Oh, niiiiiiice.
I’ve oddly enough been thinking about cocaine in this timeline
This one is a bit closer.
jimsonweed
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datura_stramonium
as far as I know Cocaine cannot smoked directly.
The Legacy of Saint Brendan: A History of the Western Hemisphere, 512 to 1400
- Thread starter Rognvald
- Start date
-
- Tags
- americas dark ages exploration
This one is a bit closer.
jimsonweed
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datura_stramonium
as far as I know Cocaine cannot smoked directly.
Yeah, I was thinking about the snorting type of cocaine somewhere along the line.
But jimsonweed does give me some... ideas. Oddly enough have to clean this out of my pastures every now and again
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Oh, niiiiiiice.
I’ve oddly enough been thinking about cocaine in this timeline
But before that there's alcohol. I read in another thread here (actually it's the one about Vinland surviving to the present day) that a very passable and potent mead can be made out of maple syrup. So as well as the pure syrup for sweetening, there's going to be some brewing in Talbeah, possibly disapproved of by royal or noble authorities if they want as much syrup as they can lay their hands on for export. I've no idea what this mead would be like distilled!
Excellent addition to your timeline btw!
Good stuff, I just recently subscribed and got caught up. Something to point out is that the Skin Men's Dorset relatives should be colonizing northern Greenland around now, if things haven't been too disrupted by disease and so on. I think by this point the Thule might have crossed from Siberia but are still exploiting the islands in the Bering Sea. After that they go to Alaska and then move eastward, replacing the Dorset to become the Inuit.
Also I don't know why people keep saying dogs should be introduced into the New World, since the natives did already have them. The Toltecs bred chihuahuas as living hot water bottles, for instance, and other natives, before the introduction of horses, had their gear dragged by dogs in travois. All evidence indicates dogs came over with humans from Siberia when the Americas were settled.
Also I don't know why people keep saying dogs should be introduced into the New World, since the natives did already have them. The Toltecs bred chihuahuas as living hot water bottles, for instance, and other natives, before the introduction of horses, had their gear dragged by dogs in travois. All evidence indicates dogs came over with humans from Siberia when the Americas were settled.
Until they realise the value of the mead as an export in itself.
The Aztec’s were not a coherent group at this point in time (the Triple Alliance only being formed in 1428), but the initial spread of disease was mostly limited to the Eastern Seaboard, spreading slowly into the interior now by unwitting Afonbreni (who, while still fearful of disease, have had exposure for centuries and developed some nascent resistence) and European trader carriers.
Maps in 1055 A.D.
This is the long-awaited map of the current state of the New World. Beyond the Afonbren, Setraland, and Paqwachowng, the "tribes" on the map are more just general swathes meant to indicate general tribal similarities (palisade building, small settlements, small tribal polities, etc.).
An area being blank on the map does not necessarily mean that it is empty.
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I have a small suspicion that there's something going on on the west coast too... just a suspicion though, since only Europe has been mentioned.
Wheels in America before Europeans arrived. only found on toys.
http://theinquisition.eu/wordpress/2009/history/american-wheels/
This map is very welcome indeed and clarifies a lot. I did misinterpret it for a minute before I enlarged it (thought the Inland Tribes were the Pakwachowng!) but that's just me and my bad eyesight!
A question about the blank area between Setraland and the 'Inland Tribes'.[roughly OTL western New Brunswick and northern Maine]. This is an area that must have been depopulated by the plague in earlier times. Is it inhabited by 'minor' tribal groups, or is it basically virgin forest? This must be an area which the Talbeahans will be slowly expanding into, particularly as there will be sugar maple trees there.
Yeah, I’m using the SUCK colorization and the two colors I picked ended up being terrifyingly close
It’s a mix. It’s mostly scattered, small family groups (descendants of tribes that had been demolished by the Plague), but overall the population density is so low that it’s mainly virgin (re-virgin?) forest.
Chapter Five, Part Three: Blood and Fire on the Tullaha
Chapter Five, Part Three: Blood and Fire On the Tullaha, 1055-1080 A.D.
The Afonbren Confederation lacked any sort of central, directing leadership. It was, for all intents and purposes, an economic grouping, meant originally to help increase the trade power of the tribes along the Tullaha in the early days of the Blade Trade. However, over the next hundred years, the Confederation had begun to take on more symbolic meaning, becoming more concrete as cooperation brought the disparate tribes closer together. By 1055, an annual meeting of the major chiefs of the Confederation, known as the Council Fire, became a massive ceremonial event in the Confederation. A time for trade, marriages, negotiating the end of tribal disputes, and dealing with Confederation business. [1]
The general build up of conflict within the Afonbren came to a head at the Council Fire in 1055. Tensions had been building up for the past decades, as the Christian traders and their Iohristani associates butted heads with the traditional chieftains. The rise of the Wind Lodge had increased conflict further into actual blows, at least according to traditional sources. Most blame for this has historically been placed on the Wind Lodge, as Christian sources indicate that the Wind Lodge was responsible for attacking trade caravans or attempting the murder of prominent Christian traders. A small school of historians, hailing from mainly Neo-Native thought, has sought to change the accepted narrative by blaming the Christians and the Europeans for their ills, but this has been generally discounted by mainstream historians and has little traction outside their own echo chambers.
