02 - Iron Kingdoms W.. - Captain Spud Is Amazing

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shards, and they use these meetings between shards to
arrange weddings and form tribal alliances.
The Fane of Nyssor is at the center of Nyss society.
It is made up of the Winter Father’s faithful priests
and warriors dedicated to watching over his place
of repose, for the great elven god is entombed in a
mighty tower of ice and watched over by his people
until the day he recovers his vast strength from his
travails in the otherworld and can return to lead them
once more. Some Nyss believe that Nyssor’s spirit has
returned to the Veld in order to retrieve the Vanished
gods, his brothers and sisters, and lead them back to
their people.
The various tribes tend to specialize in some aspect
of Nyss society. For instance, the tribe of Aeryn has
a strong tradition of service to the Fane of Nyssor,
and a number of its members have become powerful
priests. Legend tells that the founder of the tribe was
none other than the great prophet Aeric who first
led the Nyss from Ios in search of the Vanished gods.
Another of the great tribes are the Voassyr who take
their name from Nyssor’s frozen claymore and wield
stylized weapons derived from Nyssor’s mighty rune
blade. The Voassyr are skilled hunters and the most
dedicated defenders of the north.
Trespassers into Nyss lands are invariably
ambushed, for they are very serious about their
privacy. Numerous hunters, trappers, explorers, and
barbarians go missing every year. Along with the more
civilized Khadorans, primitive Skirov and Kossite tribes
and even Rhulfolk—both dwarves and ogrun—all feel
a special hatred, respect, and/or fear for the Nyss,
for their run-ins are typically hostile. The winter
elves often engage in sudden assaults with flights of
arrows from hiding, and once they soften their targets,
they move in for the kill wielding their deadly sharp
two-handed claymores. Lately Nyss lands have been
infringed upon by tribes of Devourer worshipping
barbarians appearing to be a northern tribe of long
forgotten Tharn (see entry, MN1). These encounters
have turned especially bloody with both sides giving as
much as getting. It is rumored that a recent surprise
attack by the savage Tharn barbarians wiped out an
entire shard of Nyss, so tribal kinsman are currently on
the warpath in that vicinity eager to kill anything and
everything they find.
nyss FaCts
RuleR: the nyss have no CentraLized governMent though the
Fane oF nyssor is generaLLy obeyed.
GoveRnment type: tribaL
Capital: none
ethniC GRoups & appRox. population: unknown
lanGuaGes: aeriC (generaLLy onLy the Fane oF nyssor Learns
written), Cygnaran (spoken), khadoran (spoken), shyr
(spoken)
Climate: tundra CLiMate with gaLes, bLizzards, and iCe storMs
MuCh oF the year; the Light strengthens and soMe snow thaws
For Four Months out oF the year; otherwise griM winter
darkness.
teRRain: Craggy, Mountainous tundra; rugged stony pLateaus;
sparse trees, MostLy shrubs, LiChen, Mosses, grasses, and soMe
herbs during the warMer Months; year round snow and iCe;
high ground is Covered in perManent iCe Caps; Fjords indent
the Coast.
natuRal ResouRCes: exotiC gaMe For Meat, peLts, Feathers,
exotiC herbs, ivory
Shards of the Nyss
Shards are the largest community of Nyss generally
encountered by foreigners. Each shard usually consists
of 30 to 80 related winter elves sometimes dwelling
in and around the same fortress during the harshest
months. Shard members work together to ensure the
survival of the community. Each has at least one priest
though the priest is not always of any greater social
status than any other member. Elders are revered
for their wisdom and usually either lead the shard or
advise the leader, for their words bear great influence
in decision-making.
Every shard has its own traditions, many of them
handed down from ages ago. Some have strong
hunting traditions, especially those who control the
best hunting lands, while other shards specialize in
dealing with outsiders for purposes of trade.
Notable Shards
Aegyth Raefyll: The Aegyth shard is part of
the tragically small Raefyll tribe. Its numbers are
diminished from frequent assaults by northern
savages—perhaps Tharn, as the attackers are said
World Guide 369