Introduction to Thaele

[DM B]

Not strictly part of Cerilia the northern continent of Thaele is well known to both Rjurik and Brecht mariners. The later stay well clear of the place, but over the past one hundred fifty years a number of small Rjurik settlements have sprung up along the coast. These are just the latest in a long series of such colonization attempts – all those that have gone before have failed and been obliterated from the face of Aebrynis by the harsh conditions that prevail up there. Still, it is a bountiful land, filled with endless quantities of elk, reindeer and other game, plus fish and other marine resource of every kind. Currently there are four main settlements in Thaele, three are sponsored by the Rjurik kingdoms of Jankaping, Halskapa and Stjordvik, while the final one is wholly independent and ruled by a sovereign jarl.

The northern part of Thaele is covered in endless snow and ice. Along the Thaelasian passage there are regions that enjoy a more pleasant climate. To the far west lies a mass of islands big and small that seems to go on forever. The islands are inhabited by humanoids and a mysterious non-Cerilian human culture. To the east there are great tracts of tundra, stretching for hundreds and hundreds of miles. The coasts a rich with marine life and the tundra is filled with great game during summer. Of more immediate interest to the Rjurik are the sheltered moors and forests directly north of the Highlands. Protected by a spine of mountains running east-west and warmed by the waters of Sea of Storms it is perfectly capable of sustaining a Rjurik population.

[DM B]

Valter Styrkisig, Jarl of Emmaleigh: Male Rjurik; Very high level Fighter/Ranger; Reynir, weak, 14; N. Valter was born into a line of jarls many years ago in what is now the Realm of the White Witch.  His family cared little for the new ways introduced by the Witch and her minions and set sail, looking for a new place to settle. But wherever they went they felt that they were intruding or that the locals did not keep to the old ways. Finally they settled in Emmaleigh – a sheltered bay on the coast of Thaele. Valter intends to keep Emmaleigh free of outside influence and true to the old ways, but he’s not entirely against trading with the mainland or the other colonies. The Jarl is well like by his subjects and has three grown sons and five daughters – the future looks bright for the Styrkisig bloodline.

Haldan Njarik, Jarl of Rjalford: Male Rjurik; High level Fighter; Reynir, weak, 10; LN. Haldan was never appointed Jarl of Rjalford. He was elected by the local population. The reason was a simple one; the appointed Jarl lay dead after a troll raid and Haldan had just proven his courage and his mettle. Rjalfjord is beholden to Janakaping and trades almost exclusively with that realm. Rjalfjord is the youngest of the colonies – and the one that looks most likely to fail first; the area is bountiful, but dangerous and exposed to the worst of Thaele’s climate.

Haelrya Sivardaan, Jarl of Hoekstraad: Female Rjurik; High level Fighter; Anduiras, minor, 16; CG.  Haelrya is a warrior maiden, sworn to obey no man but her King. That is perhaps just as well, for there are few men that would have desired this woman as a bride. She’s as tall and broad as any Rjurik warrior and her looks are not much better than those of an ice troll. She’s well like by her subject though, for she has a good heart and the courage needed to see them through long, dark and dangerous winters. The Hoekstraad colony is beholden to Halskapa, but given the King’s weakness it is largely left to its own devices.

Andros Drakkenviir, Jarl of Tjarvaald: Male Rjurik; High level Ranger; Masela, minor, 18; NG. Andros was more or less appointed by the Three Trees Traders to oversee Stjordvik’s Tjarvaald colony. The colony is run more like a guild enterprise than it is a traditional Rjurik colony. There is much commercial activity during a few hectic summer months, but at the close of summer most of the colony closes up as well. Only a  few hundred hardy souls call Tjarvaald home all year round.