As the Roman Empires power began to decline after 400AD, in the North rose Kingdoms, born of clans that had fought with each other and pressures from the south. These kingdoms traded and raided southwards and brought back gold that had been looted from Rome by the Germanic tribes and innovations not seen before. Fine horses, second only to Thuringia, stirrups, and immense amounts of riches flowed into the Vendel and Uppsala areas. As the raids continued, kingdoms were merged by right of conquest, then lost again to others. This time inspired the chronicles and sagas, much which are lost today. Only remnants like Beowulf survive.
Towards the end of this period, mighty kings, true heroes, began to arise and unite kingdom after kingdom into larger and larger territories that knew peace. They began to push the berserkergang and others with extreme violent tendencies to the fringes of the now settled kingdoms. This eventually resulted in the start of the Viking Era in the 790's, and the formation of the Hanseatic League founded in Luebeck in the late 1300's, along with all of the fierce and gory raids of the Vikings along the shores of Germany, France, England, and Ireland.
Our POD is in the 6-700's. An event occurs that easily changes the face of the earth, and most of everything that we know.
Please be advised that this is an open timeline, and I will ask for ideas from time to time as to a) plausibility and b) what might happen elsewhere. The OTL I'm using for timeline notes is largely posted in another thread "A Native American Wank?" if you want to see the discussion that led to the below.
If you have further comments, or suggestions/advice/ideas.
Please PM them to me? I'll quote you here if I need a wider opinion.
And so it begins...
Through A Slave's Eyes:
The brightly glaring sunrise blinded my eyes from sun and wave as I tried to peer ahead to make out the ships I'd just been told of. None of the accounts of this far north, not even Strabos', had prepared me for the sun. The cold that ate at our bones I'd known of and thought I'd prepared for, though I had underestimated it. Now, I feared I might have underestimated the natives as well. I had been told they were savage primitives, willing to trade furs, iron, and other valuables for very small sums of gold. What I was seeing made me disbelieve this. Easily twenty ships were sailing directly for my small group of five, each was identical in the outline I could see against the glaring sun. A tall sail, a long form, perhaps holding twenty to thirty, and a high carved prow that resembled a dragon. More glare came from the shields alongside, large round brass things that reminded me of the shield used to defeat the Medusa.
Just then, the sun was clouded over by a stray cloud and shock froze me worse than the cold. My heart yammered as I realized glare and distance had confused my eyes. The lead ships had easily fifty men on the decks, all pulling back on bows. Their arrows were in the sky before I could even scream a warning.
We had been marched for days long since lost in the counting. I could barely feel my feet below from the cold and abuse, but the fear of death drove me on. Last night - was it last night? one of my precious few countrymen, Lyksos who had come away from the academy with me, had asked me where we were being taken, but I had seen what happened to others who spoke, so I kept my mouth shut. I had no desire to be cut open and my entrails fed to fire or myself, as our captors whims took them.
I longed for the days back in the Academy on Cyprus, before my father and his friends had brought me forth and sent me here, to the frozen wilderness to help open new trade routes. I cursed the day I had obeyed my father rather than rebel. I was becoming more convinced that I should have just died when our ships were attacked rather than be tortured to death walking this harsh land in circles and circles, or so it seemed.
Yet, when we found ourselves cresting a ridge, I found myself bemused by the fact I could still wonder at the world. Ahead of us, the land and tress fell away and down to a coastline of small, rugged hills. Every hill was burdened with houses and farms covering an area of surprising portions. In the back of the city, away from the coast, stood a great hall of stone, like a monarch surveying his lands. I chuckled slightly and got some very confused stares from the last of my countrymen and colleagues. The looks reminded me that we had set forth to find adventure. Well, here I had found it. In muck, mud, bondage, and rough trail abuse, after seeing more than half of those with us slain outright and more slain on the trail when they could no longer walk.
As we drew closer, I found my wonderment turning to honest confusion. We walked in streets cobbled in stone, yet clean. Mounted and armed men rode by us with sword and spear, and their mounts! Clothed in silver bridles and gilded, flashing, harnesses and saddles. I felt like I had slipped into a momentary glimpse of heaven. The buildings brought me back, crude assemblies of mud, wood, thatch, and hopeful prayers. Nothing like at home, nor even the trading cities I had seen.
