Clan HjartaSeiðr

Clan HjartaSeiðr

> *"The Soul of Mann is Magic Enough"*
>
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### Titles

Thane of The VeilTonguesFreyr of The ThicketHigh Tongue to the People called The Tongues

### Founder

DaTorak HjartaSeiðr

Clan HjartaSeiðr (HjartaSeithr) is a Major Clan pledged to the Great Clan Aritaur. Their County of The VeilTongues is a nature focused County, and the people of this land refer to themselves as The Tongues. A people dedicated to the preservation and understanding of the natural sciences, The Clan has come from hardship and persecution in a distant land to being a powerful diplomatic force within the Great Kingdom of Vornair.

## Overview

### Characteristics

The people of Clan HjartaSeiðr tend to be dark skinned and smell of the deep woods, as the majority of their time is spent outdoors in nature.

### Guiding Principles

#### Balance

   There is no great evil nor is there great good. In nature, the elk and the wolf do not play parts of the divine and the deplorable, however, they balance each other none-the-less. As is in nature, so too shall it be in the Tongues. All things must remain in balance, be that the balance of work and relaxation, family and career, fighting and peace, life and death, or light and dark. Balance in all aspect is glorified in The VeilTongues to the point that while it is not forbidden to reproduce more than two offspring, it is not encouraged to over-people the world, as too many people would remove souls and matter for other living things and may destroy the natural world altogether.

#### The Grey

Like balance, good and evil are not necessary tenets in The VeilTongues, as such, all decisions must be made without an ideology based in these two aspects. All the world exists in shades of grey, and we must act in accordance to the first tenet of balance, and not be swayed by the need for light or the dark. Sometimes the most deplorable of acts will bring about a most constructive end, and the tenets of good men often lead to destruction.

#### Reason

It is the gift of man to think clearly. That which separates us from the other beast of Elyria is that when a wolf thinks “I am hungry” he must eat whatever he can find. When a Mann thinks “I am hungry” he must reason for his health, his food stores, and the needs of others. Mann has the ability to see the world clearly and balance the pros and cons of all actions. Reason is the ability to be driven by what is seen, divorced from the overpowering drives of the body and emotion.

#### Diplomacy

It is not for Mann to act irrationally, as we possess reason, we also have the ability to stand apart from our violent tendencies and hear out the reason of others. Actions with those with different views should be taken with an eye for all viewpoints. We must understand the entirety of the situation before acting, and if needed, give way for the difference between us.

#### Lunacy

It is by the mind's divorce of the body, and the soul's ability to walk the realm outside itself that deepest truths are seen. Those that others may call insane in other parts of the world, are seen as blessed among The VeilTongues. The Magic men that went mad were still men that saw deeper parts of reality than any other men alive. While their lunacy should not destroy the world with their words, we must still listen intently for any shred of truth that may fall from the unfettered mind of Mann.

## The Shield

### The Wolves

Wolves are the guiding spirits of the VeilTongues, and to the Tongues represent perfect balance within nature. The wolves are deities and friend to the tongues.

### The Tree and Roots

The tree calls us back to itself in our dying years. It reminds us that we are of both the earth and the sky, and that while we may die, portions of our body and our soul reenter the earth and once again become us.

### The Mortar and Pestle and the Snake

The Mortar and Pestle represent the goal of the people of The VeilTongues, to follow the true magic of the world by delving into the magic that Elyria carries on its flesh. The serpent reminds us that this magic must be used with wisdom, as like the serpent, one can be gentle and flowing, or one can be cunning, but we must choose when to be either.

## History

### The Founding of the House of HjartaSeiðr and The Veil Tongue

“I cannot see!” screamed the High Enchantress tearing the veil from her eyes. “My vision, my art. Where have they gone? Where have I gone…” the screams became once more a silent mumble and sob. The woman’s dark eyes pooled with blood and dripped crimson onto her white dress and fingers. The binding around her wrists were soaked in deep crusted brown blood, and she wept openly.

The villagers darted quickly across the square trying not to notice the Enchantress. Rumors had been coming in for months about the burning of Magic. A vast majority of the townspeople were gathered to hear the words of the elders. Villages all around spoke about the insanity of their enchanters, touch healers, chanters, mages, sorcerers and the like. All menn of magic had burnt out and were lost.

The Enchantress had lost her sanity two fortnight ago and the screaming had diminished the spirit of the once proud townsfolk to ghosts of their previous selves. Even the elders looked dismayed, all except the naturalist DaTorak HjartaSeiðr, whose head was held high. Despite being the youngest of the elders, he seemed the only one left with spirit and certainty of self. DaTorak stepped forward, “People of the Veil, the calamity is real, magic has been wrenched from the world of Mann, its influence can no longer guide us and give us light. We must come out of this and stand as a people, we must not…”

A wicked scream erupted from the Enchantress, “You fools, you empty creatures, you may never exist without us, the world will burn without magical sight, you are lost you are…” The gurgling stopped as DaTorak stepped forward knife in hand, gripped the Enchantress by the chin, and pulled out her tongue. In a smooth motion, DaTorak slashed the bright pink muscle from the woman's mouth. The dark woman fell to the floor thrashing about, blind and dumb, gurgles issued forth from her mouth and a pink froth enveloped her face, dripping down to the ground.

“The time of magic has moved past us” bellowed DaTorak, “now is the time of spirit and hope. We must stand strong, and use our wits, if one day magic returns to us, our minds must be sharp enough to gather it once more into our brilliance. Until that time, out tongues shall remain veiled and our mystical knowledge will be held close. To each Mann, we on the council charge you with the discovery of the deeper quieter magic of nature. Foster the knowledge this world has for you, and do not hold to the magics of the past. The soul of Mann is magic enough!”