Zemlya Vetra

“Our journey, from peak to peak, had been treacherous; not one condition could be anticipated. My guides told me, for they knew this fact better than I, ‘such is the way of the Byulk!’ and then laughed. That night, we shared fish-skins and broth.”

—Pryet of Tibilt, the Valiant Courier

Known as the northernmost expanse of Neo Keleva, the Peninsula of Zemlya Vetra, less commonly known as the “Byulk” (“Bull” in Midran), is a large subcontinent composed of six distinct cultural and geographical regions. Due to its hostile, dry, and frigid climate, Vetra doesn’t boast a single large settlement for its many peoples, unlike its southernmost neighbor, Midya. As such, most of Vetra’s sparse population can be found scattered in villages and towns that punctuate throughout what’s known as the Serdslunds, with the impassable regions of mountain being named the Nepralunds by travelers and nomads alike. The settlement that could be most considered a proper city is Paskávopol, though its proximity to Vatan and the political decentralization of Vetra at large pulls its stability into constant question.

Zemlya Vetra and its capital city, Paskávopol

Despite this apparent hostility, many of Neo Keleva’s races come to find livelihood throughout the expanse. To the north, the Bol’shu Horn is the sparsest and arguably the most tranquil of the six regions. Its craggy, arching rock formations are home primarily to stalwart, nomadic Helivians and Faun mountain guides, with braver Felvyri testing their mettle against the bitter, intense cold. Due to the land being generally considered "worthless", there's little desire to settle the region, with its occupants often seeking pilgrimage or spiritual enlightenment amid its isolation.

Geography

The Three Brothers

“The people of the southern capital of Aspan, Cittá-Aspan, where the land is rich and exotic to the minds of the Tykonian.”

—Alwin Trigs of Larova, cartographer

Further south, swaddled by a ring of rocky peaks, are the Three Brothers. While not a formal political entity, its natural seabound borders allow relative seclusion and safety for a coalition of fishing villages. Amidst this loose union, great wooden barges captained by chiefs, or Tsipalts, tug smaller boats to the open sea north, or the strait to the west. These fishing vessels are manned by mostly exiles from the Ashlands, such as Humans, Half-Elf, or Drow.

In exchange for the islands’ procured goods, towns along the eastern Serdslund coast trade their hearty ground-borne crops for fish, offering both regions an enduring and stable food supply come the winter. However, the further inland one goes, the scarcer food becomes, and thus come less established settlements, to which many people turn to nomadism to get by. Most towns and villages seem to fully dwindle in number at the beginning of the Ytril Pass—a narrow, somewhat raised valley connecting the East Serdslunds to the West Serdslunds. This pass is regarded as a valuable chokepoint, and there have been many past efforts from the local noble houses throughout the Serdslunds to unite the East and West and finally centralize the province. In recent years, however, these efforts have been cast aside as the East Serdslunds grapple with the political turmoil engulfing their epicenter, Paskávopol.

The Hackles and Serdslunds

The source of this political turmoil, depending on who you ask, would likely be the Hackles—a not-so-affectionate moniker for an expanse of dry, desolate tundra lining the Vatan mountain border and northernmost coast of Vetra, The Knives. The Hackles are an exceptionally dangerous region, as those who fail to succeed within Vatan’s many trade-cities (either by violating law or drawing the ire of the local princes) are cast out to die beyond the range. Their desperation leads many of them to turn to banditry for survival—preying on trade routes or caravans entering the Ytril Pass. It’s not unheard of that those who hail from the Hackles fit the unsavory stereotype of coin-hungry merchants, willing to spill blood and forsake moral sense for the opportunity to seize riches. However, this reductive veil fails to grasp the uneasy order that stems from their brutality.

A City of Exiled Merchants

Paskávopol, namely, has become the battleground for these exiled merchants and the old houses that once claimed sovereignty over the city—pushing and pulling between a quickly crumbling parliament and an emerging, underhanded oligarchy, much like the plutocracies that exist in the neighboring Vatan. Stories from Paskávopol that reached Tykonia before the arrival of the Pale indicated a growing, increasingly problematic scuffle: loan sharking and violence among tax collectors. The collector of this tribute, colloquially, is known as a Vestrat. If they fail to pay, their homes and businesses might be collected as “collateral”. Despite this, the city is rich with opportunities. With its unobstructed coast, sailing to Midya (and by extension accessing Solburg) means that if you’ve the right mind and tongue, you might find yourself a great bit of coin shipping ore or manning a checkpoint for Vatani merchant vessels.

