Asgardian

"I'll not leave you with a scrap of what's around you -- if you want something, you take it with this!" -An Asgardian father to his newborn son, sword in hand

Asgardia is the northernmost (known) land inhabited by humans. It extends from one end of En to the other. It is a land of primaeval forests and mountains, with many inlets carved into the Sea of. The humans of that land are known by foreigners as "Asgardians", which in their own dialect, means "People of the Enclosure".

History
To be written...

General
Asgardia is a land of primaeval forests and high mountains. The forests are known by the names of whatever World Spirit is honored in them and form the land's southern boundaries, while the mountains to the far north are referred to as the Shield of Vodanaz; those to the south are known as Aurgel's Teeth. The easternmost boundary of Asgardia is at Eardstapa's End, while the westernmost is at Aerlyn's Gaze, or Alfheim, and it's more to the southwest -- so far so, that you can almost see the Golden Strand from there! Ginnungagap, or the "Yawning Void", is a seldom seen rift in the mountains to the north carved by glaciers, which forms as good a northern boundary as any for Asgardia, if not the rest of En.

The northern areas are inhospitable to all but the hardiest of life forms, being covered in snow year-round and full of perilous land. The only known settlement here is Jotunheim, with several other holdings of giants to the south. Humans inhabit all the other habitable lands, from warmer mountain valleys to the coasts of the Bowl of the Norns. As expected, Aerlyn's Gaze is the elven settlement, though they and everybody else who lives there don't seem to consider it to be a part of Asgardia, and the humans have certainly learned not to interfere.

Culture
Wow, I've compiled a lot of notes about Asgardia. So much so, that Fayruz has actually asked me to condense the contents! I'm going to touch on what "outlanders" find the most interesting about Asgardia, or the subjects of most contention: Religion, Government, Warfare, and Foreign Relations.

Religion
The humans of Asgardia believe in the gods and Titans revere them just like all the rest of their kind do, but do not often "have the tongue" to pray to them, instead preferring to rely on themselves. They will nonetheless make offerings to appease "whoever is watching", and some like to pray at the graves of the valiant dead. Etlae is the deity of choice in Aerlyn's Gaze, while the dwarves worship the World Spirits. I heard that the giants revere Aurgelmir and Suurt, having forsaken Dallanna and Sturlaag.

Government
The dwarves and elves native to the region follow the laws set down by the rest of their culture, as do those who choose to live in their lands. The human lands, on the other hand, have a very interesting set of rules laid down before them! Murder, rape, and treason are considered to be some of the most terrible crimes imaginable, and are punishable by death. Theft is likewise ill-tolerated, with the guilty being exiled or expected to pay a fine. Strangely enough, there's a law that forbids men from wearing the clothing of women, with the punishment being a fine and ridicule... Murder in self-defense is more often than not pardoned, and I even saw a wife get away with almost killing an abusive husband during a brief stay there.

Married women have quite a bit of say in affairs: for eample, they manage the money in a household and are permitted to divorce their husbands for any number of reasons. They may also marry into higher social classes unlike men, who are "stuck" in their class until the day that they die, or they are otherwise deemed worthy of social ascension. One man joked that all he was good for was siring children, and scaring giants and foreigners. This man sounded very sad.

Every settlement in Asgardia is ruled by a King and his Queen. The eldest child is to choose a spouse at age fifteen, though these prospective husbands and wives are under no real pressure to accept (or decline), and this usually has no bearing on how they are perceived by others. In any case, upon their marriage these princes or princesses become King or Queen (depending on gender, of course) when one of their parents die; the surviving parent must willingly sacrifice itself, or walk in exile. Blood successions are common, and it is not at all unheard of for thrones to be usurped by ambitious royal children, or trusted retainers. Followers know to look the other way.

Asgardian humans have been known to take slaves, and treat and dress them like they would themselves...though they have fewer rights than others.

Warfare
The humans of Asgardia have no army, and do not expend the resources needed to do battle unless it is necessary. Because their Winters are long, and very few plants can grow in these harsh times, war-parties - anywhere from ten to one-hundred in number - will raid settlements along the coasts of the inland sea known as the Bowl of the Norns. Asgardians frequently wage bloody wars on one another, as well, their Kings and Queens hoping to gain the spoils of other clans.

Elves are left alone because of their role in Asgardian history, as are dwarves. The only thing most Asgardian clans can see eye-to-eye on, is their hatred of giants.

Female

 * Queen Vrigga, a mighty Queen and healer, and the wife of King Vodanaz.
 * Coranea is a half-elven warrior-priestess who comes from this land, but adventures elsewhere.
 * Sireni the Lyrist is a Bardess who rules both Aerlyn's Gaze and runs the Bardic Academy.

Male

 * King Vodanaz was the first King of Asgardia and a powerful sorcerer, as well as the husband of Queen Vrigga.
 * Eardstapa was a famous exile, as ironic as that may sound.
 * Hjalmar the Giant-Slayer is a warrior who was captured by giants and lived to tell about it. During his time with them, likely escaping, he developed several new ways to kill them, and with different weapons.