Description
Near the crown of the world, where the days and nights can last the moons and there are only two seasons, is a land of frost and danger. Across the steppes, vagabond and migrant tribes move their herds of caribou looking for forage and respite. Further north, the mountains that are the World’s Crown pierce the world in jagged toothy spikes, above which the sky frequently plays grand shows of dancing ribbons of color. And all through the wastes, once-great cities can be found. Some are stone, others are forged from the ice itself. All are cursed and haunted by the remnants of ancient days and broken magic.
Society
Society in the North is one of tribes and clans, migrant groups often of mixed races and lineages, bound together in the need to survive over generations. The Northern Tribes have universal customs, such as the roasting of a young caribou for the survival of a newborn past its first month, but mostly each clan keeps its own habits.
Originally, these were the lands of the Gavret, known now more colloquially as “Half Orcs” because of their similarity in appearance and temperament to the more brutish monsters. Once they were a race of high magic and grand oaths with both the Celestial and Infernal, wielders of both will and word who shaped their lands as they saw fit. And they had chosen the north for they saw no need for the other races to share in their power.
When the First Veil was broken by the Sea People, it reverberated through the magical landscape. It tore at the Gavret, stripping them of their magics but not unbinding their oaths, leaving the cities constructed through bound and chained spirits to go wild and angry. The Half Orcs that survived this cataclysm became terrified of the cities, and fearful of the hidden places of the world for many generations.
Now, the North is an escape for those who want to distance themselves from their past. Criminals, political dissidents, and others have joined the ranks of the tribes and created a cosmopolitan society, of sorts, among the hunters and raiders of the Broken North.
Culture
When two tribes come across one another, they have a kind of festival. The small tribe is expected to do the labor of setting up the additional yurts and perform the music and storytelling, while the larger tribe is expected to provide the food and liquor that make it a proper revelry.
Style in the Broken North is utilitarian. Heavy furs and thick leathers, with cloaks that double as blankets wrapped around the shoulders. Rarely is jewelry or wealth visible, the only sign of rank or position being the amount of armed people at a tribesman’s side when a stranger approaches.
When food is scarce, and times are hard, the tribes of the Broken North will raid travelers, adventurers, and nearby settlements for what they need, but do not occupy the places. If population numbers are low, they will take people with them, usually women and children, to force them into the community.
Religion
The Religion of the Broken North is pantheistic, more Druidic in nature than organized, leaving offerings to the storms that they be kind, and to the cities that they be quiet. They have no aversion to the religion of others, as long as that religion is kept private among that person and their kin.
Campaign Turmoil
The cities are full of wonders and treasures of an age of strange magic, not to mention ancient coin and valuable gems, waiting for the taking by adventurers brave enough to risk their lives. In addition, some tribes that count their leaders back to the Fall will pay handsomely for heirlooms that show that heritage. Even beyond this, there is something that calls to those with a temperament to adventure, gnawing and hungry, at the heart of each city.
Inspiration
The Half Orcs and Tribes of the Broken North are inspired by Mongols and Cossacks, with a smattering of Norse thrown in. The idea to break them away from just being the children of Orcs and Humans was inspired by the Urda from Dragonlance.