Gaz F10 The Kingdom of Kaarjala - Vaults of Pandius

SOCIETY“Bieggolmai makes, and breaks, the bestof men.”– common Vaarana sayingRacesKaarjala’s population has always beennigh-exclusively human. Most of itspeople will go through life without evermeeting an elf, dwarf, gnome, or halfling,but humanoids and giants are wellknown,and belief in forest spirits iscommon. If foreign interests continue toexpand, these other races could maketheir presence known in the comingyears.HumansThe Kaarjalans have lived in the farnorth of Brun for millennia and in theAutuasmaa for over 1100 years. Theyare divided between the largely settledSaamari and the semi-nomadic and lessnumerous Vaarana.Individuals of both ethnicities tend tobe slightly taller than average (6’ formen, 5’9” for women) with faircomplexions and moderate builds. Haircolor is typically light or dark brown, butblondes are not unknown among thosewho have some Antalian pedigree. SomeKaarjalans have a slight epicanthic foldover the eyes courtesy of Oltec ancestry –this is more prevalent among theVaarana. In most respects, though, itwould be difficult for a Known Worlderto distinguish a Kaarjalan from aNorwolder or Heldanner.Men and unmarried women wear theirhair long and unbound, while marriedwomen braid theirs or tie it in a bun.Traditional Saamari dress for menconsists of a linen shirt, a woolen vestand jacket, long wool trousers, woolstockings, and stout leather shoes orboots. Women wear linen blouses with awool skirt, bodice, coat, socks, andleather boots.Both sexes wear hats – men don knittedwool caps or brimmed felt hats, whilewomen wear a tanu, or cloth cap, or ashaped bonnet. During the brief summer,men often don knee breeches, and favorshoes over boots; wool coats are set asidein favor of linen.Fabric is expensive in Kaarjala, and oneway in which wealth is signaled is in thegenerousness of a garment’s cut and theextent of its embroidery. Marks ofdistinction include clothing made of finewool as well as the addition of colorfulstripes.The most common form of dress amongthe Vaarana is the gakti (tunic),accompanied by wool trousers for menand skirts for women; all apparel is madeof wool or felt – the former for winterand the latter for summer. Clothing tendsto be very brightly dyed – dark blue is acommon color, with distinctive bands ofbright red or yellow on the hems ofskirts, the cuffs of tunics, and hats. Theway in which clothing is adornedindicates the wearer’s place of origin andtheir clan.The most common form of footwear forboth sexes is a reindeer skin moccasin,with turned up toes and lined with softsedge grass to protect against cold anddampness. Women wear brightly coloredwool caps decorated with ribbons or lace,while men’s headwear varies by region.Clans in the north favor a conical hatmade of wool, while those in the southoften wear a four-cornered felt hat(known as a čiehgapir, or “four windshat”) edged with fur. Both men andwomen wear reindeer skin coats duringthe cold months.In addition to the Saamari and Vaarana,there are around 600 people from othernations, most of who live in and aroundKaarja. Over half of these are Littoniansdrawn north in search of opportunities. Afull description of the Littonians, theirculture, and rules for creating Littoniancharacters can be found in Gaz F6 TheAmber Shores of Littonia. Of thoseLittonians living in Kaarja, three-quartersare of Litoniesu stock.The remaining foreigners hail fromvarious nations of Norwold –Viaskodans, Norwolders, Alphans and asmattering of folk from even more distantrealms. The majority of the foreignerspresent in Kaarjala have arrived here onlywithin the last ten years in pursuit ofadventuring opportunities, and theyreached Kaarjala by way of Littonia.DemihumansAs of AC 1000, there are fewer thanone hundred elves, dwarves, gnomes, andhalflings living in Kaarjala. Dwarves arethe most common group with 43individuals, all hailing from Stormhavenor the small clanholds in the Icereach andWyrmsteeth Ranges. A small contingentof 22 Leehan halflings made their way toKaarja four years ago to set up trade andinn-services. The remaining demihumansin Kaarjala are individual adventurers.Most of them live in and around Kaarja,where opportunities for adventure (i.e.,patrons with money to spend) are mostplentiful; however, the troubled regionaround Polvijärvi and Lovajärvi is also alocus of adventurer activity, human anddemihuman alike.Other RacesThe barren lands north, west, and southof the kingdom are inhabited by severaltribes of goblins (known as hiisi in bothKaarjalan tongues), the most powerfuland organized of which are the Yrgun,which receive tribute from several minortribes. The Yrgun inhabit the northernslopes of the Winter Peaks, and haveexcavated extensive tunnel complexesdeep underground. Most northern goblinsdress in cured wolf, reindeer, or polarbear hides, but they are otherwiseindistinguishable from their southerncousins. The Yrgun are unique amongthe northern goblins in that they usecured and dyed human skins forceremonial dress.In addition to the goblins, ice trolls – astocky breed, but equally dangerous –can be found on the western slopes of theWinter Peaks. They normally huntwolves, bears, and reindeer; but the oddgoblin or human will do.Kobolds are numerous in thesouthwestern mountains. The Kaarjalansknow them as the koirankuonolainen, andthey are the only subspecies of kobold tosport a significant fur coat – black withrust brown markings on the chest andface.There are also about two dozen “packs”of lupin (known as lupinkoiranlainen) inViaskaland, as well as the eastern andnorthern foothills of the Icereach Range.14