Shiv
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Post by Shiv on Nov 12, 2010 19:43:27 GMT -5
The Valecian Kingdom
Well over half a millennia ago humans migrated from east of the Dwarven lands and settled in the fertile plains in the west. These forefathers of the current Valecians found a land perfect for expansion and living in the bountiful lowlands west and south of Skarvidda and Kaer Maeghol, large communities sprang up across the land as the humans multiplied and spread. It was only a matter of time before the humans spread far enough south to encounter the island home of Nimth, the god–avatar of current Valecia. The abode of this powerful being lies in the middle of a large lake, and it serves as a continual water source from which a majority of the rivers criss-crossing Valecia originate. The humans, when they first met Nimth, worshipped the sun god Amon from their old lands but were still in awe of the creature. Nimth allowed the humans to settle near the shores of the lake and within a few years the church of the Torrent had been established, worshipping Nimth as a goddess. With the help of the avatar, the settlements around the lake and its isles soon prospered and with success came the envy of the Sun cult, who opposed the worship of her.
Nimth never took a direct role in the battles, secluding herself in her sanctuary as tensions flared between the religious groups. In her absence small brawls turned into skirmishes, skirmishes to battles and battles to an all out war. The war was fought with the savagery of religious zeal and with a ruthlessness befitting a Dark elf, both sides committing atrocities too vile to mention against each other. And yet, during all this time, Nimth stayed silent and closed in her island sanctuary, not appearing before her followers even to the most dire of prayers. The Sun cult saw this as the powers of Amon prevailing over the weakened water goddess, pressing its attacks and finally breaking through the lines of the defenders. The war coming to its head at an occurrence known as “The day the tides came” in contemporary Valecia. The followers of the torrent had been pushed back to the now capitol of Valecia, Tidehome, The Sun cult pressing their advantage and the church of the Torrent desperately trying to fight back. Fleets of small ships were set in the lake, bent on the destruction of Nimth's grove in its centre, the catapults sending giant bundles of burning pitch onto the giant trees and the dome of the goddess, setting the whole island ablaze. Demoralized, the final defenders broke and ran, surrendering their capitol to the victorious Sun cult.
Then Nimth came.
From the central island a giant wave came crashing out, sweeping aside the ships of both sides and overturning them. Any human in the water found themselves unable to swim, their bodies becoming heavier then the water and sinking like rocks, drowning defender and attacker alike. In moments the lake had become a churning mass of waves and splintered wood, the goddess standing in the middle of the chaos, face serene as her magics slaughtered friend and foe. All of the rivers fed by the waters from Tidehome, most rivers in Valecia, rose like tsunamis, burying the villages lying at their edges before the human living there even understood the danger. It was a massacre, a divine judgement by a wrathful deity. The armies of both sides were completely decimated, yet the faith of the church of the torrent had been rekindled with the return of their avatar. The Sun cult could do nothing but watch as their ranks were thinned by mass desertion, for who would stand by a distant sun god when a true goddess was before ones very eyes. Within a few years after the fateful day the Sun cult had left the fertile plains and the Church of the Torrent was acknowledged as the one unifying church of the new state, Valecia.
From the ashes of the destruction rose a new and unified people. The Valecians. They rebuilt Tidehome, their goddess again a benevolent protector, and made strict codes so that Tideday (a holy day still celebrated by Valecians) would never again occur. To the Valecians it was punishment for their failure to protect the goddesses abode that had occurred, their lack of faith and cowardice had forced the reminder of Nimths power to be thrust upon them. Thus the Knightly orders of the Stillness, the Flow and the Fall were created, sworn to spread the will and words of Nimth, as well as upholding the virtues of never again fleeing or re-enacting the dishonourable tactics used in the war.
Valecian culture, seeing the natural order of a powerful being defending the weaker servants, also adopted serfdom, each lord of a castle keeping his own retinue of knights and a caste of serfs to support it. The three heads of the knightly orders became the de-facto powers of the throne, though in close collaboration with Nimth herself. Indeed, these three holy men are the only who are allowed to venture into the rebuilt island haven of the avatar. Current day Valecia is split into dozens of fiefdoms, each ruled by a lord who keeps a small number of knights, a greater amount of men-at-arms, and a huge amount of serfs under his banner. The knights themselves are all of either one of the three orders, who are closely tied to the Church of the Torrent. The lords report only to the heads of the order, who in turn report to Nimth directly. Individual lords are given permission to rule as they see fit, leading to some gross acts of negligence and poverty in some areas. Life as a serf is often hard and short, seldom spanning much more than forty years. Life as an adventurer is not an option either, although crafty men-at-arms may manage to desert their lords. Serfs seldom lead adventuring lives, although some band together to from robber groups plaguing any trade route, or -in rarer cases- join with the Wanderers as they pass by a particularly impoverished settlement. Finally knights are sometimes seen travelling alone or in small retinues on quests to spread the word of Nimth, or retrieve gold or artefacts for their churches.
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