This is my first posting on this forum. I have a bit of a better introduction to myself in the 2nd post with chapters 4-6. I hope you enjoy my work and I am REALLY looking forward to reading your feedback. Thank you for taking time to read and comment.The Chronicle of Icemoon Rizing of Rodcet Nife The Genesis Long ago before the existence of Norrath, The Nameless arrived from within the void of nothingness and begot a new realm. The darkness that once lacked time and space was now filled with energy, light and heat. Through the chaos The Nameless began to shape and mold the elements into planets and stars. When it had finished manipulating the elements there existed new worlds. As it gazed upon these new worlds The Nameless drew forth equal parts of matter and fashioned the Gods of Power to assist in the manipulation of the universe’s fire, earth, water and air. The first member of the Triumvirate of Water was The Fathom Lord or Tarew Marr as he was known in the divine tongue of Influence and Nature. He was the sole lord and ruler of water, the most abundant element, responsible for the giving of life. It is said he granted physical form and intelligence to the inspirations of Love and Valor, thus creating the sibling Gods, often referred to as The Twins, The Queen of Love, Erollisi Marr, Ruler of the Plane of Love and her brother Mithaniel Marr, The Truthbringer, Ruler of the Plane of Valor. In the early existence of Norrath, before the arrival of man, the Marr Twins walked the surface of Norrath among the mortal races created by the Gods searching for a cause to champion. The Gods of Influence and Nature became perplexed by the seemingly nonexistence of divine purpose displayed by the Twins. Innoruuk and Cazic Thule, the most malevolent of the gods, sought to corrupt the Twins, thereby strengthening the forces of Hatred and Fear. Innoruuk, the cruel God of Hatred and Spite directed the Teir’Dals to seduce Erollisi into the darkness. Erollisi, who possessed magnificent wisdom, saw through the deception and wickedness of the Dark Elves and sought refuge with the Koada’Dal in the High Elven city of Felwithe. The Koada’Dal royalty embraced and comforted Erollisi, allowing her to find beauty, peace and tranquility. While Erollisi flourished in the safety of Felwithe, her brother Mithaniel was beset by the forces of Cazic Thule. The God of Fear conjured phantoms, serpents and all manner of fearsome creatures, commanding them to assail both the mind and body of Mithaniel. An immortal himself, Mithaniel remained stalwart, resisting Cazic Thule’s minions. The onslaught continued and Mithaniel was lured deep into the swamps of Norrath where armies of Trolls, Iskars and murky forgotten marsh creature commanded by Cazic Thule took him captive. He was imprisoned in magical bindings and tortured relentlessly but remained resilient. Unable to break Mithaniel’s resolve, Cazic Thule placed him in a deep slumber and commanded his daughter, Terris Thule, to manipulate his dreams and steal the gift of life from his body. Upon completion of her task, her forsaken brother, Morell Thule, the Lord of Dreams stole the gift of life and escaped to the Plane of Dreams. Realizing his father and sister would be enraged, he divided Mithaniel’s seed and scattered one half across all the swamps of Norrath. This scattering resulted in the creation of the Froglok race. The Frogloks were plagued with dreams of the torture and valor of Mithaniel Marr, which empowered them as they grew, making them brave and just. Morell Thule then traveled to Felwithe and entered the dreams of Erollisi Marr, impregnating her with the remainder of Mithaniel’s divine lifeforce. When the High Elves realized their guest was with child they took her to the great northlands of Antonica. Deep within the Everfrost Peaks situated on the shores of Loch Lir they placed her in seclusion and tended to her. It was here, in the settlement of Halas she gave birth to a new mortal race, The Barbarians or True Men. The Evolution Possessing inhuman strength, great height, massive musculature and impressive stamina, the Barbarians quickly became renowned for their prowess at combat. Coupled with their physical attributes, they are able to harness primal energies, granting them the ability to perform formidable feats. Plagued by dreams of their lineage and creation, the True Men believed they were predestined to rule Norrath in the name of the Marr Twins. This belief left them unafraid of death and created fearless warriors. Of divine creation, the Barbarians although mortal have been granted the gift of extraordinarily long life. With the valor of Mithaniel and the wisdom of Erollisi running through their veins the Barbarians thrived and multiplied. The Barbarian nation grew and the once small settlement of Halas became a great city. There lived in Halas a great warrior of Clan Skenes. He was known as Iceblood and was the personification of manhood, standing over 8 feet tall, with broad shoulders and legs the size of great trees. He was a just and fearless warrior, ready to defend against all foes and protect Halas from any onslaught. He was admired by men and sought out by women, but to no avail. Iceblood’s true love was battle and he became the mightiest warrior in the land. As the population of Halas grew, settlements outside the city walls emerged and tribes began forming and conquering the lands of Norrath. A day’s ride north of Halas laid the Clan Icereaver settlement of Gokstad, home to a humble yet beautiful Barbarian maiden known as Sryntia. She was a striking figure of Barbarian womanhood, standing 7 feet tall and following the shaman teachings of her father, the tribal healer, Knarr. Sryntia had taken an oath to fight death, disease and evil and had become a high priestess to the Prime Healer, Rodcet Nife. Plans for the Vetrnaetr celebration, to welcome the coming of winter, were