Freod

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Freod
micronesia--57.jpg
Flag of Freod
Motto: Þæt wæs god cyning!
No Map Available Yet
Region Titan
Capital Heorot
Official Language(s) English and Old English
Leader Eadwacer bearnes Garþeow
Population approx. 3 Billion
Currency Hring 
NS Sunset XML

Early History

Ing Mearclanda was a brigand in Northern Britain circa 900 Anno Domine who quickly gathered men around him due to his force of personality. He rode in from the borderlands of civilization to burn, pillage, and rape. He was so effective that he became a warlord and was able to influence the surrounding kingdoms. He ruled with an iron fist and slaughtered all who questioned him. He learnt much in his youth, covered in blood and gore, leaving offspring scattered almost as far as his terror, and foremost amoung them, the importance of appearance. His men swooped in in the middle of the night and would slay every man wearing an odd number of hrings, or wore the wrong color. Through this strategy he spread fear to the four winds and villages would surrender the moment that they saw his brilliant green (copper-laced) bonfires upon the horizon. And so, what had started as a small camp in the moors, became first a village, and then a city-state that ruled the surrounding lands through fear and through force.

Ing did not lie down in war and so became grey-bearded and wise. He could no longer venture forth to war and knew that he must maintain his kingdom for his eldest son. He needed to create a dynesty. So he declared that he would be referred to Se Freond (literally, "The Friend") and that his lands would be known as "Þa Mearclandas Freondes" (The Borderlands of the Friend). Anyone who addressed him, or his lands, otherwise was put to a quick death. When Se Freond, at last, slept the deep sleep, he was placed on a barge unrivaled in beauty and wealth which was cast out to the swan road and set aflame. Wordweavers still tell of the ghostly and terrifying green flame that consumed their Friend as he sank beneath the waves, passing the crown to his eldest son, Sceld.

Sceld Freondes ruled his new kingdom with an iron hand and bloody fist. During his reign the borders of Þa Mearclandas Freondes expanded and surrounded. By the time he died and passed rule to Froda, Þa Mearclandas Freondes was the single greatest power in the region. Froda's son Hroðgar was an anomoly of the time, a peaceful man. Despite external threats (about which many a tale has been written) he did not strike out to defend his lands and he would have been destroyed had it not been for a Geat by the name of Beowulf. This was a time of great shame for the borderlands and it's detractors took to calling it "The Borderlands of Peace." Unfortunately, this name stuck and "Þa Mearclandas Freodes" was born. It is difficult for a king (or land) to take so much shame and a (reasonably) peaceful coup happened which instilled Beowulf's son, Cynewulf as king. For political reasons, he married Hroðgar's daughter ??? to maintain the dynasty and honor of the kingdom.

With the momentum of his father's glory, Cynewulf started another grand phase of expansion for Freod. When the Norman's invaded in 1066 they were easily repelled by the well trained forces. They pressed forward, crossed the channel and successfully invaded Normandy. This made Freod the largest nation of the time with a population measured in the millions. Skirmishes continued along the borders of the empire until he died a wise man.

His son, Heremund, was not a wise man and died as a hero in battle while trying to take Iberia. With the death of their king and his eldest bearn (Garþeow) being only eight years old, Freod's forces were disheartened and though they sent many enemies to the deep sleep, they were driven back across the Channel Freodes to their ancestral home. In what was possibly the largest refugee movement of the ancient world, close to a million people flooded north to The Friend's ancestral home. The regent oversaw this massive migration which flooded that lands and when GarÞeow turned fourteen and took the throne for his own, his lands were massively overpopulated. Many people saw his young age as something exploitable so on the day of his coronation civil war broke.

Eight-million people lived in Þa Mearclandas Freodes and they all picked up arms against their brothers. Battle raged across the land and there was no village, no family left unscathed. Various warlords took over portions of The Borderlands and held them against the fighters of the surrounding cities and the militias that Garþeow could raise. There were still some men in this time of battle that held dear to their hearts the old codes of honor and fealty. Garþeow gathered them to his breast and he trained them in secret, and he gave them great heirlooms of strong steel and mighty tradition, and they became an elite royal force. They were known as "Héo Beaducafas" (meaning literally, "Those (who are) Bold-in-Battle"). The Beaducafas appeared one day on a might ridge overlooking the front lines of an old battle between on of the most established warlords. Their mailshirts glittered in the rays of the sun. The singing of the finely woven rings of steel echoed down the hillside. They charged.

It was on this day that Þa Mearclandas Freodes reclaimed its honor with battleblood. Many men fell on that day on both side, and all fought bravely, but héo mihtigas beaducafas Freodes destroyed their foes and took mighty riches and arms for themselves and their ringfriend. This turned the tide of the war. Though few warlords surrended, they quickly fell before the might of Garþeow's heroes. With the momentum achieved by these victories, Garþeow swept back acros the Channel Freodes to retake Normandy, and thus began The Long War. It was during this time that Eadwacer was born to Garþeow.

Rise of Eadwacer

Eadwacer grew up in Wanmere in the Freodes Isles. As he was royalty he was schooled in reading, writing, arithmatic, Latin, and word-weaving. He studied swordplay and fighting. He studied tactics and strategy. When he had sixteen winters he was sent to the front lines in Normandy to grow up and to gain honor. These six years of his life gave him his now final shape by teaching him two important lessons: Only in battle could one discover their true potential, earn honor, and gain glory; and War is hell. When he was twenty-one he returned home to his father a great general and beloved by many of the people. He brought back with him a friend from the war named Roar Halkenhvad.

Eadwacer explained how he had found Roar Halkenhvad one day on the battlefield wandering around. It was not a confused wander, but one of curiousity and purpose. Several men from both sides attemped to take him captive, but all failed with mysterious injuries for he wielded a ranged weapon of dyrne cræft and fell all who threatened him. Eadwacer rode forth to him with arms open and invited him back to camp for food and drink. They talked at length. Roar Halkenhvad was from a land by the name of "Centipede" that was deep within the diamond sea. They had a world for just them and their friends and a mihtig hringeard with many times the space of middangeard and they were looking for brave explorers to live there. Roar Halkenhvad told Eadwacer of his travels and his adventures and of how his nation was a nation of great warriors.

When Eadwacer explained this to his lord he also explained more. He was sickened by the meaningless battle that he saw everywhere, battles not for glory or honor, but for land and survival. On this hringeard he saw the potential for no dishonorable wars, no wars strictly for land and greed, but instead wars would be fought with honor and for glory. While Eadwacer was growing he heard many stories of great explorers that had traveled the globe and brought back wealth and knowledge. He too desired to travel forth and bring glory to Freod. When Garþeow heard this, he knew that he could not keep his son home and so he gave him his blessings and told him to take whomever with him that desired to go. Messangers were sent forth the the borders of the kingdom asking for brave warriors and hardy families to go forth and explore new lands. No one expected a full two-thirds of the populace to respond. With no more need for the land, Garþeow reached an honorable agreement with the Normans and returned to his side of the channel with great riches and treasure. Roar Halkenhvad was true to his word and his nation of Scolopendra arranged for the transport of five-million noble people to the hringeard where they have lived since.