Laevateinn

"Yes of course I've seen a tree" - Laevateinnians Laevateinn is known as the land of trees, plains and rolling hills. Anywhere you are on the island you can see the enormous tree - the Tree of Life - that is located in the middle of the island. Because of this, the Tree of Life serves as a main navigating agent to all inhabitants of Laevateinn.

Known for its strong warriors, being able to go on beyond death. The warriors of the island are willing to fight even the most suicidal battles, believing that dying in a fight is the most honorable death possible. The island has produced some of the best physical combatants of the past century.

The island does not see much magic beyond its branch-surrounded teleportation portals. Magic of the bardic, divine, and druidic flavours are permitted on the island. Whilst other magic isn't outright banned, it is highly distrusted, and any magic user will be kept at a distance. Religion is a source of pride to the people of Laevateinn, and it is customary to openly wear symbols of your faith. The most common deities on the island are Illmater, Meilikki, Selune, Silvanus, Sune, Tempus, and Torm.

Those that use magic but aren't known in an area get branded as häxmästare. Word will spread fast, and those branded as such by a people will often find themselves sleeping in barns. A person branded must go to lengths to see themselves freed of this brand - often by proving themselves physically without using any magic or by undergoing trials in which their magic is judged to be deemed 'safe.'  Just as word spreads fast when one gets branded häxmästare, word spreads fast as well when a person is unbranded - and they are welcomed as an equal as though nothing had happened.

By agreement with the sea elves and tritons, no ships are permitted over the waters in the north, and those races have full authority to act as they see fit to any ship that breaks this treaty. This agreement was reached thanks to the Bringers of Hope - one of the treaties that the ambassadors aided Laevateinn with that earned the group an embassy in Holmhallas.

Government
Laevateinn is divided into many small jarldoms. The majority of these are not larger than a few small towns. The jarldoms are united under a single Oberjarl, who is also the jarl of Holmhallas.

The jarls are elected via the Jarly Contests, in which anyone that deems themselves strong enough to lead the jarldom can join in the contests. These contests feature different aspects, including an endurance race, navigation, armed and unarmed combat, as well as ability to drink sufficient amounts of ale.

Unlike the Jarly Contest, the choosing of the Oberjarl is often a peaceful happenstance. One of the jarls gets nominated by at least three other jarls, and then needs to win the popular vote of the other jarls. If more than two jarls get put forward for the position of Oberjarl, after a round of votes the one with the least amount of votes drops out of the race.

The Roderorden
"No one expects the Roderorden Inquisition!"

In other cultures, the Roderorden would be known as Blood Hunters. The Roderorden are a group of highly trained individuals whose sole purpose is the protection of The Tree of Life. Their order exists alongside the power of the Oberjarl - neither being above nor below it. The order resides in Holmhallas, and accepts candidates from every corner of Laevateinn - though few are the ones who are able to withstand the intense training and move on to become Inquisitors. Those that fail are not shamed but given positions (if they so choose) as Standard Bearers. These noble people have the honor of accompanying Inquisitors and serving as their right-hand men and women. They are not servants in the least, but soldiers in their own right - even if they are lower in the hierarchy of the order.

Members of the Roderorden are sworn to protect The Tree of Life at any cost. They are highly trained and specialized soldiers who excel at identifying the nature of magics and determining the severity of threats. Inquisitors wear a great horned helms that contain a veil to hide their face while Standard Bearers wear a red-plumed helm to signify the blood they have spilt in earning their position. They view the Arcane with great distrust; for those that use it entreat fiends and demons bent on destruction.

A Roderorden Inquisitor is a frontline hunter typically sent to investigate those branded as häxmästare, though in rare cases they will be sent to investigate reports of resurrection or reincarnation. An Inquisitor is never alone and is typically accompanied by two Standard Bearers. For anything beyond, a contingent of 16 Inquisitors and Standard Bearers will be sent, and in rare cases a High Inquisitor will lead the group.

Due to the nature of Inquisitors, they always report where they are heading and send reports regularly after arriving. An Inquisitor who fails to report in will draw the attention of a full contingent of Inquisitors - who will make their way with full haste to perform a full investigation. Killing an Inquisitor is akin to attacking The Great Tree itself, and so carries an immediate penalty of death.

The people of Laevateinn hold the Roderorden in great respect. They are not feared but welcomed and shown every courtesy a great warrior would expect.

Local Lore and Culture
Every year, one from the two dragons in Laevateinn and Drassai leaves its nest and flies to seek out its mate on the other side of Cidir. This aptly-named "Flight of the dragons" covers the otherwise leafy island of Laevateinn in snow and ice, which is also how Laevateinn distinguishes its winter.

Teleportation
Use of teleportation on the main island is especially draining. Anyone subjected to long distance teleportation (including spells like Dimension Door) will receive 1 level of exhaustion. If the person is a spellcaster, they may avoid this exhaustion by expending a spell slot of level 3 or above. Planar travel is not affected by this, however planar travel on the main island - especially in Holmhallas - is frowned upon. Thus, travel from other countries is typically by boat rather then teleportation, and travel between the cities is almost never done via the teleportation gates.

