Lands of the Linnorm Kings

 Lands of the Linnorm Kings

The Lands of the Linnorm Kings are the homelands of the Katon people and are kingdoms as wild and untameable as the people who live there. Nestled on the northwestern tip of Avistan, it is a realm of taiga and marshland that spends much of the year frozen beneath layers of snow, a place utterly inhospitable to all but the hardiest people.

Structure

The Lands of the Linnorm Kings have no central government. Instead, the country is comprised of a series of smaller kingdoms clustered around the biggest settlements in the region, united by their common Katon heritage. There are currently seven kingdoms, though this number has fluctuated in the past, namely: Broken Bay, the Grungir Forest, Hagreach, Icemark, the Ironbound Islands, Southmoor, and the Thanelands.

 Linnorm Kings

These kingdoms are often led by a Linnorm King. The Linnorm Kings are leaders of legend, and each king is a powerful warrior equal to the mightiest heroes of many other lands. To claim the title of Linnorm King, an applicant must defeat a dragon-like creature known as a linnorm in single combat and carry its head through the city gates. The linnorm's head is then generally mounted in the throne room as proof of the king's authority. This incredibly difficult challenge ensures that only the mightiest warriors ever become Linnorm Kings. Linnorm Kings have absolute authority over their subjects within their own kingdom. Conflicts between these small kingdoms are commonplace, but are not usually settled by full-scale war. They are instead solved through arbitration, paying a settlement, or Trail by Combat.

History

The first Linnorm King of far northwestern Avistan was King Cairn Creed, who slew a linnorm at the mouth of the Rimeflow River in -624 AR. He used the fame he garnered from this deed to declare himself king, and proclaimed that all future Linnorm Kings must follow his example, and also slay a linnorm in single combat. Eventually, other individuals would copy the first king's accomplishment, and the killing of linnorms would grow into a tradition that has lasted to the present day. As his fame began to grow, Saebjorn established the settlement of Kalsgard, which had been little more than a mead hall for Saebjorn and his warriors before that. As his legend spread, people flocked to the new king out of curiosity and a need for protection, and soon the settlement had grown into a town.

Demography and Population

The most numerous humanoid inhabitants of this frozen land are the hardy Katon people. The Lands of the Linnorm Kings have always been the spiritual home of the Katon, with records tracing the Katon peoples' inhabitation of this land as far back as the Age of Destiny, though they probably resided there long before these early records. Few other humanoids call this northern reach of Avistan home. Amongst them the wandering Varisians, the hardy dwarves, and the fey-like gnomes.