Northern Reach

The Northern Reach

The Northern Reach rests in the frost-bound lands of Ariath-- unsurprisingly, this sweeping terrain of frigid mountains, plains of tundra, and rocky, inhospitable coastlines are the northernmost lands in Ariath. The Northern Reach is a place of desolate winters and ferocious storms-- the beings that inhabit this place have adapted to survive it, and, as travelers often tell, are often as fearsome as the landscape itself. Outsiders sometimes refer to the Northern Reach as the Winter Wastes. This hostile seeming name, however, fails to describe the incredible diversity and beauty of these lands: while the winter months are long and brutal, the cool springs, short summers, and bursting, vivid falls are seasons of respite. Similarly, the country itself, even in the frozen months, is unspoiled and magnificently beautiful. As those who truly know the Reach will tell you, nestled into the perilous environment are pockets of bounty.

The people of the Northern Reach have found this bounty, and mastered the difficult climate. While outsiders call all those of the Reach “the Northerners,” there are two main groups: the inland group of semi-nomadic foragers, the Hirvive, and the semi-sedentary coastal fisherfolk, the Hyljeve. The Hirvive are known by their genius for the ways of the mountains and the animals that inhabit the tundra: the Hirvive are especially known for their connection to the Winter Waste deer herds. (Winter Waste stags, in particular, are as dangerous as the polar bears found in the same territory.) The Hyljeve, in contrast, have mastered the icy coastline of the Northern Reach, and are known for their connection to the sea-- they are also believed to be the only terrestrial Folk to marry Selkies. (Selkies being a reclusive group of seal-like beings living exclusively on the coasts of the Northern Reach. Any Selkie out of the Northern Reaches can have their own reason for being in a certain area, but will feel isolated in terms of their actual race. They might interact with other coastal/aquatic beings, but encounters with other Selkies are very rare, and, likely, are only with those Selkies temporarily traveling from the North.) While both the Hirvive and the Hyljeve are ancient and hale tribes, they are, if a bit aloof, generally friendly and welcoming to outsiders.

Those unfamiliar with the Northern Reach often suppose that there is no leadership-- outsiders often assume that the merit-based hierarchy of the Hyljeve and Hirvive serves as an unofficial government. However, the people of the Reach, and indeed those who have traveled them, know this assumption to be false. The leader of the Reach, at least historically, is the Crystalline Empress. It is generally known that the Crystalline Empress, a woman steeped in mythology, is a creature of great power, and many rumor that she is among the most powerful fae in the known world. Few, however, have met this woman, and fewer still have met her twice. Once long-ago, the Northern Folk spoke her stories. However, those stories have been lost, and it is whispered that the Queen herself has been instrumental in this losing. Nevertheless, the biddings of the Crystalline Empress are communicated to the people of the Reach by her servants. Chief among these servants is the Tideborne Huntsman, a figure almost as enigmatic as the Empress herself.

People of the Northern Reach

The Hirvive and Hyljeve, who constitute about seventy percent of the population of the Reach (divided equally between the two groups), claim that they are “really, mostly human,” though this is likely not entirely true. The Hyljeve, of course, are at least partially Selkie-blooded-- a trait reflected by their physical grace and slight, sealskin facial and body markings. The Hirvive, in contrast, are generally partially fae-blooded, though the fae influence is very slight. Nevertheless, it is not unusual for a Hirvive to be born with blue, tattoo-like markings on their faces and hands. The rest of the population of the Reach is mixed-- talking animals and fae are the most common, though other creatures, including undead, sometimes make their home in the Reach.

The general characteristics of the Northerners are varied; there are, however, some commonalities. The people of the Northern Reach are resourceful, hardy, and persistent individuals-- while they are known for a particular “Northern strangeness,” the product of a difficult environment and relative isolation from the rest of Ariath, they are generally welcoming, if brusque, Folk. Universally, all people of the Northern Reach are incredibly familiar with the natural environment, and are relative geniuses when it comes to use of the landscape.