Religions of the World [WIP]

Administrator Posts : 458 Join date : 2012-02-04

Religions of the World

Introduction

The World of Aeria is one of numerous, conflicting faiths and beliefs. While almost every "deity" is worshiped, most never spread beyond their extremely devoted and reclusive cults. Others, through circumstance, culture, or divine interaction, have become incredibly popular, consuming entire nations. This is a record of those faiths.

The Elven Theosophies -
The so-called "Elven Theosophies" are what scholars call the group of religions directly inspired by traditional Elven beliefs, spread during the time of Elven expanse. Though varied, the Theosophies share several core beliefs; That creation began in purity and light; The actions of impure spirits (Concordism), evil Deities (Reformist and Messianic Tyrism) or rebellious Jinn (Mukhamism) sullied the previous, pure creation and plunged the universe into war; The world is mired in sin and impurity, and their religion represents the way to proper purity once more. Beyond this, the religions vary wildly, and disagree on a number of things.

Elven Orthodoxy - Concordism
Lacking a proper name, "Concordism" is what human scholars call the traditional beliefs and rituals of the Elven people, specifically the Elves of the Ahdsurian Isles. Elven Orthodoxy is bound up in the racial and spiritual identity of the Elven people - to reject the mandates of the faith is to lose your place among the Elven people. This accounts for the creation of Elven sub-racial groups - the Wild Elves, Dark Elves, Golden Elves - is directly linked to the rejection of the core tenants of Elven belief.

The Elves believe that the world was born awash in splendid light and purity, from which the first and greatest emerged, Aten, father of light and lord of purity, to rule as King over all existence. Soon after formed the lesser light, Kielm, spirit of life. Others, came, too; formed from the pureness of light in the old days, Aten's sons, whom he named Malakhtyr, meaning "Purity of Action", and Illmatyr, meaning "Purity of Spirit"; and many others, such as the Malakhim, or the "Servants / Doers of Light". There was darkness, too, in those days; but it is said that the darkness existed only to exemplify the light, and served them in every way.

One day, the Elves believe, Kielm beheld all of Aten's sovereignty, and saw that it was beautiful. Nevertheless, he searched for a way to greater accentuate the light's glory. He came to Aten and argued for the creation of a new group of beings, one with the will to choose to serve that of the light or the dark, to better exemplify the light's glory when they chose to follow the light. Seeing Kielm's folly, he nevertheless allowed Kielm to take a single ray of his light. Kielm sundered the ray, splitting it into a thousand thousand shards. Born with a freedom to choose between two natures, these lesser lights at first chose to serve Aten, and were the greatest of those that sang glory to the light's dominion because of this willful rejection of their impure natures.

Then came the Sundering. As in many other creation myths, the Elves include a fearful, devastating creature that emerges from the void / chaos beyond existence. The Elves call this creature "Sharess", "Crawling Darkness". This creature infested the world with it's chaos, casting existence into impurity. The spirits of darkness rebelled against the rightful authority of the light, and creation was plunged into war without end. Evil grew in the world, great and foul.

Many ages later, a number of the lesser lights were fleeing the destruction of the Eternal War. They found refuge in a small realm perched atop a great storm. This was the mortal realm. They discovered the Dragon-Gods of Old, and communed with them. Soon others came, seeking refuge, many beings from across the cosmos. But Shar, Mistress of Night and rebellious spirit, discovered their refuge, and flooded the world with her spirits, to secure it for her purposes. The lesser lights communed with them too, and soon began committing many great evils and impurities. They begat children with the darkness, and all did impurity. This continued for many years, as the war raged.

But Aten learned of the evils being committed by his children, and grew enraged. He knew of the great sin that filled the world by Shar's will, and could not permit it to exist. He cast his wrath upon it, a thing most great and terrible to behold; and the world was plunged into flame, shuddering and turning to ash at his power. And Malakhtyr, favored son, led a great roving tribune, wherefrom he judged the land piece by piece, and finding only iniquity and foul sin wherever he went. Many died in this flame, thousands upon thousands. The licentious shadows fled to the darkest corners of the world, escaping the flames for a time. Near the end, the realm itself began to split and char. No impure thing, no matter how great, could withstand Aten, Lord of All.

As the world burned, only a few of the lesser spirits survived the initial wrath cast upon the world. Numbering 1,440,000 out of millions prior, there arose a great leader among them, Akron Viel, whose spirit is said to be the spirit of the Archons to come. Viel led the spirits in great supplication and mourning, in prayer and repentance. They called out to their father, to spare them, to deliver them from his wrath. Illmatyr heard their pleas, and came before his father, begging that they be spared; that they, few righteous and pure still, deserved life yet. And Aten allowed it. He removed his wrath from the world and cast it instead on Illmatyr, who, being of perfect spirit, accepted such torment in proper supplication. And so Illmatyr burned, and burns still; consumed in absolute agony, punished in the world's stead.

The world was left charred and broken. In suffering Aten's great wrath, it had been wiped clean of nearly all life, and was on the brink of annihilation. Kielm, feeling great remorse for his part in the apostasy of the lesser spirits, and pity for the state of the world, sacrificed himself to save the realm, merging his spirit with Aeria. From his spirit flowed all life that came after, filling the world with many beasts, growth, and the sentient races.

To the lesser spirits came the presence of Malakhtyr, awash in flame and truth. As Lawbearer, he made known the Concord and the Mandate set upon their kind; which include the Laws of Proper Birth, the Rites of Atonement, the punishment for Apostasy, and the Admonition against consorting with foreign spirits. Thus was born the Justiciers, Lawbearers, under Malakhtyr, to guide and punish accordingly. Thus these lesser spirits were named the Alfar, the Elect People, for to them was given a Concord, to save and bind. And from his hands, Malakhtyr gifted them the center-stone of the Room of Souls, by which they, though mortal from their impurity, could remain till the end of the world.

In his last act, Malakhtyr spoke with the authority of his father, and told of the future of Aeria. According to this prophecy, which is incredibly sacred to the Alfar, there will come a time, in the future, when Illmatyr's agony will end. Having paid the full price of the Alfar's sin, they shall be welcomed back into divinity, in the fulfillment of the Concord. Then there will come days of war and chaos, as the world's nations fight each other into rubble. Weakened, they shall be entirely obliterated when Aten comes, robed in majesty, to cast Aeria in flame once more, and remake it to be the seat of his throne, ruling all of the cosmos.

After the prophecy was spoken, Malakhtyr disappeared. To the far east came a great light, as the sun opened in the sky for the first time. And the Alfar followed the light, travelling across barren land and open sea, until they came to a land under the direct light of the Sun. There they set the Corner-Stone and constructed the Room of Souls, which is at the base of the Halls of Justice. And it was named Ahdsur, to be a homeland till the end of the Concord.

"Concordism" is followed mostly within the Ahdsurian Isles, though many Elves and Half-Elves practice a modified, less severe version of it, in Brython especially. In these modified versions, birth is much less important, and anyone who follows the moral rules of the Concord are granted eventual glory, to live forever. The Alfar themselves condemn these variations, but usually do little to enforce their view, even in their own province of Brython.

