gorgenmast

The Gods are Crazy

Monavdu, Alysfyn

"Investigated?" Said Prince Haalenstern with an amused snort. "I am a son of Veden, not a judge. I will drag these troublemakers to thy feet squirming in chains. Allow the tribunal to decide if they are guilty or not, but rest assured that any antics they may or may not commit will be a nuisance to this realm no longer. Tell me where they may be found and I shall deliver them unto thee."

Vidna, Veden

Falling water roared as it fell upon the rocks; a soothing din that sounded in the background against the workings of the town. Hammer pings, cowbells, clucking fowl, and the creaking of rocking boats joined into the song of the town nestled cozily into the notch carved by falling waters. Though people of the more cosmopolitan parts of the world might consider it but a village, to the people of this land Vidna was a port city vital to trade in the region. The waterfall around which the town was situated constituted the northernmost point of the navigable River Istrid; from Vidna on down to the Three Inner Seas and beyond them to the ocean, all waters could be sailed by smaller vessels. Situated in the heart of Veden and only three leagues from the Haalenstern seat of power at Ersthaal, Vidna was crucial in linking this remote hinterland to the wider world.

Creaking jetties extended into the choppy pool where Vidna's waterfall deposited its frothy, turbulent flow, tethered to which were a score of sailing boats built in the traditional kalga form. These wide, low draught vessels were ideal for traversing the often-shallow waters of the Istrid River and beyond. With their low draught and relatively light weight, even heavily-laden kalgas could sail across the fordings downstream. Even in the driest summers, the vessels were light enough that a modest crew could drag them over shallow riffles without great effort. Despite their light weight, most Vedic kalgas handled well enough in the open water beyond the coast. As such, kalgas bearing Vedic merchants and adventurers had sailed to the Great Eastern Delta, Damarskan, Monavdu, and hundred ports in between. Despite the versatility of these boats, the spring - half a moon after the vernal equinox when snowmelt from the mountains filled the banks of the Istrid - was the most favorable time to set out for long voyages.

On the cliffs above the town and tucked into a clearing of the giant firs and spruces that grew along the waterfall, a slab of worn granite carved with ancient runes was set upon a ledge overlooking the rude harbor. Beard-sporting boathands from one of the boats below stacked a neat pile of tinderwood upon the altar as another scooted soggy mats of pine needles off the slab with his boot. Once the altar had been cleared, the half-dozen of them stepped away from the great stone and stood in solemn silence around its mossy edges.

Into the clearing came another two. One a tall, broad shouldered northman much like the other boatmen; the other a pale, ancient looking man with skin gnarled with deep wrinkles and a beaklike nose. He dressed in a dark gray robe with a black minkfur cap atop his balding head. Sauntering along behind the two with a cord of rope around its neck was a young calf that followed blithely toward its doom. The eyes of all the boatmen followed the reddish-orange heifer expectantly as the fitter of the two led it up onto the altar. The younger man beckoned for one of the boatmen to join him on the dais while the he-crone stepped back among the ferns and crocuses of the grove. He produced a scroll of goat parchment as his companion took the leash of the calf from him. The gathered northmen stood in solemn silence for a time, leaving only the roar of the Istrid falling down the cataract and the soft hum of wind blowing through the pines.

"O Krammeg!" The man with the scroll in his right hand proclaimed, stretching his arms outward as he interrupted the silence. "Lady of Fortune! Hear me now! My companions and I entreat thy aid!" The calf mooed dumbly as the man with the parchment paused briefly.

"I am Breitur, and they my companions Oveyn, Ganeg, Kron, Eoric, Bosiigr, Negar, and Joten! We set sail tomorrow for the lands to the west seeking fortune and adventure on distant shores! Our aim is righteous and has been ordained by our mortal lord Dragan Haalenstern!" He called out into the clouds, waving the scroll in his hand up to the sky. "Today, on the vespers before our voyage, we come to ensure our journey be ordained by our immortal protector! Preserve us upon this venture, and bestow upon us what fortune thoust see fitting!"

Breitur tucked the charter scroll within his leather vest and turned to the man holding the leashed calf. With a nod of understanding, he leaned over the young beast and wrapped his arms around its midsection. The heifer kicked and mooed with unease as it was hefted over onto the bundle of sticks and branches. On the tinder pile, Breitur's companion held the calf down onto its side while he unsheathed the dagger upon his hip. Breitur grasped the cow's head with his free hand and stretched the neck outward such that the throat was exposed. With a simple, graceful stab, he pushed the knife into the panicking calf's throat and slid it free with a deft outward slice. Bright red blood spurted out onto the sticks and down onto the stone beneath it as the dying calf thrashed helplessly against her subduers. A trickle of blood slowly drained out from underneath the tinder pile and pooled into the grooves of the carved runes.

"See now, Lady of Fortune, this show of devotion!" Breitur exclaimed, raising his bloodied knife into the air once the life had faded from the calf's eyes. "We offer this beast unto thee, that you may bestow upon us your great fortune and wisdom!"

