Saxons

Originally a Germanic tribe from the base of what is now Denmark. They are raiders, and warriors with s strong military and ambitions. Constantly at war with the Franks from at least the 400s. They believe strongly in the old gods of their people such as Wodan, Thor and Tir. Many have converted to Christianity, paying lip service to it but not truly believing it.
They have good relations with many Dwarven clans and High Elf tribes within Saxony, and have struck up some good relations with the Gnome and Halfling settlements in Britain. They make no difference to these peoples and their own.

Structure

Royal lineage. The high king rules over the country of Saxony, having Jarls below him, and noble born warriors below them. Huscarls usually make up this role of elite warriors. Below them are the free born merchants & the like. At the bottom are serfs, and slaves. Jarls usually govern smaller states in Saxony in the name of the king. Noble born warriors fulfil any lesser roles in governance, and act as elite fighters in the army, usually trained as Huscarls (or house officers). The free men make up about half the bulk of society, usually owning small businesses and more specialised trades, while the serfs (the other half) do most of the untrained labour. Slaves are such owe their ranks to being captured in battle, or more commonly for breaking the law. They do the most menial of tasks.

Culture

Germanic in culture and belief, they can be quite militaristic, but willingly settle down and work in business and farming. Their works of art are highly prized by many especially in woodwork, jewellery and in arms & armour. All are highly detailed and many include religious imagery, especially towards the Germanic gods. They are quite religious, preferring their older gods, but quite a few share Christian ideology. with other cultures. They have at times blended the two faiths into one, openly appearing Christian, but mixing and following the older gods into everyday life. They appear to be an expansionist people trying to push their way further into western and southern Europe coming into conflict with surrounding peoples, especially the Franks. They have settled parts of south-eastern Britain, along with the Angles, Jutes & Friesians. These they trade with and have the odd skirmish with.

Assets

The Saxons have amassed a fortune in gold and silver, in coins, jewellery and decorated arms & armour. Their smiths are experts in working them and have the requisite buildings to accommodate metal working. They have large forested areas, that allow for the production of wood, and multiple wood workers, carpenters and wood carvers. Their heavily fortified city of Dresden in their seat of power in Saxony. In Britain the largest is Winchester, and others exist but not as powerful or as unified. Every city is heavily fortified with a keep, thick stone walls, towers, heavy gates / portcullis, and dykes. They all have a number of ships similar to the dragon / long boats used by the Norse. Also they have very few horses, and only used for work, or carrying their owners to battle sites. They have large numbers of troops usually made up of fyrd men (free men) as the standard soldiery, with a minority of professional men-at-arms, and some elite troops called huscarls. Most troops usually fought with a spear, shield, light armour and/or leather helmet, and each carried a Seax (medium / long knife as a back up. Axes were common since these were used as a standard work tool as well, though the huscarls regularly fought with Dane axes (large single bladed, twohanded weapons). Swords, maces and the like were common throughout the professional soldiers, and nobility. Some free men also used bows to attack at a distance. Professional soldiers, huscarls or higher have access to a tough leather or cotton under shirt, and chainmail, with a (usually decorated) helmet. They usually had a better maintained shield too.

History

The Saxons are about 5 or more centuries old and their homeland being just south of the Angles at the base of modern-day Denmark. The expanded taking in or conquering other tribes enlarge the land under Saxony from about the time of the fall of Rome. At about the same time large contingents, including parts of the nobility sailed across the North Sea to take over areas of southern Britain. Sussex, Wessex and Essex came under their control. They have absorbed local populations into their own and became very entrenched in their homelands.

Founding Date

On or before the 2nd Century BCE

Type

Political, Faction / Party

Alternative Names

Sasunnach / Sasana / Seasun (Scottish / Irish / Welsh), Sassone (Latin), Saksa / Saksamaa (Finnish / Estonian), Saksalaiset / Sakslased (German)

Demonym

Saxon (Saxony)

Controlled Territories

• The Menhir of the Moon

Notable Members

• Jarl Cwenhild Saxton

Related Plots

• A Portent of Things to Come
• Assault on Aachen
• Assembling the Elders
• Auntie Grimly's Hut
• Baltia and the Temple
• Encounter at Eschbach
• Escaped Cultist
• Escapee
• Eschweiler Follow-up
• Eschweiler Shenanigans
• Fury of the Saxons
• Information Discovered
• Lord Diablos Makes An Appearance
• Misty See Misty Do
• Preventing the Saxon Raid
• Sabotage at Eschbach
• Saxon Camp Attack
• Saxons on the Move
• The Road to Hell

Related Historical Events

• 800 AD
  Battle of Aachen
• 800 AD
  The Saxon War
• 772 AD
  The Saxon War