(Frozen North)

Brief History

The Frozen North was once a region of rolling plains and glittering waterways, interspersed with steep mountain ranges (think Appalachians or Swiss Alps). The people who settled here were called Wind Walkers for a unique half-grappling, half-kiting technique that gave them incomparable agility and mobility before the advent of flying machines. They exploited this advantage to become masters of espionage and infiltration, intelligence their chief export. Other regions had a sort of “death and taxes” relationship with them, resigned to the inescapability of their watchful eye and the need for their services.

As the Capital gained strength, the North was its only real rival. Wars between the regions came and went until the scope of technology made open warfare too costly. They migrated their disputes to other forums: media, politics, shadow/cyber/proxy wars. They were ideological opponents in most matters, sometimes defining their stances as a negative of the other.

The CORE’s invention began an ascendancy for the Capital that the North could not match. They became instead a check and balance - the world’s alternative should the Capital overstep its bounds. This system generally prevailed to everyone’s benefit, though some factions in the North resisted the arrangement.

One such faction, the Korlos dynasty, strongly opposed the development and adoption of the CORE. Initially, they distrusted the intentions of the Capital and felt -- as the CORE began normalizing weather and agriculture -- that the Capital’s actions eroded Northern culture and tradition. It was an open secret that the Korlos formed and funded an elite paramilitary unit whose mission was to subvert the Capital. This unit was the first to issue warnings about the dangers of the CORE.

After CORE Malfunction

Concerned about the CORE and already defiant of the Capital, the North was the most prepared when the CORE malfunctioned. Unlike other regions, they waged a back-and-forth war with the mechs, aided by their Wind Walking technique. Bunkers and “Quiet Zones” (areas shielded from electromagnetic interference) provided a defensive network that stymied the CORE’s advance and provided footholds for counterattacks. The image of the Korlos unit went from “band of outlaws” to “humanity’s hope.” Refugees the world over journeyed north to join their ranks, inspired by legends of their raids on the CORE.

The North was the last to fall.

In a final act of seeming desperation, the CORE deployed the majority of its forces to the North in one all-out assault. The North anticipated the move and met the attack bravely, unleashing weapons of catastrophic proportion that turned the battle in their favor. For the first and only time in the history of the CORE Wars, humanity glimpsed victory.

But the attack was a distraction. While forces clashed above, a specialized weather Process gathered geothermal energy deep beneath the earth. At the height of the conflict, it generated a cryo-pulse that flash froze the entire region. For the most part, nothing survived. Man and machine alike were frozen, locked in the throes of battle, forever.

Feel

In its frozen state, the North is cold and bleak. Snow and fog obscure the landscape in shifting waves, a phenomenon that can cause motionless objects to seem to burst into view. The preserved battles show the heroism and horror of battle: soldiers charging into certain doom, civilians in flight, wreckage and carnage befitting the fall of man. Everything about the Northerners suggests a lean, precise, highly mobile, hit-and-run style. They were like birds. Their buildings tall, thin, ornate, predatory, precarious. They kept a low footprint on the land, despite being such a powerful nation. Being able to traverse the skies made the prospect of spending time inside confining.

Culture

The government was comprised of ruling dynasties whose power came from philanthropic contributions and private muscle (think Cosa Nostra). The people had a reputation for being outgoing, expressive daredevils, though poise, sharpness, and fearlessness were traits that marked the best of their leaders.

Location Ideas/Notes (optional)

The Vortex - A huge artificial tornado generated by one of the secret weapons used in the final defense of the North. So much water and material was whipping around inside of it that when the flash freeze occurred, it preserved the shape of the enormous storm. Ascending it, we can also piece together the weapons of the CORE it was employed against.