VEHEMENCY: THE GREAT CLANS OF AARDAYN
(AARDAYN - “COLD EARTH”)
“AMONG THE EARTH,
DEEP IN THE SEA,
THROUGH FIRE AND SKY,
THE VOICE IS ALL
AND ALL ARE ONE.”
Aardayn is a nation steeped in ancient tradition, founded at the edge of the world and kept alive by the resilience of its people. Despite the difficulties of life in Yiegdra’s north-western tundras, the rule of Aardayn’s lords is dominant and far-reaching, owed in part to a history of brutal conquest which stretched into the twilight of the old empires. The people of Aardayn are made up of several unique cultural groups unified by staunch spiritual beliefs and an ancestral worship which pervades all aspects of life. Known as ‘Our Way’—or ‘The Way of The Five Voices’ by outside scholars—faith for the Aardayni peoples is equal parts myth and history. They hold little interest in record-keeping; that work is left to the oral accounts of skalds, storytellers, and shamans. The nation’s governance is twofold: chiefs of prominent tribal families function as rulers to the realms, while matters of the faith are handled by the shaman-lords. These governing powers gather under the Tsara, whose nominal authority is often superseded by the decrees of the Speaker, the highest shaman-lord.
Once a land swathed in war and feudal lordships vying for power, the Aardayn of today scarcely resembles its historical counterpart. Under the stewardship of the Tsara they pursue economic domination and a grander role on the global stage.
THE SIX AND ONE GREAT CLANS
Aardayn is split into many different regions overseen by the chiefs of influential tribal families. Known as the ‘Great Clans’, they are the de facto lords of the people and vassals to the Tsara. While many Lesser Clans exist under the charge of the Great Clans, they are scattered and competitive, forced to scheme against one another in an endless struggle for power.
Although the rule of the clans has only strengthened since Aardayni unification nearly five centuries ago, the people are rarely loyal to the state itself. Rather, one’s devotion is given to the spirit of the Aardayni people, the enduring nature of their culture, and their shared sense of honor. This ‘High Clan’ constitutes the seventh Great Clan. It transcends all borders or differences; no matter where they meet, two Aardaynis will always view one another as brothers of the High Clan.
CLAN OF THE FLAMESINGERS (Vohon’sangr)
The artisanal Flamesingers dominate the southernmost borders, forests and grassy steppe regions of Aardayn. Their culture is colorful and vibrant with a great focus placed on art—especially dance and music—due to a deeply held belief in the sacredness of fire. To the Vohon’sangr, the passion of flames should be infused into everything a man does as evidence of his love for life. Because of this, many of the nation’s greatest skalds are raised by the Flamesingers, or mentor under members of the clan to learn the age-old stories of Aardayn. Nearly all records of Aardayn’s history are attributed to the work of the Flamesingers and their students.
Their fashion consists of white shirts with red or orange geometric trim stitching, blue cloths, or brown leathers for pants. They typically pair this with skirts or bottoms, pointed toed leather moccasins, and exuberant and brightly colorful adornments by way of beads, flowers, precious stones, and leathers. Their warriors favor single edged slightly curved sabers.
Suggested Backgrounds: Bard, Dancer, Herbalist, Hunter, Scout, Skald, Warrior.
CLAN OF THE SEAWOLVES (Sjønnsilgi)
The savage Seawolves are the most powerful Great Clan across the northern shore of the Dragonfjord. A strong naval culture affords them influence over all ports in the nation. Though they have wholly embraced the Tsara’s push towards economic development, they are considered the most vicious and militaristic of the Great Clans due to their strict adherence to ancient Aardayni traditions. The strength of their sailors and corsairs are in large part responsible for this reputation of brutality. They constantly pirate unlicensed merchant ships which pass through northern waters, and extract a massive tithe from those who would do trade in their ports.
