Sahrivik
Sahrivik
Sahrivik is the second largest region of the Ice Kingdoms, a vast, frozen plain where cold winds blow off the Black Ice and sweep across open moors, broken tundra, boulder fields, and low, hard scrub. Though the region appears barren and lifeless at first glance, it is home to barbarian tribes, scattered settlers, dangerous monsters, and large herds of elk that migrate through the region during the brief summer months.
Sahrivik sits in a unique position between the dark lands of the Ice Lord and the western Northern Realms. It acts as a buffer against the undead armies of Parika and has seen more than its share of war. The Rhakas legions of Parika raid the region in repeated attempts to shatter the will of the local tribes and drive them from this ancient land. These raids are also used to cull young warriors from the tribes and drag them away to increase the undead armies of Lord Daza Kathiz.
The Cold Hell
Sahrivik is Old Common for Cold Hell, and the name is fitting. The land is an unclaimed wasteland of frozen moors, broken clumps of tundra, strewn boulders, and thick, oversized bushes. It is a captured pocket of deep winter where the cold seems to linger even when the rest of the Ice Kingdoms briefly thaws.
Summer comes to Sahrivik, but only for a few short weeks. Even then, the region still suffers the cold winds of Iztalik. When the moors and tundra warm at the height of summer, the entire region becomes a vast swampland of sludge and mud. In some places, even the tallest folk may sink waist-deep into cold, watery mire.
Sahrivik becomes treacherous during this season. Many places open into nearly bottomless swamp holes hidden beneath thin layers of mud, water, or grass. This deadly terrain does far more than wet a traveler’s arse; it swallows the careless, the wounded, and the unlucky.
The Kullimenn Tribes
The tribes of humans, oku, and other humanoid species who live in Sahrivik are collectively known as the Kullimenn, meaning a wild or uncivilized group. Though outsiders use the word with disdain, the Kullimenn are masters of the Cold Plain.
They know the hidden paths, frozen routes, deep mud fields, and coldest swamp holes of the region. Many of these swamp holes are hundreds of feet in diameter and have been used during winter to defeat invading hordes of Rhakas and undead.
The Kullimenn use the land itself as a weapon. They lure invaders across deceptive ground, onto weak ice, or into low areas that appear solid until the snow breaks and the mud beneath opens like a mouth.
Skretah and Allegiance
There is no single ruler in Sahrivik. It is a region of Kullimenn tribes and those trying to leave behind past lives in the southern realms.
Non-Kullimenn who attempt to settle in the region are called Skretah, or Squatters. These outsiders attempt to claim any empty niche of the region as their own, but most quickly learn that there is a price for living in Sahrivik: allegiance.
This allegiance is not a formal kingdom, oath-bound government, or written law. Instead, it is an informal alliance among the Kullimenn and the other people of the Cold Plain. Cooperation is essential in this subarctic realm. Every camp is a refuge against the cold, and every individual may become an ally in the common cause of survival.
Those who refuse this understanding rarely last long.
Survival and War
Those who choose to live in Sahrivik are hardy folk, or they perish.
They are constantly fighting hordes of Rhakas, otaruk, undead, bands of other nuhtegh, giant-kin, and the harsh, unforgiving weather. Life here is not built on comfort, law, or prosperity. It is built on endurance, suspicion, cooperation, and knowing when to fight or flee.
While the monstrous hordes of Parika and the undead of the Ice Lord are the greatest looming threats, the more common danger comes from scattered bands of Nuhtegh and giant-kin. These monsters often fight among themselves for survival, but their numbers alone make them a constant threat to anyone trying to cross, settle, or survive in the region.
Elk Migrations
During the short summer season, large herds of elk migrate through Sahrivik. These migrations are among the few signs of abundance in the region and are vital to many tribes.
The elk provide meat, hides, bone, antler, and sinew. Their arrival is watched closely by the Kullimenn, Skretah settlers, predators, and monsters alike. Many conflicts begin when rival groups attempt to claim the same herd or hunting ground.
| Sahrivik Information | |
|---|---|
| Type | Ice Kingdom region; frozen plain; tribal wasteland; borderland buffer |
| Region | Ice Kingdoms |
| Name Meaning | Old Common for “Cold Hell” |
| Political Status | No single ruler; informal alliance of tribes and settlers |
| Major Peoples | Kullimenn, humans, Oku, other humanoid tribes, Skretah settlers |
| Major Threats | Rhakas, Otaruk, undead, Nuhtegh, giant-kin, weather, swamp holes |
| Terrain | Frozen moors, broken tundra, boulder fields, deep mud, cold swamp holes, thick bushes |
| Known For | Elk migrations, barbarian tribes, battles against Parika, hidden swamp holes, brutal survival |
Adventure Use
Sahrivik is ideal for survival adventures, tribal politics, war stories, undead raids, desperate migrations, and brutal wilderness travel.
Possible adventure uses include:
- Guiding a band of Skretah settlers through Kullimenn territory.
- Defending a camp during a Rhakas raid from Parika.
- Recovering young warriors taken by Daza Kathiz’s forces.
- Hunting otaruk or nuhtegh that have been stalking elk herds.
- Crossing the summer mud-swamps before the ground swallows the party.
- Negotiating allegiance between rival Kullimenn tribes.
- Luring an undead war band into one of the hidden swamp holes.
- Discovering why the elk migration has suddenly changed course.
