The differences between the Seolhi and outsiders, known as Dryfolk or Wertrak in the Seolhi tongue, are as numerous as they are extreme. As such, they are one of the most easily recognizable peoples, though this is marked through their way of dress rather than their features. For the limited breeding pool they have, the Seolhi are actually remarkably different in appearance from family to family, though it can be agreed that on average, the Seolhi are shorter and skinnier than their well-fed Dryfolk neighbors. Some are tan and dark-haired, others are pale and light-haired, others still are a mix of the two.

However, these features are usually hard to surmise due to the Seolhi's custom manner of dress. The Seolhi cover themselves in a thin paste of ash and mud each morning, which is used to protect them from being sunburned by the light reflected in the snow and water they spend most of their lives near. Aside from their protective layer of mud, the Seolhi will also occasionally cover themselves in animal blood before important battles and hunts, which is used as a rudimentary form of psychological warfare. The men typically cut their hair into short mohawks, while women similarly shave the sides of their heads while keeping their hair long enough to pull into a bun or ponytail.

In lieu of fabrics, the Seolhi dress exclusively in leather and furs -- particularly seal pelts -- which are usually waterproofed with whale blubber. Many Seolhi wear bone and ivory jewelry in the form of necklaces and piercings, which are either in their earlobes or through their nasal septums. In addition to their piercings and jewelry, some Seolhi file their most visible teeth to points. Due to the lax stance on cannibalism held by the Seolhi, many have varying degrees of Hermit's Fever and can be recognized by their yellowing sclera and tremors. This is frequent enough in the Seolhi to make their name in the XXXXXXX native language "Stavkinre", which translates roughly to "Stewers of kin"

To an outsider, from what little is known about the Seolhi it is easy to assume they live short, wretched lives. Their diets subsist almost entirely of fish, scavenged from the shore during low tide, caught by hand, or harpooned with barbed spears of sharpened stone. They have no nets, nor boats any more advanced than canoes, and what little agriculture they have is mostly done by their thralls who formerly worked as farmers. The Seolhi live in mud huts with thatched roofs and dirt floors, and rarely speak more than a few words of the common tongue. Though they are the most primitive peoples, their strange, barbaric customs and extremely territorial nature have always kept Dryfolk at a safe distance.

Seolhi culture is effectively that of a hunter gatherer people, revolving around their domesticated seals. Their dung is burned as a fuel source, their milk is churned into butter, and their speed is used in Seolhi hunts. Even in death, seal meat makes up a staple of Seolhi meals, while their bones are used for medicines and their skins are turned into clothes. Many Seolhi claim to be able to speak to the seals, though whether this is true or not is yet to be seen.

Backstory:
Nobody is quite sure which peoples originally crossed the Ironpeaks to emerge onto the valleys and plains that are now Irea, but they must have had a very tough time of it to start with. Orcs and Wargs filled the land, preventing the settlers from pushing out into the verdant valleys that would provide them with the food and supplies they needed, forcing them into the mountains themselves for generations.

Nevertheless, the Ironpeak mountains are filled with ore, so much of it that it provided the early human settlers in the region enough weaponry and protection to eke out a living through hunting and whatever they could gather, as well as allow them to weather the attacks by the local Orc tribes, and their lethally vicious Warg beasts. This ore would prove enough to allow them to push the Orcs back step by step, until they eventually broke through stronghold after stronghold, driving back and exterminating the Orcs in a stunning display of martial prowess. It is unknown what happened to divide the original settlers, but eventually the three kingdoms were formed, each with their own way of life and leadership.

The Ireans consider themselves the 'direct' descendants of the original settlers, having continued the tradition of mining and hunting, as well as farming the lands they reclaimed from Orc and Warg alike. In the great plateaus where the capital of Skycaden was to be founded, they discovered a race of horses, far stronger and faster than the horses brought with the settlers. This discovery eventually leading to the formation of the vaulted Winged Hussars.

The Marecams were quite different. Settling down in the great peloponnesian plains, they were the smallest of the original kingdoms, and the first to fall under the Irean advance. Where they had once lead a largely nomadic lifestyle, herding their sheep and harvesting any wild grasses that grew. In contraast, the Irea turned the area into farmlands, awarding Lords with areas of land for them to farm. Eventually, the Lords built up a large farming community with many a pasture filled with sheep and zathians, a race of large reptilian quadrupeds with a taste similar to a gamy chicken, and a hide famed for it's toughness when tanned.

