Valthunaer
09-06-2008, 11:08 AM
OOC:
Some aspects of this theme will be altered according to our guilds evolving RP storyline based on in-game events / game-lore.
* Origin of the Varangians: Guild Role-Play Back-story:
It is told, that once the cosmos was ruled over by the giant and god, Ymir, whose very sweat rained down into the unformed lands to create his spawn, the giants or “jotuns”. But then came the sons of Borr, Odin, Vili and Ve, great was their power and they slew the giant Ymir and cast down his body; using Ymir's flesh for dirt, his blood for the oceans, rivers and lakes, his bones for stone, and from his skull they formed the vault of the heavens. As Ymir lay in his death throws, his blood flooded the earth, drowning all but two of his giant offspring.
One day, the victorious gods found two tree trunks, one of ash and the other of elm. They transformed them into the shape of humans, a man which they named Ask and a woman whom they called Embla. Odin gave them life, Vili gave them their minds and Ve gave them the ability to hear, see, and speak. All of this was done under the vengeful and hate-filled eyes of the giants. To keep the giants out of Midgard, the gods made a gigantic fence from Ymir’s eyelashes. Yet still the giants found passage into Midgard and strove always to destroy the works of the Asgardian gods.
It is the wish of the Giants to bring forth the battle of “Ragnarok”, and in doing so slay Odin and overthrow all of creation. To this end, portents of darkness and messengers of the giants have sown hate within the race of men, drawing to their cause those who would betray, often in ignorance, their true creator by worshiping Ymir and his offspring. In the North, some of these foul men are lead by the “Ymirish” or “lesser giants”, who seek to slay all of the followers of the Asgardian gods, weakening them, so that the giants may reshape the world and prepare for the final assault on Asgard itself.
Yet, Odin and his followers are by no means weak, nor helpless in their battle with the giants. Seeing the malevolence of the giants, their dark godlings and the spirit of Ymir, Odin called forth through the dreams and visions of the wise and the mighty among mankind, so that new kingdoms of all races, should arise and oppose the forces of the Ymirish giants. On to this, clans would migrate and multiply over the centuries, sharing their knowledge of the Asgardian gods and casting the seeds of a new and courageous culture, imbued with the strength and wisdom of the Asgardian gods.
Called forth to venture out into the world, many of “Odins Oak” would feel an undeniable urge to “go a-viking” and become imbued with “wanderlust” as entire peoples would migrate and merge into greater clans. Far from the North, the ships would sail out of the fjords, and from the most remote evergreen forests the sound of axes would sing, cutting their way through the ancient sylvan glades. The “Varangians” would hear the unspoken bidding of their creator, to issue forth and bravely traverse the un-trodden wastes into vast new lands.
And so it was, that from the lands of the “Northmen” and other unknown lands from the northern wastes and across the seas, small bands of Varangians heard Odin’s call; It has been said that not all of the “Varangians” came form the same lands, a statement easily proved by the various races that inhabit their lands and villages. They are no doubt a mixture of ancestral races, all bound together within a common cultural ebb, hued out of the rugged landscapes of their distant and differing heritages. Yet, for all their devotion to Odin, they are tolerant and welcoming of other peoples and beliefs.
The Varangians would travel great distances and find within the lands strange gods, ancient and cruel kingdoms, and vast landscapes filled with unforeseen richness. Wit and courage was best employed with great measure, for the Varangians are few in numbers and oft outnumbered by their rivals. To the inhabitants of foreign lands, these Varangians looked similar to other tribes of the north, but their runic alphabet, laws and devotion to the Asgardian gods set them apart from the other northern clans, their distinctness drove them to form their own cultural enclave.
The lure of rich lands and the opportunity for conquest at first lead the Varangians to fight their way into many foreign lands, eventually moving further inland to establish strongholds of their own. Each year, more Varangians arrived raiding and moving further inland to join up with their various clansmen. Eventually, finding themselves of sufficient numbers to engage in conquest attempts within some regions, the Varangians formed a small kingdom called the Kingdom of Varandale, also known as the Varangian Order.
Feared by their foes, and respected by their allies, the forthright courage of the Varangians is only outweighed by their loyalty to their lords and kin. They are a practical people, this is taught to them by the harshness of their lives and the coldness of their gods’ temperaments. But even on the coldest nights their mead halls do ring with the sound of skalds songs, only out voiced by the laughter of a proud and lively folk!
