Nordland

"Living under the threat of Norscans all the time, it does something to the Nordlanders. They're half-Norscan themselves..."

- Klaus Von Rothstein, Opinionated merchant



The Great Barony of Nordland is the northernmost province of The Empire, and is one of the only two provinces to have a direct access to the sea (the other being Ostland) since Marienburg and the Westerland purchased their independence from Emperor Dieter IV in 2429 IC. It is located between the Wasteland (to the west), Middenland (to the south) and Ostland and Hochland  (to the east). The heraldry of the Great Barony is a sea eagle holding a shield displaying a ship.

The Land
In law, the writ of Nordlands extends from the Ostland border west to the edge of the Wastelands, and north frrom the Great North Road to the shores of the Sea of Claws. The Elector Counts of Nordland have accumulated an impressive collection of titles and claims over the millennia, which if enforced, would make them rulers of most of north of the Empire. Reality has a way of foiling the most grandiose ambitions, however, and the Counts rule extends to barely half of the lands he claimed. Two great forests blanket the Norland coast, leaving Humans to exist in pockets carved out of the solid woodlands and along the barren shoreline. The eastern quarter includes the edge of the Forest of Shadows, which dominates Ostland. It extends as far as Erengrad-Middenhheim road, crossing it north of Beeckerhoven and finally ending on a banks of the River Salz. The Forest of Shadows has a dark, and dreaded reputation in Ostland, and that reputation has carried over the people of Nordland. Predatory giant spiders are known to lurk deep in the forest, while Beastmen and worse have been seen in increasing numbers since the great war began. Lumbering parties rarely travel far into the woods anymore, unless accompanied by armed soldiers. The increase danger has led to a fall in timber harvest, hurting the local economy and leading to rumblins that the Count is not doing his job.

West of Salzenmund and the Silver HIlls above it lies the Laurelorn Foresest, which stretches west to the borders with the Wasteland. Technically a part of the Counts domain, the Laurelorn is in truth a wholly independent realm. Its rulers are the reclusive Wood Elves of Laurelorn, the descendants of the High Elves who chose not to leave the Old world at the end of the War with the Dwarfs. By agreements with the Elector Count of Norland, the Elves allow Imperials to settle the area between the Rivers Salz and Demst, which enters the Sea of Claws at Hargendorf. The Agreement strickly limits numbers however, and the Elves must approve before any new settlements are made. This they have been loath to do, placing restrictions on what the settlements may harvest from the forest. The human chafe under these restriction, and the nobles have pressured Grand Baron Gausser to demand a renegiotiations. Impatient as ever, some Humans have made illegal settlements in the area, which the elves have threatened to remove by force, if need be. Some observers fear a coming class between the Elector Counts knights and the warriors of Laurelorn, but the war has held Salzenmund hands. There worries, however that elves may see this as a time to assert their rights. Beyond the Demst is the core of Laurelorn, a place Nordlanders call "The Witches Woods" out of their superstitious fear of the Elf Queen. Imperials are forbidden to cross into it under pain off death: even the Elector Counts of Nordlnd are under this ban. What lies within the Witches Woods is unknown: some have speculated that the Elves have no capital, living in nomadic life under the trees.

Old Books, on the other hand metion a nameless city of glass deep in its heart, a place that glows with its own light. Whatever the truth, it is certain that nether creatures of Chaos nor Greenskins last long once they enter the Forest, for the elves defend their home ferocously against all comers. The Coast of Nordland is desolate place, where a hard people eeke out a living from the sea. The whole coast is frequently blanketed by thich fogs and lashed by storms in fall and winter. This has made the Nordland coast a tough home for the Imperial Fleet, but since Marienburg seceded from the Empire the Ocean fleet has had no choice but to base itself here. The Fleet's primary anchorage is the growing Town of Dietershafen, which uses the provinces ample timber in a burgeoning shipbulding program.

