Chordin
“If the Inferno contains any waste as inhospitable as Chordin, I pray that it has the decency to harbor half as pleasant a place as Chordin harbors in Harpsfell.” – Jothan Blackkard, Gazetteer

Geography
Chordin occupies the northeastern reach of Ere, a land of rocky badlands and frozen tundra. It borders The Ashed Lands and Callen on its southern edge and is separated from Genmide by the Addarack Mountains. To the north is the Jedda Syne mountain range and the Orudai Glacier, both of which are technically Chordini land.

Small towns and farming enclaves are built against the southern faces of buttes and plateaus to avoid the biting north wind. A few outposts have cropped up in natural caves in the badlands, and ruins of cities dating back as far as Saint’s Landing exist in the mountains, or locked in the glacier’s grip. In sheltered mountain valleys, farming, and life in general is easier, so much of the population lives along the western border.

History
Founded during Draconic Control as a central base of operations for the draconic forces, the region of Chordin and the city of Harpsfell also turned out to be the scene of the dragons’ downfall. It quickly joined the Vishnari Empire to gain badly needed resources now that they were not tended by the dragon nations.

During the Hailene War, Chordin seceded from the Empire rather than commit to war and risk annihilation by the hailene. Instead, Harpsfell disguised its troops as mercenaries and sent them to protect their fellows in that capacity. Still, many see this as a cowardly move.

Chordin thrived economically, while other nations struggled with revolution and upheaval as the Empire crumbled during the age of tragedies, thanks in part to their low number of casualties from the war and the fact that they were independent from the Empire.

Culture
Chordinis tend to be fixated on wealth and comfort, even those working the land are always on the look out for a way to earn extra coin quickly. Social standing among Chordinis is a measure of how many items for comfort and pleasure one has and how many of those were imported. This trait has made the only real city in Chordin, Harpsfell, a monument to excess.

Despite their grasping nature, Chordinis harbor a deep appreciation for the druids who make their lives possible and by extension, the whole of nature as it is embodied by Sylph. Even non-religious Chordinis or those dedicated to other faiths pay at least lip service to the nature goddess.

Industry
All food produced in Chordin is consumed in Chordin. Major exports include fur from the arctic creatures native to the northern reaches, expertly reared and trained animals and magic items.

The bulk of Chordin’s national product, comes from the myriad upscale inns, restaurants entertainment venues and gambling houses in Harpsfell, Chordin’s capitol. Revenue generated from visitors o the city pay for most of the necessities for both the city and the outlying land.

Government
Chordin is governed from Harpsfell by a counsel of six Great houses. The Houses maintain power by keeping monetary control over the lands that make up Chordin and the means to work these lands.

The fact that Chordin is one of the few nations with a low number of spirit beasts, there is always someone willing to pay.

The Pact of First Frost
The land of Chordin, with its glaciers, badlands and bitter cold is unable to maintain the basic sustenance needed to run a nation. Luckily, long ago, the progenitors of Houses Subter, Asmatra and Gurrai struck a deal with the druids of the frozen wilds.

In exchange for druidic magic to keep the cold at bay for three seasons out of the year, and make the fallow earth bountiful, Chordin and its houses were bound to codify into law many of Sylph’s tenets in a pact that became known as the Pact of First Frost:

1. No animal can be legally killed or abused for sport.
2. All slaughter for food or trade goods must be done magically and painlessly.
3. No lumber can be cut for construction.
4. Druids acting on the behest of Sylph cannot be barred by city officials in the completion of their duties.

The Great Houses of Chordin
The Great Houses of Chordin were originally a loose alliance of families with warrior traditions, secret combat schools and even renegade dragons who helped topple Draconic Control in Chordin. When the new nation was formed (before Draconic Control was officially ended on the rest of the continent), the families the contributed most were given the honors of the choicest land in the newly rebuilt city of Harpsfell.

During this time, Subter, Gurrai and Asmatra forged the Pact of First Frost. At the end of that age, two houses, called Jedda and Amun were destroyed by infighting and assassination.

