In the northern reaches of Granzia sits a region often left to its own devices. Rugged mountains, tundra, and a slumbering ancient white dragon are all features of the Coldbring region. Unbeknownst to most of the rest of the world, this region holds the deepest and darkest histories and secrets about Granzia’s beginnings, from the primordial titans encased and slumbering in the mountains to the surviving Dragon of a mated pair and its connections to the two wars of the Fey Kings. Coldbring and the Titanfall Mountains hold knowledge long forgotten by the majority of Granzias population.
While the two areas share the same landscape, their cultural and religious beliefs are at odds. The denizens of the mountains: Dwarves, Goliath, Orcs, Gnomes, and Earth Genasi; follow what is known as The Old Ways. Very little is known of the Old Ways, but it is believed to involve the reverence of the titans of old. In the Tundras of Coldbring, the inhabitants follow the ways of Xygas, Protector of the Frost. A nomadic and religious culture centered around the dragon residing beneath the frigid fortress of the former Fey King.
This community is called the Hand of Xygas, led by zealous Kobolds as clergy and leaders of worship. Their base of operations, their citadel, is a stone and ice structure of grand proportions and intricate decoration known as Gothia’s Promise. Though the rules and teaching have been embellished upon by those in the clergy, at the core of everything is a deal made just after the first war of the Fey Kings. This deal was struck between the Dragon now known as Xygas, (his true name known only by the highest clergy members), and the nomadic communities. “Protect my domain, pay me tribute on the solstices, and we shall be allies.”
The Fingers of Xygas are the nomadic communities of Dragonborn, Shifters, Orcs, Tabaxi, and the Sundry, a self-contained community of the intermingled. The Fingers or castes are strictly enforced, meaning that interference with another caste will result in dire consequences. Each caste is responsible and maintains certain aspects of the lands and rituals when the bi-annual gatherings occur. During the summer solstice, the tributes consist of the elderly who have passed on from the realm of the living. Dedicating their souls and their bodies, as this is the only time of year the ground is soft enough to bury them.
During the winter solstice is the annual Trials of Xygas. Games of strength, intellect, wit, and durability determine both bragging rights and who will lead the pilgrimage through Gothia’s Gift to the frozen fortress of Coldbring. This is also the time of year that the devout of the White Dragonborn of Dragonborn Valley make their way to the region to serve in the Hand as well as learn the ways of their ancestors among the Fingers. Some will stay for many years, while others will only stay until the next solstice.
The region’s main export is a mead known only as Barter’s Brew. This mead is unique in both its distilling but also its properties. Distilled from the honey of specially bred frost bees, which only pollinate and feed from the Ardor clover that grows for a short while in the southern reaches of the region. One drop of the filled distilled mead affords the drinker protection from extreme cold weather. Because of its usefulness in the region, a limited supply is traded with outsiders. Highly sought by those in the know, the mead is sold by the drop, in vials, and by the bottle for exorbitant amounts.
Notable people and places
- High Priest Sovo – M Kobold
- Current High Priest of the Hand of Xygas
- Rumors abound that Sovo gained his position through treachery and murder, though nothing has been substantiated
- Mog – F Orc
- War Chief of the Orcish caste and 8-time champion of the Trials of Xygas
- She rose to prominence during the last incursion of the Titanfall Denizens. Her deeds are immortalized on the Maw of Xygas
- Arnin Wraqiroth – M White Dragonborn
- Ambassador from Dragonborn Valley
- Responsible for coordinating the movement of devotees to and from the valley
- Sparkle of Light (Sparkle) – F Snow Leopard Tabaxi
- Beekeeper and breeder of Frost Bees
- Sparkle is one of only a handful of Tabaxi who know the exact location of the fields of Ardor clovers, a secret passed down through generations
- The Maw of Xygas – a large and foreboding ice wall that spans many miles across the entrance into the peninsula of Coldbring. While this wall doesn’t outright stop invaders it is meant as a warning and deterrent for those who wish to hunt and kill Xygas. The deeds of heroes within the Fist of Xygas, (the defending army), are illustrated and written across the massive structure.
- Gothia’s Gift – a long stretch of tundra between Gothia’s Promise and the fortress of Coldbring. Known outside of the region as the Glass Shire, this stretch of land looks like a village made of ice and glass from a distance but up close it looks like crashing waves of an ocean, frozen in time.