Hearthlands 2024
Darkness draws in the Hearthlands, its mountains and moors given to the first snows of the season. The veil between worlds is at its thinnest in the fleeting time between Night of the Unseen and the winter solstice, when the light dims and prepares for the year’s last breath. These days, when veil is thin and cold begins, are of the gods.
But amidst celebrations of the festival of the gods, news spreads from the Fire Mountains to the Keldaran Channel. The Queen sent ravens throughout all the Hearthlands to raise banners, not for war, but a great moot. All shieldkin, from Jarl to plowman, have been summoned for the great council. Such a gathering of shieldkin has never been seen in like. The festival of the gods is overshadowed by graver matters. These are desperate times, and not all enemies can be faced on a battlefield.
The three Jarls and shield kin from across the Hearthlands gathered for a great moot, hosted in Riverhold in the Fire Mountains. Reports of Golthan spies found near the south border had spread, and even more grim rumors of supernatural omens and dark tidings of the foretold scourge. Amidst revelry and sprawling markets, the queen held council in the mead hall of Riverhold. Her Jarls gave reports of trade and military training from their lands, though Queen Tove found her council interrupted by the arrival of Malchus al’Darwish, a weary Golthan ambassador on horseback.
The ambassador was met with distrust and leeriness, greeted on the heels of spy rumors and a long history of southern warfare with Goltha. But al’Darwish came with gifts for the Queen and her Jarls, armed with a deep knowledge of the political workings of the Hearthlands, and a seemingly earnest offering of mutual aid between Goltha and the Hearthlands. The ambassador told stories of a great civil war from his homeland. Goltha was rife with internal conflict, and he had traveled far and perilously to ask for the aid. The Queen, with stipulations, agreed to work with the ambassador, or at least ordered for the shieldkin present to abstain from violence with al’Darwish.
But temporary peace was short, for in the midst of feasting that very night, the Queen and her Jarls were horrified to find notes in their dinners:
We are here
Your Queen will burn
We are watching
Your nation will crumble
The Jarls called for the council of the Gothi. Jarl Gamble, ever quick to look to the gods, saw proof of the imminent scourge and supernatural forces of the world. Jarl Jorran and Tagelia saw proof of the forces of man and nations, though each looked separately to the north and south as guilty parties. The Gothi and the Shaman offered varying opinions of whether gods or man were to fear in the fate of the Hearthlands.
Tensions continued when during breakfast the following morning, Jarl Jorran dropped to the ground before the Queen’s throne, choking up blood and spittle. Frantic calls for healers rang out as the Jarl lost consciousness. Healers consulted their recipe books and mixed reagents to create an antidote to save the Jarl’s life, a sign of great fortune, when many healer’s had only gathered local ingredients needed the night before.
Jarl Jorran, of strong constitution and will, insisted the planned military training for the day would continue. The three Jarldoms gathered and for many long hours, participated in war games and tactical training in the nearby forests. During a break for the Hearthguard forces to eat and rest, Jarl Jorran and Jarl Tagelia were seen publicly yelling. A decision had been made months prior to this great moot, to give the empty and landless title of Duke to Hraegammr the steward, as he was found to be the bastard son of Killian Staghunter. Some said it was merely to spit on the name of Staghunter, others that it was a deliberate incitement for war with some forces in Olaran, and many, that there was no place in the Hearthlands for the title of duke.
It was known that Jarl Jorran vehemently disagreed with Jarl Tagelia’s decision and none were surprised to see the two leaders on opposite sides. But in the midst of the argument, Jarl Gamble collapsed. Healers were once again frantically summoned. The Jarl was deemed to be poisoned the same as Jar Jorran, though by a much higher dose. All present worried for Gamble’s life, especially as his unconscious body was carried into his tent. The Queen, so worried and certain of her Jarl’s death, refused to leave his side.
To most’s great frustration, the two Jarls refused to be distracted from their disagreement of the duchy, even in the midst of Jarl Gamble’s poisoning. The two Jarls decided they would take their disagreement to the field and settle matters in battle, as was tradition. Their men however, were loathe to fight their kin over petty squabbles in the midst of internal turmoil and political conflict. The Fire Mountains, without their Jarl and under the leadership of Thane Kjartan, decided to aid the Midlands in this conflict, so as to end it as quickly as possible.
But during this futile battle, all fighting came to a stop when Jarl Gamble stumbled into the field, having crawled his way into the forest. All were horrified to see the Jarl covered in blood as he screamed again and again, “They took the Queen! They took the Queen!” He babbled and sobbed, beside himself in grief. Dark cloaked figures had appeared from nothingness, three—a hundred, unable to be cut down or stopped. The Queen’s loyal Oathsworn, who stood guard fought braver than any soul in all the Hearthguard’s history, bloodily and to the last, but alas she was gone.
Patrols were ordered to scour the forests and foothills of Riverhold, and the Hearthguard forces spent many long hours desperately searching for the Queen in vain. Jarl Gamble was carried back to camp, on the seeming brink of death. And while hope waned as so sign of the Queen surfaced, many looked on the scene of Jarl Tagelia sobbing over Jarl Gamble’s deathbed with great sorrow.