Their fashion is often fur lined longcoats befitting sailors and soldiers, typically dark navy or black complemented by bright colors, which are used as decorative trims in imitation of Aardayni rune carving. Accessories are mandatory, and sailors commonly wear necklaces made of shark teeth as a trophy from their time at sea. Their warriors dress in heavy chains and scales adorned with cold forged plates, horns and hide from great beasts. Higher ranking warriors sport personalized runes on their armor as an homage to the Gravhunds, mysterious Barrowdrakes of the north. They favor heavy axes with backspikes suited for boarding and breaking.
Suggested Backgrounds: Corsair, Crusader, Master-at-Arms, Pirate, Seafarer, Shipmaster, Warrior.
CLAN OF THE WHALEDRINKERS (Hvalurpyty)
The industrious Whaledrinkers are a lesser maritime clan than the Seawolves, but nonetheless a preeminent force in the region. While the Seawolves expanded outwards into the seas, the Whaledrinkers turned inwards and developed a vast network of logging camps with the help of the Ironbloods. These camps provide lumber for shipbuilding throughout Aardayn. Today, the Seawolves defer to the Whaledrinkers for their expertise in building warships, fishing boats, and whaling ships. The special deals the Clans have cut allowed the Whaledrinkers unfettered access to Aardayn waters, and the seafood they produce feeds the coasts of Aardayn.
Their fashion is similar to the Seawolves, however they are far more modest. They shed the coats for vests and furs that would not impede one’s hands, or get caught in rigging or nets. Fishers and whalers prefer high boots to keep chum and guts from staining their pants. Like the Seawolves, their seafarers enjoy accessories as a mark of vocation; they prefer the simple bounties of the sea, such as bone or coral fished from the depths. Pieces of jewelry are usually personally crafted by those wearing them. Sometimes, this jewelry is brought back from the ocean as tokens in a Whaledrinker courting ritual.
Suggested Backgrounds: Carpenter, Fisher, Herbalist, Navigator, Seafarer, Shipwright, Trader.
CLAN OF THE GOLDHANDS (Gullhånndn)
The mercantile Goldhands are unlike other Aardayni tribes in that none are born into the Great Clan. Rather, prospective members are adopted into the clan by one of its many enterprising traders, scholars, or nobles. They are foremost a merchant’s guild which promotes the work of artisans, and as such are looked down on as frivolous and vain. Despite this, their proximity to the Tsara—owed to their seat in the Aard, the nation’s capital—has allowed them great influence over the future of Aardayn. Many believe the nation’s current pursuits are due to the Goldhands’ conspiring.
As the clan finds new members from all walks of life, they boast no single fashion of their own, preferring a cosmopolitan blend of urban wear. They will often chase gauche styles from other cultures; a practice which lends to the Aardayni stigma surrounding them.
Suggested Backgrounds: Artisan, Clerk, Merchant, Noble, Savant, Scholar, Smith.
CLAN OF THE BARROWMAKERS (Gravsmiður)
The enigmatic Barrowmakers hold no land themselves, but are spread across Aardayn as the shaman-lords which make up the second tier of governance within the nation. It is common for shamans of other clans to abandon their home and be embraced by the Barrowmakers, signaling a sacrifice of the self for the sake of the clergy. They make their home in temples, caves, quarries and workshops. They are responsible for the construction and maintenance of Aardayn’s stone barrows, and communities of the Barrowmakers form around them. Once an enclave has grown large enough, the Barrowmakers assemble parties and venture out to construct another barrow, seeking the dead wherever they lie. Because of their proximity to death, a strong reverence is paid to this clan, who is believed to be blessed by the First Voice.
Their fashion is dour but modest. They eschew vanity in favor of dark robes, plain shirts and vests. Barrowmakers go to great lengths to maintain a humble appearance, as there is a strong belief within the Clan that a man who dresses in finery tarnishes his soul with conceit.
Suggested Backgrounds: Apothecary, Gravedigger, Healer, Monk, Mason, Shaman, Witchhunter.
