Location Whilst Ostjörð occupies one of the largest areas on Aeipathy's map, it is not ruled under a single monarch. Its two regions are categorised by how long they have been commanded by any Ostjörð force; not one particular leader. Osthøj is the original land of the Ostmađr people, located in the northern-most point of our map and covering modern-day Norway and Denmark. Valland is the vast acres of European land that the Ostmađr have more recently annexed through raiding, pillaging and setting up a home anywhere they please. This area covers parts of modern-day France, Germany and the central nations of mainland Europe, stretching to reach the northern border of Roma. Whilst both Osthøj and Valland are considered to b a part of the Ostjörð nation, the Ostmađr do not mark their reach based on territory or resources but by their people. Ostjörð, as a nation, is the Ostmađr people. Which means that Ostjörð is, as far as the Ostmađr are concerned, anywhere the Ostmađr live. Maps Historical Age The Ostmađr lore tells of them residing in the north since the dawn of time. Their pillaging of neighbours to the east and south has been a seasonal conflict for almost as long. But the first great expansion of land down into Europe was in 1050 BC. After four years of ambitious kings striking out towards the southern climate, a large area was cultivated and taken permanently by the Ostmađr people. This would come to be known as the Valland territories. For over thirty years, the Northmen were content to settle, enjoying the copious crops, timber and hunting grounds. But when resources grew scarce and the raiders restless, Valland was due for expansion. In 1010 BC, Ostjörð annexed more nations into its new territories. And in 997 BC, ships sailed adventurously to the Briton Isles. Ever since, the fighting forces of Ostjörð have enjoyed a annual pilgrimages to the bordersland of Valland, where they meet with the Romani defences. Deals are struck, minor battles are fought, and all-out war is avoided at all costs but the rich southerners, allowing the Ostmađr to return home every year from their combat practice, dragging their bounty behind them.

Population The Ostmađr people are split into seven sippes (clans). The territories of these sippes is not determined by lines on a map but by where the members of the sippe live. If a sippe member has claimed a farm, that farm now belongs to the kónungr (king) of that sippe. As such, the areas belonging to each clan are vast and dispersed all across Osthøj and Valland. The Ostmađr people travel far and breed well with both their own people and the women of the men they defeat in combat. Their descendants, therefore, spread wide, taking the Ostjörð name with them. Due to inter-breeding and the common practice of adoption, an Ostmađr can be originally from any background, ethnicity or culture. However, to be considered a true Ostmađr, one is expected to behave, speak, dress and act in the way of an Ostmađr, rejecting any lifestyle or beliefs that came before it. Equally, any pure-blooded Ostmađr who does not embrace their heritage is no longer considered one of the clan.

The Ostmađr people generally live in familial groups in land they've been bestowed or allowed to keep by their king. They will often live close to others in the same sippe but have no issue having neighbours from other clans, provided the clans themselves are not at war. The clans of Ostjörð are used to a nomadic lifestyle and only recognise the major town of their sippe as their true home (usually located in Osthøj). Everywhere else is merely the current house or homestead they are occupying. Their family and their people are their true home.

Size and Travel LatitudeThe Ostjörð lands are massive and generally take months, not weeks, to cross. They spread from Briton Isles and the North Sea and across the entire northern sector of mainland Europe, almost to modern-day Ukraine.

	Walking	Horseback / Chariot
Single Traveller	5 months	2 months
Small Group	7 months	3 months
Large Group / Convoy	8 months	4 months

LongitudeOsthøj in the north is at the top of our map in Scandinavia. It's sorthern border reaches modern-day Germany but Valland extends further, almost to the Alps and Roma's northern mainland border.

	Walking	Horseback / Chariot
Single Traveller	3 months	6 weeks
Small Group	4 months	2.5 months
Large Group / Convoy	5 months	3.5 months

SeafareThe Ostmađr are skilled sailors and can take a ship from the North Sea around Europe or through its territories by river.

	By Sea
Osthøj <> Roma-Valland Border	6 weeks

International Travel AssyriaAssyria lies south-east of the empire of Hattusa on the eastern bank of the Mediterranean Sea. A very limited section of its borders lie on the coast so it can be reached by sea. Or, sailors can put into port at Hattusa and journey across. From Ostjörð, Assyria can also be reached by land with a short boat ride across the Bosphorous Strait. Land calculations below are made from the Valland Border. The seafare times are from the North Sea.

