Ancient Melgador

This page outlines the ancient peoples of Melgador. The following sections seven sections each focus on one of the groups of ancient people and the known information. It will attempt to explain known information of these ancient civilizations and how they dealt with the introduction of the Ryn'em. While some of this information comes from written sources, most is a compilation of stories and legends passed on for centuries.

The Men of Atlas
The Aldmanites, as they were called by the Ryn'em, existed as a collection of several small city states throughout the south during the Turn of the Ages. Prior to any legitimate accounts of history, it is told that the people settled in the land now called Atlas lived in small villages with anywhere from 10 to 100 people. While some think these people fought against each other for land or resources, it is easier to believe the opposite, that they quickly discovered there were worse creatures living amongst them. Many early settlers of Atlas claim the success of the Kingdoms of Men was because of their lack of fighting against each other and willingness to come together to face their environment.

A key reason these peoples were considered a group by the Ryn'em was due to their cultural similarities. The most prominent of these similarities were the dialects of language they used, which eventually blended together to create the ancient Aldmani language.

Practices
The name Aldmani is a Ryn'em name for the people of Atlas. Although its meaning is unknown, it is believed to have connection to the various towns and villages that bare the same prefix. It is known that when the term was coined, the Aldmanites embraced the name with pride, as by this time, they were beginning to consider themselves a united people.

Religious practices shared by the Aldmanites include a multitude of deities, as well as the ways they were worshiped. With so many small settlements developing in such a large space, when the groups began to interact with each other, they began to quickly share stories of their gods, most of which were believe to be accepted as deities by the other Aldmanites. While these god's names have been forgotten over the years, historians and scholars have discovered a plethora of various idols and even firsthand accounts passed down from ancient times. From the stories, we are able to determine that these gods worshiped in ancient times were much darker and mysterious than the Ten True Divines. Some are believed to have been minor spirits or demigods who played with these first mortal's minds.

Holidays
While many significant events have been forgotten, several celebrations and festivals have been carried over from the time of the Aldmanites. One especially significant is the Festival of the Five Kings, which celebrates the unification of the Aldmani people.

Legend tells of the Four Kings of Atlas, great leaders who gathered to unite their small kingdoms, setting aside their pride for the greater good. Their names lost to time, they have been dubbed the Spire King, The River King, the King of Thousand Acres, and The King of the Edge. Each had their own territory located in present day Atlas, where they each constructed a walled city in an attempt to protect their people from the threat of the Behemoth. The ancient cities of Warren, Grifton, Braedon, and Oldmont became a centralized hub for the men of the south who had developed slightly dissimilar dialects of a language the Ryn'em named Aldman. While the four kings agreed to establish a coalition, they were each determined to maintain supreme power in their domain. A gathering in the early years, estimated in 630 BD (Before Daema) left partial record of the agreement between the kings of the time outlining a peace treaty rather than a unification of the kingdoms. It is believed that the Aldmanites did have knowledge of other smaller civilizations both human and elven to the east, however no records of interactions exist until the introduction of the Ryn'em. What the kingdoms did succeed in however was to bring the fight to the behemoths, in hopes of eliminating them before they were attacked.

The First Aldmani Tablet
"And with spear and bow let us ascend into the clouds above these foul creatures of our demise, and unto them we shall demonstrate the power of our unity… from the frost unto the fire we must protect this place on which we rest… with stone and with mud shall we erect pillars and walls so that our children will know of safety and peace in this, our home"

Seeing the Kingdom succeed in the defeat of several beasts, two remaining kings who had initially refused the unification, were eager to join as well. Brief records show that messengers were sent from these kingdoms, offering their support in war against the beasts in exchange for peace, and while the Woodland King did in fact unite with the other kingdoms, this is the last time we hear about the Red King. It is believed that their city Redwick, located on the western side of the Red River, was destroyed at this time, and its people sent scattered across the land. In later years, the five kings agreed to a true unification and established the Kingdom of Atlas, led by the council of five leaders.

The Second Aldmani Tablet
"Under Akad and Yagres, Bedos and Talum, in the light of Aleni and through the darkness of Basar, shall the people of this land stand united, now and forever…"

Known Houses

 * Spire - House of Thorin, first lord of Atlas


 * Serrett - House of Rebeka, Lady of Atlas
 * Barryn - House of Darrius, first Lord of the Ice Plains
 * Berenger
 * Fulton
 * Helton
 * Arroway
 * Onrad
 * Gladden

The Klaygun Clans
Not much is known about these clans of nomad warriors who resided in the mountains north-west of the Aldmani Kingdoms, in the land now known as the Stoneface Pass. These warriors banded together in medium-small sized clans to survive the harsh environment and ferocious beasts of the continent. It is told that starting at a young age, each Klaygun boy or girl, would learn to wield a spear and a shield, their primary weapons. The Klayguns worshiped no gods, instead believing in the spirits of nature, stone, and water. Their culture which was based off nomadic trends, severely limited their development of a written language, forging technologies, and record keeping. Most of what is known of the Klayguns comes from Dwarven records, who lived deep inside the same mountains. The Klayguns often came into contact with the dwarves who seemed strange and interesting to them, causing a mutually beneficial relationship to form between many clans. However other clans did not see any benefit from befriending the Dwarves, causing periodic outbursts of violence. Luckily, this was not the norm, as the two cultures mainly focused their fighting efforts on the less friendly monsters of the North.

