Frigid northern wind blows off the Lunar Sea. Though it is early summer, snow still melts off of towering arctic pine and icicles rapidly drip off the roofs of distinctly Fremennik log houses. However, this is
certainly not in the Provinces; a rudimentary stone church dedicated to Saradomin in the village commons is proof enough of that. Morning loons and herons native to this region squawk and sing in the early
morning frost. Flaxen-haired tall Fremennik men and women in pious, humble clothing gather as the church bell tolls; the morning prayers are soon to begin. Passages from the Illumina, the Saradominist holy
text, are read to the flock in broken, stilted Common (there are no translations).
These are the first generations of a new breed of Fremennik, ones who spurn the gods of war and the sea and turn, eyes cast down in reverence,
to the guiding wisdom of Saradomin. They've even settled in Kandarin. These are the twilight years of the Fremennik -- the slow assimilation into the culture of the "southfolk" has already begun.
Welcome to Godblessed.
Godblessed is a Fremennik village resting in the highlands of the Glarial Mountains in northern Kandarin. This sparsely populated alpine region is famously picturesque, being the subject of several meditations on the
majesty of nature (bohemian philosophers from as far away as Varrock routinely come here to build cabins and live as hermits in order to "reconnect" with Guthix's creations). Simultaneously beautiful and
terrifying in equal measure is the wildlife; the true kings of the Glarials: the Greater Direwolf, the Kandarin Ghost Elk, and the enormous Baxtorian Rock Sturgeon.
Although this region was never "settled" in the traditional sense, Fremennik have long treated the Glarial Mountains with reverance as a sacred hunting grounds of Vanligga the Huntress, a legendary figure (the
Fremennik are very sour on the idea of deifying their great men and women) who was said to have led a hunt so great and total that she shot the stars out of the sky with her bow, which fell to the world and
created the islands within the Lunar Sea.
A warrior from Rellekka named Otto Sigurdson recieved a prophetic dream in which the moon was cracked and righteous fire burned from the mouths of Fremennik men. The heroes of old returned from their slumber under
the land to save them, but their weapons turned to sand and they became feeble and lame. Awaking in terror, Otto claimed this vision was from Saradomin, the god of men, choosing him as the prophet to lead the
Fremennik people away from pagan barbarity and unto his protection. His countrymen did not take kindly and nearly killed him, and a small gathering of those he managed to convert left under cover of night for virgin
land to start anew. As he adopted the new surname "Godblessed", his devout warrior kinsmen bashed their shields in wild barbaric celebration at the sight of the Glarial Mountains, insisting their new home should
share the same name as their wise prophet chieftain. Otto is still alive and still in charge, but incredibly old.
Sightings of elves traveling to the base of Baxtorian Falls for strange ritualistic dancing in the moonlight have been circulating for generations, but as the Fremennik have permanently moved into this region,
these rumors are finally substantiated with eyewitnesses. They seem to come infrequently throughout the year, and bolt at the first sight of humans, but can otherwise be observed (carefully and at great
distance) singing and chanting on nights when the harvest moon is out. Gnome observers (with whom elves are willing to actually converse with, rarely) say that it appears to be some very, very old variation on
Guthixian worship, but the meaning of the gatherings and the significance of their holy site remain unknown.
Oh yeah, the Baxtorian River. Its source seems to be an underground aquifier, the spring of which is where Godblessed is settled; Fremennik superstition still clings even in this Saradominist settlement, and
fears of supernatural retribution should this water be polluted keep the locals from using it for anything besides drinking water. Downstream, salmon (and bears hunting the salmon) are incredibly abundant, as
a region of the river just shy of Godblessed is the final extent of the river network upon which the fish rely to spawn, stretching down to Hemenster, into the Dougne River, and out into the Southern Sea.
Occasionally, the monstrous Baxtorian Rock Sturgeon pulls fishermen into the water and drowns them (a small boy was even eaten by one, though he miraculously survived), making even fishing a risky method of
hunting. In the Glarials, beauty and abundance are close companions of injury and death.