During the Hailene War of Ascension, the family of famed elven tactician Ollimast Silyion were accepted as a House as a reward for their patriarch’s heroic defense of the city of Harpsfell.

A House known as Mallion was crippled in the Ashing of the Green when many of it’s ambitious holdings in the Great Green Expanse were obliterated. By right of tradition more than actual power, Mallion, now the House of the Ashed Lands, or Ashland continued on until some 20 years ago when, in a night of confusion and fire, most likely a betrayal within, destroyed the last of the family.

A scant five years later, House Subter and Deppin, vying to place a weak, controllable House under their thumbs elevated the merchant family Oralu to Great House status.

Below is information on each of the current houses.

House Subter
The original founders of the alliance against Draconic Control, Subter is honored as the oldest of the houses. Many in the family can trace their heritage back to the white dragon Kezzrin who had served the matriarch of the family Wylinda Subtermalik and later took human form to become her companion. While most members of the house bloodline are human, more than a few claim draconic blood.

Subter controls most of the southern lands of Chordin and all the roads, setting hefty tolls on the roads to Harpsfell and out to the Orudai Glacier. Interestingly, they control very little of the actual city of Harpsfell.

Subter’s interaction with the other houses is one of constant paranoia. The current head of the house, Elij Subter (Male human White Dragon-sired Rogue 2/Aristocrat 3) is a man consumed by fear. He has had much of the house trapped and has completely changed his personal staff five times in the past three years.

More than any other house, Subter, thanks in part to Elij and his recent predecessors has an extensive spy network, not just in Chordin, but out in the world at large. The current attitude of the house is to never hire anyone for any job unless they have been thoroughly checked out and approved by three different proctors.

Subter’s colors are white on purple, their crest is a snowflake held between two talons.

House Gurrai
Another of the original Houses, Gurrai has taken the Pact it signed to heart and have given themselves over to service of Sylph and reverence to nature as a whole. Known as the Druid House, Gurrai actively grooms servants of the nature goddess for her service.

Gurrai’s holdings lay mostly in the southern lands not under Subter’s control and in a number of foreign ventures, including fisheries in Callen and lucrative husbandry businesses in Vini Tresolm and Genmide.

True to its name, the Druid House serves as a liaison between the other Great Houses and the temple of Sylph. Currently headed by Jodit Gurrai (Male half-elf Druid 10) and his wife Listin (Female human Druid 4/Aristocrat 2), Gurrai has become much trusted by the other houses, though the usual spies and informants are to be expected.

Gurrai’s colors are green on white, their crest is a green fir tree upon a shield.

House Oralu
The newest, but second richest of the Houses, Oralu was raised into House status fifteen years ago in a plot by Subter and Deppin to take advantage of the aging patriarch of the family, Draidamon Oralu (Male human Combatant 2/ Inborn 6) to effectively gain an extra vote in council.

They did not count on Jorinara Oralu (Female human Bard 12/ Aristocrat 1), Draidamon’s daughter acting as his advisor and marshaling her house’s new found power into a small empire. Today, Oralu controls more than thirty percent of the city of Harpsfell’s gambling halls, entertainment venues, inns, taverns, and private adventuring companies. Adding in their partial interest in Norry’s Spellcrafting and Magic Works, Oralu’s wealth is second only to Subter.

Politically, Oralu is just as strong a force, thanks to Jorinara’s connections to the Bardic College of Harpsfell and the house’s popularity with adventurers and its melting pot approach to including other races (especially miare). There is said to be a secret war being fought between Oralu and House Deppin that has been escalating in recent years, with more than a few secret deaths involved.

Oralu’s colors are green and white on black. Their crest is an infinity symbol made up of stars.

House Deppin
Where Gurrai is called the Druid House, Deppin is a house of science. Founded by an alliance of halflings and half-elves during Draconic control, Deppin is a house of seclusion and secrecy.

