There is much to say of Norsca, but how much of it will be accurate? How much is truly known of the winter-lands, the realm of ice and wind, settled by man and dwarf, yet conquered by none? Norsca is a land ever-changing. This is borne out no better than by its own far-northern border. To the North of the Northlands lies an ever-changing waste. Norsca itself is hilly to mountainous, a realm of fjords, crags, sheltered mountain harbors, and sentient forests. Known for incredibly long days during incredibly short summers, Norsca is also infamous for the long, long nights of winter.

The people of Norsca range greatly as well. Most famous, and most recognizable are the nomadic sea-faring raiders of old. These war-like folk travel the extent of the known world and were once renown as the scourge of the seas and oceans, being a proud culture of sailors and shipwrights. These ancient professions have waned in the last dozen generations, and now Norsca is a land of gatherers and fighters.

Agriculture is sparse and subsistence-level throughout the lands, the people see to their own needs, as the land and climate both foil attempts at large scale sowing and growing. Norsca relies primarily on fish and goat-herding, and the growing tends towards hardy nuts, berries, wheats, and rice. In terms of trade, the Northlands are known for their fur, their gems, and their fury. Mercenary captains and fur concerns are the power-brokers and the rich amongst the Norse. Amongst the dwarfs here the trade is entirely gem-based, as Norsca is the leading provider of all jewels and precious stones.

Perhaps it is the long, cold nights, but the Norse are a a deeply religious and philosophical people. However, these beliefs have led them to understand that they are unlike the peoples of the South, and such wisdom and lore as they have learned is hard to come by to those not born in the North. Perhaps too, their beliefs and values are shaped by their proximity to the northern wastes, the proximity of that which changes all things: Chaos itself.

The northern reaches of Norsca grow more and more desolate. Settlements grow fewer and smaller, eventually tapering to a few inns and strongholds which seem to be logistical impossibilities. They sit near to the shores of Chaos, and on some days, they are dangerously close. The border can never be mapped. Chaos, true to form, will never rest. The Wastes will extend and recede as does a sea, heeding an insane tide. History tells us that it was once hundreds of leagues farther North, with holdfasts and towns and peoples extending that far. However, from the time of Sigmar, it is known that the Wastes have also extended much farther south than where it currently writhes, over huge chunks of Norse land, even as far south as Praag and Kislev. Chaos is as it does, and while it has been studied and observed, it can never be predicted. It seems a frighteningly insecure life in Norsca.

Norse manlings are fierce and stereotypically tall in height and broad in chest. They tend towards light hair and eye colors, and their skin is amongst the palest on the Continent, settled as it was by the Mediterran Pax Romana people with their darker complexions. Legendary are the Norsca appetites for fighting, alcohol, food, and breeding. The Norse were once a people of fierce reavers. And while they have quieted, they are far, far from civilized. Many small wars still currently rage within its borders, and there are uneasy alliances and frosty conflicts between Norse clans and Southron cities still. The Norse hold marital prowess and fame very highly, and abhor weakness. They will frequently bully and carouse their way into prisons and conscript war machines as a result of these traits. Norse make feared mercenaries, comparable to Carthaginians, save of a more savage and superstitious bend.

Norse men are superstitious to a fault, and the only magic the land possesses resides in their Weirdkin, the shamans and elders of their tribes and clans. Shamanistic magic is very potent, but tends to be that of priestly magics, such as divination and healing, moreso than alteration and the more explicit of magics. Magic beyond the scope of artifacts and tribal shamans is heavily disfavored and completely untrusted.

The dwarfs of Norsca:

The dwarfs have long since outnumbered the men in Norsca, although that has been recently (as dwarfs measure such things) changed. These dwarfs are simpler than their cousins to the South and in Ruus, having more mean lives in a different climate than the other clans. While not at all impeded by the climate itself, Norse dwarf existence has been curtailed by the availability of food, as the dwarfs were never the reavers and raiders their manling cousins have been, historically. Also, gold is hardly ever found in the minerals of the North. Where the dwarfs here have thrived have been in the location of precious gems and in materials unique to the lands here, impossible to find elsewhere, and, some say, only existing because of the historical influence of Chaos.

Mithril for one is a metal only to be found in the North, a reason alone to keep the short folk alive and thriving, if it could be found in quantity. The vast majority of most precious stones are only found in quantity and quality here, both those dearly sought for their mystical properties, as well as their financial worth.

The history of the dwarfs in this land is fractured badly. Stemming from the same cloudy origin as all dwarfs, these clans either opted for the mountains of the North or were driven there. Amongst these dwarfs were the runecasters and priests of the race. It was they who founded the art of rune-making, the path to perfect even more the already mundanely-perfect craftwork. As the race matured and settled, it was the voices of the Norse Dwarfs which led them onwards, pursuing newer, and some say darker, arts. Not all Norsca dwarfs felt such drive, and those who did left hearth and home to found the far northern holdfasts now lost through time and antiquity. The gains in art brought forth by these explorers and believers are also lost, as dwarfs are a pragmatic race and quick to forcibly forget the mistakes of their ancestors. Still though, the most cunning and brave of travelers speak of things far up north that only dwarfs could be responsible for, things no longer in their right minds. You will hear no dwarfs speak of it however. Ever.

Places of Interest:

Karak Belgrin – the “Polished Rock” of the North: the great stone guardian of the southern marketplaces, and jewerly capital. This dwarfen kingdom is built into the mountains sitting on the northern edge of the Baltic Sea, with two undeground rivers that provide direct trade access to the gates. It is known throughout the dwarfen world and many human territories as the place to trade highest quality gems. It is a very rich, very fortified, and very old holdfast, and the first one to be established in the North by the ‘upstart’ dwarfs.

Karak Ild – now forgotten purposefully by the people who built it, this holdfast was once a mighty dwarf city far in what is now the northern wastes. Built into the side of an extinct volcano near the Spine of the World, it was also the historical site of the largest temple to Aègnar Dümathôin, dwarf god of fire. Millenia ago, a ball of fire fell from the sky and cracked the city open, exposing it to elements, beasts and reavers. Soon after, the city fell and now lies entombed, buried under layers of snow, stone, and ice, completely forgotten. Anyone thinking of venturing near the ruins would be wise to stay clear of the possibly-real giantfolk that are rumored to inhabit the area.