NationStates Jolt Archive

Empire!

The drums beat steadily, and Vargast steeled himself to face the enemy, knife in one hand, poisoned dart in the other. He had made many sacrifices to great Ormarli that morn, and, as he circled his foe, he knew that they would bring him to greatness. Outside the two warriors, tanks rumbled, and warriors readied themselves, rifles in hand.

It had been a long time since the Krati and the Mevoldur had met on the field. Two years ago, they had been the best of allies - they had built factories, supported one another's armies, and the Mevoldur had been the greatest among the supporters of the Krati for kingship of the Vemerdun tribe. Together, they had lead the full mustered fyrd of the Vemerdun against the opposing Kadeth tribe, and had defeated them soundly.

Of the six grand tribes, and the eighty-two great clans who made them up, the Krati and the Mevoldur were the most respected among them all. Their tula encompassed as much of any other ten clans, their armies, their airfields, their god-speakers were without compare.

However, that had passed with the death of King Ragnovir. Ragnovir had ruled the Vemerdun tribe, and, as was customary, the Krati and Mevoldur supported one another for kingship, one king after the other. It was a system that had worked for many decades, and the friendship had only been strengthened.

However, the Meldovur had put forth a candidate who had spoke ill of Ormarli, the patron god of all Ormarl - who made up the vast majority of the people of the Six Tribes.

Another nation would find their practices peculiar; they had carried ancient barbarism into the modern age. Despite roads and railways, nuclear power and space travel, the ting was the highest arbiter of law, and, if the lawspeaker there could not prove a crime, the duel was the best proof of innocent - or of guilt.

Kedev was a worshipper of Ainhat, the God of Conquest. He had taken many tharls in raids from tribes who had sworn peace to him, and forced his new-found slaves to churn out many weapons. It was said that he planned on destroying the old system, destroying Ormarl's place at the head of the gods, and enthroning Ainhat.

When Ormarl god-speakers had gone to him, and said that Ormarl sought to punish him, he had ordered their jewels and emblems destroyed with hammers, and their thumbs cut off, so they could no longer entreat Ormarl proper, as one should be able to.

That being done, he raised a great army, and set about the conquest of the east, of two of the six tribes. The Vermerdun and Ellahar had fallen to his armies quickly, and it was forbidden by the highest sacred laws to use the power of nuclear weapons against other believers - even traitors to Ormarl deserved death by the knife, should they choose to fight. So it was that armies from the other tribes had been raised, and sent to the great Pinch of Rangdoon, where the mighty forge-god Rangdoon had almost split the eastern and western continents in half because of a great feud in the past, and there they sought to invade him, and depose him.

But Ainhat had blessed his servant Kedev mightily, and the armies of the Tribes had been scattered to the winds. Almost eight hundred thousand men had been slain in a grand battle, and the Pinch had been lost. Kedev's armies had spilled into the west, conquering as they went.

Vargast snarled. It had been here he had gathered sixty thousand in a grand moot, including the sacred weapons of Rangdoon, God of the Forge. His forging, it was said, served only Ormarl, and Ainhat had stolen his best sword to fight Ormarl.

They had met Kedev's force, and, after a fierce battle, he had challenged Kedev to a duel.

The man had accepted, knowing that it was Vargast who had led his tribe to oppose his ascension as king.

As they circled each other, Vargast snarled. "You are a betrayer of Ormarl, who led us to this land!"

Kedev laughed. "I am no betrayer! Ormarl is old, you fool. It is beyond his time. The new weapons of the age serve conquest better than they serve the storm. We must be as unyielding as stone, not as puny as lightning!"

Storm clouds crackled overhead, and Vargast jabbed at him with the dagger.

Kedev struck it away disdainfully, and feinted, as if to throw his dart at Vargast. Vargast dodged, and Kedev struck at him with his dagger, slicing at his leg.

Vargast winced, and threw his dart at Kedev. It hit his foot - the poison was slow-acting, and would only slow him, unless it had hit a vein. Kedev threw his own, missing.

Now the darts had been thrown, they drew their swords. Steel smashed against steel, time and time again, daggers licking in and out of the great whirlwind of death, and, for a time, nobody could tell who was winning. Tiny cuts appeared on the bodies of both men, yet it was almost impossible to tell when.

The storm grew louder, and lightning streaked from the sky miles hence.

Vargast smiled. "You see that, traitor? Ormarl blesses me!"

