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Chapter Four, Part Five: An End and a Beginning
Chapter Four, Part Five: An End and a Beginning, 990 – 1000 A.D.
With Arvid Far-Seeker crowned as the King of Setraland by the monks on the heels of the defeat of the Bishopric’s navy, perhaps he felt that his reign would be accepted by the continental lords and company chieftains as a fait accompli. However, he could not have been more wrong; though he had smashed the main body of troops possessed by the Gorfodi, the continental nobility still had their own forces to lead into battle. Granted, many of these were still fighting small brushfire skirmishes with Fanaithe still loyal to the ideas of the Filleadhaite, but they still existed as a potent force to be reckoned with.
Additionally, there were three claimants to the title of Gorfodi that Arvid would have to deal with one way or another if he wanted his reign to be secured. One, Mihael, was the younger brother of the slain Arthfael, while the other two, Gallmau and Vormvini, were the sons of Arthfael. Mihael, in possession of Nuadu’s Isle, was perhaps in the best defensive position of the three, holding the critical settlement of Rineen; however, he lacked the following of either Gallmau or Vormvini. Gallmau, the more talented soldier, the eldest of Arthfael’s sons, was not especially popular among the nobility; Vormvini, the more talented of a speaker, had more friends in the noble circles.
Mihael, not a fan of either of his two nephews and the first to hear of Arthfael’s demise, was quick to proclaim himself Gorfodi, backed by the clergy on Nuadu’s Isle. Gallmau reacted to this by trying to organize an expedition to take out his uncle, though he found this difficult. Vormvini was the next to openly declare himself Gorfodi, so proclaimed at Costa Dhearg by the personal priest of Deicola, the head of the pro-Briton Imchada company and a descendant of the famous collaborator Rechtabra. This gave Vormvini a strong position on the continent. Gallmau, after hearing of this betrayal, belatedly declared himself Gorfodi, but, as the story goes, was forced to find a backwoods priest to consecrate him to that office.
Of course, all of these consecrations to Gorfodi were “temporary” in nature, until the Insula could be reclaimed and the Bishop made them official. But they were good enough for campaigns to be launched and for blood to be spilled once again on the soil of Talbeah.
Perhaps, as the three Britons try to rally their forces to fight each other and Arvid, this is as good a place as any to discuss what had been happening in the Confederation up to this point...
----
The Confederation suffered during the Filleadhaite Revolt. Their entire raison d’etre had revolved around the Blade Trade with the Bishopric, which was heavily disrupted by the piratical actions of the Filleadhaite early in the conflict and the general carnage and chaos of the later war. This threw a wrench in the relatively smooth operations of the state, and the Afonbren began to grow more desperate to find some way to replace the lost trade.
This was driven, in turn, by the class of Christian traders that had developed over decades of close contact with the Bishopric. These men were not fans of the matrilineal society that dominated the tribes that made up the Confederation, and they stood the most to lose from continued trade contacts. They would be boosted, however, by the trickle of refugees fleeing the violence and coming down river. While Olchobar would meet with a tragic fate when he tried to mimic this movement, most refugees were welcomed by the Confederation, especially the Christians. They brought with them some small trade goods, which were quickly absorbed into the trade networks, but, more importantly, they brought with them knowledge.
Mining and metal work were completely unknown to the Afonbren prior to the contact with the Bishopric. While there had been some work done with native copper, it was purely for ornamental or ritual purposes, not for tools or for weapons. The Blade Trade revolutionized this, bringing the cheap weapons from the Bishopric flooding into the Confederation. The Afonbren still lacked the ability to manufacture their own, but they did develop ways to patch or repair broken blades, sometimes merging two broken blades into abominations of iron. This would begin to change as the refugees came downriver, bringing knowledge with them.
Finding common cause with their Christian brethren, these fleeing Fanaithe were quickly valued for their mining and blacksmithing abilities. Termed the “Iohristani” by the Afonbren (meaning something along the lines of “ironmen”), these Fanaithe helped the natives to develop the metal resources that they’re land was sitting upon. While it would take some time to find and work iron deposits of a large enough magnitude to supply some of their needs, copper tools began to be fabricated as a stop-gap measure. These tools, generally lower in quality, nevertheless fit the niche that the Confederation needed filled.