Some aspects of this theme will be altered according to our guilds evolving RP storyline based on in-game events / game-lore.
* Origin of the Varangians: Guild Role-Play Back-story:
It is told, that once the cosmos was ruled over by the giant and god, Ymir, whose very sweat rained down into the unformed lands to create his spawn, the giants or “jotuns”. But then came the sons of Borr, Odin, Vili and Ve, great was their power and they slew the giant Ymir and cast down his body; using Ymir's flesh for dirt, his blood for the oceans, rivers and lakes, his bones for stone, and from his skull they formed the vault of the heavens. As Ymir lay in his death throws, his blood flooded the earth, drowning all but two of his giant offspring.
One day, the victorious gods found two tree trunks, one of ash and the other of elm. They transformed them into the shape of humans, a man which they named Ask and a woman whom they called Embla. Odin gave them life, Vili gave them their minds and Ve gave them the ability to hear, see, and speak. All of this was done under the vengeful and hate-filled eyes of the giants. To keep the giants out of Midgard, the gods made a gigantic fence from Ymir’s eyelashes. Yet still the giants found passage into Midgard and strove always to destroy the works of the Asgardian gods.
It is the wish of the Giants to bring forth the battle of “Ragnarok”, and in doing so slay Odin and overthrow all of creation. To this end, portents of darkness and messengers of the giants have sown hate within the race of men, drawing to their cause those who would betray, often in ignorance, their true creator by worshiping Ymir and his offspring. In the North, some of these foul men are lead by the “Ymirish” or “lesser giants”, who seek to slay all of the followers of the Asgardian gods, weakening them, so that the giants may reshape the world and prepare for the final assault on Asgard itself.
Yet, Odin and his followers are by no means weak, nor helpless in their battle with the giants. Seeing the malevolence of the giants, their dark godlings and the spirit of Ymir, Odin called forth through the dreams and visions of the wise and the mighty among mankind, so that new kingdoms of all races, should arise and oppose the forces of the Ymirish giants. On to this, clans would migrate and multiply over the centuries, sharing their knowledge of the Asgardian gods and casting the seeds of a new and courageous culture, imbued with the strength and wisdom of the Asgardian gods.
Called forth to venture out into the world, many of “Odins Oak” would feel an undeniable urge to “go a-viking” and become imbued with “wanderlust” as entire peoples would migrate and merge into greater clans. Far from the North, the ships would sail out of the fjords, and from the most remote evergreen forests the sound of axes would sing, cutting their way through the ancient sylvan glades. The “Varangians” would hear the unspoken bidding of their creator, to issue forth and bravely traverse the un-trodden wastes into vast new lands.
And so it was, that from the lands of the “Northmen” and other unknown lands from the northern wastes and across the seas, small bands of Varangians heard Odin’s call; It has been said that not all of the “Varangians” came form the same lands, a statement easily proved by the various races that inhabit their lands and villages. They are no doubt a mixture of ancestral races, all bound together within a common cultural ebb, hued out of the rugged landscapes of their distant and differing heritages. Yet, for all their devotion to Odin, they are tolerant and welcoming of other peoples and beliefs.
The Varangians would travel great distances and find within the lands strange gods, ancient and cruel kingdoms, and vast landscapes filled with unforeseen richness. Wit and courage was best employed with great measure, for the Varangians are few in numbers and oft outnumbered by their rivals. To the inhabitants of foreign lands, these Varangians looked similar to other tribes of the north, but their runic alphabet, laws and devotion to the Asgardian gods set them apart from the other northern clans, their distinctness drove them to form their own cultural enclave.
The lure of rich lands and the opportunity for conquest at first lead the Varangians to fight their way into many foreign lands, eventually moving further inland to establish strongholds of their own. Each year, more Varangians arrived raiding and moving further inland to join up with their various clansmen. Eventually, finding themselves of sufficient numbers to engage in conquest attempts within some regions, the Varangians formed a small kingdom called the Kingdom of Varandale, also known as the Varangian Order.
Feared by their foes, and respected by their allies, the forthright courage of the Varangians is only outweighed by their loyalty to their lords and kin. They are a practical people, this is taught to them by the harshness of their lives and the coldness of their gods’ temperaments. But even on the coldest nights their mead halls do ring with the sound of skalds songs, only out voiced by the laughter of a proud and lively folk!