Veldyn

Veldyn are a breed of hulking canae native to Heide, though the race’s instinct for wandering has seen them spread across Altea. Veldyn are lupine in appearance, with grey, black, brown, or russet fur being common. Spots and brindling are sometimes apparent, but Veldyn lack the extensive markings of the Zorn.
=== History ===
The Veldyn trace their origins to a mythic progenitor, Grendel, son of Ukhraj. Grendel's true nature is unknown, as the Veldyn claim he was the son of Ukhraj and Danae, mother of the wolf elves. Other stories insist that Grendel led a tribe of gnolls from the south, to settle in Heide around the end of Age Zero. Whatever the case, by the dawn of the First Age, the Veldyn dwelled in the Veldt, the vast plains of Middenberg, the land 'Between the Mountains,' the wild region between the mountain kingdoms of the Stoneshields to the north and the Silversmiths to the south. Indeed, Veldyn seems to mean ‘Veldt folk,’ a name that suggests an extended period hunting and roaming upon the plains. 
For several centuries, the Veldyn spread across the plains of Middenberg, pushing back orcs and dwarves, and enslaving the native humans, the Gheds. These human ‘garth thralls’ were made to perform all the tedious labor that Veldyn warriors disdained. Though the Veldyn were ferocious, they lacked unity, and they fought each other as often as any other foe. This changed in 389 IR, when a mighty jarl named Votan, who claimed to be a descendent of Grendel, rallied his people and crushed any who refused to follow him. With a great army at his back, Votan went to war with the Stoneshields of the Cloudthrone Mountains. After acquiring much metal and wealth, Votan took his people south, to the Bright Mountains, where he challenged the Silversmiths. This War of the Two Mountains is still commemorated in skaldic songs. At the war’s conclusion in 403, Votan seized the dwarven hold of Dun-Rosdo at the foot of the Bright Mountains. With the clans gathered about him, Votan was declared Vortigern, Great King, and his realm was named Aetgard. Unusually for a Veldyn, Votan was renowned for his sorcerous powers, and he apparently discovered the secrets of immortality, going to join the gods in the Otherworld. 
From Dun-Rosdo, which was renamed Agristad, Great Holy Place, the Veldyn would go on to dominate much of Heide. Native humans were enslaved, slain or driven into the wilderness. The Gheds of Three Valleys were the first to be made garth thralls, but many other tribes followed. Those humans who would not be slaves had to pay the Veldyn significant tribute, or learn to fight with extreme cunning, for no human could hope to defeat a Veldyn in matched combat. The Yenns of the Chalk Coast were particularly adept at warding off Veldyn incursions, but the Veldyn had many other sources of slaves and loot. The Batavas of Turovia, now commonly called the Towerlands, and the Brogi tribes of Rheged Hills had succumbed to Aetgard by the mid-First Age. 
Despite the grim tales told by Gheds, Yenns and other human groups enslaved by Veldyn, the life of most garth thralls was not nightmarish. Indeed, the Veldyn relied on their slaves to manage their sprawling realm, for the Veldyn clans were not greatly inclined to either cooperation or organization. Thralls performed most administrative functions within Aetgard, and could earn rich reward. Many slaves, in fact, joined the Vortigern’s inner circle, for the humans were considered a useful bulwark against the raging passions of the jarls and hersirs who struggled with the Vortigern for power. Raiding and looting was all well and good, but someone needed to count and itemize the booty, and few Veldyn had the patience for such minutia. 
The roving Veldyn were not confined to Aetgard’s borders. Varangar ‘sea wolves’ took to the waves in search of new lands and loot, and though stories portray the Varangars as rapacious brutes, in truth they were, and remain, merchants, braving the perils of the sea in a quest for new markets. Varangars traveled from Agristad, down the River Boruz, to what became known as Shackle Bay. The city of Goldwater, Geldvatn, was founded by Varangars on a site where gold dust pooled after being washed down from the distant Bright Mountains. Geldvatn became a great trading hub, attracting merchants from across Altea, who came seeking the eclectic array of goods offered by the far-going Varangars. But the most prized items were the exotic slaves that the sea wolves brought from all corners of the world. 
