Nation
Capital: None. The Folk Moot is held annually at the sacred Draconis Lake near the center of Getica.
Patron gods: Domnir the Blue Dragon.
Other Names: Guthrekat (in the native tongue); Wilder Gad / Northern Barbarians (in Imperial pronunciation)
SOCIETY
The Geats (native, Guthar) are feared in both the Northern World and in the Empire south of the Wall. They are known for their tall and powerful builds, their frequent blond, blue-eyed features, their dragon tattoos, and their immense double-bit axes.
The Geats live in small villages and farms and are divided into more than thirty tribes. These tribes occasionally war among themselves when accusations of misconduct are made, and the Folk Moot does not resolve differences. In religion they revere dragons, especially Domnir the Blue Dragon, and they worship Tyr god of war whom they consider to have suzerainty over dragonkind.
The most revered warriors among the Geats are their berserkers, who can work themselves into blind and, according to some, supernatural rages. Few can stand against them on the battlefield. Eventually, the berserkers go insane, becoming uncontrolled forces of destruction; at that point, their fellow warriors kill them before any great damage is done.
Geatish terrory stretches from the River Gad in the west to the slopes of the Easthorns in the east, from the Wall in the south to the wilderness of the Black Woods in the north.
HISTORY
The origins of the Geats are shrouded in mystery, even among their own people. However, several periods stand out among outsiders.
• Around 300-350 YE: The first major conflict between the Geats and the Empire.
• 520-550 YE: Another period of heavy casualties between the Geats and the Empire. The Geats storm the wall and reach Brilium before being turned back.
• 550-701 YE: The war continues at a slower pace. The Empire maintains a constant, heavy presence on the wall. Lucius Filtyrius, commander of the Border Legion, brokers a truce with the war chief, Sindulfr (Imperial, Sendulphus) in 701.
• 701-800 YE: The Geats turn to the north, ravaging the land of Palaskov and pressing on before being turned back at the gates of Galiope.
• 800-850 YE: Following a brief peace in the Empire, hostilities return.
• 850-920 YE: Another series of northward-directed raids. The grand prince of Kav agrees to pay tribute to the war chief, Hadulfr.
• 920-1020 YE: Due to infighting, the Geats stay within their territory.
• 1020-1051 YE: Considered the most dire and bloody war between the Geats and the Empire. After a decades-long struggle, the “barbarians” overcome the wall and head south, burn much of Brill and defeat an Imperial legion on the road to Imperial City. At the edge of the city—by now, undefended and sure of its own doom—they suddenly and mysteriously retreat and return to their own land.
RECENT YEARS
The Geats have not shed Imperial or northern blood since that incursion. Some find this strange, new “uneasy peace” ominous. In recent years (ca. 1150-1151 YE), the soldiers on the Wall have noticed Geats at the border, sometimes gathering in groups, but vanishing at the sight of provocation. Some fear they will elect a new war chief and begin a new invasion. However, Emperor Marcus Amaranthius and Governor Felix have assured the citizens that this will not happen.
