60% human, 18% danjir, 14% dwarves, 8% other
Though one of the older nations, Orlind remains a relatively untamed place where the borders between Zenith and the Realms Between are notably thin. Feykind and other manner of otherworldly creatures are known to appear in the wilds, and it was once home to a large branch of the Nameless Dark’s cult. Orlind remains a moderately dangerous place in the wilds, but common folk can find respite and safety within the walls of the many prosperous city-states that inhabit the land.
Government: Orlind exists as a series of city-states and fiefs all of whom pay some amount of patronage to the Amazonian Muses, who are led by a democratically elected Commander that serves for life. Each of the city-states are completely autonomous, often ruled by a hereditary monarch who claim titles ranging from jarl to king. In many of these cities, guilds of craftsmen also band together for political power. As a result, the schism between the working class and the merchants or aristocracy runs deep and wide. Many disillusioned laborers are drawn to the more rural villages, where a man’s worth is determined by what he provides to the community. This is how many of the smaller villages in Orlind form, though many are quick to be drawn under the political influence of the nearest city-state.
Economy: Orlind is rich in precious metals for those with the courage to brave the tall mountains and lush forests for those who can brave the wilderness. Many animals small and large provide rare bones, teeth, and pelts to be traded and many ancient giant strongholds and marshes provide venues for up-and-coming adventurers. The Rasz’ii have taken an interest in danjir craftsmanship as of late, and are known to pay a high price for certain ancient cultural items. Most city-states have a simple bartering community, though the Mad Jarl’s lust for gold has injected a great amount of the precious metal into the economy of eastern Orlind and has spawned a modest capitalist revolution. The Muses also make a healthy profit on specialized divine implements and tools.
Religion/Spirituality: Worship of Verana is common in Orlind, however many households also perform rites to appease nature spirits and the fey, particularly the Unseelie Court. When the Cult of the Nameless Dark was destroyed in Mortannia, Shadow Given Form revived it in Orlind, and though this branch too was eradicated by Krieg and the Muses of centuries past, small cells of cultists still exist. Living normal lives, these sleeper cells are responsible for much of the unexplained crime and dark rituals that still occur across Orlind today. Aside from the Cult, no religion is banned in Orlind and many city-states bear local congregations of Kabalites, worshippers of other Heroes, and even shrines to some of the Nether Lords.
Lifestyle: The Orlish believe heartily in the value of a good day’s work, and also have an insatiable love of alcohol (especially mead). Whether working at a mill in the city, or chopping down trees for a rural village, the women of Orlind stand next to their brothers and husbands in providing for their community. The Orlish work hard, and they play hard as well. Some of the festivals that occur in Orlind are legendary throughout the continent for their boisterous events and raucous rituals. The humans of Orlind tend to have large families, both of their own blood and by oaths granted to long-time friends.
Diplomacy: Since Orlind lacks a centralized government, each city-state is free to pursue whatever laws and treaties they wish with the rest of the world. Some of the southern city-states have trade agreements with Schattenburg and the dwarves of Straegenhammar. The various danjir villages remain resolutely neutral against all efforts of diplomacy from the cities, though a small amount of cultural exchange has begun to flourish amongst some of the less reclusive tribes. The various branches of the Church of Light maintain a network of contacts and embassies in Orlind, especially close to the Citadel of Stilled Flame, but other political entities have little interest in Orlind aside from its resources which are brokered through the Rasz’ii Merchant Consortium and individual city-states.
Military/Defense: Each city-state maintains its own army, typically drafted out of the populace and led by trained knights of aristocratic families. The army of the Muses is small but impressive and widely known for their emblematic plated helmets. The Muses are trained in dealing with supernatural and fiendish threats, while the armies of the city-states commonly deal with more mundane problems such as bandits, criminals, or rampaging beasts. Orlish militias tend to be well-versed in the art of trapping and hunting, and though the cities may occasionally quarrel with one another, they always unite against an existential threat.