The reality is probably both sides were responsible for violence, and that escalated further over time. This developed in the context of further economic shifts within the Confederation, as the expansion of trade serving to enrich the Christian trading class. The economy of the Confederation, which was based on a sort of shell-currency known as wapapyaki, had been thrown into disarray by the trade. [2] The arrival of European metal tools had made the ease of manufacturing the belts of wapapyaki easier. This allowed those with access to more blades the ability to get more wapapyaki. This generally placed it in the hands of the Christian class, giving them more economic prominence, especially as the value of wapapyaki and what it could purchase inflated. This put the chiefs and others who did not participate in the trade as directly at a disadvantage as they lacked the ability to compete economically.
This was not the only insult. Wapapyaki had a ceremonial significance that Setralander traders seemingly failed to grasp. Wapapyaki was exchanged at funerals, at weddings, at council meetings, and on many other occasions. The shell-belts were the glue that kept the tribe together, with each belt holding significance and representing a families power and influence in ways that gold coin never could. With wapapyaki inflating in value, and gathered in larger numbers by the Christian traders, it threatened the very social hierarchy that allowed the tribes to function as polities.
This shift so alarmed the chieftains that they had decided to take drastic action. In 1055, at the Council Fire, the chieftains announced their intentions to place the manufacture of wapapyaki firmly in the hands of a sort of “guild” of traditional artificers, presenting it as a way to protect the “everyman” in the Afonbren Confederation from the great shift in value, which had made it so that the average tribesman would be unable to purchase a blade or knife. Going beyond that, they decried that the tradition had lost its significance, failing to honor the line of ancestors that traced all the way back to the dark, distant past of the beginning of their people. Therefore, they declared that they would go through all the stock of wapapyaki, and discard that that they believed failed to meet their ceremonial standards.
This was met with outright hostility by the Christian Afonbren, who rightly took this as a threat to their newly developed authority and power. They yelled and howled derision at the chiefs, who were insulted by this insolence. While tensions had been building, none had yet dared to cross the line and insult their leadership directly. What crossed the line into outright violence, however, was a ceremonial game of begadwe, a ball and stick game that was already extremely vicious. A dispute between a Christian and a traditional player (who most accounts claim was a member of the Wind Lodge) grew into outright death as both men drew blades and went after each other, soon joined by their comrades. Violence spread through the Council Fire, as women and children fled and men slaughtered each other.
The conflict only spiraled out from there, as the survivors of the slaughter on both sides (there appears to have been no clear winner of this initial contest) retreated to their various bases of power to gather their men to assist them. This was no clear tribe on tribe conflict, like those that had been taking place in Talbeah since the beginning. Fighting broke tribes apart along the lines of religion. Members of the Wind Lodge attacked and burned churches, killed priests, and burned copies of the sacred texts. Those loyal to the Christ, in turn, chopped down sacred trees, disrupted old burial grounds, and burned medicine men and women alive.
The effect of this struggle for the soul of the Confederation had immediate impacts on the Talbeahan trading patterns. The Confederation played a key role as middle men and a lesser role as producers, but now they were too busy slaughtering each other to fill that role. Trade along the Tullaha came to a stop, blades from the Setralanders no longer reaching the waiting tribes of the interior, and maple from the Confederation not reaching Costa Dhearg for transport to the Old World. This would have tremendous consequences on the future development of the New World, forcing tribes to improvise and come up with their own solutions, and driving the eventual intervention of the Setralanders in the war.
Bolverk was probably ignorant of what his advisors were telling him about the loss of profit margins and the economic consequences of the smaller shipments of maple sugar reaching European markets. However, what he did understand was that Christians, his neighbors, were being attacked, and that some had sought for his assistance. Always spoiling for a fight, never able to stay in one place and settle down to rule, Bolverk voiced his decision to launch an expedition along the Tullaha, to help bring the war to a close. He was joined, initially, by a large group of men, led by various grandees who hoped to profit from the effort while paying lip service to Christ. This force would sail down the following year, entering the fray in 1056.
This would prove to be decisive in the short-term, as the well-armored, equipped, and trained Setralanders “secured” the river by the year’s end after a few vicious battles. However, in the long-term, this would bog Bolverk down in a conflict with seemingly no ending. The Wind Lodge and its supporters of the traditional way of life, after the first few contests with the Setralanders went the wrong way for them, slipped into the woods and hills, and adopted guerrilla tactics, not unlike those that were utilized by the Filleadhaite during their revolt in the 10th Century. These would frustrate Bolverk, as he was not used to countering such tactics.
Additionally, after the initial “victory’ helped free up the Tullaha for trade, the grandees that had accompanied Bolverk, for the most part, set about securing their economic future. Using their retinues, they set up shop along the river, feuding with each other over prime maple strands. In this, they butted heads not only with each other and the traditional Afonbren, but the Christian Afonbreni as well, who felt as if their helpers were helping themselves more than they. This would lead to new cycles of violence, as Christian fought Christian over sugar, and blood flowed as well as the syrup. This also served to complicated Bolverk’s efforts to defeat the Wind Lodge, as he often had to criss-cross the region, seeking to stop his own vassals from totally crushing each other in order to focus on the real threat. He was often obliged, as he refrained from intervening in every disputation- just the major ones.
