Scelmir

History
The territory of Scelmir was once populated by an entirely different people, who had been conquered by the Empire with fairly little resistance, but also provided little in return. It was sparsely populated and much of the land barren, and little attention was paid to this realm. Around two centuries ago however, raids from northern ships began that terrorized the entire northern coastline of Isernia. With these fast and agile naval crafts that travelled not only along the coasts, but also upstream through the rivers, they pillaged much land and destroyed many villages. Eventually, the ruling Emperor struck a pragmatic deal: in exchange for peace and a place in the Empire, the clan of Scelmirs was given what was now simply known as Scelmir, and thus the final realm and current constellation of the Empire was set in place.

Politics
The Scelmirs live mostly along the coasts, as there are two foundations of their economy: fishing and raiding. Though the rest of Isernia is now (mostly) spared these raids, foreign lands have not fared as well. Especially the land of Nordurströnd, the former home of the Scelmirs themselves, has become subject to much violence. The Nordurs are taken as slaves by the thousands, and sold to Secari and the Moku Hills, making them by far the most common kind of slave in the Isernian Empire at this point. Recently, the Scelmirs have even begun a kind of “reconquest” of their ancestral lands, and rather than merely pillaging, have begun a wholesale invasion of this territory. The other realms actually breathe in relief at this, as the Scelmir army is strong and their nobility ambitious. As long as they direct this ambition elsewhere, this contributes to the stability of the Empire.

The Three
Many suspect that the awakening of The Three, a trio of (probably evil) dragons in the western Scelmir mountains, is in part responsible for this increased ambition. They announced their reawakening with a massive volcanic explosion that blacked out the sun in much of Isernia for a week, but rather than fearing or attacking the dragons, many Scelmirs began to worship them. They approached them with sacrificial offerings of livestock and slaves, and this pleased the dragons. They now themselves rule from a city known as Drakenhall. Though it is still the Scelmir king who nominally represents the realm, many rumor that The Three are now truly the ones in control.

Religion
The faith of Abadar has made great progress amongst the Scelmirs, though in the last few centuries, many have taken to praying directly to the Three instead. Sacronan priests there must take heed, if they do not want to end up with the slaves as part of a sacrifice.