Freljord

Freljord is a tundra city-state on the northern part of Valoran.

Lore
Freljord is an unforgiving place. A mountainous land covered in snow and ice, it is home to many vicious ice storms. Travel, especially in the winter, can be very dangerous. The elements often claim even those who have spent their entire lives there. Only one storm exceeds the ones found in Freljord: the Gelid Vortex - a swirling, icy maelstrom which circles the northern hemisphere of Runeterra.

Locations
There are 6 currently known areas of Freljord. Rakelstake, once a village where the Tribe of the Ice Dervish lived now serves as the capital of Freljord. The Gelid Vortex, a powerful maelstrom located north of Freljord, surrounded by mountains. The Ursine Village, found just below the Gelid Vortex's mountains. The Ironspike Mountains, a mountain range that surrounds Freljord. It is also the location where has made her home. The Avarosan Iceflow Glacier, somewhere beside the Gelid Vortex in the Ironspike Mountains. The Howling Abyss, a landmark where the Iceborn overthrew their oppressors now used as a Field of Justice by the Institute of War.

Culture
The Freljordians were once a divided people with "The War of the Three Sisters" having left the denizens splintered for generations. The region was divided and dominated between three nomad tribes: The Tribe of the Frost Archer, The Tribe of the Ice Dervish and The Tribe of the Winter's Claw. Over the years the tribes would have occasional skirmishes with one another, though the reasons for why they continued fighting had been long forgotten by most. The tribes were reigned by the three Princesses: ; ; and.

In more recent times, with the crowning of their new and, the Freljordians have started the process of mending the bonds between their fractured tribes. Sentient creatures that were once marginalized and secluded, such as the Yetis and the Ursines, were now given a voice in city-state's government. In addition, through the alliance established by their foreign King, the barbarian tribes of northern Valoran have migrated to Freljord and have begun integrating their own traditions into the Freljordian society.

Factions
Freljord has become a land of endless conflict since the "War of the Three Sisters" broke out. Even though Freljord already has a sovereign, tribal leaders still fight for it bringing with them their tribes.
 * The Winter's Claw tribe is led by the ferocious . When she was born the tribe's mystics foretold that she would be Freljord's sovereign and she has held on to that prophecy to this day. On the day of her twentieth birthday, Sejuani declared to her tribe that she would lead them to war against the other tribes for the conquest of Freljord. She has since been attacking village after village, pillaging what resources the village had left and sparing those who wished to join her army. One of her more notable accomplishments was the forging of an alliance between the Winter's Claw and the new Ursine leader,.
 * The Avarosan are those whom are loyal to . Unlike the members of the Winter's Claw, they are more peaceful and focus more on agriculture than on combat, though they are still very much capable of defending themselves. Ashe's rise to power began when the princess of the Ice Dervish,, swore fealty to her. She then began an alliance with , the high chieftain of the barbarian tribes. soon after joined Ashe in her campaign to unify the tribes as both share the same beliefs. Eventaully, Freljord ascended to city-state status and Ashe as their queen, Tryndamere as her chosen king and league champion, , as the emissary for the League.
 * The Frostguard can also be considered a seperate faction from the Avarosan because of their leader, . According to her League record, Lissandra is in fact the Ice Witch in disguise and that she has corrupted the once benevolent guardians of Freljord into her twisted minions, although the Freljordians still believe that they are still the ancient guardians that have protected Freljord since. Also, in League record, he had made a deal with the Ice Witch. It states that, in exchange for her ice club, he promised her the fealty of the trolls.

Demographics
There is a city known as Rakelstake in Freljord, which was inhabited by the Tribe of the Ice Dervish. It is believed that the city now serves as the capital for the united city-state.

Relations with Noxus
In light of the protections that the League has extended to Freljord - and consequently to the barbarians - Noxus issued a "stand down" order to troops dispatched to their Northern Barbarian Pacification Campaign. , delivered the command herself. She stated that Noxus abides by the rules of the League, but that her people would not forget the offenses perpetrated by the barbarians.

