StormWolf
03-24-2011, 06:56 AM
Ashaheim is a land of ice and stone, jagged peaks jutting forth from the earth and piercing the heavens. The unforgiving weather and the bitter cold and the savage wildlife has tempered the indigenous people of this region to be large, tough, and fierce. The winters bring forth blizzards and terrible snowfall that can usher in avalanches while the summer brings about frigid rains that can cause floods and mud slides.
The local wildlife is fierce and intelligent and like everything else in Ashaheim, very large. Asaheiman wolves, depending on their geographical location, can range from average size to the size of bears. The bears tower and lumber through the trees and the Elek, a massive, ram-like creature, can feed a whole family. Up in the highest peaks of Ashahiem, Wyverns and Wyrms and other species of Drake make their homes among the jagged glacial peaks in the farthest north regions of Ashahiem.
The indigenous folk, the Ashaheimans, are not a united people, but are split in to thirteen clans, each with their own chief and elder council. The Thirteen are constantly warring over land and resources. The Thirteen make their homes in the ruins of ancient Asahiem, the stone masonry of the Asaheiman ancestors, long dead after a great war. Each Clan was founded by a Paragon, a mighty hero and a mighty leader in Ashahieman ancestry.
The Thirteen Clans:
The Redmaw Clan was sired by the Asahieman Warlord Bran Redmaw, who defended the southern borders of Asahiem from invaders and those intent on colonization,
Engir Krakendoom, the famed marauder that patrolled the savage seas on the coast of Asahiem from sea-faring invaders, and even the fabled Kraken.
Kjal Morkai was one of the most powerful Runic Mages in ancient Ashahiem. He was said to summon souls from beyond the Gates of Morkai and make the spirits of the dead fight beside him in battle. The Morkai Clan, like its paragon, has one of the strongest magical bloodlines in Ashahiem.
Njal Red Moon was a Shaman who gained his fame by conquering the forces of nature and turning them against his foes in the times of war. Though many say it is just legend, Ashahiem hears the scars of Njal's fury. Being the brother of Kjal, Njal's bloodline is very potent in magic, and his teaching have been passed down his Clan from one generation to the next.
Genn Grymnaar was the first of the Clan Elders, for in ancient Ashahiem, he was the king of the unified country before is splintered in to barbarism. His Clan is very proud of their heritage and still believe that they own the right to rule a unified Ashahiem.
Sven Deathwolf was a Ashahiem general and Warlord that earned his surname by wearing the pelt of a black Ashahieman wolf on his back whenever he went in to battle. He was said to have slain the creature with his bare hands. The Deathwolf Clan is very skilled in hunting and tracking, making them very skilled rangers and assassins.
Skarin Dreadwolf was a Warlord who was said to be cursed by the Dread Wolf himself, as his madness for blood and battle overtook the Warlord. The Dreadwolf Clan is infamous for their speedy raids of other Clan's villages.
Sonja Cahalith was the daughter of a nobleman who took up arms with farmers and other peasants in defense of Ashahiem's eastern border while the rest of Ancient Ashahiem was busy fending off invaders from the North. The Cahalith Clan is the only clan (excluding the Lost Clan) that allows women to be warriors of equal standing as men. The Cahalith Chief is always a woman.
Krom Dragongaze was a Warlord whose city was at the foot of the Dragonfang mountains. His daughter was taken by a Dragon, so he ventured after the beast, slaying it and drinking of its blood to gain its power. It was said that afterwards, Krom could incinerate people with a single glance. The Dragongaze Clan is fabled for their dragonhide leathers and arrows made from Wyrms teeth. They have developed wards against powerful fire magics as a defense from Dragons.
Liam Blackmane was the son of Genn Grymnaar, the Prince of Ashahiem. Liam desired honor and glory on the battlefield more than anything, so he quit politics and surrendered the crown by changing his surname and becoming a renegade Warlord. His prowess in tactics and swordplay proved him and his Clan to be formidable warriors.
Olaf Bloodhowl was a berserker who rose to power several generations after the Shattering. His battle-lust caused him to break away from the Blackmane Clan and form a nomadic Clan that wandered land and sea, pillaging for the scarce resources of Ashahiem.
Osric Grimblood was the brother of Olaf who favored a scythe-like axe on the battlefield, reaping his foes like wheat. It was said that his weapon was the weapon from Grim itself that Osric stole in one of his near-death experiences. The Grimblood Clan is very foolhardy, performing ballsy acts of bravado for a chance of victory.