The Church of Sanctimonia - Reformist Tyrism
The official, state-sponsored religion of the Kingdom of Sanctimonia, the Church of Sanctimonia embodies a resurgent and progressive revival of some of the oldest traditions of the west. Intimately tied to the structure and history of Sanctimonia, it is only slightly older than the nation itself. The Church's roots can be traced to a time of religious turmoil. In the year 584 MoP, nearly a thousand years of religious orthodoxy was shattered with the reported death of the Prophet, combined with a sudden and swift Imperial crackdown on the affairs of the church. Hundreds of high ranking officials were arrested on charges of corruption, while the Church itself was practically gutted. The entire church hierarchy was purged, publicly respected holy men charged and detained, Paladins stripped of their titles and disarmed forcefully, shackled with Imperial Overseers whom the clergy were expected to defer to on matters of doctrine. The Church lost privileges and power that it had held for hundreds of years. Those that remained were left to rule over a desiccated husk. Of those that remained, many left the church, either in anger, or in a crisis of faith. This was the beginning of the Schism. There were those that refused to accept the stories coming out of Surna, and believed that the story as well as the crackdown on the church was a demonic plot perpetuated by greedy and corrupt politicians; and then there were those who accepted the stories, yet could not reconcile that truth with what they believed, and so wandered the land, consumed by their crisis of faith. Out of one of these men came the beginnings of a revival - Faeru Kelvas, former Knight of the Order of the Prophet, left for Ahdsur, supposedly spurred by divine guidance to train under the Justiciers, the ancient Alfar sect devoted to Tyr. He would return in 5 years time to form the fledgling Knights Concordic, an order devoted specifically to safeguarding the lands of the west, and worship Tyr in a more correct manner.

It was then that the terror known later as the Great War occurred, a tale that has been told many times over. The Empire was shattered, the land left in chaos. It was at this time that, as the story goes, Tyr guided the desperate men-of-faith left after the end of the false Church to the ruins of Imperia. It was there, working to save the people, purify the city, and restore order to the land, that the Church was truly born. In the ruins of Imperia, Church, Knights, and Crown united together as three facets of Tyr's will, and founded Sanctimonia.

It is important to know this history to understand that one of the most integral features of the Church of Sanctimonia is one of reform. Many of it's founders were exposed to the brutalities and intolerance which The Prophet and his faithful perpetuated, as well as the rampant corruption and abuse of power it sheltered. They were also ever more aware of the lie which The Prophet had created, forging a false religion in which he played a center role. Reformist Tyrism was ruled by a strong desire to atone for the crimes of the past, and reject all that The Prophet had taught. To this end, they turned to Alfar mythology, to understand Tyr as not a supreme deity, but as one of several. They attempted to reconcile the Alfar Triune Concord with their worship of Tyr singly. In doing so, they underwent a more direct communication with their god. Many artifacts were recovered, and communion attempted, to divulge wisdom from the deity.

The ideology which was eventually formed on a sort of soft exceptionalism - that Tyr, being the Lawbearer of the old Concord, had sought out a place for himself among men. He chose to set his throne in the west, setting the heavy weight of his law upon the people, not to condemn, but to guide. To this end, he has communed with several men of righteous and unrighteous stature, leading them to influence the nation. The first of these was Romas Talibar, the great King of Old. And to this day, they say, "Tyr is the grace of the land", a strong and firm ally, teacher, and guide for the entire nation. The Crown of Sanctimonia is divinely mandated, but not absolute. His Law is meant to guide, to act as a franchiser to the disenfranchised, a freer of the enslaved, a savior to the damned.

Many of Sanctimonia's critics decry Sanctimonia's status as a de facto Theocracy. But in rejection of The Prophet's crimes, a series of strict laws have been established in the land, specifically to eliminate religious corruption, abuse of power, and intolerance. People in Sanctimonia are free to hold contrary religious beliefs, even those of The Prophet, so long as their religion does not spur them to commit crimes and vile acts. Indeed, the only religions banned in Sanctimonia are that of the dark deities - Ossus, Bane, Shar, Nijaal and Verumai. Harsh laws are in place to punish attempts to persecute people via religious means, and the religious orders themselves are policed heavily and taught to police themselves. The system is not perfect, and mistakes are made and abuses still carried out, but great pains are made to err on the side of tolerance, examining one's actions thoroughly.

Though Sanctimonia draws on many Alfar concepts, they are by no means ruled by the Concord, nor united in ideology. Indeed, the Church of Sanctimonia disagrees on many core tenants. The clergy has declared, for example, that the Laws of Proper Birth should be entirely repealed, a proposal entirely insulting to the Alfar. They have also declared that the Justiciers should either be dismantled or heavily policed, and judged for "abominable crimes". Such things have almost created a complete schism between Ahdsur and Sanctimonia. As of now, little has come of it save harsh words on either side.

Administrator Posts : 458 Join date : 2012-02-04

Yes, I intend to add more. I posted this because I felt like doing something tonight, and finishing the Elven creation story.

Tryhard Posts : 602 Join date : 2012-02-06

This is long.

But good. Nice job Pat.

Subject: Re: Religions of the World [WIP] Fri Jan 25, 2013 4:25 pm

Dominator046 wrote:

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The Old Times: The All and the Universe – The Aldinn-Aevi Stones

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Standing in a peaceful mountain glen, overlooking a beautiful river valley with a view that stretches for miles, are a ring of stones that have most likely borrowed the inspiration for their writing from landscapes such as these; dating back to shortly before the arrival of the elves, and showing as perhaps one of (if not the very) first uses of the traditional Gaerdic written language; these stones are the unified beliefs of the Gaerdic creation story put to stone in ages past. The ideals and values expressed therein are considered quite wholesome and valid; though some worry that elven tampering is present, most are quite confident that is not the case.

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Spoiler:

Quote :: The First Aldinn-Aevi Stone - Burdr: “In the most early days, there was only Ginnungagap: nothing and only nothing; no direction, no sound, no light, just empty space expanding onwards into the infinite. However, the great mystery would begin, the elder and greatest mystery, The Sundr, the great happening that spurned life from this great nothing, churning and setting life into being. From this happening, the All was created, the energy that comprises life, and the base unity upon which all things belong to, the endless potential of everything that has been or will ever be.”

Quote :: The Second Aldinn-Aevi Stone - Elding: “This great mass did spread and churn with raw life, expanding, twisting, and churning. From this powerful tempest in the millions of aeons before our world would be born, the life began to evolve, becoming more advanced, becoming individual; the All would first split and form two distinct entities within the nothing, forever opposites, forever creating a balance through friction, and forever advancing as well as evolving. These entities are known as Aesthar and Vanthar, The Old Ones.”

