Stormcloak Order
History
The Founding
The Storm Herald prophecy was given to the founder of the Stormcloaks, Eldmond. This was after his brother, Jorikson of Wessux, failed horribly at the siege of Westar. Following this failure Wessux was overrun by the struggling Eastoians led by Magos. Eldmond fled North, staying in Northoia. After a disagreement throughout action against the Eastoians, Eldmond was exiled. When traveling to the north to die in what is now known as the Halstein jungle, he came across the stony jagged edge shore. The waves were crashing against the stone cliff, rising as high as 100 feet. The winds nearly blew Eldmond away as he collapsed on the edge of the stone cliff, exhausted. As he approached death a huge bolt of fire hit the ocean below and a massive snake made of pure stringy electrical-looking fire rose from the water, looking Eldmond in the eyes. The creature had three eyes, the left was purple, the right green, and the one on its forehead was yellow. Men dressed in Norsekin armor soon surrounded him, bearing tattoos of The World Eater snake across their bodies. The creature told Eldmond that it was his duty as one of the very last true Norsekin warriors to save the entire planet from the eventual second coming of Ragnarok. The creature said that Thor was squandered by the other Norse Gods and that he was abandoned by many of his people, and only by getting more worshipers could the god be strong enough to stop the world's end again and prevent The Middle Realm from falling into another Blackest Night. The men surrounding Eldmond grabbed him, forcing him to his knees while pulling his hair back so he could look the creature up and down. After that, the creature said, “This is The End for you, but it doesn’t have to be the end for them.” A long strand of electrical fire came from the creature, almost like a finger. Slowly, painfully, the creature drew a strike of lightning from his forehead over his eye. Eldmond screamed in agony, seeing visions of the future and past. As he fell limp on the ground the Norsekins retreated into the shadows, and the creature disappeared into the void of darkness, the storm dying out as it left. Eldmond awoke not long after, completely confident in what he had to do. Eldmond went to the villages of Northoia, the towns of Kinra, the wild tribes of orcs, Celta, Goldron, Voron, and told them his truth. After a year of gathering followers, and teaching them the importance of their order he founded the first workings of the Halstein keep, at the time a mere pile of sharpened wood pikes.Frigetta's Coup
In 163 ABN a female thane of the Stormcloaks disapproved of the sexism of the order, and advocated for more equitable treatment of both genders. She argued that what mattered the most was the respect of Thor, not the parts between your legs or the gender you identified with. Many of the Stormcloaks agreed with her and began to pressure Eldmond into making reforms. Eldmond, however, was a staunch misogynist and gender essentialist and had no time for the blue hair and pronouns of Frigetta. Frigetta challenged him to a Duel in The Storm, but Eldmond refused saying "It would be beneath me to break such a fragile creature before the eyes of our god." This displeased even more members of the order, who may have hated women yes, but could not abide someone denying a Duel in The Storm, a sacred practice of settling disputes before the eyes of Thor. If Eldmond would not listen to reason, or respect the traditions of the faith, then he must be deposed by force. The coup was bloody, and personal, people who had grown close as friends or even romantic partners battled each other over what was essentially if 50% of the order and deserved to be treated with basic respect. Most if not all of the women fought on Frigetta's side, and many men as well, while Eldmond's side was nearly exclusively men. Eldmond and his forces were outnumbered, but not out of options. Eldmond's inner circle was extremely familiar with the skeleton fortifications of Halstein and used chokepoints and faulty walls to trap, crush, and outmaneuver Frigetta's forces. All this did was even the final battle, which happened in what would be known as the Red Room. Frigetta and Eldmond clashed axe and sword, and the powerful storm billowed overhead. With a tactical feint, Frigetta opened a hole in Eldmond's defenses and struck an axe into his side. The blow wounded Eldmond and he fell to his knees. Frigetta raised her axe in the air, claiming victory loudly in an attempt to stop the fighting and salvage what parts of the order survived. But the foolish woman did not ask if Eldmond yielded, and he leveraged his sword and impaled the would-be next leader of the Stormcloaks through the bottom of her skull. This gave Eldmond's men the edge they needed, and they defeated the remaining forces in combat. Eldmond claimed that in the days of old, they'd take the defeated women as wives, but it was clear now that women were a distraction, no matter what role they filled in a man's life. And these treacherous women had to be punished for nearly destroying the order. In the skeleton of the large room, the final battle took place in the captured prisoners were all blood eagled in the way that was done to heretics. The wind caused the blood of the victims to splatter across the walls and floors, which is how the room would earn the name Red Room today. What followed was a doubling down of the misogynistic ideals of Eldmond and the remaining Stormcloaks. Women were forbidden from joining the military part of the order except for if they held the most extreme qualifications, and they were segregated from living within the castle walls or mingling around men. The few women who fought with Eldmond were not exempt from the law, they were forced to put down their weapons and live outside the bloodied skeleton of a castle in what would be the beginnings of Stonewash village. Instead of being valued warriors and comrades now they were little more than laborers who preformed the tasks considered feminine, like washing and repairing clothing and preparing meals.
Thunder and Lightning
Founding Date
161 ABN
Type
Military, Mercenary Group
Alternative Names
The Stormcloaks, The Order of the Stormcloaks, Thor's Order, Order of the Storm
Demonym
Stormcloak
Leader Title
Founders
Location
Related Ranks & Titles
Notable Members
Related Ethnicities
Related Plots
Comments