Vikings, the Northmen
**BCC – Barbarian clans that occupied what is known as the Northern Wilds were driven north by the invading Lords of Dunkell that had separated from the Empire. They took the remains of their clans and set sail north on the Coral sea.
After months at sea, more of their people perished. With no place to on the Mainland to resettle, they made a desperate choice. They headed farther north into the freezing temperatures hoping for the sake of their own survival to find a land they could call home before they all were lost. Fate guided them with little difficulty at sea to a large chain of frozen islands. The Shamans said it was and omen from the gods that brought them there. The forests, lush with deciduous and coniferous trees, even though being winter, the deciduous trees were in full bloom and the islands were abundant with wildlife.
After the first year, their numbers were depleted severely, finding that winter ended for only four moon cycles, the wildlife was difficult hunting and for the most part deadly. The shamans were crucified for making claims that these lands were omens from the gods. After the crucifying, the shamans that survived said that the gods brought them here so that they would become strong and be able to survive. At the cost of the weak.
At the end of the second summer when the harsh winter began again. A conflict in views between the high shamans of the clans began and there was a furious battle between them. There was only one view they had in common with the others, and that was a vision of a single shaman of the clans. The lesser shamans did not have this vision and took it as a sign that their place was among their particular clan.
Due to their now small numbers, they began having many children. The more children a man sired, was a sign of status and power, since only the strongest survived.
The first few years they began to quickly adapt to the environment. They began building ships for fishing and naval ships for those who would try to drive them out of their lands again. They found that the trees made for the sturdiest ships that they had ever known.
With their population increasing and their survival in the north steadying, they began to explore and the clans broke off the main island and settled on their own islands. Only the largest clan stayed.
**BCC – Fifteen years later on the eve of the new year. They took the boys out on their first hunt as a rite of passage to become men. The Shaman of the clans had visions that foretold that there would be one from each clan who would set the standard for all who would become men in the future hunts.
In the 15 years that they had been here on the most southern and largest of the islands, the hunting parties of each clan came across the most fearsome beasts. An animal that actually hunted them. A full moon cycle later the hunting parties returned with only a quarter or less of their original number. One of the new men from each clan came back with the head of a polar bear, and the remainder of the parties carrying the carcasses. Proving that they were the most powerful and cunning warriors. These warriors would become the new Chieftains. Although they had to battle with the presiding chieftains for the position, it was an easily won battle for the new warriors.
The next year they explored the northern most islands, almost a month journey away. These islands were nothing more than rocky frozen wastes. This is where they established the rite of the warrior, for in these wastes were the mighty polar bear. From then on, one month before the new year the boys would be dropped off to claim their place amongst the warriors of the clans. After one month had passed the clansmen would return to pick up the survivors that possessed the head of the polar bear.
In the following years, competition became standard everyday life, be it drinking (a favored competition), brawling and mating. This escalated beyond their normal struggles because of the shaman’s prophesies of an exceptionally powerful clansman, that would claim the position of high chieftain or chief of the clans. This prophesy fueled the people’s constant competition for strength and survival. The people became more and more brutal in their everyday activities, the harsh environment also played a major part in shaping them as well. The people would evolve to become more attuned to their environment. Brutal and savage.
Courting itself, became a test of manhood. The man would choose his wives and if conflict arose over the wives between another man, there would be a battle to the death. Women had to fight for dominance for the head of the house. The rest became slaves of the house.
Death became common even among children. Brawls, even though weren’t always to the death, it was sometime a result. This was not looked down upon, but is a way of the strongest surviving. From the youngest ages, fighting for status in the house is standard and again only the strongest rise up.
Mating is also a battle. Men and women often die during mating. If this happens with the women killing the man, it is considered a sign of strength and men must compete for the woman and slaves of the house. The man that wins the right must fight a battle with the woman for the right to mate. It is a sign of respect for the woman. There is another option. The woman has the right to decline a husband altogether. If she does, this means that she has to take test to become a warrior, and will join the next hunt for the polar bear.
Once a woman becomes a warrior, she has the rights and respect of all other warriors. A widow retains her slaves for the raising of the children. The woman also gains the right to choose the men that will mate with her slaves.
At the age of thirteen, a girl may choose to become a woman the same way a boy becomes a man. After passing the right of passage, she is classed as a warrior. Once a warrior, she is only able to have two children before becoming sterile. The shamans say that this the way of the gods. A warrior cannot be a warrior if one is with child.
