigate hills, before turning back into dense mixed forests in the south.

Kaltic settlements tend to be scattered, aside from the four or five major cities that hold only about 10,000 people the entire population live in small towns, logging or mining encampments, isolated villages, and isolated shacks far off the beaten path. Kaltic homes are usually half-timber houses, with a base of stones with walls made of stacked logs and roofs made of thatch or wooden shingles. Smaller homes tend to be of simple design, often just rectangles with various additions and extensions jutting out wherever room could be found, while larger buildings tend to have larger roofs made fully of split logs, often with metal spires and large eaves to help drain rainwater away.

Cenfalt: The largest and most moderate region taking up the center of Kaltlan, home to the largest and most productive farms and Strogard, the oldest city in and capital of Kaltlan.

Stalkyst: A dense forested region taking up the western coast acting as a center for trade to and from the rest of the Empire, with numerous docks and trade caravans operating in the region.

Centerfort: The smallest region but considered the most economically stable region in Kaltlan, Centerfort acts as the Imperial hub for the region, with the majority of the population made up of travelers from other countries than Kalts.

Breiwood: The most heavily forested region known for it's seemingly endless supply of lumber, and mills able to capitalize on it, those woods hide ancient, primordial magic however, making it dangerous to stray off the roads.

The Northern Hills: A largely desolate region notable for being the home of the Arcane School of Magis Glacis, Kaltlans's only Arcane College specializing in frost magic, with the rest of the region mostly populated by wild beasts and ancient magic.

The Frozen Wastes: The coldest region of Kaltlan is the farthest from Imperial eyes, and is home to the nomadic Troskal tribes, a slowly dwindling group considered to be the last vestiges of Old Kaltic tradition.

The Frost Marshes: A generally swampy and difficult to settle region home to only a handful of villages able to carve an existence in the largely miserable region, with many dangers and diseases making it unpleasant to travel to save for only the most miserable of outcaste wretches.

## Politics

Within Kaltlan there is a divide between tradition and Kaltic culture, and the growing influence and dependance on the Empire, particularly in terms of magical and religious services. There are those within the region that believe that the Empire is getting too involved in Kaltic problems and the lives of Kaltic people, that they're bleeding the country dry due to the amount of food and soldiers get shipped off to foreign lands, and that they should be able to become their own independent country again. The other group is equally loyal to the Empire, believing that the Empire brings stability and prosperity to what would be a stagnant, frozen backwater of a land, and that the Mage's Guild and Temple of Eight provide necessary services that would likely be lost should Kaltlan break away, not to mention the economic ramifications. These views are rarely expressed in public, mostly delegated to heated debates in taverns once the ale starts flowing, or muttered under the breath when no one's listening.

It is rumored that the Clan Leaders of Cenfalt and Breiwood have contemplated a succession from the Empire, or a civil war barring that, though they've not mentioned anything to the public and put on a loyal face when meeting with Imperial delegations.

Kaltlan borrows many of it's governmental traditions from it's past, though more modernized to fit with the Empire's general legal code. Clans are made up of a Clan Leader who is in charge of several Clans, typically large families who have sworn loyalty to the largest and strongest among them. Clans are run by a Clan Head, who has authority over the families within their Clan and is given that authority by the Clan Leader, as well as all lands and titles. The position of Clan Head is hereditary, though anyone may challenge the current Head to take the position for themselves. In modern times this is officially done with a vote in front of an Imperial Magistrate, though in the past it was done via duel to the death. The Clan Leader is a position served until death, at which point a new Clan Leader is chosen from among existing Clan Heads, as well as the new Clan Head for the Clan of the Leader who just died. Clans will often identify themselves by shared coloration and pattern on heraldry and clothing, with the crest dictated by the current Clan Leader, and often with a smaller and simpler Family Crest underneath. Many Clans have united or died out over the years, leaving less than 50 in the entire country, each one united under one of four Clan Leaders, who also rule one of Kaltlan's Hold Capitals and the Capital City.

