Virn

**-The Kingdom of Virn-**

**-Background**

*Before the our first memories, at the beginning of our new origin*

We are descendants of the Háseti, they were a proud people residing in the northern lands of the eastern continents of cindergard, capable of dealing against any force that was thrown upon them, bringing their culture and traditions from an unknown land that has yet to be discovered.

**\*The great rift and the forest of the undead**

In the times of prosperity of the haseti the winds of magic, corrupted by the darkness, attacked all civilizations in Cindergard, followed by a dark prince, a Horseman. This entity covered in flames, apparently inmortal ravaged the Háseti, forcing them underground…But….They were not prepared for what they would find in the darkest caves of the mountains of Virnue.

A forest, composed of giant trees, with a bark of a black coloring that bled a red slimy liquid containing a stench of sulfur, this organic giants reached the ceiling of the world itself, supporting the tectonic plates that once carried Hálendi, rooting its branches in the land that once was alive. A dark aura was emanating from one particular tree, one of darker texture and corroded roots covered in a slimy liquid now green and decomposed, this tree carried inside a giant of undead nature, with only his rotten head visible the giant muttered words of salvation for the haseti, but at a price. Those fools, encumbered by fear and greed accepted the offer of the great undead, but the price was too much, more than they could have imagined. Their bodies twisted, their skulls deformed,and their bones shattered, creating abominations that the world was yet to find.

These deformed creatures, now far from being human were granted a safe passage to a new land, a place for hope and adventures, but the now corrupted beings couldn't even face the sun, it burned their eyes, so they took refuge deep, under the world, in the ruins of those who lived before them, without a memory of their glorious past they now look at their reflections. The great undead turned the people of Háseti into a ravenous horde of verminous ratmen, and they waited underground, chittering, planning, who knows what their hunger brings to the world…

**-Dark age**

Years passed since the arrival to the new world, the creatures adapted to the dark, feasted on each other trying to save themselves from starvation, still fearful of the sun, they never left their now putrid caves, instead they explored the depths, in search of a new salvation, a new hope that would make them survive in this dark age, what was the purpose of minerals or metals when death was whispering in every corner?Then it was found, a fungal forest, deep in the mountain, where mushrooms of all kinds grew and prospered without the need of a creature's help, this will be known as the fungal warrens.

Having finally found a food source, the ratlings stopped eating each other and started collaborating to exploit the fungal resources, creating societies around them and developing into a more rational society which now had a common purpose

**-Metallurgy and blood**

Now well settled, those who walked in the darkness started to look the world around them, now paying attention to the minerals and metals, finding different uses for them, even learning how to refine them thanks to the furious caverns of **eldur og blóð** ,filled with lava that burned the vermin with a single drop. Although rudimentary, they created their first furnaces capable of smelting metals, with the help of the great volcanic formations of the underground, first came the tools, rough copper and tin pickaxes capable of breaking the stone walls around them, creating the first tunnels, that would extend through the nearby cave formations of the fungal caverns and also creating the first **hellishús** (homes) which consisted on roughly carved holes into the walls of the caves.

**\*Discovery of Bronze and iron**

*The rat placed its hands on the head, as he realized that he mixed tin and copper by mistake when trying to create a tin ingot, but surprisingly he created a new metal, one more resistant and more prepared for mining*

The introduction of bronze was a great discovery, making them able to expand more the tunnels, create more appropriate warrens and mine minerals that before they were unable to extract, hence the discovery of iron, as well as other metals. Iron was another step further into the mining capabilities, being able to dig tunnels, warrens and more with ease, and allowing the rats to develop more complex tools, such as hoes, chisels, shovels also refining the weapons and armors that were once from bronze.

**\*An era of blood and division**

*The greedy ratling looked at his hands wondering….why don't I have more?*

Problems started to appear in the ratling society as groups started to form with different leaders and ideals in them, the greedy of the verminous creatures evolved from heated discussions to brawls and finally into an all out war between these now called *‘’clans’’*

These clans would be the following:

**Clan fernag:** A clan settled on the fiery caverns of **eldur og blóð** ,these verminous atrocities burn themselves with lava to carve symbols on their skin, apart from that, occupying the volcanic caverns made them have easy access to minerals, making them a dangerous foe as they are heavy armored.

**Clan fungal:** Those who occupied the luminescent fungal caves of **rotinn sveppur,** they are covered in mushrooms of luminescent nature, that dig their roots into the bodies of the infected, and alter their mind, making them more aggressive in nature and non friendly, they usually spread spores that can infect other ratlings around them, making them a serious threat against the survival of the whole race

**Clan Virn:** This clan is composed mainly by rats who have studied their surroundings and learned from them, being able to cast basic magick as well as an overall improvement in their physique and artisanship