Relations with Demacia
Demacia and the people that now make up Freljord have had a history of conflict, albeit nowhere near as grievous as the conflict between Noxus and the northern barbarian tribes. Both and  have been highly critical of Demacia’s neutrality during Noxus’ Barbarian Pacification Campaigns. In fact, Demacia had been quite protective of its territory, turning away refugees during the campaign’s more bloody episodes. Likewise, Demacia’s northern homesteads were often times targeted by barbarian raiding parties. Both city-states have a great deal of diplomatic work ahead of them before they can bridge the gap that spans decades of distrust.

A Kingdom Divided, An Evil Awakened
Upon the rebirth of Anivia, she witnessed the time where Freljord was but one great kingdom. She protected them with great pride as they prospered, but such peace could not be eternal. When the king and queen had died, Freljord was left with under the rule of three princesses, but each one wished to be the lone sovereign of the kingdom and thus sparked a legendary war known as "The War of the Three Sisters".

Anivia witnessed these events and tried to stop this war from turning the nation into ruins. And as she does this, an began to stir. She felt the pure magic of the land be corrupted by it. She knew that if it was completely corrupted, she too would become corrupted and turn evil. And thus began her journey, to unite the tribes of Freljord and destroy the source of darkness.

Battle on the Tundra
, was leading a squadron of elite archers, her closest companions, when they found themselves caught in a wintery nightmare at the end of a week-long standoff with a warring tribe. When she came to, Ashe was surrounded by the tattered corpses of friends and enemies alike. Only divine providence had spared her from the whirling shards of ice, and her hair had turned the color of the arctic tundra. After that day Ashe never again wore the traditional Freljord White Garments of Victory.

The Yeti Rider
When was a young child, he rode on his father's back as they returned from a trapping expedition in the mountains. An unexpected blizzard came upon them, forcing them to seek refuge in a cave. The tempest was the worst in countless years, and it lasted for days. Nunu's father left to find food, but he never returned.

The blizzard eventually cleared, and the young child lay dying on the mountainside. Fortunately for Nunu, this was the land of the yetis, who are powerful beasts with whom Nunu's father had secured an arrangement for safe passage. A young yeti boy named Willump found Nunu and brought him home. From then on Nunu was raised by the yetis, whose culture was a mystery to most Runeterrans. The boy quickly discovered that the seemingly savage creatures were in fact deeply spiritual beings living in harmony with their environment. They are very territorial and unafraid of defending themselves if called upon to do so. The yetis have watched the rest of Valoran, and they can smell the change on the wind. When the League of Legends was formed, the yetis knew they needed a champion. Riding his brother Willump, Nunu became that champion.

Alliance with the Ice Dervish
One of the rulers of the three tribes that controlled the region - Princess Mauvole, the Ice Dervish – was found dead in her quarters in the city of Rakelstake. The elders of her tribe determined the cause of death to be natural, which cleared the way for the new Princess, Lissandra, to claim her throne and the title of Ice Dervish. In Princess Lissandra’s first act after her coronation, she stunned her new subjects as she swore fealty to another of the three Princesses of Freljord:. In her coronation speech, Lissandra pleaded with her people that the time had come to unite Freljord under a single banner. Lissandra’s words swayed her kin: her coronation speech was warmly received by her tribe, and her tribe’s elders signaled their solidarity with their Princesses’ desire for unification. However, the third of the Freljord Princesses – – remained fiercely adamant in her opposition of the other two. Sejuani retreated to isolation with the elders of her tribe. This caused concern among the members of the other tribes, who believed she may be readying for war.

Alliance with the Northern Barbarians
As weeks passed, the modest population of Freljord were shocked as hundreds of barbarians - including - arrived to pay their respect to the late Princess Mauvole of the Ice Dervish tribe. Ashe was present for the barbarian procession, and she met afterward with Tryndamere and Lissandra for a private dinner. The arrival of the barbarians, some predicted, was due to an invitation from Ashe to Tryndamere in order to deter Princess Sejuani from taking any aggressive action. It later became clear that Tryndamere's visit was not entirely a selfless venture, but for the negotiation of a mutually beneficial opportunity. After weeks of meetings and discussion, Ashe accepted Tryndamere's offer to join forces with the barbarians. Her decision was met with resounding support by the members of the Frost Archer and the Ice Dervish tribes.