## Old Religion - Trosk

Not long after the Disappearance of the Alasan's and the newly freed people spread north into Kaltlan a new religion began to develop, starting from the ideals the Slave Races imagined while under control combined with the harsh landscape around them the Kaltic people would create Trosk. Trosk is a polytheistic faith based around an extensive pantheon of gods, their demigod children, told orally through various myths and legends. These legends often center around a heroic character, terrible monster, or powerful artifact, and are often meant to teach a life lesson. The closest the Kalts would get to writing down Trosk down is in their paintings, carvings, and small sculpture works that would depict the various heroes and gods.

More details about Trosk may be found [here].

Trosk was the primary religion in Kaltlan until the Empire began rising to power, and with it the Temple of the Eight, often spreading alongside merchant caravans and ships. These missionaries would gradually gain a foothold in the country, converting a substantial part of the population and building their own temples, particularly along the western coast. Eventually Kaltlan would sign the Accord and join the Empire, allowing the Temple to dominate the country, spreading to any and all urbanized areas and the rural communities between them, given free reign by Imperial Law to persecute "heretics" as they saw fit, driving out the remaining Trosk followers, known as the Troskal, into the far eastern portions of Kaltlan. The traditions of Trosk still carry through into Kaltic worship of The Eight, often with the Gods themselves being depicted alongside or replacing old Trosk gods in artwork, and with many Kaltic priests preferring to tell the stories of The Eight orally. Kaltic temples are often covered in carvings depicting The Eight and the lessons they're meant to impart.

## Notable Settlements

Havenport: The largest city in Kaltlan and capital of Stalkyst, it's large docks making it both a center of trade into the country and a center of Imperial influence, governmentally and culturally.

Strogard: The oldest city in Kaltlan and the capital city of the country, it's sprawling streets of sturdy stone make it a bastion of Kaltic ideals and architecture.

Skoggsby: The capital of Breiwood is the closest to talk openly of rebellion, economically independent of the rest of the empire it's many lumber mills sit around the edge of Oakshore lake.

Noyal City: Constructed only after the founding of the Empire the capital of Centerfort is a mash of various styles from throughout the Empire, often derided by Kaltic loyalists as "not a true Kaltic city".

Verheim Keep: A stronghold built deep into the mountains themselves who's mines supply much of the region's metal exports, including the illusive but desirable Adamantine.

The School of Magis Glaces: This glowing fortress among the snow covered hills of northern Kaltlan is the country's only Arcane College, focusing its study and research on frost and cold based magic.

Litsbe Village: Less a proper village and more a collection of tents this meeting place is only temporarily inhabited by Troskal nomads and is used as a meeting place and center of trade for the tribes.

## Economy

Kaltlan is a largely self-sufficient region, not necessarily relying on the empire for all except exotic and luxury goods, with more exports going out than imports coming in. Notable Kaltic goods include mead, weapons, wood carvings, and reindeer meat, with the bulk of Kaltic exports consisting of foodstuffs from Cenfalt and lumber from Breiwood. Most trade occurs via ship on the western coast out of Stalkyst, with a few land-based caravans leaving from Briewood into Alasa. Few ships make the journey to the east and northern coasts due to the lack of ports and large settlements.

Kaltic coins are circular in shape, with most merchants accepting various bits and pieces of copper and silver, known as Hackcopper and Hacksilver repsectively. Gold and Platinum coins are valuable enough to counterfeit that most merchants will only accept gold and platinum as official coins.

## The Troskal

The Troskal are an ethnic and cultural group within Kaltlan, largely inhabiting the Frozen Wastes region. An average Troskol tends to have lighter skin and hair and more body hair than the average Kalt. Troskal consider themselves to be the last bastion of true Kaltic culture, having largely escaped the Empire's influence and the dominance of the Temple of Eight. The Troskal faith of Trosk is a pagan religion often persecuted by the Temple of the Eight for heresy, though the remoteness of the Frozen Wastes acts as a buffer to Temple missionaries and inquisitors, the occasional Cleric will make their way to a Troskal tribe, often leaving with a few converts or a few more corpses in the snow. More information about Trosk may be found [here].