Quote :: The Third Aldinn Snimma-Aevi Stone – Munr: “Aesthar and Vanthar would exist and expand for some time, spreading a great vastness, and in time, cementing the first physical forms into the emptiness of Ginnungagap. From Aesthar was born the primal realm of fire, and Vanthar would create the primal realm of Ice; these would come to be respectfully called Aespulheim and Vanirheim. From the mighty fire storms and eruptions of Aespulheim, to the great glaciers and icy rivers of Vanirheim, the elder beings cemented their solidarity. However, it was found that these beings could further expand themselves through extracting a portion of their life into new form, essentially, giving birth. Each of the old ones would birth two children: To Aesthar would be born: Kossuth of Fire and Lathandr of Light, and to Vanthar would be born Selūne of Water, and Shar of Darkness.”

Quote :: The Fourth Aldinn-Aevi Stone – Hyrr: “The newborn gods would exist within their realms under their primordial parents, existing aeons, churning within the storm of life and learning of all things to be learned. Over this time as well, these deities would create their own children. This would result in the birthing of Oden of Light from Lathandr, Selūnas of Spirit from Selūn, Akossogr of Mind from Kossuth, and no offspring from Shar. Another great expanse of time after these new gods were born from the All, something unforeseen and terrible occurred; The Grim Grey God Surkhald, first and greatest of all the Grim Grey Ones, came from the great void of Ginnungagap. The Grim Grey Gods are a mystery, but they seem to be a raw power of evil that exists to balance out the substance of the All. With great surprise and ability, Surkhald ripped through the nothingness into what was occupied by the All, and slew both Aesthar and Vanthar, dissolving them back into the pure energy from which they came with its mighty sickle.”

Quote :: The Fifth Aldinn-Aevi Stone – Fjall: “The descendants of the two Old Ones were shocked, and the All shook violently as Surkhald howled, bathing his sickle in the fires and ices of the two separated worlds where they met with great fission. Nothing now stood between the gods in the face of this grand defiler, and though mighty was this being, so were they, and determined they were to destroy Surkhald. In the short Aeon between the death of The Old Ones and the attack against Surkhald, in which these four divines prepared a defense as great as they could muster; in addition to this, with the fission no longer and issue between the divines, the four eldest met and gave birth to a new goddess: Kelund of the Four. When the time for battle came, it was the eldest gods who lead the charge, being the more experienced and knowing; the four attacked from each side of the fault between the two lands, using their strength and knowledge to assault Surkhald, and though the Grim Grey God did wince, he did not faulter. The gods knew that this was a fight they could not win alone, that they would need greater power, more life from the All, to be able to combat this foe with the Old Ones dead. Knowing only one way to end the battle, the gods attempted to imprison Surkhald. The gods used all their might, and thrusted him into Vanirheim, attempting to freeze him in the frigid icy waters. However great the effort, Shar was deceitful, in an attempt to spare the goddess’s own life in the great battle she tricked Kelund into taking Shar’s place. This deceit may have cost success, for despite their great efforts, Kelund was flayed by Surkhald’s sickle. The four eldest gods, Shar included by scolding, forced Surkhald across Vanirheim, and into the depths of Aespulheim. With their combined strength, they were finally able to seal Surkhald in the deepest, hottest volcano in the center of the land, serving as his aeonic prison. However, to ensure he was imprisoned, Selun, Lathandr, and Kossuth entombed themselves with Surkhald and were unfortunately destroyed, while Shar escaped.

Quote :: The Sixth Aldinn-Aevi Stone – Fram: “Surkhald was imprisoned, but the cost was great. In the end the Old Ones, and three of the eldest gods would die; however, not before action could be taken. For Shar’s cowardice, they ousted her from their hall, not taking her company among them, ordering her to make her home at the Black Glacier where she committed her cowardice; as they turned their backs on Shar, they moved to deal with the dead. They presented the bodies of the fallen at the fault between Vanirheim and Aespulheim, giving them a burial between the churning, steaming line. However, with Kelund’s body presented last, the young goddess’s body being placed into the fissure, something happened. As the form sunk into the growling, misty turbulence, it slowed to a stop; several moments after it stopped, great forces erupted from the chasm, as well as an all blinding light. This lasted for some time, and once the light had faded, the fault was no longer present; what they found in its place, was an utterly massive tree. The tree stretched high above the low plains that now existed where once the gigantic fault was, with the elements of both primordial lands flowing into its own color, and crystalline texture.”

Quote :: The Seventh Aldinn-Aevi Stone – Vidr: “The gods were awed at what they saw, the mighty structure which came from the balancing of the two primal forces of the world; looking up at its mighty advance into the sky, and all the crystalline fruit hanging from its branches, they chose to investigate. They found, churning inside the tree, the great energy of the All was anchored, and served to both take in, and disperse life. Within this tree, they could see that within the storming insides, the life concentrating and swirling about the center, as if following the tree rings that should be there. Within these concentrations were different realms, all existing in the same great tempest similar to that which gave rise to the gods. Such is how life came to exist within the World Storm. However, taint from the Black Glacier of Vanirheim and the Volcano of Aespulheim did reach the tree, and from it, were born corrupting forces that would ever remind the gods: Surkhald was still alive, and one day, he would be upon them once again. For now though, the great creation was young and glowing with health; they would call this Vedrvidr, the Tree of Storms.”

Quote :: The Eighth Aldinn-Aevi Stone – Ihugi: “The gods continued to grow and expand as their predecessors did, growing mighty as these new gods created their home around Vedrvidr, occasionally peering into the happenings of the tree, watching the miracles of creation begin again. At this time, Shar had settled in the icy depths of Vanirheim, establishing rule in her own icy kingdom at the foot of the Black Glacier. This place was suited to her, the old one scorned, and so she remained there in isolation for some time until the gods would feud again. However, the great emotions felt by the gods in their primordial world were mighty in themselves, and they themselves carried great power as well as the ability to use the life. Even from as far as Shar’s Kingdom, the powerful emotions gave to powerful life, and in an anomalous event known only as The Ihugi: These powerful emotions contained so much raw life, so much of the All, that they came to life; phantasmal beings drifted from the various gods, and rushed to the site of the Tree of Storms. Great battle took place there between these phantasmal specters, the likes of which they gods could not interfere with, their thoughts not fully understood by them, and as such far to slippery grasp. These various thoughts were powerful, and they did battle with each other, some falling quickly while others fell later. However, the later arriving phantoms of Shar were indeed mighty and great, and it came down to the four remaining specters against the two sent by Shar. Fearing the possible repercussions of this combat, Oden ran to Vedrvidr, and removed a branch from the crystal tree. Aiming for the greater horror created by Shar’s anger and despair, he gashed its breast in with the branch, and the thing did howl, before fading away. The other visages did repeat this, however, these specters would return again in the future aeons.