Kedev laughed. "It is his death throes. When you die, Ainhat will put the pitiful thunder-god to the sword."

Sweat slicked his hands suddenly, and Vargast lost his dagger. The rest of the fight was almost a foregone conclusion. Sword-and-dagger against dagger, Kedev fought more easily, Vargast unable to block both, constantly inching backwards, and around the circle.

Suddenly, a leg flicked out under Vargast, knocking him down.

Kedev smashed another leg down, pinning his sword-arm to the ground. He tossed his dagger to the ground, and spoke.

"Ormarl has abandoned you. He cannot fight his own battles, let alone aid you in yours."

Vargast spat blood, and spoke, yet not to Kedev. "Ormarl the Binder, Ruler of the Storm, King of the Gods! King, and eternal king! He shall never be thrown down!"

Kedev raised his sword above his head-

Lightning crackled to the ground, searing through his bones. The smell of burning flesh wafted across the circle, and Vargast stood, and spoke, the warriors of Kedev no longer willing to carry on the fight.

"Remember. Conquest may have swords and spears. But the storm is the master, for it cannot be slain."

He fell to his knees, praising Ormarl, whirling the sword he had above his head, shouting his name.

The people watched on in wonder, and they knew that Ainhat had been struck down. He would be no more than a thane to Ormarl, as he was meant to be. Across the country, Kedev's forces found fear, and melted away, the radios gifted to them by Hierbarl, God of Truth letting them know of the fate of their leaders.

And across the land, it was said that Ormarl had chosen a new Storm Emperor, to replace the last who had come a thousand years ago. To lead the Ormarli into a new age!



Three months later, at tribemoot, the ancient Twenty-Year Crown was brought to the moot, by the god-speakers of Ormarl. Even though many did not like Vargast, they knew he had struck down the usurper, and, for his service, the King of Gods had gifted him, so that he might carry out his will on earth.

There, before the moot, a great election took place. Every lawspeaker, every god-speaker, and every king spoke for the election of Ormarl, even if they began their speeches with "Vargast is the spawn of Chaos!". Their tongues found only praise for the servant of Ormarl, and, in the moot, the Crown was set upon his head, to see if it would spring from his brow.

It settled neatly upon his head, blue sapphires flashing with the thunder contained inside.

On that day, a thousand poems were written for Vargast, the Storm Emperor.

Geography:

Geographical Map of the Godsland (http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=fuau0y&s=3)
The map itself is about ten thousand kilometres by ten thousand kilometres.

The lands of the Ormarli are known as the Godsland, and are home to few great mountains. Most of the land is either rolling plains, or plateau. The land itself is greatly fertile, and, in the few ranges to be had, there are many minerals to gather. The wealth is said to have come from the gods in the time of the Great Creation. Most of the land is used for farming, mining, or manufacturing. The Ormarli heavily populate their land, and little is left unused, apart from sacred places.

Economy:

Despite what one would first think, the Ormarli are intensely rich. With trade coming in from other continents, and trade in many types of coin. As there is no taxation among the various tribes (people who lead raids are expected to pay armies), but private ownership of tanks, planes, and other vehicles is not uncommon.

Coin is issued mainly by banking houses, and the idea of paper-for-money has not yet caught on. And the word "coin" itself is a misnomer. Silver rings, half the radius needed to fit round a hand, with the blessings of a god carved onto the edges. Blessings are almost always from Hierbarl, the God of Truth, ensuring the veracity of the coin. Any priest rapacious enough to carve blessings onto false coin would almost surely find himself challenged to a duel by an angry chieftain.

Rings are worth many dollars, but, in real-world terms, the Ormarli have an average GDP per capita of $45,000. Almost all of the little "government expenditure" (most government is run by the priesthoods) is spent either on the cohesion of military units, mostly lead by god-speakers of Ormarl, or the funding of servants of Hierbarl, who settle feuds, debates, and often preside with local clan lawspeakers at ting.

History:

The God Ormarl was hurled from his mother's belly, great Ebai, Goddess of Sight, when he was but a babe. She was slain with a spear from the Emperor of the Dark Lands, hoping to subvert Ormarl before he was grown to strength. The Emperor came to claim Ormarl, but his father, Vard, God of the Sky, came to defend him. He drove off the Emperor, and suffered many wounds.

