Hexenstein

Simultaneously the largest and the least populous of nations, Torjavik lays claim to most everything north of all other states. The bulk of its small population is concentrated in a handful of settlements, with the remainder living in far-flung farms. Torjavik itself is a walled city far to the north, high in the Winterspite Mountains. Since long before the Harrowing, brutal winters and short summers made life in Torjavik a short and difficult affair. Strengthened by hardship, the Torvikans are a proud and independent people, and the same streak of dogged determination that enables them to survive in such an unforgiving clime has significantly affected many other aspects of their society. While there is a structure of nobility in Torjavik much as there is in other nations, affairs at the local level are handled by thegns elected by residents of the governed area. Similarly, noble titles are hereditary, but absolute rule is not—monarchs are elected by, and from among, the ranks of the nobility. If enough thegns from a specific region band together and hold a Thing, they can petition the monarch to see a noble ousted and a successor appointed. King Ethdred currently holds the throne, though this may not be the case for long. Rumors persist that they are sequestered, ill, and possibly dying. Further, it is unclear who might be elected as Ethdred's successor. This sort of idiosyncratic system is rife throughout Torvikan culture, including the Church. As Torjavik was one of the last nations to heed the Word of the Gods, their interpretation and assimilation of doctrine is often strange to outsiders, and may contain elements some might consider unorthodox (or even heretical). During the Schism, Torjavik remained neutral, believing that neither the Diadox Church of the Eilstern Demesnes nor the Church Columnar of the Ayanian Empire had a monopoly on religious truth.

With the advent of the Harrowing, the biting winds have grown even colder, the long nights ever longer. Fearsome beasts roam the land in unprecedented numbers, and though they are kept in check by the dedicated hunters in the areas around major settlements (barely), there are vast tracts of territory where the wise do not tread for fear of things that skulk in the shadows. Torvikans tend towards thick furs and metal armor in drab, practical colors when preparing for conflict.