Getting Started

[Frosty]

Geography
The severe geography of Midgard has at least as much effect as anything else on the development of the Northman civilization, if not being the most significant factor. The vast, frigid seas provide an abundance of fish and ample opportunities for seaborne trade, while large landmasses and arable soil is somewhat rare, leading the Northmen to develop a seafaring culture. The land itself is fragmented by fjords and mountains, which makes travel between the scattered Northman communities extremely difficult. As such, the inhabitants of this land commonly arrange themselves into tribes, clans, or towns. Unified kingdoms larger than a handful of settlements are extremely rare in Midgard’s history, having proven to be very difficult to hold together for long.

[Frosty]

Economy and Wealth
Material wealth is an extremely important part of social life in Midgard. How much land and treasure a person owns is a measure of their accomplishments, and thus, the respect they deserve. Naturally, this means that the Northmen are very materialistic. Theirs is a trade-based, mercantile society where commerce takes precedence over spirituality, food production, and even military power. Of course, commerce isn’t restricted to the simple exchange of goods and coin, but also takes on the more brutal form of the raid. It is just as likely for one of the Northmen’s dragon ships to come ashore and unleash armed warriors intent on pillaging treasure and capturing slaves as it is to bear a trader and his wares – in fact, Northmen see no distinction between raider and merchant.

Despite being derided as backward and barbaric outside of Midgard, the Northmen have one of the most advanced economies in the world. The enslaved people, thralls, are few compared to the middle class of freemen. Trading for goods and hard currency, not taking it off the backs of indentured workers and slaves, is the main path to material wealth in the Northmen’s system. The inhabitants of Midgard have established themselves in the wider world as an ‘empire’ of shipping routes, trade posts, and mercenary enclaves, having become valuable and respected traders in other lands as well.

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Thinglaw - Law and Government
Isolation and political disunity has led to the development of many different dialects of the Northman language being spoken across Midgard. All share a common root, however, and even today there are some words that remain unchanged from north to south, east to west. One of these is the thing – the main unit of social organization among the scattered and fiercely independent Northmen. Roughly translated, a thing is an assembly of all free men living in a given community which meets for a period of time to settle legal disputes and decide on important issues.

The thing is presided over by a law-speaker, who acts as a judge and interpreter of local law. The position of law-speaker is greatly honoured in Northman society, as memorization of the law – which is passed down orally through ancient poems and songs – is a task that consumes one’s entire life. Upon ascending to the position, a law-speaker’s first task is often to choose his successor (usually a child, whose mind is still easily pliable) and immediately begin instruction. The law-speaker acts as a balancing force in the thing, trusted as a final arbiter to have the wisdom to root out corruption or abuses, and the courage to confront them.

A second prominent position in the thing is the king, who acts as a military leader during times of war and high priest in religious ceremonies. Kingship is typically a hereditary position, but a king may only be established by the approval of the thing, and the assembly can just as quickly dismiss them. Under the Northmen’s laws of inheritance, all children of the king may claim the position, therefore making the practice of electing two or more kings at once not uncommon.

The thing is a remarkably versatile system of government, capable of adapting to a variety of political climates. For example, while the thing is at its basic level an assembly of the free people in a community, multiple communities may band together to form a larger state and establish a higher assembly attended by representatives from the lower things. According to popular legend, all of Midgard can be summoned together in a Landsthing (assembly of all the lands) in times of great need.

[Frosty]

The Brotherhood of Warriors
Northmen do not typically field standing armies, lacking both the political basis and the will to do so. Instead, professional warriors band together and form companies in what is typically called the “brotherhood of warriors”. Over their military career, a warrior who has accumulated wealth and prestige may attract others to their cause. These followers acknowledge him as their kapten and swear their personal loyalty to him, in exchange for a share of the plunder earned in their adventures together. This relationship is horizontal in nature: the kapten is not his followers’ master, but a friend whom they defer to on matters of war, as he as proven himself a superior warrior by both his reputation and his treasury. In return, the kapten shares his wealth with his company. A generous kapten enjoys greater loyalty from his friends, as well as a reputation for generosity that may attract more. A stingy kapten, on the other hand, may be abandoned by his company… or they might simply stab him in the back, if his warriors are of a more ruthless character.

Particularly successful companies may eventually be gifted, ransomed, or simply take a tract of land, at which time the kapten effectively becomes a king. In return for their steadfast loyalty, the king may parcel out sections of his newly acquired territory to his warriors, establishing a new kingdom. A real-world historical example of this occurred when the Danish Vikings occupied a large swath of northern France and laid siege to Paris in the early 10th century. To stop the invasion, King Charles of the West Franks formerly surrendered the occupied lands to the Vikings, and the duchy of Normandy was born.

[Frosty]

Social Class

Northman society is divided into three classes: Jarl, Karl, and Thrall, so named after three sons fathered by Odin to three mortal women. Unlike many human societies, these classes are highly fluid and one can move up - or down - the social ladder as a result of their actions in life.

Jarls are the elite of Midgard: the warrior nobility. While anyone who picks up a weapon and fights can be considered a 'warrior' to the Northmen, the jarls are fighters who have devoted their lives to the art of war, and have profited greatly from its pursuit. A jarl can be anything from a land-owning lord, to a mercenary kapten, to a powerful king. While jarldom is hereditary, it is important to remember that a jarl's power rests in the consent of the people he or she 'rules'.

Karls, the freemen, make up the vast majority of Midgard's population. Any Northman is considered to be born free, except those who are born to slaves (and even then, if one of the child's parents is a karl who is willing to recognize them, they are considered part of the free class). Karls are further divided according to their profession, though these distinctions are informal and only based on the respect of their peers. All karls, along with jarls, have the right to attend the thing as equals (see post 3).

Thralls are the enslaved class of Midgard. Taken as plunder in raids, bought and sold like craft goods at a market, these individuals are considered the property of their master and his or her household, rather than people. Thralls fill a variety of roles in Northman society: as farmhands, servants, labourers, or companions for their master's pleasure. Distinctions become somewhat blurry for foreigners at this stage, as free men and women also perform many of these tasks – the major difference being that a karl is generally paid for their services. Thralldom is not an institution in Midgard, but a social practice – although the child of a thrall is automatically the property of the thrall's master, thralls are by no means entrenched. Though viewed as a commodity, and therefore unequal to a free person, thralls are only very rarely mistreated. Thralls are given free time to spend however they please, for the most part, and in this time many pursue secondary tasks such as weaving and crafting to sell at market. Anything a thrall earns on their own time is theirs to keep. In time, a slave may earn enough to purchase their freedom (or a freeman may purchase it for them), at which time they become a full-fledged and equal member of their former master's household – an occasion marked with great celebration in the community.