From the westermost settlements at Hargendorf east to Neuses Emskrank, the shore comprises sandly lowlands often interrupted by marsh and bog. West towards Norden, the shores become mroe rock and covered by shingle as it rises to the coast of hills and Ostland. Here on the Drosselspule Bay, fishermen harvest vast numbers of herring and cod, most of which is salted and exported south. Wreckers are still common along the Nordland coast, as some people suplement their meagre incomes with the pickings of ships they have led to their deaths.

The People
The people of Nordland are descendents of the ancient Was Jutone tribe. Close brothers to the Was Jutones of Ostland, the Nordland branch of the tribe eventually became estranged from the more easterly settlements of their peoples. Eventually the early Nordlanders fell in battle, becoming vassals of the belligerent Teutogens, and frequent victims of Norscan raids. During the chaos that reigned in the aftermath of the Great Plague, much of Nordland's coast was invaded and colonised by the Norscans, leading to a mingling of the tribal bloodlines. Emperor Mandred Ratslayer, faced with graver threats elsewhere, had little time to answer the pleas of the Nordlanders, much to their horror.



As time passed and populations mixed, the Nordlanders adopted many of the customs of their Norscan cousins. Courts frequently resort to trial of combat, the contest taking place on a white sheet pegged to the ground. The first person to stain the sheet red with his blood is declared the loser and the guilty party. Older houses often have runes carved into their doors and window frames for luck and spiritual protection, and along the coast the longhouse style is still common. At feasts and gatherings, Norscan bragging contests have evolved into more genteel storytelling events, with each speaker trying to outdo the last. So great is the Nordlanders love of stories that they have become famous around the Empire as great storytellers. The folk of this province are said to be amongst the loudest and frankest of all the empire. They seem to lack any subtlety, tact, or common sense. Several local legends involve heroes who blurt out the truth at the vital moments, thus saving the day. Other provinces point out this is because Nordlanders are too stupid to lie. At their best Nordlanders are solid, straightforward, and honest folk, looking down upon (while lacking the guile of) the mealy mouthed words of politicians, poets, and soft Reiklanders.

At their worst, Nordlanders are churlish, uncouth, thoughtless speakers. Even the merchants of Nordland have this blunt approach, though they seem to be fine with double-dealings. Indeed they have found that shouting the final price has a profound effect upon merchants used to the subtleties of barter and negotiation. Many provinces point out that this is because of their mongrel Was Jutone, Teutogen, and Norscan Bloodlines. This mixed heritage has been a source of Nordlander shame. Modern Imperials look on Norscans with a mixture of admiration and fear, seeing them both as powerful warriors and wild, uncivilized barbarians, not to be trusted around one's daughters or sheep. A popular Imperial saying runs "Character is in the blood", meaning the ancestry determines character. Thus the Nordlanders are often regarded as "Not quite like us" rougher and more uncouth even that the wild and hairy Middenlanders. Another case of discomfort among Nordlanders comes form their current fashion among nobles especially in the north, for tracing ancestry back to one of the founding tribes. The purer the background the higher ones status climbs, and the summit is the tracing of a lineage back to one of the founding chiefs. Alone amongst the provinces, the Nordlanders ancestors were conquered by outsiders, which is a source of embarrasment for status-conscious nobles, particularly when dealing with arrogant Middenlanders and Stirlander bumkpins. The Middenlanders claim to have "bowed only before Sigmar himself" which is particularly galling.

To compensate, most Nordlanders are more vocally and demonstratively loyal to the Empire and the Cult of Ulric than almost anyone else in the empire. Their efforts ring hollow to some, while others see them as examples of duty and patriotism. Whatever the motive, there is no doubting their bravery in battle. When in an army with troops from other provinces, Nordlanders are rash in their desire to close with the enemy. At the battle of Frote in 2421 IC, the Nordland pikes were so anxious to come to grips with the forces of Chaos that they charged before an order was given, leaving them isolated on the battlefield and their own army's flank exposed. Since then imperial generals have been quietly advised to treat the Nordlanders "as they would a hound on a leash" - to keep them under control.