	By Land		By Sea
All Travellers	Calculate the total time by combining the travel time to reach the Hattusa border (below) and the time to cross the longitude of Hattusa (in the Size and Travel section of Hattusa's Land page).		2 months from the North Sea Or 2 weeks from Roma's northern ports.

BabyloniaEast of Assyria and the furthest land from Ostjörð, Babylonia can be reached almost entirely by land or by seafare before crossing Assyria on foot. Due to the distance, it is unlikely that any Ostmađr would travel here, unless they were somehow detached from their sippe and living an entirely independent life away from their culture.

	By Land		By Sea
All Travellers	Calculate the total time by combining: the travel time to reach the Hattusa border (below), the time to cross the longitude of Hattusa (in the Size and Travel section of Hattusa's Land page) and the latitude of Assyria (in the Size and Travel section of Assyria's Land page).		2 months by sea plus land travel across the latitude of Assyria (in the Size and Travel section of Assyria's Land page)

Bedoa'mtBedoa'mt lies in the north of the African continent, the other side of the Mediterranean. It therefore makes the most sense to sail there, either around from the North Sea or from the Roma lands that lie directly between Ostjörð and Bedoa'mt. As Bedoa'mt's territory stretches across most of the African continent's northern desert, the travel times vary depending on where in Bedoa'mt you are headed.

	By Land		By Sea
All Travellers	Not possible		3 weeks - 7 weeks from the North Sea Or 3 days - 6 weeks from Roma

HattusaHattusa lies in modern-day Turkey and just the other side of the Bosphorous Strait. Travelling on foot from Valland would take a traveller to the Strait, where a boat could be chartered to Hattusa. However, this would require travelling through the unmarked territories known to the Colchians as the "Northern Lands" where barbarians of Russian and Mongolian descent ravage the coast. A safer and probably faster way of reaching Hattusa would be by sea around the European continent and across the Mediterranean, or from the Roma lands.

	By Land		By Sea
All Travellers	Calculate the total time by combining: the travel time to reach the Valland borders (above), plus a few days for crossing the Bosphorous Strait.		2 months from the North Sea Or 2 weeks from Roma's northern ports.

HellasAs Hellas is mostly comprised of islands, it is easier to sail to. This can be accomplished from the Roma coastlines or by sailing around from the North Sea. The Hellenic kingdom of Athenia is part of mainland Europe and can be reached solely by land from Valland.

	Walking	Horseback / Chariot
To Athenia
Single Traveller	3 months	6 weeks
Small Group	4 months	2.5 months
Large Group / Convoy	5 months	3.5 months

	By Sea
To Athenia	6 weeks from the North Sea Or 10 days from Roma's northern ports.
To Colchis	6.5 weeks from the North Sea Or 12 days from Roma's northern ports.
To Taengea	6.5 weeks from the North Sea Or 12 days from Roma's northern ports.

K'm'tOccupying in the north-easthern corner of Africa, K'm't is easy enough to travel to by sea, either straight from Osthøj and the North Sea or from the Romani coastlines.

	By Sea
To Athenia	2 months from the North Sea Or 3.5 weeks from Roma's northern ports.

PhoeniciaWith its western border abutting the Mediterranean, it is easiest to sail to Phoenicia. Land travel would be inefficient and require going across Europe, over the Straight and through Hattusa and Assyria. No Ostmađr force would journey in this manner.

	By Land		By Sea
All Travellers	Calculate the total time by combining: the travel time to reach the Hattusa border (above), the time to cross the longitude of Hattusa (in the Size and Travel section of Hattusa's Land page) and the longitude of Assyria (in the Size and Travel section of Assyria's Land page).		2 months from the North Sea Or 2 weeks from Roma's northern ports.

RomaMainland Roma lies directly south of the Valland territories and is on Ostjörð's border. However, Romani land is spread across southern Europe, occupying most of modern-day Italy, Austria, Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and parts of Albania and Spain. Travel times, therefore, vary depending on which area is your destination.

	Walking	Horseback / Chariot
To Remusi Lands
Single Traveller	3.5 weeks	12 days
Small Group	6 weeks	2.5 weeks
Large Group / Convoy	2 months	4 weeks
To Netuno Lands
All Travellers	Simply calculate the time to reach the Valland border (above).
To Mainland Roma
Single Traveller	3 weeks	10 days
Small Group	5 weeks	2 weeks
Large Group / Convoy	As Roma and Ostjörð are in conflict, any large group travelling to the Roma mainland would likely have to fight its way there. This could make the journey take days, months or years.
To Cassia Lands
Single Traveller	Seafare required
Small Group
Large Group / Convoy
To Cannae's Western Lands
Single Traveller	4 weeks	2.5 weeks
Small Group	2 months	5 weeks
Large Group / Convoy	2.5 months	7 weeks

	By Sea
To Remusi Lands	Add 2 days land travel to time it takes to reach Athenia in Hellas (above).
To Netuno Lands	Unnecessary from Valland 7 weeks from the North Sea.
To Mainland Roma	6 weeks from the North Sea.
To Cassia Isles	6 weeks from the North Sea.
To Cannae's Western Lands	2 weeks from the North Sea.