Geography/Borders: Orlind is trisected by mountain ranges into three separate segments: northern, eastern, and western. These borders are loosely defined and poorly marked, but generally the northern reaches of Orlind are forested and flat, boasting miles and miles of arctic coast. Eastern Orlind bears dense forests and most of the more urban settlements of Orlind while the western segment is more rural and untamed. Orlind’s landscape is broken by raging rivers, tall mountain peaks, the occasional salt marsh, and miles upon miles of deep forest and bleak tundra. In the summertime these places can seem bleak, even desolate, while in the wintertime they are blanketed in a sheer pristine coating of snow and ice, lending a magical stillness to the land.
- Citadel of Stilled Flame – The mighty palace was once home to a clan of fire giants. Purified and converted in ancient times, it is now the primary stronghold of the Amazonian Muses. Much of the original architecture remains, giving the fortress a massive and imposing bearing. Much of the citadel is open to pilgrims and parishioners seeking spiritual succor, however the lower levels of the citadel are known to hold highly fortified prisons and secretive enclaves. The Citadel is something of a city unto itself, complete with inns, taverns, local craftsmen, and a local government consisting of a council of non-Muse craftsmen and merchants.
- Frozen Galleria – Beneath the Citadel of Stilled Flame lies a long hall lined with eerily lifelike ice sculptures. It is here that the Muses take the most vile and evil of demons and madmen, entombing them in a semi-conscious state in the hopes that they may be communed with and redeemed from their evil ways. No visitor is allowed into this level, and it is fiercely patrolled by the Wings of Verana and the Shards of Astros both. More than once, nefarious plots have been attempted to release the prisoners contained within, and they have all been met with fierce and destructive resistance.
- Bastion – The largest city-state in Orlind lies along the northern coast and is a bustling trade port that engages in commerce with some of the outlying islands, Mortannia, and the Rasz’ii Merchant Consortium. Rich from the nearby mines and forest and well-fortified from their sheltered position half-way inside a sheer cliff-face, no force has significantly challenged the people of Bastion since the banishment of the Nameless Dark’s cult. Many travelers to Orlind pass through here and the largest branch of the Orlind Adventurer’s Guild lies within Bastion’s walls.
- Reinar Falls – Once a thriving settlement in southern Orlind, the inhabitants of this village all disappeared in a single night. That same night, a large stone keep appeared out of nowhere on a nearby hillside. Few travel here now, and those that do tell tales of whispering voices amongst the empty buildings. The muses have sent operatives to investigate, but none who enter the keep have ever returned. Silent now for decades, the place has become a legend, with tales of the Sidhe or the Nameless Dark’s Cult being the most common.
- Verana’s Garden – A small thriving field of wildflowers nestled deep in the icy mountains, this holy place is as inviting as it is dangerous. Those who remain within the garden for more than 24 hours become inhabitants there, transforming into animals or plants from which they cannot be saved. It is however, an utterly safe place and is watched over vigilantly by the Muses. A single tree grows here, next to a large stone slab said to be Verana’s final mortal resting place. The flowers and leaves here are useful for spell components, but few are willing to pluck the beautiful flowers from the garden.
- Westpeak – Home to enigmatic Cloud Giants, dragons, and rife with hundreds of unmapped caves and tunnel systems, these mountains attract adventurers from far and wide to scale the mountain peaks or plumb the mysterious cavernous depths. More hospitable than the Daggertop Range in the east, small reclusive thorps have even cropped up along the sides of the mountains, attracting the foolhardy and adventurous alike. Tales of daring adventure and peril have been recorded in a popular book entitled: “A Thousand Woes of Westpeak.”
- Howling Phoenix Temple – High atop a great peak of the Southspire Mountain Range, a nigh-impassible natural border between Orlind and Kentaku, lies the Howling Phoenix Temple. Standing in defiance of the snow storms and howling winds, this complex boasts oriental styles from Kentaku but also has a distinctly Penumbran flavor to its architecture. Home to the Order of Shal, a monastic order dedicated to martial skill and enlightenment, the temple is welcome to all comers who can brave the mountain passes to reach it. The temple is technically claimed by Kentaku, though its geography places it closer to Orlind, and it is easier to reach from the Orlind side.
