Northern Covenant

> *"I personally like the North, Not it's people. A bunch of greasy cutthroats, if you ask me! But the country: Now that is a place, where you can settle down..."*
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> R.J. Faulstead, *"The Lexicron"*
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The continent is also known as 'The Free Northland' or simply 'The North', consist of a federation of singular, independent states, who once were part of the original three North-Kingdoms. Now, they are the northern centre of the modern world, industrialisation one of the biggest trade-alliance of the Known World.

## Northern Covenant

### Regions

RørlandLeinenström

Lillerås

Sundheim

Stravien

Arding

Troems

Varborg

Soboise

Valrè

The Tilmegen

Bergenfall

Besides that, the North is known for corruption of political and economic nature. This is also the reason with the Covenant is known as 'the land of opportunities'. It is as easy to rise to the top there, as to fall to the darkest deepths.

## History

### Founding

Originally, the early settler came from the Hansalands and the peninsula of Laiin, around 3:148 of the Mortal Eras. They crossed the Bergian Sea into the North, to avoid the constant conflicts, reigning over the South. They hoped, they could start a new, peaceful life there. The two original tribes settles on different places of Vona and managed to live together peacefully. Sufficient land to expand on, made it easier for the rather small numbers of settlers to find their own and avoid each other. A rising conflict with the native T'cane lead to a third nation, consisting of warriors of both groups. From this the kingdoms Berland in the north-west, Galawin in the south-east and Haalfinia in the east emerged.

### Three-Corner-War

The peace between the kingdoms did not last though. As the borders of the Three grew closer, the room for expansion withered, and the *North* became more and more like the South. In the year 3:424, the Three-Corner-War began between the Three.

In the following years, the *North* was locked in a constant state of war. Berland fell first, in the year 3:366, after Galawin and Haalfinia united against them. Only four years later, Haalfinia betrayed Galawin, as their leader the Mage-King disappeared, leaving it leaderless.

Around 3:369, Haalfinia was in control over the entire continent, cementing their victory. But the glory and spoils of war did not last forever. The regions and people of the war's losers suffered greatly, leading to a rebellion, supported by the last remnants of the berlandian and galawinian Armies. They freed themselves from their occupiers, who were unable to hold the land. The war took too much of it's power, to maintain law and order for long and the Kaiserreich broke apart again.

After the failure of grandeur, the Kaiser's own people turned against him, and Bartjan van Lyneen was forced to flee his home, together with all his loyal subjects. beyond the Frozen Sea, they found their Exile. The great powers of the *North* fell apart, turning into numerous, smaller nations.

### Valarian Aggression

In the following years, the Northerners lived as ‘free folk’ since the start of the Three Corner War, governing themselves in several, separate smaller countries, risen from the former Kingdoms. But it was not peaceful times, as the several nations constantly fought and bickered amongst each other, making the face of Vona an ever shifting one.

It all changed when strange ships landed on the island of Rørland. The Legiones of the Eternal Empire fell up the island like locust, conquering it in a heartbeat. This first step of a continent-wide conquest was the start of the Fourth Era, the *Golden Era*.

In mere five years, the Valar conquered most of the northern nations, making Vona a province of the Empire. The dissension amongst each Northerner nation made this especially easy, as they only banded together to fight the
threat, when half of Vona was already under imperial rule. All requests for help sent to the southern Human nations, were dismissed, or ignored.

Only the people of Bergenfall, the former heart of Haalfinnia, managed to hold theirs against the Legiones coming from the west. Since landfall on Rørland, the Bergians prepared for the coming storm, having fortified the entire region of Bergenfalls narrow western border. There, the Legiones‘ advance was first halted, as they charged against the bergian bulwark.

The Bergians would have hold this siege as well, if not for black ships crossing the Frozen Sea to the east. The former Kaiser-Family send their troops, hoping to take back their homeland as the Bergians fought at its
western front.

Caught between to enemy forces, the Bergians once again sent message to the South, being denied help once again. But while the lords and ladies of Ghalgenia did not act, the Church of the Divine Right answered. As most of Ghalgenia were pious people at that time, they followed the Church’s call for another Grand Crusade against the foreign and heretical foe, threatening their northern brethren.

Crossing the land bridge to Bergenfalls south, the Crusade fell upon the haalfinnian forces around 4:114, killing the ruling Kaiser Aart II in the process and pushing the exiled Haalfinnians back over the Frozen Sea. Invigorated by this first victory, the Crusaders fell upon the Legiones, who were caught of guard by the fanatical Human forces.

