Post #3014748

@Lavaearth@poa.st @Nothing@poa.st It is for these reasons that the priests of the Dragon Cult carry out many rites and superstition and mystique fills this land. The most significant of these rites are sacrifices, both human and animal, to appease what they call in their language as “He who slumbers”, the giant sleeping dragon that they believe the world rests on top of. These sacrifices are usually done in order to prevent him from waking up and are usually done at very specific dates like the height of summer or the end of winter. Yet the most common sacrifice is done in order to appease some form of horrific creature that lurks in the wilds. Normally ettins, to which an auroch with its body painted in red is offered; but sometimes they also offer goats, sheep or an entire walrus carcass to the Fenarm so the wolf doesn't intrude the village at night and devours animals or children. Yet the most striking are the offerings to the Andar, which tend to be small handfuls of amber, silver and tiny charms made of tin or wood that are said to be eaten by the Howlers; something they do in order to be more resilient. The other parts of the cult come mostly from consecration of weapons, homes or land as well as some rites to ward misfortune or guarantee safe passage at sea. Usually outsiders (or anyone at all) are not allowed in some of this since priests usually believe that “the misfortune they bring can upset the balance of the rite”, but in rites of consecration usually the entire village is present for this occasion. Leod McCormag also relates one of this rites where he was heavily encouraged to assist. He tells of how the villagers would carry a large effigy of a dragon carved usually out of wood or stone and embellished with gems to a field where it would be planted on the ground. After which, the priests would create a fire where they would burn a series of herbs and clamor to the skies, asking the spirits of the ancient dragons to give the land their blessing and have a bountiful harvest, usually followed by some form of revelry or celebration. Meanwhile, the blessing of a home is done by engraving runes on the door, windows and corners of the house as a means to repel evil spirits and imps that are said to cause sickness, misfortune or devour the food the family has in the pantry. As stated before, the Tuskans are currently unified yet each clan is still present. Their king, called the Einhejar is usually chosen through a long sort of tourmanent or test against other would be kings. There is no concrete description of this task but some texts say it is a series of tasks designed to measure the strength, courage, intelligence and resourcefulness of each men. Right below them, are the Jarls or chieftains, who each rule their clan and hold absolute authority over their territory. This title tends to be in some cases hereditary and on some other cases the jarl is chosen in some manner of tournament or bout. This also leads to many rivalries and like i said, conflict still exists but not the the point it was before and usually discrepancies or challenges are solved with some sort of friendly or mock bout between clans by sending a chosen champion. Below these chieftains are the Huscarls or “men of the house” in their tongue. These tend to be trusted people within the realm of each Jarl and they are usually considered family, bound by an oath of loyalty that if broken, the consequences would be terrible on the offender. Usually the Huscarl is someone of certain renown or importance within the territory of the chieftain, but at the same time it needs to be someone the Jarl trusts to rule in his stead. And while this means that chieftains would choose people with good insight, corageous and forward thinking, through history recorded by the Druzhin that oftenly raid tuskan settlements, most tend to be incompetent fools that would rather appease raiders than rallying to fight, something usually reflected as well in the demeanor of their subjects that Stanilo of Erenov described as “They are so meek and mild that they would make a cornered cow appear fierce in comparison”. I wanted to leave certain aspects of the geography of the region for last. I think i don't need to repeat the region is split into a myriad of islands, but a few of them present a certain degree of uniqueness that hold some significance. The first is Skybreak, a place that is considered a neutral place for diplomacy between Jarls, much like the Bargainer's Atoll is in the Sunless Islands. No outlander so far has been capable of finding it nor seeing this place. Second is the one that the Tuskans call “Svartklippe” that can be roughly translated to Black Crag. Ancient stories tell that this was once a gigantic mountain that pierced the skies, considered by the Tuskans a sacred place. Now the mountain is still imposing, but it is a gigantic fang of stone that rises from the black sea waters and where Lolaiorn make their roosts. Yet even with this knowledge it's a common place for young Tuskans to enact their rite of passage by climbing to a certain part of the mountain or even to the top of it, avoiding many falls and the deadly talons of the white eagles. The last one is probably the most perplexing of all to the point that for centuries many people have tried all they could to break its secrets yet none have managed to glean anything. This place is the island of Isfestning, a place that lies far away from the main bulk of the giant archipielago. Travelers say the island is perpetually covered in an icy mist, yet the winds that blow around it are gentle and soft. But most importantly is that when venturing into the island everyone found a great wall of ice clear as the purest water. On brief moments where the mists recede, some have said the ice wall has the shape of a giant fortress, with ramparts and enormous towers that pierce the sky in odd and wondorous patterns. Everyone agrees that you can see a reflection, like a mirror, while others swear that if you are incapable of finding your reflection in it, instead you see through it and a few memoirs swear they saw silouhettes beyond the ice. This enormous enigma that has captivated me since i heard about it is something i could talk in excruciating detail for hours, but for now brevity is of the essence. Even to this day, this island is considered cursed by some of the Tuskans yet many of them travel to it in an attempt to unravel its secrets, with all asked to never return to their clan and more worrying, several are not seen ever again after reaching this place. Even the Druzhin of Borea travel to this frozen wasteland thinking that someone, by luck or divine providence, will be able to discover whatever secret is inside the icy prision and make it out with it.