Variants: A human racial variant is available for Orlind.
Prominent Figures:
- Vela (Female Human Paladin) – The Commander of the Muses is a silver-haired woman of indeterminate age. Though clearly aged, she remains more hale and vital than many of her younger peers. Some say she has been granted immortality by Verana’s blessing, but Vela coyly demurs whenever she is asked. A wise and matronly woman known for her pragmatic attitude, she is commonly found at the Citadel acting as a coordinator between several other branches of the Order. Foreign rulers who seek to establish diplomatic ties with Orlind typically go through her as opposed to any particular city-state.
- Vikla Rothbourne (Female Dark Elf Inquisitor) – A foreigner from Penumbra, Vikla does not speak of her past. She distinguished herself during the Mad Jarl’s War by infiltrating his fortress and opening the gates so the armies of the Muses could advance. Her deeds earned her a place in the martial arm of the Muses, and after thirty years she now commands the Shards of Astros, their fearsome ebon-plated inquisitors. Stern, short, and undeniably beautiful, she has a reputation for being utterly pitiless in the execution of her duties.
- Aeveryn (Female Succubus Oracle) – Daughter of a Nether Lord of Destruction and once wed to a Lord of Deceit, Aeveryn is a creature with a tormented past who has turned from her heritage as the Queen of Lust to stand as a bastion of good in a difficult world. Once considered destined to sit on the Hand of the Nether Realms, Aeveryn’s chaste life has robbed her of much of her original power. She commands the Wings of Verana, an ascetic caste of the Muses who focus on spiritual enlightenment and the resistance of temptation and evil.
- Rolf Gundarrson, Duke of Bastion (Male Human Aristocrat) – The Lord of Bastion has dreams of a unified political entity of Orlind, preferably under his rule. His family has long been troubled by the amount of power the Muses exert over the common folk of Orlind, and he is a frequent, but polite opponent of the Church’s political aims. The rise of the Mad Jarl has given his ambitions some pause, but he is already engaging in back-room meetings with other lords to gauge the formation of a confederacy or republic.
Denizens of the Frozen Galleria:
- Azkhar, The Mad Jarl (Male Human Rogue/Sorcerer) – Consumed by tainted Greed, the Mad Jarl plunged most of eastern Orlind into war for years. Cursed with an insatiable lust for gold, he began raiding neighboring city-states for their riches. Known for executing those who displeased him by forcing them to drink molten gold, his madness ultimately brought the attention of the Muses who engaged a long battle against his taint-bolstered armies of gold skeletons. His frozen form lies in the depths of the Galleria, left in silence for now until the Wings of Verana can attempt to purify his soul.
- Tsarzan, Lord of Fear (Male Demon Lord) – The oldest denizen of the galleria is Aeveryn’s ancient half-brother. Impressive even as an ice sculpture, he stands nearly 12 feet tall with an imposing wingspan and a fearsome expression. Only Aeveryn communicates with him, for his lies can convince even the most studious of mortals of his redemption. He seeks nothing more than to be freed, so that he can exact his vengeance upon Aeveryn and subvert the Citadel to his own purposes.
- Rusaria the Fallen (Female Vulpinal [Agathion] Rogue) – Once a proud herald of Verana, none know what sort of madness caused Rusaria’s fall. She engaged in a years-long campaign of terror in the Orlind wilderness, luring adventurers and travelers into devilish traps and transforming them into mindless plants or woodland animals. She was finally caught by the muses and her statue remains a beautiful, yet sorrowful reminder that even the noblest of spirits can be tempted into darkness.
- Mistress Larra (Female Greater Sidhe) – Half-sister of Lady Rayne of the Unseelie Court, Larra is primarily responsible for what the Unseelie Court refers to as the War of the Rose, a civil war within the Unseelie Court, and what the Orlindians refer to as the ‘5-year winter’. As devious and capricious as her half-sister, without any sense of restraint, she is the single denizen of the Galleria whom the muses have no intention of redeeming. Instead her screaming soul remains bound here as a favor to the Unseelie Court to ensure she cannot visit her madness upon other fey.