These riches don’t stop at mercantile means, either. There are rumors of an ancient city-vessel that sank far beneath the waves; a great, glittering paradise forged from the finest bronze and sculpted in the image of idols that evade modern understanding. Some search for the vessel, in hopes of securing a cache of riches and finding early retirement. Others, however, are wise enough to dismiss it. Every now and again, though, there are claims of shining, golden talismen washing up on the shores along the bay.

Belshay Mut

Pivoting west is the Belshay Mut or “Great Bridge”—a narrow landbridge connecting the northernmost Ashlands to the rocky coasts surrounding the south Nepralunds. Though settlements are scarce, or at least scarcer in comparison to the Serdslunds, it’s an important passage that serves as the only “safe” traversal (or at least much safer than the Tempest Sea and foothills around Midya) between the Ashlands and Zemlya Vetra. As such, many refugees and exiles will cross the Belshay Mut and sail north from one of the many points to The Three Brothers, to which, if they survive the entire journey, they will find new lives as fishmongers and common laborers under the Tsipalts. However, this landbridge is not without danger. Wealthier refugees might find themselves held at blade for their belongings, stripped of their treasures, or captured as prisoners to be funneled off to the Hackles. Though with keen eyes, a resolute disposition, and some luck, one can avoid this fate and find safety north.

Nepralunds

Last, but certainly not least (in terms of raw geographic area), is the Nepralunds. These rocky wastes, while not devoid of life, are certainly not hospitable to it either. Yet still, many find a way, and those who seek seclusion and isolation will find that these “uncrossable” regions offer a great wealth of both. The Neprulunds, in comparison to the Bol’shu Horn, are not as spiritually significant. Scattered tribes and pilgrims regard the mountains with a level of reverence typical of their animist or ancestral modes of worship, but the role of an enlightening destination stays within the Horn for many reasons.

Demography

Amidst the frosted peaks, sprawling tundra, and frigid coasts, layered with salt and seemingly rotted ice. Though many races from the Kelevas exist here, the races with the most stalwart of footholds are those adapted to the cold: Felvyrians, Fauns, Helivians, and, due to their more crafty inclinations, Humans. It’s not unheard of to see other races, such as Half-Elves, Drow, and Coastal Orcs, but their presence is skewed more towards the west than the central regions.

Among these races, a handful of specific groups emerge. Keep in mind, these sub-variants are not necessarily exclusive to their respective regions.

As they refer to themselves, the Znezhnye Koptka (or Koptka) are a variant of Helivian suited best for the mountains. Their tails grow thicker, stronger, but retain their prehensile quality—best employed for additional grips while climbing. Their palms are more easily calloused and scaled, nails and keratin embed over fingers like thimbles to afford better holds. Compared to their more fiery brethren, most Koptka take on blue-to-green hues and possess sharp, angular features that align with the jagged rocks they traverse through.

Muzt-ansiskari is the colloquial term for the Felvyrian nomads that inhabit Zemlya Vetra. Their white, shimmering coats blend with the snow and shed in cycles come its melt—revealing streaked earthen tones that resemble the shale basins they stalk. They are largely of the Panvur sub-variety, but the Forvur (who keep their snow-white coats beyond winter) find equal survivability amidst their brethren. Much like other Felvyrians, the feats of Myrris tend to be a revered subject in their folktales, spoken of in poems and hushed songs that barely rise against the wind:

“Kin who conquered these mountains, long ago,
To you, we seek guidance! Give us, please,
The strength, the will, the heart,
So that we, too, your descendants, may find relief!”

Bultusari are thick-coated Faun with velvety horns that take on many different shapes. Amidst their nomadic tribes, they string a variety of decorations from their antlers as identifying markers—pigments that stand bright against snow, glittering stones and pebbles, even charms carved from their own previously shed antlers. Not one tribe is the same, but their affinity for the alpine foothills is well-understood, often in competition with the surrounding Koptka.

Some splinter groups hug the peaks themselves, developing split hooves that give them dominion over near-vertical surfaces—a trait which baffles many a traveler who stumbles across such a sight.

A common trait between both these splinter groups and their pasture-dweller counterparts is a shared understanding that the mountains are living, breathing beings—and from them the colloquial name for the region itself, Byulk, emerges.