Climate Whilst Valland enjoys a slightly more temperate, but still cool, climate, Osthøj is the coldest of our lands. With mild summers, frosty springs and winters buried in three feet of snow, it is no surprise that the Ostmađr often make their annual pillaging pilgrimage during the coldest months. Whilst the Europeans shiver against their coldest weather, the Ostmađr relish the warmer breeze. Whether in Osthøj or Valland, the Ostjörð lands enjoy plenty of rainfall, a small amount of sun and little extreme weather. Large thunderstorms are the worst they undertake and flooding is occasionally a problem for some areas.

For the Ostmađr, the seasonal calendar is simple: a cold period and a warm period. This is why they only acknowledge two seasons per year:

	Referred to As		Climate / Weather
Late Spring / Summer / Early Autumn	Sumarr		Sumarr is the warmer half of the year. Whilst the Ostmađr do not grow a lot of their own crops and resources, what is grown by their own hands is farmed and harvested in this period. Mostly by women, as men will often head south to pillage and raid if they have wives and/or young families.
Late Autumn / Winter / Early Spring	Vetr		In Vetr (winter), the men with no-one to care for at home will take the opportunity to raid south. Those with families to care for, however, might remain in Osthøj or their permanent homes in Valland in order to chop firewood, hunt and take care of those that depend on him in the harshest time of year. As many young warriors are eager to prove themselves in Ostjörð and the "soft" Europeans struggle in the cold, this is a more popular season of the year in which to go raiding - provided a large enough group can be assembled and permission granted by the sippe leader.

Settlements The Ostmađr are protective of their territory but not sentimental; they are content to travel and take up residence in whatever farmstead or home they can claim. Land claimed in raids is possessed by the kónungr (king) of the sippe. The leader of the raiders is either allowed to keep the land for his own and made a Jarl or it is bestowed elsewhere. Claimed areas can be as diverse as a single house or field to an entire township. The Ostmađr rarely attack whole cities as they are not skilled in siege combat. The only areas that have grown large enough to be considered real towns under the Ostmađr are the original settlements of the sippes (most of them in Osthøj).

Osthøj Kaldrtoft Trausttoft Garðásbrú Dalrgata Steinnvik Breiðrbekk Húsnesklif Tiwsborg Hlidskjalf Salr

Valland Holmbrekka Rauðrvangr Grœnnvangr Nosudrōm

Briton Brokknýroft Beodricsworth

Beodricsworth

SippeFiretongues
Jarl
FactionThe Iceni
Population1,620
ResourcesCrops, saxon trinkets, flour. Breiðrbekk

SippeNorthriver
Jarl
Population2,900
ResourcesFlour, crops, timber, medicinal goods. Brokknýroft

SippeFiretongues
Jarl
Population2,370
ResourcesSmelting, metalwork. Dalrgata

SippeBlacklock Hill
Jarl
Population3,100
ResourcesCoal, bronze ore, silver ore. Garðásbrú

SippeWarsong
Jarl
Population1,400
ResourcesBone carvings, jewellery, crafts, herbs. Grœnnvangr

SippeBearkings
Jarl
Population1,270
ResourcesLand, foraging. Hlidskjalf Salr

SippeBearkings
Jarl
Population3,110
ResourcesWoodworking, shields, game and wildlife. Holmbrekka

SippeBearkings
JarlOpen
Population600
ResourcesSand. Húsnesklif

SippeIronwind
Jarl
Population1,890
ResourcesBoat building, fabrics, rope, stone. Kaldrtoft

SippeBonemakers
Jarl
Population1,200
ResourcesStone, bronze ore, livestock. Nosudrōm

SippeIronwind
JarlOpen
Population2,100
ResourcesLuxury goods. Rauðrvangr

SippeBlacklock Hill
Jarl
Population990
ResourcesGame, animal hide, fresh water. Steinnvik

SippeWarsong
Jarl
Population800
ResourcesAnimal hide. Tiwsborg

SippeIronwind
Jarl
FactionThe Berserkers
Population430
ResourcesMercenaries, lumber. Trausttoft

SippeBonemakers
JarlOpen
Population980
ResourcesClay, timber, fabric.

