Kaarjala (Kingdom of)
Location: Continent of Brun, north of the Great Bay, between the Kaarjavi and Vaaranavi rivers (known as the Landsplit River to most people). NW
Area: 63,206 sq. mi. (163,704 sq. km.).
Population: 61,800 settled humans plus 51,500 nomadic humans (on the average); demihuman population is negligible; humanoid population is unknown, though relatively low in the patrolled areas.
Languages: Saamari (a language unrelated to any spoken in the Known World; spoken in two dialects, Kaarjalan and Vaarana); some Alphatian.
Coinage: Markka (gp), penni (sp), oren (cp); coins of Alphatian and Littonian origins are also in common circulation here. Most of the economy is still based on barter, as coins cannot be eaten or wielded as weapons.
Taxes: Commoners usually give one-fifth of their assets at the end of each year (Kaldmont 28) to their ruling nobles, who then pay tribute to the king, usually one quarter to one third of their wealth.
Government Type: Monarchy, with a strong and independent minded noble class.
Industries: Agriculture (grains and potatoes; production is high due to the Great Saampo, an artifact held by the king of Kaarjala), dairy, fishing, logging and trapping. The nomadic Vaarana rely on the herds of reindeer during the winter months and farm ancestral lands in Kaarjala during the summer.
Important Figures: Kaarlo Taavinen (King), Rikka Kaalwa (Maga), Vaalkoi Taapionen (Great Druid of the Kaarjalan Circle), Pekka Seppanen (High Priest of the Church of Kaarjala and Grand Smith of Ilmarinen).
Flora and Fauna: Kaarjala itself is unusual in that it has a rather more temperate climate than is the norm for this region; thus, creatures of a more southerly nature can be found in the land between the rivers. In terms of plant life, one can find scattered stands of pine and other coniferous trees within the region covered by the Great Saampo, as well as scattered flowers and shrubs. Outside this region, however, lichens, mosses, and short taiga grasses predominate.
Domesticated animals include shaggy cattle, horses (ponies, mostly), dogs, cats and ferrets. Outside the region protected by the Great Saampo, of course, nature reigns, and the northlands are very, very cold. Creatures native to the region include moose, elk, bears, wolves, reindeer, and so on. It is also home to every sort of monstrous creature native to the arctic and sub-arctic: snow apes, white dragons, frost giants, frost salamanders, and worse. There are also large numbers of nomadic humanoid clans and tribes, primarily living in the northwestern part of the country.
Further Reading: CM1 Test of the Warlords, Kaarjala by James Mishler, previous almanacs.
Last Year's Events: None to report.