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Machtig
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In the underbelly of the Danoshorvas continent, between the Horn of Gersaan to the
East and Ieshali to the West lie many tracts of rustic and rugged lands primeval
and wild. These lands are called simply the Vold by the humans that inhabit this
expanse, who call themselves the Machtig-baelvolkerung (MOCK-TEEG bael-VOLK-er-UNG),
which means simply the Mighty People in their own tongue.
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Outsiders know them as the Machtig (MOCK-TEEG), and often fear them for their barbaric
and warlike ways.
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Transplants from the destroyed continent of Runorshorvas, this warlike people landed
on the Danoshorvas continent about two thousand years ago and took over the subcontinent
that they now call
The Vold.
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A large pale skinned people with a warrior caste system, they directly and indirectly
caused the collapse of all the great empires of the Age of Expansion. One of the
more powerful nations now in existance, they are fairly barbarous and isiolationist.
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ORIGIN
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At the end of the Age of Rebirth in the northwestern region of Runorshorvas a loose
union of nature-worshipping tribesmen calling themselves the Machtig-Baelvolkerung
gave birth to a powerful tradition of Druidic Magic.
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Towards the middle of the Age of Expansion, the Machtig-Baelvolkerung grew strong
and their numbers grew many. Initially they spread east and southward from their
homeland but eventually stopped expanding after about three centuries at the urging
of their Druids, who counseled balance.
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The Druids foretold that a time of settling was called for to assimilate what had
been taken and incorporate the new peoples they had conquered into a Macthig culture
enriched by their addition, and so it was done. For two millennia the Machtig-Baelvolkerung
matured into a complex and prosperous nation, with only occasional expansion, and
the many conquered peoples became as one.
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THE MORGATHIC WAR
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The end of the Age of Expansion can be traced to the exact point in time that the
encroaching forces of the ever-expanding Morgathi Imperium, a dark realm ruled by
Necromancers and their Undying hordes, first encountered the lands of the Machtig-Baelvolkerung.
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The two antithical nations squared off to a furious struggle that left the lands
of the Machtig despoiled by the necromantic forces of Morgathi. The Machtig inflicted
terrible casualties and wreaked massive harm upon the Morgathi, but the Legions
of the Undying were said to be uncountable, with the accumulated numbers of many
centuries worth of dead warriors from conquered nations. And every Macthig that
fell in battle became a possible recruit for the enemies forces.
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Realizing they could not defeat the Morgathi via normal means, the Druids counceled
the Machtig to take to the Ocean with as much as they could float and flee their
homelands. This was done, with only a brave reargaurd of a few thousand warriors
and a circle of the most powerful Duids remaining behind to buy the fleeing Machtig
time. After the boats were well off, the Druid circle performed a terrible ritual,
calling on the natural forces of the world itself to smite the Morgathi, whose dark
malevolence would eventually swallow the world into Undeath if left unchecked.
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THE CATACLYSM
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As in the Age of Opposition, once again the planet writhed, but this time in a deliberate
attempt to rid itself of a black cancer that consumed all it touched. The entire
eastern continent of Runorshorvas was tilled by great quakes and finally sucked
down unto the core of the planet, causing the Oceans to swell and rise in what would
come to be called the Cataclysm.
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The Morgathi were destroyed, the Necromancer elite and their living subjects wiped
out save for a few in mountainous regions which were not wholy submerged or which
happened to be away from their homeland. With the descruction of the Necromancers
most of the Undying sunk beneath the waters by the Cataclysm would eventually collapse
without the necessary maintenance of the dark magic that drove their evil existances.
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To the west the small continent of Iandras was fractured into numerous islands,
the island nation of Aruthol was left with a small fraction of it's former size
after over 90% of it was submerged, and most notably the Gersage land bridge was
flooded, creating the Gulf of Tears and the Straits of Upinthia, expanding the Sea
of Osloanda by half again it's size and drowning the northeastern stretch
of Zha'irian cities in the process. In the wake of this, Danoshorvas and Ullushorvas
became seperate continents.