This delayed the eventual “victory” of the Christians, but as soon as the Setralanders became involved in any meaningful way, the game was up for the Wind Lodge. Though they could launch hit and run strikes all the day long, Bolverk eventually savvied up to a way to defeat them- the “Heathen Line”, a series of stout forts flanking the Tullaha, started in the early 1060s. This outposts would be manned by Bolverk’s retinue, or the retinues of those of his most trusted grandees, and were mostly within supporting distance of each other. These could head off Wind Lodge raids, and ride to the protection of each other in case of siege. As the pace of the conflict turned further and further against them, the Wind Lodge eventually dissipated, its hatred for Christianity not enough to keep its coalition together. The descendants of the originally disputees would become semi-nomadic tribes wandering the hinterland- a thorn in the side of Christians in the region for generations, but no more than that. The situation grew quiet enough that Bolverk was able to finally return back to Peace Town full time by the mid-1070s, having run himself nearly ragged trying to end what he had thought would be a quick and easy adventure.
He would return to a Kingdom that, despite being involved in a complicated dispute for two decades, nevertheless maintained a positive cash flow. This was due to the efforts of Grelod, the sister of Bolverk and his appointed regent. She was ruthless in her efforts to keep the Kingdom wealthy, not afraid to tread on the toes of grandees, not afraid to use her influence with the Church, with the Ostish pagans who were generally uninterested in battle upriver, and with ambitious lesser nobility to ensure that tribute remained paid. She grew to be hated, called “Grelod Hard-Hearted” by those who clashed against her, but she managed to keep the Kingdom going long enough for Bolverk, popular only as a King who generally practiced non-interference in the practices of his nobility could be.
While conflict would rage for decades along the Tullaha, the river had been generally reopened after 1056, but it was only in one direction- towards Setraland. The land on either side was too much of a conflict zone to effectively launch expeditions into the interior, forcing the tribes there that had become dependent on the trade with the Confederation to look elsewhere. Many looked to the coasts, where the tribes that had traditionally found themselves on the recovering end of the Blade Tarde’s violence now found themselves acting as middle men. Their sea-lane connections with the Setralanders allowed the flow of trade to continue, bringing them greater wealth and influence. Unlike the Afonbreni, however, the coastal tribes did not form some sort of Confederation, instead holding in their own tribal groups, each with their own palisade or pair of palisades, each competing with each other to attract the most trade.
Additionally, the collapse of the Confederation saw a flow of refugees along their previously established trade routes. These refugees, some Christian, some traditional, brought their knowledge with them, enabling the development of new industries in these regions, and kick-starting the development of new polities. Some small tribal chiefdoms began to develop more lofty ambitions- ambitions that would help drive the development of settled civilization in North-Eastern Talbeah, beyond the coasts and the confines of the Tullaha.
The situation on the Tullaha could not have been more different. Where the natives had once controlled the trade along the river, much of their land was now devastated. Traditional tribal bonds had been broken by the conflict, forcing the development of new identities centered on the Church. These coalesced around Ethnarchs, powerful and wealthy Christian Afonbreni men, who were considered by Bolverk to be roughly the same rank as the continental Britonnic nobility or Fanaithe company leadership. These Ethnarchs, in turn, did not control as much land as the old Confederation had; the grandees had done their best to wrest their land from them, and now the banks of the Tullaha belonged to a patchwork of feudal holdings and “ethnarchies”, solidified by Church intervention in 1080. This brought much of the Tullaha under the indirect control of the Kingdom of Setraland- even more so, as the Ethnarchs were keen on bending the knee in order to receive some protection from the worst excesses of the grandees. [3]
This expansion upriver would prove to be crucial in the future development of Christian Talbeah, bringing new wealth and territory into the borders of its only champion. However, it would also serve as the impetus for the rise of the greatest rival for Christianity in the New World. For not every tribal who was part of the Wind Lodge, or of the ancient traditions of the Afonbren, quietly faded into the night, only to lash out like wolves at the fringes of society.
As was earlier stated, refugees fled along the trade routes, helping to kick start development. One such group of refugees wound up in a small trading settlement that was just beginning to come into its own. Their arrival would help send it on its meteoric rise, on its course for empire, for its eventual titanic clash with Talbeahan Christendom.
For the end of the Confederation marked the true beginning of K’omani…
[1] Comparisons have been made with the Althing of the Ostish of Askraland, which for the most part are fairly apt. However, there was no central “lawspeaker” as in the Althing, and, overall, the Confederation dealt with more economic discussions than the Althing.
[2] Wapapyaki is similar unto the wampum used as currency in the early days of OTL European settlement in the region.
[3] Bolverk himself, of course, following the example of his father and the example he had set during the campaign-intervening if disputes grew to the point where they disrupted the flow of the maple tribute.
