Editing Nordland (section)

==Cultures and Society==
Nordlanders are, by and large, loyal Imperial subjects and willing participants in the defense of the realm. Some of this zeal may stem from a need to prove their devotion, like any good imperial servants with a spotty history, due to the still-extant cultural links between Nordlanders and their barbarian cousins across the Sea of Claws. While this connection goes back to the time of Sigmar, events of the years between the Great Plague and the rebuilding of the Empire by Mandred Skavenslayer were the most recent of these contacts. Dealing with the plague and fighting the ratmen, Imperial forces from the southern provinces were unable to assist Nordland with their fight, and subsequently the Nordlanders were forced to enter an uneasy alliance with Norscan raiders who, upon attempting to invade the province, found it full of Skaven. The political and military confusion of the plague years led to a good deal of settlement in the coastal areas of the province, with a change from the "steal what you can and rape what you can't" approach of most Norscans leading to a mixing of bloodlines and cultures and entire generations of unviolated sheep.

From their mixed blood, shared heritage, and brief period of colonization, Nordlanders have adopted many Norscan customs, slightly modified by Imperial ideas about civilization and a relative lack of Chaos influence. Court cases are often handled by duels to spill first blood, runes are placed on old houses for luck, storytelling contests are common, and you will find many longboats on the coast [[Norsca|that are not filled with stolen goods and angry barbarians]]. In some of the settlements along the coast, the architecture is almost identical to that on the other side of the sea.

As part of this amalgamated culture, Nordlanders speak bluntly and honestly by nature, with many folk heroes saving the day simply by blurting out the truth. This reflexive tendency towards total and forthright honesty is both their greatest virtue and worst vice, and has surprisingly little effect on commerce. Altdorf and Marienburg traders, used to complex haggling and double dealing, are often rattled by their counterparts from Salzenmund simply declaring the price as if it were a holy commandment and shouting it louder if contradicted. Opinions outside their province vary on this; some regard them as loud and outspoken due to their aggressive past, while others simply believe that the average Nordlander lacks the brainpower for lies. In any case, Nordlanders lack any subtlety, reject tact as being for soft southerners, and expect the same level of truth from others. As the rest of the Empire view them as uncivilized but fearsome warriors, the sort of insults levelled at Stirlanders aren't quite so common.

While the less important inland parts of the province are all forests, their hunters and foresters do get the begrudging respect of the forefront masters that are [[Hochland]] and [[Talabecland]]. The southern villages also contain the greatest number of [[Rhya]] worshipers in the Empire, yet another source of annoyance to their southern neighbors, who view this as moderately sacrilegious to the cult of Taal.