Editing Scrollhammer: Holds of Skyrim (section)

===The People of Skyrim===

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The people of Skyrim are of a hardy temperament. Long have they fought the land and the long winters to survive. Nordic culture is full of many traditions, and the people are known to be hard-working, skilled at craftsmanship and seamanship. Nords have a strongly independent nature to their ways, valuing individual virtue and ability. They prefer strong ale, mead and roasted meat to all other forms of sustenance, mocking those who would drink milk or water instead. Life can be hard, but the Nords drink, tell long tales and make merry to music through it all.

Magic is distrusted by Skyrim's commoners. Magic is the tool of Elves, of witches, and of all others who would deceive or steal the souls of the innocent. The wilds of Skyrim have long been filled with rogue conjurers, vampires and foul enslavers of the long-dead, preying on lost travelers for nefarious reasons. Magic is therefore practiced and studied when necessary by the Nords, but the most valiant warriors of Skyrim generally prefer the free form of the Thu'um over the regimented Schools of Magic practiced by Elves; the power of the Voice, honed in the old Nordic way, is far more difficult to use for treachery than the power of sorcery.

Skyrim is often organized into nine Holds. Each Hold is essentially an independent kingdom under the rule of a Jarl, but each is also privy to the High King and to the Emperor. The Jarls are expected to rule their Holds, protect the liberties of their subjects granted to them by custom, bestow honors upon those deserving of them, and lead their people into battle should the need arise. The Jarls live in longhouses or in grand halls, and many nights a year hold great feasts for their most honored kinsmen and warriors. Those at the feasts often partake in contests of strength and drinking, and boast and taunt one another in their valor, all to the echos of the songs of bards around the roaring hearth. It is often at these times that a Jarl might bestow upon his men many gifts of fine weapons, strong armor and worthy titles. Among his councilors are the Carls, advisors and battle leaders, and a band of warriors serving as personal guards, the Housecarls. The most important individual soldiers in the Hold are granted the title of Thane; these warriors act as diplomats and champions for the Jarl's army. The title of Jarl is hereditary, usually through the male line(although not always, such as is the case in Hjaalmarch). The acquiring of the other titles vary from Hold to Hold, as many of each Hold's customs, organization and laws are unique; the title of Thane is always granted to the most honored of warriors, however.

The common people of Skyrim are at times called yeomen, or bondis. They are free under the law, but as could be expected must pay taxes to finance the Jarl, his court and his armies. In times of war, the elders of villages and the Carls are responsible for mustering an army from the commoners, whether by persuasion or conscription. It is the duty of a commoner to fight for their Jarl in times of war; this duty is often taken up willingly, out of the desire to seek glory and fame. But it is also for the protection of their land, their people and their way of life as free men that many Nords have fought over the ages, be it against Elvish tyrants, hordes of monsters come to pillage their farms, or even against their own rulers in times of dark oppression.

It is a reckless life that many Nords are bound to. Bravery and perseverance are seen as indispensable virtues in such a land as Skyrim, and death is an accepted part of life. For if a Nord proves himself honorable and heroic in life, he will be rewarded in death with an eternity in Sovngarde, the Mists of the Slain, the Hall of Valor. It is here that many Nords spend their entire lives trying to reach, a journey to find its mythic gate. For only the worthy may enter the Hall of Shor.

Nordic religion is very similar to the Imperial religion of the Divines, being the ancestral religion from which the Cult of the Eight and One sprang. It is perhaps centered around Shor, Kyne/Kynareth and Talos, however, more than Akatosh; for after the defeat of the Dragon Cult, many Nords came to fear the Dragon of Time, believing such a being to be either Alduin in disguise, or else, seeing the reverence of the Elves towards Auri'el, a friend of Elves rather than of man. The consolidation of human religion towards the Divines in the early First Era was thus met with resistance by some Nords, King Wulfharth being a prime example. The Nords also are known to call upon in battle the lesser gods who form the court of Shor, such as his Shield-Thane Tsun, Guardian of the Hall. The religion of Skyrim is thus essentially the same as that of the Imperial Province, but with less organization, and greater emphasis on the gods who have in the past shown special favor to mankind.

It is the armies of Skyrim that show the true face of their ways; fearlessness of death, honor in life. The Nords have long held against Elves, Orcs, Giants and countless other foes, and it is of these brave men that the bards sing songs in the mead-halls: these paragons of what it means to be a Son of Shor.

The following rules tell of how to field an army of Nords in [[Scrollhammer]].