The two stepped off of the altar while another with a torch in his hand assumed their place. He laid the burning end upon the foot of the tinder pile and then joined the others in watching the tongues of fire consume the slain calf. Their supplication and the spirit of the sacrificed beast joined with the bluish gray smoke as the wind carried it upward to Krammeg's haunt in the heavens.

The Gods are Crazy

Monavdu, Alysfyn

Thick leather boots lined with the fur of some northern beast clacked against the polished tiling and resonated through the high ceilings of the Monavdu palace; their echoes accompanied by the telltale jingling of chainmail armor. Honor guards standing with statuelike rigidity looked on from either side of the corridor as the trio made their way to the King's chambers. Flanked on both sides by towering, stoic northmen, Prince Theodocis Haalenstern swaggered down the hall with purpose. Though he was a royal son, Theodocis could have easily been mistaken by the more civilized courtiers for some manner of northern warlord. Indeed, the palace guard had tensed noticeably when they had been allowed in the doors; Vedic warriors were easy enough to spot, and the reputation of the sons of Veden preceded them. Veden was, as all those acquainted with the peoples and customs of the world, was a land of wild, turbulent men. Their skill with the with the axe was unmatched, and their qualms with finding use for it few in number. Those who desired peace and order were always on edge in the presence of the sons of Veden.

For a man of Veden, especially one of royalty, Prince Theodocis was rather short in stature. The sons of Veden were known among other things for their respectable height, as one might imagine looking upon the warriors accompanying Prince Haalenstern. Theodocis, though, stood a full head shorter in height than the guards at his flanks. Even so, he was formidable enough. His physique was that of a bear - giant shoulders covered with studded pauldrons swung to and fro with every step and barrel of a chest beneath that. A mane of coarse yellow hair fell down his shoulders in a single braided column upon a cuirass of leather sheets interstitiated with swathes of chainmail armor. A thick goatee of the same blonde hair curled around his mouth and hung in an angular, trimmed beard off of his blocky chin. Underneath a hanging brow, gray eyes looked over each of the armored guards contemptuously. If only he had been born a few inches taller, the Vedic prince might almost qualify as a giant.

As he was every time he visited the palace at Monavdu, Theodocis was deeply impressed by its exquisite architecture. With every visit, the northern prince discovered some new detail of the edifice. Be it the gargoyles, the vaulted ceiling, or the skylight windows beaming warm golden sunlight down from above him; the palace had fascinated him ever since he had first laid eyes upon it nearly a decade ago. Even after becoming so familiar with the structure's magnificence, Theodocis made it a point to notice something new about it whenever it crossed his mind. Prince Haalenstern was thoroughly convinced it was the greatest edifice in all the world. Even if it was not, certainly there was nothing in Veden that could hope to match its majesty.

As the trio came to the end of the corridor, Prince Haalenstern and his companions came to a massive double door guarded whose handles were guarded by a final pair of honor guards. Standing directly in front of the door, a guard draped in a loose cape. With mechanical precision, the captain of the guard stretched his hand out toward the approaching prince and extended his palm to bring the him and his guards to a halt several meters from the door.

"In the name of his most noble majesty - our glorious King Malius Enywyr - halt now and state thy intent!" The caped guard demanded from the bottom of his throat. His hand fell back to his side, but now hovered noticeably close to the pommel of his sheathed blade as if he expected the need to draw it.

"I am Theodocis Haalenstern, son of Dragan Haalenstern, Lord of All Veden. Your King has summoned me to this hall, and I come now to make good on his command." The Prince's voice boomed through the hall, as if he spoke from inside of a barrel. Satisfied with the prince's response, the guard captain stepped out of the way and permitted the two guards manning the doors to draw open the door. The guard captain led Theodocis through the doors into the interior palace, leaving his companions alone in the corridor as the doors were closed behind him and his escort. A brief, silent tour through a series of colonnaded hallways brought the two out another door into an opulent patio overlooking a manicured lawn and the harbor beyond it. There, seated upon his lounging chaise, was none other than King Malius himself lounging to the song of crashing surf and gullsong.

"Your majesty." Said the guard captain as he dropped to his knees, allowing his cape to pile in bunches upon the floor of the patio. "Prince Theodocis Haalenstern of Veden, as you requested." With that, the guard turned on his heels and left the two in privacy.

"Noble King." Prince Theodocis acknowledged in perfect though deeply-accented Sphili, offering a respectful bow of the head. "Word has reached my ears that my services are to be of use to once again. How may I serve thee?"

Landfall: A

They have been attended to. Remember, if you're coming from MCF feel free to just jump back in again.

The Gods are Crazy

YandereNoodle said
Ohhh, looks good, writing up a page now.

#sweg

AlienBastard said
How long ago exactly did the ice age happen anyhow?

Long enough that the forests and rivers were able to recover at the very least. Maybe 5,000 years ago at the earliest to 20,000 years ago.

The Gods are Crazy

Country Name: Veden

Government type: Loose Feudal Confederation

Ruler: Lord Dragan Haalenstern

Location: Northernmost Region 6, in the mountains.

