Aglein

Drevna

Drevna is a vast, densely forested region, its heartland mostly unexplored and often feared. The trees here are enormous, twisted with age and draped in moss. Small farming villages exist along its edges, but the deeper woods are left to spirits, beasts, and the old ways. Legends speak of stones that shift their location and shrines swallowed whole by the forest. 

Droskarn

Tucked into the cold claw of Aglein's northeast coast, Droskarn is a land of jagged cliffs and icy pine forests. The wind from the Northern  Ocean howls through the fjords, and the land is often cloaked in sea mist. Isolated and hard-bitten, its people are seafarers and whale hunters, known for their stone-faced stoicism and iron traditions. Old cairns and runestones dot the coastline, and the deeper woods are whispered to hide Wyrdlorn ruins and restless spirits.

Kardeth

Located in the central lowlands, Kardeth is a land of foggy hills, sacred groves, and fertile valleys. It is considered a spiritual heartland of the Woven Path, with many great shrines and cairn-fields nestled between rivers and tree-covered knolls. The Kinholds of Kardeth are deeply superstitious, and nearly every village maintains a Threadbinder year-round. Stone paths and totem-posts crisscross the land, marking pilgrim trails.

Krevyn

Far to the southeast, Krevyn is a land of rocky plateaus, tangled lowland woods, and swift-moving rivers. The soil is stubborn and stony, making large-scale farming difficult, but mineral-rich hills offer iron and copper. The people here are practical and unadorned, known for their metalwork and harsh codes of law. The Kinholds of Krevyn maintain deep-rooted traditions and ancient grudges.

Skala

A rugged peninsula jutting into the Drowned Sea, Skala is known for its sheer cliffs, storm-battered coasts, and ancient stone outcroppings that rise like broken teeth from the surf. Cold winds sweep across the land year-round, bringing salt and chill deep inland. The forests here are sparse and twisted by the wind, and the ground is stony and poor, making farming difficult. Yet the people of Skala are resilient, fishing the deep waters and quarrying dark stone used in cairns, waymarkers, and sacred sites. The land feels old and watchful, with weathered standing stones scattered along the bluffs like silent guardians.

Tharnmere

A windswept land of rolling heaths, sea cliffs, and broad, brackish rivers, Tharnmere stands as Aglein’s westernmost reach. Its coastlines are rugged and exposed, often lashed by storms from the Western Ocean. Inland, low hills give way to heathland and windswept moors dotted with hardy sheep and twisted hawthorn. The people here are stoic and seafaring, living in close-knit hearthbloods that trace long lines of ancestry. Tharnmere bears the brunt of Uzan raids, its northern shores scarred by fire and sword. Watchfires burn along the coast year-round, and warhorns are kept within reach of every hearth.

Varkaine

North of The Drowned Sea, Varkaine is a harsh and brooding land of wet moorlands, wind-swept hills, and bone-white standing stones. The ground is thick with peat and fog lies heavy across the hollows. Varkaine is known for its stubborn, secretive people and strange rites. Many of Aglein’s most feared Wyrdlorn are said to have come from Varkaine’s deeper groves, and few outsiders travel here without cause.

Varnholt

Far south, Varnholt is a temperate, storm-lashed region where rain is near constant. The land is fertile but difficult, with thick forests, high ridges, and fast-rushing rivers that flood in spring. Wyrdlorn are rarely spoken of here, but lightning-worship and storm rituals are common among old Kinholds. It is believed by some that Kordven himself was once born of thunder here.

Velgrad

Velgrad lies in the northeastern heartland, a region of rolling highlands, cold rivers, and sprawling conifer forests. It is one of the more populous and storied regions of Aglein, known for its ancient Kinholds and its fierce pride in lineage. Thanes of Velgrad often claim descent from the First Blooded, and many of the region’s Threadbinders hold high status. The Skyweave is said to shine brightest above Velgrad during the winter solstice.