Quote :: The Ninth Aldinn-Aevi Stone – Knottr: Across the seas from what would be our homelands did the gods first descend. They saw the grass upon the ground, the trees rising to the sky, the mighty mountains, as well as the great rivers and oceans. Originally there was only the brilliant night sky overhead, leaving the world dark, and with the life of the planet scattered and skittish; for it was Shar, from her cold palace, whose darkness pervaded all things in Vedrvidr, due to her elder rank and great power. Selunas would act first in creating the brilliant moon which would direct her brilliance unto the world below, to counteract the despairing and frightening dark. Akossogr would instill the organs and proper mechanics of the sacred field in living things, so that they might possess instinct and eventually reason. Oden would act last, but his gift would be most great; he would raise his hand high in a clenched fist, upon releasing this fist, the sun rose into the sky. With the world created, and the ways of life established, they noticed that while indeed marvelous, that the evil of Surkhald ebbed into the world in the form of disease, bacteria, mold, and all other foulness. Knowing that the threat of Surkhald was ever present, they needed a bastion to defend this life, all life, against what would be. And so in this turn, they looked to the life, and decided to herald in the creation of the Alfr.

Quote :: The Tenth Aldinn-Aevi Stone – Alfr: It was Oden who would usher the Alfr into being. With the assistance of the other gods, marshalling the forces of life together while he empowered them with a single ray of his most pure fire; this would birth the Alfr, or elves, in their far home across the Western Ocean. A race created by Oden’s hand to serve against the vileness of Surkhald, should it ever become a threat to the world; both children and army, Oden’s Alfr were born. They would quickly take to life, and they would rise through time swiftly, honing the gifts given to them through their creation; they would be the first to form civilization on their far shores, the first to establish a complicated culture, and the first to engage truly in the ways of war beyond simple battle. This would be long from now, with the elves young and still taking to their first steps, but the will of the gods is a strong force with which to aid destiny.

Quote :: The Eleventh Aldinn-Aevi Stone – Aett: And finally, with the old times drawing to a close, the births of the new gods would come about: Tyor of Justice, Aelmatar of Wisdom, Vogr of The Hunt, and Dyagr of Fury were all born to Oden. Velecar who is Patient, and Linza who is Curious, were born to Selūnas. To Akossogr was born a single son, and that was Gondr of Ingenuity. These gods would further adapt the specification of the prior gods, expanding upon the spheres of morality, intelligence, study, emotion, and adaption. These gods would commune and present their learning to themselves, building a great home around Vedrvidr; however, they would still on occasion peer into the tree, to see the beautiful moving vastness therein. Looking and venturing into Vedrvidr, the gods would see the miracle of life exposing itself again within this very anchor brought about by their fallen sister. They would explore various planes, countless realms in the vastness, stretching out into the great vastness that would be our universe. The gods would look many places, from the burning realms that would someday serve as the Demon Halls, and perhaps even looking unto the strange, polluted dimensions which spews forth the vileness of Surkhald, home of all things vile, and the terrible unfathomable Grarliki, or Ghasts in the civilized tongues. These gods were in fact born from the specification of the gods, their various aspects given proper use and purpose. Not as the shadows created by the emotion of god or man, but offspring created by the divines to better serve the aspects of specification that they were now fulfilling.

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The Daybreak Times: The Dawn of Man – The Dagan-Aevi Stones

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Believed to be the single oldest and most deified of all the Elder-Gaerdic sites is known as the Dagan stones, standing in the North of Vale in the center of a great field of many barrows. Dagan, meaning daybreak, is ominously close to a choice piece of material to which these stones entail: Dragons, or traditionally known as Draegar. These stones paint a colorful canvas of legend, regaling a time before written language, when man first began to rise up from the state of beasthood, and serves as the revelation of their religion as a Monism instead of a Polytheism. These stones entail the creation of man, the rule of the dragons, the faith of Kelund and the Vjattir, the Riddle of Steel, the Value of Honor, and Coming to Terms with Death. Some of these stories have been translated into the traditional Gaerdic language, and even common, and have been held as incredible stories of self discovery, faith, and hope.

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Spoiler:

Quote :: The First Dagan-Aevi Stone Circle – Fjor: “It began long ago, when there were only beasts and the mighty Draegar who dwelled within what would be our lands, when the world was young, and strange eldritch things existed in the mists of the great becoming. Kelund whose corpse is Vedrvidr has stilled in her grave for aeons, but in the grand scheme of the gods, time means little. The life that the dead god gave to bring into the Tree of Storms was as now, continually spreading and shifting around the hostile world; the grave-tenders of Kelund, the Holrs, who tend the great Irmunsil of the world, were not uncommon in these places in which Kelund’s life gathered. These mysterious beings of pale green and scrawny figure, with eyes black as Ginnungagap, worked these life-channeling roots of Kelund’s Vedrvidr in order to sustain the life that Kelund created. These somber things, though workers of life, were grave mourners; never did they speak nor show any emotion, and the only interaction they would pose with anything other than the Irmunsil would be to defend themselves from ignorant predators. They did so with frightening ability and attitude, they would rip the life from these simple beings, and then recycle body and soul. One of the Holr however, the phantasmal life-keeping mourners, was more aware than the others, even if only slightly. While on occasion bade to give rise to the animals and beasts of the world, their ability to create was flawed, their reasoning limited, and many of their creations were doomed to a certain death. This one Holr went to one of the roots of Vedrvidr, one of the many Irmunsil, and knelt before it. Placing its forehead on the massive tree-form, and channeling its own self into that of the tree; this action would bring certain doom to the Holr, for such power was beyond that of the simple spirit, but the spirit’s sacrifice would not be in vain. For as the spirit fell back into the all, it was able to bring forth a manifestation of Kelund’s life in a physical and spiritual form befitting that of the fallen goddess. The Holr who died had created a man and a woman, and had given birth to humanity.

Quote :: The Second Dagan-Aevi Stone Circle – Draegar: From the birth of Vedrvidr, to the birth of man, and countless ages to come, man would be subject to the whims of the Draegar. When mankind was young and wielded only the handaxe and spear, the Draegar ignored them as the ignorant beasts they were, little better than vultures or maggots. However, over time man would show the power and adaption that their older brothers possessed, advancing to the age of the stone hatchet, spear, and arrow with the bow. The Draegar were an absolute, and this perhaps reached their attention; not all Draegar were violent, but many were, and so man often was made to speak, kneel, or die before the mighty First Born of Kelund. One day, a hunter and starwatcher of the humans was practicing his craft in a wide valley plain. From out of nowhere swept a magnificent, beautiful dragon, that seemed to shimmer as the purest silver; he landed at the feet of the human, holding only axe in one hand, and a spear in the other. The Draegar looked at him with eyes set black with fire in the irises and pupils, and spoke to the human in his mighty voice. “As you sleep beneath the celestial heavens, so now you stand before me; steadfast, unmovable, greatest of humans, I stand before you now. I am Draegar, first born and absolute of Kelund. Hearken to my words, for they have the power to enlighten you, or bid lightning strike you dead where you stand!” The mortal standing before this Draegar was a young man whose name was Sverd, and long did he speak to this magnificent creature. They engaged on the talk of the world, of the human experience and their distracted existence. This Draegar seemed to be belittling the man at every turn, as if trying to lure him into his doom by antagonizing the man. However, the man kept his calm, steeling himself in conversation with this Draegar, when finally the man had a question to ask the being. “In this harsh world, in this harsh life, what beyond transient escapism is there to look forward to?” The Draegar would grin, and give him the only response he could think of, cold silence. This Draegar goes by many titles, with a name unknown, but is ultimately revered as Doomskr, or Doom Speaker. Sverd would return to his settlement empty handed, and keep the story of his encounter with the great dragon to only himself.

