Kaldymens
The frozen north at the edge of the world. In a land where the auroras burn like silent fires, the Valhari endure. Their citadels of ice and iron stand as hymns to persistence, their traditions as crisp and pure as snowlight.
The northernmost region of the continent belongs to the nation of Kaldymens, a land of ice, frost, and snow. The most accessible way into Kaldymens is to take the Frozen Pass through the mountains and enter through the Frystevigt Citadel, which acts as a gateway into these ice-covered lands. Any other way into the far north could very well mean suicide.
The Valhari who live in this nation are as strong and as hardy as Montari, perhaps even more so. Like their southern cousins, Eyjari, Vahlari are primarily a fishing society, living on and by the water.
Under Queen Su’yi the Peaceful, Kaldymens signed the historic Treaty of Three Winds with neighbouring realms, binding sea-routes and air-corridors to peaceful use.
The treaty clauses:
No war-ships may traverse the northern rift-sea without escort.
Sky-windwalkers must give warning three dawn-winds ahead of crossing another realm’s cliffairspace.
Ice-fishing nets may not be deployed inside the “Frostbound Corridor” (a protected sea-channel) to preserve narwhal herds.
Legend holds that when the world was young, a phoenix of wind soared across sea and frost. Its wings carved the first Storm-Path, forming the ice-rifts the Kaldymens navigate today.
The “Web of Winter” is a celestial pattern visible in the northern lights; local myth says the web is the tracker of storms, and those who can trace its filaments may see which way the winds will turn.
Sky windwalkers train to read the Web, sketching its pattern in snow and ice on cliff-walls before each expedition.
Deep in the remote polar sea beyond the province’s reach lies the creeping Ice-Shroud, a pale fog that rises without wind, freezes the water in moments, and brings strange silences. Fisher-boys report hunched shadows beneath the ice and narwhal songs turned inside-out.
Queen Su’yi has dispatched small teams beyond the rift-sea to map and contain the Shroud, but some believe the creeping frost is more than environment. It may be awakening old sea-spirits or breaking ancient treaties.
Artisans carve narwhal-ivory into delicate comb-sculptures shaped like winged birds, given as gifts to new sky windwalkers.
Weavers spin sky-silk, a translucent fabric treated with sea-minerals so it tracks the wind; marriage cloaks flutter with soft echoing whistles in the gale.
The royal house issues a limited run of sky-silk cloaks each year, dyed in deep-sea blue and marked with the phoenix emblem, a symbol of peace, sky and sea joined.
The settlements of Kaldymens cling to sheer sea-cliffs where winter storms lash the waves. Many villages are built upon rock ledges where the spray freezes into lace-like formations.
A distinct service of Sky Windwalkers uses wing-gliders or carved bone-wings to ride the updrafts above the cliffs, acting as scouts, messengers, and guardians of storm-paths.
Their watchtowers are shaped like narwhal tusks, rising above the precipice. The crest of these towers bears the symbol of their house, the sailing phoenix of sea and sky.
The people harvest sea-ice and drift-ice for saltpits underneath; they also fish through cracks in the frozen sea, using harpoons tipped with carved narwhal-ivory.
A ritual of the harvest: when the first breath of winter wind seals the sea-cracks, the lead fisher stands on the ice, clad in blue-white fur, and releases a blue lantern. Offering to the sea-spirits a promise of safe passage and abundant catch.
Should the ice crack dangerously or fishermen vanish beneath the sea-slab, the entire village enters a period of silence until the “Lantern of Return” is lit again.
Su’yi the Peaceful
Su’yi is a queen unlike her forebears, gentle where they were fierce, compassionate where they were uncompromising. But her epithet is deceptive. Her peace is not submission but resolve against unnecessary bloodshed.
She is known for:
brokering the Treaty of Three Winds, ending generations of sea-feuds
traveling alone among fisher clans to ask their needs
refusing to use magic that could harm weather patterns
Royal House
Tünyraaq
Motto: “Liberty by Sea and Sky”
Current Ruler: Queen Su’yi the Peaceful
Origins & Lineage
Tünyraaq descends from the Skyriders, a line of hunters and explorers who lived on the icebound cliffs and watched over the northern seas. They were the first to map the Frozen Storm-Paths, allowing Kaldymens’ people to travel safely by sea during the aurora seasons.
Symbolism of the Crest
Phoenix & Narwhal: dual spirits of sky and sea
Ice-snow runes: navigational signs used by ancient wanderers
Cloud motif: storms both feared and revered
Spiderweb design: the Web of Winter—a myth that all fates converge during the darkest hour
Cultural Role & Reputation
House Tünyraaq embodies freedom: of movement, of speech, of spirit. They reject tyranny in all forms. Kaldymens’ people see themselves as resilient, adaptable, and unbreakable, like ice under strain.