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Further, many parts of the world along the equator became much hotter for no reason
understood by mortals, including the northern expanse of Ullushorvas, and the nations
of Ullu'shu'ra and the Zha'irian Union lost the northern half of their lands outright.
Ullu'shu'ra was able to continue to exist in a diminished state but Zha'ir collapsed,
fracturing into smaller nations.
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THE VOLD
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The survivors of the Machtig were pushed by strong currents to the west for many
months, along the equator and eventually through the new waterway of the Straits
of Upinthia, and directly up through the Sea of Osloanda to land upon the beaches
of what the Machtig came to call the Vold, near the beleaguered capital city of
the Undari. This capital, called Borshioc, was located on the delta where the
Unter-Calish River gives way to the Sea of Osloanda and had suffered extreme flooding
and a loss of some portions of the lower city during the Cataclysm.
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The Machtig soon encountered the Kor, a fallen subrace of Var that claimed portions
of the Vold as their own, as well as the Undari in the form of a slaving force
come into the Vold to capture Kor to use as laborers in the repairing of their flooded
capital city. The slaving party encountered a band of Machtig exploring their new
land for suitable settlements and took them as slaves as well.
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When knowledge of this came to the leadership of the Machtig-Baelvolkerung, scouts
were sent to discover more about this new enemy. The scouts returned with horrid
tales of the Undari death cult and their systematic human sacrifices, but didnt
realize that Borshioc was the capital of a vast Empire, or that if given time the
Undari could marshal forces from far and wide to wipe out the remnants of the Machtig.
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SACK OF BORSHIOC
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Fearing that they had left behind the Morgathi only to find yet another enemy steeped
in death magics, the leaders of the Machtig decided that their best hope lay in
a single devastating assault upon this city of death, leaving no survivors. And
so it was done.
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One fine midsummer day a force of 8,000 plus Machtig warriors, the last males of
their people, a few hundred Druids, and a handful of Obermancers assaulted Borshioc,
the capital of one of the largest Empires the world had seen in several Ages. Easily
entering the partially destroyed city where its defensive works had been claimed
by the Cataclysm, the Machtig poured in to the suprised metropolis.
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The Druids outnumbered the Thanomancers in the temple 3 to 1 and were able to prevent
them from working most of their evil magics outright. Deprived of their weapon of
terror, the Thanomancers were helpless before the savage barbarians. The Macthtig
overwhelmed the High Temple of Undar, killing every Thanomancer and wiping out members
of their feared personal guard as necessary. Though they took some losses, the Machtig
were easily victorious.
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The Undu had ruled for several millennia on the basis of fear and the belief that
their dark magics were undefeatable. With the shattering of this myth, a waving
of angry uprisings by the oppressed peasantry of the vast Undari Empire, and thus
it too fell like all the other great powers of the Age of Expansion.
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THE TAKING OF THE VOLD
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The Machtig-Baelvolkerung, the people who had inadvertantly caused the collapse
of the previous Age, took control of the subcontinent they call the Vold over
the course of a couple of decades by pushing the vast majority of the native Kor
and smaller groups of other creatures out onto the plains to the north and west.
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Most of the fleeing Kor crossed the western lands of what had been Undari and took
shelter in the Dregga Mountains, but after their Machtig pusuers returned to the
Vold many flowed back down into the lowlands and took parts of what had been Undar
for their own. Other tribes slowly pushed down into the Blasted Lands created by
the Witchlords of Vorgaa's demise, claiming them as their own.
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Two thousand years later the Kor tribes still yearn to retake the Vold, which they
call Cysgodion (kiz-gohd-EE-on) and consider to be their true homeland. There
have been numerous attempts to reclaim the Vold in the succeeding two millennia,
and countless border raids as well.