Renowned hunters and foresters, the Nordlanders woodland skills are so strong that even Hochlanders and the folk of the Talabec will grudgingly admit that they are "not too bad". Certainly Nordlanders are close to the land: the province has one of the largest communites of Rhya worship in the North of the Empire centred around the clannish villages south of Hargendorf. The Worship of the Harvest Mother without her consort Taal, is considered particularly dangerous in come circle of thought. Talabeclanders in particular are dismissive of this "women worship". They whisper that the Elves join the Humans for their religious rites at old stone circles deep in the woods, though speculation is rife, so no-one knows what really goes on in these ceremonies. The Elector Count is not comfortable with this, and is considering sending investigators to determine if the people of the Demst vale are planning a revolt.

A Nordlander's accent is one of the most distinctive of the Empire. Their speech is very harsh and fast, almost barked out rather then spoken. Nordland singing is said to sound "like gravel in a barrel rolling downhill."

Neues Emskrank

 * Originally a small fishing village called Pugblatter, the rights to the town were bought by an investment groupd headed by a charlatan named Jens-Pieter Reimanns, and which numbered among its backers three elector counts and several lesser but still wealthy and powerful nobles and Imperial Merchant houses. Their plan was to create two parts that would siphon off traffic from Marienburg, thus cutting out the Middlemen there and creating more profits for themselves. To this end, Pugsblatter was bought in 2460 and re-named "Neues Emskrank." The local residents were forced out and resettled in Wilhemskoog, and colonists were brought in to re-invigorate the place. The cartel built houses and shops to give the city a fresh look, they invested in warehouses to handle the traffic surely coming their way. and they built new trading caravels that would be the vanguard of their fleet.
 * Things went wrong during the contruction, so much so that the new residents swore the old Pugblatters were sneaking back to sabotage their work: there were fires and accidents, and once the town flooded when the Salz overflowed its banks, something that had not happened in living memory. When the first ship capsized after leaving the docks for the first time, people began to say the town was cursed. Of the ships launched from Neues Emskrank and its sister town in Ostland, Salkten, none returned. The cartel collapsed, the investors tossed Riemanns into a debtor's prison, and Neues Emskrank was sold to the Elector of Nordland for a pittance.


 * Now the town is a depressed fishing village that lives off the catch from the sea, whatever trade comes through, and money made in the service of the priest of Manaan at the monastery. The buildings have a run-down, ill-kept look to them, and strangers are not readily welcomed there. Surly townsmen and their hard-bitten wives and sullen children stare out at strangers from decaying houses that saw their best days long ago. Neues Emskrank has such a despressed, unloved feel to it that other Nordlanders have begun to speak of it as having a "taint."

Salzenmund

 * The capital of Nordland, Salzenmund rest among hills from which the flow the tributatires that join to form the Salz. The Elector Counts built tall castles at the top of these hills overlooking the growing city, once the meeting place ffor the western scions of the Was Jutone tribe. So narrow is the approach to the keep named the Jutone's Nest, needs no surronding curtain wall: just the great keep sites there, watching over the region. It is said by the locals that the Elector Counts can see the whole of his province from teh window of his throne room, which faces west so he can keep an eye on the Elves of Laurelorn. Salzenmund itself is a sizable town that is currently suffering from the loss of trade along the Erengrad-Middenheims roads. Many travelers and merchants would stop there for its fairs, where even the Elven goods are avaialiable. Brokers sell timber from the Laruenlorn here too, which commands a high price because of its exquisites grain, lightness, and durablility. And Salzenmund is home to the Nordland Silversmith Guild, which controls the trade in finished goods and ingot made from ore found in the nearby Silver Hills. The Smiths of Salzenmund are known for their high quality work, which is in demand as far away as Estalia.