The Lost Clan, once called the Legion of Hlodyn the Conqueror, is never spoken on loudly in Ashahiem. The legend of the Lost Clan is known not only in Ashahiem, but in many places around the world due to the Drow trading the story along with wares. The Lost Clan is worshipped for its sacrifice and suffering, for they live on the northern border of Ashahiem, where the weather is harshest, the wildlife is toughest, and assaulting forces are in constant supply. They are said to be cursed, and that they keep themselves hidden away in the Dragonfang Mountains to keep the curse from spreading. Only when a member of the Lost Clan masters their curse, are they allowed to venture out in the world.
The other Clans send their greatest warriors to the Lost Clan as tribute. It is a great honor that is never celebrated. The Rite to enter the Lost Clan is to drink of the Chief's blood and willingly take on the Curse.
*- more detail in the Legend of the Lost
Religion in Ashahiem:
The Ashahieman people worship a variety of things, including Paragons, gods, and even the honor of the Lost Clan.
The Allfather: seen as the creator of all things, the Lord of the Sky who watches from his throne of light in a city of gold - the city of Valhalla. The Allfather sits in the Court of Valhalla with the Thirteen Paragons, where they pass judgment on those who die in their name.
The Paragons: Seen as demigods by the people of Ashahiem, the Paragons rose in to Valhalla and were given seats of honor in the Valhallan Court so that the Allfather may fairly judge each soul to enter his Hall.
The Dread Wolf: The Dread Wolf is the Spirit Hunter who catches the scent of those ready to die and carries them to the Halls of Judgment in his jaws of moonlight. If the soul is allowed entrance to Valhalla, the Dread Wolf will escort them to the Hall of Heroes. But should the soul not be permitted entrance to Valhalla, the Dread Wolf takes the soul to the Gates of Morkai, where they face one final judgment.
Morkai: Morkai is the two headed Wolf Spirit that judges those who do not gain entrance in to Valhalla. Morkai strips the soul to its core, viewing all of the life that it had lived. If the soul is not corrupt or wicked, it is returned to the earth to be reborn. Those who are wicked are ripped apart and consumed by Morkai, damning the soul to the realm of Darkness.
The Earthmother: The Giver of Life, the Earthmother is the one who brings life in to the world. She controls the seasons and breathes new souls in to the child a mother is birthing.
The World Serpent: The World Serpent is the Earthmother's pet, a great snake that slumbers beneath the surface of the earth. When the World Serpent stirs, it causes the earth to shift with earthquakes and other natural disasters.
Lyan: Lyan is the god of the mountain and the god of steel. He is the one who supposedly gave the Ashahieman people the Secret of Steel as a gift for answering the Riddle of Steel. Lyan is the god all soldiers pray to before a battle, along with their Paragon.
Russvik the Conqueror was the High General of Ashahiem when the country was united. He was the son-in-law to King Grymnaar through his daughter, Freja. Russvik willingly chose to build his castle in the heart of the Dragonfang Mountains on the northern coast of Ashahiem. Russvik believed that Dragongaze was too far inland to be a proper first defense. Russvik took his greatest warriors up with him once Caervalock was complete, and it couldn't have been any sooner.
The Dar'eldahan, or Drau, as the Ashahieman's called them, landed on the northern shore of Ashahiem, hell-bent on conquer and conquest. They had heard of the strength of the Ashahieman people and their steel, so the Dar'eldahan came to take resources and slaves. Before the Dar'eldahan could make it two miles in to the Dragonfang mountains, Russvik and his soldiers were upon them, seeming to come out of the very rock of the mountain to slay and reave the ranks of the Drau. While Russvik and his soldiers numbered only three hundred men and women and the Drau nearly a thousand, the savages did not flee.
Six months passed and the Drau failed to gain any land beyond Caervalock castle. Eventually, the Dar'eldahan General ordered the Witches to perform a forbidden rite of magic to cast a terrible curse on those who lived in the castle. The curse was terrible and cruel, killing half of Russvik's men slowly and painfully. The rest, the strong ones who were able to resist death, suffered violent seizures and headaches as their bodies changed to adapt to the curse afflicted upon it. The grew larger and stronger, with teeth like and eyes of a beast and the senses to match. When the Eye of the Dread Wolf (the moon) was full in the sky, the surviving soldiers of Russvik's Legion stalked and hunted the Dar'eldahan, becoming the stuff of their very nightmares.