Because every day is a battle for survival of the fittest, many never make it past childhood. The more one breeds, the better the chance of gaining an heir to the family name.
Warrior women are never just taken, they must be challenged. The challenge then becomes a battle for submission as to who is superior in bed. The same applies for women, they must challenge the men as well. This challenge is to show respect between warriors as to not place them on the same level as slaves or a conquered people.
For the next three decades, life became more difficult. Giants had descended from the mountains and creatures at sea threatened their survival as sailors. To the clans, this was just another test of strength from the gods. In this time, they also became experienced in the art of steel. The mountains produced many different things, but only a few did they find useful. The metal ores in particular. Gems and soft metals (silver, gold and platinum) were in abundance, but they didn’t any use for them.
-** BCC – Their first battle with their old world took place, as well as their first true test of their naval power. A fleet of ten Dunkell ships exploring the northern seas came upon their shores. Their warships were quick to respond and crushed the entire Dunkell fleet within hours without a single loss. With nearly a century in the icy waters of the northern seas, dealing with the threat of sea monsters, their shipbuilding and seamanship skills were at least a match for any of the northern mainland.
-1CC - For centuries the shamans had preached the coming of a great trial that would put to test their very existence. The first month was the worst. When two new moons appeared in the skies, the weather and climate became exceedingly harsher. Earthquakes rocked the islands raising them from the waters revealing sharp cliffs, ice filled tsunamis slammed the coasts, reefs grew at an incredible rate, jagged rocks jutted from the seas all through the coastal waters. The change in tides made the waters treacherous. To make things worse, the waters throughout the island chain became the gathering place of icebergs.
In the first year, half their numbers were wiped out. For the next century their numbers grew slowly with harsher winters and treacherous coasts. Many were lost trying to navigate the seas.
After a century of trials and great improvements on ship strength and maneuverability. Their greatest captain (from the frost clan), who had survived several tragic attempts, successfully navigated the reefs, rocks and icebergs.
Over the next few years, they had cleared a shore for a large shipyard and docks. They had passed their knowledge to the other clans. With the great captain’s guidance, they built a fleets of fishing ships and warships at least fifty strong.
They decided it was time that had lived solitary lives for long enough. It was time to move out into the world for resources and repay the weak for giving them the strength to survive. It was time to show those that drove them out what they would helped make them into. They would now fight for survival in a different way, by raiding the shores of the south and taking what they needed.
The northern coasts of Nûrdæn would soon see the might of the Viking clans. No one would ever dare to refer to them as barbarians, for no barbarian combined such cunning intellect with savage brutality as the Vikings did.
112 CC – The new year Trials became a time of legend. This year as usual, the new youths to become warriors were brought to the hunting grounds, and one month later returned to retrieve the new warriors that had survived. A month and a half later, a makeshift raft with a lone body upon it came into dock. One of the youths that had been considered a failure, had done the impossible. He had slain two polar bears and navigated a raft through the treacherous waters. The high shaman proclaimed that he was chosen by the gods to lead their fleets to glory.
113 CC - The summer of 113, the northern strongholds of the Northern wilds were the first to witness the mighty raiding parties of the Vikings.
The stronghold of Vaasgard was the first to be hit. The ships were large, but extremely fast. This is why when they first spotted the ships coming over the horizon, they didn’t have a chance to prepare when the Vikings first massive volley of catapult fire bombarded the stronghold. Within moments any defenses they had were rendered useless. Led by their Hero, they beached and invaded. The people of Vaasgard tried to fight back, but the sheer strength and ferocity of the Vikings was overwhelming.
The Vikings pillaged, plundered and raped. What was a shock to the people, was that they would rape in the midst of battle. Even the Viking women would beat down a mighty warrior and rape him before killing him.
The spoils of their first raid tasted better than they had thought. They had slaves, livestock, weapons etc.
After Vaasgard, they moved east to the next stronghold, crushing it with just as much ease. They raided all along the northern coast. When they reached Solarus, the peaceful Arakians, were also caught off-guard by the speed in which the assault had come.
The Vikings believing that these were demons, were surprised at how quickly they crushed their coastal towns.
Word travels fast is Solarus, so by the time the Vikings hit the next coastal fortification, the Vikings got a surprise when their catapults did not fire or the shots were deflected away. Sometime they were even hit by their own shots.
The Vikings now truly believed that they were facing demon. What they didn’t know was that the Arakians were close to their god and had many adept Psions and powerful Priests among them.
