Utgard

Utgard is a frigid place found in the mountains north of Marceaux. The people of this unforgiving land are strong warriors. Before they were conquered by the Marcisian Empire, these north men were the scourge of the sea. They were great navigators, fearless sailors and raiders. Towns on the coasts of Anestor and Marceaux were at the mercy of the Utgardians, at least until the empire had had enough. While Marceaux and Utgard are indeed connected via land, there is a treacherous and troll infested mountain range separating the two countries, so rather than marching its army through the impenetrable mountain range, Marceaux built an armada of man-of-war ships. Their goal was clear. Though Utgard was no true threat to the empire, they had made the mistake of attack Marcisian villages, and now they were to be made an example of, for all the world to know what happens when a country attacks Marceaux.
Utgard was invaded by the empire and the people were enslaved. Unlike Anestor and Canebras, Marceaux made no attempt at assimilating the people of Utgard into the empire's population. Instead, they stole away the mages, which there weren't too many, and they forced the rest of the population to act as a front line for their military ventures. Utgardians were formidable warriors, but they were being thrown from one long military campaign to the next, never stopping, never resting. Upon reaching adulthood, they would be taken from their homes, drafted to fight for the empire's glory.
Worshiping their own deities was of course met with harsh punishment, so the Utgardians had to pretend that the Storm Father, the Warrior, and the Drowned Goddess, Ran were forgotten. Most still believed and prayed in private. There was a deep anger in the Utgardians, but they were a defeated people. When Golaran found Prince Alfric Jagersson, he was a battle weary veteran of several major battles. He was difficult to convince, not because he didn't want to rebel, but because he swore an oath on his arm band, as did all of his people, to stay loyal to Marceaux. He explained that honor dictated that they remain loyal until they knew for certain that the empire broke their word to them in some way. This left Golaran with a conundrum. He had to prove the Marcisians as oath breakers.
Golaran went to his people to see if any of them had any ideas. Eldrin Inariel, the young elven prince offered his services. He was skilled at moving about without being noticed. Along with Phira, Eldrin began spying on the Marcisians, and what they learned was horrifying. Eldrin found that while Wullfric was kept alive to insure the loyalty of his men, his mother and younger brothers were not necessary. They had been killed in secret. This information broke something within Wulfric, but it gave him the excuse he needed to break save his honor and his countrymen.
Wullfric led the other Utgardians into an open rebellion, and they stole away with empire's best ships, and took over the northern sea once more.
When the war was won, Utgard was again free, but raiding was no longer acceptable. Anestor was an ally, and if they continued attacking Marceaux, Wulfric knew his people would be destroyed by the empire. They had to find a new way of earning a living. They were still some of the best wayfarers and warriors in the world. Many Utgardians took jobs as mercenaries or monster hunters, along with sailors, whalers and fishermen.
Today, Utgard is still ruled by King Wulfric. Beneath him there are villages dotting the rocky landscape of the coast each led by an arl. The country is poor, life is harsh, and many people are leaving to make a life for themselves.
The majority of people who live in Utgard are either humans or orcs, but there are some goliaths and frost men as well.

Owner/Ruler

King Wulfric Jagersson