Spurred on by the Christian Afonbren and the Iohristani, the Confederation stepped up and began to take the place of the Bishopric in the continental trade. The smaller tribes, scattered throughout the region, that had been introduced to the trade earlier in the century, began to have their orders filled by native Afonbren artificers. The Confederation also drove its caravans further into the interior, searching for new markets for its goods; this would bring them over the coming century into the greater continental trade networks, beginning to be developed as tribes across central and south-eastern Talbeah began to settle down. [1]
The most dramatic of these transformations, of course, was in the original region contracted by the Confederation’s traders. The tribes which had been spurred to almost eternal warfare between themselves had settled down and “sophisticated” further, constructing palisaded villages and developing small polities of their own. This was welcomed by the Confederation, which had been hoping for this eventuality in the first place; it enabled trade to be conducted more formally, as well as allowing the spread of the knowledge of the Iohristani.
These developments all, of course, played to the strength of the Christian Afonbren. The driving force behind these efforts, they were able to profit strongly from the changes in trade. This placed them in stronger positions, vis a vis the traditional leadership of the Confederation, their wealth allowing them to swing more individuals into their influence. By the close of the century, the Confederation would be, for all intents and purposes, controlled by these monied interests, though direct political control would not be sought by these men until later. For now, they were content to control the trade and the wealth of the Confederation.
-----
The developments in the Confederation had the effect of weakening the position of the European settlements, vis a vis the continental trade. Their position at the head of the Blade Trade had been usurped over the time of troubles, making the Confederation more interested in establishing trade ties on a more equitable level when trade was resumed (as, of course, the Confederation’s blades left something to be desired). While this did eliminate much of the impetus behind the hated man-tax, the nobility and company heads were left in the lurch. Their wealth, depleted over years of warfare, was unable to be as easily replenished as it had been earlier in the century.
This would play both in favor and against the three claimants to Gorfodi, as well as their loyal noblemen and company heads. With a lot of excess blades lying around, it was quite easy for them to arm their loyal retainers; however, at the same time, it was difficult to pay these same retainers. This strange environment led to the development of Talbeahan manorialism, in its earliest senses; noblemen, lacking the traditional methods of gift giving, would promise powerful warriors land and labor [2], in exchange for martial services and a part of their profits. These developments would be felt more strongly in the coming centuries, however; for now, it was simply a stop-gap measure.
Gallmau was faced with the unfortunate position of being a military minded man with no military to lead. His general unpopularity, due to an apparent speech impediment (if the Chronicles of Rineen are to be believed), prevented him from gathering a large enough force to pose an effective challenge. It also made him vulnerable to intrigues; the eldest son of Arthfael would be assassinated in 992, likely at the behest of his younger brother.
This would place the contest for who was the true Gorfodi between Mihael and Vormvini. The two were forced to wage a sort of running raid-style of warfare against each other, due to Mihael’s geographic security on Nuadu’s Isle. Small flotillas would sortie to attack small settlements, driving people from small towns on the coast into defensible settlements. This disrupted the economy of the Bishopric further, while also causing more human hardship and suffering.
Arvid Far-Seeker, in the meantime, was initially content to watch the Birtons fight between themselves. This would change to distraction when the Island Measctha clans rose up against him, inspired by one of the few monks from Brendan’s that actively opposed the new King. This war would nearly cost Arvid his crown when the Measctha almost took all of Peace Town in a surprise attack; but the Ostman would rally his supporters, and drive the Measctha back, eventually slaughtering many of them. The survivors would flee the island, many of them landing on Nuadu’s Isle in 995, where they would be welcomed by Mihael. This would open up the Insula for future Ostish settlement, changing the character of the island in the coming centuries.
The conflict between Mihael and Vormvini would grind to a standstill towards the end of the century, though Vormvini would get a break when Mihael was stricken with a grave illnesss in 997 and passed away after a short struggle. Mihael’s children would quarrel with each other, allowing Vormvini the chance to sail against Nuadu’s Isle and secure it for himself. Now, with the entirety of the continental Bishopric behind him, he felt prepared to sail against the Insula.
However, the day after he finished his council of war at Costa Dhearg, the sails of the Ostmen were seen against the horizon. Arvid Far-Seeker, ready for further conflict after repairing the damage left by the Island Measctha revolt, had come to meet the last challenger to his authority.
By all accounts, Vormvini should have won. Costa Dhearg was notoriously well-fortified, his ancestor Owain only able to secure it himself after a lengthy siege. However, Vormvini was terrified of the Ostish forces, having come to believe the many legends he had heard about their brutality. He was also unsure of his own military prowess, knowing he lacked the command presence of either his brother or uncle. With this in mind, he decided to try to slip out of the town himself, leaving his men with a command lurch. When he was unable to, due to the walls of the town being closed, Vormvini instead hid himself in the basement of a flour mill, as the story goes.