Ormarl grew into a man, and, when he had done so, Vard took another wife, Ebai's sister, Furida, Goddess of Fertility. He bore six brothers and sisters of Ormarl, but they were not his equals. For Vard had given them fertility, and so all of his sons and daughters found other gods, and bore children, but Ormarl alone had been blessed with his mother's Sight.

He left his family, angry at a vision he had, and went to the lands of the Bright Emperor, enemy of the Emperor of the Dark Lands. The two great Emperors, in those days, ruled the world. The Bright Emperor was the king of Vard, even, and the Emperor of the Dark Lands was the king of the gods who crept in the dark.

He offered his services to the Bright Emperor, and the Bright Emperor scoffed at him, calling him a mere boy.

In great, rash anger, Ormarl threw his spear at him, pinning him to the wall. The Bright Emperor died, and the Emperor of the Dark Lands rejoiced, sending his three best servants, Kadan, God of Death, Ladjev, God of Disease, and he had even subverted one of Ormarl's brothers, Ainhat, God of War. They came with a great host of swordthanes to take the lands of the Bright Emperor, and destroy his palaces.

Grieving over his foolishness, Ormarl offered to defend the lands of the Bright Emperor as the blood-price of his death. The Emperor's daughter, Meldelva, Goddess of Healing, agreed, and he took up his spear and fought against the three servants of the Dark Emperor.

First came Ladjev, god of Disease. Ormarl felt worms grow in his belly, and grew weak, and Meldelva healed him. He threw his spear at Ladjev, but it was weakened by a disease of the trees, and shattered on Ladjev's shield. Meldelva healed Ladjev, and, without his disease, he was powerless. Ormarl took up his spear, reforging it into a greater weapon than before, and drove off the God of Disease.

Second came Kadan, God of Death. Before Kadan had been raised by the Dark Emperor, no death had been known among the gods. It had been his blessing that had allowed Ormarl's mother to die. And so Ormarl fought him bitterly, for three days, and three nights, but, in the end, conceded that no man, and no god, could fight death.

He spoke, then, asking why Kadan was in the service of the Emperor of the Dark Lands, saying that death came to all, and should serve no Emperor. Kadan's pride swelled up, and he left, abhorring his service.

Lastly, Ormarl's brother, Ainhat came, and made war on him. This time, all the swordtharls of both Empires fought, and they slew Ormarl's men, and Ormarl slew Ainhat's men. Ormarl, however, said that he had made war as well as Ainhat had, and so Ainhat did not deserve the power of War. Ainhat said he had conquered Ormarl's lands - Ormarl told him he deserved only to be God of Conquest.

Upon stripping this power away from him, one of Ormarl's brothers, Rangdoon, came to him, and asked whether he might have the power, to forge into a great sword he would call Victory. Ormarl agreed, provided that he might borrow it against Ainhat, and use it in any other times he might have need.

Rangdoon agreed, and so Ormarl took up the sword Victory against Ainhat, and drove him from the field. Ainhat, ashamed, renounced his powers, but Ormarl spoke, calling upon their ties of blood. He told Ainhat he could well be the god of Conquest, but he must conquer the Dark Lands, not the Bright Lands. Ainhat swore his service to Ormarl, and so the four gods, Ormarl, Ainhat, Rangdoon, and Meldelva, set off to the Dark Lands.

There, they met the Emperor of the Dark Lands himself. He spoke with great hate, and Rangdoon fled, being of stout spirit, but he could not bear the curses the Emperor threatened upon him, for the Emperor threatened to taint his skill at forging. He named Ainhat traitor, and Ainhat's powers wilted in front of the Emperor's power, and he collapsed to the ground. Thirdly, Meldelva's healing powers were exhausted upon the Emperor, for he was the very manifestation of Chaos, and Chaos is ever-changing, and may not be healed.

So it was that Orlmarl stood against him. He fought with the Emperor, and was quickly defeated, for the Emperor was ever-changing, and every blow he struck healed. However, Ainhat took up Orlmarl's spear, and, remembering his oaths of fealty, drew upon the pure Law embodied in the oaths, and so the Emperor could not slay him. With a mighty thrust, the Emperor of the Dark Lands lay dead.

It was then the world of men was created. As both Emperors lay dead, their palaces crumbled into the sea, and volcanoes, once restrained by their power, remade the world. As the world found new life, Ormarl created a clan - the first clan of gods, and led his people into the world.

