Clans of Priquish
We will fight. We will conquer. We will show mercy only to those who know their place and fold beneath us. Those who stand against us will receive nothing but the end!
The country of Priquish has long been a thorn in the side of the more advanced civilizations that rose and fell during the Heroic Age. Destructive, aggressive, and fiercely protective of their ways, the violent culture of the Clans has formed and grown over thousands of years into a dangerous weapon that few militaries dare stand against.
The Clans
There are six major Clans that roam the land, and several subordinate Clans that ally with their choice of Clan Chieftan. Each Clan boasts their own colors, and keeps their own careful rituals before each battle. The Clans also specialize in varying fields, and the trade market that has grown has preserved the fragile, warring culture.
Warlike Clans
The Xithin Clan is made entirely of Irolucians, but led by a council of elder Irolians that have held sway over the Clan for centuries, despite efforts from warlord after warlord. The most warlike of the Clans, the Xithin hold their warriors to the highest standard, making their livings off of battle and trading weapons and services to the other Priqians. Led by Umdalog the Vengeful for many years, the Xithin is easily the most destructive clan.
The Brisroch Clan split off from the Xithin Clan in the early Heroic Age, after Rakaros, the last Irolian leader, ceded his command to his advisors instead of his heir. The isolationist Clan, the Brisroch travel in packs like wolves, destroying anything in front of them. They despise the more organized cultures of the other Clans, holding true to the ancient tenets of their ancestors and ranging from area to area, seeking control over the country. The Witch King funds their wars with money from mercenary services and selling spoils of battle to the highest bidder.
The Bizgi Clan only emerged when a writing system was introduced to Priquish, thanks to Crankust Featherspoon. They saw the advantage of recording their culture and history, and took on a noble mission to share the story of Priquish with the world. They travel across the land, documenting the surface with maps and journals that they send off along the trade routes, to be sold to and used by the other Clans and surrounding countries.
Peaceful Clans
The Pneuremgard is vastly composed of the Rampinae, and makes its home on the separated island to the east of Priquish. They keep to themselves, only allowing trade routes from the mainland onto the island at certain times of the year. They mine the natural crystals that are found in the mountains on the island, and use the gems to obtain the goods the other Clans have to offer.
The Zatgant Clan is the only stationary Clan of Priquish, and boasts the rights to the capitol of the country: Pleka. The city is a wonder of art and culture, hosting festival after festival throughout the year. Relatively untouched by war, and holding good connections with the other Clans, Pleka is the wheel that keeps Priquish turning.
The Utom Clan is an agricultural nomadic Clan, the majority of which is composed of the Vediver. They travel from region to region around the country, cultivating different crops in different seasons and areas. Many of the Clans depend on them for food and trade, ensuring their safety as they roam the northern lands.
Other minor Clans include the Celadil Clan, the Lacrus Clan, the Metos Clan, the Nzuar Clan, and the Vrunir Clan.
History
Of all the bloodshed on the timeline of the Heroic Age, the blood of Priquish shines the brightest.
The blood of Salman spills on Priquish soil this day, and there are none who can stop it. Not even me.
During the Division of the World, Priquish banded together for no better reason than to avoid alliances with other forces. The quickly advancing societies of Everia, Reacia, and Salman disgusted them, and they chose to stay true to their ancestors. Battle for glory, glory for honor, honor over all. This tenet led Priquish through a rough, bloody, and violent history on Visctheria.
Priquish was mostly quiet during the Third Peace until shortly after the Age of Brodea began. In the early Heroic Age, a young Grailae child on the border of Salman was murdered in cold blood by a member of the Xithin Clan, and Priquish and Salman were suddenly at war. The Priquish-Salman War lasted four thousand years, through multiple Ages and countless battles. The advanced magical technology of Salman was a perfect match for the brute strength and numbers of the Clans of Priquish, who managed to keep a massive militant force over the course of the era-defining war.
During this war, the Brisroch Clan mounted an invasion into Everia. Abandoned by their Reacian allies further southwest, Everia crumpled under the attack, and closed its borders for almost five hundred years. The destruction wrought by Ulia and her forces leveled the Great Cities, pushing Everia into a Dark Age that lasted two centuries before the rebuilding of the country began.