With their commander missing in action, the forces of the would-be Gorfodi fumbled many of the opening actions, allowing the Ostmen to secure their ships at anchor with nary a casualty and land their men without much opposition. A fierce fight followed as some tried to rally and regain the initiative, but the damage was already done. Most of the Gorfodi’s forces scattered, breaking down the gates to escape; Vormvini was found by an Ostman spearman, covered in flour. Brought before Arvid, the Ostish King had him thrown into a pot and boiled “as if he was a dumpling.” [3]
With Owain’s line all but snuffed out, no real threat to Arvid’s authority remained. Over the next three years, Arvid would establish a sort of understanding with the myriad of companies and nobility that remained on the Talbeahan continent. Arvid recognized that a campaign to bring all of them to heel would be violent, time-consuming, and leave him with little to rule over; he also feared uniting them behind another candidate for Gorfodi if he presented such a threat, as they were currently content to squabble with each other over creeks and woods and fields. Therefore, in exchange for a reasonable tribute and some manner of homage, Arvid would allow them to continue to operate as they had become accustomed to.
And thus, the century ended, and with it, the first Millenium after the birth of Jesus Christ. In the New World, Arvid now presided over an impoverished realm, while the star of the Confederation began to beam ever brighter.
Perhaps the Ostish King regretted selecting this as his kingdom of to conquer; it would take years to bring it up to profitability again.
Everything would change, of course, on New Year’s Day, 1000 A.D., when Arvid Far-Seeker, King of Setraland, was served a dish flavored by something so revolutionary to him, something that would come to dominate European attentions in the New World for centuries to come.
For that was the day that Arvid was given a piece of maple sugar candy...
[1] - Unlike what has been held as historical orthodoxy for centuries, it is now believed that this settlement period was related to independent phenomena from the Confederation’s trade efforts. The natural progression of indigenous developments, this was hastened, of course, by the Confederation, but it would have likely happened with or without the traders.
[2] - The traditional view of a Fanaithe being a “free-man” had been destroyed by the man-tax. The victory over the Filleadhaite had reinforced to the victors that they had the right to dispose of the labor of those beneath them how they saw fit- they could simply redirect the man-tax towards the service of a loyal vassal. The further indignities- such as travel restrictions, clothing laws, and the like- were still in the future.
[3] - The rather creative style of the records at the time makes such an account suspect.
With Arvid Far-Seeker crowned as the King of Setraland by the monks on the heels of the defeat of the Bishopric’s navy, perhaps he felt that his reign would be accepted by the continental lords and company chieftains as a fait accompli. However, he could not have been more wrong; though he had smashed the main body of troops possessed by the Gorfodi, the continental nobility still had their own forces to lead into battle. Granted, many of these were still fighting small brushfire skirmishes with Fanaithe still loyal to the ideas of the Filleadhaite, but they still existed as a potent force to be reckoned with.
Additionally, there were three claimants to the title of Gorfodi that Arvid would have to deal with one way or another if he wanted his reign to be secured. One, Mihael, was the younger brother of the slain Arthfael, while the other two, Gallmau and Vormvini, were the sons of Arthfael. Mihael, in possession of Nuadu’s Isle, was perhaps in the best defensive position of the three, holding the critical settlement of Rineen; however, he lacked the following of either Gallmau or Vormvini. Gallmau, the more talented soldier, the eldest of Arthfael’s sons, was not especially popular among the nobility; Vormvini, the more talented of a speaker, had more friends in the noble circles.
Mihael, not a fan of either of his two nephews and the first to hear of Arthfael’s demise, was quick to proclaim himself Gorfodi, backed by the clergy on Nuadu’s Isle. Gallmau reacted to this by trying to organize an expedition to take out his uncle, though he found this difficult. Vormvini was the next to openly declare himself Gorfodi, so proclaimed at Costa Dhearg by the personal priest of Deicola, the head of the pro-Briton Imchada company and a descendant of the famous collaborator Rechtabra. This gave Vormvini a strong position on the continent. Gallmau, after hearing of this betrayal, belatedly declared himself Gorfodi, but, as the story goes, was forced to find a backwoods priest to consecrate him to that office.
Of course, all of these consecrations to Gorfodi were “temporary” in nature, until the Insula could be reclaimed and the Bishop made them official. But they were good enough for campaigns to be launched and for blood to be spilled once again on the soil of Talbeah.
Perhaps, as the three Britons try to rally their forces to fight each other and Arvid, this is as good a place as any to discuss what had been happening in the Confederation up to this point...
