A small continent far to the northwest of the Flannish Cities. While the coasts are settled, the frozen interior is largely unexplored, though there are reports of pre-human ruins enclosed by the eternal ice. There are a large number of active volcanoes, and some scholars have speculated that their heat might have created stable temperate micro-climates in the interior.
The eastern shores are largely dominated by colonies founded by settlers from the Norfjell Wastes centuries ago following the discovery of the continent by Bjorn the Explorer. These thrived for a time and had steady trade with their home region, but they were suddenly cut off from the Known Lands when Negroth the Doombringer ravaged the northwestern lands. The colonies had to survive on their own for decades, fending off attacks by native tribes and struggling through the bad climate with limited supplies. Even when contact was reestablished it took a century until trade reached its old strength, and rumors persist that many settlements turned to cannibalism and worship of dark gods to survive. The larger settlements are now bustling trade towns who trade furs and ores from the interior and serve as supply depots for whalers, but the inhabitants of the smaller communities tend to be sullen and distrustful of outsiders, and some show signs of inbreeding.
The western and southern shores are populated by a diverse group of native tribes, all of which make heavy use of fishing to survive. Few venture into the interior of the continent, believing it to be inhabited by all kinds of fell and unclean spirits, and they consider it an ill omen if the wind blows from the land. Sometimes, people are overcome by a cannibalistic madness believed to come from these winds, and if they are not struck down by their former peers, they run off to join the cannibal tribes of the interior.
Important Towns and Cities
Important Sites
Adventure Ideas
Designer's Notes & Resources
The Urbis equivalent of the northern parts of Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Iceland, and Hyperborea, with surviving Viking-descended settlements to boot. The cannibalistic spirits are inspired by the legends of the Wendigo.
- Alaska Wikipedia entry
- Canada Arcana Wiki entry
- Greenland Wikipedia entry
- Hyperborea Wikipedia entry
- Iceland Wikipedia entry
- Wendigo Wikipedia entry