Quote :: The Third Dagan-Aevi Stone Circle – Sjon: The family of Sverd would remain a prestigious one amongst his tribe for some generations, and soon they would be brought into the age of working copper into simple tools that surpassed their stone ones. It would be the son of Sverd, whom he named after himself partially with the name of Svord, who would continue his father’s quest for the place of man in the world. One day whilst the man was hunting, he would stop before a large river as he faced a misty mountain overhead. In front of him, as he rested, he saw a caribou being eaten by a sabre-toothed cat, above he saw the circling vultures, all about him he saw the heavy grasses, and standing their brilliant blue were the running waters and the early evening sky above under the lightly twinkling stars. Svord knew that there was beauty in these things, these transitory things, and saw within their temporary forms of life, extensions through which life pervades all, through which life continues through all the world. From those producers who are themselves almost as the priests of Kelund below her Holrs, they would feed the predators, who would in time feed the vultures, and all throughout the pathways that life did flow, like the great river before him. Then, when he thought of the actions of man in the ways of life, he thought of the great, brilliant, chaotic oceans which belonged to those powers of the deep whom wish to swallow the world. He pictured all the lives of men entwining themselves in a massive sphere of rivers, always changing, always at the course of the powers at work behind it. He came to believe that perhaps man had the power to decide its own fate, as did all living things, within their own lives; they may not be able to change as much as they wish, but change nonetheless. This would mark one of the first unified beliefs in the Neolithic world that will show a society uniting under Gaerdic principle.

Quote :: The Fourth Dagan-Aevi Stone Circle – Vordr: After his spiritual affirmation and self-actualization, Svord proceeded to speak to his father about what he’d found within himself. Sverd, his father, sick and dying, was proud of his son and his great accomplishments. Such so is fortunate, as soon after Sverd would be returned to the All through his death, and Svord would continue on his family’s great heritage. Furthering his quest to discover the understand man’s place in this dark primordial world, he would look towards the same mountain vista he stared at before when he came to his first revelation. Looking upon its great visage in the distance, towering high above all other upon the wide horizon, and he was determined to reach its highest point and look to the great heavens above as close as possible, and see if he could truly defend his ideals of mortality while standing in the face of the great starry embers burning in the night like the remnants of an al encompassing fire that spanned creation. He would move through the day to this great mountain with his tools and spears, travelling the entire first day to make camp at its base. The next day would be spent in the ascent, going up the great mountain whose age surpasses those few taller by countless epochs. He would slowly climb, and climb to even greater heights, until ice and snow would claw at his well garbed form, as he pushed on to the summit. After many hours of grueling toil, with the stars showing now overhead with Kelund’s breath known as Wind singing great howlings across the breadth of the world adding a beautiful chorus to the moment. However, there was an unexpected interloper upon this place of peace, a draegar none other than Doomskr. He cackled a laugh, and its power made the strong wind seem as a child’s sigh. Rearing on its two rear legs, before posing proudly on all four, Doomskr would call forth to the mortal man who stood before him. “You, hearken to my call as your father has done. Time is naught to me, and now as your father’s soul is undone since the time of our speaking; it matters not to me, for I the time is comparable to the batting of my eyelids! Come to me now and tell me why you came to this place, and tell me what ploys in your head have motivated you to escape the true nature of the world and your despair thereof!” Svord would be awed by the Draegar’s presence, but he would not let himself be brought to submission by this great beast’s howl. He explained his position here, but the beast did only laugh as Svord stood in defiance. Doomskr would be impressed by the bravery of this foolish mortal, and would then decide to proceed with his guardianship role.

Quote :: The Fifth Dagan-Aevi Stone Circle – Vigamadr: The Draegar would let out a mighty roar, pounding hard upon the ears of Svord, as the snow flowed and dusted the summit of the great mountain that Svord had traveled to; the entire area would become engulfed in a brief fog of white. After it subsided, the tallest stone of this tallest mountain was revealed to in fact be surmountable by foot travel, leading up to an interesting peak. The stone was natural there, but by some grand natural design appeared all the more beautiful, and in the center of the rise sat a pentagonal stone rising upwards with proper symmetric angle, to reveal something protruding from the rock, standing high above the mountain. Doomskr the Draegar grinned more, as he stood back, allowing himself not to stand between Svord and this formation. “This then will be your test, if you shall indeed prove yourself as being less than a maggot, or perhaps providing that you have found truth in Kelund’s ways, move forward, and grasp for the great treasure before you. This item is of the greatest weapons of the mortal world, birthed by the raw force of Great Kelund’s coalescence and bestowment of life, this life then struck dead and petrified into a solid form. This weapon is similar to your spear perhaps, but not meant for the hunt where beasts do run and intend to flee with their lives. This item is for battle, the great true test of life, the clashing of two wills by skill, heart, strength, and bearing! Behold this which is great and mighty, for its purity and its greatness will extend far beyond what your life shall ever hope to reach!” Doomskr beckoned, and to which, Svord could detect no lie. “Go now then, the ultimate test therein to prove your worth to both your individual life, and that of humankind; draw the weapon, mortal! Call out your name as you attempt and fail to bring it forth, let me see, your elder surrogate, eldest of Kelund whose corpse is the world, let me see what your mortal hands can do! If your people have the ability to carry the burden of life, the ability to live, the ability to die; show me a Vigamadr among you, one who fights for life!!” Instilled with strength of both his own heart and the words of the Draegar, he moved quickly up the slope to the great Earth-Pedastal of Kelund looking at rocks, and seeming to see patterns tracing intricately but also infinitely onward, shifting perhaps as time went on, as life itself does. Reaching forward for what seemed to be the grip of a large skinning knife, Svord began to pull upwards to pull it from the Earth. The experience of pulling was coupled with a sense of vertigo, he felt his head spin as he felt as if he had just woken from a fever, or was lost in a cave with total darkness. He lost his sense of place in the physical, lost track of his feet being placed on the ground, nor his shoulders remaining upright. He could feel himself flow, he could feel the world around him working on him with a sensitivity unmatched before. He could feel the winds churn around the world, the singing of birds in far lands, and the rolling of seas both warm and cold, both sunlit and deep. However, despite his sudden rush of feeling, he could still feel himself at the pedestal, the weapons till in his hands. He continued to draw, surely, and in a few moments pulling the blade from its home, and regaining his sense of self. Examining the item, it appeared to be a large knife with two edges, and a pronounced jutting perpendicularly above the grip, and an ornamented weight below. The item was light, but deathly sharp, and of a dark grey color, shining like gold upon the blade, and somewhat more opaque along the guard and pommel. The grip seemed to be made of leather that seemed to be bound into the material of the handle, and seemed to rejuvenate as it became subjected to wear. Both the human and the Draegar looked upon the blade with adoration, and Doomskr would be first to speak. “And so it is that your mortalkind hath drawn the great weapon of Kelund from her corpse which is the world. Perhaps it is as you say, and your short lived race may be of note in the lives of the Draegar. You hath drawn this weapon, the first of its kind, tell me your name mortal, for I am in position to desire its knowing.” As the Draegar spoke, Svord held the weapon as he disembarked the slope, holding the weapon, carefully, studying its weight and balance, the item seeming to naturally suit his form and body. “I am Svord, and this shall be the weapon of humankind.” Such would the Draegar acknowledge, and in knowing his name, he would offer the resultant praise. “Svord, so shall you be, the first Vigamadr, the first great bearer of sword, first to bear the weapon of Kelund whose corpse is the world, and stir the storm of life with the great decanter that you possess; so shall that weapon come to named for you yourself, Sword.” Such is the tale of the first true warrior, the first of the legendary Vigamadr, and the first sword in all the world.