On land, the Varangars had their equivalent in the Reavers, border raiders who struck first at Turovia, and then Praesia, carrying away loot and slaves. The Reavers were closer to the image of the savage Veldyn, though they too saw their activities as largely economic, and ‘Raiders Markets’ sprung up in many Veldyn towns. The wealth that could be acquired by a few seasons of reaving attracted many ambitious young warriors, and not only Veldyn. A heterogenous lot, the Reavers accepted anyone strong enough to join them in battle, Veldyn, orc, human, dwarf, all might win glory among the Reavers. The depredations of the Reavers prompted the first fortifications of the Towerlands, and Arch-Lector Kurovus (r. 898 – 927) even launched a punitive invasion of Aetgard, though the Gallians were destroyed at the Valley of Wooden Teeth, not least due to the devasting use of Veldyn war bows. Though the Gallians would establish several colonies around Shackle Bay, the Lower Boruz and the Chalk Coast, penetrating the Aetgard heartland proved impossible. The Reavers, naturally, happily raided these new colonies. 
After the First Age, the colonization of Heide was largely abandoned, and the Towerlands were heavily reinforced, guarded with unwavering dedication by the Kaseni, the Castle Elves. Aetgard remained unchallenged through the Second Age, but by the Third, Gallia was expanding again, and the Veldyn were not prepared for the scale of the Imperial invasion. Though the first wave was driven back by Vortigern Bodgar in 2570 IR, the Gallians had gained a significant foothold in Heide, and in 2632, Gallian defeated Sculd, last of the Vortigerns and seized Agristad, which was renamed Kingsrest. 
The Veldyn were not greatly concerned by this. Aetgard broke apart into its constituent steads and jarldoms, and the clans resumed their ancient feuds. As Veldyn withdrew into the hinterlands, they released many of their slaves, who were soon absorbed into the burgeoning realm of Halgstov. The Veldyn, though, ensured that humanity remained confined to pockets of civilization. Whenever humans tried to advance too far beyond their cities, the Veldyn would beat them back. Wilderness was left unsettled to create buffers between Veldyn domains and human ones, and so Heide became a patchwork of huddled towns and cities amid a vast and dangerous wilderness. 
Many Veldyn went to Randheim, World’s Edge, a foreboding stretch of coast that had long been a haunt of pirates. Humans had little hope of extricating the Veldyn from Randheim, so this was where many Veldyn settled after the fall of Aetgard. From Randheim, Varangars continued their ancient trade, and so little changed for the average Veldyn. Dozens of steads and jarldoms, some of notable size, dotted Heide, existing in uneasy détente with the rising human kingdoms. 
Even after the great Kingdom of Heide split apart at the start of the Fifth Age, the Veldyn have made no move to restore Aetgard. Some suspect that, without the assistance of human slaves, the Veldyn are incapable of ruling such a large realm. Indeed, they might very well have no interest in doing so, especially as each Veldyn clan is a power unto itself, raiding as it wishes, making and breaking alliances, taking slaves and loot from any source. What Veldyn would replace such anarchic joy with the stale tedium of a kingdom, with all its laws and rules? Yet some believe that Vindholm, the greatest city of Randheim, might have ambitions to annex its neighbors, before taking Rivalin, creating a vast, maritime empire that could rival any power in Altea. Such possibilities might only exist in the fearful minds of Heidan humans, who have long awaited the coming of a new, terrible Vortigern. But amid the upheavals of the Fifth Age, Grendel, or at least his heir, might very well make a triumphant and dreadful return. 
=== Society ===
Veldyn are often considered highly conservative, in that their society has barely changed over the millennia. Of course, this is all relative. The very earliest Veldyn likely walked about naked, slept in hide tents and used stone tools. Social stratification was simple. The most powerful warrior ruled, and all obeyed him. Those who refused to obey either fought for dominance, or departed to establish their own clan. 
This simple existence changed with the founding of Aetgard. As the kingdom grew in size and complexity, the Veldyn adapted. The Vortigern was chosen by the acclaim of his jarls, the greatest clan leaders. Beneath the jarls were hersirs, mighty warriors who led warbands in their jarl’s name. Under the hersirs were huscarls, essentially captains who had the right to found a longhouse. And beneath the huscarls were fyrdmen, warriors who could be called upon by their jarl in time of war. Those who were not fyrdmen were cottars, homesteaders who owned their land and provided their liege with food and drink. Those who were not cottars were thralls, slaves. In Aetgard, most thralls were humans. 
