Oldwood

* **Size**: 416.000 km2
* **Location**: South of Beornhelm, east of Greenfield, northeast of Malgrave, and north of Crowhill
* **Authority**: Royal family but largely independent towns and regions

#### **Geography**

Oldwood is mostly covered by the Oldberry Woods, a moderately rocky, dense deciduous to an evergreen forest where pines, firs, and birch are common. Oldwood has an eastern spine, the mountain chain of Orean's Point, an offshoot range of the Orean's Hand. Orean's Point is not as tall or mighty as the rest of the Orean's Hand, but it still cuts boldly through the kingdom of Oldwood.

Orean's Point's eastern side often experiences windy and stormy weather, the ocean equally tempestuous and cold. Most of the coastline has therefore been relieved of its fertile topsoil to reveal cold stone beneath. Only sturdy evergreen trees like pines and equally sturdy bush and grass species grow successfully in this region. Several bays and inlets exist, two of the major ones being the water channel between the coast and an island. Some of these bays offer some protection against the merciless winds, and you often find settlements there. The Bay of Birches, between the mainland and Elm island, is known for its intriguing amount of, indeed, birches. Sea-trading is perilous in the Woodish sea, and thus Oldwood's harbors are seldom visited. Due to the low prevalence of agricultural pursuits in the region, herding and fishing are important professions. Most of the coast’s settlements have small fleets of fishing boats, as the sea offers plentiful bounties. Being a sailor along Oldwood eastern's coast is one of the most dangerous professions in Frostmark.

The western side of Orean's Point is protected by the mountain range. Here the weather is more mild and stable. This has allowed for one rather fertile bowl, Meparras Garden, where most of Oldwood's agricultural production comes from. Still, the Oldberry Woods is deep, at many times quite uniform, and the distance between settlements can be great, making the wilderness dangerous in its own way on the western side. Oldwood borders the Bazken Moor and the Zakaru Prairie in the south, making the forest areas relatively wet, respectively, dry in the overlapping region. Iodin and Iophar rivers are moderately fast-flowing mountain rivers and are, therefore, more of an obstacle than a resource for the Woodish. Despite its cold nature, Iodin lake possesses some fish species, and trade is conducted with Greenfield over it, mostly through Currantcall town. Thetanor river is a far more important river for the Woodish. Here river trading is common, merchants carrying goods in between Eastcreek's Sky Mirror to the highlands of Armathain.

#### ***Summary***

Oldwood's geographical features are dominated by the great mountain range of Orean's Point that runs like a spine along its eastern coastline. Orean's Point provides some cover from the cold and stormy northeastern sea. The eastern shoreline is rocky and wet, with few natural ports, while the lands west of the Orean's Point experience less chaotic weather patterns and is mostly a never-ending sea of pine, birch, and fir. In its central lands, there is one fertile bowl where Oldwood receives most of its agricultural produce. Otherwise, the Woodlings survive on game, herding, and fishing. None surprisingly, Oldwood trade mostly in wood, ore, and stone, resources that can be found aplenty. Villages and hamlets are far in between, which has resulted in an independent spirit within the Woodlings. Oldwood is ruled by a royal household, but the self-sufficient temper of most communities in Oldwood makes the population notoriously hard to govern.

#### ***Living in Oldwood***

Oldwood is a place of individualism and vast expanses of wilderness. The population density is relatively low, similar to Beornhelm's, and the distance between hamlet, village, town, and city is vast. Most settlements consist of sturdy houses built with stone and wood, resting alone in the green sea. The coastal villages are usually smaller or clad heavily in stone to withstand the salty and windy shore. The Woodlings tend to gather in larger communities than to spread out into smaller ones, surviving by the grace of their numbers. This distance between neighboring towns and villages has made the Woodlings' independent and distrustful of strangers. Even if the Woodlings are suspicious around their neighbors, they are even more suspicious of foreigners. Despite the self-reliant disposition of Woodling communities, they will band together to protect their way of life.

Before the Empire, Oldwood was not governed by a single leader or government, nor did they have an aristocracy. Instead, communities were independently governed in a manner that suited the particular settlement. Most of these leaders were either charming governors who won over the hearts of their community, a council of powerful or elected figures, or authoritarian military leaders who rule by their might. The communities' leaders often organized the settlement's affairs, settled disputes, and ensured its safety. In return, the leaders and their families were given food and gifts from the rest of the community. As soon a Woodling community grows dissatisfied with their leader or leaders, the Woodling usually has no qualms to remove such leadership, which were often bloody affairs. After Geanor conquered Oldwood and Empress Leana established the Empire, several alien features were introduced to the Woodling. One such feature was a national leader, who organized local leaders and armies in turn. Suddenly, Woodling society experienced the same governing system, law, and culture in all their settlements.