CLAN OF THE IRONBLOODS (Strykbloծ)
The ancient Ironbloods are the oldest Great Clan, having resided in the alpine forests of Aardayn for centuries. They are seen as stewards of the wildlands and deeply connected with nature, forming protectionary pacts with the spirits that reside there. An affront to the wilderness rarely goes unanswered by the Ironbloods. The Whaledrinkers bargained with them to establish a logging industry in the Ironwood forests—from which the Ironbloods get their name—and processed the enormous trees to build ships and villages. Today, many of these logging camps are worked by the Ironbloods. Out in the wilds, they use song and harmonies to communicate across distances, following the echoes in the mountains and forests.
Their fashion is practical and with little flair. Heavy furs and padded clothing, nearly always including hoods and hats. Even when not at work, it is unlikely—bordering impossible—to find an Ironblood without an axe or chisel on their person.
Suggested Backgrounds: Forester, Hunter, Logger, Ranger, Scout, Smith, Warrior.
THE CLANLESS
Clanless Aardayni are an oddity but not unheard of. Often, a clanless Aardayni has been exiled as punishment for a crime, or were abandoned by their family in their youth. Unclaimed children are usually adopted into another Great or Lesser Clan—most commonly the Goldhands, who make a habit of finding promising prospects from orphans—but some rejec this path. Those who remain Clanless inevitably become nomads, traveling the frozen north alone in search of their true home.
Suggested Backgrounds: Beggar, Charlatan, Mercenary, Nomad, Pilgrim, Smuggler, Thief.
THE WAY OF THE FIVE VOICES
The faith of Aardayn is known as the ‘Way of the Five Voices’, which centers around a pantheon of five major gods—each representing a season and aspect of nature—and the hundreds of lesser spirits who labor beneath them. Official practitioners of the faith organize under the society of shamans, which trains new priests according to the teachings of the shaman-lords and the Speaker. Nearly every village’s wiseman is educated by the society, and the shared rituals of modern Aardayn are owed in large part to the tireless work of the shaman-lords in establishing orthodoxy.
For the common man rituals blend into daily life: pouring wine on a doorstep, setting candles on barrow stones, or carving curse tablets to entreat blessings from the spirits. A core tenet of this day-to-day practice is prayers for, and respect of, dead ancestors. Though many of these minor rituals are only practiced locally, the building of temples and holy sites—overseen by the shaman-lords—has gradually made the diverse traditions more uniform. The greatest evidence of this is the ubiquitous portrayal of the Five Voices.
ORIGINS OF THE WORLD AND THE REIGN OF HARM’LYOTH
Once, the First Voice ruled supreme over an empty land engulfed by a never-ending winter. At her fortress in the highest peaks of Aardayn she sang dirges for a stillborn earth. From her songs and her grief, the heart of the world was stirred to life; the warmth it felt for her thawed the ice of her home. Four chief spirits arose from the melting ice: Vorbo’thee, firstborn and wind-riding Wren; Awr’dagsshol, second to arrive and sun-taming Bear; Grimsayth’ur, jealous third armiger and loyal Hound of death; and Syah’varfutl, nursemaid who sprang fully formed from the joy of Harm’lyoth’s first paean—the song celebrating the birth of her childrens.
For a time they resided together in Harm’lyoth’s fortress, frolicking and making merry. But Vorbo’thee, the eldest and most brave, ventured down from the castle in a fit of wanderlust. As she circled the earth, she was horrified by the state of it. How could they live so opulently while the rest of the world lay dormant? When she returned to the fortress she conspired with Awr’dagsshol, who was younger but stronger, to slay Harm’lyoth and build a new kingdom from her body. Grimsayth’ur was powerless to stop them; the two attacked Harm’lyoth during her final elegy and killed her.