Resurrection
A person that has died must be allowed to meet their God(dess). Necromancy, and by direct association resurrection, is strictly forbidden. Diamonds, being recognized as beacons for souls of the dead, are illegal for sale and purchase in Laevateinn. While possession is not a crime in and of itself, such a person may immediately be viewed as a häxmästare, and subject to the prejudice such a title brings.

Reincarnation
The great druid circles of Laevateinn hold the secrets to reincarnation, and such miracles are reserved only for monks and druids who have obtained permission from their deity to be reborn. Those found to use reincarnation without permission will result in the immediate call for death of both the recipient and the caster.

Holmhallas
Holmhallas is the capital of Laevateinn and the seat of the Oberjarl.

Famer
Western most city and home to largest fields and primary food sources for the island.

Linnake
A famed center for festivals and known proving grounds for many warriors.

Satamakaupunki
The northern most city on the island, Satamakaupunki manages relations with the Goliath Nomadic tribes and the Sea Elves and Triton domains.

Storstad
Storstad is the primary port city of Laevateinn and all ships from other countries must come through here.

The Four Islands of the Evergreen
Also known as Vera, home to one of the second largest trees in the known world.

Älva
A small, heavily forested island just south of Laevateinn. Typically avoided by locals as it is rumored to be haunted, complete with local legends of people disappearing there, never to be seen again.

Sea Elf and Triton Domains
Deep in the waters between Laevateinn and Akra Kuden are the kingdoms of the Sea Elves and Tritons...

Goliath Nomadic Lands
These lands stretch across the northern area of the island, and are home to Goliath tribes. Outsiders are generally frowned upon, though rarely greeted with outright hostility.

Great Druid Groves
Many conclaves to druid circles are here. These are sacred lands, and trespassing through is at your own risk.

Förvisad Castle
Located south of Holmhallas, Förvisad Castle is where those banished by Laevateinn go until they are ready to meet their Gods.

Inhabitants
Laevateinn contains all the common races, living happily amongst each other. Next to that, it has a few of the rarer races, namely Tortles, Grung, Goliaths and Water Genasi. The Water Genasi are mainly found along the coast and the river, often preferring either the nature or the smaller coastal towns. Goliaths are a rare sight even in Laevateinn, with only knowledge existing about two of the roaming tribes. Tortles and Grung only appear on the Dagger Island, with very few of their race traveling beyond there.

Laevateinn is known for its mixing of races, with none of them living strictly apart from the others. Races that are generally distrusted on the mainland, such as the drow and duergar, enjoy a normal place in Laevateinnian society. One's status in society is entirely dependant upon one's skills and abilities, with the highly skilled warriors enjoying a good amount of respect from all the islanders.

Biome
Climate: Warm-summer humid continental climate. During the *Flight of the Dragons* season, the country gets cold and has spells of snow. The rest of the year it is a moderate temperature, averaging about 5 degrees at the north of the island to 15 degrees at the south of the island during the day.

The majority of the islands of Laevateinn are covered in forests. The main islands forest can be divided into three parts, North of the Tree, South of the Tree, and East of the Tree. The Nothern Forest consists mostly of pine trees. The Southern Forest consists mostly of oak and birch trees, and the Eastern Forest is mixed forests, with no particular type of tree being prevalent over the other. The types of forests are reflected in the Tree of Life, which from the North looks like a pine tree, and from the south like a birch tree.

Due to the large amount of forests in Laevateinn, there are large parts of the island were the sun doesn't often reach the ground. As such, settlements are made wherever there is a clearing and a natural source of water, making use of any natural sunlight where possible.

Wild Rose Garlic
A massive exported special type of garlic that is common to the island adds a gives off a flowery scent, yet still provides that nice garlic punch.

Shadow-bellied Kookaburra
A brilliantly colored kookaburra except for its dark belly. If raised from a young age they make for extremely loyal pets. More uncommon, might be illegal in some other countries.

Wildcat Eel
These eels are found in the reefs around the island, but can be difficult to capture due to their keen senses and swift speed. Old stories said eating one the night before battle would ensure victory, and during those times their numbers were hunted to dangerous levels. They are more prevalent these days, but trade of them is restricted to keep their numbers from being dwindling. In the more popular festivals, contestants of strength are fed some before battle, and their blood is a known ingredient in brewing potions of heroism.

Purple-flowered Violet Nightshade
Grown by the great druidic circles on the island for inducing waking dream states as indoctrination to their orders (Dream Druids). Heavily guarded due to the intoxicating effects makes it highly valuable in underground markets.

Weapons
Hilts of weapons are typically made from hardened bone or antlers, using practiced techniques that leave them surprisingly strong and just as durable as any wooden counterpart.

Because metal is more rare in Laeva, every weapon created has unique designs etched into it. Additionally, every blade has "blood" grooves in it, designed to direct and blood that might flow down the blade away from the hilt.

Most warriors of Laevateinn prefer axes over swords. Axes use less metal, and the longer handles allow more carvings and unique designs to distinguish them from each other. No two axes are ever the same, and sometimes one can determine who once owned an axe by the carvings on it.

Armor
Shields in Laevateinn are designed to use as little metal as possible. They use thin planks of wood covered in dried leather, with the majority of metal going to the shield boss - the center of the shield - to protect the hand behind it. The shield boss, much like the metals used in weapons, is often made with unique designs.