Culture
The culture of Priquish has been fiercely protected by its people for thousands of years. Few are allowed into the country, and fewer still allowed to leave. Once you join the ranks of Priquish, you swear allegiance until death - or worse.
Traditions & Activites
Many Priquians commonly spend their time training to be ultimately powerful warriors, spending thousands of hours in the harsh northern weather. The beating sun and freezing snow do nothing to stop their efforts, seasons passing as battle after battle wages across the rocky countryside.
The finest warriors - often determined more by number of injuries gained rather than kills achieved - are highly honored, given the best medical care, and receive riches and respect among the Clans. Warriors are known from each Clan, names told across the land in stories both real and fictional. Banners and tokens of Clan leaders are often altered to show the crest of the famous fighter as well as their loyalty.
Few festivals or holidays are celebrated in Priquish, at least outside of the capitol city. Pleka’s protection of Priquish’s history and culture is hugely in thanks to the cooperation of the Bizgi and Zatgant Clans, a rare sight in such a war-torn world. Each festival that comes around is a huge celebration, boasting gifts for all among a sea of colors and music.
Language & Dialects
The linguistic history of Priquish is relatively scattered, as is representative of multiple warring clans joining together into some semblance of a united front. Most Priquian citizens speak some form of Priquian, preserved in its written language, but each Clan has its own dialect that specializes based on their more commonly exported goods or services. The communication issues that result from this certainly do not help the violent situation, and many a battle has been fought over a misunderstanding.
Religion
Mostly populated by a cult of Zaohr’s Prime Epithet, Priquish holds the key to a closed religion that worships war, and not much else. The teachings of Zaohr Empyrean hold sway over the country, pushing for honor in battle and glorious injury. For all its lack of holidays, each Clan of Priquish holds intense rituals before each fight. Whether the battle is war-winning or a personal spat, the Battlesong is to be performed before any bloodshed.
Legacy
Weakened by the constant fighting with Salman, the Clan was driven out of Everia, and Priquish has remained in their northern lands ever since. The effects they left behind, however, have not faded. Priquish's daring shook more than just Everia, and many a military across the globe prepare for an eventual invasion, whether it be from Priquish or their closer neighbors.
When Priquish crossed Everia’s borders, a new word skittered around the shadows of Visctheria: invasion. The new concept and the insecurity that came with it shook the world to its core. Parents locked their doors extra tight at night, soldiers sharpened their swords a little more carefully, and children were told tales of the Clans coming to get them if they didn’t behave. The threat of Priquish was a change in the air, in the soil. The thought that violence could escalate to this level was something the countries had not seen since they divided into their borders.
While Priquish became a target for much of the world’s aggression, they also cemented themselves as a solid provider of mass weaponry, and provided a consistent flow of mercenaries for hire. The more powerful countries like Estrana and Striyuna often hire Priquish footsoldiers to fill out their armies, and Priquian weapons are easily made and dispersed. Suddenly armies that were entirely based on magical ability could open up, and many global powers became much more powerful in a short amount of time.
The massive effect Priquish had on the world is still visible to this day, and there are few historians or Arcanists who don’t credit Priquish with the forward evolution of the world. Despite their outdated methods, the country has pushed Visctheria to its limit, even more so than the more “advanced” countries that exist on the planet.
Population
The majority of Priquish is made up of Giantoids and some Viscanoids. Loxmians, Irolians, Rampinae, Irolucians, and Vediver live together in something akin to harmony - if you call constant warring and familicide a peaceful existence. The races commonly intermingle in Priquish, grouping together into Clans of warriors. Blood families stick together, but oath comes before blood, and Clan loyalty is honored above all.
"Battle for glory, glory for honor, honor over all."
When Silena took Umdalog's throne, Delinaeth turned to her side almost instantly, sensing a new power in the girl. The rest of the clan quickly followed suit, realizing not only her physical strength, but her determination and capability.
Born of the Pnuremgard Clan, Silena replaced Umdalog as the ruler of the Xithin Clan, and ruled until her death thirty-six years later. She became known as a Betrayer of her Clan, and the Pnuremgard swore an Oath against the Xithin, leading to centuries of fighting and death. Some theorize that Silena's victory was strategized by her Clan, but most rumors were disproved by the ferocity of their next battle.
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