The Arakians had problems of their own. Many of their psionics were ineffective against the Vikings. Neither the Vikings nor the Arakians knew that the forests that they built their ships from and live in for centuries, had natural properties that dampened psionics.
Unable to successfully raid, and taking damage from their own weapons, they considered this their first loss. This wouldn’t stop them from raiding the Arakians in the future. They considered the Arakians a worthy opponent and a test of their strength.
1**CC – After years of bashing the shores of the Northern Wilds, Solarus, the Dragane Lands of Tholarus and even traveling as far south as to sting Dunkell on occasion. The Vikings found an opponent worthy of battle. Along the mountain shores west of Tholarus, the Vikings met the Dwarves. They found they the Dwarves, even though they seemed small and weak, were strong and fierce of heart. They battled with the Dwarves for months, but the Dwarves defenses held strong. They found that the Dwarves fought fiercely and with cunning tactics. The Dwarves weapons, armor and defenses were by far superior. They especially had difficulty with ones that wore spiked armor from head to toe and raged through battles, hurling themselves as though they were weapons.
The Dwarves were equally impressed at the strength of their sailing vessels. For all the months of battle, not a single ship was lost. At first the Dwarves considered these humans were nothing more than enraged barbarians. They found that the human’s wit and cunning were equal to their strength and ferocity. What the Dwarves fear most was when the humans would throw down their weapons and engage in hand to hand battle. The humans fought like bears and could take as much punishment as one.
1** CC – The Vikings finally realized the value of trade. The accepted the dwarves as worthy combatants and arranged a meeting (this was the first civilized gesture that the Vikings made in the outside world).
From this meeting was born a new tradition among the Vikings. If they met an opponent that they call worthy of trade, they would sail ashore and offer up kegs of their best ale and a celebration of a great battle. They considered this a battle in spirit. If a battle cannot be won on the sea and shores than it must be waged from the mug and bed. Again, they found the Dwarves and equal at this as well.
The Dwarves and the Vikings were never allies, although they held a mutual respect for one another, and had interests in trade. Dwarven craftsmanship in weapon and spirits were in the interests of the Vikings. The raw materials from which the Vikings mined were what the Dwarves wanted.
1**CC – Dunkell in all their arrogance, annoyed by the raids on their shores, launched a fleet of 100 ships which they had been building for the purpose of retaliating against the Vikings, attacked a Viking fleet. Dunkell underestimated the speed, maneuverability and strength of the Viking ships, as well as the skill of the Viking captains. The Vikings were outnumbered 100 to 25. The Vikings crushed the Dunkell fleet leaving a couple of crippled ships to return to tell the tale. Only 2 Viking ships were lost.
At this point, the only ones that they had suffered significant losses from, were the Draganes and the Arakians, but they liked the sport in the raids, and the spoils were always superb.
They never bothered with the Elves. They held nothing of interest for them. They also didn’t want to taint their blood with that of the fragile tree hugging fairies.
1**CC – The Vikings have now flourished in their frozen island realm. For over a century of raiding, the slaves and technology they have acquired from raiding, has made their population grow. They have gained many strong traits that have come from their harsh environment and intermingling with others. They now have castles and strongholds, and their lands are now fortified even more.
The slaves that were taken throughout the century eventually accepted their new homes (for the ones strong enough to survive). They were treated well and were on occasion accepted to be one of them.
During this time, they pushed further west and were believed to be the first people of the east (other than the Elves of the firespine) to come into contact with the Nomads of the northwest. The nomadic clans were exceptionally skilled in combat like they had never seen. This was the second time they had offered up their celebration of battle and established trade. The Nomads didn’t gain the same respect as the Dwarves. The lost the battle of spirit (they just couldn’t hang when it came to the mug).
1**CC – Once again the Dunkell empire sent another fleet after the Vikings. This time they thought they had made ships able to stand up to the Vikings. They had only 75 ships this time and headed straight for the Viking islands. They never came into conflict with the Viking ships. They were unprepared for the treacherous waters of the of the Nordlige Lande. All 75 ships were ripped apart in the rough seas, reefs, jagged rocks and ice bergs in the icy northern seas.
Fortunately for the people of the coast of northern Nûrdæn, the Vikings aren’t in great numbers and neither are their fleets.
The Coral sea is vast and the Vikings only attack every couple of years. Sometime even a decade passes before the shores would once again know the might of the Vikings raids.
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