The Scrolls of Erathius

Overview

The folk of Hyperborea are a strange and fey lot, a surly and dangerous people despised by most in the north for their wanton slavery and habit of waging war on those who share their borders.

This land was originally settled by a fair-skinned race from the east. The Sons of Bori wiped them out and replaced them.

Hyperborea was the first Post-Cataclysm nation to build stone walls and towns.

Real-world equivalents: Medieval Russia, particularly Novgorod.

Ancestry

While originally Atlantean, Hyperboreans became extremely tall, blond, prone to gauntness, light eyes, big-boned, and rough. Hyperboreans have a “cruder version of human” vibe that is disquieting to many.

Their bloodline is slowly becoming mixed through slavery.

Example Names

Men

Arno, Dobromil, Durko, Dusan, Jarek, Karel, Marek, Radek, Velek, Zoryn.

Alyosha, Borna, Boroda, Drago, Drazan, Goran, Gothric, Henrik, Miron, Nazar, Neven, Rurik, Taras, Vasa, Vasyl, Vedran, Vilad, Vitomir, Yarok, Ziven.

Women

Dobrila, Draza, Dusana, Milena, Neda, Rhada, Velina, Vera, Veruska, Zora.

Amalia, Anya, Asenka, Bruna, Devora, Inna, Lada, Luda, Lyuba, Mirra, Nadya, Nadysha, Nyura, Orlenda, Petra, Sveta, Uliana, Velika, Vilna, Zhanna.

https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/russian-names.php

Core Book ch.8, p.210.
Conan the Barbarian ch.2, p.49.

Politics

King Tomar

The current king of Hyperborea has held his throne for several decades, and like most of his rawboned people, it seems likely that he is long-lived enough to rule for several more. Tomar came to power by betrayal, slowly amassing favor and power within the nobles and warriors among his folk till he threw down the prior king, Valek, his own uncle. There was no great recrimination about this, as Valek had murdered two of his own brothers on his climb to the throne, Tomar’s father one of them.

Tomar is a cold and bitter man, cunning and possessing great cruelty. He is seemingly immortal, having survived several assassination attempts. While the Hyperboreans have always been known as slavers, Tomar has exhorted his folk to even greater lengths in the trade of humans for profit, sending slave raiders as far as Cimmeria, deep into the Border Kingdoms, and beyond to populate the slave markets.

Religion

The Hyperboreans are prone to the worship of strange and grim deities — the demon-god Zernobog is their chief, dwelling in the highest of mountains and lording it over all. Other Hyperborean gods are Perun and Veles, brothers holding dominion over the sun and the underworld, each with a baleful cast and ill-will towards humanity.

Furthermore, the Hyperborean people believe in spirits and demons, such as the black dragon-lord Zhir, dwelling in the heart of the earth, a supernatural being depicted in standards hanging over many Hyperborean cities. As is often the case, the rites of dark gods call for blood sacrifice, and many slaves taken by the Hyperboreans meet this awful fate.

Being of the same stock as ancient Hyborians, the Hyperboreans are also ancestor-worshippers. Notable ancestors include Triglav (the first Hyperborean king), The Zorya (twin warrior sisters), Zaranitsa (a powerful witch) and of course Bori.

Foreign Relations

Hyperborea has raided and made war on every single one of its neighbours, and continues to do so.

It also enthusiastically pursues the practice of slavery.

For these reasons, it doesn't have foreign relations, only neighbours that want to wipe it off the face of the world.

The only thing that stops this is Hyperborea's military might. The Hyperboreans learned cavalry from the original inhabitants of the land, and developed this into a very competant heavy cavalry, sallying forth from walled cities to destroy invading armies.

Fortunately for its neighbours, Hyperboreas heavy cavalry is much less effective away from its cities.

And so, it is for this reason that the Hyperboreans are left alone, a growing concern in the North that will undoubtedly become a greater threat in the years to come.

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