We marched through the streets to that grand hall and presented before such a giant of a man that I felt my stomach tighten and bowels loosen just to gaze upon him briefly. In a horned helmet and swaddled in bear furs, I had never seen such a fierce looking individual in all my days. I could only keep drawing similarities to the ancient heroic tales I'd read in the academy.
Towards the end of this period, mighty kings, true heroes, began to arise and unite kingdom after kingdom into larger and larger territories that knew peace. They began to push the berserkergang and others with extreme violent tendencies to the fringes of the now settled kingdoms. This eventually resulted in the start of the Viking Era in the 790's, and the formation of the Hanseatic League founded in Luebeck in the late 1300's, along with all of the fierce and gory raids of the Vikings along the shores of Germany, France, England, and Ireland.
Our POD is in the 6-700's. An event occurs that easily changes the face of the earth, and most of everything that we know.
Please be advised that this is an open timeline, and I will ask for ideas from time to time as to a) plausibility and b) what might happen elsewhere. The OTL I'm using for timeline notes is largely posted in another thread "A Native American Wank?" if you want to see the discussion that led to the below.
If you have further comments, or suggestions/advice/ideas.
Please PM them to me? I'll quote you here if I need a wider opinion.
And so it begins...
Through A Slave's Eyes:
The brightly glaring sunrise blinded my eyes from sun and wave as I tried to peer ahead to make out the ships I'd just been told of. None of the accounts of this far north, not even Strabos', had prepared me for the sun. The cold that ate at our bones I'd known of and thought I'd prepared for, though I had underestimated it. Now, I feared I might have underestimated the natives as well. I had been told they were savage primitives, willing to trade furs, iron, and other valuables for very small sums of gold. What I was seeing made me disbelieve this. Easily twenty ships were sailing directly for my small group of five, each was identical in the outline I could see against the glaring sun. A tall sail, a long form, perhaps holding twenty to thirty, and a high carved prow that resembled a dragon. More glare came from the shields alongside, large round brass things that reminded me of the shield used to defeat the Medusa.
Just then, the sun was clouded over by a stray cloud and shock froze me worse than the cold. My heart yammered as I realized glare and distance had confused my eyes. The lead ships had easily fifty men on the decks, all pulling back on bows. Their arrows were in the sky before I could even scream a warning.
We had been marched for days long since lost in the counting. I could barely feel my feet below from the cold and abuse, but the fear of death drove me on. Last night - was it last night? one of my precious few countrymen, Lyksos who had come away from the academy with me, had asked me where we were being taken, but I had seen what happened to others who spoke, so I kept my mouth shut. I had no desire to be cut open and my entrails fed to fire or myself, as our captors whims took them.
I longed for the days back in the Academy on Cyprus, before my father and his friends had brought me forth and sent me here, to the frozen wilderness to help open new trade routes. I cursed the day I had obeyed my father rather than rebel. I was becoming more convinced that I should have just died when our ships were attacked rather than be tortured to death walking this harsh land in circles and circles, or so it seemed.
Yet, when we found ourselves cresting a ridge, I found myself bemused by the fact I could still wonder at the world. Ahead of us, the land and tress fell away and down to a coastline of small, rugged hills. Every hill was burdened with houses and farms covering an area of surprising portions. In the back of the city, away from the coast, stood a great hall of stone, like a monarch surveying his lands. I chuckled slightly and got some very confused stares from the last of my countrymen and colleagues. The looks reminded me that we had set forth to find adventure. Well, here I had found it. In muck, mud, bondage, and rough trail abuse, after seeing more than half of those with us slain outright and more slain on the trail when they could no longer walk.
As we drew closer, I found my wonderment turning to honest confusion. We walked in streets cobbled in stone, yet clean. Mounted and armed men rode by us with sword and spear, and their mounts! Clothed in silver bridles and gilded, flashing, harnesses and saddles. I felt like I had slipped into a momentary glimpse of heaven. The buildings brought me back, crude assemblies of mud, wood, thatch, and hopeful prayers. Nothing like at home, nor even the trading cities I had seen.
We marched through the streets to that grand hall and presented before such a giant of a man that I felt my stomach tighten and bowels loosen just to gaze upon him briefly. In a horned helmet and swaddled in bear furs, I had never seen such a fierce looking individual in all my days. I could only keep drawing similarities to the ancient heroic tales I'd read in the academy.