The Troskal are a nomadic people, often forming small tribes of a few dozen members following the migration patterns of Reindeer, Cariboo, and Bison, often supplemented with wild game, foraged berries, and fish. The Frozen Wastes as a region is generally incompatible with the formation of large scale settlements and agriculture. The only permanent settlement in Litsbe Village, a collection of various tribes that temporarily settle in the area to meet with other tribal leaders and trade both with each other and the occasional adventurous trader willing to make the long and difficult journey.

Troskali people will often wear paint on their faces made from various berries, crushed minerals, and charcoal in order to denote the tribe they come from and their role within it, a practice that would eventually evolve into the Kalts dying clothing to denote Clan affiliation. Troskal crafts tend to be simple and straightforward, often with simple patterns on their cloth tents or small wooden amulets depicting gods from Trosk or favored animals. Due to the region's lack of metal the Troskal rely on trading with outsiders for steel, often giving up hunted game or other natural crafts, metal weapons and armor are often reserved for decorated hunters, warriors, spiritual leaders, and tribe elders, with the common person relying on wood, bone, and stone weapons and tools.

The Troskal way of life is slowly dying out due to more young members of the tribe leaving for more civilized lands and dwindling herd sizes leading to food shortages. Some tribal elders have suggested that a change would need to be made to their way of life in order to continue, though most refuse to believe it.

## Languages

Kaltic is written using a series of runes that can be easily substituted for Common letters in most cases, these runes consist of straight lines with no horizontal elements, as carvings made into wood were often made along the grain and would split when carved in the same direction of that grain. The spoken language tends to sound overly quick to non-native speakers, with syllables often mushing together, however often complex phrases in Common are often able to be simplified into one or two words in Kaltic. The phrase "Hello, how are you today?" can be shortened to "Hel hrovan tog?" in Kaltic.

Old Kaltic lacks an alphabet, as the language is passed down orally among the Troskal, who are it's only speakers, with modern day transcriptions using Kaltic runes. Old Kaltic often sounds like a more primal and guttural version of Kaltic, with more vowel sounds and sharper consonants, though it is often easier to speak longer phrases as words tend to flow between one another more frequently, perhaps the result of the language often used to tell the long oral history of the Troskal.

## Pre-Imperial Life

Kaltlan was left largely unexplored and uninhabited by the Alarans during their reign, ancient writing suggests that the ancient slavemasters disliked the cold climate, but sent out a few expeditions and made a few settlements, notably the ancient fort that sits in what is now Sanded Pine pass.

After the Disappearance of the Alarans the now freed Slave Races spread out across the cold land, finding it not as distasteful as the Alarans, but still a harsh place necessitating strength and resourcefulness. Over time hundreds of Clans formed across the land, trading and warring with each other, building up small kingdoms. Over time these hundreds dwindled to dozens, through conquest, subjugation, alliance, and marriage, the clans joined together to become larger and more powerful kingdoms spread across larger areas.

Once the Empire began taking shape during the Unification Wars they met heavy resistance from the Kaltic clans along the western coastline, with several clans uniting in their rejection of these invaders' claim that they intended to unite the entire continent. Word spread around to all the major Kaltic leaders throughout their years of resistance, until a grand alliance was founded to resist the growing Empire, at least temporarily. For over 30 years they fought against the Empire, until eventually they realized the combined strength of the rest of the Continent was beginning to crush the resistance in the southern Alasa, and would soon come for the Kalts and crush them too. It was decided to agree to peace with the Empire rather than waste thousands of lives on a war they most likely could not win, and as such they sent a representative along with the Alasan's and the Empire to Sanded Pine pass to agree to peace. Eventually this resulted in the Golden Accord, bringing Kaltlan and Alasa into the greater Empire and bringing an end to the Unification Wars.