The Afonbren Confederation lacked any sort of central, directing leadership. It was, for all intents and purposes, an economic grouping, meant originally to help increase the trade power of the tribes along the Tullaha in the early days of the Blade Trade. However, over the next hundred years, the Confederation had begun to take on more symbolic meaning, becoming more concrete as cooperation brought the disparate tribes closer together. By 1055, an annual meeting of the major chiefs of the Confederation, known as the Council Fire, became a massive ceremonial event in the Confederation. A time for trade, marriages, negotiating the end of tribal disputes, and dealing with Confederation business. [1]
The general build up of conflict within the Afonbren came to a head at the Council Fire in 1055. Tensions had been building up for the past decades, as the Christian traders and their Iohristani associates butted heads with the traditional chieftains. The rise of the Wind Lodge had increased conflict further into actual blows, at least according to traditional sources. Most blame for this has historically been placed on the Wind Lodge, as Christian sources indicate that the Wind Lodge was responsible for attacking trade caravans or attempting the murder of prominent Christian traders. A small school of historians, hailing from mainly Neo-Native thought, has sought to change the accepted narrative by blaming the Christians and the Europeans for their ills, but this has been generally discounted by mainstream historians and has little traction outside their own echo chambers.
The reality is probably both sides were responsible for violence, and that escalated further over time. This developed in the context of further economic shifts within the Confederation, as the expansion of trade serving to enrich the Christian trading class. The economy of the Confederation, which was based on a sort of shell-currency known as wapapyaki, had been thrown into disarray by the trade. [2] The arrival of European metal tools had made the ease of manufacturing the belts of wapapyaki easier. This allowed those with access to more blades the ability to get more wapapyaki. This generally placed it in the hands of the Christian class, giving them more economic prominence, especially as the value of wapapyaki and what it could purchase inflated. This put the chiefs and others who did not participate in the trade as directly at a disadvantage as they lacked the ability to compete economically.
This was not the only insult. Wapapyaki had a ceremonial significance that Setralander traders seemingly failed to grasp. Wapapyaki was exchanged at funerals, at weddings, at council meetings, and on many other occasions. The shell-belts were the glue that kept the tribe together, with each belt holding significance and representing a families power and influence in ways that gold coin never could. With wapapyaki inflating in value, and gathered in larger numbers by the Christian traders, it threatened the very social hierarchy that allowed the tribes to function as polities.
This shift so alarmed the chieftains that they had decided to take drastic action. In 1055, at the Council Fire, the chieftains announced their intentions to place the manufacture of wapapyaki firmly in the hands of a sort of “guild” of traditional artificers, presenting it as a way to protect the “everyman” in the Afonbren Confederation from the great shift in value, which had made it so that the average tribesman would be unable to purchase a blade or knife. Going beyond that, they decried that the tradition had lost its significance, failing to honor the line of ancestors that traced all the way back to the dark, distant past of the beginning of their people. Therefore, they declared that they would go through all the stock of wapapyaki, and discard that that they believed failed to meet their ceremonial standards.
This was met with outright hostility by the Christian Afonbren, who rightly took this as a threat to their newly developed authority and power. They yelled and howled derision at the chiefs, who were insulted by this insolence. While tensions had been building, none had yet dared to cross the line and insult their leadership directly. What crossed the line into outright violence, however, was a ceremonial game of begadwe, a ball and stick game that was already extremely vicious. A dispute between a Christian and a traditional player (who most accounts claim was a member of the Wind Lodge) grew into outright death as both men drew blades and went after each other, soon joined by their comrades. Violence spread through the Council Fire, as women and children fled and men slaughtered each other.
The conflict only spiraled out from there, as the survivors of the slaughter on both sides (there appears to have been no clear winner of this initial contest) retreated to their various bases of power to gather their men to assist them. This was no clear tribe on tribe conflict, like those that had been taking place in Talbeah since the beginning. Fighting broke tribes apart along the lines of religion. Members of the Wind Lodge attacked and burned churches, killed priests, and burned copies of the sacred texts. Those loyal to the Christ, in turn, chopped down sacred trees, disrupted old burial grounds, and burned medicine men and women alive.
The effect of this struggle for the soul of the Confederation had immediate impacts on the Talbeahan trading patterns. The Confederation played a key role as middle men and a lesser role as producers, but now they were too busy slaughtering each other to fill that role. Trade along the Tullaha came to a stop, blades from the Setralanders no longer reaching the waiting tribes of the interior, and maple from the Confederation not reaching Costa Dhearg for transport to the Old World. This would have tremendous consequences on the future development of the New World, forcing tribes to improvise and come up with their own solutions, and driving the eventual intervention of the Setralanders in the war.
Bolverk was probably ignorant of what his advisors were telling him about the loss of profit margins and the economic consequences of the smaller shipments of maple sugar reaching European markets. However, what he did understand was that Christians, his neighbors, were being attacked, and that some had sought for his assistance. Always spoiling for a fight, never able to stay in one place and settle down to rule, Bolverk voiced his decision to launch an expedition along the Tullaha, to help bring the war to a close. He was joined, initially, by a large group of men, led by various grandees who hoped to profit from the effort while paying lip service to Christ. This force would sail down the following year, entering the fray in 1056.
