Age of Hordes

Legend

“Some heroes and tribes leaders managed to unite and raise their lot far above the rest. Shining forever in glory.”

Skjald Sigurd

 

Description

From records in various libraries, we have managed to piece together a large amount of information about this period. As new leaders worked hard to ensure their settings, they often hired Monster Hunters or drafted entire populations for full-scale wars. There are plenty of contracts, equipment lists, and battle strategies, detailing them to such an extent that little is in the dark.

The Age of Hordes, as such, began around year 650. In the consolidating aftermath of the arisen and liches chaos, the ‘family head or hero’ trends grew strong, and some families began to outshine others. These families became cultural beacons and law-determining rulers of such immersed power and wealth that entire tribes and clans joined them.

It must be noted, as I’ve read in the annals of the Gyron Lords library. There were already Hordes around at that time, but most of those were consumed in the tumultuous centuries that followed. They could not match the clever, powerhungry minds, which quickly adopted to the powershifts of neighbouring tribes Clans, or worn-out Hordes.

Skjald El Mary

 

History

Fourth Age

In those days, most of the current countries had different borders; their areas were either part of other countries or they were split into a carpet of lesser states and leaders. Thus, it’s a difficult task to describe them all in detail, but let’s try to make an overview and then talk us down into our own. I’ll try to account for all nine islands.

Skjald Sigurd

 

Midgard: With its large and complex carpet of Archaic, Indigenous, Wanderers, and Common, Humans. As well as those of the N-Erectus, who interferred in the rather public events, was where it all began.

Aside from ancient Tribes who had helt their power since the dawn of time or who had established themselves out of nowhere, like the Ye Olde Zephyrs, who claims to have been founded in 6542 SA, We generally ascribe the first fragmentation that surpassed their cradles finest to Za Zahau and Meta la Beastau of the Light Guardians. As they elevated their family to such heights, the rest of the families soon followed the twins into a series of bold moves and conquests. So in the autumn of 650, they controlled Innsa Lake, and in only 5 years, they had gained control all the way up to Jerty Roughs. They also tried to spread across Spiy, but were met with hard resistance. Yet, their rise and mastery of their former clan and whole tribe. Sent shockwaves through the established hierarchy, birthing troubled times.

Skjald Vinotis

 

Markeoy: As the news about lesser chieftains, single families, or even single individuals rebellion spread across Midgard. The news eventually reached the docks and taverns in Efron. Igniting an urge for action, in a Smidhr Settlement, of the Ini Minians in Frondal. Soon they controlled the entire shorelands around Frond's Pond and took possession of the Resources in Frond's Siblings. But instead of spreading thinner, they began to fortify their aeea with devises and mechanication in 652. Maybe it was their success in rising that sparked other breaks, like the founding of Fur Oracles in 750, or it was just the general trend and events that made those.

Skjald Valgrif

 

Findon: Thanks to their Mana Manipulators, skilled in Astravel, a Clovincaz family in the rising, learned of the bold moves, and new trend spreading in Midgard. So, they joined in the bold actions of the winners, took it all, and disposed of their useless overlord. Their family head, Emini Châva, claimed the heritage of the Clovincaz Empire, and named themselves El Reyder Clan. Within the year, they had secured all of Bachia Highland, and in 651 they began to expand.

Skjald Sejrik

 

Mealis: Early in 656, the first family to break bonds and claim supremacy over their former lords was a family specialising in short sword, dagger, stiletto, and needle fighting. Well, it would maybe be more accurate to label them as assassins rather than warriors, as that was where they initially were. Situated in Orthan Hills, the family got tired of their clan always harvesting the gold paid, meanwhile they harvested casualties and crumbs. So, when they lost one of their elders, they simply had enough, and at the spring festival, they did a swift harvest of unprepared straw. With one brutal sweep, they erased all opponents and claimed the clan. Their grandsire, Eradol Flint, renamed the clan Miniatûr-Klingên, to honour their history with small-calibre weapons. They quickly spread their control, and it is due to their long reign that Burfal stretches across what would be batural borderlands, deep into both Osmes and Thang.