Ascension to City-State Status
After examining the turn of events within Freljord, High Councilor Vessaria Kolminye made a proclamation from the Luminary Cloister of the Institute of War, granting sovereignty to Freljord and conferring upon it all the rights and protections afforded to city-states. With its newfound status, Freljord was allotted one League Assembly chair. Their chosen Emissary was entitled to reside at the Institute of War and cast votes in League Assemblies on Freljord’s behalf. Freljord may also appeal to the League for general arbitration of political affairs.

While Freljord had applied for membership in the past, its previous appeal was denied on the grounds that its population was insufficient, and it lacked both a defined governmental structure and the means to police itself. recent ordainment as leader of Freljord's two united tribes, bolstered by the might and numbers of Tryndamere's barbarians, was enough to sway the opinion of the Council of Equity.

The New Queen and King are Crowned
Immediately following Kolminye's address, the united tribes crowned the Queen of Freljord. Ashe was the first princess to ascend to the throne since the Three Sisters War divided their people. According to Freljordian tradition, the Queen selects the King to rule by her side. Ashe selected, solidifying her arrangement with the barbarian tribes. On the topic of her choice, Ashe stated that her actions are guided by the needs of her people, not by romantic notions. The union was a pledge to reinforce their commitment to the alliance. Ashe also appointed League Champion, as Freljord's League Emissary, stating that the yetis will for now on be a part of their new society.

Queen Ashe later offered a seat on Freljord’s new Royal Advisory Council. Sejuani emerged from her reclusion to respond, stating that she would never accept Ashe as her Queen, and that anyone who did so was contributing to the perversion of their culture. However, her opinion was not echoed by her people, as hundreds of Winter’s Claw tribesmen journeyed to Rakelstake to attend Ashe’s coronation. There, Nunu accepted his appointment proudly, and the largest contingent of yetis ever witnessed by humanity was present for the celebration. Hordes of barbarians also migrated to their new home, many arriving to view the second crowning of their King. Tryndamere welcomed his people with an inspiring declaration, stating that they finally have a voice in Valoran, and could now be seen as they truly were: proud and noble warriors.

The Avarosa Iceflow Purchase
, made a journey to the Avarosa Iceflow, Freljord’s Northern-most glacier, in search of the purest waters in all of Runeterra. The League champion arrived to Freljord to stake his claim to the arid ice field. Meeting with and, the Rabble Rouser impressed upon his hosts the significance of this locale to his brewing art, imploring them to entrust it into his custody. Seizing the opportunity to capitalize on the development of an otherwise treacherous territory, the monarchs happily obliged.

Gragas signed an agreement to lease the Avarosa Iceflow from Freljord for an astonishing 9,000 years, ensuring that the cherished water supply will be his for the brewing long into the future. His dealings with the monarchs were then concluded appropriately and according to tradition: with a drink. Atop the wellspring, Gragas constructed the first large scale brewing operation for his most famous libation: the legendary Graggy Ice.

Alliance of Sejuani and Volibear
Before ascension as the lone chieftain of the Ursine, was the revered shaman of the tribe. He saw that peace had made his people soft and weak, forgetting the sacred art of war. He felt that the fire of their souls was soon diminishing. He told the triumvirate of chieftains of his misgivings but he was ignored.

Seeking wisdom, he went to the top of their sacred mountain, a place shrouded by the Gelid Vortex. The maelstrom is said to be magical, and it was the one who chooses the chieftain of the Ursine. Upon reaching the summit, Lightning struck him and when he awoke he saw a vision of the Ursine being mercilessly slaughtered by ice monsters. When the vision ended he hurried to the tribe and their the chieftains lie in wait for him. They battled him and before Volibear fell, he summoned the maelstrom's power and defeated them. Because of this, the triumvirate appointed him as the new chieftain. He immediately then began to arouse his tribe from complacency, revived their battle-hardened traditions, and finally forged his alliance with, the warrior who would fight with them against the coming.

Journey Into The Freljord
Note: Journey into the Freljord takes place two years after the Ice Witch assume Lissandra's identity, as detailed in Lissandra's biographical lore.

Trivia

 * The history of Freljord is heavily featured on The Journal of Justice Issues 2 to 5. It narrates the crowning of and  as Queen and King of Freljord, the constitution of Freljord as a League City-State and the general background of the area.
 * The Journey Into The Freljord is written and illustrated by.