The Frostreach

The Frostreach is a region in Vaerun, Nova.

A cold and desolate land dominated by forested tundra. It is ruled by numerous horse lords, and consists of tribes of hardy fishing and herding tribes in the north, with sparse villages of plainer folk in the south who are often conscripted for the long lasting wars between tribes. Only on occasion will the various warlords ally in order to defeat an external threat.

The Frostreach is sparsely populated, mostly by humans, orcs and dwarves with a smattering of the other races. The main breed of horse is actually a large pony, stocky and with heavy, long fur that is built for endurance rather than speed, often seemingly outsized by its rider. The khanates extract tithes from the villages within their domains but there are regular skirmishes and raids back and forth, with regions of land trading hands for years or decades. Khanates tend to be ruled by strength followed by lineage, leading to frequent intra-khanate power struggles as challengers attempt to oust weaker or less politically connected khans, and khanates that grow too large often split among brothers in the line of succession.

Due to the nomadic lifestyle of the horse lords, the khans are often split into warbands that patrol different areas of the territory and communicate via the domesticated grey falcon in the event of a disturbance or attack. At present there are eight Khanates operating across the Frostreach. In order of decreasing size:

The Great Horde, led by Bog Admurra, a half-orc seventh generation Khan.

The Shattered Band, a loose alliance of numerous warbands that rally around their perceived "nationality" in the Band. They have no official Khan but the strongest three warlords are brothers called Bol, Jol and Dol.

The Smashers, a khanate who prides itself with destruction of the land during their raids, salting the earth. Led by Rolf Armugsson.

The Pointy Teeth, rumoured to be cannibalistic, with strange teeth-filing customs and other painful rites of passage. Most are heavily tattooed and have multiple piercings in increasingly inventive places.

The Screamers, a Khanate comprised entirely of women (where most Khanates only accept men), rumoured to have magical powers and be able to curse their enemies. Most of their domain is the Screaming Spruces, and they are said to scream as they fight, and have strange flute structures built into their armour that also scream as they move. Led by the dark elf Rallea Vivicorpus.

The Gold Crows, a small Khanate that doesn't typically create warbands and is one of the few that maintains alliances, using crows rather than falcons for their messages. Led by John of Old Goat.

The Travellers, the only band that occasionally travel by sea to serve as mercenaries in other wars. They have large ships, advanced weapons and normal horses that easily outrun the Frostspire pony breeds, but tend to be small in number and control a few villages in the north-east. Led by Harry Bellowsmith.