Skjald Yell'a'Beard

 

Utarik: Formed in 340, the Altwalders became a carpet of various families, severing ties to their origins to serve as nature guardians. 321 years later, in 661, a single family somewhat repeated the act. But instead of breaking ties with their clan or the tribe they had grown into, they acted swiftly and boldly when their clan leader died from a Monster attack. Their leader, Tarpi All'n, a Animist of great renown, tracked and killed the monster. Then he called for a meeting, and standing atop the slain monster’s corpse, he proclaimed himself suitable to lead. Calling for anyone to dare challenge his claim, he gained control, and within a few weeks, all families in the clan bowed to him. Using the momentum, he kept expanding his embrace, and when winter came, he controlled every family and clan southwest of Pollumen Peak. In 670, the Tarpi's Tribe were the de facto leaders of all lands in Bilza up to River Ari, down the shore around the mountains, and deep into Remas, making Putdwell Creek the border.

Skjald El Mary

 

Naldar: In 654, a great storm swept the shores of Lioni, damaging many harbours and huts on the isles of Rask, Risk, and Rusk. A family of Pearl divers who had been at Lionis mainland, used the following chaos cleverly: Spending all their gains on buying mainland aid for their local community on the Northern Peninsula Their home Town of Berlina elected the family’s head as their local town master. From that moment on, things went fast for the family, and in the spring of 656, all seven sons and four daughters had been elected as or married into leading families across Risk.

The winter of 56–57 was long and cold, but it suited the family well. Using Ravens to send messages, they laid their plans for a future where they controlled all islands and incomes. So in the spring of 657, former Fishermen, Sailors, and Pearl divers became full-fledged Pirates. At first, they subdued the other isles, and when done late that autumn, they launched a raid on Utarik in the spring of 658. Casualties so few and loot so plenty, they all cheered their leaders decision and their new way of life. Hearing the crowds cheers, their leader announced the rebirth of them all as The Shore Ravens. As they avoided raiding Lioni and kept bribing the mainland lords with a quarter of their loot, they grew in power. In 668, they held the islands in an iron claw and began buying their way into mainland power.

Skjald Ulrich

 

Dalip: In the spring of 654, heavy rain at the Jermi Steppes filled Lake Olvu and flooded the surrounding farmlands, so all crops were lost; eventually, it also flooded the city of Kumudes and ruined the food and goods that were stored. Eventually the dams breached, and a swift wall of water, mud, and debris smashed through the town, killing a lot of those trying feverishly to save the town. The only ones that went free were a couple of apple-farmer brothers and their families, as they lived uphill, north of the town. Having had a splendid harvest the year before, they had plenty of coins and storages filled with goods purchased during autumn and winter to be gifts for sons and daughters about to be married off.

Seeing the disaster unfold and the hardness inflicted, they opened their gates, crates, sacks, and boxes. Feeding and sharing with the struggling survivors, they became incredibly popular, and when it was finally over, they were rewarded unexpectedly. The people, having lost many leaders, simply cheered Thōm Dhūihol and Elūi Dhūihol into positions as their new town leaders. Honoured by the offer, but well aware of what the relatives of the former leaders thought of that, they chose to accept it; after all, they needed some sort of repair for the costly aid.

Using the former leaders relatives as managers of several vacant positions rather than their own children and relatives. They quickly gained the upper hand on the old ruling network, and wealth began to pour in. Then, they managed to convince their puppets that real wealth was in sight beyond a short period of modesty, and they used the gains to influence, rather than control, more areas. Soon they had reached a point where the old network couldn’t suffice. Then they used their children and relatives to marry into an outer ring of control. In 657, they had control of most of the northeastern shorelands, the entire coastlands of Olvi's Pyt, and fangs running towards Jermi Lakes, and Mt. Lagnor. Then some rival clans from the lands over at the river Gülvarr attacked them. That attack was their second luck, as it sparked a flame of support that gave them control over most lands towards Gülvarr, Mt. Lagnor, and up to Jermi Lakes. In 666, the brothers renamed their family and clan into Circle du Faramer.