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THE NINE GREAT CLANS
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As the Machtig survivors spread out and made the Vold their home, they also began
to distill into the nine Great Clans of the Herodi (hur-ROD-ee), Raevoring
(RAY-vor-ing), Wundvolding (WUND-vole-ding), Faendradi (fain-DRAH-dee),
Jagrling (YOG-ur-ling), Ulthferen (OOLTH-fair-en), Hengsting
(HANG-steeng), Huarthmunn (HWARTH-mon), and Pargori (PAHR-gore-ee),
oriented around powerful leaders, geography, and general mindsets
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THE HUARTHMUNN
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In the early days of the wars to conquer the Vold the warriors of the Machtig pushed
out from Hafenstadt, spreading out in all directions across the lowlands and eventually
into the hills and highlands of the Wundvold Mountains. As ever more of the inland
region was taken, some Machtig settled the lands and began to farm it. Eventually
these people would become the Huarthmunn Clan.
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THE WUNDVOLDING
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As the war for the Vold moved into the unforgiving peaks of the Wundvolding, where
the Varic Kor were at their strongest, progress was slowed but not halted. Some
of the most legendary and momentous battles in the history of the Machtig were fought
during this time.
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When it was over most of the Kor had been forced onto the plains of the Undu
to the north and west of the mountains. Some Macthig pursued them onto the plains,
and drove them far away before returning. Meanwhile the rest of the Macthig continued
to press the war to the east, following the arc of the mountains.
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Those that had pursued the Kor onto the plains returned to the mountains and rejoined
with those warriors that had remained in place to prevent reentry by the Kor or
other Ungheuer(the Machtig term for non-human enemies) settled in the cold and inhospitable
western arc of the mountains and became the Wundvolding Clan over time.
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THE JAGRLING
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The other Machtig warriors split into two groups; one pressed the war to the
eastern arc of the mountains and the other descending into the vast and dark Voldwald
forest, which was home to many small groups of Ungheuer. These grim warriors waging
war in the dark bows of the primordial forest were sorely tested but with the aid
of their courage and the magics of the Druids and a few Obermancers eventually gained
the upper hand. The Druids prevented total annihilation of the indiginous Ungheuer,
however.
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Their part in the war for the Vold done, these valiant warriors settled into their
new home and became the loose, spread out Jagrling Clan.
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THE HERODI
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The Machtig continuing the war in the mountains finally pushed through to the eastern
end of the Wundvold, to the area near Borshioc from which the Machtig had fought
their first battle in the Vold when they broke the Undari capital. Most of these
people, the most aggressive and battle-hugry warriors of all the Machtig, settled
in their vast new highland country and eventually became the Herodi.
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THE RAEVORING
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However some of these hardend warriors missed the sea, and returned to the coasts
where Hafenstadt was still the seat of Machtig culture. Some settled the coastline,
while others took up residence in Hafenstadt itself. Many returned to the longboats
which had carried the Machtig to the shores of the Vold and began exploring; eventually
they would take up raiding and become the Raevoring Clan.
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THE PARGORI
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While the warriors pressed their war to secure the Vold, most of the scholars, tradesmen,
and craftsfolk had remained behind in and around Hafenstadt. With the return of
the aggressive and domineering warriors several decades later many of the residents
found Hafenstadt intolerably testosterone ridden; many chose to sail up the Unien
river and settled around Lake Pargo, which had bountiful forests around its northern
edge and plentiful fishing. They eventually became the Pargori Clan.
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THE HENGSTING
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Meanwhile some of the warriors in the group that would become the Herodi took to
catching and taming the wild mustangs which congregated between Lake Pargo and the
highland hills, and formed a subculture based around the taming and training of
such. They would eventually become the Hengsting.
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THE ULTHFEREN
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The northern reaches of the Voldwald were home to several packs of
Wyrdynion, a near-human people made long ago by the Haelfinan in their interminable
war against the combined armies of the Var and Humans in the Ages of Legend.
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Made specifically as a weapon against Humans, the Wyrdynion are shapechangers that
can alter their forms between the semblance of a human, a wolf, and a fearsome hybrid
of both. They can infect other humans with their bite, turning them into one of
them, and have an instinctual urge to do so crafted into them by the Haelfinan.
Ultimately the Wyrdynion turned on the Haelfinan as well, but are still dangerous
to Humans.
