Yngheim
In the northeastern region of Barendar lies the country of Yngheim. Yngheim was established by Jolnir from southern Rotskjoldland who fled their native Heimval. Calling themselves 'den Yngir', 'the peaceful people', these Jolnir descend from those who fled during the conquest of the warlord Magni af Rotskjold. The Yngir, unlike most of their northern cousins, are a peace loving people. Most live as fishermen, traders, farmers and herdsmen. The Yngir are known for their superior sea-craft and ship building as well as a reputation for strict honesty and fair dealing. This activity, combined with a level of frugality that others find extreme, has made them a wealthy people. They worship the gottyan Thera, Wave Mother and the provider of the sea's bounty, but according to their own philosophies that stray from the orthodoxy of the Saedir sisterhood.
The Yngir are on good terms with the Dhun of the forests to the south and there is a limited trade between the peoples. Tensions were high when the Yngir first arrived, due to the cutting of live wood for their homes and ships. As the Yngir became aware of the existence of the strange folk and since they had come escaping war in search of a peaceful prosperity, they were loathe to start a new war with the native inhabitants of their new home and so an agreement was reached where the Yngir swore to plant a tree of the same kind for every one they harvested and take only younger trees or those fallen in storms. The honest Yngir have lived up to their promise dutifully for over two hundred years.
Yngheim stretches over the long north-eastern coast of Barendar. Its capital, Yngborg, is home to a quarter of the Yngir population. The rest of the population is spread over villages and smaller cities along the coast and in the rolling green foothills of the Sutberg Mountains range that separate Yngheim from the interior of Barendar.
Yngheim is a place with a strong rule of law and democratic tradition, the first in Torvalen. Every adult citizen, male and female, has a vote and elects representatives to the Alrad, which convenes every two years in Yngborg. The Alrad elects the @Stjorun to execute legislation and appoint judges which also must be approved by the Alrad. Many jokes are made by Jolnir traders from Heimval about the Yngheim culture and government, calling it a nation of old women, but all envy the incredible wealth amassed by these people and how the prosperity is shared amongst them with such equanimity. And though the Yngir are peaceful, they have relentlessly and efficiently destroyed pirates who dare to threaten their shipping or raiders who threaten their homeland.
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