Terrain & Geography

The city-state of Kierastahd's holdings range northward from its capital city, encapsulating the entirety of the rugged, frozen north. Mountains and icy crags articulate the majority of the landscape. Icy beaches made of round, grey stones are separated from the mountains by coniferous forests.

Cities & Landmarks

Like most city-states on the northern continent, the entire region is called after the name of its capital city. The city of Kierastahd is situated in a deep valley that separates the frozen north from the more temperate southern states. This valley, known as Kierastahd Pass, is easily-defendable, and has prevented their grasping southern neighbours from seeking to acquire territories beyond the Pass for centuries.

The city itself looks to be carved straight from the unforgiving granite of the Pass, and from its grey stone walls to its grey slate rooves, the entire city gives outsiders a heavy, foreboding feel. The main keep is constructed of a set of layered walls, the outermost of which can be shut off to serve as an insulating barrier from the harsh winter winds, but opened to create a breezeway during summer months. This breezeway is decorated with delicate carvings detailing the history of Kierastahd, its people, and its rulers.

Most people of the region live within Kierastahd itself, though there are small settlements along the coasts and built into the sheltered sides of mountains that house other noble families.

WEATHER & CLIMATE

The climate of Kierastahd is a place of perpetual winter. The further north one travels, the less the sun touches, so that in the most northern reaches, even in mid-summer, the sunlight only filters through in a murky, grey haze. Nearer the Kierastahdi Pass, summer is marked by the recession of deep snows into the mountains, and although it’s still considered uncomfortably cold by most Southerners, the Kierastahdi people relish the opportunity to spend time outdoors without the risk of freezing to death

RESOURCES

While it is often thought that a region of such harsh conditions would have little to offer its people, the mountains are rich with ore, though a thick layer of ice makes accessing it through most of the year nearly impossible. Softwood and medicinal lichens harvested from the forests that blanket the foothills of the region's many mountain ranges. Game, fish, and marine mammals are collected from the sea.

Hunting & Wild Game

While there is wild game to be had in the forests that blanket the foothills of the many mountain ranges, venturing into the wilderness of Kierastahd is not for the feint of heart. Wild and terrible things lurk in the forests, and those who stumble upon habited caves in the mountains do not generally live to tell the tale.Much of Kierastahd's meat is provided by the sea from the many fishing and whaling villages that dot its rocky coasts.

Agriculture

While some hardy root vegetables can be grown in the soil once it thaws, agrarian life in Kierastahd is practically non-existent. Fruits and vegetables are imported from the southern states, but most of their diet consists of game meat harvested from the edges of forests, fish and crustaceans harvested from the sea, and a great many cold-hardy herbs that can withstand the long and terrible winters.

CULTURE

The culture of Kierastahd is very much shaped by its climate. Food scarcity is a never-ending threat for Kierastahdi people, so large families are generally unwise. Most families will have no more than three children, though one or two is more common.

Societal Structure

Kierastahd is one of the only societies on the northern continent where individuals will use a second name, which identifies their clan affiliation. This is not necessarily a marker of relation, though it often can be, but instead identifies a person's allegiances. Families will be pledged into the same clan for generations, and alliances are made (and broken) through marriage and trade. Clan loyalty prevents most people from relocating to other parts of the region, as doing so would generally require a shift in clan allegiance, and pledges to one's clan leader are generally considered lifetime obligations.

The ruling clan is expected to treat all other clans fairly and equally, and a delicate balance must be struck to ensure all clans feel they have equal access to the King. Failure to show one of the clans the appropriate amount of respect, or showing any level of preferential treatment of one clan over the others, typically results in a civil war.

Kierastahd is a largely patriarchal society. Clans are ruled by an elected leader, who must be male. Upon the clan leader's death or incapacitation, a moot is held to elect a new leader. It is considered a mark of cowardice to try to eliminate one's rivals before the moot.

Gender Roles

Kierastahdi people have a saying: "Strong women make strong men." They believe that a man's strength is not learned from his father, but from his mother. While clans, and indeed the entire kingdom, are ruled by men, the home and rearing of children are the domain of women.

