The Raalstep

The White Wastes (called Vrostrom to the Frost Giants and indigenous humanoids) isthe arctic expanse of glaciers, fjords, and snowy tundra that lies along the northernmost edge of the Realm. The region is flanked on the north by the White Sea and to the south by the Sythrahir Mountain Range.
Currently the region is the sovereign domain of Sorcerer-King Yngraal, now known as The Raalstep

Inhabitants

Prior to Yngraal's rule the White Wastes ancestrally claimed by Frost Giants, whose forebears had sailed from the far northern continent of Vrosarheim in antiquity. The Giants spread themselves across Vrostrom, establishing separate chiefdoms and strongholds. These chiefdoms almost immediately began to war with each other.
A substantial population of humanoid indigenous peoples also called Vrostrom home. These peoples lived either in nomadic familiar groups, or one of the few tribal enclaves under protection of a chieftain. These indigenous humanoids were primarily of either Dwarven of Human descent, but a substantial population of Goliath and Firbolg dwelled near the mountainous regions. Goliath tribesmen often took control of enclaves, and over time the species as a whole was seen as the ruling class of the White Wastes.
The region was also home to a number of White Dragons who dwelt along the Gianthe Mountains, frequently coming in to conflict with the Frost Giants of the region who have an inborn hatred of dragonkind.

The Taking of the White Wastes

In 1783 multiple small, but heavily armed and armored, groups of mercenaries and magic-wielding warriors appeared out of thin air around several Frost Giant steadings and attempted to subjugate them. Naturally, the Frost Giant Jarls were not receptive to the sudden demands of fealty to small strangers. The fighting between these forces and the Giants was brief, and the few Giant survivors fled north to Iceling's Rest. With the Frost Giant hegemony quickly destroyed, these mysterious soliders then swept through the land demanding obedience from all other humanoid tribes. Those that did not swear fealty were destroyed.
The leader of this invasion force was named by his emissaries as Sorcerer-King Yngraal, a name unknown to the peoples of the Realm. Within only a few months, Yngraal's forces had gained total control of the White Wastes and its inhabitants. King Yngraal's top military leaders and apprentices are granted stewardship over various regions of the Raalstep, becoming Barons who rule in their lord's name. 

Conflict with the South

A few months after hearing reports of a possible hostile army in the White Wastes, the dwarven kingdom of Afhurth sends a small exploratory recon team to the north where the reports are confirmed. The trading post of Bareholm is currently occupied by an unknown faction that is rebuilding and reinforcing the small town. Afhurth sends an armed diplomatic party to Bareholm, but is intercepted by an Yngraal Scouting Party. After a tense introduction the Afhurthan diplomat is allowed entrance to Barehold, now called Raalmere.
The diplomatic party eventually returns to Afhurth, having met with Yngraal's top lieutenant Baron Eingrast. The Baron proclaims that Yngraal has no desire to move further southward unless provoked into action by the Realm. The motives of King Yngraal are "beyond mortal understanding" and that the sorcerer's presence would not be felt by the other sovereignties of the Realm unless, again, he is provoked.
Then Primarch of Afhurth, Frelka the Shieldmaiden, does not take kindly to what she interprets as an indirect threat against her people. After being dissauded from total war, Primarch Frelka dispatched Afhurthan spies across the Raalstep. Over the course of a year, the spies feed information about the movements of Raal forces and goings-on among the Raal Baronies. 

A Show of Force

A cadre of four Afhurthan Spies are discovered by Baron Ortifex along the Gianthe Mountains and taken prisoner. Of the four, one is killed during capture. On high alert, the other Barons search their own domains for possible spies. Seventeen Afhurthan spies are captured over the course of three days. 
The body of the spy Domerach Reed as well as the prisoners Gaulan Shad, Timmerand Flinth, and Bondryn Garbranch are returned to Afhurth by emissaries of Yngraal. 
Believing themselves on the brink of war, Afhurth begins to muster their forces. Shortly thereafter a deafening blast sounds from the Ravenswood, the forest that lines the southern face of the Sythrahir Mountains. This explosion decimates the central third of the forest, leaving a five-mile-wide desolation. Heralds of Yngraal soon appear in Afhurth, proclaiming that this was done by the hand of Yngraal himself as a warning to Afhurth (and the rest of the Realm). With these heralds are brought the seventeen spies captured by the Raal Barons. They are presented as a sign that Yngraal does not wish to continue any imagined hostilies, and that he is not without mercy. Additionally, Raal workers begin construction of a road that connects Raalmere to the rest of the Realmway through the desolation that bisects the now named Riven Grove.

Type

Tundra