Around 4:170, even Rørland is liberated, after the Crusade cut their path from east to west through Vona. With that, the
former nations were restored, although all were forced into a pact, to avoid further animosity between each neighbour. To unite the North against any further outside threats, the *Northern Covenant* was formed, were all members debated and instituted the politics of Vona together.

### The New Age

The Crusade left behind some scars in the land. The valarian population, which still lives on Vona, suffered enormous crimes at the hand of the crusaders. Even some humans long to return the *North* into the hands of the Empire, as they saw their occupation as a blessing of peace and properity. The Church itself was guilty of war-crime during that time, leading to revolts far in the South and the founding of the Renetizism.

   Inside the *Covenant* formed different political groups: Some people, with Rørland at its spear tip, want to return to the Empire. Leinenström, Lillerås, Sundheim and Varborg combined their efforts under the Mining-Union, standing for their rights inside the *Covenant*, especially in those countries, where the needed Ley-Ore can be found. The South-North Trade-Alliance of the coastal states of Stravien, Troems, Valrè and Soboise was the answer to the Union, looking to enrich themselves with the trade, rather than the inland-states.

Addionally, there is Arding caught in the political crossfire, with all major coalitions trying to get their vote inside the parlament to gain the majority. The haalfinian states Bergenfall and the Tillmegen, do not care about the political going-on of the *Covenant*, and the first is rather focused on holding back the threat of the Haalfinian Exile. It also receives payments and resources from the other Covenant-Members, to maintain they lacking economy.

## Culture

Over the centuries, all kind of people settled in the *North*. In the beginning, some tribes of the nomadic T'wica lived in the eastern regions, but were displaced by human settlers, during the Third Age. Nowadays, the *Covenant* is a Human dominated place, which was founded by settlers from Ghalgenia. The three original kingdoms were: Galawin at the south-east coasts, Berland near the mountains in the north-west, and Haalfinia in the far east.

Those "first" settlers took parts of their religions and culture from the south, like the believe of the Old Gods, into their new home. But even the late T'wica influenced the *Northerners*, giving them an insight into the Feral Gods. To this day, some Druidic Circles remain, like the Circle of Yggtrad. Some rural people actually prefer those primal deities to newer gods like Levain.

Of course, one of the biggest religious institution in the *North*, like most human countries, is the Divine Right. A movement from the South, which is often seen as a cornerstone of modern society. Through the Crusade, the Church gained an especially questionable reputation in the North. Whilst some completely support the Church, some remember their crimes doing that time, which actually led to the rise of the Renetizism, who gain more and more followers in the North.

The only other believe partly practised by the *Northerns*, is the Imperatori-Deus, brought overseas by the Valkar. Even if they do not completly believe in the God-Emperor anymore, they still practise the faith in a reformed, more spirital way.

Because of numerous wars and conflicts in the last ages, the people of the *North* learned a certain pragmatism, and even cynicism. Instead of being the victim of other powers, the *Northerns* decided to take the reigns into the future. They were amongst the first to adopt the Industrialisation, which came from the Neo-Thaska Domain.

While countries like the Hansalands or the Empire hang to their traditions and old ways, the *North* adopted, similar to the Frayhilden Republic and the peninsula Laiin, the new Age amongst the first. Now, they are on top of the Known World and the *Northern Covenant* has became a poster-child for the Age of Change.

## People

* Galawins
* Berlandians
* Haalfinns
* Profugii Valar
* T'cane Tribes

## Politics

The *North* consist of singular nations, who try to work together inside the *Covenant*. Technically, there is no real monarchies in the *North* anymore, but over the years, many rich and the delegates of the nations took over as the new nobility.

Whilst in Berland, the Kaparls, old family-clans, reign as the most traditional system, Galawin is ruled by the Baronates the coastal areas. Inside the former Haalfinia, they use the Paragons as their leaders: People, who have been chosen to rule by their abilities, instead of blood. Those vary, depending on their profession, and what the country needs to survive.

Inside the political system of the parliament of the *Covenant* reign three big parties supreme, always fighting for the dominance inside the congress.

* Mining-Union
* South-North Trade-Alliance
* Imperial Separatists

## Regions/Nations

* Rørland
* Leinenström
* Lillerås
* Sundheim
* Stravien
* Arding
* Troems
* Varborg
* Soboise
* Valrè
* The Tilmegen
* Bergenfall