Vdalion
Vdalion, lands of the north, of mountain and monsters. These harsh lands were once the seat of an empire that spanned the entirety of Meranthe, but in these twilight days the Throne of the Hero-God Grimnir lies empty. The fragments of his once vast empire are ruled by his steward and council. The people of Vdalion are famed for their historians, their strength at arms, and for their craftsmanship, the Giants of the north having lost none of their skill at the forge.
History[edit]
Born in the distant days of the Primomachy, Vdalion was founded by Grimnir, first among Giants, a boy whose tribe had been destroyed by the warring nations of the North and the last mortal to speak with Ymir before the Aether-gods sacrifice, and the first to drink of Ymir’s blood, and the one to take the deepest draught. A giant unlike any other, Grimnir united the warring clans beneath his rule, defeating even the others of his kind, and destroying any who kept to the warlike ways of the past.
Beneath his rule, the Empire of Grimnir flourished and spread to all corners of Meranthe. For a time it seemed as though the first Giant would reign forever, However blessed though he might have been, time comes for all. Passing peacefully in his sleep, Grimnir’s throne was left empty. His son, now known only to history as the Blood Traitor, sought to steal his fathers fountain, the last remaining source of Ymir’s blood after the severing, and in the conflict his men, mercenaries and scum, drank of the blood. Their impure souls clashed with the blood of Ymir, and they became demons in giant flesh, Oniborn, and the clash between them destroyed the fountain, and began the twilight age of Vdalion, the giants growing weaker with each passing generation as other nations threw off the yoke of giant rule to seek their own ways.
Governance[edit]
The Nominal Government of Vdalion is the Moot, a council made up of the leaders of the most powerful clans. Once upon a time it was entirely dominated by Giants, however the Ursidae have won a seat of their own, and it is rare, but not unheard of in these twilight days, for a particularly talented human sorcerer to sit amongst the Blood of Ymir at Grimnir’s council table. Leading this council is the Frost-speaker, keeper of Vdalion’s Traditions and Seneschal of Grimnir, whose duty is to await his return. And conversely is the Flame-Speaker, voice of the lowest among the Council, voice of Opposition, meant to ensure the Frost-speaker works for the good of Vdalion, and not their own self interest.
Though the Moot rules the splintered state of Vdalion in practice, in spirit the Moot still considers themselves naught but the advisors of the lost Grimnir, they await the day when an heir should arise to take the throne, a Grimnir Reborn anew and once more worthy in the eyes of Ymir, a figure to unite the scattered clans, and restore their people's strength and position.
Religious Sects[edit]
The modern day climate of Vdalion is one of countless cabals of different races and creeds striving to fill the empty throne of Grimnir. It is loosely a city-state at this point, consumed by infighting and intrigue as it presently stands. The only authorities that keep it from devolving into open anarchy and civil war are the myriad sects of worship. Some worship the hero cult of Grimnir, striving to follow his footsteps on the road to being a champion through acts of great courage. Others venerate Vdali the dreamer, seeking insight in the earthen dreamscape of the missing primal. The Zealots of Ymir’s Return are amongst the most fundamentalist and inflammatory of the sects, believing that the severed king must be revived through sacrifice and sorcery. To them, even the dark arts are considered a means to an end on the path to restoring the ember of the giant god, regularly in conflict with more passive and benign sects. Their temple is as much a debate hall for the sects as it is a holy gathering place; no blood may be shed within the temple by any of the clans or sects unless in sacrifice.
Culture[edit]
The people of Vdalion still follow ancient custom and laws, though the influence of giants has waned since the glory days of the empire, much of the laws remain the same, though the Ursidae and some human sorcerers have managed to win grudging concessions, and grudging respect, from the clans. Regardless, the Giant clans view the younger races, and humanity as at best, children tampering with forces they do not understand, considering themselves the guardians of Meranthe. Though they are at times short sighted, stubborn, or selfish, the clans as a whole aspire to protect the people they tower over.
While dark arts are rare among Vdalion, they are only explicitly forbidden to the smallfolk, with the Giant Clans long tradition stating that only Giant-Kind can be trusted with such dangerous and volatile magic. Though many among the clans do not favor the dark arts use even among the people of Ymir.