 * In the town itself, the most notable landmark is the temple of Ulric, which is made entirely of wood and has stood for over 2000 years. A vast, three-storied structure constructed in a hexagonal pattern, the temple is unlike any other Ulrican temple in the Empire beyond. Some observers detect a resemblance to archaic temples of Norsca, leading to suspect  the temple was first built under barbarian influence in an earlier series of migrations and conquests. Inside, the Great Hall is open to the third story, and a smaller version of the eternal flame of the temple in Middenheim burns here. Ages of smoke has darkened the timbers within, giving them a smooth, black look and the temple itself an air of sombre purpose. The High Priest is Erich Granholm, a close friend of the count who thinks himself the equal of an Ar-Ulric in Middenheim. Salzenmund is a chartered free town, which means its govern itself in return for certain duties and obligation to its nominal lord, the Elecot Count Gausser. A council of guild masters and landowners make up the town council, while a burgomeister chosen yearly from the councilor handles day-to-day affairs. The current burgomeister is Maximilian von Kirscheschlage, who is quite worried. The war gave the Count authority to demand gifts of money from the towns notable to cover the hiring of mercenaries, which he is in no hurry to pay back. On top of that, the decline in traffice because of the war has led to a decline in revenue that threatens to leave the council members unable to meet the towns financial obligations, since they have already "loaned" considerable sums to the Count. Now von Kirschesclage must consider going to the Count for loans to cover the town's expenses. He fears this will give the Count the leverage he needs to demand the return of the Salzenmund charter or the cancellation of his debt to the councillors, either of which would spell ruin for them and the town's liberties.

Schlaghugel

 * Twenty-five miles south of Hargendorf on the west banks of the River Demst sits the abandoned village of Schlaghugel. Founded in the time of current Baron von Hargenfel's grandfather, the village was an attempt to slowly begin colonisation of the lands west of the Demst. One attraction at the time was the presence of an old stone circle, of the kind built by followers of the Old Faith long ago. The Baron, himself a member of the Cult of Mother Rhya, felt this was a holy site, and wanted to preserve it, and make it active again. Forty families were sent there to start new lives. At first garrisoned, after a few years of quiet it seemed like the elves of Laurelorn would tolerate this settlement; some Wood Elves even came to trade.


 * Then one summer five years ago, the people of Schlaghugel vanished; Traders reported the village empty. Klement, the current Baron von Hargenfels, sent his baliffs to investigate. He confirmed the reports. All the Villagers were gone, there were no signs of violence or struggle, no corpse, or indication of where they had gone. Even the animals were missing. The only clues were two words carved on the tree of the village commons: "fog" and "mercy."

History of Nordland
The dates are according to the Imperial Calendar, and are arranged from earliest to most current historical events.
 * 1152-1359 IC:  With the death of emperor Mandred, the counts cannot agree on a successor and the empire becomes divided into self-governing provinces.
 * 1414 IC:          After centuries of sporadic fightings, the counts of Middenland and Nordland sign an agreement to divide the contested lands of Drakwald.
 * 2173 IC:          The Black Ark Tower of Infinite Pleasures attack the coastal town of Handelsee. When the counts army arrives, five days later, they find no sign of the 8000 inhabitants that lived there.
 * 2302-2304 IC:  The Great War against Chaos. The army of Nordland is marshalled and joined together with  armies from the rest of the Empire, under the command of Magnus the Pious, to destroy the chaos forces of Asavar Kul. This they succeed in outside the gates of Kislev.
 * 2304-2305 IC:  Remnants of Asavar Kul's army rampages through the province, sacking Salzenmund. The horde is destroyed at the Siege of Stielstand by a combined army of men and elves, commanded by Captain Stefan von Kessel and Lady Aurelion.
 * 2502 IC:  The newly appointed Emperor Karl Franz leads an army to Nordland to reinforce the counts own army. Aided by celestial wizards and heavy artillery, they take a heavy toll on an army of Norse raiders.
 * 2502 IC:  Few months after the Emperor returned to Altdorf with most of his army, to the Nordland counts chagrin, the Nordlanders are still fighting to remove remnants of the Norsemen. At a battle near the town of Hargendorf, only the charge of a unit of Reiksguard knights keeps the army from being destroyed. The count, having lost many men and with his own son badly wounded, is forced to retreat.
 * 2521-2522 IC:  The Storm of Chaos. During the Storm of Chaos Norscan raids increase and Grand Count Gausser is forced to retain several of his troops, from aiding the besieged city of Middenheim, to defend his own province.