|
|
||
|
Home Page > Player's Guide > Character Generation > Races > Orodradi |
||
Orodradi - Barbaric ClansmenThe Orodradi clans were the last wave of human barbarian tribes to descend from the Harrowed Verge through the Onclint Massiff to ravage the civilized lands of the west. Unlike the N'raith and Perhuni before them, the Orodradi did not face the organized resistance of the Border Legions of the Rhy-Kanna Empire, nor did the Orodradi seek the warm coastal lands of Mhentir or the lush valleys of the Sargenjin. At the time of the Orodradi migrations these lands were rife with conflict among the successor states of the Empire. Instead the Orodradi chose to carve a trail through the An'huingloomin, the Forest of Sorrows, into the Northern Marches and Lake District. The Orodradi encountered little resistance among the cities and towns of Embelyon, Havamal, and Almeryss. The Empire's hold on these lands had always been tenuous at best and the region was still recovering from the ravages wrought by the Mordathi Hordes during their invasion of the Empire and the subsequent plagues that brought both Horde and Empire low. The Orodradi quickly established themselves as overlords of all but the most well protected Skoja coastal towns and soon fell to squabbling over the choicest holdings. Embelyon came to be dominated by three major clans: Clan Mioc along the lower Sard River, the Estuary of Pramaelt and around the city of Renoga; Clan Eorwain amid the hills and dales of Vos-Arden; and Clan Caladane in Dunharood. The heads of each of these clans became the three great Rhaide (chiefs) of the Orodradi in Embelyon. Five clans dominated Havamal: Athnach, Amliraran, Coemarone, O'Tarth, and Emmiran. Clan Coineach formed an alliance with the Lake Towns. Deodan MacSaidhel Coineach became the Dux of Almeryss and made Osondra his capital. In Embelyon and Havamal alliances among the greater clans waxed and waned while the lesser clans threw their support behind whichever clan looked most promising. In the Northern Marches and Lake District the lot of the common folk was actually better under the Orodradi than it had been under the Imperial satraps. The Orodradi were far more used to working their own lands and tending their own herds than the Imperial masters and they brought a measure of local rule that the Northern Marches had not known since the time of the An'orhee-Huan city-states. Cattle and sheep were the primary measure of wealth among the Orodradi and each clan laid claim to particular graze lands. Farming was left to the Huani peasantry as long as it did not interfere with stock grazing. The Orodradi had nothing but contempt for goats and disdained having anything to do with those who tended such beasts. Huani goatherds were allowed to graze their flocks among the high alpine valleys unhindered. Orodradi cattle were hardy and resilient: with thick wooly hides they were quite used to the bitter winters of Tærm and the Harrowed Verge. The Orodradi were very impressed by the rho-zebu tended by the herdsmen of the Marches. Breeding programs were immediately instituted to marry the best characteristics of both breeds. For the most part the Orodradi left townsfolk to their own devices though many craftsmen were forced to serve the Rhaides and the clans. The Orodradi were justifiably jealous of the mercantile success of the Skoja coastal towns, to the Orodradi Rhaide towns only existed as sources of revenue, but the chiefs did little to foster any sort of mercantile cooperation or organization. The clans built great halls and clan steadings throughout the Marches and from them enforced their rule. Individually the Orodradi are a fair and comely folk of average stature. Their hair color ranges from red-blonde to dark brown and black with various shades of red and auburn being most common. Women wear their hair long, often plaited or braided. Hair length and styles among men varied depend upon occupation and personal taste and style; many wear beards and moustaches. Blue and brown eyes are common. Each clan maintains a particularly patterned and colored weave of fabric with which to clad its members. Tattoos are common both among men and women. Finely wrought jewelry, especially made of gold and gems, are popular. The Orodradi came to Embelyon and the north as herdsmen, hunters, and warriors. Both men and women were trained in arms and fought in battle. They favored spears and axes and often carried large round shields of wood and hide. Each bore a long dagger, nearly as long as a short sword, called a sax. And though bows were uncommon, young men and women set to guard the clan's herds of sheep and cattle used slings to good effect. As overlords of Embelyon, the Orodradi continually squabbled, raided, and fought among themselves. They knew no loyalty beyond that pledged to their local clanhead, and even this bond became tenuous given the slightest provocation. Charismatic and successful warriors often gathered bodies of retainers to carry out raids on common foes or unwary friends. These arrangements seldom lasted more than a single season. Settling among the North Marches did little to curb the volatile nature of the Orodradi. Where settlement in civilized lands could not tame the Orodradi, the arrival of the Azuri nobles of the Kingdom of Pendar had a very real and lasting effect. The defeat suffered by the Orodradi clans at the Battle of Caldebraughn Moor in 302PC was followed by the fall of Radighast in Havamal by siege in 316PC. The humiliation suffered in 321PC at the Siege of Renoga where Huani sympathizers assisted the Captain Adom Ketha of the Pendarin Company of the Righteous Voice (Azuri) to defeat Laird Dorgus Slain spelled the end of Orodradi dominance of the north. Those Orodradi that did not submit to the will of the Kingdom and the new Count of Maldan were given the choice of death or exile. Orodradi lands were seized and redistributed, and Royal Edict forbade the possession of martial weapons. Those Orodradi able to adjust to the new regime prospered and even managed to recoup some of their old glory. Gone were the days of raiding, fighting, and squabbling. The Azuri were very quick to stamp out even the barest hint of insurrection and in the early days of Pendari stewardship, many Orodradi were declared outlaw and driven from the land. The North March Rebellion (343-350) was fueled to a great extent by the resentment harbored by the Orodradi—exacerbated by the cavalier policies of King Ubaros of Pendar. Today it is much the same as it was a hundred years ago. Many Orodradi still resent their loss of status and the yoke of the Kingdom and Azuri nobles. Embittered, tempers and old resentments often flare-up among the Orodradi. But for the most part the Orodradi are, if not content, at least resigned to their lot in life. Now they chiefly occupy their energies with keeping the Huani and Duatha in their place.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Midwrathe Copyright ©2003 Twilight Ink |
||
