Valkeryn

Royal Banner of Valkeryn

Wrong Formatting*This article is does not meet wiki's formatting. You can help Terra Tales Archive by reformatting it.*

## Valkeryn

On the 1st of Thawten, 1119 NA (Notos Alori), the first Valkish Kingdom was established by Vr̃itrich I syl Edelynberk, after his proclamation to the other Valkish Nobles in the mighty hills of Edelynberk. The Nation that developed was the product of years of Tribal, Heraian and Religious influence, culminating in a vibrant and proud Realm of Honour and Freedom.

### Overview

Valkeryn, also allowed to be called "Valkia", "Valksland" or "Valkenreich", is a Nation that emerged from the bloody collapse of the Second Heraian Empire, after the first Valkish King, Vr̃itrich I, unified the petty kingdoms and tribes under a single Monarch, using his Imperial Lineage to gain legitimacy.

Valkeryn's heart in the Verderef Valley, filled with fertile Green Plains, and the mighty Klainsie Loch at it's centre.

### Etymology

The name Valkeryn comes from the two words, Valke, which literally translates to "place settle" in Valkish, though it might be better interpreted as "Settler", as a term used by the Heraians to differentiate them from the nomadic tribes of the Valkish Region. The second part "Ryn" is simply the Valkish word referring to a Nation of any kind, be it a Kingdom, a Republic or an Empire, every Society that can differentiate itself from another is a Ryn in some form or another.

### History

As stated earlier, Valkeryn was established in 1119 NA by Vr̃itrich syl Kravyros, however, what happened before that can be summarised as such.

After the fall of the First Heraiaryn, and the extinction of the Korvanid dynasty, there was a massive power vacuum in the area where the Valkeryn now resides, this was briefly filled for a few hundred years by the Urslakonid dynasty of the second Heraiaryn, however this would turn out to be short lived, as that Empire too fell apart, leaving the Valkish lands in yet another interregnum.

This period would see large amounts of violence and chaos in the region, with entire tribes being wiped from the face of the earth, reading and writing became non existent, and standard of living plummeted due to the lack of a central government. This changed with the rise of Vr̃itrich syl Kravyras, who managed to defeat the other Kr̃af's of the area and established himself as King of the Valkish.

After that, it was a steady line of succession, until his grandson, the 3rd King of Valkeryn, Rudolf, ascended to the Throne, where we arrive to the present day.

That's the short version, but for the long version please read this document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nDBtmJwqoHe-tk0nwqoXtZYaNwtYsBs4X5g1GJ2A3qU/edit?usp=sharing

### Government

The Government of Valkeryn is that of a Feudal Monarchy, with a King in Edelynberk and Local Lords ruling the other Towns, though the King retains absolute power, he is still behest to the needs of three estates, the Nobility, the Burghers and the Clergy, the King must use his power to balance these three Estates before even considering things such as territorial expansion, which is why the Kingdom generally has a National assembly, where all "Joher" and above are invited to attend, those being Male, Landowning Citizens of the Kingdom.

### Demology

#### Religion

The Keros syl Lossa is the official state religion of Valkeryn, as it has been for over a thousand years, a Monotheistic Religion. It revolves around two pivotal entities, Aliori, the one true and almighty God of the Universe -that exclusively inhabits the Spirit Realm, also known as Heaven, or Himaval, and Alysios one of many Angels that one time spread out across the Cosmos, and gave life to Planets life the one we're on, Elis.

The Valkish are so devout in fact in the teachings of Lossa, that non believers, or worse, Heretics, are shunned, or worse, antagonised by wider society, as it's believed that these kind of people are impeding the ascent of Mankind to Paradise by rejecting Alori's Dominion over the World, basically, we can't have nice things because of Heretics, not to say that believers are safe either, for to ascent of Paradise, one must be strong in mind and body, and be a shining example of both Faith, and Works.

#### Culture

Valkish Culture was birthed from the ancient Josa culture from thousands of years even before Heraios, they migrated into the area around Valkeryn some 6000 years ago, and brought with them a culture of war, rigid male dominated hierarchies, and value of animals, and as a matter of fact, it's often custom for Valkish Noble Children to be given Ponies at the age of 5, so they can grow up with them and have them as their own Horses, pretty much every Valkish noble owns a Horse, and those that don't either outlived their's, and never got a new one -the connection between a Valkish and his Horse can run very deep-, or slaves (Note: Slavery in Lossa Nations is very different to what we see as slavery, in Lossa, people such as thieves and vandals are expected to repair what they damaged or stole, and then some, but once the debt is repaid, they're often released, owning people as chattel is deeply frowned upon in Lossaism).

Despite their isolated position in the Verderef Valley, the Valkish are a remarkably hospitable people, with passerby's often being offered drinks and accommodation whenever passing through Valkish Land, it's seen as an insult to reject an offer of hospitality and though rejecting hospitality won't make a Valkish hostile, it is in Valkish culture, a quite personal insult, as you're effectively telling the host that they aren't good enough for you to receive their hospitality.

The Valkish also have a large Drinking culture, with groups of friends and entire extended families often packing Taverns to drink Arkheratyn Mit, a form of Mead locally produced in Valkeryn. The culture is so prolific in Valkeryn that riots have broken out when taxes were levied on Alcohol, and the areas around bars are often deserted past a certain time due to fear of potentially violent drunk men wreaking havoc, with an increased police presence there too.

Valkish Men have a strong sense of honour, as a part of the warrior culture that Valkeryn has, with duelling being a very common practice to settle disputes, rather sadly, death in duels is the most numerous form of death for young Valkish men.

#### Language and Dialects

The Valkish speak the Valkish language (I know, I wouldn't have guessed either), a member of the Josa language families, of which High Heraian, Valkish, Shalieri and Jarmik are branches, they share very similar vocabulary and grammar, but Valkish is known to have a more rough, down to earth feel to it in it's use of words, being more direct in speech, while other Languages to the east, especially High Heraian, often communicate more with inference, reflecting the difference in court culture between the two societies.

It's also worth mentioning the influence of Liturgical Heraian, the universal Language of the Clergy in Lossaism, which has rubbed off significantly on Valkish and other languages.

### Architecture

When the Valkish first started to settle and form cities, they did so in the ruins of the Ancient Heraian Imperial Settlements that were made during the age of the first Heraiaryn, neat and organised walled settlements with a further walled section dedicated to the most important members of society, they used a style of building that reflected the Ancient Imperial Architecture, while also using the local materials available to them, using a collection of Stones, Spruce Woods and Red tiled roofs that would become customary in later Valkish Architecture.

Over time these White Walled Settlements would be weathered down and broken by time, and the Heraian Insulae were replaced with the vernacular timber framed buildings of the Valkish Kr̃afs, during this time, a trend of Castle building also took hold in Valkeryn, taking advantage of the hilly terrain, the Valkish Castles littered the Valley, and prevented unification for a long time until the times of Vr̃itrich syl Edelynberk.

Once the Valkish Kingdom was unified however, and especially under the reign of Vr̃itrich II, a new form of Architecture called Arichlich architecture took hold, though diverse in it's form and colours, it had some common themes, namely the tall pointed roofs characteristic of many Valkish Builds, it was also under Vr̃itrich II that Edelynberk Castle was built, a magnificent Palace and Defensive installation meant to display the wealth and power of the Edelynberk Dynasty.