This hierarchy had largely remained intact, though without a Vortigern to unite the clans, each jarls considers himself master of his domain, equal to any other jarl. Many hersirs have their own steads, small towns that are pledged to one jarl or another. These steads usually have a few longhouses belonging to the hersir’s huscarls, his chief warriors. Few Veldyn settlements have more than 10,000 people in them, and Veldyn holds are distributed widely, though most land is given over to crops and pasture, as Veldyn need immense amounts of food, another reason that slaves are so common. Veldyn generally consider farming to be a tedious business. 
Despite their fearsome reputations, Veldyn are highly hospitable. All holds obey hearth law, that is, any guest must be given three days of shelter. After three days, a guest must provide some service or payment to their host, or be enslaved. Laws are enforced by all free Veldyn, who have been taught their duties from a young age by skalds, who sing of the dictates of Votan Lawgiver, first of the Vortigerns. Though many believe the Veldyn are lawless, that is certainly not the case. As an example, theft is extremely rare in Veldyn holds, as all Veldyn keep a careful eye on each other’s property. When Veldyn go to relax in their steam baths, they do not hand their belongings off for safekeeping, they simply drop them on the ground. These belongings are never stolen, as any thief would be pounced on by a dozen, roaring canae with no patience for lawbreakers. Beatings are a common punishment, but anyone smaller than a Veldyn is unlikely to survive such treatment. 
Though Veldyn can be friendly, they rarely live alongside humans. One reason is mordir, a mating urge that affects most Veldyn every Greentide. During mordir, which lasts about three weeks, Veldyn are quite upfront about their desires, to say the least. A Veldyn female who has no interest in a male’s advances must viciously fight him off. Just the same, males must be prepared to drive away rapacious females. And males or females will happily go after their own sex if the urge strikes. Once mordir fades, the Veldyn resume their duties without comment or concern for any ‘indiscretions’ that might have taken place during the mating season. Veldyn who dwell among humans often imbibe various concoctions to suppress mordir, though ‘steading’ Veldyn consider this laughable. It should be noted that all canae experience the equivalent of mordir, though it appears particularly acute for Veldyn. 
Similarly, Veldyn have little concept of monogamy. Veldyn take spouses, of either sex, as many times as they want, and divorce is as simple as declaring that a partnership is over. Veldyn are quite unsentimental about their relationships. It is common for a male and female to pair up, and after children are produced, the children are divided between mother and father, and the couple splits. Veldyn households are thus very large, and very confusing, with children from multiple parents mixed in among multiple spouses. Naturally, this breeds all manner of feuds and rivalries, something that Veldyn almost seem to encourage. After all, glorious slaughter that spans generation is an excellent subject for the skalds, and any Veldyn might wish to be remembered in song and story. 
This all suggests a highly passionate people, and when Veldyn aren’t ‘conversing,’ they’re fighting. Fights are common among Veldyn, and the presence of mead at every feast ensures that intoxicated brawls are a mainstay of Veldyn entertainment. Maiming and killing during a ‘friendly’ brawl is not a crime, and Veldyn are casual about death, as they know that the fun will continue in the Otherworld. This relaxed attitude to violence, coupled with the Veldyn propensity for aggressive flirtation, ensures that Veldyn and non-Veldyn often live separately, even when they dwell within the same community. Veldyn do not mind this very much, as they exist in a timeless state of personal enjoyment. To the Veldyn, the world is a place of endless pleasures, and nothing much dismays them. If there is nothing to drink, a Veldyn will fight, and if there is nobody to fight, a Veldyn will fornicate, and if there is nobody to fornicate with, a Veldyn will cheerfully go in search of some amusement, wandering to the very ends of the earth if needed. The Veldyn urge to wander, so apparent in Varangars, accounts for the spread of Brautska, Road-Talk, the common Veldyn tongue. Merchant-priests of Orm, always eager to popularize trade languages, modified Brautska into Tradespeak, known throughout Heide. Knowing this, it is little wonder that one of Grendel's epithets is Farwalker, and Veldyn certainly wish to imitate their honored father. 
=== Religion ===
Veldyn religion is largely a clan-based, disorganized affair, with most rituals taking place at the hearth, or in open fields. The priests of the Veldyn, the godi, or godspeakers, are mostly shamanic, calling on the ancestors and guardian spirits for advice. Godspeakers perform the most sacred rituals at a clan’s Havskog, or High Wood. A High Wood usually contains an Aevidr, an Evertree, the dwelling place of a dryad. The Veldyn believe that these Aevidr grew from the back of Druna in the Dawn Age as homes for the dryads, and that all lesser trees subsequently sprang forth from the Aevidr. Maintaining the happiness of the local dryad is integral to a clan's wellbeing, as Veldyn believe that crops will wither and cows will no longer give milk if the land spirits are not satisfied. 