The last group, the Narhets, upon searching further south, found the area to be filled with woodland, but with a great natural cove and wide open beaches, with seas teeming with life. Quickly capitalising on the maritime opportunities they were given, they became a seafaring race, hewing down timber to build great ships to explore and trade. The Ireans, seeing no reason to change this, have left Narhet in much the same way it was before, except with greater industrialisation. Large tracts of forest were chopped down, and roads span much of the southern part of the area, however the northen part, a frigid micro-climate filled with creatures so difficult to battle that even the Hussars fell to them, has been largely left alone, with a great wall built so that they may never enter civilised lands.

Each of the nations have their own capital. The Ireans have Skycaden citadel, built atop a massive outcropping, aqueducts bring water up and down to the main castle, where the royal family and their advisers, as well as the nobles live, the great city itself being mostly focused in the lower plains. The castle is also home to the Pegasi stables, where the Winged Hussars are trained from the age of twelve how to care for their mounts, turning them into a well-drilled fighting order of knights, who are the best equipped in the entire military. The main city itself is a sprawl of stone-brick houses and thatched roofs, with markets hawking Nehrat goods dotted around, their red tents fluttering in the windy climate.

Skycaden is also home to some of the best artisans and crafters in the empire. When the WoTK ended, there was an exodus of crafstsmen from the wooded region in order to utilise the precious metals and geodes found in the region. Because of this, many crafts are exported from Ira to Narhet in order to be traded away in far-flung ports.

Irea itself is much the same. The northern territories are filled with those mining the Ironpeak mountains, excavating iron, copper, silver, coal and much more in order to fuel the forges and smithies that dot the landscapes, much of the country is ruled from castles, with land owned by noblemen and worked by bought slaves, making many slave-owners incredibly rich.

Meanwhile, Nahret have Whitbeach, a city that despite great wealth, also has great poverty. Stilted houses, raised to protect themselves from floods are populated by fishermen, the great docks filled with state trading vessels and triremes side-by-side with small trawlers and dinghies, the High Lord living in a 'mini-city' in which most normal citizens never enter.

Lastly, Marecam has Sherwood, the youngest of all the capitals. Founded shortly before the War of Three Kings, it is one of the few places shrouded in woodland, with the great world trees providing shelter for the High Lord, whilst wooden buildings filled with citizens make a living by tilling the soil or tending to animals.

Of course, this re-unification did not come without a cost. The War of the Three kings was a brutal, bloody affair sparked by the Irean king's want of more land and resources. Raising the first of the standing armies that would become nigh-ubiquitous in the region, he marched his forces into Marecam, sparking almost fifteen years of brutal fighting that left thousands of soldiers and civilians dead, with many towns entirely burnt to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, the Narhet raised their own army and marched against Irea, taking advantage of the fact that their army had taken great losses against Marecam resistance.

It was at this time when the perfect mixture of coal and iron was found to produce steel hard enough to withstand blows, but malleable enough to not shatter on contact. The expense of it prohibited the making of widespread full steel armour, however making armour from 'hardened iron,' was much easier, and segmented armour made from this new substance, as well as lances and swords, were created at great cost, and the best knights from Irea were found in order to claim a Wylde Stallion. These new Winged Hussars, elite shocktroops that could ride faster and further, and with their armour protecting them from all but the luckiest or strongest blows, turned the tide of a losing war against the Narhet into a rout.

Narhet soldiers, many believing the end of days to have arrived, fled the battlefields, those that stayed found that even the commanders were shaken by this turn of events. When the power of the shock troops was combined with new battle drills formulated by Irean commanders, the Irean army finally was able to push back Nahret forces until the kingdoms were entirely unified.

The scars of the War of Three Kings, fought centuries ago, are only finally fading, rebellions and uprising by usurper lords and false kings occurring less and less frequently as the populace slowly fails to remember a time when they were ever separated at all, and at last the armies of the Empire are readying for a unified war once more.

Irea is governed by a royal family, who's word is law. The royal family is assisted by a council of fifteen, each with their own important specialisation in managing the kingdoms. Each kingdom is ruled by a High Lord, who take care over of day-to-day running of their kingdom, normally assisted by a council of seven.

The current ruling house is that of Santasia, who have been ruling since around 300 years ago. The current King (traditionally called Emperor ever since the War of Three Kings,) is Justain III.

The military system is in the middle of a massive shakeup. During the War of Three Kings, a standing army was utilised by each kingdom. After the war, these were disbanded to reduce costs, and instead each kingdom had their own local militia to suppress uprising. Now that Justain has deemed the period of integration over, the standing armies are being re-trained. There are, however, the elite Winged Hussars, steel-clad soldiers that traditionally form part of the Praetorian Guard and ride Pegasi (the only soldiers who do so.) who have existed since before the WoTK.

The Ireans worship a pantheon of Gods, each representing an aspect of daily life (similar to the Greek, Roman, Norse, Egyptian, etc pantheons.) Shrines are quite common, both as buildings and as small rooms within households, and although there is a priesthood, they are not particularly powerful, the nobles seeking to prevent them from gaining major power.