Vragosta (Island)

Lying alone in the Eastern Ocean, Vragosta is an island shrouded in fog, superstition, and silence. Few return from its shores. It is said the dead walk there, and that arcane forces taint the very stone. The trees are twisted, and even birds avoid its skies. Though no Thane claims it, the Wyrdlorn whisper that its heart holds something ancient, something that still remembers the First Weave.

The people of Aglein are bound not by kingdoms or crowns, but by kinship, oath, and tradition. Their society is a web of ancestral ties and sacred duty, rooted in ancient rites and shaped by the unforgiving land they call home. Authority is earned, not inherited, and even the humblest voices carry weight when backed by blood and fire.

“Stone holds the roots, but blood holds the land.”

— Aglein proverb

Below are the core pillars of Agleini social order:

Hearthbloods

The smallest and most sacred unit of Agleini life, a Hearthblood is an extended family tied by blood, marriage, and land. Each Hearthblood traces its lineage to a founder, whether a storied ancestor, a fallen spirit, or a god-touched warrior of old. Family shrines, burial cairns, and hearth-spirits are tended with reverence, as the dead are believed to still watch from within the Skyweave.

Hearthbloods live communally, often in clustered izbas or timber homesteads, sharing work, warmth, and protection.

Kinholds

Several Hearthbloods bound by oath form a Kinhold, a regional clan with shared territory, traditions, and defenses. Kinholds may control entire valleys, chains of hills, or river crossings, with boundaries marked by standing stones, totems, or ancient ancestor cairns.

Kinholds are not peaceful by nature. Feuds over land, honor, or betrayal are common. Even so, all Kinholds are united by the Old Ways, and most will rally together in times of war or spiritual crisis.

Thanes

Each Kinhold is led by a Thane, a chieftain chosen for strength, wisdom, and the favor of the spirits. A Thane may rise through battle, through council, or by the binding of sacred oaths. Their word carries the weight of law, and their decisions are carved into stone or sung by lorekeepers.

A Thane is not only a ruler. They are the keeper of sacred fires, the voice of the gods, and the final judge in matters of blood.

High-Banners

Trusted captains and battle-chosen lieutenants, High-Banners act as the Thane’s right hand. They lead warbands, enforce justice, and protect the borders of the Kinhold. Many High-Banners begin as seasoned warriors or respected elders, rising through service, deed, and reputation.

A High-Banner speaks with the authority of the Thane when far from the hall, and their banner is both a rallying cry and a warning.

Threadbinders (Divine Casters)

Threadbinders serve as the spiritual leaders of Aglein. They are seers, lorekeepers, and guardians of the old words. Threadbinders carry the memory of the people, speak with spirits, interpret omens, and bind oaths through sacred speech and song. Feared by some and revered by others, they rarely settle in one place. Instead, they travel where they are needed, welcomed with offerings or watched with wary eyes.

Their name comes from the belief that the world is woven from countless threads, fate, memory, and spirit, and it is the duty of the Threadbinder to mend what has come undone. Their power flows from the gods of the Woven Path, shaped through tradition, prayer, and the will of the Skyweave itself.

Wyrdlorn (Arcane Casters)

The Wyrdlorn are rare and unsettling figures, arcane wielders whose power comes not from gods or the Skyweave, but from something older and unnamed. They are born marked, touched by strange forces that stir beneath the roots of the world. The source of their magic is mysterious, intuitive, and often dangerous, flowing like wild water rather than sacred thread.

Most live in isolation, drawn to forgotten places or haunted by visions they cannot share. Some see them as cursed or mad, others as cursed with insight. To welcome a Wyrdlorn into your hall is to risk unmaking and understanding in the same breath.

Honor, Oath, and Flame

While outsiders may see a scattered people divided by feud and tradition, the Agleini are held together by invisible cords: loyalty to hearth and kin, faith in the old gods, and the iron weight of oaths sworn beneath stone and star. Their world is not governed by empire, but by bond. In Aglein, bond is everything.