Capital City: Ersthaal

Language: Middle Getic

Species: Human

Army: Lord's retinue - 800 men. Buoyant mercenaries - 1,400

History: The people of Veden are a hardy, enterprising people that hail from the mountainous spine of the realm. Descendants of the of the ferocious Getic "hillfolk" of the Eastern Hill Country, the progenitors of Veden migrated to the western banks of the River Istrid some 400-500 years ago. Like their ancestors, these people were primarily foragers and hunters and lived in semi-nomadic clans. However after several generations of inhabiting the region, the early Vedic tribes took to the indigenous custom of living in permanent settlements surrounded by palisades for most or all of the year. Relatively quickly, a trade system was established with neighboring peoples where cattle and horses served as a form of currency. As the Getic people had no tradition of horsemanship and cavalry were of limited use in the rugged forests on the bank of the Istrid, horses were seen primarily as a food item and horses are still eaten with gusto in Veden to this day.

Specialized societies quickly gathered around charismatic strongmen of the Vedic tribes. In order to assert their right to rule their walled compounds and the hunting lands beyond, the Vedic chieftans led bands of armed warriors into neighboring territories to steal livestock and foodstuffs in early summer. Raiding in autumn was seen as a craven, dishonorable act as it left the victim with no time to replenish their stores before the long, brutal winter, whereas the summer raiding season took on an almost festive air where warriors did battle with one another and feasted heartily on the spoils. Vedic warriors earned reknown throughout the region as skilled fighters and regional lords payed handsomely for their services in times of war. In many parts of the world today, the word "Vedic" is synonymous with the boisterous, axe-toting mercenaries that hold that demonym.

A century and a half ago, the modern nation of Veden was institutionalized when Karlus Geltenval took up residence upon the rocky summit of Mount Erst and constructed the beginnings of the modern fortress of Ersthaal from whence he declared himself the "Lord of All Vayden". As the self-proclaimed Lord of Veden, Geltenval invited the disparate clans of the Vedic lands into a nebulous confederation. While few chieftains thought particularly highly of Geltenval, relief from the disruptive raiding season was alluring enough to convince most of the tribes to join for the assurance of peace between all of Geltenval's subjects. And so, under surprisingly unceremonious circumstances, the Realm of Veden was born.

With the annual summer raiding time effectively outlawed among the confederation, Veden's population of restless young warriors went abroad to continue their tradition of raiding. Across the River Istrid on the Steppes, the nomadic horsemen proved too mobile to effectively plunder. Downstream and on the banks of the great inland sea, the resident lords were often well entrenched and organized, making most military forays into the southern lands too costly and time-consuming. With most raiding excursions proving unsuccessful, the young warriors of Veden evolved into migratory mercenaries who sold their skill with an axe or sword to any lord willing to meet their price. Following the mercenaries down the River Istrid, Vedic merchants sailed southward on their characteristic low-draught boats and traded iron and meat for the refined goods in the southern reaches of the rivers. Vedic adventurer-merchants traveled far beyond their homeland - sometimes reaching to the Grand Fork and even into the open seas beyond that. Respected for their skill at arms and the sail, Vedic adventurers can be found as far away as the Eastern Delta and beyond. The second son of Lord Dragan Haalenstern himself - Prince Theodocis Haalenstern - is a regular in the Court of King Malius Enywyr and has lent the services of his entourage to the Kingdom of Alysfyn on several occasions.

Religion: The Vedic people revere the Gods of the Getic pantheon - especially Krammeg - Goddess of Audacity and Fortune.

Population: 63,400

Spot of Medieval Fantasy nation RP'ing

Dinh AaronMk said
Or you could write a basic thing and go into detail later.

Do this because honestly nobody wants to read a dissertation on some made up religion. Give us the name, BRIEFLY discuss the basics if you think it matters, and leave the details in IC where they actually apply to the story.

Post Your Pikcha

I too wear women's dresses.

Prehistoric animals in a fantasy setting?

Things like saber-tooth tigers and wooly mammoths seem to fit into fantasy settings so well because humans have actually lived alongside these animals in the distant past. To have a world where humans and Ice-Age critters compete for survival hearkens back to more primitive, chaotic times. This lends support to a less sophisticated medieval world, where the animals that eat people still haven't been killed off.

Dinosaurs and humans, regardless of what Ken Ham may have told you, have never coexisted. Unless you have some kind of Dinotopia setting where the dinosaurs have been explained to have never gone extinct, to simply have dinosaurs roaming about a fantasy countryside is jarring. Dinosaurs can live in a medieval world, but they are better suited to jungles, deserts, and other hostile places to civilized life where humans cannot easily survive.

Landfall: A

Now I suppose. Feel free to start whenever.

Landfall: A

Chapatrap said
Shall we repost our apps?

That'd be a good idea. I'll probably just copy them myself and actually fill out the character list like I should have a week ago.

Dinh AaronMk said
Yo whudup niggss

Finally...