The Woodlings were stubborn and uncooperative with these changes for a long time. The effort level from the Empire to make the Woodlings fall in line varied in intensity depending upon the current Emperor or Empress. No matter how the Woodlings struggled, some change to Oldwood was inevitable in the end. The Empire was quite successful with religion. The Riahnish faith's introduction was quite warmly received in Oldwood, mainly due to the Woodlings' love for their community and family. Churches and priests were ordained, the ceremonies and edicts of the Radiance of Geanor were introduced, and slowly but surely, the Woodlings came to accept this new faith instead of their old gods. In today's society in Oldwood, the faith of Riahn is spread far and wide, and the practices of the Church are a part of everyday life, especially in the southwestern parts of Oldwood. Still, the faith holds little political influence in Oldwood. Instead, religion is seen as a private matter. Despite the Empire's success with the Rianish faith, there might still be lonely communities who stubbornly cling to old traditions or have formed new ones.

During the imperial age, the Empire invested many resources in Oldwood to modernize the area. This came to include proper education and the introduction of state-of-the-art technology. The technology and practical knowledge that was shared was quickly absorbed, but the more "cultural" education was met with more resistance, albeit, the least so around the capital. The education and the teachers given were foremost for the governors, their families, and closest allies, and second for the populace. The population's education was often forced upon them through mass meetings, usually in the village Church. It could be just children or just a slab of the population, depending upon the governor's will. Still, Oldwood prospered with a more educated population.

After the fall of the Empire, Oldwood was assailed on two fronts. Beornhelm raided viciously in the north. Malgrave exacted heavy diplomatic influence to pressure Oldwood to keep their imperial governing system, as Malgrave came to rely upon their iron ore and stone imports. Despite this diplomatic pressure, Oldwood lashed out at the system that had imprisoned them for so long. The duke of Oldwood, his family, and many regional rulers, their families, and their allies was attacked and executed. Oldwood then fell into an age of chaos as rulers and troublemakers rapidly rose and fell. The confusion was absolute. Do they follow the laws and use the infrastructure they all used for six centuries and rely upon, or do they create something new? And if so, what would that be? After this bloody period, most Woodlings transcended their need for vengeance and realized that they had destroyed the very system they all depended upon. From the ashes, they tried to save any piece of the destroyed infrastructure and reinstate old leaders that had been driven into hiding.

And all the while, the raids from Beornhelm continued to bleed the north dry. Oldwood approached Greenfield and Sirendale, who were also experiencing the attacks from Beornhelm, and offered an alliance. Soon, the Northern Front was created. An organization that shared intel, resources, and men to beat back the Beornish. Out of sheer desperation, Oldwood asked Queen Lysander's brother to become their new king and recreate parts of the imperial system in Oldwood. At first, the brother was unwilling, seeing how Oldwood had treated their last duke but was eventually swayed with promises of protection and submission.

King Lysander was a successful ruler. He helped Oldwood rebuild what had been lost, enforced a common set of laws and trade rules, and established a national army. King Lysander also paid heed to the independent nature of Woodling culture, and he approached governing Oldwood in a different way than the Empire had. With great patience and respect for the pride of the Oldwood's settlements, the new system of Oldwood was a compromise, meeting in the middle between the imperial transformation and the old ways of Oldwood. In practice, King Lysander increased regional power and allowed the regions to create their laws and trade rules in some national law areas. The few teachers that survived the cleansing allied themselves with the new lords and ladies of Oldwood and tried to pass on their knowledge in a similar fashion. As the Lysander family gave much independence to the communities of Oldwood, the tradition of education and technology today varies from area to area.

As a result, Lysander's royal household doesn't wield as much influence over their lands as many other rulers do, both due to their unique set of laws and Oldwood's culture. Just like in the old days, the favor of the Woodlings can fluctuate like the seasons. However, in general, the new system was a success for Oldwood. More noble siblings from Sirendale and Greenfield were also welcomed, filling in vacant positions in regional leadership. Over the centuries, some of these noble houses have risen, and some have fallen in true Woodlings style.

Within the last two generations of the Lysander line, much respect has been lost for the Lysander house. Many Woodlings complain that the Lysander household does not respect Woodling's autonomy as much as before. Indeed, Lysander has recently tried to consolidate power, but their excuse is that some settlements of Oldwood have strayed too far from the national baseline. This has only succeeded in pushing many Woodlings further away. The area around the capital is the most acclimated to royal governance and the Church of Rhian. Still, over Orean's Point, in southeastern Oldwood, the house of Ravenmoor has amassed a surprising amount of influence through mysterious ways. To the north, Duke Grimcolt has gone rogue, organizing the area and building fortifications to defend against the onslaught of Beornhelm. An act that has earned him quite a large amount of respect in many Woodlings' eyes.

