Frusning
"Never have I encountered a people more deluded than those who toil in Frusning. They squirm under the weight of an indifferent divinity, caring more for her than she has the capacity to care for them. I would pity them but for the ignorance under which the length of their lives labor." - from the memoirs of Lewin Von Treet, Vault: the Land of Stuff and Things
On the eastern shores of Vad stands the icy citadel of Frusning, a draconic stronghold presiding over a frozen waste where nothing good grows. The frigid temperatures of this mountainous terrain are unnatural, spurred by the presence of the elder dragon, Esperwake. The cold landscape is a mirror of the chill of her demeanor, such is her disdain for all life in the world. The storms that rage across the lands beneath her citadel, the snow and ice, the gales and gusts, are a magical manifestation of her indifference towards the vitality of living things. The reach of this chill is centered on the stronghold she has established at the highest peak in all of Vad -- Frusning.
The citadel is a creation of Esperwake's own making. After Dragonfall and the events of the council in Drakar Oga, Esperwake left her fellow elder dragons in anger, flying across the continent to be as far as she could from her companions. She raised the mountains, and the very terrain itsel, now only reachable through aerial and magical means, or extreme effort. Frusning is an fortress meant to keep any living thing out, besides the elder dragon herself. Within, Esperwake prowls its halls, eternally lamenting the state of the world and damning those who encourage it. There are some who believe Esperwake slumbers, but those who live in Frusning's shadow know better. The seething disdain emanating from Frusning is palpable, and the icy storms are evidence of her activity. And she does emerge on occasion.
Indeed, there are those who live in Frusning, though outside the citadel proper. Those who worship Esperwake are some of the most lamentable peoples in all of Vault. Such is their scorn for life, they would forsake living in a lush world of plenty in favor of the wasteland of Esperwake's making.
These people, who come from every race, tradition, and region of Vault, gather at the base of the mountain and form cities, scratching a living from the rock and ice while worshipping Esperwake, living for the sight of her. Over the years, their own culture has developed, creating a society built on the foundation of contempt for those who do not live as they do. These Vadians wish to see life end in the world, believing existence to be a plague; a great injustice upon the world, where the only acceptable solution is to die off and rid Vault of the inhabitants that drain its resources and fuel the despair of living. Perhaps paradoxically, they persevere in a harsh land, taking joy in the struggle for survival. All the while, they abhor those who live with plenty.
As for Esperwake, she neither knows nor cares for these inhabitants. Their existence is known to her but, despite their devotion to her, she feels nothing for them. This indifference only fuels their adoration and encourages their world view. Esperwake does need to feed, however, though she's mastered the ability to go long periods without nourishment. On the occasion she does require sustenance, she emerges from Frusning and hunts in the Castoff. This event is known as an "Emergence" and happens infrequently and without pattern. But when Esperwake does emerge to feed, those who live at the base of the mountain hunt with her.
The people of Frusning have one thing in common with their Vadian counterparts of the west: the companionship with dragons. While the elder dragon cares nothing for these people, white dragons are eager to bask in the freezing contempt of Esperwake and make allies of the people who feel the same. When an Emergence occurs, the people of Frusning show dragon riding skill matched only by Drakewardens of the Drakar Highlands. They ride with Esperwake, despite her ignorance of their devotion, and come down upon the people of the Castoff with great fury. They destroy whatever life they find, and the Castoff is abundant with life. Is it ironic that the very waters born of Esperwake's derision promote a thriving landscape in the Castoff. But life there is made all the more difficult by the Emergent, those who follow in wake of the elder dragon's feeding.