But in the end, the healers were able to save the Jarl, as Daud deemed it not his time. Night drew and continued, and still there was no sign of finding the Queen, even while patrols with torches still searched the forests. The Jarls insisted their troops rest and eat, and while gathered called for a regent to sit the antler throne. For those present, it could not be more apparent all the Jarls thought their Queen most certainly dead. The Valkyrie Siv was chosen to sit the throne, as she was deemed wisest and most measured.
In the late darkness of the night the leadership of the Hearthlands decided to send out a last beleaguered patrol. While soldiers searched the forests, the Jarls and Thanes debated what should be done. Jarl Gamble more fervently than ever, believed they faced the dark forces of thrasia and the scourge. With the unearthing of some ancient cypher stone in the mountains earlier that day, many Hearthguard believed him to be true. But Jarl Jorran and Tagelia were unmoved in their belief of man as their enemy. Whispers abounded of Golthans taking the Queen, while some said Olaran were the ones at guilt.
Screams carried from the forest, the Queen had been found! The Hearthguard gathered torches and lanterns and ran to the calls of the scouting party. Why did they not bring the Queen to safety from the dark forest? The Hearthguard streamed down the forest paths and though they carried flames to light the way, no moon shone above the trees, and the darkness proved deep and treacherous. They found the Queen in what the Riverhold locals called “the bone bog,” an ancient place of worship for gods even the Gothi did not remember. There she thrashed and screamed, held by healers and her most loyal Oathsworn. To those bravest, the ones who gathered close, they swore after that the Queen’s eyes had glinted pitch black in the torchlight.
The Queen’s screams echoed through the forest, horrible and piercing. Many shieldkin drew back in terror when their Queen lunged for Jarl Gamble’s throat. The Shaman was called, and the Gothi. What was to be done? What fell darkness did they face, what poison, what foe? The healers searched their texts for any antidote, and as the Queen’s screams quieted to pained moans, some feared they were already too late. But the Shaman looked to an ancient and forgotten remedy, and the healers agreed. They had nearly what was needed, save for one ingredient, a rare bioluminescent mushroom.
Bands of Hearthguard, armed with torches and lanterns, flew into the nearby forests in a desperate search. And by the luck of perhaps the gods, or merely the luck of man, a mushroom was found. Many of the retuning search parties said they saw dark figures in the woods. Deeming the area unsafe, the Jarls ordered their men to carry the Queen to safety, and so a long procession of Hearthguard climbed from the forest. But from the shadows, screams echoed from many directions. In terror, the shieldkin fled the forest and carried their Queen to safety.
In the meadhall of Riverhold, Hearthguard leadership deliberated on future courses of action. The Queen, exhausted and grave and to those closest her, visibly troubled, sat her antler throne. Her Jarls agreed to set petty squabbles aside, and that despite tensions, needed to unite against whatever enemy they faced, be it thrasia or Olaran or Goltha. One brave shieldkin by the name of Leofric spoke out, saying what had befallen the Hearthguard at Riverhold fell on the Jarls’ shoulders. Others argued that, inherent of who they were, and because of Hearthgaurd unity, despite petty squabbles, would surely defeat whatever they faced.
The following day, in the great meadhall of Riverhold, the Queen and her Jarls at the behest of their people, revoked the title of Duke from the steward Hraegammr. To avoid exile or execution he removed his arm rings and swore he would not return to the Hearthlands until he had definitive proof of his birthright.
Weekendwarrior Years 2017-2023
In the Hearthguard’s inception, it was a military faction deeply embedded in Olaran’s political landscape. They were formed as the elite bodyguard of Duke Killian, and while warriors came from across all of Olaran, many were from the Southlands and shared culture, kinship, and a fierce loyalty to the duke they served. At the famed autumn feast when King Osric was poisoned, the Hearthguard backed Killian’s (cousin to the King) claim for the Olar thrIn the Hearthguard’s inception, it was a military faction deeply embedded in Olaran’s political landscape. They were formed as the elite bodyguard of Duke Killian, and while warriors came from across all of Olaran, many were from the Southlands and shared culture, kinship, and a fierce loyalty to the duke they served. At the famed autumn feast when King Osric was poisoned, the Hearthguard backed Killian’s (cousin to the King) claim for the Olar throne.
In the years after King Osric’s death, the Hearthguard followed Duke Killian on his expedition for the Sword of Hope in Ithacus. The rift between Hearthguard forces and the other factions of the Olar military grew when Duke Killian declared his right as Olar’s regent after King Randar was deemed not of sound mind. After his vying for the regency was rejected, Killian attempted to steal one of Commodore Torvin’s ships to sail back to Olaran with the Hearthguard’s backing.