#### ***The Wayfarers***

During the age of the Seven, the Oldberry woods were dangerous to traverse, with natural hazards, monstrosities, and bandits. Normal people required protection while traveling extensive distances in between communities within the Oldberry Woods. In part, this need created the Wayfarers' loose organization, who were all a mixture of wise healers, experienced advisors, and reliable warriors on the road. Before the Empire, each settlement in this forest had at least one Wayfarer. In harmony with the perilous woods, they lived outside of the settlement to encourage and ensure the Wayfarer's duty. As a bridge between the wild and the civilized. As with the community leader, the Wayfarer was also given gifts, supplies, and food for their services. It was considered a great honor to become a Wayfarer, and they are treated with the utmost respect, which often would tip over in fear. Most Wayfarer's lived interesting and comfortable lives, but also lonely ones as they were often set apart from their community.

To ensure immunity for a Wayfarer, they had a stringent rule to not intervene in their settlements' politics. As the war of Geanor was eventually brought to the Oldberry Woods, most Wayfarers did not interfere with the war, even though a victory for Geanor would result in the death of their organization. Some Wayfarers argued that their most important rule must be momentarily broken so they could fight for their existence. These members were shunned from the Wayfarer community, and they created another organization, the Shamans. At this point, the area that would become Oldwood had already been lost to Geanor, and so the Shamans took a final stand with the warriors of Beornhelm, defending their very way of life.

As history foretold, the Shamans and the Beornish lost this war, and the Empire rose from its ashes. Yet, both some Shamans and Wayfarers have survived to this day. As the Shamans' stance is more aggressive, they are hunted down and executed, extremely close to extinction. As the Empire's grip started to loosen, and in the end fall, the Shamans have bounced back with surprising vigor. The Wayfarers' more peaceful approach allowed them to survive in greater numbers after the Empire was established. But their refusal to participate in a conflict has allowed the Church to discredit their practices to the point that the Wayfarers simply faded away as Oldwood's culture changed. Maybe, one or two traditional Wayfarers still hold in a remote area within the Oldberry woods. The truth for both the Wayfarers and the Shamans during the imperial age was that they could no longer practice Soul Magic if they were to survive. Therefore, Soul Magic's mystery and its science have faded in both the Shaman organization and the Wayfarer organization. Today, both organizations act like natural healers, sages, and advisors to their settlements, where Shamans have no qualms with meddling into politics while the Wayfarers remain traditionally neutral.

#### ***Relation to the Church***

The Church's influence varies greatly from area to area. Some unique areas rival Crowhill in piousness, while others don't want to hear anything about it. The capital region is generally more devoted than the corners of the kingdom. This influence also varies in practice. In some special areas, the Church can have gained political influence. In others, they are restricted to just the ceremonial and the spiritual. The southeastern coast has been a rather devoted area but has rapidly lost its piousness in the last five years or so. Envoys from Crowhill itself have been sent to find the root of the issue and rectify it. No success has been reported yet from the high-seat of the Church. Strangely little information has been given as to why. Though, the Church of Riahn cannot spend too many resources in Oldwood as they are business elsewhere.

#### ***Relation to other Kingdoms***

The Northern Front, the alliance between Oldwood, Greenfield, and Sirendale, is still remembered in a warm light by the three kingdoms, despite their shortcomings of cooperating in the last years of the alliance. Many sympathizers have arisen to argue that the Northern Front must be revitalized. However, Sirendale is pressured by Armathain to not involve themselves. Greenfield has been half taken over by Beornhelm in the north and Malgrave in the south, and Oldwood is losing its cohesion.

Out of all the kingdoms upon Frostmark, Oldwood can somewhat stand the Fieldish, Sirens, and the Clans of the Great Grass Sea more so than other people in Frostmark. The noble families of Oldwood have family and cultural ties to both Greenfield and Sirendale, which improves this relationship further. During the invasion of Greenfield by Beornhelm, Oldwood tried to send relief packages to Greenfield. Still, after a few Beornish raiding parties managed to attack them and rob them while they had passed over the border, Queen Lysander decided to end the effort. After all, Oldwood is facing its challenges. Greenfield had hoped for military help from Oldwood, and the diplomatic ties between the Fairfax royal household and the Lysander house have continued to sour.

