EditArkenvald- Tone: Philosophical but warrior-skilled clansmen.
- Timeframe: -200 to present
- Artifice: Standard
- Region: Tears of Vrylakos
- Capital: New Arkenvaldi (~25,000)
- Notable Settlements: Kee'gai (~20,000), Brita (~18,000)
- Government: Meritocracy
- Ruler: Clan Elders
- Races: Humans (~650,000)
- Languages: Fiorean
- Religions: Guilme, the Drowned Lady
- Coinage: Arkenvaldi do not mint their own coins. Currency from many nations can be found among them however.
EditSynopsisThe doings of nobles are ever marked by internal treachery, no matter the nation or the time. The nobles plot and conspire, greedily reaping the spoils come victory. The price of failure, however, they share with those unfortunate to have sworn fealty to them. In some cultures fealty is owed according to birth and clan, and so it is in Fiore.
Many generations past Arbis Sparstag sat the throne of the High King of Fiore. Buoyed up by the unswerving support of the Ancient Crown-sworn Order of the Black Hart, that storied brotherhood which owes total allegiance to whosoever is crowned King of Fiore regardless of circumstance, and other martial orders, and an alliance with a coven of Winders and herbalistic Wyrdinnmen, Arbis Sparstag was a mighty ruler.
Nevertheless, the heads of Clan Arkenvald sought to usurp Sparstag with the secret assistance of a Pentatra eager to exercise more temporal power in the mighty nation of Fiore. The bannermen of the Clan had little recourse but to follow their leaders into the crushing defeat which soon followed. In the end Arbis Sparstag executed the nobles of Clan Arkenvald, but offered the valiant men of the Clan's banner the option of fealty or exile. Fearing retribution, the proud clan folk choose exile.
Setting out from the remnants of their Clan's holdings, the Arkenvaldi made their way to the nearby Shoals, land of petty fiefs, turf wars, and turmoil. There they hired themselves out as mercenaries for many years, their battle season and remaining high quality Fiorean equipment making them very effective and much sought after. However, they lacked a home of their own and prayed endlessly for a land to settle on their own. Their heartfelt desire was eventually realized in the discovery of a smaller Shard with a wonderful natural water geyser with several streamlets running in all directions from it and eventually leaving the Shard in miniature waterfalls. This scenic Shardlet was apparently unsettled and unclaimed and though meager of resource it was a place to put down roots.
It was soon discovered that they were not as alone on the Shardlet as they originally thought; a small colony of devout Guilmariners was found on the opposite end of the island. Self-exiles from the famed City of the Drowned Lady who sought a return to nature and fundamentalism, they welcomed the presence of the Akenvaldi once it was established that they had no intention of causing them violence.
The presence of the Guilmariners was seen as a sign that the Drowned Lady had provided this new home for the itinerant clan folk, and she was accepted as their new patron. The two communities merged over time, and became a new people with a renewed outlook on life. Their new home was dubbed New Arkenvaldi, and the clan folk set out establish their inhabitation. Soon a bustling community living as one with the land in sod houses sprung up.
Lacking natural resources, the warriors of the clan still sold their services as mercenaries, but their new found worship of the Drowned Lady saw them become moral in their dealings. The Arkenvaldi soon established that they would only sell their services to worthy causes. Though the jobs were fewer, they were sufficient and the community grew with time. Lacking metal and superfluous funds to purchase heavy armors, the Arkenvaldi also began to eschew their Fiorean traditions of war. Learning from their sister settlers from Guilmari, they began to practice an altered form of their traditional Axe and Sword style, adopting a fast moving, attack on the run methodology that soon became the terror of Shoalian battlefields.
EditMagic
- Winding: Winding has a small but dedicated sub culture in Arkenvald, usually found along family lines.
- Alchemy: Alchemy focused on herbalism is practiced by many herbalists midwives and physickers in Arkenvald.
- Drowned Lady: Many of the priesthood of Guilme, the Mariners, are invested in holy power by their patron.
EditDetails- Heraldry: New Arkenvald itself is often associated with a simple symbol comprised of a grey or silver axe and sword crossed on a blue field. Individual families often have their own crests or banners.
EditAdventure Seeds
- Mercenaries in the Tween: To this day the New Arkenvaldi sell their services to honorable causes, and their battle thanes are much renowned for their flexibility and speed.
Humans
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