This would prove to be decisive in the short-term, as the well-armored, equipped, and trained Setralanders “secured” the river by the year’s end after a few vicious battles. However, in the long-term, this would bog Bolverk down in a conflict with seemingly no ending. The Wind Lodge and its supporters of the traditional way of life, after the first few contests with the Setralanders went the wrong way for them, slipped into the woods and hills, and adopted guerrilla tactics, not unlike those that were utilized by the Filleadhaite during their revolt in the 10th Century. These would frustrate Bolverk, as he was not used to countering such tactics.
Additionally, after the initial “victory’ helped free up the Tullaha for trade, the grandees that had accompanied Bolverk, for the most part, set about securing their economic future. Using their retinues, they set up shop along the river, feuding with each other over prime maple strands. In this, they butted heads not only with each other and the traditional Afonbren, but the Christian Afonbreni as well, who felt as if their helpers were helping themselves more than they. This would lead to new cycles of violence, as Christian fought Christian over sugar, and blood flowed as well as the syrup. This also served to complicated Bolverk’s efforts to defeat the Wind Lodge, as he often had to criss-cross the region, seeking to stop his own vassals from totally crushing each other in order to focus on the real threat. He was often obliged, as he refrained from intervening in every disputation- just the major ones.
This delayed the eventual “victory” of the Christians, but as soon as the Setralanders became involved in any meaningful way, the game was up for the Wind Lodge. Though they could launch hit and run strikes all the day long, Bolverk eventually savvied up to a way to defeat them- the “Heathen Line”, a series of stout forts flanking the Tullaha, started in the early 1060s. This outposts would be manned by Bolverk’s retinue, or the retinues of those of his most trusted grandees, and were mostly within supporting distance of each other. These could head off Wind Lodge raids, and ride to the protection of each other in case of siege. As the pace of the conflict turned further and further against them, the Wind Lodge eventually dissipated, its hatred for Christianity not enough to keep its coalition together. The descendants of the originally disputees would become semi-nomadic tribes wandering the hinterland- a thorn in the side of Christians in the region for generations, but no more than that. The situation grew quiet enough that Bolverk was able to finally return back to Peace Town full time by the mid-1070s, having run himself nearly ragged trying to end what he had thought would be a quick and easy adventure.
He would return to a Kingdom that, despite being involved in a complicated dispute for two decades, nevertheless maintained a positive cash flow. This was due to the efforts of Grelod, the sister of Bolverk and his appointed regent. She was ruthless in her efforts to keep the Kingdom wealthy, not afraid to tread on the toes of grandees, not afraid to use her influence with the Church, with the Ostish pagans who were generally uninterested in battle upriver, and with ambitious lesser nobility to ensure that tribute remained paid. She grew to be hated, called “Grelod Hard-Hearted” by those who clashed against her, but she managed to keep the Kingdom going long enough for Bolverk, popular only as a King who generally practiced non-interference in the practices of his nobility could be.
While conflict would rage for decades along the Tullaha, the river had been generally reopened after 1056, but it was only in one direction- towards Setraland. The land on either side was too much of a conflict zone to effectively launch expeditions into the interior, forcing the tribes there that had become dependent on the trade with the Confederation to look elsewhere. Many looked to the coasts, where the tribes that had traditionally found themselves on the recovering end of the Blade Tarde’s violence now found themselves acting as middle men. Their sea-lane connections with the Setralanders allowed the flow of trade to continue, bringing them greater wealth and influence. Unlike the Afonbreni, however, the coastal tribes did not form some sort of Confederation, instead holding in their own tribal groups, each with their own palisade or pair of palisades, each competing with each other to attract the most trade.
Additionally, the collapse of the Confederation saw a flow of refugees along their previously established trade routes. These refugees, some Christian, some traditional, brought their knowledge with them, enabling the development of new industries in these regions, and kick-starting the development of new polities. Some small tribal chiefdoms began to develop more lofty ambitions- ambitions that would help drive the development of settled civilization in North-Eastern Talbeah, beyond the coasts and the confines of the Tullaha.
The situation on the Tullaha could not have been more different. Where the natives had once controlled the trade along the river, much of their land was now devastated. Traditional tribal bonds had been broken by the conflict, forcing the development of new identities centered on the Church. These coalesced around Ethnarchs, powerful and wealthy Christian Afonbreni men, who were considered by Bolverk to be roughly the same rank as the continental Britonnic nobility or Fanaithe company leadership. These Ethnarchs, in turn, did not control as much land as the old Confederation had; the grandees had done their best to wrest their land from them, and now the banks of the Tullaha belonged to a patchwork of feudal holdings and “ethnarchies”, solidified by Church intervention in 1080. This brought much of the Tullaha under the indirect control of the Kingdom of Setraland- even more so, as the Ethnarchs were keen on bending the knee in order to receive some protection from the worst excesses of the grandees. [3]
This expansion upriver would prove to be crucial in the future development of Christian Talbeah, bringing new wealth and territory into the borders of its only champion. However, it would also serve as the impetus for the rise of the greatest rival for Christianity in the New World. For not every tribal who was part of the Wind Lodge, or of the ancient traditions of the Afonbren, quietly faded into the night, only to lash out like wolves at the fringes of society.
As was earlier stated, refugees fled along the trade routes, helping to kick start development. One such group of refugees wound up in a small trading settlement that was just beginning to come into its own. Their arrival would help send it on its meteoric rise, on its course for empire, for its eventual titanic clash with Talbeahan Christendom.