From their stone worked fortress of a mansion, Deppin controls the mountainous north east of Chordin, working the land with immense efficiency with new and experimental methods and machines. The farms serve less as a source of income and more as a proving ground for new inventors.

Deppin’s real power comes from its sales of these creations up and down the Emaru River and in Genmide, where the dwarves have become very interested in steam works.

When it comes to politics, Deppin is calculating and precise. Alliances are never formed for any longer than it takes to accomplish a goal and no more or less is expected from a given deal. It does hold deep grudges, however, especially against House Oralu for making the house and its current leader, the female halfling Kilarhonsa Deppin (Female halfling Rogue 7/Alchemical Warrior 3) look like fools.

Deppin’s colors are grey on white. Their crest is a beaker in front of a cog.

House Asmatra
Another of the original houses from the age of draconic control, Asmatra has fallen from grace in the intervening years. Unable to successfully adapt with changing times, the House has missed many opportunities to expand its share from beyond the western farms it holds. Because of this, Asmatra remains a Greater House only by grace of tradition and its part in the Pact of First Frost.

Led by Renna Asmatra (Female human Aristocrat 8) and her husband Kairn (Male human Aristocrat 6/Fighter 1), the house still tries very hard to remain active in house politics. Most recently, Renna has embarked in attempts to bring inborns into the House to increase its flexibility.

Asmatra’s colors are yellow on white. Their crest is a sunburst behind a tree.

House Silyion
Founded by the elven tactician, Ollimast Silyion after the Hailene War of Ascension, the House of the Elves has earned a darker name; the House of Shades. It seems that the hero’s blood has run thin and in their bids for wealth and power, his descendants have turned to criminal and perhaps darker endeavors.

Its is an ill kept secret that the current Lord of the House, Silyion vt Garfold (Elf Rogue /Darkstar Assassin 3) has connections with the thieves’ guilds of a number of major cities, Harpsfell not excluded and it is rumored that he spent some of his teen years as an assassin. Like his predecessors, Garfold uses these rumors to keep control of his house’s out lying farms and merchants through sheer terror.

The other houses are equally afraid of the House of Shades, as there have been a number of occasions where unfortunate accidents have befallen holdings of Houses that have betrayed Silyion. The truth is that Silyion had nothing to do with these happenings, but Garfold is happy to capitalize on them.

Silyion’s colors are red and grey. Their crest is a bloody sword on a field of black.

Organizations and Individuals of Note

The Temple of Sylph
Thanks to the provisions of the Pact of First Frost, the druids hold an enormous amount of sway in Chordin. A loyal cleric or druid of Sylph can expect all due respect from the citizenry and little to no interference by local law enforcement into their dealings unless they present a clear danger to the public good.

Temples to Sylph can be found in most localities and are carefully kept both separate and better maintained than other temples.

The Pandemian Church
Though not viewed with the awe and respect of Sylph’s Druids, clerics of Pandemos are well liked in Harpsfell, where parties and gambling are abundant. Pandemian clerics are viewed as good luck charms and the savviest can make a good living playing ‘pet priest’ to a wealthy reveler.

The Bardic College of Harpsfell
Founded at the end of the Hailene War of Ascension, the Bardic College has become a fixture of the community and a respected institution the world over. Many of the greatest sages of the age studied at the college and most of today’s Loremen hail from there as well.

Today, the College is run by Maximun Lighttouch (Male halfling Rogue 5/Bard 13), a halfling from Minde Forme, who has brought even more prestige and success to the College though shrewd business ventures that have tied the institution to the Academy of the Arcane Arts in Te’ran and to the Library at Siram Leggate in Minde Forme.

The real secret to Maximun’s success with the college however, lies with his underworld connections. In his 25 years as Archchancellor, Maximun has surreptitiously added a thieves’ guild to the normal workings of the Bardic College. Anyone with knowledge of the criminal underworld of Harpsfell knows that the College is a prime source of hirelings and fences.

