Wintermark history

For hundreds of years the peoples of the extreme north, the Suaq and Kallavesi, were isolated from the rest of humanity by a troll kingdom that held sway over the mountain passes of Hahnmark. The trolls preyed on the humans and forced them further and further into the cold, bringing them to the desperate brink of extinction.

Tradition says that the Steinr, pushed from their southern homeland by their expanding population and by orc aggression, found themselves caught up in a long and increasingly desperate war for survival with the trolls. A small band of heroes made a desperate trek through the mountains to seek out the Suaq and the Kallavesi, enlisting the aid of the hunters and the mystics in a bold campaign. While the Steinr and Suaq harried their subhuman foes from north and south, the Kallavesi performed a great ritual that collapsed the glaciers of the mountains onto the troll armies, sealing them forever in a frozen underworld.

After the war a victory celebration was held in Hahnmark. A traditional Steinr grand moot – a Witan – was called, where three representatives of each culture spoke on the nature of their achievement and of what must be done next to survive. It is said that amidst the speeches the leaders of the Suaq, the Kallavesi and the Steinr each shed a single tear for the trolls, and that these three tears froze in an instant, becoming clear gems. These gems were collected by the most cunning of the Suaq hunters and set in a newly-forged crown which the wisest of the Kallavesi mystics used to crown Godric of the Steinr King of the Three Tears, ruler of a new nation, Wintermark.

While the first few decades of the new nation were tumultuous, by the time of the First Empress the Northern peoples had learnt the strength that comes from standing together. King Alof Bearneck was known to be a confidant and friend to the Empress. When the Empress spoke of her vision of one people united in defence of humanity, he was amongst her first and most enthusiastic supporters. The common opinion among Winterfolk is that they are the model for Empire and the bedrock on which it was built, and it is certainly true that both the Senate and the Imperial legal system are based on the traditions of the Winterfolk.

Emperors and empresses have come from Wintermark many times over the history of the Empire, especially when the enemies of humanity gather in great strength. They have traditionally been both wise warrior-generals and bold lawmakers and arbitrators, and the people of Wintermark have been instrumental time and again in helping the Empire to weather the storm and turn back the barbarian hordes.