----
The Confederation suffered during the Filleadhaite Revolt. Their entire raison d’etre had revolved around the Blade Trade with the Bishopric, which was heavily disrupted by the piratical actions of the Filleadhaite early in the conflict and the general carnage and chaos of the later war. This threw a wrench in the relatively smooth operations of the state, and the Afonbren began to grow more desperate to find some way to replace the lost trade.
This was driven, in turn, by the class of Christian traders that had developed over decades of close contact with the Bishopric. These men were not fans of the matrilineal society that dominated the tribes that made up the Confederation, and they stood the most to lose from continued trade contacts. They would be boosted, however, by the trickle of refugees fleeing the violence and coming down river. While Olchobar would meet with a tragic fate when he tried to mimic this movement, most refugees were welcomed by the Confederation, especially the Christians. They brought with them some small trade goods, which were quickly absorbed into the trade networks, but, more importantly, they brought with them knowledge.
Mining and metal work were completely unknown to the Afonbren prior to the contact with the Bishopric. While there had been some work done with native copper, it was purely for ornamental or ritual purposes, not for tools or for weapons. The Blade Trade revolutionized this, bringing the cheap weapons from the Bishopric flooding into the Confederation. The Afonbren still lacked the ability to manufacture their own, but they did develop ways to patch or repair broken blades, sometimes merging two broken blades into abominations of iron. This would begin to change as the refugees came downriver, bringing knowledge with them.
Finding common cause with their Christian brethren, these fleeing Fanaithe were quickly valued for their mining and blacksmithing abilities. Termed the “Iohristani” by the Afonbren (meaning something along the lines of “ironmen”), these Fanaithe helped the natives to develop the metal resources that they’re land was sitting upon. While it would take some time to find and work iron deposits of a large enough magnitude to supply some of their needs, copper tools began to be fabricated as a stop-gap measure. These tools, generally lower in quality, nevertheless fit the niche that the Confederation needed filled.
Spurred on by the Christian Afonbren and the Iohristani, the Confederation stepped up and began to take the place of the Bishopric in the continental trade. The smaller tribes, scattered throughout the region, that had been introduced to the trade earlier in the century, began to have their orders filled by native Afonbren artificers. The Confederation also drove its caravans further into the interior, searching for new markets for its goods; this would bring them over the coming century into the greater continental trade networks, beginning to be developed as tribes across central and south-eastern Talbeah began to settle down. [1]
The most dramatic of these transformations, of course, was in the original region contracted by the Confederation’s traders. The tribes which had been spurred to almost eternal warfare between themselves had settled down and “sophisticated” further, constructing palisaded villages and developing small polities of their own. This was welcomed by the Confederation, which had been hoping for this eventuality in the first place; it enabled trade to be conducted more formally, as well as allowing the spread of the knowledge of the Iohristani.
These developments all, of course, played to the strength of the Christian Afonbren. The driving force behind these efforts, they were able to profit strongly from the changes in trade. This placed them in stronger positions, vis a vis the traditional leadership of the Confederation, their wealth allowing them to swing more individuals into their influence. By the close of the century, the Confederation would be, for all intents and purposes, controlled by these monied interests, though direct political control would not be sought by these men until later. For now, they were content to control the trade and the wealth of the Confederation.
-----
The developments in the Confederation had the effect of weakening the position of the European settlements, vis a vis the continental trade. Their position at the head of the Blade Trade had been usurped over the time of troubles, making the Confederation more interested in establishing trade ties on a more equitable level when trade was resumed (as, of course, the Confederation’s blades left something to be desired). While this did eliminate much of the impetus behind the hated man-tax, the nobility and company heads were left in the lurch. Their wealth, depleted over years of warfare, was unable to be as easily replenished as it had been earlier in the century.
This would play both in favor and against the three claimants to Gorfodi, as well as their loyal noblemen and company heads. With a lot of excess blades lying around, it was quite easy for them to arm their loyal retainers; however, at the same time, it was difficult to pay these same retainers. This strange environment led to the development of Talbeahan manorialism, in its earliest senses; noblemen, lacking the traditional methods of gift giving, would promise powerful warriors land and labor [2], in exchange for martial services and a part of their profits. These developments would be felt more strongly in the coming centuries, however; for now, it was simply a stop-gap measure.
Gallmau was faced with the unfortunate position of being a military minded man with no military to lead. His general unpopularity, due to an apparent speech impediment (if the Chronicles of Rineen are to be believed), prevented him from gathering a large enough force to pose an effective challenge. It also made him vulnerable to intrigues; the eldest son of Arthfael would be assassinated in 992, likely at the behest of his younger brother.