Ormarl, Ainhat, Rangdoon, and Meldelva went into the world, and were met by more of Orlmarl's siblings, Hierbarl, God of Truth, who was his unknown twin, Themia, Goddess of Justice, and Elmhari, Goddess of Beauty. These seven ruled over the Godtribe in the Godsland for a hundred score years, and, for the reason that they are seven, all clan circle contain seven members.

They are the seven Council Gods, the gods who rule above all others. While many other gods sprung from their loins, and, from them, the races of men, they are worshipped above all others.

In time, the tribes grew many, and began to bicker. As a great feud erupted in Ormarl's Empire, he grew angry. The western and eastern tribes would not stop bickering, and he commanded them to stop. Still, they continued. In anger, Rangdoon seized the land-bridge that linked them, and began to pinch, as though to cut them off. His fingers were cut by the hard rocks, and, had Ormarl not stopped him, he would've lost all smithing skill he had.

As the people had almost caused the loss of Rangdoon's power, he angrily withdrew him and his family to the stead of his father in the sky. This began the Age of Feuds, were clans were torn by hatred.

For five hundred years, this continued, until Hierbarl and Themia sent a child of theirs to earth, to be the first lawspeaker. He calmed the tribes, and created a system used ever since.

The Godsland advanced at a quick pace, along with the rest of the world. While many advances (specifically the adoption of flying machines, for fear Ormarl would grow angry if they tried to enter his home in the clouds) were treated with suspicion, the Ormarli entered the Industrial Age, the Nuclear Age, and then the Information Age with the same pace as the rest of the world.

Generally isolated, as strangers must be given guestship by a clan Council member, or else risk enthrallment, trade was conducted with many other peoples. While Christian missionaries (and Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, and other representatives of almost every religion) came to the Godsland, only a tenth of a percent ever adopted the religion in its pure form.

Not having been unified since recent years, the billions of inhabitants of the Godsland are generally powerful enough to throw off any foe.

Military:
The military is clan-based. Most clans have many cities, and millions of people, and can so support grand land armies. However, the power of the air remains firmly in the priests of Orlmar's hands, and so most unified airforces must be given the blessings of the gods. In the same manner, only Jamak, God of the Sea, can allow ships to sail, and so the fleet is managed largely by his priesthood.

Many people own tanks or aircraft of their own, and it is not uncommon to see inter-family warfare. What most countries would call "crime" is quite high, and, when it comes to ting, and dueling, the murder rate is sky-high.

The military is actually quite unified when it comes to the defense of the lands, and the major parts of the military (airforce, navy, nuclear power), are held safely away from the clan level.

While the uniformity of the military leaves much to be questioned, the fighting spirit of the Orlmarli is unquestionable.

Government:

The clan is the basic unit of civilization. Clan leaders' will is undeniable, and, when they die, new clan leaders are elected from the populace. Tribes are ruled by a Tribal Ring, another unit of seven people, who advise the King of that tribe. The King is not an autocrat, but rather must earn his title in a series of contests of strength, trickery, and knowledge. He is voted upon every ten years, or after his death, and the King must be confirmed by the Tribal Ring. When members of the Tribal Ring die, they are replaced by the king, but must be agreed upon by all other members of the Ring.

In recent times, one Vargast found favour in Ormarl's eyes, and, destroying the followers of Ainhat, proved Ormarl's right to govern once more. On earth, he was made Storm Emperor. The Storm Emperor's powers are near-absolute when it comes to resolving feuds and clan matters, but he is reliant on the priesthoods, and, while the tribes serve him, he may not replace any kings who are not openly rebellious.

Nonetheless, his powers are greater than any Ormarli known in thousands of years, and, for the first time, people who come to the lands of the Ormarli have a single person to represent the divisive tribes.

People and Population:
There are around nine and a half billion Orlmarli. Only three percent are above fifty, as dueling takes its toll on many men, and medicine is not as revered as it is in many other countries. Most women have three or four children, though many are killed in duels, clan raids, or open tribal warfare.

The Tribes

Political Map of the Godsland (http://i32.tinypic.com/30t6gbr.jpg)

The six tribes are Uinatar, Zevurr, Ketlavase, Ekhar, Rangi, and Vermerdun.

Vermerdun and Uinatar are the two greatest tribes, with the richest lands. The Rangi rule over mountains, primarily, and, while they have superior mining, their production is less. The Ketlavase are the most powerful seafaring tribe, and the Ekhar are known for their mercenary nature.