Along with Druna, Veldyn honor many other Old Ones. Hila, of course, is important as a source of life and heat, especially in the freezing winters of Heide. Rukh and her Windsons are responsible for bringing the rains, and Veres is honored as the source of male fertility. Rakith is also worshipped, often alongside Veres, as both deities are considered the ‘great grandfathers’ of the Veldyn race. While Veres represents nature as the source of life, Rakith is nature as savage predator, and both aspects appeal to the primal Veldyn mind. 
Ukhraj, grandfather of Veldyn, is the particular patron of the Ulfhednar, the rage-filled warrior cult dedicated to the destruction of Chaos and the spawn of the Beast. The Ulfhednar are not discerning in their fury, and are both feared and respected. While the Ulfhednar are especially devoted to Ukhraj, all Veldyn appreciate the strength that the Dragonson grants them in battle. 
Though the Veldyn honor all their ancestors, and regularly seek their guidance and protection, two spirits are venerated above all others: Grendel and Votan. Grendel is the father of Veldyn, and he taught them how to survive upon the savage Veldt, how to overcome the orcs and dwarves, how to enslave the humans to do work unfit for true warriors. Grendel even cleared the way to the afterlife, seizing his share from his father Ukhraj and preparing a magnificent hall for the einherjar, the greatest of the Veldyn warrior-spirits. While Grendel is the primal strength and tenacity of the Veldyn, Votan, first Vortigern, is the spirit of rulership and mastery. Votan gave the Veldyn laws, he ordered them into holds, and he gave them something to strive for beyond mere rapine and plunder. Votan, wise in the secrets of rune magic, achieved immortality and took his place among the gods, winning his share with cunning instead of raw strength. Both approaches are honorable. Votan still walks among the Veldyn in disguise, asking for guest right and testing the hospitality of his hosts. Those who please him are blessed. Those who fail to uphold guest right are punished, being fated to die ignominious deaths. 
As for the Outsiders, most of them are far too ‘civilized’ for the steading Veldyn. Gadri, as protectress of crops, is honored at harvesttide, and Arva’s healing is a useful balm for injured warriors. Orm and Myrmex, as guardians of terrestrial and maritime trade, are favored by the wide-roaming Veldyn merchants, particularly the Varangars, who have always seen themselves as venturesome merchants first, and raiders second. Jau, often just called the Trickster, is asked to provide cunning, and the infamous ‘mystic fool’ Grimma is popularly believed to have either been an incarnation of Jau, or her Shadow. Bardan is honored by smiths, who are often attributed magic powers, for iron is both used in weapons and as a ward against spirits. But the Outsider who is most courted is Kyrene, almost always respectfully called the Lady, for it was Kyrene who bore Danae, the Great She-Wolf who in turn birthed mighty Grendel. The Lady is patron of red war and conquest, and she is conceived as particularly bloodthirsty by the Veldyn, who are less interested in Kyrene’s role as tactician and adjudicator of fair combat. Kyrene is worshipped alongside her Titan, Ghela, the Shieldmaiden, who the Veldyn believes oversees the valkyrs, the ‘selectors of the slain.’ The valkyrs carry away fallen champions to Kyrene’s Fields of Glory, where they join the Lady’s celestial host and take part in endless struggles against the Chaos Gods.  
As for the Chaos Gods, the only one the Veldyn truly accept is Rakith. Even the Ulfhednar grant him grudging respect, and will not harm his werebeasts. All other Scions are considered dangerous, and if not shunned, are actively fought against. This is likely due to Ukhraj's hatred of Chaos as the cause of his mother's corruption. Though it might also simply be that the Veldyn appreciate a set of worthy foes to test themselves against. Interestingly, the Veldyn do not see their existence as chaotic or even violent. To them, they exist as Grendel and Votan wished them to live, and anything that disrupts a clan's careful balance is a threat to be destroyed. The Veldyn believe their lives are blessed and enviable, and so it is understandable that the Abyssal powers seek to challenge them. What, after all, is life without a little struggle? 
   
Category:Races