Kraekirk
Comprised of the northwestern-most peninsula of the continent and a handful of sizable nearby islands, Kraekirk is a small kingdom renowned for being dreary, damp, and cold, the city itself being located on the coast and constructed out of dark stone. Nonetheless, the nation has a significant (some might say outsized) influence on politics and trade across the face of Haven due to one simple factor: its ships. Between its countless merchantmen and its equally impressive standing navy, Kraekirk's control of the seas, while not unchallenged, is widely acknowledged. Many nobles from Kraekirk made their fortunes ferrying copper, gold, and fine glassware from the Demesnes to the Empire and returning with spices, steel, and luxurious textiles. The economic success of this trade route has allowed Kraekirk to expand and maintain its influence, and while this has served the nation well, it also contributed to national unrest. During the Schism, Kraekirk devolved into a full blown civil war, with Exodist and Loyalist factions each making claim to both the throne and the soul of the nation. With considerable wealth to spend, the nobles hired a great many bands of mercenaries from across the face of Haven. Tales of the vicious fighting in the moors and mires of the Kraekirk uplands reached far and wide, to say nothing of the naval battles that set the oceans ablaze. When the dust, muck, and spray finally settled, a particularly conservative group of Exodists held the throne. The civil strife has cast a long shadow over the populace, and even today, the people of Kraekirk are considered a dour people.
The severity and austerity of regional dress, worship, and culture in Kraekirk can be traced back to the kingdom's most recent rulers. From the end of the Schism to the present day, the royal line has been that of the Falkenslotts, a tertiary offshoot of the Eilstern dynasty. Eschewing most forms of entertainment and diversion, the Falkenslotts have adopted the concept of Predetermination—the idea that everything that happens is a direct and tangible result of the Will of the Gods, and as such those with better lots in life must inherently be favored by the Gods, and, similarly, those experiencing tragedy and hardship deserve what is happening to them by divine fiat. Queen Brygette has continued her family's traditions, and her court (and indeed, her people) are renowned for wearing simple clothing, often black accented with a white collar, and similarly simple hats (the capotain and the coachman are very common styles in Kraekirk).