The Agean Arctic

The Arctic region makes up the most extreme Northern parts of Agea and the majority of its islands. Most of the arctic is made up of islands, with the mainland being separated from the temperate boreal forests of the rest of Agea via the Arctic Treeline. There are two ecosystems, the tundra's and the northernmost mountains called the Cordillera, both are harsh and barren polar deserts.

## Peoples

The Agean arctic is purely inhabited by the Hiuralik tribes, who make no permenant settlements. While there are rough terriotories between tribes, these are highly informal and hard to define on a map.

Before the arrival of Elothians in Agea, there was a redumentary trade network between the Hiuralik, Mnaiitloq tribes and northern tribes of greater agea. Generally, valuable raw materials are traded due to there sacrity. This includes copper, iron, soapstone and driftwood.

In addition, there is very little historical information on the Hiuralik, as while we know of small battles, famines and bad hunting seasons; they have an oral history that puts heavy empathasis on storytelling and mythology rather than strict documentation. It is hard to pin down what has happened to the Hiuralik as a whole because of the lack of clear dates and the diffrence in stories between tribes.

The first contact with Elothians was from the norsemen of Akreyri in about year CMLXXX, who landed on the island of Sioraguit. This expidition was lead by famed viking Gudrik the Red, who called the island Greenland in an attempt to entice more settlers, however the name didnt stick and people refer to it by it's native name. They have three settlements on the island, where about 7,000 Akreyrins live on Sioraguit today, as it never became a popular place to settle due to the harsh arctic climate. They are important figures of trade and act as middlemen between the Hiuralik and the Elothians. THere main exports are walrus ivory, furs, rope, sheep, whale and seal blubber, live animals such as polar bears, cattle hides and narwhal horns (Which are sold as an alternative to unicorn horn). They mostly keep to themselves and practice there own way of life, and there is very little evidence of ill will twoards the Hiuralik or vice versa. However minor disputes over hunting and fishing grounds have been reported.

These three settlements are Sandgil, which sits at the bottom of a fjord in the southwest coast, it is the largest production wise, yet is only home to about 1,000 people. It's where most of the sheep and cattle of the Akreyrins live. Guodalir is the largest population wise, and is located at the intersection of a few diffrent fjords at the very southwest tip of the island. Guodalir is where Gudrik lived, and was the first of the three. Between the two is a very small group of farms called Kaldbaksvik.

Outside of the Akreyrins, there is actually relitivly little trade between other Elothians and the Hiuralik. This is due to trhe harsh climate and preceived lack of resources. The Hiuralik also had very little incentive to begin trade because of the possible conflict (not just with Elothians but with other tribes) as well as it disrupting their traditions around trade within their ethnic group. These fears are aided due to a few hostilities between Hirualika nd Elothians, particullarly on the Paaluitsup Bay.

While trade with the Hiuralik isn't popular, whaling in the arctic definatly is. Whaling in the arctic began in year MDCCXXX and was spearheaded by Kilguard and Nieuwleen. Commercial whale hunting is practiced all over Agea, but is especially popular in the arctic due to the high density of whales and the eagerness to aide by the Hiuralik. While some sore opinions due to the lack of respect for taboos arive, most tribes will not allow the Elothians to whale unless taboos are followed. This is reletivly easy to accept, as even one or two whales is immensly profitable to these whaling companies. Most whaling in the arctic takes place in the polar regions of Maniitloq.

## Geography

The islands of the Arctic are called the Arctic Archipelago, there are approximately 94 separate islands in the Archipelago. The largest island in the Archipelago is the Paaluitsup island. The Saqluk island is the most mountainous part of the arctic, however, all Cordillera islands are very mountainous. And touches the very northern reaches of Agea. Kangaatsuaq island is the largest island of the archipelago, however, Sioraguit island is the largest island in both the arctic and Agea. Apart from the mountainous Cordillera, the Arctic is relatively flat.

The Cordillera is covered in icecaps and holds most of the Arctic's glaciers. The landscape is full of towering mountains capped with polar ice, glacier-filled valleys, barren icefields, and ice hoodoos. Fjords and giant plains of sea ice make up the coastline of the Arctic.