Two months later, Russvik and his men assaulted the Drau in the day, 150 men and women pushing back half a thousand to the shores, only so the Drau could find all but one of their ships burned. Russvik and his men slaughtered the Drau on the shores, turning the icy tides red, leaving only a handful left alive to sail home and deliver a warning: the mangled and ravaged corpses of their allies.
When the King sent relief and help to Russvik, the General turned them away, saying that they were cursed by the Dread Wolf and Morkai themselves, and that they did not want to spread such a curse among their people. So they stayed in the ruins of Caervalock Castle, through the Age of Shattering, fighting and dying to defend Ashahiem from any horror that attempted to pass through the mountains.
Culture:
Ashahiem is a barbaric nation populated by barbaric people. They have no government, only rules of engagement the the rules they are decreed to live by according to their faith. Each Clan has its own set of rules and practices depending on who the Paragon was. There is no currency, so things are traded based on usable worth. Every full moon, every Clan will set out totems and offerings to honor the Lost Clan.
Ashahiemans are very honest people and will always call things how they see them. They are proud and stubborn as mules. Their form of a debate is armed combat, and the one who gets their law passed is the one still breathing.
The Clans are constantly warring over land and the resources of Ashahiem, as well as venturing forth in to neighboring countries to raid their border settlements for supplies. This has earned Ashahiemans an ill reputation around the world as rapists, murderers, and marauders. No fighting is to take place on a full moon unless justly provoked.
Music and dancing is a very popular past-time in the Clans when they are not fighting. Their strange instruments (http://www.celticattic.com/treasures/images/musical_instruments/rosewood_bagpipes.jpg) create wondrous drones and tones that some have come to fear for the fury the right song instills in the Ashahieman warriors. Each Ashahiem Pipe is different depending on the Clan, and so each Clan has a different call.
National Strengths:
Some of the strongest steel in the world
Rare animals with valuable qualities
Harsh climate makes the locals very hardy and durable
Harsh climate and dangerous terrain makes invading difficult
Renown of the Lost Clan Legend in most countries
Some of the strongest whiskey around
Racial Qualities:
average height of 6-7 feet
bulky, muscular builds for men. Lean muscular builds for women
average hair colors: black, brown, blonde, and red
- Lost Clan folk tend to have streaks of grey in their hair, no matter their age.
average eye colors: icy blue, emerald green, hazel brown, steel grey
- Lost Clan folk have golden colored eyes.
stronger and faster than average men
- Lost Clan folk have enhanced senses as well.
The local wildlife is fierce and intelligent and like everything else in Ashaheim, very large. Asaheiman wolves, depending on their geographical location, can range from average size to the size of bears. The bears tower and lumber through the trees and the Elek, a massive, ram-like creature, can feed a whole family. Up in the highest peaks of Ashahiem, Wyverns and Wyrms and other species of Drake make their homes among the jagged glacial peaks in the farthest north regions of Ashahiem.
The indigenous folk, the Ashaheimans, are not a united people, but are split in to thirteen clans, each with their own chief and elder council. The Thirteen are constantly warring over land and resources. The Thirteen make their homes in the ruins of ancient Asahiem, the stone masonry of the Asaheiman ancestors, long dead after a great war. Each Clan was founded by a Paragon, a mighty hero and a mighty leader in Ashahieman ancestry.
The Thirteen Clans:
The Redmaw Clan was sired by the Asahieman Warlord Bran Redmaw, who defended the southern borders of Asahiem from invaders and those intent on colonization,
Engir Krakendoom, the famed marauder that patrolled the savage seas on the coast of Asahiem from sea-faring invaders, and even the fabled Kraken.
Kjal Morkai was one of the most powerful Runic Mages in ancient Ashahiem. He was said to summon souls from beyond the Gates of Morkai and make the spirits of the dead fight beside him in battle. The Morkai Clan, like its paragon, has one of the strongest magical bloodlines in Ashahiem.
Njal Red Moon was a Shaman who gained his fame by conquering the forces of nature and turning them against his foes in the times of war. Though many say it is just legend, Ashahiem hears the scars of Njal's fury. Being the brother of Kjal, Njal's bloodline is very potent in magic, and his teaching have been passed down his Clan from one generation to the next.
Genn Grymnaar was the first of the Clan Elders, for in ancient Ashahiem, he was the king of the unified country before is splintered in to barbarism. His Clan is very proud of their heritage and still believe that they own the right to rule a unified Ashahiem.