Then the work of building a new kingdom began. Vorbo’thee and Awr’dagsshol laid Harm’lyoth’s body across the bleak stone, fashioning her bones into mountain peaks and casting her scales into the sea to become glaciers. Her blood ebbed out into the ground, and trees grew where it flowed. Finally, they called on Syah’varfutl—who could not bring herself to strike the children she had raised, and so stood aside while they killed Harm’lyoth—to populate their new demesne. She obliged, taking fistfuls of bloody clay and molding them into men. She gave them traits of all the spirits but Harm’lyoth, as the dragon could not touch humans until they joined her in death.
With the world given form, the spirits convened to mourn Harm’lyoth’s passing and to choose a king who would rule their new land. No agreement could be reached on who it should be, however, and violence broke out between them. Vorbo’thee desired a gentle world, with fair winds that carried men to new frontiers; Awr’dagsshol wished for a strong world of forge-heat that burned men into something greater; Grimsayth’ur resented the others, and craved to return the world to the days of stillness beneath Harm’lyoth’s charge. Syah’varfutl made no claim to the new kingdom; she offered instead to watch over the world while the other three rested. Every night, when they recovered from their vicious fighting during the day, she would dance alone in the dark of the empty sky.
To this day the three siblings war, with each Season representing a triumph by the gods. In the Season of Celebration the gods set aside their differences for a temporary armistice, until the warring begins again next year.
THE FIRST VOICE HARM’LYOTH; MOTHER TIME, THE DRAGON OF DEATH
A divine being who resided alone in the empty world. Upon her slaying by her two children, her body was divided up and used to construct Aardayn, with her holy blood being used to mold men from clay. Although she is “dead” in a physical sense, her indestructible presence lives on beyond the pale, only audible to those who brush with the other side.
Because her essence was used to create men, all men will inevitably share her fate of destruction and decay. Despite this, she is not a malevolent entity: the dirges she sings portend what is to come, helping men to avert or delay their demise. Aardayni mythology is rich with stories of virtuous warriors who heard Harm’lyoth’s songs and emerged triumphant over their own deaths.
HE FIRSTBORN VORBO’THEE; SPRINGSONG, WIND-RIDING WREN
First daughter of Harm’lyoth and her most gentle child. She ushers in spring as a blessing to mankind, as her deepest desire is for their wellbeing. Birdsong and chirping are thought to indicate her presence; a full bird’s nest is her preferred gate. Philosophy, poetry and music are considered to be her gifts to mankind—pursuits made possible by the reprieve she grants. If not for her, men would be unthinking beasts.
During spring, she holds fey-courts of lesser spirits that spawned from Harm’lyoth’s essence. This is when mischievous fey are thought to be most active, and there is a particular superstition that if one ventures into the woods during this window that they will be spirited off on a fanciful quest. If they do not return by the end of spring, however, they will be trapped in the other world forever.
THE SECONDBORN AWR’DAGSSHOL; SUMMERSONG, SUN-TAMING BEAR
First son of Harm’lyoth and her strongest child. He brings about harsh summers as a means of tempering mankind, as he wishes for them to grow and, in the process, become alike to the gods. Despite his stern depictions, Awr’dagsshol is often depicted as a creative force of craft and mastery, and gates of wrought iron are left open in forges across Aardayn so that he may enter and bless the works within. Without Awr’dagsshol’s counsel and encouragement, men would not have the strength to survive in Aardayn’s harsh wilderness.
Numerous summer festivals are held in Awr’dagsshol’s honor, featuring fire-breathers and beast tamers. There is a particularly popular ritual among Aardayni boys in which they must wrestle with a bear in order to prove to their peers—and Awr’dagsshol—that they are strong enough to become men.
THE THIRDBORN GRIMSAYTH’UR; AUTUMNSONG, LIFE-SHEPHERDING WOLFHOUND
Second son of Harm’lyoth and her most faithful child. As he has no vision for his own future, he can only return the world to Harm’lyoth’s stillness—and in doing so, drive men toward one another for warmth. He is a force of community and unification; fall heralds the coming of death, and encourages men to work together and support one another. His loyalty to Harm’lyoth, too, is considered virtuous, and it is an honorable thing—though macabre—to be likened to the wolfhounds of Aardayn. Without his example, men would be scattered, warring, and a forever fractured people.