Master Trestrolm Norry
A native of Novrom, and the founder and proprietor of Norry’s Spellcrafting and Magic Works, Master Norry (Male human Wizard 23) is the man credited with the economic revolution in the spellcrafting trade. In fact, Norry has a hand in most of the spellcrafting endeavors started in the last century an a half.

His other holdings include Norry Airships, South Coast Apothecaries, Emaru River Steamships, and Black Dwarf Armory. Because of his inventiveness and amazing business sense, Norry is one of, if no the wealthiest people on Ere, including dragon kind.

Even at the age of 180, Norry still makes regular visits to all of his public holdings and spends much time researching new spells and magic items, occasionally hiring adventurers to retrieve rare reagents from the Tresolmi jungle or the Ashed Lands.

Unbeknownst to all but his closest friends and his adopted daughter Deirdre (Human Inborn Caster 5), Norry’s success is do in part to his allegiance to the Deyic temple, whose members provided much material support to him in his early years. The goddess’s reasons for this are unknown.

Major Settlements
Harpsfell (Large City, 170,000)
The famed Bard City, Harpsfell is a rich and bustling city built across six adjacent plateaus. Mystically strengthened architecture permeates the high towers of the upscale buildings and the wide bridges that connect the plateaus.

Harpsfell is literally steeped in magic; even the most mundane tasks are left to summoned beasts and mystical constructs, leaving mercantile, inn keeping and entertainment as the jobs of choice. The red light and gambling districts are lively here, with many card houses and brothels belonging directly (or secretly) to houses and even temples. Money, in the form of Chrodini trifles is the universal language and someone willing to accept it is never far away.

Order is kept by the Infinity Guard, a security force under the employ of House Oralu. The Guard enforces all of Harpsfell’s laws with surprising evenness, though there is an understanding between the Guard and the Bardic College.

From the central bridges and spires of the city, viewers can catch a glimpse of the Old City, a crumbling ruin built within the natural shelter of the plateaus during Draconic Control. The Old City had been the haven for the free peoples during that era and was destroyed in the last battle against the dragons. Now it is a silent hulk, picked clean by adventurers and laired in by a handful of monsters.

Serridan Valley (Hamlet 135)
A secluded township on the Genmide border, Serridan Valley is an orphanage of sorts for inborn casters who have proven too undisciplined to remain in their home villages. The town exists as a number of small, but sturdily built stone long houses built against the southern face of a cliff.

Experienced inborns raise the next generation, honing their skills for practical and safe everyday use. Magical items created by budding inborns serves to fund the town and its defense (both against outsiders and less experienced casters)

Locations of Note
Orudai Glacier
Encompassing several hundred square miles, the Orudai Glacier hides more than just Ere’s North Pole. No fewer than four Dragon War era cities and several smaller settlements have been found in the deep ice crevasses of the glacier. In addition, the even more ancient ruins of Vaiakcuria, an extensive and dangerous metropolis lies encased in an icy tomb few adventurers will brave.

Rumors also place a temple to a forgotten god called the Citadel of Blackest Pitch lies somewhere in the far northern reaches of the glacier.

Encounters
On the icy wastes of Chordin, the bitter cold and lack of shelter in the badlands is the biggest danger would be adventurers face. The barren landscape often gives way to deadfalls into crevasses of jagged ice (treat as natural pit traps), and the sheer faces of plateaus make climbing treacherous.

Herds of elk eek out a meager existance here, often under the express control of winter wolves and wargs who jealously guard their food source. Dire bears and their larger cousins, ur-bears (advanced, 20HD dire bears) along with wild cats make their homes on the plateaus and predate the herds.

A race of white furred trolls, referring to themselves as the Kular live nomadic lives following those herds not controlled by magical beasts. They capture and train frost worms as guards and sometimes bring them to Harpsfell for sale.

Deep in the Orudai Glacier, adventurers and historians have reported seeing ghouls and specters, possibly the leftovers from the mighty society that once stood there before Saint’s Landing. Less substantial reports also place demons and vampires in the glacier, but few believe these.