Quote :: The Sixth Dagan-Aevi Stone Circle – Staal: As the Neolithic settled in, and some tribes formed small simple villages where they could gather and place crops for a time, serving as the union point between allied tribes, who worked beneath the sun of Flamelord Oden whose Sun lights the day. Since the founding of great Sword whom has descended the hands of the greatest warriors, and fallen the greatest beasts and monsters who would threaten of the humans who wielded it, humans have grown and shown signs of their gritty determination. The humans became a marvel of life, even to the mighty Draegar who ruled the skies and the lands and the seas; as with Sword in their hands, and the fire of their hearts, they could turn back even these great invaders. However, there was only one Sword, and Sword could only have one master, and so it would come to another brilliant advancement of humanity to bring to life perhaps one of humanities greatest achievements. It would be a woman named Stelle and her brother Staal who would be working the copper outcrops when their copper tools would chip and bang against particular rocks. Staal would curse, for things so strong of Kelund whose corpse is Vedrvidr to be unworkable by man, and only hold him back. Stelle however, was intrigued by his commentary, and asked him to chip around the sample of what he could not mine, so they could harvest it. They managed to quarry out a large stone of particularly red look, and they were curious as to its portents. Taking a sample and perhaps another, they returned to the smelter that they ran, and attempted to melt it down. It took various renovations to allow the bloomery to become hot enough to melt such a thing, but upon burning a fine hickory in a well made utility, they were finally able to melt the metal down. When they finished this, they created two products from the original rock not including burnt away waste; cast iron, and pig iron. They marveled at what they had made, but noted the particular nature of the new metal, and how hard it was to work, and file. They would not give up, Stelle and Staal; the two would work years into their bloomery, eventually conceiving wrought iron, and continuing to advance their simple samples into something worthy of Sword. It would be Staal’s undying motivation that would earn them their ways, for when Stelle could not think of any way to further work the irons they had produced, Staal would begin working the worthless pig iron. It took many years, carefully noticing how the metal could be worked, and how when reprocessed, would yield the impurities which could be pounded out. It was only through rigorous work, finding the perfect temperature to work the metal, applying fire and ice, honing their skills with the hammer, that Akossogr of the mind and his son Gondr who is Forgemaster would yield to them the finality of their endeavor. After trying for decades, after pouring over the metal, pondering what could yield to them the greatest strength; they found the balance of fire and ice, the balance of forces within the world, the greatest of things therein, and they discovered the mighty metal which would sing true. The two worked the metal carefully, forging the first replica of great Sword, and showing their great creation to their people. When the two siblings were asked what they had made, they had shown them the prize of their metallurgy, and this second Sword was held in high esteem. The material needed a name, and through their solving of the riddle which they worked diligently, the two banded together, and so Steel was born at the hands of man in ages long past.

Quote :: The Seventh Dagan-Aevi Stone Circle – Vegr: So with metal in hand did man make their place in the world, now able to stand fast and against the forces that kept them in the dark, holding cold irons and steels did man fight the depravities of a hostile world. Blood was shed as man stood against beast, monster, spirit, and all that would seek to prey upon the children of Kelund whom is the Dead All-Father. Young men and willing women who showed promise with the blade and the way of fighting foes who did not flee were trained to battle the many enemies of man and these early proto-Gaerdic tribes. As all living things fear the end, so did these fighters, but stout were their hearts and greatly were they able to suppress their doubt. It would come to a particular shaman elder, who in his youth served as a fighter and particularly feared the end of his life. He would find solace in the cycles of life brought forth by Kelund and observed by the revered Svord, he found that his place as a holder of this life, of preservation, of standing amidst the cycles of life and death held value and meaning. He saw that while simple beasts who fled cared not for the flowing of life, the showing of life, or the rush of living and proving that one had lived. However, the greater beasts, Draegar, and man, were capable of understanding this regard, and in such they held something truly valuable; honor. With this, man could stand with its head held high in the life of Kelund whose corpse is the world, for they knew that there was more to existence than the mortal coil, and that the life created that bound and held all things was a constantly evolving, amazing thing. He spoke to his fighters of great battle tactics, and supplemented them with his spiritual jaunting, steeling them for battle, and proclaiming that their honor would shine forever and be carried by the wind so long as the aspect be felt by a living soul. Such steeled the premise of honor in the Gaerdic sense in the proto-Gaerdic people of the far ancient world.

Quote :: The Eighth Dagan-Aevi Stone Circle – Ferd: So man did establish himself into the tribal villages of old, and far they had come from their elder place of gathering scraps at the foot of larger beasts. So great was their metamorphosis through the journey of life, that they shocked even the mighty Draegar, who still ruled the world, but stood on more even footing with mans. It would be one day that Doomskr would descend to the greatest of all of man’s villages, holding his head high and looking over the populace. Unlike before, whereas man would kneel at his sight and his heavy gaze, now man stood with a similar gaze in abundance, with some fear therein, but a mutual defiance and strength of self that held fast against the mighty Draegar. So did the great Dragon beckon over the people in his great decree: “So it is that the great Draegar of Kelund may be humbled by the mankind of Kelund, whose adaption and rise in standing has impressed the Draegar whom time does not hamper. Look unto me now, great Draegar of power and age, of whom gods know by names that shift as time dies around me! Long before your time I witnessed empires of brass and gilt die beneath the weight of their own avarice, their greed and attempts and chaining the sun for their vanity! Behold that I now give you my acknowledgement, and perhaps the simple knowledge as follows: One does not fear something, unless it can truly do it harm. You have invoked fear in the Draegar, fellow children of Kelund; even though time still binds you, you stand fast. I shall maintain my watchful eye, and beneath the shining sun and its reflection off my scales, so shall you continue your path onwards, through time, through power, as the Draegar before you.”

