Skavr

It is said that the Skavri are born with axes in hand and sent to battle fell beasts by their second birthday. A cold, hard nation of cold, hard people, Skavr sprawls across the northwest forests of the Inner Sea.

The Skavri stretch of forest is old and steeped in ancient legend. The boreal trees themselves seem to whisper of the many monsters, battles, and feats of heroism that they have witnessed over the generations. Skavr has chilly summers and icy winters. As brutal winds from the Ice Sea roll down on Skavr, snow smothers the nation and the Northern Lights seem to taunt the frigid settlements.

The Skavri are skilled woodcarvers and carpenters. Their buildings have steep, wood-shingled roofs that drain the heavy snowfall down to the ground, but their buildings are as decorative as they are functional. Relief scenes are carved in the outsides of many log cabins and merchant stores, and these scenes generally depict tales of Skavri heroism in the face of any number of horrid monsters or the dreaded Renden raids.

Academic.

The capital of Skavr possesses a large library run by a handful of dedicated scholars, but beyond this there are no formal institutes of education in the nation.

Aristocratic and Military.

Skavr is a nation of warrior- kings. Each town is governed by the strongest warrior, who tends to legislative and judicial responsibilities during times of peace and who leads their warriors from the front lines during times of war.

At any point during times of peace, another warrior may challenge their town’s warrior-king for the throne. The challenger and the incumbent battle with blunted weapons until one yields. When incumbents feel that they are too old to continue leading battles from the front lines, they may abdicate to a challenge whom they believe is a worthy heir.

All warrior-kings defer to the High King. The High King can also be challenged by warrior-kings, but not by any Skavri citizen who is not a warrior-king. Skavr’s current High King, named Muris Irontusk, is an enormous trollkin who has no decorum or manners but is nonetheless an intuitively successful leader.

The Skavri are competent sailors and stalwart soldiers. The belligerent nation of Renden often attacks coastal towns and cities, but find that the Skavri can hold them off more often than not.

Mercantile and Trade.

Skavr trades readily enough with both Eryndor and Fjordenhaven, as its two closest neighbors. Skavr generally exports mercenaries and carved wood in exchange for food and spices.

Religious.

The Skavri are not particularly religious, but those who do practice religion often worship the Vertumna Conclave of the Archfae, venerating each season as it comes in turn year after year.

Social.

Skavri are generally hostile to foreigners and prefer to keep to themselves. The exception is folk from Eryndor, whom the Skavri see as siblings in the fight against the horrors of the forest. The Skavri also tolerate Fjordenhavians, but they privately believe these folk to be too soft for the harshness of the far north.

Icekairn

The capital city of Skavr is a fortified mountain city, hard to access and even harder to besiege. From the stony walls, the High King commands their warrior-kings and calls them to arms when a national threat arises.

Points of Interest

Nachtstrond and Nachtskog. Skavr often fights off terrible monsters from the Black Coast or the Black Woods. See Eryndor or Renden for more information.

Quest Ideas

• Renden has invaded Skavr, and they have some kind of terrible new weapon. The High King calls on the heroes to discover what the Renden are using and eliminate it. Maybe it’s a terrible monster they have tamed, or maybe it’s an artifact they plundered from a merchant vessel.

• Skavr and Eryndor mounted a joint quest into the heart of Nachtskog a year ago, but nobody ever returned. The heroes must venture into the Black Wood and determine what became of them.

• Skavr and Eryndor pushed too far into the Black Wood and awakened some eldritch terror from its eternal slumber. Now it threatens to destroy vast swathes of Gathandia if the heroes cannot find a way to stop it.