Known Clans:

 * Otikul
 * Kierstag
 * Snowvilk

Elves of the East
In the Silver Coast were several small elvish settlements with mostly coastal towns. The elves were very weary of the dangers of Melgador after being enslaved on Elador for centuries, establishing settlements avoiding the mountains and the north where the behemoths and monsters lurked. Apart from few wood elves who took up residence in the Ebonwood, the elves generally stuck to their small allotment of land near the coast. However after many years the elvish population was much larger and the elves pushed further inland, coming in contact more with the Men of Atlas as well as learning more about the land.

The Nords
The people who settled the most northern region of Melgador soon became known as the Nordic people. They believed that they had descended from the giants and lead north, out of the mountains by the goddess Kadona, however the giants claimed dominion over this territory as well. Nords tell stories of the early ages when the first few nords united against the giants to claim the land of Everwinter, in the very north of Melgador. After years of brutal war and destruction, the nords finally emerged victorious, with the remaining giants retreating to the mountains or elsewhere in the south.

The Nords developed a hearty culture in the most tormented land of Melgador as it required them to. Plagued by winter storms, fierce behemoths, and powerful monsters, the Nords cultivated the strongest warriors, both men and women who were required to fight from a young age. The Nordic people also developed an affinity for mining and building, as their environment and its challenges required them to  build several small fortresses to defend from the behemoths. The Nords soon broke into several clans following their respective leaders who were either gender, with successive leaders being chosen by combat. However there was a large sense of respect and kinship within the clans, and the current leader was generally allowed to grow old until the day they were challenged by a selected heir. However death continued to mark the transfer of leadership for many generations.

Known Clans:

 * Balgrun - Clan of Balgruf the Terrible, First lord of Valkar
 * Springbearer
 * Alren - Clan of Kargun the Wicked
 * Vekel
 * Thormod
 * Gunnar
 * Sigvald
 * Runolf
 * Arnveid
 * Ironhand

Dwarves of the Undergard
The Kingdoms of the Dwarves house the oldest remaining peoples of Melgador, who journeyed deep underground to avoid the Dragons and Behemoths of the surface and the sky, however they were not the only ones to do this. Many giants, goblins, and trolls shared the love of the underworld, establishing their own communities of sorts in the tunnels and caves left behind by the dwarves. The first great underground city Thel Throum was carved out of the hard stone, deep under the great mountains of Melgador long before the Ryn'em appeared. After many years under the surface, the dwarves came in contact with the Klaygun tribes living above their cities, and immediately sought an alliance. The dwarves helped to teach the Klayguns some smithing techniques in exchange for protection from beasts of the surface. However many Klaygun were afraid of the dwarves living beneath them, and waged secret wars on the dwarves.

The Daedic Tribes
The second group of Melgadorian natives were called the Daedic peoples by the Ryn'em settlers which in their language, referred to the grasslands on which the nomads resided. They lived in relatively small tribes consisting of immediate family and sometimes close relatives, although after marriage, couples were expected to leave and form their own small tribe. Due to the massive segmentation of the population, the Daedic peoples didn't often fight among themselves, as fights were incredibly close and devastating. Mastering the art of bow making and archery, the Daeds hunted with incredibly efficient recursive bows, which required less strength to achieve deadly shots.

The Daeds lived in small tribes throughout the sand and plains of the south. They protected their land from the other cultures and races through their expert marksmanship and incredibly strong recursive bows. However the lightly armored, speedy horses of the south were not strong enough to survive the harsh climate of the continent and so the Daeds were confined to the land of the sun. They worshiped a lord of horses who they attribute their skill and success to. They lived in small tent cities made of fur and animal hide, constructing only four small settlements in their later years, after exposure to the surrounding peoples. As a small culture of humans, the Daeds did not have much impact on the land of Winterfall until after the appearance of the Ryn'em Empire, which allowed them to come in contact with other cultures.

Monuments
Gate of the sun - strange rock carvings unsure of how they were formed

Cecian Orcs
Settled by the Cecardia orcs from the Isles. They learn to survive without the horses of the isles. They don't stray too far north in fear of the many beasts and behemoths. They have small well protected towns to keep the people safe. They excel in sword warfare and beast hunting, and begin to forge strong weapons and stronger warriors. In the winters, they often came in contact with the Daedic as they try to travel south. Sometimes there was peace, other times there was war. They were a kingdom lead by the strongest orc. They clan leaders or other orcs would fight to death for leadership. They all followed the strongest orc.

The Ryn'Em
See Page The Ryn'em for more info