Zwarin (Zwah-ren)

Covered mostly by mountains, with most settlements taking up only the small pockets of valley in between, this veritable winter wonderland is hiding a serious secret: they reside in a magic-dominated area. Nevermind the giants that were peacefully minding their own business before humans came climbing over them and set up camp; this region has always had warring brothers and uncles that vie for power and will use any means - read: magic - to do it. At present, no one can cross this land, as it is surrounded in whirling snow much like a snow globe.

Culture

After the great movement of the continents that completely changed the landscape, this culture decided that Ragnorak "happened." No, they won't necessarily conform to your religion, but they will take on the modified list of Gods that is Freya/Frigga and her child Baldur. Heimdall is generally assumed to be a guiding angel. Business as almost usual.

History

Celtic tribes were living there for a long while. Then Norse Germanic people came in around the same time that Gutonia was becoming a Thing. It became easier to pledge lip-service loyalty and send a few representatives to a far-off king than it is to try and fight a bunch of wars on land, in the mountains, while you're bereft of your longboats and rivers. Then the earls and counts of Zwarin had lots of infighting, and at the same time they were cultivating their own magic-using practices, such as the work of Drosselmeyer, a brother of the duchess and godparent to the heir to the throne. He later also became the very grumpy grandpa of one Heidi Alpage, who befriends Clara Sesseman, who then becomes the protagonist of the Nutcracker story at Heidi's urging. Drosselmeyer's nephew got turned into an enchanted nutcracker prince by the duke's brother, the Rat King, and their mother, a skilled shape-shifter (as in, she literally went and found magic to allow her to shapeshift, instead of being born with it). Drosselmeyer's niece he was able to save in an enchanted glass mountain palace with a horse to help her run errands. Said niece, Karolina, later fell in love with Roy of Makan Biada, a friend of Bekah's.