Shields of the North (innovation)
The Apokiakas have always been considered a strange people by their Aversarian siblings to the south. They say they're not quite Aversarian any more, with bloodlines polluted with traces of Kardwen, Karzarad, and even Sjalvolki. The Apokiakas would say that their southern cousins are soft, and could never hope to survive even a single winter on the harsh frontier. They've learned how to live and fight from their barbarian neighbors, far from the comforts of the warm southern seas.