Overview of the Lonely Fjords

The Lonely Fjords is split into three political regions, the north claimed by Curath, the south by Nashriam, and the middle unclaimed territory. In reality, the entire Fjords region is ungoverned. Steep, nigh-impassable mountains rise nearly from the coastline itself, leaving very little land for people to live on, and even less that’s suitable for grazing. The coastline is mostly rocky with very few sand beaches.

The Lonely Fjords have been settled for millennia, but knowledge of them and their culture is not widely spread across the rest of the continent. The Curath Estate that controls the land attends the yearly meeting of Estate Holders. Likewise, the Nashriam citizens vote regularly by sending their votes with their councilmember on a treacherous journey back to the capital. Day to day, however, the two nations hold no real sway. The Fjords and the Likem are independent by necessity and tradition. The people are friendly, but not overly welcoming. Everyone is expected to do what they are able to support themselves. That does not mean they must be fully self-sufficient, but they must contribute to their community according to their skills and abilities.

The Likem:

The people of the Fjords, who call themselves Likem, build terraced gardens into the hillsides to grow hearty grains and root vegetables. They also harvest seaweed and lichen from the rocky coastline, as well as fish, of course. The heavy use of purple lichen in their diet is where the name Likem came from. The mountainsides are home to huge flocks of mountain goats, lizards, birds, large cats, and other game that thrives in secluded and steep places. Despite the seclusion and lack of farmland, scholars believe that Likem have the most varied and well-rounded diet of all people groups currently living on Aropria.

The Likem communities are built along the deepest bays of the Lonely Fjords, or half-into ancient and strangely smooth cave systems. These caves are unnaturally smooth and straight, cutting clean paths through the mountains between Likem towns. The caves are also ventilated with clever routes that allow fresh air in and not rain or snow. It’s said that ancient Likem possessed skills that have since been lost, in order to cut stone that smooth. Some legends even mention near-divine creatures that taught this stone-carving skill to the Likem in the first place. At any rate, these cave systems are an effective means of transport between towns when the weather makes it too hazardous to sail or walk. The caves are almost always busy, loud places, and well guarded from thieves and highwaymen.

Tradition:

Personal space is nearly sacred to the locals in the Lonely Fjords. When folks are in the caves they are social, but home life is a different matter. Each individual under one roof has their own space, and that space is for the person alone, along with anyone they've granted entrance. Entrance is more often than not granted on a visit-by-visit basis, the only change to that being in marriage. Once married, the couple can choose to join their spaces into one, or to create a separate space for the both of them. If a separate space is made, each partner continues to have their individual cubby as well. It is not uncommon for full extended families to share a living space under one roof, or even multiple families, as this private space and the respect for it provides a safe-haven no matter how many others share the common areas.

Weddings among the Likem, and others who choose to live in the Fjords, have multiple phases. A few nights before the ceremony, a large festival is held throughout the town to celebrate the promise of commitment that is being made. After the festival, the individuals involved spend a day in solitude, reflecting on the life they’ve lived before this pledge. It is nearly unheard of to intrude on someone’s solitude on this day. The following day is when the ceremony is held, and these ceremonies are rather intimate, usually having a range of five to ten people total in attendance, including the couple. This can be blood relatives, but can also include close friends, neighbors, or anybody that the folks celebrating deems worthy, but very few records show more than ten individuals per gathering.

Shipwrights:

Because the easiest method of transit (besides the cave systems) is by sea, there is a flourishing shipbuilding industry in the Lonely Fjords. People sail from all over the continent to purchase faster, stronger, bigger ships from the Likem. Being a shipwright is the most honorable profession in the Fjords, and a well-paying one. The lead shipwright for any new ship adds their own signature to the ship: a stylized figure to the top of the masts, the figurehead, and a burned image on each of the main structural timbers. This not only creates brand recognition for the shipwright, but helps identify wrecks.

On a whole, the Lonely Fjords are a remarkable and unique place. Traveling to the fjords is like arriving on a different plane, one where the mettlings of the major nations crash onto the rocky shore and are scattered to the wind.