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The Early Times: The Beginning of History – The Snimma-Aevi Stones

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One of the greatest sites of pilgrimage for the Gaerdic people is a ruin in Northern Sanctimonia where a ring of stones stands within the bounds of a great ruin; these stones are known as the Snimma-Aevi Stones, and they contain the first written record of the Highland History to be transposed either from a direct or secondary source. This record perhaps sets the bar for human history before that of other human societies, with records and accounts transcribed to stone as to better last the ages; though the accuracy is disputed amongst some, it proves vastly reliable. The site around the stones suggests it was once a great city, despite its great age and what little of it remains; though through the test of time, the stones containing the important depicted records remain, using Proto-Futhark Inscriptions that can be interpreted by anyone skilled in the traditional Highland script. In addition to providing a history of the Gaerdic people, it provides information on their religious beliefs; showcasing their world view and their place within it.

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Spoiler:

Quote :: The First Snimma-Aevi Stone Circle – Mannligr: “The great elven ships would land upon the shores like alien monoliths in the minds of man. These tribal figures would encounter the elves hesitantly, their culture of worshipping the good spirits of the Earth seeming to come into conflict with the missionaries from across the sea, on the giant floating huts. Of all the human tribes they would encounter, one would stand out the most; the Proto-Gaerds, living in their tribal clans since times long before, and strong were they in survival as well as battle. They would at first interact peacefully, but then, the hostilities would begin. The early men would put up great defense, wielding in their hands weapons of various quality, and with tenacity unrivalled. A curiosity among the elves was the metal which the Proto-Gaerds held in their hands, for these semi-nomadic peoples with little to no written language save pictograms and ideograms, held within their hands by this early age the secrets of Steel. However their might and quality, it would be superior quantity and superior tactics would bleed and batter these Proto-Gaerdic forces into eventual submission. These beings born naturally to Aeria, who would be known as humans, would become servants to their overseas invaders. The elves would continue to build and expand in this new land, and even in captivity, the humans would grow mighty. They would learn, they would adapt quickly, and when the elves had weakened themselves to infighting amongst their own city states, the tenacity and ingenuity of man would shine as bright as the sun! Man would tear free the bonds that bound him, striking at the elven overlords with brutal efficiency. Soon it would be the shoe upon the other foot, with the elves defeated, and the humans having taken the crowns from their heads. It is at this time, that many men would take to the roles of their recently defeated captors, taking in their positions, functions, and even their gods. These men would receive the blessings given to the elves by their former sponsor gods, bringing the early kingdoms of men to power. However, refusing to change their ways, there were those who would turn their backs on these kingdoms of men, and form their own society. These would be the great ancestors of the Highlanders, the Gaerdic Clans.”

Quote :: The Second Snimma-Aevi Stone Circle – Gaerd: “Turning back to their old ways, of worshipping dead Kelund whose corpse is the world, and remaining in harmony with self, other, and nature. These men did leave the early kingdoms of men, and return to their old places of thriving with new technologies and understandings. These clans would be a terror upon any and all who sought to stand against them, for under the elves, they improved their ability to produce food, equipment, and settlement. The Gaerdic Clans were the masters of metal, singers of steel, born for survival and the tough life laid before them; the pagans were feared for devilry and witchcraft, when their blades sung true and smashed down against their foes. The Gaerds would first encounter the gods when, in prayer for a way to counter the mages of the elves during their insurrection, Selunas would take note of their hearts, and grant them her knowing; she turned their eyes to the sky above, blazing in the beautiful insides of life that exist within Vedrvidr, and as they studied the heavens, they marked stars and cycles of power. In time, they learned so much from the stars that even before the insurrection against the elves, they had learned the sacred Stjarnamark, or Star-Sign, which allowed them to place their Planetouched abilities into their weapons when given adequate material. This would in fact be the sigilum, the language of magic, and in fact, the first and most sacred runic language of the Gaerds; in addition to its written form, they would assign it syllables and grammar, making it perhaps the first language of humankind. The Gaerds would stand mighty for years into the rise of these settled nations, even unto the early days of the Occitanian and Talibarian empires.

Quote :: The Third Snimma-Aevi Stone Circle – Atganga: The passions of the gods would overrun, and these entities would become strong enough to manifest themselves as gods themselves. This great time of violence was first born first at the hands of Surkhaldr, the Spawn of the Grim Grey God Surkhald, whom was created by his seething lust for destruction which both caused and bled into Shar’s disdain, as she sat upon her great icy throne of Vanirheim whilst standing legion over the souls of the cowardly and vile. Surkhaldr was a being of malice and dread, whom wished to conquer and destroy all life as Surkhald before him. From his chest he birthed the demon hordes that would inhabit their dark planes and worlds, where Surkhald’s corruption bled through along with the fires of Aespulheim. So too did he birth the demonic forces under him: Baan of the Burning Hatred, Baal who Bathes in Blood, and Ornaal who is Blood Chronicler; this dark triage stood in his wake, and fueled as he did from the dark passions of man, igniting their desire to turn destruction upon the world, as they acted to do directly such. Through dealing death to gods over the title of Deathmaster, they would ignite tension among the gods, and the mortal world would be their battlefield. Other gods would be founded by the souls of man coming into contact with the passions. While the Kingdom of Old Occitan who followed the traditional ways stayed beyond the breath of the War of the Gods; the Gaerds themselves, their lands involved, their peoples involved, would make a name for themselves in the war. Ten-Thousand songs would be sung of the great heroes who fought and or died in the warring, who humbled gods and the men who followed them, with valor, honor, and a ferocity that would make the god of bloodlust grin. The greatest songs would be sung of the exploits helmed by the great Draegor, those living in their high homes far from civilization of either Kingdom or Gaerd, who practiced with blades and spells endlessly. In the great age of violence that was the War of the Gods, where the great lush of the east was blasted to sands, and mankind died in droves, the Gaerds fought, and died, with their heads held high. With the war ending however, the Gaerds would not be provided a long period of rest. For following the end of the War of the Gods, with Surkhaldr’s demise; divine forces would play against the elder traditions of man. It would be during the time of Talibar’s driving the Occitanian’s northward that history would turn its eyes upon the Gaerds.

