Cirdonia, Ancient History

History of Northern Cirdonia

For thousands of years prior to 6783 AC the Cirdonian Peninsula was home to a chaotic array of tribal clans. These small extended family bands made use of basic farming, fishing and hunting to eek out an existence in the Far North. Harsh winters, large predatory monsters and raiding tribes of humans and humanoids made life difficult. The people, however, were equally fierce, being large, strong, and resilient. The Clans were very competitive and often warred. Alliance were common and short-lived. The Clans’ warriors would raid each other, stealing wealth, food, and women.


By 6783 the Arcadian Empire had faced a series of stinging setbacks. Colonies and subjected city states in the Mysterious West, the Jeweled Cities, and further south in the Middle Kingdoms were being lost. The Emperor needed new lands to draw resources from. A decade earlier he had targeted the Cirdonian Peninsula. He desired the tall trees for mast building, furs, and untapped mineral wealth. Plus the disorganized and somewhat primitive Clans would pose little threat to his legions. What initially posed as ‘diplomatic contact’ with each Clan soon became an occupation force. Before the Clans knew what was happening, the Arcadians had a sizable force in the lands. Resistance was fierce, but short-lived. Unprepared the vastly superior Arcadian Legionnaires defeat the Clans and their Thanes. Clan Chiefs were executed and more pliant younger sons placed as puppets on the throne. A century of strictly enforced laws and import of Arcadian customs lead to a period of growth and stability. Many of the issues that threatened Cirdonian society were resolved. Banditry was reduced, clan conflict was no more. Roads, bridges, and agriculture helped produce more goods and food then ever before. Disease and famine were no longer much of an issue. Arcadian fortifications were placed in the hinterlands, reducing raiding.


With the good however, came some negatives. Traditional Cirdonian culture was repressed. Druids were hunted and burnt at the stake as ‘witches and warlocks’. The worship of the Arcadian emperor as deity was mandated. Freedoms were restricted, those who complained faced punishment. Taxes and tithes were levied and at times were extensive.


In 6978, in the Clan Holdings of Griersten, a large number of farmers refused to pay the newly implemented “potato tax”. They chased off Tacksmen with rocks and arrows. Lord Griersten did little to support the Arcadian tax, which he thought to be unfair. With limited Legionnaire support the area enjoyed its freedom for a year, and then a portion of the 24th Legion was moved into the area. They established a separate garrison and move quickly to repress the locals and reestablish Arcadian law. Lord Griersten had no choice but to standback. Those locals who continued to flaunt the nonpayment of taxes were given one chance to relent and were then put to the sword, farms to the torch. The Arcadians were there to make a point and they did. Over the next 2 decades more the 24th Legion were withdrawn, as the area was sparsely settled compared to other regions, but a sizable force has remained.


There are many stories told in Cirdonia of the Uprising and the war that drove the Arcadians out of their lands. Some of the most famous come from the far northern area, the Holdings of Clan Griersten. It was from a ancient Druidic circle in this area that the legendary Hedge Witch called forth the Great Hunt which cemented the Cirdonian victory. It is well known that the Hunt came forth only because of the sacrifice of a brave man named Halen, they say he was a ‘’priest of the Sea’’. Other stories tell of “the Mogwa” a great hulking man, many say he was a giant, who toppled Arcadian fortresses and smashed walls by himself. Many would like to recover the Ancestral Sword of the Griersten Clan, lost again, last wielded by the hero Hakon of Griersten. Historians and those who were actually in the area remember a great deal more. They remember the fight not as a glorious victory, but a near-thing, with hundreds of Cirdonians cut down by the Legionnaires and their infernal allies. They know that it was the Lord’s Thanes and the Circle itself that allowed them to win. The whispering druid, Sonari, the Ice Wizard Czeslaw, and the Dwarf Warrior Thorgrimm along with the above individuals are popular subjects for paintings, poems, and carvings.


(Geography Jeweled City 30, Knowledge History The Far North 25, Knowledge History Burning Sands 20) The Merchant Lady of Opal, known at the Lady of Waves is from humble beginnings. As a young lady , named Sonari, raised in rural Cirdonia, she was trained in the ways of druidism by her family in secret (druidism was outlawed by the occupying Arcadians). She was a major player in one of the Lesser Circles during the revolution that freed her nation. After the war she remained in the area for sometime helping to reestablish the druidic traditions within Clan Griesten. She and a few of her companions eventually left, it’s said, due to conflict with the druidic hierarchy (and the infamous Hedge Witch in particular). Her journeys after are largely unknown, but apparently included a great deal of time at sea, traveling widely around the world. In time she developed a sizable Trading Company (ironically working closely with Arcadia) and eventually relocated to Opal. There her considerable personal power, her sizable economic powers and her connections with world powers allowed her to claim a seat as a Merchant Lord.