underway in Halas. It was decided each Clan would select a tribal chieftain to represent them and prior to the celebration a tribunal would be formed to ensure the continued growth of the nation. Iceblood was chosen to serve as chieftain of Clan Skenes. As he roared into the Great Hall of Halas to oversee the preparations, he was struck by a force that paralyzed his limbs and sucked the breath from his body. Standing before him was a maiden of such beauty and tranquility it mesmerized him. Within the motionless moment of time that engulfed him he came to realize his life would be altered forever. Sryntia saw the great warrior frozen and rushed to his side to assist him. As her hand gently touched his, the breath returned to Iceblood’s lungs and his limbs were released. As she looked up into his eyes, she knew their fates were sealed. The binding ceremony took place following Vetrnaetr in the Great Hall and was attended by the entire nation. A year passed, life for the Barbarian people was good. As a gift to his bride in celebration of their first year together, Iceblood took Rodcet Nife as his deity and vowed to continue protecting and battling those seeking to harm others and spread evil. The Destruction and Transformation The Barbarian nation continued to grow, conquering surrounding lands and spreading across the face of Norrath. Many came to call this time the Age of Blood, for no mortal race was able to stop the onslaught of the True Men. Some called upon The Burning Prince, Solusek Ro for assistance but he was unable to persevere. A gifted Shaman went before the Tribunal foretelling a horrific prophecy of the destruction of Halas. She spoke of the earth swallowing the Great Hall in the midst of a profound storm of fiery rocks. As the final terrifying word passed her lips she collapsed and died. As word of the growing Barbarian triumphs spread across Norrath, the Marr twins began to sense their imminent rule of and came to the tribunal in Halas. Without explanation they chose 12 robust lads and 12 energetic maidens and sent them southwards with the blessing of augmented intelligence, which ultimately led to the fathering the Human race. The Tribunal became divided; many believing this creation of a new more intelligent race would benefit the nation, the rest voicing anger at the betrayal of the Marr siblings for the weakening of their great race. The Warlord, Rallos Zek, ally to Innoruuk and Cazic Thule, saw the disruption in the Barbarian nation and sent great armies of Ogres and Orcs to destroy them. The Chieftains of the Tribunal set aside their differences and rallied there forces to defend Halas. Every Barbarian warrior, male and female, returned to Halas from the four corners of Norrath and united. Through many seasons the battles raged and there appeared to be no end to the armies of Zek. Where were the Marr Twins? Where were the Humans? The Orcs and Ogres overran Halas and as the Chieftains were sending the young children and elderly to the city of Qeynos to seek assistance from their troops an unexplainable event occurred. Great green clouds filled with poison encapsulated Zek’s armies, killing the Orcs and rendering the Ogres dumbfounded and confused, unable to fight. The Green Mist, as it was called, had no ill effect on the Barbarians, who seized the moment and preyed on the weakness of Zek’s remaining armies, retaking Halas. A fortnight passed and the ground beneath Halas began to crack and moan. The Age of Cataclysms had begun and the land, once covered by ice and snow, was now ablaze with flames from its depths. Mountains were sliding into the caverns of fire and without warning the once peaceful sky produced a deafening boom. Luclin had exploded and was showering Halas with rocks and fireballs. The Shaman’s prophecy was coming to pass and the people of Halas were forced to abandon the city and watch as their ancestral home toppled. It took The Shattering to destroy Halas, a feat no Norrathian army had been able to accomplish. The Chieftains endeavored to keep the people together, however, the fulfillment of the Shaman’s prophecy and the witnessing of The Shattering amplified the division within the Tribunal. The Chieftains returned to their Clans and forged new settlements. The Chieftain of Clan Icereaver died valiantly in battle and his people looked to Iceblood and Sryntia for leadership, strength and healing. They united the two Clans and set out to find the remains of Gokstad. Their numbers were many and the anticipated one day ride north took two. The settlement of Sryntia’s birth had been destroyed and she was devastated. Iceblood took Sryntia into his arms and tried to comfort her but she was inconsolable. Rage grew inside her and turned to hate. As Iceblood watched his beloved suffering he cursed Rodcet Nife for not healing her wounds. The tribe looked on, cursing the Marr Twins, the Humans, the Shattering and the Gods for the destruction of Halas and the transformation of their adored Chieftain and his beautiful bride. Their anger soon turned to hatred as well and they began praying to the evil Gods, Innoruuk, Cazic Thule and Rallos Zek for guidance. They set out on an arduous journey many days ride North of Halas and Gokstad. In the deepest most frozen tundra of Everfrost, the only place in all of Norrath as cold as their hearts, they found solace. Here in the frozen succor of their homeland they found comfort, took the name Clan Fearghaille and established the settlement of Uppsala for their new tribe. They contemplated the insolence demonstrated by the Marr twins, whom they believed favored the Humans and betrayed them in their most vital time of need. Their hatred grew and they studied the evil texts gaining a greater knowledge of the arcane, which led the warriors to follow the way of the Bruiser and Berserker, while the priests followed the pathway of the Defiler and Inquisitor.
