Northlands

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Northlands
Original Name	北境
Type	Frozen northern region / supernatural calamity zone
Location	Northern two-thirds of the Norris Continent; the term also applies to similar ice-bound regions in Otherworldly Planes 1 362 782
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Geography and Conditions

The Northlands are a vast realm of snow, ice, perpetual cold winds, and deep glaciers. Its ice can form zhenbing, an ice that never melts. Much of the region became unsuitable for ordinary human settlement after the War of the Deities Across Planes. 1

• Scale — Covers roughly two-thirds of the Norris Continent, leaving humanity concentrated in the warmer southern third. 1 782
• Terrain — Includes snowfields, glaciers, mountains, caverns, plains, frozen rivers, buried ruins, and areas where soft snow can trap travelers permanently. 1 427 623
• Climate — Severe snowstorms and long winters routinely disrupt transport, supply lines, and military operations. 689
• Magic — The Northlands are hostile to magic; in some Northlands-covered worlds, Magic Factors become inactive. 362 494
• Boundary zones — Near its edge, snow-covered terrain can abruptly meet seasonal forests and grasslands. The Northern Kingdom Knight Academy was built at one such boundary. 798

History

Origin

The Northlands emerged after the War of the Deities Across Planes, a thirty-year conflict in which many gods fell or entered slumber. The resulting disaster plunged much of the Norris Continent into eternal winter, forcing surviving northern populations south. 1

Later accounts describe the Northlands as the spirits' final act after their defeat in the war: a pan-planar, mutually destructive calamity that forced countless gods into slumber and spread death across worlds. As the spirits died and the gods slept, their control over the phenomenon weakened, allowing further unknown changes to arise within it. 754

Lost Civilizations

Before becoming an ice-bound wasteland, the Northlands held flourishing human civilizations. Ruins, ancient battlefields, noble inheritances, and buried wealth continue to draw nobles and adventurers. 473

• The former Northgar Kingdom fought and slew a Thunder Giant close to godhood during the War of the Deities. The victory cost it over seventy percent of its army and preceded its collapse. 36
• Northgar's remaining assets included a crown containing the Thunder Giant's divinity and a method for cultivating Catfolk Assassins. 36
• The frozen Northgal River in Frozen Earth Territory once connected to the east coast of the Norris Continent and had contributed to Northgar's prosperity. 427
• Buried ruins have yielded gold, noble relics, dragon blood, and signs of former human habitation. 473

Encroachment into Other Worlds

The Northlands are not confined to Norris Continent. Otherworldly Planes can also be covered by its cold and dead silence, especially worlds already nearing collapse. 208 773 906

Fenrir World is described by its inhabitants as a Northlands created through their deity's final counterattack. Though life and resources endure there, its Magic Factors are inactive. 362

Inhabitants and Dangers

Threat or Inhabitant	Details
Orcs	Orc tribes inhabit the frozen north and frequently move south to raid human territories when pressured by hunger, cold, or deeper calamities. 477 753
Orc Royal Courts	The six great royal courts include the Bear, Wolf, Tiger, Leopard, Raven, and Behemoth clans; the Raven and Behemoth royal clans possess especially ancient inheritances. 427 801
Werewolves	Werewolves live and fight within the Northlands, including forces connected to the Silvermoon Royal Court. 373 753
Snow Trolls	Monstrous creatures awakened after a deity fell amid a massive northern storm; they are linked to a looming calamity in the Far North. 754
Dragons	Dragon remains, dragon blood, and living dragons have been found in or near the Northlands. A rift revealed ten frozen dragon skeletons and a unique dragon corpse seated on a throne. 436 473
Fierce beasts and magical beasts	The region contains dangerous wildlife and magical creatures, making properly equipped expeditions necessary. 277 551

Resources

The Northlands are widely regarded as extraordinarily wealthy despite their danger. Its buried riches, ancient ruins, mineral resources, supernatural materials, and dragon-related treasures have become central to Ryan's political and economic influence. 328 358 474