Sven Deathwolf was a Ashahiem general and Warlord that earned his surname by wearing the pelt of a black Ashahieman wolf on his back whenever he went in to battle. He was said to have slain the creature with his bare hands. The Deathwolf Clan is very skilled in hunting and tracking, making them very skilled rangers and assassins.
Skarin Dreadwolf was a Warlord who was said to be cursed by the Dread Wolf himself, as his madness for blood and battle overtook the Warlord. The Dreadwolf Clan is infamous for their speedy raids of other Clan's villages.
Sonja Cahalith was the daughter of a nobleman who took up arms with farmers and other peasants in defense of Ashahiem's eastern border while the rest of Ancient Ashahiem was busy fending off invaders from the North. The Cahalith Clan is the only clan (excluding the Lost Clan) that allows women to be warriors of equal standing as men. The Cahalith Chief is always a woman.
Krom Dragongaze was a Warlord whose city was at the foot of the Dragonfang mountains. His daughter was taken by a Dragon, so he ventured after the beast, slaying it and drinking of its blood to gain its power. It was said that afterwards, Krom could incinerate people with a single glance. The Dragongaze Clan is fabled for their dragonhide leathers and arrows made from Wyrms teeth. They have developed wards against powerful fire magics as a defense from Dragons.
Liam Blackmane was the son of Genn Grymnaar, the Prince of Ashahiem. Liam desired honor and glory on the battlefield more than anything, so he quit politics and surrendered the crown by changing his surname and becoming a renegade Warlord. His prowess in tactics and swordplay proved him and his Clan to be formidable warriors.
Olaf Bloodhowl was a berserker who rose to power several generations after the Shattering. His battle-lust caused him to break away from the Blackmane Clan and form a nomadic Clan that wandered land and sea, pillaging for the scarce resources of Ashahiem.
Osric Grimblood was the brother of Olaf who favored a scythe-like axe on the battlefield, reaping his foes like wheat. It was said that his weapon was the weapon from Grim itself that Osric stole in one of his near-death experiences. The Grimblood Clan is very foolhardy, performing ballsy acts of bravado for a chance of victory.
The Lost Clan, once called the Legion of Hlodyn the Conqueror, is never spoken on loudly in Ashahiem. The legend of the Lost Clan is known not only in Ashahiem, but in many places around the world due to the Drow trading the story along with wares. The Lost Clan is worshipped for its sacrifice and suffering, for they live on the northern border of Ashahiem, where the weather is harshest, the wildlife is toughest, and assaulting forces are in constant supply. They are said to be cursed, and that they keep themselves hidden away in the Dragonfang Mountains to keep the curse from spreading. Only when a member of the Lost Clan masters their curse, are they allowed to venture out in the world.
The other Clans send their greatest warriors to the Lost Clan as tribute. It is a great honor that is never celebrated. The Rite to enter the Lost Clan is to drink of the Chief's blood and willingly take on the Curse.
*- more detail in the Legend of the Lost
Religion in Ashahiem:
The Ashahieman people worship a variety of things, including Paragons, gods, and even the honor of the Lost Clan.
The Allfather: seen as the creator of all things, the Lord of the Sky who watches from his throne of light in a city of gold - the city of Valhalla. The Allfather sits in the Court of Valhalla with the Thirteen Paragons, where they pass judgment on those who die in their name.
The Paragons: Seen as demigods by the people of Ashahiem, the Paragons rose in to Valhalla and were given seats of honor in the Valhallan Court so that the Allfather may fairly judge each soul to enter his Hall.
The Dread Wolf: The Dread Wolf is the Spirit Hunter who catches the scent of those ready to die and carries them to the Halls of Judgment in his jaws of moonlight. If the soul is allowed entrance to Valhalla, the Dread Wolf will escort them to the Hall of Heroes. But should the soul not be permitted entrance to Valhalla, the Dread Wolf takes the soul to the Gates of Morkai, where they face one final judgment.
Morkai: Morkai is the two headed Wolf Spirit that judges those who do not gain entrance in to Valhalla. Morkai strips the soul to its core, viewing all of the life that it had lived. If the soul is not corrupt or wicked, it is returned to the earth to be reborn. Those who are wicked are ripped apart and consumed by Morkai, damning the soul to the realm of Darkness.
The Earthmother: The Giver of Life, the Earthmother is the one who brings life in to the world. She controls the seasons and breathes new souls in to the child a mother is birthing.
The World Serpent: The World Serpent is the Earthmother's pet, a great snake that slumbers beneath the surface of the earth. When the World Serpent stirs, it causes the earth to shift with earthquakes and other natural disasters.
