Fyrkat

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Fyrkat



Fyrkat is a heavily mountainous nation situated east of the Greenland Sea and north of the English lakes. Originally the nation was controlled under one monarchy with a council of clans that made up the smaller counties within the country. Fyrkat as a nation was highly prosperous producing some of the finest weapons and ships the world over; in its prime the nation controlled lands from the Greenland Sea right down to the English lakes.

This prosperity however was shattered when the last king died without an heir, leaving the council of clans to elect the new king, each of the clansmen voted for himself and fights quickly broke out, eventually leading to full scale war and the clans all taking to arms in order to take the crown.



The war has now been continuing for over three hundred years and although power has shifted over time to several different clans, none of them have ever come close to reuniting Fyrkat under one ruler.

Only ten of the once numerous clans still remain in Fyrkat, the largest and most powerful of which is the Leiknir clan ruled by Ulfar Leiknir controlling a large portion of Fyrkat that wasn't already lost to neighbouring nations.



One of Fyrkat’s greatest assets is its bountiful resources for war, with many strong trees for ships and buildings and plentiful metal mines to make some of the greatest weapons and finest jewellery in the world. These factors have always played well for the warlike Fyrkat clans as it has also made them valuable in the trading world, funding many of their raiding excursions on the sale of Fyrkat weaponry.

Although brutal warriors the Fyrkat clans are bound by a strict code of honour, those who fail this code are often ostracised from the community and can totally lose their social standings regardless of status.



Leiknir

The Leiknir are the most powerful of the warring clans; controlling about a tenth of the land in Fyrkat. Theirs like most of the clans is ruled by a single warlord with the oldest child being the heir, regardless of gender, this is in testament to their very equal society.

In the time of the king the Leiknir clan controlled a large portion of the mountainous areas of Fyrkat, controlling a good portion of the mines that fuelled the nation.

At the time of Ulfar’s come to power the Leiknir had lost most of their mountain hold and had been pushed down into the low lands, leaving them with just one mine and a small patch of farmland. Now however all of the old lands of the Leiknir are back in Ulfar’s control as are many of the outlying lands.

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The Fyrkat Army

Despite their differences and total defiance to stand united once again the clans all support more or less the stylised armies, each using the same weapons and armour as the other clans. It is one of the factors that has made the war continue on for so long.

Infantry

The main bulk of the army is made up of a kind of light infantry, the Fyrkat people preferring to sacrifice the main bulk of armour in favour of swifter movement and greater mobility. All Fyrkat soldiers carry three weapons when going into battle, a spear or halberd, an axe or mace and a sword all used in that order to devastate their enemies. Their other secondary weapon is the usage of the round shield carried by the infantry this strong wooden disc is reinforced with steel forged by the dwarves in the mountains, all capable of smashing open an enemy’s skull when swung forcefully as well as the added protection it provides.

Mainly clad in furs with light plates of Fyrkat steel worn in individual non-linking pieces are the main protection used in battle though it is not uncommon to see a chainmail shirt on some of the wealthier warriors. The Fyrkat helmet is also built with the same mentality as their armour, wearing helmets made from several pieces riveted together with nose and cheek guards to cover the face.

Archers

Wielding impressive 6’6” Fyrkat Longbows the Fyrkat are dangerously accurate with this impressive weapon capable of hurtling arrows over massive distances, a fully trained archer being able to fire a new arrow every five seconds. By law all Fyrkat children have to learn from the age of seven to use this masterful weapon in preparation for their first battle.
Each archer is not without protection of course, although not clad in the metal plate the Fyrkat archers still wear the warm and protective furs that are necessary for fighting in the northern lands, especially in the mountains. Each archer also carries an axe and sword of their own as a last line of protection.

Berserkers

Berserkers are the strongest men and women who thanks to blessings from the gods have been granted superhuman strength in battle, wearing little to no armour these gigantic killing machines are capable of taking on overwhelming odds without even batting an eyelid. They are also granted great pain relevant thanks to their divine blessing unable to feel even some of the most serious wounds until the battle is over and their rage is subsided.

These fearsome warriors are given equally fearsome weapons, taking massive great axes or great swords, weapons that are so incredibly dangerous in the Berserkers hands it is not uncommon for their enemies to be literally hacked in half by these warriors.

Huskarls

Huskarls are the elite soldiers on the battlefield, generally making up the body guard for the King, Chieftain or General they are the greatest warriors of the clans, handpicked by the commanding officer they will be serving from the entire army. To become a Huskarl is a great honour in the mountains granting someone great social standing which brings a much higher pay then the other men in the forces allowing for much stronger armour and weapons.

Although Huskarls still don’t wear full armoured suits their armour is now of the highest quality dwarven steel forged specifically in the mountains by the mine dwelling creatures. They tend to be as kitted out as the infantry carrying at least three weapons at all times as well as their own round shields.

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The Seidhr

The Seidhr are the magic users of the Fyrkat people they are the only group of people in Fyrkat not technically ruled by the clans, only answering to the Monarch which Fyrkat has been without for the past three centuries. In this time they have become a neutral faction in the war, wanting nothing to do with the clans petty squabbles.

Although they do not hold any land mass in the country the Seidhr run the great hall that was once the meeting chamber for the Council of Clans, where the Monarch and clan chieftains, here they keep the massive hall maintained whilst teaching the ways of magic to the learning Seidhr in peace, away from the war of the nation.

Their magic is a powerful gift that is naturally occurring but only a handful of people from across the nation display power that is deemed worthy of Seidhr training. Once a child displays this prowess the Seidhr arrive in the village to bring the child into their care to learn the ways of magic. Although this seems quite barbaric the training is entirely optional and is considered a great honour it is often accepted.

Although it is not uncommon for some people who display ability to use magic are not chosen by the Seidhr this is generally through deciding they are not powerful enough to be taught the ways in great detail and thus not being able to learn their ways fully, these people are known as Seith.

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The Clan Council

Called once every five years and in states of emergency the council is made up of all of the clans that rule the country, it is here that the clans once gave council to the King of Fyrkat and here that the war started. Most council meetings begin and end with arguments between the clansmen, the Seidhr left with trying to keep the peace.

Each clan chief is granted one vote and the head of the Seidhr whom also has a seat in the hall is granted two one for the Seidhr themselves and one for the gods whom the Seidhr are the voice of.

Every time the council meets a vote is called for the Kingdom but each time the votes are the same, each clan voting for themselves and the Seidhr abstaining. In order for the monarchy to be returned a vote of eight is required and this must include the Seidhr to have the blessing of the gods.

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Seith

Unlike the Seidhr there is no specific sect for the Seith and many use their talents for entertainment purposes becoming travelling entertainers for feasts and religious festivals, the kind of thing that the strict Seidhr wouldn’t dream of doing.

Although this practice is not uncommon it is hardly the social norm for those without Seidhr training. Most go about their daily lives as usual becoming blacksmiths, tailors and even warriors and just using their gifts as added bonuses to aid in their specific line of work.

The third notable kind of Seith are those who feel oppressed by their denial of training and tend to bury their talents without ever using them just because they feel unworthy of their gifts or embarrassed by the fact that they were not powerful enough to be taught by the Seidhr.

Seith magic is still capable of being quite powerful though it is generally very erratic with the wielder not being able to possess such strong magic. It is also possible for Seith to be so weakly in touch with magic that they can do no more then call a small fire from a fingertip.