For the end of the Confederation marked the true beginning of K’omani…
[1] Comparisons have been made with the Althing of the Ostish of Askraland, which for the most part are fairly apt. However, there was no central “lawspeaker” as in the Althing, and, overall, the Confederation dealt with more economic discussions than the Althing.
[2] Wapapyaki is similar unto the wampum used as currency in the early days of OTL European settlement in the region.
[3] Bolverk himself, of course, following the example of his father and the example he had set during the campaign-intervening if disputes grew to the point where they disrupted the flow of the maple tribute.
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Interesting! I know this has been asked before, but what are the populations of thee different groups, at this point?
Chapter Five, Part Four: Excerpts from the Chronicles of Rineen
Chapter Five, Part Four: Excerpts from The Chronicles of Rineen, 1080-1110 A.D.
1080, Entry 2
And King Bolverk didst return in this year
Unto his hall in Peace-Town, or in the
Ostish Tongue, Frithrborg,
And didst resume the rule of the Kingdom
From his Sister, Grelod Hard-Hearted.
1080, Entry Seven
And in this year there were many
Struggles and strivings along the
Tullaha.
1082, Entry Three
And in this year did Bolverk pass,
Being full of years. And his son,
Sigvat, being called the Red
Due to the hue of his hair,
Did take the throne.
1082, Entry Four
And in this year did Sigvat the Red,
Invite his aunt, Grelod Hard-Hearted,
To his hall for a feast. And Grelod
Came with her followers. And they
Did feast, but in the midst of the
Celebrations Sigvat the Red did
Slip away with his followers, and
He did board up the hall, and set
It alight. And thus ended the days of
Grelod Hard-Hearted. For this action,
All blessings of God and His Son Jesus Christ
And the Holy Spirit be upon Sigvat. [1]
1085, Entry Six
And in this year did Sigvat the Red
Send for builders and masons from
The Empire, for unto build him a
Fine palace, and crypts for his
Fathers’ rests.
1088, Entry One
And in this year did portents look grim,
As the wolves howled in the woods
And the crows gathered in the trees
With raucous cries.
1088, Entry Nine
And in this year did Sigvat the Red
Take ill, and pass on, with much sadness
And mourning among his subjects,
For he was beloved. And he was
Laid in the crypt which he had builded
Among his fathers. And the crown did
Pass to his son, Gudbrand.
1089, Entry Two
And in this year did King Gudbrand, as
He was walking along his hall,
Fell to the dagger of an assassin, and the
Crown passed to his brother, Asvard.
1089, Entry Three
And in this year did King Asvard,
In full war-mail, called upon his housecarls
To follow him in battle against the
Conspirators who had slain his brother.
For King Asvard, being a shrewd and cunning
Man, had discovered the plot had been lain
By his cousin, Nafni, grandson of Grelod that
His father had slain. And his housecarls did
Rally unto him with cheers and cries.
1089, Entry Four
And in this year did King Asvard
Enact his judgement upon Nafni and
All his house. For he did find the
Traitor trying to escape the realm
To the lands of the East, and in a
Great slaughter did kill him and
All with him. And thus ended the line
Of Grelod Hard-Hearted, and the
Kingdom could breathe with ease
Once more.
1093, Entry Five
And in this year did King Asvard
Sail to Rome in pilgrimage, bringing
Many fine gifts as offerings to
The Holy Father. And the realm was
Entrusted to his bosom friend, Bergthora
The Shield-Maiden.
1093, Entry Six
And in this year did Bergthora the Shield-Maiden
And Hallfrid, wife of Asvard, bicker and fight, as
Bergthora was found to be with child and
Hallfrid was barren. And Bergthora declared
That the child was that of Asvard. And the
Kingdom was much divided.
1093, Entry Nine
And in this year did Bergthora the Shield-Maiden,
As she was walking in the hall, did spy Hallfrid,
Wife of Asvard, and did enter into disputations
With her. And her wrath grew hot, and she drew
Her sword, and did slay Hallfrid, and left her
In her gore as she fled. And the realm was thus
Entrusted to the steward of Asvard, Svafar,
Who declared Bergthora to be an outlaw.
1094, Entry One
And in this year did Bergthora the Shield-Maiden
Gather many unto her, and did carry out raids
Against the housecarls of Svafar, and those
That sought to bring her unto justice. And the
Kingdom was much divided.
1094, Entry Three
And in this year did Bergthora the Shield-Maiden
Evade the ships of Svafar and fled to the far South, where
She found a land of swamps, where dragons dwelt. [2]
And she dwelt there for many days, and established
Trade with the people of that land.
1095, Entry Two
And in this year did King Asvard return from Rome,
And find his realm much divided. And he did not
Weep when he learned of his wife’s death, but did
Order the execution of Svafar for turning
Against Bergthora.
1095, Entry Six
And in this year did King Asvard, after putting
The affairs of his realm in order, send for
Bergthora to return unto him and be his
Queen. And Bergthora declined his invitation,
But sent his son unto him, a wild and rambunctious
Babe. And Bergthora the Shield-Maiden declared
Her intentions to rule over her followers
In this new land. And King Asvard did weep,
And called the name of his son by Bergthora
Ansgar, for, with his arrival, God had pierced
Asvard’s soul, yea, even with a spear.
