Northern Heartlands

*Far north of Edyn, was once a lush expanse of land previously inhabited by various settlers from Highfell. Now, its landscape is covered in ashes, and its atmosphere is permeated with thick layers of smog.*

## History

The Northern Heartlands are located towards the center of the continent of Aera and to the northwest of Edyn. Far flung and removed from much of the rest of the world, the villages that once dotted the Northern Heartlands were initially built on charters from the Kingdom of Highfell as part of a larger frontier colony. The people of these lands lived simple, agrarian lives and seldom traveled far.

In truth, the original settlers who accepted charters from the Kingdom of Highfell were a mix of, one, religious separatists who were often shunned for worshipping the same gods as much of the world in strange ways and, two, small time farmers who saw the lands near Highfell as being far too crowded for them to make a living. As such, the villages and communities that were formed developed a culture of self isolation; it was rare for different villages in the same area to interact with one another, let alone with the outside world. Instead of forming bonds and ties with the world at large, Northerns often held deep respect and understanding for the natural world and their place in it, as well as respect for others who hold that same understanding.

The colony towns of the Northern Heartlands rarely interacted with their Highfell sponsors. Often, they would send the bare minimum back to Highfell as part of their arrangement; some towns would even refuse to pay their taxes or simply forget that they were part of a greater whole. As such, when the dwarves conquered their sponsor nation of Highfell, many in the Northern Heartlands did not receive the news for months. Life continues as though nothing had happened for them; in fact several were happy to no longer be expected to pay any dues back.

However, on Rova 17th, Year 12 DR, fires broke out all across the Northern Heartlands, burning farms, villages and homesteads alike. At first thought to be the result of a careless accident, the survivors would soon begin to realize that the burnings seemed to happen in coordination from several different starting points. What made the involvement of Viggronian involvement undeniable, however, was that the many religious centers where priests and priestesses of the North lived and worshipped, called Septs, were individually targeted and none present at these sites were spared.

With the lands burnt down, the priests who could heal the Heartlands slain, and under fear of further attacks, many heavy hearted Northerners fled their villages and made their way south to Edyn and the surrounding area, hoping to start anew. A few isolated homesteads and farms were able to ride out the storm, however, and have stubbornly neglected to leave the area despite the tragedies that befell the rest of the Northern Heartlands.

## Culture

The Northern Heartlands are far removed from much of the rest of the world, meaning it was perfect for those who sought to isolate themselves from the business, drama, politics and dangerous magics of the outside world. Northerners led lives either on family owned homesteads or farms, or in small, tightly knit village communities. They were predominantly, but not entirely, human. While not necessarily prejudiced towards or even mistrustful of other races, very few Northerners have ever even seen nonhumans before and have a difficult time relating with them.

It was rare for Northerners to interact with others from outside their villages, and even interactions between members of the same communities could be seen as odd or treated impersonal and transactional in nature. Physical contact with others outside of one’s immediate family was often stigmatized as a potential risk of spreading disease or just plain unusual. Whenever interaction with other villages would happen, it would often be planned in advance and done all at once in huge transactions that could go on for days. These were the closest things to festivals the villages would hold, and the people would share stories and experiences with one another freely on these days.

Having been forced to leave the Heartlands, many Northerners have found it difficult to adjust to life in other lands, especially in Edyn. Being used to isolation, living in close proximity to others and being expected to interact with strangers frequently often causes them undue stress. Many such people seek seclusion, or find common ground with druids and other nature enthusiasts.

Nowadays, the Heartlands are a burnt husk of their former selves. The ashes of farms and villages and the charred remains of buildings as well as those unable to escape the fires dot the landscape. Very few still linger here, and those that do are dyed in the wool, self reliant types who look warily on others.

## The Northern Septs

Many small religious institutions called Septs dotted the Northern Heartlands. Just as far flung as the villages were, these Septs were home to priests and priestesses of varying ages. Youths were sent to live there and be trained to serve several functions that would be useful to the surrounding villages and farms, such as crop blessings and healing rites. These priests often rejected any violent or martial aspect of their religion’s teachings and focused purely on peace, healing and nature above all else. High ranking male priests were referred to as septons, and high ranking females were called septas.

Septs were predominantly segregated as either all boys Septs or all girls, and those who were members of a Sept lived there year round and would only leave to perform duties for the villages surrounding them that offered food and resources for the Sept to continue operations. It was unusual for a villager to ever visit a Sept to worship or receive aid except in extreme circumstances; typically a letter would be sent by raven and a priest would be sent to render services.

When the dwarves came to sack the Northern Heartlands, almost none of the priests or priestess survived, including many youths who were still in training. It is said that their spirits haunt the ruins of the Septs they were trained at. Some say these spirits still grant blessings on those whom they remember from their lives, while others believe that the spirits are vengeful and lay curses upon any who approach them.