Technology wise, the Ireans are a mix of medieval France, ancient Rome and the Vikings. Wrought iron is reserved for knights and hussars, although crossbows have reached ubiquity for their ease of use, allowing great amounts of men to be trained to use them quickly. Almost every solder is armed with basic iron gear, and they also have catapults and ballistas roughly on par with those found in the Roman conquest of Gaul and Britannia.

The standing army is split into three divisons; infantry, cavalry and artillery, with the navy being a separate division largely used for transportation. Infantry includes the basic footsoldiers (armed with a spear and sword, wearing segmented iron armour) crossbowmen,(armed with crossbows and wearing studded armour,) and pioneers (scouts armed with bows and axes, basically no armour,) among others.
Cavalry includes light and medium cavalry (leather armour and spears/javelins and iron armour and spears respectively) the knights (iron chainmail as well as lance and swords,) as well as the vaulted Winged Hussars (Huberk and gambeson, domed & cheeked nasal helmet, mail mittens and leggings, aventail and a shortened, more angular kite shield. Also armed with lances, along with cavalry sabres.)
The artillery are literally just that. Engineers and soldiers that maintain and fire siege pieces.

The Skrælingjar are a people made up of eight different and independent clans, spread over as many islands. They are a fierce people, driven to raid the green lands by the nature of the rocky isles they call home and by the command of their vengeful and wroth Father-God, Sil. They believe they are his chosen people, and will only escape his wrath through the promise of even greater blood split in His name. Thus for centuries they have pillaged the coastal lands around them in order to protect their own homes and ships from disaster.

In accordance with the nature of Twin-Gods, the men are of the sea and the women are of the land. All the land belonging to a family or a clan is therefore owned by and passed down unto the female children. Conversely, all ships belonging to a family or clan are owned by and captained by the men. This duality appears and again and again in Skrælingjar culture. The domain of women is fertile and productive, therefore all children born of women belongs to her clan. The domain of men is destructive and takes, therefore all thralls taken by a man belongs to his clan. During the coldest and stormiest months, the men winter at the houses of their clan or with their wives clans if they have wedded outside of their own, although this is less common. Most of the menfolk will take their leave come the spring to sail and raid until autumn forces their return. In times gone past this would be only to war, but as the Skrælingjar learnt to eek riches out of Sil’s domain and even the harshest of Sara’s land, they have become voyages of trade as well.

The isles are poor for agriculture and mining, but Sil begrudgingly provides fish and the great grey ones to His children. With thralls to work the fields and the mines, some isles yield iron and grains, but many are still are dependent upon temperamental Sil for their sustenance, either by force or by choice. They use shallow hulled fast ships, powered by oar and sail to traverse the seas. They can also navigate large rivers, and can be beached safely without proper harbour - a useful trait for the hit and run style raiding they practice.

In appearance they are neither tall or short, though somewhat broader than the average human. Their hair is usually dark colour, dark brown or black, as are their eyes. The women wear their hair long and sleeked back with oils, the men similarly pull it back into a warrior's queue with the sides kept short. Furs and seal skin are the most common materials for making garments, although other leathers and woven garments are more common on the southern isles and the richer ones. Wealth is worn the person in torques and arm bands, and all people, men and women go armed about their business - although only men may wield swords, the women make do with long knives, axes, spears and bows. Armour is rare in the isles, with ring mail and helmets only being able to be afforded by the retinues of the Gunnar Jarls.



The clan culture of the Skrælingjar is based on matrilineal descent, children are primarily raised by their mothers and their uncles, not necessarily by their fathers. Each of the clans have a dual nature and this is reflected in their two chieftains. The island the clan is based on and all it produces is overseen by the Heimóðir, the Mother of the House (alternatively the Mother of the Hearth). The title is generally passed down to the first born daughter, but it is not unheard of for it to be passed to a younger daughter, sibling or even cousin if the heir apparent is deemed unworthy. They rule from strong houses, small defensible stone keeps that stand in the middle of their primary settlements.

The clan fleet and all it produces is overseen by the Gunnarr Jarl, the Chief Warrior or the War Chief. This title is almost always selected through merit, though heirs of famous warriors or those directly related to the Heimóðir often get precedence. From spring to autumn they rule the seas from their ships, during the winter they return to the islands, some will reside in family homes or the Strong House, whilst others will reside in great feasting halls specifically raised for the purpose of housing wintering warriors - these exist due to proscriptions about allowing warriors from other clans to sleep in strong houses as well a show of respect to Gunnarr Jarls.