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Some of the Jagrling residing in this region became infected with the Wyr curse,
and soon the curse had spread to many other families and settlements. Terrible night
time raids by Ulth-feren (wolf touched) Clansmen plagued the holds of all the Clans
bordering the region, but particularly the more southerly Jagrling.
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Finally the Druids were able to provide a partial solution; they crafted a great
magic that took away the ability of almost all the infected Machtig to infect others
with the curse, and greatly diminshed the bloodlust that would consume them to attack
other Humans as the moon waxed. However, the curse was still inheritable and thus
the Ulthferen were born.
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Many wanted to slay the infected regardless, but the Druids counceled otherwise,
saying that the turn of events that created the Ulthferen was foretold in prophesy
and that they too had a part to play in the futures of the Mighty People.
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THE FAENDRADI
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In the southernmost lands of those who were slowly crystalizing into the Jagrling
Clan, a few steadings of Machtig made contact with an enclave of Haelfinan that
had managed to survive on the mainland for many thousands of years. The Machtig's
oldest legends spoke of such people, which they know as the Aelfing. Over
long centuries these steadings interbred with the Haelfinan on occasion and were
otherwise influenced by them, becoming the Faendradi Clan.
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MACHTIG PROGRESS
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Over the course of the last two millennia the warlike Herodi controlled the Machtig
more often than not, and periodically led Machtig hordes in all directions to do
war and pillage, as well as repulsing occasional invasions and attempted punitive
measures from other nations.
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In the early days as the Clans formed conflict among the Clans would occassionally
occur, though there was never outright war. This was almost invariably a Herodi
affair, where they would uses the threat of force and raids to bully dissenting
Clans and maintain their effective hegemony.
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THE OBERLAIRD
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The Druids and Skalds always put a stop to the intra-Clan conflict as fast
as they could manage, but finally a little over twelve hundred years ago the Grand
Druid Uliean declared that there would be an Oberlaird with authority over all of
the Clan Lairds, and it would be every Machtig's solemn duty to do honor to the
Oberlaird and to heed their edicts.
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The Oberlaird would be voted for by the Lairds from one of their own number, and
would serve as Oberlaird so long as they were Lairds of their own Clan. No one may
challenge the Oberlaird directly save a person pressing to become the Laird of that
Clan themselves. The Oberlaird cannot interfere with the rule of other Lairds within
their own Clanhold, but can set policies for the Machtig as a people, and can prevent
individual Clans from waging wars of their own.
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Most importantly, any affair or altercation involving more than two Clans must come
before the Oberlaird for judgement, and only the Oberlaird can call the Clans to
war. The Oberlaird could also muster the forces of the Clans to punish an offending
Clan, though it has never been necessary..
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Since this time inter-Clan aggression has ceased, and though political wrangling
is not uncommon between Lairds it is not resolved via violence. Of course, the Herodi
have had more Oberlairds than all the other Clans combined, but on the other hand
most Heroid Lairds tend to have relatively short tenures.
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RECENT HISTORY
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The last nine decades have seen a string of long-tenured Pargori Oberlairds who
have checked the warmongering of the Herodi and ushered in an era of unmatched peace
and prosperity, opening trade ties with several key nations, and generally attempting
to civilize the Machtig.
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Trade with Worfinal and Shidaal have been particularly key for the Pargori reign,
and the current Oberlaird has been making great progress on cementing an actual
formal alliance with the neighboring city-state of Shidaal.
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The more warlike Clans, most particularly the Herodi, Ulthferen, and Raevoring,
are very disatisfied with the current state of affairs. The more martial and hardbitten
fear that the nearly century of relative peace has made the Machtig soft and weak,
and view the rising power of non warrior merchants and landowners with trepidation.
Many feel that the very Machtig way of life is in jeopardy.
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However, a Druidic prophesy made upon the ascension of the Pargori almost a century
ago indicated that a time of peace was called for, but that a time of war and a
great testing of the Clans would follow it a centure hence. Many heed this and a
powerful alliance is manuevering politically to make sure that the charismatic and
popular Herodi Laird becomes the next Oberlaird.