Various meteor craters dot the Arctic, these are important sources of steel used by the native Hiuralik tribes. The Agean arctic is home to the largest arctic lake (Lake Tasiutat) and the northernmost mountains (Challenger Mountains) in Ilaria. It is also home to the largest vertical drop, going down from Mount Kalluk. The highest mountain in the arctic is Mount Nutaarsoq, and the largest mountain range is the Spirit Range. The Agean arctic is also home to the largest uninhabited island, known as Qasigiantaq island.

The largest ice sheet in Ilaria makes up the majority of the island of Sioraguit. Sioraguit is the largest island in Ilaria and is comprised of a barren tundra interior and a rocky coastline. The tallest peak on the island is the Nuusqaq fjord. Sioraguit is a common source of Icebergs in the Bracelisle ocean. At the bottom of the arctic region is the treeline, which separates the barren tundra from the lush, evergreen boreal forests.

The Arctic is divided into two biomes, the mountainous cordillera of the archipelago and the barren tundra of the mainland and larger islands. The Arctic seas are always full of sea ice. While in some areas, the sea ice melts slightly in the summer, it will always remain floating in the water. In addition to the Sea Ice, the ground will also generally stay frozen throughout the year, resulting in most of the ground being composed of permafrost. However, the top layer of soil will melt back in the summer and allow for plant growth.

## Climate

In the winter, the sun does not rise during the day. The brightest the sun will reach is a dusk-like condition at midday. The temperature is at its absolute coldest, the winds are their strongest, the ground is permanently frozen and the snow is at its deepest. All of the water is frozen in thick sheets of sea ice, and most animals have migrated south or are in hibernation.

In the spring, the days are long. However, the winter weather persists, with cold weather, heavy snow, and strong winds. Animals begin to emerge from the treeline and the tallest of the arctic plants become visible through the snow.

In the Summer, the sun does not set during the night. The darkest the sky will get is a dusk-like condition during the middle of the night. The temperature is at its warmest, although it is still a measly -2 degrees celsius. Rain begins to fall and the snow and sea ice will melt. Plants flower into life and the arctic is rich in animal life. In some areas, there is so little snow that it resembles a giant bog rather than an arctic landscape.

In autumn, the days are shorter. The ice begins to freeze and the rain turns to snow. Winds become bitter, plants die and animals retreat underground or back past the treeline. The Arctic faces earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones, and iceberg calving.

In the summer, the tundra ice melts and turns the landscape into a bog-like environment. This is when the arctic truly comes alive. The Arctic is always extremely cold, even during the summer months. With an average temperature of around -25 degrees Celcius. However, this average drops to -45 on the island of Sioraguit and the northernmost Archipelago islands.

Rain only falls in the summer, with the rest of the year seeing heavy snowfall. The northernmost parts of Sioraguit, and smaller islands of the archipelago, never receive rain. The arctic receives slightly less than 500 mm of rain per year, however, parts of it are dry enough to be considered a desert. Most of these areas are the islands of the Newsonee ocean, archipelago islands, and the northern parts of Sioraguit.

The Arctic sees average wind speeds of 22 kilometers per hour. The tundras and seas see stronger winds, reaching 32 km/h. The strong winds combined with the snow makes whiteout conditions very common. The wind is cold, dry, and nearly constant. The plants of the circle are small and die off in the winter due to the harshness of the Climate. They don't grow higher than the snow level, have very fast lifecycles, and generally exist as ground cover, lichens, or very small shrubs. There are very few plants and animals living in the Arctic Tundra.

## Phenomena

The most notable phenomenon of the Agean Arctic is the Northern Lights or ki-kuyat in the Hiuralik language. These magnificent lights are only visible at night in the arctic and are truly the most beautiful thing the ecosystem has to offer. They take many different forms, either as cloud-like patches, grand arcs across the sky, many rays of overlapping color, or as sun-like coronas of light. They can be any bright shade of red, green, blue, yellow, or pink. As the night progresses, the lights tend to form into Coronas.

The lights are seen as the realm of the dead in Hiuralik culture.