The expeditions continued, despite the faction’s mistrust of one another and finally, the sword was found by the rangers who were allied with the Hearthguard forces. But Captain Rook did not give the real sword to Killian. The Duke saw a divine symbol in the sword, of his worthiness to rule, and he gave the Kingsmen and Sea Lords an ultimatum. Neither Commodore Torvin nor the Reave accepted such a demand and so the factions fell into infighting once again. It was during these days of war that the Battle of the Fort took place, where the Rangers revealed they possessed the real Sword of Hope and would not stand by Killian. In the ensuing battle, without the Rangers’ backing, the Hearthguard forces were decimated by the Sea Lord and Kingsmen alliance. This is still seen as irreparable betrayal by the few Hearthguard who survived the expeditions to Ithacus.
Once returned to Olaran the following year, Duke Killian’s claim was denied and he was brought to trial, and found guilty of treason. The Kingsmen Justicar demanded Killian be removed of title, position on the Olar council, lands, citizenship, and banished from the kingdom. Such a harsh sentence was fiercely rejected by many and so Killian was given a choice by the High Priest of Luminos, swear to the holy order, and he would not be banished. Much to many of his fiercest supporters’ horror in the Hearthguard, Killian accepted and swore himself to the Order of Luminos.
In the aftermath, the Hearthguard found themselves rudderless, and so appointed Jarl Tove as their new leader. She had served loyally as a shieldmaiden since King Osric’s murder years before. The days that followed Killian’s stripping of lands and title, war broke out between the factions when the rangers seized Commodore Torvin to stanch rebellion. In an incredible turn of events, Captain Kaipera, Torvin’s sister, approached Jarl Tove for support. In an even stranger turn, the Hearthguard agreed, and allied with the Sea Lords for the first time since King Osric’s death divided Olar’s forces.
In the following years the Hearthguard and Sea Lords found themselves allied many times. The Sea Lords sought to establish their own kingdom of Throi and the Hearthguard increasingly looked to their own lands, separate from the north and the Council’s oversight. In the midst of rebellion a Kingsmen was brought forth as the heir to the Olar throne. In the south, Hearthguard forces revolted and through their influence, took much of the Olar army. They seized the base of the Fire Mountains and the lands surrounding Murnock and Lannock.
Olaran fought fiercely for its lost lands, in the north with Throi and the south with the Hearthlands. Border skirmishes and claims of legitimacy proved vicious, and only a year after the Hearthguard’s rebellion, they crowned Jarl Tove as Queen. What followed was something many Hearthguard had never known, peace. When Throi called upon the Hearthlands for aid, many sheildkin found themselves loath to part with it.
In the Year 1123 by Olaran reckoning, the Hearthguard received a messenger from Throi seeking aid. Throi’s fight with Olaran had pushed into the great Wold Wood in the north and Admiral Kaipera called on the Hearthguard alliance. Queen Tove would not turn her back on an alliance which had served both Throi and the Hearthlands so well, and so she led an auxiliary force north, backed by two of her Jarls.
This decision was not unanimously supported however. While some Hearthguard saw wisdom in deepening the trust and alliance with Throi, others thought that after so many years of war, this was not a fight they belonged in. The Hearthlands was a new nation and its hold tenuous while Olaran refused to acknowledge its legitimacy, and rumors spread of Goltha amassing new strength. Some shieldkin saw an autonomous future only plausible through a strong alliance, others looked to bolster their own borders and focus on the many internal problems of building a newly governed land so quickly.
An even smaller faction, those of the more religious sect, whispered of ill omens and dark visions. Internally divided and far from home, the Hearthguard auxiliary forces joined with Throi and once again took to the battlefield with Olaran. But in the midst of battle the sky darkened and a deep shadow moved to partially shield the sun. The Gothi present cried out and Jarl. Gamble wailed at the foretold omen of a darkened sun.
By nightfall whispers had given to an outcry. Was it the Scourge or some other fell message from the gods? But the Gothi unanimously agreed, whatever the shadowed sun divined, it was darkness. In the Throi encampment, the small number of Themisian emissaries present welcomed such an omen. In ancient days their empire saw great victory under an eclipse and they now welcomed it as a fortuitous sign. On the side of the Olar alliance, King Bryce spoke of a vision, a dark sea storm threatening to destroy a crumbling castle. That very night Queen Tove delivered a writ to Throi, her forces would return to the Hearthlands immediately.
Under a bright sun the Hearthguard forces left the Wold Wood and the fight there. Olaran’s and Throi’s armies looked on alike, crying “Honor to the Hearthlands!” And for the first time in many a year, the four divided factions, which had warred for crown and country alike, stood in temporary peace, allowing the Hearthguard to return home unhindered.
A year later and still there is no clear answer of what the shadowed sun meant. Rumors spread of cloaked figures seen in the borderlands, without mark of people or country. Supposed Golthan spies have been found and questioned to no avail. Tensions are high and every move seen as a threat. And so Queen Tove has sent ravens calling for a moot in the Fire Mountains at Riverhold. After the fall harvests, during the time of the festival of the gods, sheildkin will gather to feast and drink and train for war, but also to debate, what is the Scourge and what will we do?