Otkrytoye Polotno
A vast tundra and taiga environment with real world Russian and Nordic influences.
Contents
Description
Otkrytoye Polotno is easily the largest territory currently mapped in The Tapestry, however only a small portion of it is actually inhabited. Those that brave the harsh climate are typically nomadic with a few spots of rooted structures as summer or winter settlements. One settlement in particular, called Coldhaven by the traders from the warmer parts of The Tapestry, serves as a safe market for international trades and is located just on the other side a craggy mountain range. There is a single path through it for those on foot or by cart, creating a bottle neck between the two sections of the land.
Beyond Coldhaven you are treated to a blanket of white that stays nearly year round with patches of forest protecting undergrowth and in some places the frozen ground is not so tough as to not allow hardier grasses to form, but are few and far between making animals rather nomadic in search of food.
History
Since its inception the massive region of Otkrytoye Polotno has seen little change to it. When the Maestros were given the power and order to create the first guilds, Bjarke the Grizzled and Arnfinnr the Winded founded Stoneheart, bringing together competitive, strong, warriors that specialized in melee combat. Wrestling and feats of strength were predominant through the land and competitions were always in play, giving rise to bands and tribes centered around a champion.
Bjarke the Grizzled became thirsty for this strength and started to pit the champions against one another more earnestly, turning friendly competition into a bloodbath. His followers would leave the land and wreak havok, kidnapping and enslaving many to throw into these more violent competitions as fodder for berserkers to perfect their rages, feed their egos and poison their minds. Arnfinnr did little to stop Bjarke in the beginning, failing to notice the changes in fellow Maestro until the man started to declare himself equal, possibly greater than The Great Skald.
Bjarke, like the rest of the Virtuosos, would fall to the might of Battalgia when backed by the rest of the guilds seeking to put things back as The Skald intended, 300 years ago. What became of Arnfinnr is unknown, believed he perished in the battle, and so the guild Stoneheart disbanded. Its mark on the culture had not however...
The tribes/colonies behave separately from one another with their own leadership structures, but like the rest of The Tapestry respect and answer to the sitting guild and by extension the monarchy of Inizio D'Oro. The guild unifies them just as Stoneheart intended to originally, but instead of a warrior-clan type group they are Frontiersmen, hunters and fishermen living off the land and not minding a thing about what lies beyond the mountain pass.
Not unless they have to.
Culture
A people of strength and nature. Their abodes range from communal longhouses to yurts, huts and tents depending on the individual tribe/band. Dancers from the region are known for sword and cossak-style performances. Most are nomadic, following food sources but some have created semi-permanent abodes and moving seasonally to summer and winter locations.
Religion
- Skaldic (Primary)
- Stoneheart (Former Primary)
Economy
Population
~20000
- Mostly Shifters and Anthros
Main Exports
- Ice
- Fish
- Pelts, Blubber, whale bone.
- Reindeer, Wooly Rhinos (Mounts)
Places of Note
Cold Haven
A permanent settlement just outside of the mountain pass. Named for ease of reference for merchants from other regions, this place has a long house to take care of their warmer-climate visitors and operates as a grand open market otherwise. This place also functions as the meeting point for all-tribe encounters, festivals, and the like.
