'Norland' is sometimes used to refer to all the lands north of the
Blue Sea. Its most common usage in the human kingdoms of the West, however, is
to refer to the vast untamed wilderness north of
Cambria,
Reetland and
Sankhar.
Norland is an area where non-humans outnumber humans and even the non-human tribes are scattered across a wide
area. The most common humans living in this area are the
Reavers whose settlements cling to the shores of the
Grey Sea and the
Lossoth, the so called 'Snowmen' who live still further north. The non-human
inhabitants include orcs and hobgoblins as well as giants and dragons. According to legend there are still
other beings that make Norland so dangerous, Wind and Ice Demons, leftovers according to folk tales from a time when
the Devil himself ruled in the North before he was cast into Hell by Pelor.
Animals that roam the Norland include great white bears and huge white-furred mammoths as well as reindeer and elk.
Also there are tales of reptile-like creature who burrow in the snow and ambush unwary travellers. Living in the
Norland is a struggle for existence and survival skills are paramount. The unfriendly weather is, however, not the
only problem for those trying to live in Norland. It is said that at one time Cambria tried
to found a colony in Norland on the shores of the
Great Ocean but that after a few years it was destroyed by
Frost Giants and its inhabitants enslaved.
Nevertheless there are free towns in the North with
Reetish inhabitants notably the Three Towns protected by the Wizard of the North on the western shore of the
Grey Sea. It is here that explorers from the south generally start their journeys and southern merchants come to trade.
In the far, far north there is said to be a city of ice where the Snow Elves live, an Elven race long
separated from their southern brethren and completely immune to the cold. There are also said to
be other hidden communities of Elves in Norland dedicated to restoring the land which they believe has not fully recovered
from the Great Darkness.