Before the Beornish invasion of Greenfield, the aristocracy of Greenfield and Oldwood frequently traveled over the border during celebrations and for business. After the invasion, traversing the northern and central border to Greenfield is considered too dangerous. As for Sirendale, there is no secret that the Lysander family has heard the pleas from the Light of Lysander rebels and are seriously entertaining solutions to their plight.

Contrary to common belief, Beornhelm was allowed to trade in some communities in Oldwood, but only under strict oversight. After Duke Grimcolt took over, this practice changed, and the northern border to Beornhelm, as well as the northern ports, were ordered completely closed. Woodlings don't care much for the Clans, as they have mostly left each other respectfully to their own devices. If one or the other accidentally wander into foreign territory, they are sternly but politely removed by either party.

#### ***Military***

Oldwood's standing army is today limited to the region surrounding the capital. In comparison to many other kingdoms, it is relatively small and ill-equipped. However, the Woodlings are known for their extreme measures when protecting their lands and communities, otherwise peaceful citizens showing surprising amounts of bravery and skill for their status. The few times Woodlings have attempted to invade other people, the Woodling army would always lose discipline. As there would be no common goal, in the end, the different factions would simply raid and then return home in boredom, or they would be easily beaten back to the lack of cohesion.

The soldiers of southern Oldwood, controlled by Lysander's royal household, are trained in a version of Sacred Arms tactics. The more independent areas rely on their more traditional guerilla with ax and bow tactics. But the individual community can have their militaristic traditions.

#### ***Royal House of Lysander***

***Ruler***: Queen Mirnova (30 years)

***Family***: Deceased King (31 years), sister (27 years), son (9 years), and a daughter (2 years).

***Coat of Arms***: A white shield with a horizontal green line displayed in the middle, with half of a green sun displayed just over it, like a green sunrise.

***Rule***: Officially all of Oldwood, but realistically Oakheart capital, Pinefront city, and Maplepost town.

Queen Mirnova is struggling to keep her kingdom in control. The Queen herself is not a terrible ruler. She is widely admired amongst her supporters, but pressure from Malgrave in the south, western regions growing more distant, and the northern territories almost in open rebellion has forced her to make hard decisions. She had to neglect most of the country to keep control of her home base. This hasn't improved the situation in the north or the east. She is desperately searching for a way to keep Oldwood together, and ever since her husband mysteriously died on his way home from a diplomatic journey to Alderholt city, this has become a personal matter for her. Mirnova has now successfully cemented her control in the central areas of the kingdom and can now finally search for a western problem solution. The Queen is known to be stubborn, full of energy, and prone to worry and stress.

#### ***House Grimcolt of the Iron Barricade***

***Ruler***: Duke Valerian (27 years)

***Family***: Deceased brother (20 years)

***Coat of Arms***: Coat of Arms: A red and black saltire shield with a green gate displayed in the middle

***Rule***: Deepgate city, Embersworth city, and Aramore town

Duke Grimcolt's brother died in a Beornhelm raid just a few years ago. Duke Valerian of Grimcolt, his brother, and his soldiers were tasked with defending Aramore town against a raid even if they were outnumbered. The capital had promised that reinforcement would come, and so the brothers entered the battle. However, the reinforcements didn't arrive in time, Grimcolt's men were decimated, and his brother tragically died while defending the duke.

Somehow, victory was still Valerion's, but it was bittersweet. After that fateful event, the duke decided that the capital was unable to defend the north. He swore to only rely on himself and the lands around him to support their cause. He took control over the towns and villages in the north, trained the troops, and used his tactics. Two years ago, he started his most ambitious project yet, building a wall and coining his forces' nickname, the Iron Barricade. Valerian is said to be a charismatic leader, compassionate to the smallfolk, but ruthless when he has to be.

#### ***House of Ravenmoor***

***Ruler***: Count Alexei (32 years) and Countess Larissa (29 years)

***Family***: None

***Coat of Arms***: A red and black saltire shield with silver ravens rising in the black fields

***Rule***: Alderholt city, Eyke town and Fenby town

The Ravenmoor house has a clouded origin, they arose in the western region to nobility, but no official documents detail their rise or where they come from. Uniquely, the count and countess share the burden of ruling, the overwhelming tradition in Frostmark being one dominant individual within a ruling family. Somehow they rose in power in Fenby town, then took over Alderholt city, an important port city, and soon the town of the island of Eyke joined. There are many rumors of strange events in the region, and scouts who are sent to investigate usually wind up dead. The few accounts that make it out of the southwestern coast say that the Ravenmoor couple is brilliant and visionary, while others describe them as cruel and tyrannical.