Skjald Vinotis

 

West Fjella: In 659, a family of Rimzir and Ogryl origin, with four skilled, gutsy children, working as guards in the village of Hamserdam, in the Bay of Glian, stood out against raiding pirates from Naldar. Only they fended off the attack on the western gate and houses, as all others were occupied defending the northern side and the harbour. After the pirates were fended off, the people they had aided demanded that they be rewarded with better positions.

The various clan leaders of several races awarded them titles as ‘people protectors’. I gave each command over the four windy city corners, and from there, things went fast. In 660, they finished a palisade wall around their village, secured all six gates with towers, and began patrolling the nearby roads. Their village, now a safe heaven, saw an increase in incoming trade ships and land caravans. Thus, their village began to grow, and in the spring of 661, a belt of new housing outside the palisade was begun. Knowing it was a risky move, the Pal 'aladins, as the people protectors were commonly called, also began to construct an outer moat and a new palisade wall. A wise decision that not only made the population grow but also made them a target for raiders.

Raiders came at the harvest festival in 662, thinking the people were easy prey and a plenitude of loot. They faced a hard-to-crack location, a rain of arrows, javelins, and rocks. As well as a breaching lot that cut deep into raider ranks, capturing leaders and beheading everyone. Wrapped in their banners, flags, and insignia, heads were lobbed at the enemy ships anchored up. Making them set sail and flee at once. Cheering their foresight and skilled defence, Pal ‘aladins was given town leadership. Wanting to be protectors of all, they announced breaking ties with their former clan, and from then on, they grew swiftly. Marriages, trade concessions, and alliances of military aid soon gave them control of all Hamsery Peninsula and Hamsi Basin. In time, they would grow to control the entire Bay of Glian.

Skjald Valgrif

 

East Fjella: There were indeed older, mightier clans and tribes, like Dawn Reborn formed in 518 TA, and Junnatu Weavers formed in 625 FA. Yet the first family to break free and rise to glory in East Fjella is considered to be a Rimzir clan, living on the shores of the southern Ghalliwals.

Five brothers were Village. Guards. Whenever things were too rough for the leaders and their lackeys to handle, they were called out to do the hard work. One day, in 655, as the nobles and their finest, as usual, stood back, one of the brothers was killed. Not even offering repairs for a proper burial, inspired by rumours they had heard about breaking free, they at night swore an oath alongside their sisters and parents that from now on they would work for no one but their brothers memory and their own rise.

Just two weeks later, words came that a Monster was seen destroying several Farmsteads up in Ghalliwals. Trotting up there, alongside the usual tag’alongs, they laid out their plan. When they finally found the horror, they countercharged as it surged forward but dodged past it, so it ran straight into the unprepared leaders and slackers. It quickly disposed of all the unskilled, then turned towards the four, charged, and quickly died as they were enhanced by Wultar. Coming back to the village, they threw the monster head at the feet of the town leader, announced everyone else dead, and said that from now on they would not serve others. So people could either do their own defence or accept their father as the new leader in honour of his family’s work.

It was a brutal act, but it was also a brutal life in brutal times, and Wultar for sure enjoyed their urge for recognition and might. In 660, they had conquered all lands to Mamati Fjord, all of Ghand Tiltlands, and some of Bilzi Top. So in the autumn of 660, at the southern shore of Lake Ghand, they renamed themselves as Wultar's Sveant's, and began constructing the great Varjaberg Fort.

Skjald Yell’a’Beard

 

Even though their importance began to decline with the 1st Alliance, the Age of Hordes era is considered to last until 1250, when The Realm was formed and law-making power shifted from local rulers to the High King's Court at Grimsborg. From then on, they slipped into the growing embrace of Law of the Realm and lost their significance in all but political scheming.

Skjald Vinotis

 

Organisation

Generally… hordes are ruled by strong leadership… having a final word on anything… and being the owners of all land, property, livestock, etc.

Skjald Kazumix

 

Special

A few Hordes like Dawn Reborn saw this age come and pass, yet remained unaffected.

Skjald Ulrich