“So it is said, among our akhmadi, the most exalted of our peoples; the great Byulk once roamed Azura with legs and horns
carved from stone. Its eyes, bigger and bluer than any lake. Its coat woven from sprawling fields of lichen.

So it is said, among our akhmadi, the most exalted of our peoples; He has fallen into a deep slumber.
His children cling to His back, though they have forgotten. Not we, though.

So it is said, among our akhmadi, the most exalted of our peoples; the Byulk breathes yet still.”

Culture & Tradition

There are two “modes” of culture dominant throughout the region of Zemlya Vetra: the nomadic pastoralist and the sedentary—that is, one who settles. Both modes emphasize survival. To live is a virtue, and in order to do so, one must be hearty and stalwart. However, the difference lies in the method of endurance.

Among settlements, primarily those occupied by non-beastfolk, survival lies in strength. What little the land spares, it can be used without waste. Everything has a purpose. Scraps of crops, what most people would consider “inedible,” can be repurposed for either food, fuel, or medicine. Perhaps the best example of this is the use of Horse Fern colonies that have recently found roots in some areas of Vetra. Their bulbs, though considered only useful as fertilizer, can be boiled and simmered for long periods to make a hearty stock that serves as the basis for many villages' regional soups.

Among the nomads, survival lies in remaining quick of wit. One must be perceptive to the land, from the smallest of snowmelts to the biggest of avalanches. At any moment, paths may swerve and change, passages open and close, and so it is futile to remain rooted for long. Many follow their herds as they roam through both the Nepralunds and Serdslunds. Ebbing and flowing between the passages as pastures expand and recede with the seasons.

There is much overlap between these two modes, though. It is agreed that boisterous displays of one's emotions must be spared for the sake of survival. From the wealthiest of merchants in Paskávopol to the Bultusari sages traversing the Bol'shu Horn, there is a shared demeanor of restraint and abstinence. To outsiders, it appears cold, or perhaps ruthlessly pragmatic. Often, those of a more expressive stock who travel to Vetra might perceive this overt stoicism as ill-mannered or impolite. With integration, though, it's understood that what few moments of overt laughter, sorrow, or anger the people of Zemlya Vetra share are luxuries and nothing less.

Religion

There is no shortage of terrifying creatures in Vetran folklore. Whispers of malevolent (though sometimes territorial) wights who lurk through the peaks, ebbing in and out of view from the mortals who call them home. Piles of deadfall that take the shape of men, man-eating serpents with women's faces, wandering mirages conjured by winter storms who trick travelers and lead them to their deaths—such apparitions make their frequent appearance in Vetran practices.

Though it depends on who you speak with, some invite these mysterious spirits! Rather than overt malevolence, there is some understanding that they are not of this plane, and thus, are much like nomads. One must welcome them with the same courtesy one might extend to a pilgrim—often in the form of meager gifts at altars containing confections, or sometimes even meals. Others, however, warn that they are not to be trifled with and, rather than invite them, opt to ward them off. Talismen carved from precious stone, invocations, and rebukes. Commonly, among the Tsipalts of the Three Brothers, they will wear a vial filled with the fluid of a Wispwing's lantern, for its glow is rumored to ward off vicious sea-spirits.

That's not to say that Divinity is entirely absent from the region, however. Small temples among settlements are not uncommon—though their frequency skews more towards the villages south of Paskávopol, closer to Midya. These temples will sometimes recontextualize much of the pantheon to fit local beliefs, especially those regarding spirits. Generally, such syncretism will veer toward caution, opting to ward rather than invite. Traditional talismen often worm their way into lax doctrine, and many of the symbols associated with the pantheon are adapted for assimilation.

Clothing

Befitting of its frigid climate, the people of Zemlya Vetra tend to favor thick, padded fabrics with plenty of layers for additional insulation. Furs from game and husbandry also appear in traditional dress, spun into hats or sewn into coats for additional comfort. While one might assume that such pragmatic people would prefer such garments to be plain—some misconstrued emphasis on utility—there’s a wealth of ornamentation present in Vetran dress.

Even among the commonfolk, beads, loom patterns, trinkets and baubles, make their frequent appearance. Such garnishes are usually highly personal or familial in nature, representing lineages like heraldry, or reflecting spiritual beliefs. This is best illustrated in the elaborate costumes many villages craft for religious practices and local festivals. Such costumes are often fashioned after the wights in folktales, believed to aid in warding or inviting them, or sometimes to relay the tales in which they feature.

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