The Mighty Northlands

MIGHTY NORTHLANDS

Leader: The Mighty Gar'tuk - The story of Gar'tuk is one of constant strife, littered with rumors of ritual magic and torture methods deemed exceedingly cruel even by the barbaric standards of the Northlands. Summary: Gar'tuk is the greatest of nine Frost Giants that inhabit a vast glacial area in the northwestern hemisphere of Caelum. Through the use of his brutal cunning and a complete lack of mercy Gar'tuk has united the Nine Tribes into a loose nation, whose capitol resides in a massive ice palace called Ashdod. Located at the trailing edge of the northern glacial sheet, its people and their Master are invariably harsh. Gar'tuk is quick to remind anyone who will listen that he is the first generation of people (the Nine “greater” giants have an indefinite lifespan, since none have yet to die) to inhabit Caelum.
 * Motivation (abstract want): Ultimate power over the lands and people of Caelum.
 * Goal (concrete want): Crush the Skjoldras and sack their capitol, infiltrate and subvert the other major nations.
 * Conflict (obstacles): The great evergreen forest that Ullr has been cultivating, and increasing dissension within the ranks of the giant army.

The biggest concern that Gar'tuk has is opening the doors of Domstoll to the Tribes. With the ore from the mines he hopes to create an artifact that could awaken something at the bottom of The Deep Blue, a nearly five-hundred mile crack in the extreme northern portion of the glacial sheet. The crack has more than doubled in size since it first appeared thirty years ago, an occurrence that has not gone unnoticed by Gar'tuk. Attempts to enter the chasm have met with failure across the board, causing some of the Tribes to lose interest in the site, fearing it to be a place of evil.

Since the enormous crack in the northern ice sheet appeared thirty years ago, the people of the Mighty Northlands have become increasingly warlike. Under the leadership of Gar'tuk, the armies of the Nine greater giants have crossed the glacial expanse and rallied most of the sentient population. Within ten years of the formation of the crack, the giant armies made a combined insurgence into the lands of the Skjoldras and Taawa nations. Their complete destruction of the Skjoldras lands would have been of greater cause for alarm among the other nations, if they had not simply lost interest and retreated to their own lands when there was nothing left to destroy. There is little or no mention of their march into Taawa lands among the Northlands oral histories.

The seeming exercise in futility caused some of the less barbaric Northlanders to abandon their ways and take vows never to Rage again. Ex-Barbarians cannot rage but are otherwise unaffected, leading to many becoming scouts and guides (and in a few cases, blacksmiths) in other nations. These wanderers are considered traitors in the giant strongholds of the Northlands, but among the lesser tribes they are welcomed as great travelers and have developed some bard-like tales of their own exploits.

For the next ten years Gar'tuk waited, and when the time was right he struck again. This time he knew what he was looking for, having been informed of the Skjoldras discovery of a Monolith resembling the one that made up the central spire of the ice palace. The entire might of Gar'tuk's forces was sent to the cavernous city of Domstall with one order: capture the city at any cost. Unfortunately for the giant army, this time the Skjoldras were ready and extremely well defended, having the past decade to master their craft as smiths and their newly-acquired magical abilities. The battle on the slopes of Domstoll lasted for thirteen bloody months before the giants gave it up as futile, enraging Gar'tuk. It is said that he tore his most trusted general limb from limb for denying him his due victory over the Skjoldras, despite an offering of the hall-mother's head as a trophy of the campaign.

The armies of the Northlands have once again begun mobilizing for war. The sheer scope of the campaign will drag these preparations out for a year or more.

ASHDOD – Northlands capital The sheer size of the ice palace at Ashdod is such that it can be seen gleaming with reflected sunlight for miles in all directions. Even under moonlight, the palace maintains an eerie shimmer that clearly sets it apart from the surrounding land. Carved directly from a retreating glacier, the palace has been magically enhanced to prevent melting. A good thing, considering the massive fires which burn endlessly within its halls. Outbuildings by the score (the “city”) litter the tundra spreading south from the palace.

Ashdod is lorded over by Gar'tuk, the mightiest of the Nine greater giants of the Northlands. Hundreds of lesser giants, nearly a thousand goblin and barbarian slaves, a handful of yeti and the most vicious commanders of Gar'tuk's army reside within the palace walls. The remainder of Gar'tuk's personal guards and servants occupy the outbuildings south of the palace.

There is little foreign travel in the Northlands, and this is reflected in the “city” which is comprised of a completely disorganized series of buildings sprawling south from the palace. Infested with vermin (a great source of cheap food for the goblins or a starving Orc) and filthy beyond description, most of the buildings are no more than hovels, the exception being the occasional smithy and a few rudimentary workshops. Between the “city” and the palace lies an imposing grid of pit-houses filled with literally thousands of Snow Orcs, whose skin pigment is an extremely pale blue with mottled white patches. These Snow Orcs make up the infantry of Gar'tuk's army, and a brutal force to maintain order in the chaos of the “city”.