• Ancient wealth — The snow conceals the accumulated wealth of civilizations and noble families displaced more than a century earlier. 627
• Dragon blood — Dragon blood can grant extraordinary strength and is sought by nobles attempting to restore their Extraordinary Legions. 472 473
• Supernatural materials — Frost Giant gems, magical-beast materials, and other rare resources support the forging of weapons such as Frostmourne. 477
• Iron ore — Northwind Province holds the Empire's richest iron-ore resources, making the wider Northlands strategically important for arms production. 371 525
• Undeveloped land — Though much is buried under snow, some areas retain life, water, fertile soil, and potential for cultivation or settlement. 290 665

Human Presence and Development

Frozen Earth Territory

Frozen Earth Territory, centered on Rhino Horn Mountain, is humanity's foremost base for entering and developing the Northlands. Ryan's people have built settlements, defensive works, trade networks, and expedition routes from this frontier. 16 552

• Northern Warhorses are bred for the cold and can travel across snow-covered ground with little difficulty. 290
• The Great Wall serves as the true defensive line for settlements built north of Rhino Horn Mountain. 369
• Migrants from other worlds have been resettled around the fortress defense line. 552

Zero Crossing City

Zero Crossing City serves as a major economic and expedition hub for Northlands exploration. Adventurers gather there to seek buried wealth, hunt orcs, compete for the Eight Knights, and buy equipment for northern journeys. 473 477 663

• The city became Northwind Province's most prosperous economic center through trade and the Northern Kingdom's Braveheart Guild. 526
• Adventurers rely on local markets for weapons, daggers, armor, and supplies suited to the Northlands. 477
• Eighty percent of Zero Crossing City is said to belong to Frozen Earth Territory. 663

Northern Kingdom's Braveheart Guild

The Northern Kingdom's Braveheart Guild organizes and rewards those who fight orcs or explore the Northlands. It provides opportunities to adventurers, funds bounties, and equips expeditions through its commercial network. 477 661

• The guild pays rewards for slain orcs, including orcs killed en route to Zero Crossing City. 477
• Its business model depends on adventurers repeatedly purchasing gear and supplies for increasingly dangerous expeditions. 551
• The guild's stone stele states that the Northlands will not reject any brave warrior. 478

Northlands Warriors

Northlands Warriors are individuals who train the Northern Warrior Breathing Technique and dedicate themselves to fighting the dangers of the Northlands. They are not obligated to swear loyalty to Ryan. 478

• Their stated monarch is the Northlands itself. 478
• Their duty is to protect human villages and towns threatened by the northern frontier. 478
• A Northlands Warrior later became one of the Eight Knights after training for two years and funding his own advancement through adventuring. 670

Military Importance

The Northlands are humanity's northern defensive frontier. Orc incursions, supernatural disasters, and the region's extreme weather have made military organization and logistics essential to the survival of Northwind Province and neighboring lands. 670 689

• Ryan established the Northwind Legion, a thirty-thousand-man force intended to defend Northwind Province and prevent orcs from crossing the Fragrant Mountain Plains. 670
• He also proposed the Northern Military Council, linking Northwind Province, three kingdoms, and the Gerald Noble Territory under a shared goal of resisting Northlands disasters. Ryan named himself its chairman and supreme commander of the Northern Army. 670
• The Northern Great Wall Fortress is a key defensive position facing the Northlands. 709
• Northlands conditions shape military doctrine: academy exchanges demonstrated that knights trained for ordinary environments were poorly prepared for frozen battlefields. 807 809

Calamity in the Far North

A growing disaster in the Far North has forced Orc tribes southward and made even the Northlands increasingly unsafe for its native inhabitants. 753 782

Werewolf Monarch Aton identified a calamitous event in the depths of the Northlands as the cause of the orcs' migration. Subsequently, Mage Brenner witnessed a deity's fall and the emergence of Snow Trolls, concluding that the new monsters may be controlled by an unknown master. 753 754

The Raven and Behemoth royal clans are among those most fearful of the coming calamity; both possess knowledge suggesting that no part of the frozen northern two-thirds of Norris Continent is truly safe. 801

Trivia

• Southerners originally called the cold northern regions simply “the North.” 1
• The Northlands are described as a place “where gods fell.” 623
• Despite its deadly reputation, the Northlands are repeatedly portrayed as a source of wealth sufficient to rival a nation. 358
• Ryan's public justification for northern expansion is that humanity must reclaim the lands where its ancestors once lived and recover their lost riches. 474