The Zevurr are the weakest of the Six Great Tribes, and lost the area around Mt. Vard, the great mountain said to link to the home of the gods. Ever since, they have been out of favour, and have traded widely with non-Ormarli people. The Zevurr are the most alien of the Six Tribes, and, having only three hundred million members in their tribe, also house around seventy million nonbelievers and half-believers (half-believers being those melding the beliefs of other religions with Ormarli beliefs). The Zevurr, despite their weakness, are still highly respected by other tribes, especially considering their trade with the Sea People.

The Sea People house on a large island to the south of Godsland, and are believers in Jamak, God of the Sea. They acknowledge Ormarl as lord of the land and sky, but deny his sovereignty over the seas. This has led to a rift in beliefs with other clans, and they do not accept the authority of the Storm Emperor. There are about twenty million of the Sea People, and they maintain major shipbuilding facilities - they often trade smaller warships with the Ormarli for food and other useful goods.

The Six Kings are Akker, King of the Uinatar, Medel, King of the Zevurr, Ernold, Good King of the Ketlavase, Lishna, King of the Ekhar, Ailerra, King of the Rangi, and Ukhold, King of the Vermerdun. It should be noted that, although Vargast, the Storm Emperor, is from the Vermerdun tribe, he does not rule over it.

Rather, each of the Kings are meant to represent one of Ormarl's servants (and while the god they each represent is rarely agreed-upon, they still agree they all serve Ormarl), and the Storm Emperor is the representative of Ormarl himself on Earth.

Religion:
Ormarl Worship: 97.8% (11.371 billion)
Bastardized Ormarl Worship: 2.1% (244.167 million)
Other: 0.1% (11.627 million)

Almost all worship in the Godsland is of Ormarl and his pantheon. "Bastardized" Ormarl worship, that is, the adoption of other practices alongside those of Ormarl's, is also common. While Buddhism, and half-Ormarl Buddhist is completely unknown (mainly because combat is greatly prized among the Ormarli, and suffering is merely to strengthen the soul), both Christianity and Islam have picked up a few followers, as as Hinduism. Many worship Hindi gods alongside Ormarl and his servants, and Christianity is the second-most popular religion. Many believe in the God of Christ as the ruler of the afterlife, and Ormarl as a god who was once a man - the Christian God by those people is believed to have created the universe, while Ormarl created the world.

The Islamic bastardization is considered heresy by many orthodox Muslims, as it says that Muhammed was, much like Ormarl, conquered the world in his name, and ascended to godhood along with other gods such as Ormarl.

However, neither of these beliefs are particularly popular, and, as most customs (such as hospitality, raids, feuds, the lawspeakers), are all reliant on religious beliefs in Orlmarl, most Christians and Muslims are effectively disenfranchised if they choose not to fight duels in order to defend their religious beliefs.

The Law:

It is peculiar in the Godsland, that there is no real objective law. Rather, each man has the right to speak at ting, and to be heard by a lawspeaker. Lawspeakers are respected, as they speak of ancient laws, yet it is also accepted that Ormarl won many of his rights by strength, not by law. Thus, if a man wishes to marry a woman, and another man does as well, and one is betrothed, the two men may fight.

One may speak what one wishes, but you may also prevent another man from speaking through violence. Women are allowed to speak at ting as well, but only if they accept this condition. Thus it is that many courts of law are little more than brawls, unless presided over by a King, or a god-speaker of Hierbarl.

Strength is the order of the day, and while trickery is frowned upon (what is commonly known as corporate fraud sees entire families killed), if you have the power to take something from your neighbour, you may do so. It is considered dishonourable to take from a neighbour who has sworn friendship with you, feasted with you, or gifted you, and dishonour is often repaid by death.

However, god-speakers of Hierbarl are respected, for no man is willing to attack them, and thus attack Truth, and likewise the god-speakers of Themia, Goddess of Justice often settle disputes. No man is forced to do anything against his will, but rather, a strong system of honour regulates behaviour in Godsland. As a result, there is actually little intercine violence between the tribes, as using "proper" weaponry is seen as dishonourable, if one is not warring. Violence is also regulated by the blood-price - killing a man (or a woman who has taken up the blade) is seen as denying his family sustenance, and so a price must be paid. Killing in self-defense, or killing a raider is acceptable, and no blood-price need be paid.

Thus, the Godsland is more based on strength, and while stealing from, attacking, or hurting women and children is unacceptable, the death rate for what other nations consider murder is inordinately high.