Vanir - Background

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Han-shan
<i>Haruchai</i>
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Joined: Sun Jun 22, 2003 2:03 am
Location: Cold Mountain

Vanir - Background

Post by Han-shan »

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I have a bit of story behind what happened between Aesir and Vanir; how things got to be the way they are at the start of Vanir. But you'll have to discover what can be discovered as you play. Whether or not learning any of it is important or useful is something you'll also have to discover, if you choose to.


RACES
Human
The vast majority of the world's population is human.


Roc
A humanoid race with huge wings that allow for extremely long distance flights. All of their features are

There are two main races/groups of rocs. One is in the islands between the three continents, mainly in the northern areas.

The other group is in the mountainous islands in the far northwest. This group is xenophobic. They have a formal, ritualized relationship with the other rocs. As far as anyone knows, they have had absolutely no contact with anyone else in several generations.


Merfolk
Water-breathing, water-dwelling. They are primarily in the southern area between the continents. Some think they are in the south because, otherwise, the rocs in the north would swoop down and snatch them, as an eagle will a fish. But this is probably just a way of mocking the merfolk, who are seldom seen, and don't associate with the surface world. There are occasional encounters. Someone on the shore might see the head of one above the water, observing them. Much more rarely, a lone swimmer might be diving, and suddenly have a merfolk approach very briefly.


Slipfish
The slipfish (dolphins) of Narie are nearly as intelligent as any of the other intelligent races. They claim this was not always the case. They claim that a god of the past raised them to this intelligence. They have the same family and group structures as they did before being raised, and wander the world's seas. happy with their life.

The slipfish claim great friendship with the merfolk, which would hardly be a surprise. But, at the request of the merfolk, they say almost nothing of them.


Trees
It is known that many of Mekoth's trees are sentient, intelligent beings. Not all seem to be of the same nature, but even this is not certain, since they do not usually reveal themselves. The forest in the southern part of the continent is known to have been much bigger at one point, and it is here they live. Their home has diminished over time, because of the Judge, as well as apparently natural disasters. But what remains is strong, and a place of extraordinary mystery.


Golems
Golems are people made of earth. There are, in fact, only two in existence, so it is not quite accurate to call them a race. It is widely accepted that there were once more. Stories range from several to dozens. But, as they did not seem to be able to reproduce, they gradually diminished in number.





HISTORY & CULTURAL/POLITICAL LANDSCAPE
Stories of the old gods abound. There is little concensus as to where the gods were powerful, or even what gods there were. It is only clear that there are no gods of Narie at present. But it is also clear that there were gods. The powers they left behind still exist, even if they are weaker than the myths would indicate they should be.

How Narie came to have its current cultures and races in the centuries or millennia since there were gods is largely mystery. Each general region has at least two or three primary explanations, some conflicting.

Ayana
Ayana has surely seen the most conflict in the last millennia. All the result of the ruler of the southern half - the Judge. The Judge is among the world's only figures whose existence all parts of the world universally accept. He is shrouded in mystery. It is likely that he is not even human, and the fact that he seems to have been around for at least several centuries supports this thought.

The Judge has been everywhere, bringing death with him. The tales on Mekoth, from the last few decades, are of this mysterious figure simply appearing, killing dozens or hundreds of people, or important figures, and disappearing again. Killing the Judge seems impossible. None know his motivations. He seems to simply hate, and is trying to generate hate and fear everywhere.

Ayana has had a much more difficult time with the Judge. He is the absolute ruler of the southern portion of the continent, which is known as the Land of the Dead. Little is known of the area since the great war some centuries back. That war ended with the most extraordinary display of power known to have happened. The land-bridge between the north and south was radically reduced, and what remained was shaped into a monstrously huge rune:
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In fact, it is so large that it is not recognizable except from the air. Its existence might not be known if not for the rocs. Exactly how this was accomplished is unknown, because there is surely not enough power in the world to accomplish this feat in the present. However, this rune seems to have stopped the Judge in his tracks. The north was never again attacked by land.

Another important part of the war is the drommonds. Huge stone vessels wander the seas. Surely a deity of the earth is responsible for their construction. They are a self-contained culture. Although they are not xenophobic, as the northwestern rocs are, they do not share much of themselves.

What they do, however, is control the seas. The Judge seems unable to invade northern Ayana by land, and the drommonds do not allow it by sea. All that remains to the Judge is his mysterious way of appearing, killing, and disappearing.


Mekoth
Mekoth is as different from Ayana as can be. Although war can sometimes be found anywhere, it was not subject to war with the Judge. Left to its own, it was once a unified paradise. Legend suggests that great powers once united in friendship, and gave the continent a golden era of unparalleled glory that lasted for at least three centuries, and possibly as long as a millennium. Why such is not still the case is unknown. However, Mekoth is still largely blessed. Despite the occasional strike by the Judge (which may have much to do with the fall of the golden era), there is a greatness to the continent.


Troon
Troon is, simply put, a continent of ice. It is very strange, because it does not follow the natural patterns. There are no seasons. And the ice does not stretch out to the seas. It is simply an arctic continent. Some live there, but none know how many. Living must surely be difficult beyond imagining.


Politics
The Judge's empire is, by far, the largest political structure.

The rocs have the next largest, both the xenophobic group and the others on the islands between Ayana and Mekoth.

Ayana is largely isolated cities and villages. Cities not as large as those on Mekoth. It seems the wars with the Judge made large political entities impossible. Newer buildings and villages (only a couple centuries old, rather than ancient) give the impression that things have taken a turn for the better. Perhaps when the gigantic rune came to be.

Culturally, the peoples north and south of the mountains on Mekoth are each relatively homogenous, and are also somewhat related to each other. Politically, however, the continent is not particularly unified. There are many cities, and some small groupings. But it appears that they have not been unified in many centuries.

The forests of both continents are another story. The one on Mekoth is a total mystery. None can guess what culture or politics the Trees may have. Entering the forest is often discouraged (and it is usually difficult to describe how). When those who attempt to enter can enter, they see nothing but a typical forest. But it is known that it is not a typical forest. The forest of Ayana is haunted. None question this. None dare enter. None who have dared in living memory have returned to tell the tale.
I climb the road to Cold Mountain,
The road to Cold Mountain that never ends.
- Han-shan

We dance round in a ring and suppose,
But the Secret sits in the middle and knows.
- Robert Frost

Today was a good day. - Ice Cube
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