Bylltar

Head of State: Tzar Mikhael Savastia
System of Government: Monarchy (nominally)
Major Religions: Balance; Shamanism
Minor Religions: Various
Languages: Tarn; Haladric; Chelkra
Major Species: Humans
Minor Species: Dwarves; Orcs; Trolls
National Descriptor: Bylltarian

Though divided by the sea into north and south, Bylltar is at least nominally a single country – or at least a region no-one else has managed to claim.

Five Rumours about Bylltar

Rumours may be known by characters who are not from and have not visited Bylltar. This is just a small sample of rumours you might have heard about this loosely-bound, fiercely independent country.

1. Bylltarian nobles hunt monsters for fun! It’s no wonder no-one has ever successfully invaded the place.
2. There are strange horrors in the Bylltarian wilderness that have been there since the dawn of time. To waken one might be to threaten the entire world.
3. In Bylltar, crime is legal because the criminals make the law!
4. The furs and hides of Bylltar are the finest in the world, and if one could but acquire a full cargo of them one would instantly be rich!
5. The Golden Horde did not vanish when its land did, but instead moved wholesale into the interior of Bylltar where outsiders never venture. People only think they disappeared because nobody sees them any more.

Five Facts about Bylltar

For your OC reference, or IC if your character is from Bylltar or has visited it in the past.

1. A Deadly Wilderness: While the long coastlines of Bylltar are relatively peaceful west of the straits, the interior is a maze of mountains and valleys, which are not only difficult terrain but also haunted by fierce animals and uncanny monsters.
2. A Hardy Folk: Much of Bylltar is divided into territories by roving bands of monster hunters, called Hunts, who protect all the communities within their range. These monster hunters are beheld with respect, fear, and awe, and are only nominally accountable to the Tzar, having little to do with the governance of anything but the wilderness.
3. Parallel Systems: It is well-known in Bylltar that many organised crime syndicates operate there with relative impunity. Much like the monster hunters – and indeed some of them may well be monster hunters – they are by and large a law unto themselves within their respective territories.
4. Repeatedly Invaded: As such a large and loosely-controlled area of land, Bylltar has often been invaded throughout its history, but its lands are as hard to hold as they are to rule, and the population extremely resistant. The most recent invaders were refugee orcs of the Golden Horde who happened to be out raiding when their lands and most of their culture were mysterious erased in the Mists of 1299. These orcs now have a few hardy settlements in the south, and are slowly beginning to blend with the rest of Bylltar.
5. Birthplace of Kostomancy: The mystic art of kostomancy, which is related to geomancy, was born out of the harsh necessities of life in Bylltar.