1096, Entry One
And in this year did King Asvard take a wife,
Named Valgerd, and did have a son, Kodran.
1097, Entry Three
And in this year did King Asvard send his
Son Ansgar, called the Bastard, to
The hall of the Chief Cormac, of the
Deacair Company.
1099, Entry One
And in this year did Ansgar the Bastard,
As he was walking in the woods,
Was set upon by a wolf. And Ansgar did
Slay the wolf with the spear that had been
Made for him by Cormac, and he skinned the wolf
And returned to the hall of Cormac. And Cormac,
Seeing the youth wearing the bloody pelt
Of the beast, did declare that
He would no longer be called Bastard, but
Wolfsbane. [3]
1108, Entry Two
And in this year did the nobleman
Efrog raise up his banner in revolt
Against King Asvard. And King Asvard
Summoned those loyal to him to fight against
Efrog and his followers.
1108, Entry Five
And in this year did Chief Cormac fall
In battle against Efrog. And the youth
Ansgar Wolfsbane did see his mentor
Fall to the blade of Efrog, and did
Enter into a fire-hot rage. And he did
Cut his way to Efrog, and though he was
Naught but a youth of fourteen-years,
He did engaged Efrog, a man known
For his skill with the blade, in combat.
And he did slay Efrog, and removed
His head from his shoulders. And
This was seen by all the host.
1108, Entry Seven
And in this year did King Asvard hold
A great feast celebrating the defeat of
Efrog. And he did not invite Asgar Wolfsbane.
And Asgar grew wroth, as did all those
Who had grown to know him. And
Asgar did ride to the door of the feast-hall
And demand entrance. The guards did ask
For his proof of invitation. And Asgar threw
The head of Efrog at the feet of the guard,
And declared that was his invitation. And
King Asvard relented, and allowed Asgar
To sit, but not in the place of honor.
1110, Entry Four
And in this year did King Asvard pass,
And the realm would have passed to his son by
Valgerd, Kodran. But Ansgar Wolfsbane did contest this, and
With his followers prevailed upon the Bishop to
Crown him instead. And with this crown, Ansgar did
Turn and exile his step-mother and her son to the
Lands of the East. And he was declared King.
And the realm did hold its
Breath, not knowing what this wild
Youth would bring.
[1] – Grelod Hard-Hearted was not very well liked among the nobility. Killing her may have been a move to solidify his popularity among the nobility that had become more and more used to acting independently, though Sigvat also had personal grudges against his aunt. Though not recorded in this record, some sources from the time state that Grelod had attempted to outmaneuver Sigvat and take the throne for herself, though most historians regard these as propaganda promoted by Sigvat to add justification to his actions.
[2] – OTL Florida.
[3] – This story is likely an invention, meant to explain how Asgar received his nickname of Wolfsbane. The few illustrations of Asgar from the time do portray him wearing a wolf’s pelt over his armor.
1080, Entry 2
And King Bolverk didst return in this year
Unto his hall in Peace-Town, or in the
Ostish Tongue, Frithrborg,
And didst resume the rule of the Kingdom
From his Sister, Grelod Hard-Hearted.
1080, Entry Seven
And in this year there were many
Struggles and strivings along the
Tullaha.
1082, Entry Three
And in this year did Bolverk pass,
Being full of years. And his son,
Sigvat, being called the Red
Due to the hue of his hair,
Did take the throne.
1082, Entry Four
And in this year did Sigvat the Red,
Invite his aunt, Grelod Hard-Hearted,
To his hall for a feast. And Grelod
Came with her followers. And they
Did feast, but in the midst of the
Celebrations Sigvat the Red did
Slip away with his followers, and
He did board up the hall, and set
It alight. And thus ended the days of
Grelod Hard-Hearted. For this action,
All blessings of God and His Son Jesus Christ
And the Holy Spirit be upon Sigvat. [1]
1085, Entry Six
And in this year did Sigvat the Red
Send for builders and masons from
The Empire, for unto build him a
Fine palace, and crypts for his
Fathers’ rests.
1088, Entry One
And in this year did portents look grim,
As the wolves howled in the woods
And the crows gathered in the trees
With raucous cries.
1088, Entry Nine
And in this year did Sigvat the Red
Take ill, and pass on, with much sadness
And mourning among his subjects,
For he was beloved. And he was
Laid in the crypt which he had builded
Among his fathers. And the crown did
Pass to his son, Gudbrand.
1089, Entry Two
And in this year did King Gudbrand, as
He was walking along his hall,
Fell to the dagger of an assassin, and the
Crown passed to his brother, Asvard.
1089, Entry Three
And in this year did King Asvard,
In full war-mail, called upon his housecarls
To follow him in battle against the
Conspirators who had slain his brother.
For King Asvard, being a shrewd and cunning
Man, had discovered the plot had been lain
By his cousin, Nafni, grandson of Grelod that
His father had slain. And his housecarls did
Rally unto him with cheers and cries.