Lyan: Lyan is the god of the mountain and the god of steel. He is the one who supposedly gave the Ashahieman people the Secret of Steel as a gift for answering the Riddle of Steel. Lyan is the god all soldiers pray to before a battle, along with their Paragon.
Russvik the Conqueror was the High General of Ashahiem when the country was united. He was the son-in-law to King Grymnaar through his daughter, Freja. Russvik willingly chose to build his castle in the heart of the Dragonfang Mountains on the northern coast of Ashahiem. Russvik believed that Dragongaze was too far inland to be a proper first defense. Russvik took his greatest warriors up with him once Caervalock was complete, and it couldn't have been any sooner.
The Dar'eldahan, or Drau, as the Ashahieman's called them, landed on the northern shore of Ashahiem, hell-bent on conquer and conquest. They had heard of the strength of the Ashahieman people and their steel, so the Dar'eldahan came to take resources and slaves. Before the Dar'eldahan could make it two miles in to the Dragonfang mountains, Russvik and his soldiers were upon them, seeming to come out of the very rock of the mountain to slay and reave the ranks of the Drau. While Russvik and his soldiers numbered only three hundred men and women and the Drau nearly a thousand, the savages did not flee.
Six months passed and the Drau failed to gain any land beyond Caervalock castle. Eventually, the Dar'eldahan General ordered the Witches to perform a forbidden rite of magic to cast a terrible curse on those who lived in the castle. The curse was terrible and cruel, killing half of Russvik's men slowly and painfully. The rest, the strong ones who were able to resist death, suffered violent seizures and headaches as their bodies changed to adapt to the curse afflicted upon it. The grew larger and stronger, with teeth like and eyes of a beast and the senses to match. When the Eye of the Dread Wolf (the moon) was full in the sky, the surviving soldiers of Russvik's Legion stalked and hunted the Dar'eldahan, becoming the stuff of their very nightmares.
Two months later, Russvik and his men assaulted the Drau in the day, 150 men and women pushing back half a thousand to the shores, only so the Drau could find all but one of their ships burned. Russvik and his men slaughtered the Drau on the shores, turning the icy tides red, leaving only a handful left alive to sail home and deliver a warning: the mangled and ravaged corpses of their allies.
When the King sent relief and help to Russvik, the General turned them away, saying that they were cursed by the Dread Wolf and Morkai themselves, and that they did not want to spread such a curse among their people. So they stayed in the ruins of Caervalock Castle, through the Age of Shattering, fighting and dying to defend Ashahiem from any horror that attempted to pass through the mountains.
Culture:
Ashahiem is a barbaric nation populated by barbaric people. They have no government, only rules of engagement the the rules they are decreed to live by according to their faith. Each Clan has its own set of rules and practices depending on who the Paragon was. There is no currency, so things are traded based on usable worth. Every full moon, every Clan will set out totems and offerings to honor the Lost Clan.
Ashahiemans are very honest people and will always call things how they see them. They are proud and stubborn as mules. Their form of a debate is armed combat, and the one who gets their law passed is the one still breathing.
The Clans are constantly warring over land and the resources of Ashahiem, as well as venturing forth in to neighboring countries to raid their border settlements for supplies. This has earned Ashahiemans an ill reputation around the world as rapists, murderers, and marauders. No fighting is to take place on a full moon unless justly provoked.
Music and dancing is a very popular past-time in the Clans when they are not fighting. Their strange instruments (http://www.celticattic.com/treasures/images/musical_instruments/rosewood_bagpipes.jpg) create wondrous drones and tones that some have come to fear for the fury the right song instills in the Ashahieman warriors. Each Ashahiem Pipe is different depending on the Clan, and so each Clan has a different call.
National Strengths:
Some of the strongest steel in the world
Rare animals with valuable qualities
Harsh climate makes the locals very hardy and durable
Harsh climate and dangerous terrain makes invading difficult
Renown of the Lost Clan Legend in most countries
Some of the strongest whiskey around
Racial Qualities:
average height of 6-7 feet
bulky, muscular builds for men. Lean muscular builds for women
average hair colors: black, brown, blonde, and red
- Lost Clan folk tend to have streaks of grey in their hair, no matter their age.
average eye colors: icy blue, emerald green, hazel brown, steel grey
- Lost Clan folk have golden colored eyes.
stronger and faster than average men
- Lost Clan folk have enhanced senses as well.