The land of Altarina

[Kor]

Ｈｉｓｔｏｒｙ ａｎｄ Ｄｅｔａｉｌｓ



The frozen wastes, once populated by only the most durable, and ferocious of beasts. A land where only the strong could reign supreme. A place of constant snowfall, and never ending cold. It is there that the Entity of Glaciers, Freynir, created a haven for his brood of lesser frost Dreikari. It is a barren waste land, devoid of sentient life for the most part, and a place where very little plant life can survive. As such, for the majority of mortal history, Altarina was an unpopulated landmass. Of course over the course of time, this face came to change, and due to a treaty in the south, mortal life would claim Altarina for itself.

As the great kingdom began to form south of the glaciated tundra, some of the lords of many fiefdoms were not in accordance with the terms provided by the King of Narzaic. They either feared that the agreement was a ruse to rid them of their sovereignty, or they simply did not have the desire to become part of a collective, and join another king's domain when glory could be had for themselves. Most of these lords knew what the consequence would be, if they didn't join the treaty. They would either be cut out of trade, and forced to submit, or be hunted like dogs until they joined the treaty. One such lord was James Halestrom, a human lord whose domain was close to the frozen north. Not wishing to lose to another lord in this critical time, he immediately had his estate begin preparations for the trek up towards the frozen tundra while the other lords met to sign the accord. Halestrom's estate suffered many a loss. Some from starvation, and some perishing to an icy death. Never the less, they arrived.

When the Halestrom estate finally reached inhabitable land, they began to set up camp. The harsh environment prevented them from building the tall towers, and spires they were used to living in when they lived in the south, but this would not prevent them from establishing a home. Surely mining stone would be difficult in such a barren area that had no natural resources aside from some animal pelts, and wood, and so they began construction of their capital city using only the materials on hand. At first,they struggled greatly, but over the course of four generations, and with a makeshift trade deal with The Kingdom of Vividus, they finally had their capital set up. Vividus had opened trade with what was then known as merely the city of Halestrom with the hopes of eventually absorbing the estate into their treaty.

Unfortunately for the southern crown, the Halestrom Estate still expressed no desire to join the great kingdom. instead, over the course of many generations, they began to expand their borders, and draw territorial lines. Eventually, under Nikos Halestrom, The Halidom of Altarina, or Altarina for short, was formed in name, and through the use of military encampments, and the conquest of small Vividian border settlements forced to fly the Altarinian flag, a border was officially formed. With these borders, and a loose centralized government, Altarina was now recognized by other kingdoms as its own nation.

Fast forward a few more generations, and the current leader, Oden Halestrom, successfully leads his people. Under Oden, the warriors of Altarina accomplished a feat thought impossible by mortal hands - with a force of only three hundred lead by his daughter, Sapphire Halestrom, and with the sacrifice of his wife Delila Halestrom, the Altarinian guard was able to subjugate the lesser Frost Dreikari, Sirabasta. His soul was then forged into a weapon, and handed down to Sapphire to wield in the name of her Halidom. This feat is recounted around the world as a feat of Altarina's ferocity in battle. Even still, the Losa Incarna of Vividus encroach on Altarinian territory. Each campaign launched by the south ends in a bitter failure, brutally repelled by the superior might of the fierce soldiers of Altarina. Recently, the stalemate at the border has left the nearby Losa Incarna in shambles, and has given way for Oden to prepare to take from the south.


Common Races: Human, El Ch'ul K'al

Common Military Units: Archers, Lancers, Berserkers, Valkyria Guard

Common Professions: Town Guard, Hunter, Free Mason, Body Guard

Current Leader: Oden Halestrom


Ｃｕｌｔｕｒａｌ Ｄｅｔａｉｌｓ


In Altarina, there is emphasis on the value of family and friendship. These are bonds that are forged by the winds of winter, causing the people of the territory to treasure their comrades. This is rooted in the origin of Altarina. The Halestrom Estate's trek to the frozen tundra created a strong unity among its people. It is not uncommon to see people helping each other without recompense, simply because it is a trademark of the unity held by the nation. There is not very much to do in Altarina, and so most people spend their time training. Everyone in Altarina is trained in the ways of combat, and can defend their homes if the need ever arised. The men of Altarina are known throughout the world as wild warriors, but even more feared are the women, who have a ritual of choosing their mate by way of single combat. If a mate cannot best a woman in single combat, then he is simply not worty of being her husband.

In terms of Religion, the people of Altarina don't really worship anyone. Perhaps they have a kinship with Freynir, but he doesn't feel the same about them. Therefor, there is no real religion followed in Altarina. Instead, they celebrate the important moments in Altarinian history. Every year in the third week of Eldalon (Counterpart to real world August), the people of Altarina gather in their townesquares and celebrate the founding of the nation, via tellings of the Halestrom Estate's initial journey, and lighting a great pyre that local witch doctors would use to show visions of times long past, this holiday is named Halisdor. The other major holiday of Altarina is Bjorngar. During Bjorngar, all the people of Altarina go to the capital of Halestrom, where they dance and celebrate for fourteen days in celebration of another year of continued success as an independent nation. This Celebration stems from the struggle between the northern Fiefdoms of Vividus that have been encroaching upon the lands of the north for decades. During this time, the Military takes a position of peace and makes a momentary armistice with those fiefdoms. Once, it was broken. Altarina's vengeful assault on the Losa Incarna of Vividus was so great that they would never do so again. This holiday takes place in Felstadr (counter to real world January.)