Marriages are generally negotiated by a woman's father, though if her father is deceased, a brother, uncle, or clan leader may fulfill the role. A woman who is unhappy one year after her marriage may divorce her husband without losing her property or her children. When a woman marries, her husband and his family are expected to build her a house which she will own upon their union, regardless of whether or not the couple stays together. Property is owned by women, and passed from a mother to daughter. Between marriage and inheritance, a woman may own many homes. It is not uncommon for a woman to keep a "summer home" and a "winter home" several days' travel apart, each of which is maintained in a fashion suitable to its purpose.

A woman's clan is that of her husband's. If she has no husband, she is considered part of her father's clan. Women are unable to pledge themselves to a clan, and any children (male or female) that a woman might have are considered to be part of the clan her family is affiliated with, though her sons may pledge themselves to the clan of their choosing when they reach adulthood.

There is no prize to virginity in Kierastahd, and so a woman who has been with men before she is married is not seen as flawed. Because lineage is of little import in Kierastahd, women with children are not undesirable; in fact, a woman with children may be seen as a boon, as those children may be raised beneath the clan banner, thus increasing the size of the clan and potentially bringing in new blood for future marriages.

Slavery & Prostitution

While slavery in the traditional sense does not exist in Kierastahd, a man who breaks a vow may find himself in servitude to the person to whom he made the vow. This servitude is set for a number of years as dictated by the clan lead or, in the event that the clan lead is the wronged party, by the Kierastahdi ruler.

What other regions may consider prostitution is considered trade in Kierastahd. It is not uncommon for unmarried women to trade sex and accomodation for goods or services, and men will often negotiate providing wild game or protection in exchange for housing, food, and companionship. These pairings sometimes result in marriage, though more often they are temporary arrangements designed to ensure the survival of both parties.

FAITH

Faith in gods does not play a role in the daily lives of most Kierastahdi people, though some believe that the goddess Aiatali sleeps nestled in the mountains. Creatures of myth and legend are considered very real by those who live in the region, and Kierastahdi children are raised on stories of wolves who walk as men, beasts who feed on human flesh, and giant ice spiders that haunt the caves of the inner mountains. These are tales passed down through generations, and it's impossible to tell how many have a kernel of truth to them, and how many are simply warnings to stay out of the dangers of the mountains.

THE WILD-GOD of the mountains

A small group of mountain people believe in a spirit that lives deep in the hills, among the trees at the edge of the Bahstwood. They call this spirit the Wild-god, and believe that one must kill a dangerous beast that lives in the mountains in order to be recognized by the spirit. The skull of the beast is mounted on a pole, and offerings of blood and bone are made in exchange for blessings: good hunts, prowess in battle, strength, and bravery.

Followers of the Wild-god are often shunned by more “civilized” Kierastahdi people as superstitious and old-fashioned, and most people in the region ceased following the spirit of the mountains around the time of the Shattering, having lost their faith when the spirit failed to protect them.

MILITARY & DEFENSE

While there are no standing armies in the region, both men and women in Kierastahd are taught to fight. No army has marched on the Kierastahd Pass in hundreds of years, but clan wars sometimes call these skills to be put to use. Men are often called upon to fight on behalf of their clan leaders, while women hone their fighting skills to defend their homes and children from attack by rival clans and marauders.

TRADE

National Trade

Trade among allied clans is common, and a smart clan leader will create a network of allies to supply his people with food and goods to make their lives comfortable. Local trades are conducted either by <ox> cart when possible or, during winter, by dogsled. Shallow-bottomed ships are also used to skirt along the coast and trade goods from port to port. Trading between Kierastahd's eastern and western clans are conducted through the capital city, as sailing north through the icy waters is impossible, and the high, cold mountains make traveling overland unfeasible.

International Trade

Clan leaders are allowed to seek their own trade with outside regions, though most find it more profitable to trade through the city of Kierastahd, which has more bargaining power and can therefore secure larger trade deals. The ruling clan takes a small portion of each trade, allowing the city to remain prosperous while also ensuring the loyalty of their supporting clans.Trade goods are transported either over-land viaGoakehnpulled wagon, or via small, shallow-hulled ships that stick to the shallows to avoid the beasts that hunt in the deeper part of the seas surrounding the northern continent.

ALLIANCES & RIVALRIES

Kierastahd has a longstanding rivalry withSardhoff, though this has cooled somewhat under the reign of King Stepan. In recent years, trade deals have been negotiated between the city of Kierastahd and several smaller Sardhoffian villages that are situated near the mouth of the Pass, though these tentative alliances have caused unrest within both regions to those who still hold grudges over the wars of previous generations.