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POPULATION
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The Vold is a vast land, and though large parts of it are sparsely settled there
is still a large population of Machtig residing therein. The above chart gives rough
approximations of the sizes of the Great Clans in the modern day. As indicated some
Great Clans are substantially larger than others.
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The Raevoring and Herodi Clans have more population than their lands (in the case
of the Raevoring) or infrastructure (in the case of the Herodi) can truly support;
however they are both warrior cultures and rely on large numbers of their warriors
raiding abroad for much of the year to varying degrees.
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Similarly the Pargori population is higher than their Clanhold can support internally,
but a higher than average urban population density, the disproportionately high
influx of trade, a minor tendency of Machtig that fit poorly in their own Clans
to abandon their own Clan and join the Pargori, and the tradition of a sizable portion
of the population surviving as traveling merchants living abroad for extended periods
balances things out.
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The Faendradi population is actually far below what their lands could conceivably
support. The Clan has been slowly dwindling in size for many centuries for a variety
of factors including the decreased fecundity of the Aelfing-bludded.
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The other five Clans have a population basically in line with what their Clanhold
and infrastructure can support, though populations are somewhat higher in general
thanks to the last nine decades of relative peace.
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NOTE: Slaves are not counted into these numbers, but Thralls are.
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FOREIGN RELATIONS
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Each Clan manages it's own relationships with outsiders in theory, but in general
there are some common views of other peoples shared across the Clans.
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VAR
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The Machtig like and respect the Var
as a rule, and always do them great honor when they visit their steadings. There
are two Varholds within the expansed of the Vold and a very large Varhold adjacent
to the Wundvolding lands, and the Machtig have always had a friendly and mutually
beneficial relationship with them all.
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The Wundvolding in particular are fond of the Var, and have been heavily influenced
by Varic culture.
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KOR
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The Machtig have a generally antagonistic relationship with the
Kor, having driven them from the Vold two millennia past. There have been
numerous wars, skirmishes, and pitched battles between the Kor and the Machtig in
the long centuries hence.
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A single tribe of Kor, the Kor-Daen, still resides in the Vold due to the Druids
staunchly refusing to allow the Machtig to wipe them out. They are generally smart
enough to keep a low profile, but occasionally they cause trouble and bloodshed
occurs.
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AELFING
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The Machtig call the Haelfinan the
"Aelfing". The Machtig have had a strange relationship with them
stretching back into eternity; Druids, the Faendradi, and some Zauberer (Aeldenari)
in particular have a special connection with the Aelfing inhabitants of the Vold,
and many of the Machtigs oldest lore contains stories of one such gaining some favor
or blessing from the Aelfing.
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There are also stories of the dark side of the Aelfing; their strange bargains,
inscrutable behavior, and mercurial passions.
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Amongst the highland and forest clans, the Aelfing are viewed in different ways;
the Faendradi often intermarry and interbreed with the Aelfing, and there are some
half-Aelfing born among them every year. The Ulthferen are generally antagonistic
towards the Aelfing as the wyrdynion and the Haelfinan have long been enemies. The
Jagrling generally have a live-and-let-live mentality.
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The lowland Machtig of the Huarthmunn and Pargori generally fear the distant Aelfing,
and scare their children with night stories of ancient Aelfing curses and Der Wutend
Jagr (the wild hunt). To the Herodi they are just another kind of Ungheuer, though
decidedly more dangerous than most. Finally, the coastal Raevoring generally discount
them as figments.
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DUROGAUN
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Durogaun (DER-oh-GONE) is what the Machtig call the
Dyrgynion. They are large humanoids that look like other men save that they
are all at least ten feet tall or more.
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Generally peaceful they favor bluff highlands, and there are scattered villages
of them in the lands of the Herodi,Wundvolding, and the more rugged parts of the
Ulthferen lands. They are very rare and almost never seen, for despite their size
they are adept at avoiding notice.
