History of Lorkhan

Etymology

Etymologists have discovered that the name Lorkhan comes from the first settlers who came to the region. Because of it's geographic location in Norgeland and the massive Great Lake centered in Lorkhan's boarders, the country is often regarded as the heart of the region. Ancient tribes believed that Norgeland is the body of a great god who had exhausted himself by aiding in the creation of the Earth. The god fell and landed in the Atlantic, severing a large portion of landmass from current day Canada as lore tells it, and created Norgeland. He sank to the bottom of the ocean but his heart remained in the center of his land so that life would flourish. In the old language the word for this god and his heart is Loka, but because of the mix between native tribes and Viking settlers it came out as Lorkhan. The nation has been called this ever since.

Pre-historic Tribes: 10,000 B.C - 800 A.D

Recent archaeological finds suggest that hunters from the southern territories of Corellus could travel far north into Norgeland as early as the start of Holocene, 12 000 years ago, when the icecap was still on the highland. Temporary settlements and traces of tipis have been found as far north as the Jethro region in Lorkhan, and extend into coastal Gravedom.

The natural populace of Lorkhan, the Bjørneske has existed for tens of thousands of years in the Jethro Mountains. Human hunter-gatherers first came into contact with the Bjørneske around 8,000 B.C, starting a war that would last into the middle ages. Tensions between the two cultures exist even today between the people of Lorkhan and members of the Bjørneske Cult.

Lorkhan, as well as the adjacent country Gravedom, has a high concentration of petroglyph's throughout the country. These glyphs tell the early story of Lorkhan well. They depict savage bear people waging war with the indigenous tribes, and local fauna such as the fox, bear, elk, and wolf. The most famous of these carvings is the thirty feet tall and one hundred feet wide [Wall of Svorda], which depicts the long fought war the Bjørneske, and the triumphs and tragedies that came with the conflict. The carvings of this date between 6,000 B.C and 750 A.D

The end of this period came in the early dark ages. Many of the local tribes had moved to the safety of the already established Kingdom of Dasfurer and into the coastal territories of Gravedom. Those that remained likely died out by around 1300. AD.

The Viking Expansion

The first foreign people who explored Norgeland came in early 800 A.D during the height of the great Viking expanse. Sailors from Norway had been sent to explore the Americas, but their route had been inappropriately calculated and their ships came upon the shores of southern Corellus and Norgeland. Here they had mingled with the Germanic people and local tribes in the Kingdom of Dasfurer, and would gradually explore the northern reaches of Lorkhan. Again the humans were met by the Bjørneske, but this time the odds had been in the favor of the Viking explorers. Entire Bjørneske packs had been wiped out limiting their numbers to a meager few hundred around the middle ages.

By 1000 A.D several dozen petty kingdoms had been established by the many different settlers. This had begun the clan structure that is so relevant in Lorkhan's culture today.

The First Civil War and the Escape from Christian Oppression

By 1000 A.D the Christian conversion of Scandinavia had been in full swing. Many were not so easily swayed and saw the punishment that came with refusing to follow a new faith. Many fled to Norgeland in order to escape persecution, and found themselves absorbed by Lorkhan's clans. The destruction of the Temple of Uppsala was the final catalyst that caused the The Great Pagan Exodus in 1090.

The massive sudden shift of people from varying cultures and beliefs caused the First Civil War in 1257. The conflict lasted up until 1310 when King Oren of Dasfurer annexed the region and enforced peace through out the petty kingdoms and tribes. This lasted until 1389 when a man named Cjok Frostmare emerged and declared open rebellion on King Oren's forces.

The Independence War and the first Kingdom of Lorkhan

Cjok Frostmare had united several tribes under his command between 1378 and 1390, amassing a large private army and following under his banner. Many respected him and his family for being one of the last to remain openly hostile against Christian missionaries in Scandinavia and he was claimed the Prophet of the Aesir by his followers. In 1388 a platoon was dispatched to the village of Kormath in central Lorkhan, ordered to arrest Frostmare for conspiracy against the crown. The entire platoon was slaughtered and their horses sacrificed to the gods. The flags of Dasfurer were stained in the blood of their former bearers and sent to the regional procurator. An entire calvary unit supported by a division of foot soldiers was sent to Kormath the following day. Before they reached the village they were met by over 2,000 rebels in the Valley of Edbrog, commencing the Battle of Blood Valley and initiating the Independence War.

Cjok Frostmare won the Battle of Blood Valley and continued to rally supporters against the crown. In 1402 Dasfurer surrendered Lorkhan back to it's people and Cjok Frostmare was declared the sole king. This brought an end to the disputed clan territories and marked the first time that Lorkhan had become a unified kingdom.