Flora Flowers do not to well in the frozen north. Some, like the bluebell, snowdrop and lilac can survive the cold temperatures but there are few colourful flora or exotic plants in Ostjörð. Flowers are not considered particularly significant, special or romantic. They are merely a part of nature that is easily ignored.

Herbs and thistles are far more common. The Ostmađr are famed for their broths and tonics, from psychodelic teas to healing potions. Mugwort, pine needle, willowherb, cloudberry, lingonberry, dill, parsley, chives and juniper berries are popular ingredients in such things. As is plantain and yarrow when they are not being used in stews and dishes. Taragon, nettles, elderflower and horseradish are also used in cooking.

Most forestry in Ostjörð is hardwood, useful for crafting and building, including: oak, alder, elm, aspen, spruce, fir, ash and birch. The area is not short of woodland and timber is plentiful.

Fauna In the north, mammals grow large. The Ostmađr are familiar with fighting for their space amongst moose, reindeer, wolves, oxen and the occasional brown bear. Some are even famed for travelling far enough north to claim the skin of a polar bear or arctic fox. In the north sea, whales, walruses, seals and dolphins are common sights. Smaller prey like deer, hares, bavers, rabbits, squirrels and rats will often find their way to an Ostmađr dining table.

All across Osthøj and Vallance, snakes and amphibians can be found. Few of them are poisonous and most of them edible including the adder, grass snake, newts and toads.

As for birds, tits, dippers, bee-eaters, robins, owls, puffins, pigeons and oystercatchers are common. The only birds of prey known to the area are the white-tailed eagle, golden eagle and gyr falcon.

Fish are an alternative option for dining but are not farmed or fished in the same way other lands might do. Herring, salmon and kipper are often found in streams and are able to be speared and then spit upon a fire.

Natural Materials Fresh Water
Creeks, rivers, mountain springs, rainfall, snowdrifts, flooded marshes... there is no shortage of fresh water in Ostjörð and it is drank in great volumes alongside ale and mulled wines. The Ostmađr trade little with outsides and don't have a flourishing economy, else this could be a great source of wealth for them.
Crops
The Ostmađr culture prefers the concept of raiding and claiming the fruits of other people's labour than growing crops themselves. The few fields that are tended are often close to the original homesteads of the sippes and managed by slaves. All others either steal what they wish from non-Ostmađr neighbours or grow only what their family need to survive in their private plot of land. Crop growth on a large scale does not exist. Wheat, barley and oats, are the most common grains but potatoes and root vegetables are far more likely to be the base of an average family's diet.
Ore
Despite its mountainous ranges and mining potential, Ostjörð does not have huge sources of ore. Instead, their mines are committed mostly to coal. What bronze ore they do possess often goes to the manufacturing of weapons like axes and knives. If an Ostmađr possesses an iron weapon, this is incredibly prestigious and must have been taken as bounty from another land. As the Ostmađr tend to trade in goods, not money, gold means nothing to them. Silver can occasionally be traded as it is a popular metal for jewellery and decor. But this is more for its use than any nominal currency value; it is simply another resource to trade.
Timber
Another resource that Ostjörð has in excessive quantity is timber. Almost all of its forests (of which 80% of the land is covered) are species that yield workable lumber. Shields, boats, houses, arrows, weapon hilts, fences, carts and fuel for fires... all are forged from the local woodlands. Most Ostmađr have some form of basic carpentry or whittling skills.
Vegetables
Vegetables are a popular foundation of the Ostmađr diet as they are easy to grow in small plots like private gardens and yards. Potatoes, carrots and cabbage are often grown in personal homesteads. Hardier fruit like apples, pears and plums are available and many dates and prunes are easy to prepare. There are no citrus or exotic fruits to be found in the area. It is unlikely an Ostmađr will have ever seen an orange.
Meat
For the Ostmađr, meat is the largest and most significant ingredient in any dish. Hare, fox, badger, otter, rabbit, pheasant, pigeon, duck, rat, snake and fried newt... There is no limit to the number of animals an Ostmađr can attempt to prepare and dine upon, whether in the homestead hearth or over a pit fire whilst travelling. Deer and venison are considered luxuries, not because they are rare but because the amount of meat they yield is too much for a single family. The Ostmađr do not respect wasteful hunting so, if excess cannot be stored or saved, larger game is often reserved for big assemblies or feasts.