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Legend has it that they were once Machtig that were cursed by the Aelfing, but the
Druids have remained silent on the matter. Whatever the truth, they are accepted
and protected by the Druids, who have always taken a special interest in them and
have been instrumental in their general acceptance by the Herodi, Ulthferen, and
Wundvolding Clans.
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This community of Durogaun share the Machtig religion and some among them have even
been initiated in the Druidic rites, though they are outside the normal bounds of
Machtig society and are considered myths among most heartlanders and Raevoring.
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All the scattered Durogaun settlements recognize a single chieftan who is currently
a crafty and brave warrior named Unthien Uroldssun the Fair. Unthien secretly wishes
to see the Faendradi die out and have his people rise to take their place as the
ninth Clan, though he dares not take action to ensure it.
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AFFELAUNES
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Occasionally packs of Affelaunes
wander into Herodi lands. In general the Herodi leave them alone as they are hardly
viewed as worthy opponents, but if the small people make nuisances of themselves
the Herodi stomp on them until they are dead or gone.
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HURGUR
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Hurgur (HER-GUR) are big thuggish
humanoids, largely hairless, that live among the mountains in both the Wundvolding
and Herodi lands and occassionally stray down into the highlands to raid for food.
They are tough and fierce combatants, and can be rapacious raiders even in small
numbers. Most Hurgur are not terribly bright, though they often have a low cunning
that makes them dangerous.
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It is considered to be a great feat for a Thegn to slay one single handedly among
the Herodi and small bands of young Thegns can be found hunting them out on occasion.
For their part the Hurgur of the Herodi lands respect and fear their oppressors,
but also resent them. They would probably have been long hunted to extinction in
those lands by the warmongering Herodi, but the Druids have prevented them from
being wiped out entirely.
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The Wundvolding on the otherhand generally leave them be unless they threaten Humans,
and some Wundvolding communites are on friendly terms with some Hurgur communities.
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There are some among the Hurgur of the Vold that have been influenced by generations
of Druidic interference that believe that the Hurgur should make peace with the
Machtig and ally with them; so far they are in the minority.
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GROL
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There are clutches of Grol in the high mountains of the Wundvolding Clanhold, but
in the Herodi lands hunting expiditions set out whenever a Grol incursion is sighted.
The Wundvolding are content to only go after the clutches that are a hazard to their
communities and trade, leaving the rest be.
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WOLFWAREN
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Wolfwaren is the Machtig name for
Wyrdynion. Originally there was a sizable collection of packs in the Voldwald,
but they were almost completely assimilated into the Ulthferen Clan long ago. There
are a few small packs left wandering around, but they will be unable to sustain
themselves for too many more generations.
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VORSHEK
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In the Vold some small pockets of Vorshek can be found throughout the moutain and
highland areas, even in the Herodi lands thanks to their tenacious survivability.
Dangerous when forced to fight, they are generally peaceful despite their fearsome
appearance. However on occasion one will go rogue and begin to attack Humans, at
which time the Huscarl of whatever Clan the Vorshek is active in is dispatched to
kill the rogue.
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Also, the Kor-Daen tribe of Kor that still resides in small enclaves throughout
the Wunvolding mountains like to take Vorshek and train them for battle, and use
them as weapons. This is hard to do but extrememly effective when successful.
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Regardless, Vorshek are insanely difficult to kill, are grossly strong, and many
warriors have fallen to their might. It is a mark of great honor to defeat a Vorshek
even as part of a group, and to do so singlehandedly is the sort of thing warrior
legends are based on.
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UNDARI
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The nations to the north and east of the Vold are all fragments of the great Undari
Empire that was effectively sundered by the Machtig. Historically Herodi led campaigns
have run roughshod over the Undari nations at will, with even partial successes
for the Undari rare. In general the Machtig (and in particular the Herodi) hold
the Undari in total contempt as a people, though some have developed respect for
individual Undari.
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VORGAANESE
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In general the Machtig view the Vorgaanese they have had contact with as basically
worthy adversaries, but believe they rely too much on magic. Some capable Vorgaanese
warriors have made an account of themselves in battles past to earn a grudging respect,
though the average Vorgaanese commoner is afforded no measure.
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