Quote :: The Fourth Snimma-Aevi Stone Circle – Ojafnadr: The Irminsul had been revered as the direct offspring of Vedrvidr, first born being in all of creation, and echoing the power of great Kelund. Mighty was this object, and great was the respect and reverence to which the Gaerds gave to this mighty effigy. In the great valley, at the center of which was a great rift. Great betrayer of his own creation, grand villain to the Gaerd people; Romas Tailbar! Romas whom was sold to the ways of the elves whom would strike at his ancestors most cold; plotting to drive a knife into the heart of Gaerdic tradition, he moved to strike for one of the great Irmunsil, the roots of Kelund’s great Vedrvidr. It was a coalition of traditional Gaerdic clans and those of the Kingdoms of Old Occitan, who stood to intercept Talibar. They fought hard and well, but Romas fought in ways that hampered the direct fighting forces of the Gaerds, then funneled his masses into parting the combatants away. It was then, lead by their blasphemers great, that they hacked away at the Irmunsil, hastily, as with each passing hour, reprisal grew greater and more emphatic. Romas Talibar would succeed in his great travesty, and destroy the roots of the First Tree where they reached high into the skies of Northern Occitan. It was in the name of Tyor that Romas Talibar claimed sovereignty, and burned the Occitanian lands through the destruction of the Irmunsil, and great was his flight, and Gaerdic forces threw themselves upon the enemy in droves. The Gaerds would offer curses to all the winds, damning their empire and their ways, swearing to never faulter, and to piss on the graves of their majesty, when the empire they created crumbled to the ground, and the Gaerds remained. The Gaerds would remain in close relation to the Occitanians and the Dragon Coast, in addition to the surrounding highlands, which was their ancestral home. Old Occitan would face great hardship in the loss of the Irmunsil, however, it would come from their own hands, and a discredit of the deities that fostered Romas, that men would take their place in Kelund’s life a step further, and could ascend beyond into immortality. These were ideals founded by the White Order, and such would be the first branching of the Gaerdic faith, which exists alongside the traditional unto this day. The Gaerds would continue to exist, and thrive, in their semi-isolation, and existing within the wilds of the world. They would exist upon the Silk-Road, maintaining settlement in areas where they have been accustomed through hardship and disdain. They would exist in their high homes where civilized land was hard to birth and their hands were needed to live with the wild, natural and obscene. They would continue their proud ways, as would the people of what is now Occitan, through the turning of many years, and old wounds would set and scar, but never restrain the people of old.

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A Treatise on the Gaerdic People at the Behest of the Talibarian Emperor

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An excerpt from an official Talibarian decree of acceptance and tolerance of the Gaerdic peoples upon missionary attempts to recruit some of their populace into proper adaptation into the Empire. Such was birthed by the effort of their religious preachers after time has passed, and attempting to appeal to their old tradition and bring them into seeing the divinity in the Elven Pantheon, and the pact as well.

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Spoiler:

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A Surmise on Gaerdic Traditions: The Rise and Fall of the Dragoons

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This exceprt is a historical analysis of the rise and fall of the Dragoons, a group originally formed by the Ancient Gaerdic Draegor; whose purpose remained mostly the same throughout its long and revered history.

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Spoiler:

Quote :: “Throughout history many groups have established power and dominance over the world through trickery, intimidation, conquest, envelopment, and force. One group of particular note, whose roots were established in the mists of prehistory, is one of incredible power that used none of these facets to attain their great aura and title; this group would be known as the Dragoons.

The Dragoons were a group devoted solely to serve as a medium between between man and dragon, through diplomacy or combat; this group held strong dominion in isolated communities throughout the Dragon Coast, the Lands of the Aru, and going as far as to have several outsposts in the reaches of the Wastes. This group prized themselves on their excellent agents whom excelled in their chosen crafts, whether it was combat, dialogue, arcane, scholarship, or mercantile. These proud and beautiful specimens of mortalkind stood the breadth of ages, interacting with the outside world when needed, and always remaining vigilant in their sworn duty to stand as an intermediary between the machinations of Dragons and mortalkind.

This group has shrouded a great deal of its history, but through studying some of the early Gaerdic standing stones, one can make note of particular references to a group founded long before the efforts of the Dragoons; The Draegor.
Though sometimes going by the same name, the original Draegor faction was comprised of those who wanted to hone their great abilities, training the body, mind, and spirit to reach a state of spiritual purity as would be understood by learning their faith system involving that of Kielm, or as they call the deity, Kelund. It is this group that the Gaerds would revere for their mighty acts in the great Celestial War, or as they call it, the War of the Gods; these acts also included their ability to interact with the great Dragons, or Draegar, whom for all times before were a mysterious and terrible force upon the world, for unaffiliated actions or those that brought great terror to mortalkind.

Gaerdic tradition would say that it was Doomskr who helmed the original Draegor in prehistory, serving as a guide to their cause and serving as an absolute voice for the entire faction; though this theory runs unopposed, it is perhaps worth note that there is no reference to a Dragon, let alone one so blatantly recognizable as the deified entity Doomskr. Though assuming that he is in fact a symbolic figurehead for the Draegor, there is no Dragon of any kind mentioned in what logs can be recovered from the old Dragoons, either in association, observation, or obituary. So, assuming that there is, or was, a dragon by the name of Doomskr who fostered the Draegor in their original state, it would seem that he has long vanished into the time that the Dragoons came to be.

The Dragoons would become celebrated for their actions, their members, and their equipment, for it seemed as though they strived for the epitome of excellence in every regard. Their metal whether it was steel or the fabled Dorifium, would always strike keenly upon their foes, maiming and destroying their enemies in droves; to be considered among the Dragoons was to be considered one of the greatest warriors of the world.

However, their end would eventually arrive not through the assault of an enemy, but the arrival of an enemy. With the rise of Ossus, whose sphere is blight and blood, the Dragoons were faced with a new, and incredibly powerful threat. Seeing the devastation caused by the new god during both his rise to power and his fruition as a deity, there was a great schism amongst the Dragoons. The Dragons had faded far from civilized lands due to their prowess and vigilance; however, now they were faced with this threat, which seemed far greater than those before. The proposed decisions amongst them were varied, and heartfelt; however, it was believed by a notable majority that change was necessary for the Dragoons to exist within the world.

The group would repurpose themselves, and forge a new identity not unlike their last; the Dragoons would die overnight, and be reborn the next dawn as the group known to this day as The Vindicators. This group stands as a bastion for defending man against horrors unnatural or divine; striving for mortal autonomy, and protection from these forces so that people may be able to live their lives freely. Greatly alike to the Dragoons which they descended, most of the positions exist with a slightly different organization, with a similar reverence for their skill and valor. Whereas once they stood between mortals and dragons, now they stand between men and foul powers such as Ossus, or deities in general.

However, not every Dragoon became a member of the Vindicators; in fact, a notable sect of the Dragoons would instead stay behind. They would not leave their old temples, and would instead seek guidance in the face of this new world where powers and dispositions had changed from the old ways. It was not long before these stragglers would do their best to revive most of these old monastic places, and live in near total isolation from the world. They would take on those who shared the passions of the elder sect that gave them life; The Draegor.

Managing to revive itself from the faction that sprouted from it, the Draegor exist today as isolated communities who strive for purity as the ancient Gaerds did, through finding their place in life through physical, mental, and spiritual training. Though there is little contact with them, and little information that can be gathered, the races and people observed to join them seem quite diverse, though perhaps united in some creeds or aspects. Not all of the monastic communities exist today though, many were disheveled and broken when the Pychekan government rose to power, and expanded over traditional Gaerdic lands. However, almost all that existed within the quiet places of Occitan, The Vale, and Sanctimonia along the Dragon Coast, still exist and house small communities of these people. Though little is seen of them, if they hold to their twin The Vindicators, or their predecessors, to be among one of their greatest combatants is to be one of the greatest fighters in the world.

Such concludes the study of the Dragoon faction, and their rise to power, their sudden fall, and the powers that would rise from their ashes.”

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