hearthmiel
The plains of storm and song. Rolling grasslands and endless sky define Hearthmiel, land of the windbound and the steadfast. Here, nomadic families follow the seasons, their camps glowing like scattered stars across the prairie. The Grokari here are herders, hunters, and artisans who value simplicity, endurance, and the dignity of labor.
The Hearthmiel nation is home to the Grokari people. It is a land of pastures and a sea of tall, lush grasslands which is frequently windswept. The northern part of the realm is mostly boreal plains with vast, sparse tundra and flowing rivers. Sparse plains extend from north and west of the Great River Sanguine to the township of Drekhold near the northwestern border.
Much of the area surrounding the nation, especially by the Eolyn Plateau and the Forest of Undying Autumn is mountainous. The southern part of the Hearthmiel nation is primarily part of the Hundred Year Grasslands, starting from the Equus Valley to the end of the Eolyn Plateau near the capital, Castle Haerfast.
A sea of rolling grasses that hum like strings when the wind passes.
When the gusts sweep across the tall grasses, they hum like strings on a colossal instrument, creating natural chords that drift for miles. At night, Grokari camps glow like scattered constellations, the orange embers reflected in the polished eyes of steeds and cattle. The whole region seems suspended between earth and sky, a liminal place where even sound behaves strangely.
This is the spiritual heart of the Grokari. Many believe the first wind-spirits walked here.
The Hundred Year Grasslands
Mountains cradle Hearthmiel’s borders. Ryggrad’n Mountains on the east (creating the continental divide), and the Venstre’lem Mountains in the north.
Nestled between these ranges is the ancient Forest of Undying Autumn, a place where leaves never die, colors never fade, and the wind moans like a living memory.
Clans avoid this region unless on pilgrimage, to attend the Arcane Academy, or seeking visions in rare occasions.
The Eolyn Plateau & Forest of Undying Autumn
River Sanguine
Birthplace of Castle Haerfast, where the lion and stallion statues guard the realm.
Lake Effulgence
So clear it reflects the sky like a second firmament. Many believe ancestral spirits rise from its depths at dawn.
Cruor & Claret Rivers
Rivers flanking Honeywood Hall. Their waters are used to brew legendary mead. Some claim the rivers sing at night.
The Sacred Waters
The Grokari are not simply residents of Hearthmiel, they are bound to it. Every gust of wind, every bend of grass, every swell of the earth beneath their feet is considered sacred. Their nomadic lineage is not a matter of convenience but of spiritual alignment.
Nomads
Permanent settlement is an exception, not a norm. The only villages allowed to endure are those built upon sacred ground, spots marked long ago by ancestral visions, heroic deeds, or the whisper of the Szhaali winds.
To build where the land has not given its blessing is considered a transgression: a seed planted in poisoned soil.
If a village becomes cursed by misdeed, dishonor, or a crime that stains the community, the Grokari believe the land absorbs that sin. Unlike other cultures that believe shame can be forgiven, the Grokari hold that, “A wound in the soil festers unless cut out.”
Such a village may be cleansed, abandoned, ritually burned, or returned to nomadic roots. Whether it ever rises again depends on whether the wind returns its blessing. This belief shapes everything: their justice, their migrations, even their architecture.
Honeywood Hall is a magnificent mead hall surrounded by a village, on top of a little mountain between the Cruor and Claret rivers. It is known for being home to retired Grokari soldiers and “heroes”, and for hosting grand parties. Honeywood Hall is famous for Emberlight Hollow, a lavish private room for larger parties. Honeywood Hall’s homebrew mead and wine so sweet and potent that on several occasions, full grown men who can’t hold their own have been known to have ago at seducing the wooden carvings of women on the pillars outside.
Castle Haerfast is located at the mouth of River Sanguine and on the southern side of Lake Effulgence. The great stone walls and gates of this magnificent city-hold are located miles away from the castle itself. On top of the entryway and facing one another are two enormous statues carved from stone so artfully and with such care, they seem to come alive as you pass by. One is a great lion standing and roaring with pride, the other a majestic stallion rearing its head to passersby. Both look as though wind was blowing through their manes. Below the statues and around the gates, banners of Hearthmiel are flown. Guards on horseback patrol the area and no less than ten soldiers protect the gates at all times.
Royal House Vulbysóna
Motto: “Swift of Mind, Steadfast of Step”
Current Ruler: King Roicheval the Brave
Origins & Lineage
House Vulbysóna claims descent from the First Herdmasters, the nomadic riders who tamed the wild plain-steeds during the earliest migrations. Though much of the realm remains nomadic, Vulbysóna became the line that first built a permanent settlement at Haerfast, only because the land itself permitted it, revealed in an omen of fireless auroras dancing above the lake.
Symbolism of the Crest
The Great Bison: represents endurance through storms and winters.
Fox Tails: symbolize cleverness and trickery, qualities revered rather than feared in Hearthmiel.
The Golden Sunwheel: invokes clarity in judgment and the cyclical nature of migration.
Cultural Role & Reputation
The Vulbysóna embody measured bravery, not reckless valor but steadfast protection.
They act as mediators between nomadic clans, adjudicating disputes over grazing territory, sacred grounds, and migration routes.
Roicheval the Brave
He earned his epithet during the Winter of Shattering Winds, when a storm nearly wiped out three northern clans. Roicheval rode alone through whiteout blizzards to reach them, returning with two hundred refugees on horseback.
He rules with:
audible humility, speaking plainly and rarely raising his voice
deep respect for clan autonomy
strictness where sacred land is concerned
Internal Tensions
Some herding clans believe Hearthmiel should return fully to its nomadic roots and resent the increasing permanence around Haerfast. Roicheval walks a narrow ridge between tradition and stability.