Lore:Barbarian



Wolves of the North We ride to war For honor, for glory We ride to death To Valorheim With a song on our lips. - Excerpt from Wolves' March, Wúlfarim anthem

The Northmen, better known amongst other civilized races as Barbarians, are the ancestors of Humans. Their proper name is Aðalmundr, meaning "first protectors" in their own tongue. They are a proud and strong race native to the frozen northlands of Norhel. This region is known not only for its harsh and unforgiving climate, but the countless monstrous predators that reside there. Despite this, the barbarian tribes have thrived here for as long as history recounts.

Barbarians are known for their skill and courage on the battlefield, though some other races believe them too quick to resort to bloodshed to solve conflict. As such, the barbarians have only a tentative friendship with the other races, largely limited to trade. Despite this, as they are never ones to turn down battle, the barbarians have come to the aid of humans, dwarves, and elves on more than one occasion during times of war.

In the current age, most barbarians remain content to live out their lives in their homeland; hunting, drinking, fighting, and dying as their people have always done. However, many take it upon themselves to venture out and see the world. Adventuring bands often find that a barbarian among the party can quickly turn the tide of a battle.

Physical Qualities
Only the strongest survive in Norhel, and the barbarian race has evolved over the ages along that line. Barbarians are powerfully built, with wide shoulders, broad chests, and long, thick limbs. Males typically stand around 7 feet and weigh over 300 pounds. Females can weigh much less, but are always taller and more built than humans.

Barbarians are famed for their endurance and willpower. Though there is little to explain it other than perhaps the generations of harsh living among the tundra, barbarians are highly resistant to environmental conditions such as extreme heat or cold and are known for having an extremely high tolerance to pain and fatigue. They are conditioned to go long periods with no food or water if necessary. Barbarians are ultimately survivors rivaled only by the Aildari, and will often emerge without complaint even from situations that many other races would find surely fatal.

A barbarian's features follow relatively the same range as that of a human, though fair hair and blue eyes are more common than anything else. Their skin color ranges from pale to deeper gold or bronze shades. Their hair is always worn long and is often tightly braided and decorated with small bones. A wide array of facial hair styles can be found among the males of the tribes. Among female barbarians, fiery red hair is considered a sign of beauty and fertility.

History
Not much is known about the ancient history of the Aðalmundr, as they do not keep lore themselves save for songs and legends of glorious battles. What is known comes from tales and folklore that have been told by the barbarians and slowly spread across the realms. It is unknown what parts of these stories are myth or fact.

Aðalmundr Lore
The barbarians claim to be created by a god whom they call Valdr, sometimes written Valdyr in Common. Though they have many gods, they claim Valdr to be the greatest and that it was he who created the Aðalmundr and set them within Norhel to protect his mountain, Valdr's Rise. As the story goes, the mountain is a sacred place and a gateway for gods or souls of the dead to travel between Relia and Valorheim, the halls of the afterlife where only those who die a good or glorious death are permitted to go.

The stories tell that the demon hound Hrundir, roaming the mortal world of Relia, once came upon the mountain and climbed to the tallest peak. From there, the hound sniffed out the pathway into the heavens. The creature quickly fled the slopes seeking to return to the pits to tell its master of this find, for the dark ones had long been envious of the higher gods' realms and sought a way to rise from their own wretched planes to overtake the heavens.

Valdr sensed Hrundir's presence just as the hound fled. The warrior god broke open the sky and hurled a mighty spear that slew the hound in a single devastating blow. Despite this victory, Valdr knew the hound Hrundir would not be the last to come seeking his mountain.

Thus, the god forged in his own image the Aðalmundr, the First Protectors, guardians of his realm.

First Encounter
It is believed that the Northmen have existed on Relia since at least the Second Age, though none know how long they may have dwelt in the frozen north before their discovery. The first account of their appearance comes from an incident in which human seafarers were blown off course by a terrible storm and ended up on the shores of Norhel. They traded with the Northmen and eventually repaired their vessel, but the tale speaks of some treachery from a group of humans who sought to take more than what the two groups had agreed upon in their bartering. The barbarians answered with bloodshed, leaving only enough alive to sail their ship away from the northlands. They sent the humans off with a warning to never return, and to tell others of their kind the same.

Despite the disaster and the dire warning the explorers left with, they were intrigued by the uncharted land of the barbarians as well as the northmen who were so similar in appearance to themselves. Years later, with war on their doorstep, humans from the kingdom of Denath Elor sailed ships to the north once more bearing gifts and supplies. The fury of the northmen had cooled only enough to allow the humans to speak and present their offering of truce. The humans then made an offer much more to the barbarian's liking: that they would be awarded more in kind if they would send some of their fighters to join the humans in defending their kingdom during the coming war.

The Northmen agreed and sent as many of their men who were willing and could be carried in the ships. Many found a love for sailing the sea and fishing from the ships, something that would find its way back to their culture very quickly. The barbarian's found the kingdom of Denath Elor to be strange and full of many wondrous races and creatures that they had never seen, and while they preferred the simple life of their homeland, many of the curious warriors relished the new experience.

The humans, though no strangers to martial combat themselves, were in awe at the barbarian's reckless fury and complete lack of fear in battle. The war against the assaulting orcish invaders was easily won and thus a loose alliance was formed between barbarians and humans. Trade between the two became more and more common as the barbarians crafted sailing vessels of their own and learned more about travel and exploration.