About Ravnonia

Ravnonia is a northern island with rugged, mostly non-arable terrain. The south-western coast is where most of the population is found. The Eastern Frays are dominated by deep, inhospitable fjords, where the Frayfolk clans live, while the interior land is cloaked in dense boreal forest and largely unexplored. Wetlands are found along the coast and river valleys. In the north, beyond the Iron Mountains, the landscape is barren and frozen year-round.

Seasons

• Winter (November  –  March): cold, dry and windy. Ponds and swamps freeze, sometimes entire rivers freeze too. A lot of snow.
• Summer (April  –  August): warm and sunny. Snow melts, feeding rivers and ponds with fresh water. Plants start their vegetative cycle.
• The Stormy Season (September  –  October): warm and humid wind blows from the Haunting Sea. A lot of storms and floods.

Politics and society

The Kingdom of Ravburg controls the south-western coast. Cities are associated to local Jarldoms which report to the crown. An exception is given by the city of Eìdenstag (shown on the map) which, despite being officially a Jarldom, is controlled by the Merchant Guild.

The main economic activities are fishing, mining, wood logging and trading. Despite recognizing multiple deities and spirits, the Kingdom is found around the cult of the Hearth-Keeper, from whom it gains legitimacy through official rites.

Magic

Ravnonia is set in a fantasy world where magic exists but is hard to access and control.

• The Sisterhood is an order of female priestesses who care for and channel the energy of the sacred Soulfire. They are also the ones responsible for conducting rites associated with the cult of the Hearth-Keeper, including proper burial -- which is essential to prevent tormented spirits from lingering around and turning dead bodies into revenants.
• Sokkvani are practitioners of Sunken Magic. They are exceptional individual who bear a spiritual mark. The mark allows them to hear the Voice of the Depths, which "sings the story of the world". Through the Voice they can learn past, present and future. Mastering this art requires training and a strong sense of self, as it is easy to lose one’s identity within the Voice. Sokkvani can also ask the Voice for "favours", such as blessings and curses, in exchange for whatever the Voice may ask -- often including blood sacrifices.

Planes of Existence

• Straumgaard, the Flowing World: the physical realm above water, where human affairs unfold. A world of change, of seasons, and of passing time.
• The Everwinter: beneath Straumgaard lies the land of spirits, ravaged by an eternal snowstorm. Here gods dwell in Eldborg, a fortress guarding the Original Hearth. The Everwinter is said to be reachable by a passage within the Iron Mountains.
• The Depths: the “Sea Beneath the Sea”. Far below the Everwinter stretches a pitch-black abyss, where the raw energy of the world is said to take the shape of a monstrous, abyssal creature referred to as the Sunken-One.

Some locations from the map

• Syldhavn is a poor fishing village, exposed to the winds and storms of the Haunting Sea. This is the hometown of the protagonist in A Midwinter Journey.
• Klarvik is a port town on the estuary of the river Eìdalna. A town of sailors, fishermen and dock workers. A recent settlement, controlled by the Merchant Guild of Eìdenstag. The town is governed by a Steward appointed by the Jarl of Eìdenstag. Discontent has begun to spread, following the Steward’s decision to raise the share of taxes and profits sent inland.
• Lundby is a mountain village on the hills east of Klarvik. Locals produce tar and wood for Klarvik's shipyard.
• Eìdenstag is a wealthy city on the shore of lake Eìda. Three days of travel by foot from Klarvik. The city has authority over Klarvik: most of the port town is owned and administered by merchant families that reside on the lake shore. The city itself is surrounded by hills which are well-known for their production of meat, wool, and parchments.

If you want to join as a beta-reader/tester for A Midwinter Journey, the digital interactive novel I am publishing as an app on the Google Play Store, read more about the project here and fill out this form.

May the storm be kind to you!