When a man’s life ends, if he has abided his fellows, Grimsayth’ur appears to shepherd him to meet the First Voice. His gates are typically circles of flowers left upon a grave, or carved from a stele where the dead rest.
THE NEVERBORN SYAH’VARFUTL; SONGWEAVER, ALL-KNOWING MAIDEN
The nursemaid who spawned from Harm’lyoth’s songs as she celebrated the birth of her children. Older and wiser than the rest, she inherited Harm’lyoth’s matronly aspects. In mythology it was she who took the unshaped clay of man into her hands and molded them, granting them her shape. Because she exists only to nurture what is, and not to chart what could be, she has no associated season: instead, she is thought to be the moon, watching over the world while the other gods rest.
The values she imparts unto humans are ones of kindness, understanding, and beauty. If not for these, men would neglect the next generation, and we would vanish back into the clay that had formed us. Her gates are the silhouette of the moon on water and dream-catchers. When a baby is born, the umbilical cord is cut and fashioned into a circle in a ritual entreating Syah’varfutl’s blessing, so she will protect and raise the child.
THE SPEAKER
The Speaker is a shaman-lord chosen by his peers to receive and interpret the songs of Harm’lyoth, thought to be the key to creation and premonitions of things yet to come. Upon a Speaker’s death or abdication, another is selected to take his place, forming an unbroken chain of divine interpreters as far back as Aardayn’s founding. Each new Speaker is assigned an epithet after receiving their first omen, as the first dirge Harm’lyoth sings is always for the listener.
The current Speaker is known as Speaker Vvoht, the Innocent. The moot in which she was chosen was the shortest in history. As the skalds tell it, Vvoht entered the moot tent garbed in white, and left drenched in blood. She held a blade in one hand and an obsidian gate in the other, declaring herself the new Speaker to those present.
THEURGY, THAUMATURGY, AND THE HONORED DEAD
Magic practitioners within Aardayn are nearly exclusively Theurgists who draw power interchangeably from the gods, adjusting their practices according to the season. The druids of Aardayn call upon Vorbo’thee in the spring, then Awr’dagsshol in the summer, then Grimsayth’ur in the fall, and Syah’varfutl at night throughout the year. As Harm’lyoth is dead, winter is a season of rest. It is considered highly taboo to work miracles during this period, and those who do so are thought to invite death and tragedy through the Gates they open.
Thaumaturgy is remarkably rare by comparison, though still sanctioned by the shaman-lords. The Deathsingers are one cult which believes that the words of Harm’lyoth’s songs hold the secret to life, death, and destiny; they seek to deconstruct her holy dirges in pursuit of immortality. These magi utilize obsidian disks as gates, or craft their own Barrowarchs to commune with the First Voice. They also favor sacrificing their teeth in the equivalency rites, replacing them with gemstones or gold. This practice bears resemblance to the Orthian Tone of Lagain, and one Deathsinger—Zofia of the Dragonbeds—was Sainted in Tousav.
Mystics from outside Aardayn are viewed with mistrust and hostility. Countless tales of the Crowing Barrowthief—a lich who tried to steal Harm’lyoth’s voice in Aardayni mythology—and raven witches lend to stereotypes of the selfish, dishonorable mage. Those who trespass in Aardayn and offend the Aardayni are treated especially harshly. Those convicted of practicing dark magic are mummified while alive, then interred in Barrows to die; by dying in a holy place, they are presented to Harm’lyoth for judgement. If they resurrect as Gallu, they are considered innocent and released.
Gallu are here called Draugr, and thought to be a blessing of Harm’lyoth—she has returned them to the world of the living, deeming it is not yet their time. Those who do not receive proper burial rites are thought to become evil Draugr, mindless and raving beasts. It is most often the duty of the Barrowmakers to put them down and provide proper rites.