The Skyweave

To the people of Aglein, the shimmering lights that dance across the northern sky are more than a natural wonder. Known as The Skyweave, these flowing ribbons of green, blue, and violet are believed to be the threads of fate itself, woven by the hands of the old gods.

The Skyweave appears most often during the long, cold nights of deep winter, when the world feels still and thin. In those quiet hours, its presence is a sign that something sacred is watching. Some say it marks the path of departed souls as they journey to the beyond. Others believe it is a loom of the divine, each strand a life, a choice, or a memory being spun into the great pattern of the world.

Among the Hearthbloods, it is common to hold silent vigils beneath the lights, especially after a birth, a death, or the forging of an oath. Warriors departing for battle may leave offerings beneath open sky, hoping the Skyweave will take notice and carry their name into the tapestry of legend.

Threadbinders speak of rare nights when the Skyweave twists and coils in strange ways. These signs are interpreted with care, for it is believed that the weave does not lie. When it flares red, it is a warning. When it vanishes entirely, something old has stirred.

In Aglein, to live under the Skyweave is to know you are never alone. Eyes older than gods may be watching, and the thread of your life is part of something far greater.

Magic in Aglein

Magic in Aglein is rare, often whispered of more than seen. It does not flow from towers or colleges, and there are no halls of scrolls or grand orders of study. Those who wield power, whether Threadbinder or Wyrdlorn, do so alone, guided by vision, omen, or birthright.

To the common folk, magic is a thing to be respected, feared, or avoided altogether. It is said to come from gods, from spirits, or from places better left untouched. In this cold and mist-veiled land of superstition, magic is not a craft. It is a burden, and sometimes a curse. 

The Woven Path

The primary religion of Aglein and Uzan reflects a world shaped by harsh seasons, deep-rooted kinship, and sacred oaths. These gods are not distant idealized figures, but primal forces that demand reverence and sacrifice. Their worship is maintained by Threadbinders, by rural Hearthbloods, and by warriors who walk the border between life and death.

Cairn Stones

Cairn stones are sacred markers raised to honor the dead without burying them. Built from uncut, locally gathered rock, each stone is chosen for its shape, markings, or feel, believed to carry signs from the spirits. These cairns are placed beside rivers, atop hills, or within groves, where the land is said to hum with old threads. Rather than hold remains, they serve as anchors for memory, binding a soul’s essence into the Skyweave. Families return to them during seasonal rites, speaking names and leaving offerings of ash, bread, or thread.

Thundra Hounds

In the wild and mist-laced lands of Aglein and Uzan, the people ride not horses but great hound-beasts known as Thundra Hounds. Bred for strength, endurance, and sharp instinct, these towering greyhound-like mounts are swift over open steppe and sure-footed through marsh and forest. Their deep loyalty and fierce temperament make them as much companions as they are war-steeds. Kinholds raise them with reverence, weaving their fur into cloaks and feeding them by hand from the hearth. In battle, their howls echo like hunting horns, and few foes forget the sound.

The Broken Loom

An old tale told to children warns of the Broken Loom, a mythic disaster where the Skyweave once began to unravel. In the story, a Thane cursed the gods and tore down his family shrine. That night, his Kinhold vanished. Threadbinders say this tale is not just a warning, but a memory. The phrase “don’t test the Loom” is still whispered when oaths are broken or sacred things are left untended.

The Knot-Shelf

Near every Agleini hearth is a carved shelf known as the Knot-Shelf, where tokens of ancestors are kept, twine dolls, pieces of worn tools, dried herbs, old blade pommels. These offerings represent the threads of the family. If a house is abandoned, the Knot-Shelf must be burned properly or the spirits may cling and sour the land.

Hearth Ash Rites

Each Hearthblood keeps a sacred hearth that is never allowed to go cold. When a family member dies, ash from the hearth is mixed with earth and spread upon their cairn. When a child is born, ash is smeared in a mark upon the forehead to tie them to the line. To let the hearth go dark without cause is seen as a betrayal of one’s blood.