This would place the contest for who was the true Gorfodi between Mihael and Vormvini. The two were forced to wage a sort of running raid-style of warfare against each other, due to Mihael’s geographic security on Nuadu’s Isle. Small flotillas would sortie to attack small settlements, driving people from small towns on the coast into defensible settlements. This disrupted the economy of the Bishopric further, while also causing more human hardship and suffering.
Arvid Far-Seeker, in the meantime, was initially content to watch the Birtons fight between themselves. This would change to distraction when the Island Measctha clans rose up against him, inspired by one of the few monks from Brendan’s that actively opposed the new King. This war would nearly cost Arvid his crown when the Measctha almost took all of Peace Town in a surprise attack; but the Ostman would rally his supporters, and drive the Measctha back, eventually slaughtering many of them. The survivors would flee the island, many of them landing on Nuadu’s Isle in 995, where they would be welcomed by Mihael. This would open up the Insula for future Ostish settlement, changing the character of the island in the coming centuries.
The conflict between Mihael and Vormvini would grind to a standstill towards the end of the century, though Vormvini would get a break when Mihael was stricken with a grave illnesss in 997 and passed away after a short struggle. Mihael’s children would quarrel with each other, allowing Vormvini the chance to sail against Nuadu’s Isle and secure it for himself. Now, with the entirety of the continental Bishopric behind him, he felt prepared to sail against the Insula.
However, the day after he finished his council of war at Costa Dhearg, the sails of the Ostmen were seen against the horizon. Arvid Far-Seeker, ready for further conflict after repairing the damage left by the Island Measctha revolt, had come to meet the last challenger to his authority.
By all accounts, Vormvini should have won. Costa Dhearg was notoriously well-fortified, his ancestor Owain only able to secure it himself after a lengthy siege. However, Vormvini was terrified of the Ostish forces, having come to believe the many legends he had heard about their brutality. He was also unsure of his own military prowess, knowing he lacked the command presence of either his brother or uncle. With this in mind, he decided to try to slip out of the town himself, leaving his men with a command lurch. When he was unable to, due to the walls of the town being closed, Vormvini instead hid himself in the basement of a flour mill, as the story goes.
With their commander missing in action, the forces of the would-be Gorfodi fumbled many of the opening actions, allowing the Ostmen to secure their ships at anchor with nary a casualty and land their men without much opposition. A fierce fight followed as some tried to rally and regain the initiative, but the damage was already done. Most of the Gorfodi’s forces scattered, breaking down the gates to escape; Vormvini was found by an Ostman spearman, covered in flour. Brought before Arvid, the Ostish King had him thrown into a pot and boiled “as if he was a dumpling.” [3]
With Owain’s line all but snuffed out, no real threat to Arvid’s authority remained. Over the next three years, Arvid would establish a sort of understanding with the myriad of companies and nobility that remained on the Talbeahan continent. Arvid recognized that a campaign to bring all of them to heel would be violent, time-consuming, and leave him with little to rule over; he also feared uniting them behind another candidate for Gorfodi if he presented such a threat, as they were currently content to squabble with each other over creeks and woods and fields. Therefore, in exchange for a reasonable tribute and some manner of homage, Arvid would allow them to continue to operate as they had become accustomed to.
And thus, the century ended, and with it, the first Millenium after the birth of Jesus Christ. In the New World, Arvid now presided over an impoverished realm, while the star of the Confederation began to beam ever brighter.
Perhaps the Ostish King regretted selecting this as his kingdom of to conquer; it would take years to bring it up to profitability again.
Everything would change, of course, on New Year’s Day, 1000 A.D., when Arvid Far-Seeker, King of Setraland, was served a dish flavored by something so revolutionary to him, something that would come to dominate European attentions in the New World for centuries to come.
For that was the day that Arvid was given a piece of maple sugar candy...
[1] - Unlike what has been held as historical orthodoxy for centuries, it is now believed that this settlement period was related to independent phenomena from the Confederation’s trade efforts. The natural progression of indigenous developments, this was hastened, of course, by the Confederation, but it would have likely happened with or without the traders.
[2] - The traditional view of a Fanaithe being a “free-man” had been destroyed by the man-tax. The victory over the Filleadhaite had reinforced to the victors that they had the right to dispose of the labor of those beneath them how they saw fit- they could simply redirect the man-tax towards the service of a loyal vassal. The further indignities- such as travel restrictions, clothing laws, and the like- were still in the future.
[3] - The rather creative style of the records at the time makes such an account suspect.
- Rognvald
- Word Count: 2.4k