However, these figures, the Heimóðir and the Gunnarr Jarls, do not exercise complete authority over the clan. Independent farmsteads and ship captains have a great degree of autonomy. Obedience is only required in calls to war and not breaking explicitly formed alliances. There is also the Seiðr to compete with, an independent structure of mystics, prophets and priests that interpret the will of Sil for the clans.

In recent times, however, the isles have become more unified than ever with the founding of the Tinvaal, a gathering of Gunnar Jarls of all the clans. It came about when the legendary war-chief Ragnar Blood-Reign of the Clan Melrakki married the Heimóðir of the Clan Otr. They then entered into alliance with Ragnar’s half-brother, the War-Chief of the Kópr, and his father, the War Chief of the Hroshvalr. With four of the clans united in alliance, some of the more powerful ones at that, the others were forced to follow suit to ensure their survival. Thus the Tinvaal was created.

The Tinvaal votes on the matters of war and trade and settle disputes between captains of different clans. It has massively increased the amount of trade that the clans do, and has limited the amount of warfare they engage with. Some have benefited from this and continue to push for this path, others, for reasons economic, religious and political, push for a return to the old ways. However, once again the clans have great autonomy and its rule is not secure, the oral histories and traditions of the Skrælingjar go back thousands of years, whereas the Tinvaal has existed for less than two hundred.



Clan Ari - Rulers of the southernmost isle (marked 1 on the map), they are known as voyagers and adventurers who travel further than all others. The Ari have the most links with the lands far to the south and often the most exotic goods in the isles land in their ports first. Traditionally one of the moderately powerful clans, as trade grows their strength waxes. Their sigil is the Eagle.

Clan Otr - Rulers of the island to the north east of the Ari (marked 2 on the map), this is the largest most fertile and agriculturally productive of the isles. Traditionally one of the most powerful of the Clans, their importance wanes in the increase of imported food goods and trading with the mainland. However, they still support a large population and raiding fleet. Their sigil is the Sea Otter.

Clan Bjarndýr - Rulers of the island to the north east of the Otr (marked 3 on the map), the uplands of this mountainous island yield the best lumber for ship building and the richest iron veins in the islands, however the terrain also constrains the clan population. Traditionally of moderate importance, cheap iron imports are undercutting the Bjarndýr's domestic production. Their sigil is the Ice Bear.

Clan Kópr - Rulers of the isle to the north of the Bjarndýr (marked 4 on the map), this island is typical of the Skrælingjar in that it is relatively agriculturally poor and lacks many natural resources. Trade has enriched this isle somewhat, but not as it has others, leaving some sceptical and in favour of the old ways. Traditionally of moderate importance, they have retained their influence thus far. Their sigil is the Seal.

Clan Fiskr - Rulers of the isle to the north east of the Kópr (marked 5 on the map), this island is small and agriculturally poor, but supports a relatively large population to its size. This is because the Fiskr are the most adept fishermen and whalers of the Skrælingjar, and their fishing fleets far outstrips those of other islands. As the populations of other islands has increased they have benefited from trading food to their neighbours, leading to further intensification on fishing. This means that they are militarily the weakest isle, but economically a strong one. Traditionally one of the weakest clans, they are now fast on the rise to wealth and power. Their sigil is the leaping Fish

Clan Melrakki - Rulers of the isle to the north of the Fiskr (marked 6 on the map), the Melrakki are the master traders of the Skrælingjar. The largest port of the isles, Port Thirsk is build in the western facing bay of the island. They are the richest of the clans, and the ones which have had the most gain out of the Tinvaal. However, this has caused great resentment towards them by others, and mutterings that they will soon be punished for abandoning the way of Sil. They are traditionally one of the most powerful clans, and have if anything increased in power in recent years. Their sigil is the White Fox.

Clan Hroshvalr - Rulers of the isle to the north west of the Melrakki (marked 7 on the map), the Hroshvalr are reputedly the greatest and most feared warriors in the isles. The location of their home, sheltered from the greater storms by the other isles, means they raid into the depths of winter. However, conversely this has also made the Hroshvalr worse sailors than other clans, as they rarely have to brave the wild open oceans. Traditionally one of the most powerful clans, they have retained their importance under the Tinvaal, but recent the incursion onto their raiding that it has increasingly placed. Their sigil is the Walrus

Clan Nāhvalr - Rulers of the northern most isle (marked 8 on the map), the Nāhvalr are considered the most conservative and traditional of the Skrælingjar. They follow the way of Sil closer than all others, and although they are fewest in number, they make up for this in zealotry. They are regarded as mysterious by the other clans and are known for producing famed mystics and warrior hermits. They have resisted all trading ways, and are the most hostile to the Tinvaal of all the clans. Traditionally one of the weaker clans, they grow more isolated and weaker still, however a recent alliance with the Hroshvalr may change their prominence once again. Their sigil is the Narwhal.