1089, Entry Four
And in this year did King Asvard
Enact his judgement upon Nafni and
All his house. For he did find the
Traitor trying to escape the realm
To the lands of the East, and in a
Great slaughter did kill him and
All with him. And thus ended the line
Of Grelod Hard-Hearted, and the
Kingdom could breathe with ease
Once more.
1093, Entry Five
And in this year did King Asvard
Sail to Rome in pilgrimage, bringing
Many fine gifts as offerings to
The Holy Father. And the realm was
Entrusted to his bosom friend, Bergthora
The Shield-Maiden.
1093, Entry Six
And in this year did Bergthora the Shield-Maiden
And Hallfrid, wife of Asvard, bicker and fight, as
Bergthora was found to be with child and
Hallfrid was barren. And Bergthora declared
That the child was that of Asvard. And the
Kingdom was much divided.
1093, Entry Nine
And in this year did Bergthora the Shield-Maiden,
As she was walking in the hall, did spy Hallfrid,
Wife of Asvard, and did enter into disputations
With her. And her wrath grew hot, and she drew
Her sword, and did slay Hallfrid, and left her
In her gore as she fled. And the realm was thus
Entrusted to the steward of Asvard, Svafar,
Who declared Bergthora to be an outlaw.
1094, Entry One
And in this year did Bergthora the Shield-Maiden
Gather many unto her, and did carry out raids
Against the housecarls of Svafar, and those
That sought to bring her unto justice. And the
Kingdom was much divided.
1094, Entry Three
And in this year did Bergthora the Shield-Maiden
Evade the ships of Svafar and fled to the far South, where
She found a land of swamps, where dragons dwelt. [2]
And she dwelt there for many days, and established
Trade with the people of that land.
1095, Entry Two
And in this year did King Asvard return from Rome,
And find his realm much divided. And he did not
Weep when he learned of his wife’s death, but did
Order the execution of Svafar for turning
Against Bergthora.
1095, Entry Six
And in this year did King Asvard, after putting
The affairs of his realm in order, send for
Bergthora to return unto him and be his
Queen. And Bergthora declined his invitation,
But sent his son unto him, a wild and rambunctious
Babe. And Bergthora the Shield-Maiden declared
Her intentions to rule over her followers
In this new land. And King Asvard did weep,
And called the name of his son by Bergthora
Ansgar, for, with his arrival, God had pierced
Asvard’s soul, yea, even with a spear.
1096, Entry One
And in this year did King Asvard take a wife,
Named Valgerd, and did have a son, Kodran.
1097, Entry Three
And in this year did King Asvard send his
Son Ansgar, called the Bastard, to
The hall of the Chief Cormac, of the
Deacair Company.
1099, Entry One
And in this year did Ansgar the Bastard,
As he was walking in the woods,
Was set upon by a wolf. And Ansgar did
Slay the wolf with the spear that had been
Made for him by Cormac, and he skinned the wolf
And returned to the hall of Cormac. And Cormac,
Seeing the youth wearing the bloody pelt
Of the beast, did declare that
He would no longer be called Bastard, but
Wolfsbane. [3]
1108, Entry Two
And in this year did the nobleman
Efrog raise up his banner in revolt
Against King Asvard. And King Asvard
Summoned those loyal to him to fight against
Efrog and his followers.
1108, Entry Five
And in this year did Chief Cormac fall
In battle against Efrog. And the youth
Ansgar Wolfsbane did see his mentor
Fall to the blade of Efrog, and did
Enter into a fire-hot rage. And he did
Cut his way to Efrog, and though he was
Naught but a youth of fourteen-years,
He did engaged Efrog, a man known
For his skill with the blade, in combat.
And he did slay Efrog, and removed
His head from his shoulders. And
This was seen by all the host.
1108, Entry Seven
And in this year did King Asvard hold
A great feast celebrating the defeat of
Efrog. And he did not invite Asgar Wolfsbane.
And Asgar grew wroth, as did all those
Who had grown to know him. And
Asgar did ride to the door of the feast-hall
And demand entrance. The guards did ask
For his proof of invitation. And Asgar threw
The head of Efrog at the feet of the guard,
And declared that was his invitation. And
King Asvard relented, and allowed Asgar
To sit, but not in the place of honor.
1110, Entry Four
And in this year did King Asvard pass,
And the realm would have passed to his son by
Valgerd, Kodran. But Ansgar Wolfsbane did contest this, and
With his followers prevailed upon the Bishop to
Crown him instead. And with this crown, Ansgar did
Turn and exile his step-mother and her son to the
Lands of the East. And he was declared King.
And the realm did hold its
Breath, not knowing what this wild
Youth would bring.
[1] – Grelod Hard-Hearted was not very well liked among the nobility. Killing her may have been a move to solidify his popularity among the nobility that had become more and more used to acting independently, though Sigvat also had personal grudges against his aunt. Though not recorded in this record, some sources from the time state that Grelod had attempted to outmaneuver Sigvat and take the throne for herself, though most historians regard these as propaganda promoted by Sigvat to add justification to his actions.
[2] – OTL Florida.
[3] – This story is likely an invention, meant to explain how Asgar received his nickname of Wolfsbane. The few illustrations of Asgar from the time do portray him wearing a wolf’s pelt over his armor.