The Norn once lived much further north, where their homes and land was warmed by the dwarven forges underneath.
Norn have always coexisted very peacefully with the Dwarves, considering themselves brothers above and below the mountain.
Their religion is known as Reverence. Within everything from animals to weapons to the air itself, there is believed to be a sprit.
A sudden freeze- the moment the Elven king in the north froze his people -meant the sudden and unexpected doom of the Norn.
A great migration led the Norn into southern lands of men where they founded many cities, including their capital of Skorrajvik.
Now the Norn are in constant conflict with the Men of Dalry over the Bloody Cross that is the gateway of the Crystal Sea.
Vikings live in Norvegr and hunt the oceans every summer, ramming vessels out of the water and onto land for slaughter.
The Norn are close friends with and also vowed to protect the Soundless Elves who do not agree with the teachings of their leaders.
Far, far to the north, beyond the dwarven stronghold of Keldvar and even the lost elf city of Haaenakadi lie the frozen wastes of Tyriedar, a land inhospitable to even the most steadfast of adventurers. One could walk for days into the blinding white and find only the most minimal signs of life - dolyaks and snow hares, the occasional snow leopard, but other than that, a vast, barren expanse. But it was not always so, for one may stumble upon what looks to be a stray stone, only to discover that this stone does not budge. Buried beneath the snow and ice, former homes and lodges of the norns litter the landscape, and it is hard to imagine that any living soul could have once called this place home. In the Second Age, however, it would have been quite easy to imagine, as the land was at this time a lush and beautiful taiga, and the earth gifted heartily with any natural resource the norns could need.
For the first two Ages of Tyriedar the norns enjoyed a secluded lifestyle in the far northern reaches, the would-be cold chill tempered by the warmth of dwarven forges in the mountains and fortresses that dotted the landscape. The two races coexisted as peacefully as races who find excitement in the heat of battle could do, and trade of both goods and knowledge between them was frequent. Rarely did the norns venture south, and they remained largely unknown to other races for much of their early history. Being as far removed as they were, the norn developed their own sense of religion - reverence, they call it, and it is within everything from animals to weapons to the very air itself. Successful hunts are gifts from the spirit of the animal slain; a sword is imbued with its own as it comes from the forges. So too was the longship of Thorgir the Cunning, king of the norns to the very end of the Second Age and the first amongst his people to desire sailing southward beyond the southernmost settlement of his people. It was here he gathered a crew, promising adventure (and payment) to those brave enough to accompany him, and in late summer he and 25 strong norns set out on what would prove to be the start of one of the most disastrous chain of events in norn history.
The sky was dark a week after Thorgir and his crew set out, and the cold came suddenly. In great waves the air chilled around them, an unnatural cold that froze not only the air but the ocean around the ship's hull, turned to slush with great chunks of ice that were impossible to navigate. Understandably unprepared for the sudden freeze, it took mere hours for the cold to start claiming the lives of those on the ship; one by one Thorgir's crew and the king himself succumbed to freezing pain and madness. Further north, within Thorgir's kingdom, this sudden cold was also felt - so cold was it, in fact, that the forges within the mountains would no longer work, rending that small bit of hope useless as the norns there scampered to throw together their bare essentials after wrapping themselves in the warmth of furs and blankets. Before their migration, they tried to usher their dwarven friends from the mountains to safety as well, but it was to no avail - the cold within the stone had frozen all the doors shut, dooming them to die within. Great blizzards blew around them as the norns made their escape south, fearing the anger of the spirits of the wild and the wrath that had chilled the air itself.
It was only once the norns reached southern lands that they learned of the concept of Ages - and with it, a great many other things that had been unknown to them. Some refused to move further than Norvegr, having already encountered both a frozen palace and a settlement of what looked to be either smaller versions of themselves or larger versions of dwarves. Humans, they'd called themselves, and the norns were wary of both their weapons and their words, not to mention their manner of dress. Those that remained behind founded the city of Norvegr, and with time they would evolve into a seafaring people that no longer called themselves norns but instead took on the moniker of vikings. They do not take to the seas during the winter, choosing instead to fish along the coast and tend to their peoples on the shore - but come summer, they set sail in longships that would have put that of Thorgir the Cunning to shame, using power, strength, and speed to drive back enemy ships to the coasts, where their crews are quickly brutalized and their ships pillaged. So too do the coastal cities of Mirerenna often fall victim to the raids of the vikings and those within the range of these northern pirates pray every day to the gods that they are not next chosen.
While those that would become vikings stayed behind in Norvegr, the rest of the norn population ventured east, coming eventually to the land of Dalry and its colder coastal towns. It was here that the city of Skorrajvik, the capital of the norns, was founded; conveniently, it was directly across the water from Red Water in neighboring Dalry. Initially, the norns and humans that lived in these two towns were cordial to one another, engaging in trade as the norns once had with the dwarves of the far frozen wastes, but this was no long-lasting friendship; tensions grew between the two capitals over various issues and grievances, and soon enough the two peoples were butting heads with any excuse they could muster. To this day the people of Dalry and the norns of Skorrajvik regularly engage in open battle, typically over control of a small outpost that controls the gate into the bay.
Despite being in such close proximity with Men now, norn culture remains a bit of a mystery to those not directly involved. The concept of reverence isn't entirely understood by those looking in from the outside, but there have been many a norn scholar who has detailed in writing the intricacies of their day to day lives and their spirit-based system of worship. A gender-equal, prideful race built upon boasting of feats of bravery and strength and how well one can hold their ale, the norns are surprisingly peaceful amongst themselves - conflicts are resolved quickly via single combat, and at the end of the fight, the disagreement is done. Despite their conflicts with citizens of Dalry, norns are not closed off from the outside world; they are welcoming to outsiders more often than not, believing the world to be a place meant for harmony and balance. These days, there are often elves intermingling amongst the norn - Soundless, they are called, and they subscribe not to the beliefs of their elven brethren's fanatical teachings, but instead more to the norn ideas of harmony, balance, and reverence. So closely intertwined are the two cultures now that newborn Soundless elves are often designated a guardian spirit just as norn infants are, though they are not, at least up to this point, subjected to the most secret of norn reverence ceremonies. Called horgr blót in the native tongue of the norns and performed on winter solstice, these are sacrifices made to the spirits of the wild for prosperity in the coming year: an infant and mother are chosen for sacrifice, as well as some of the fittest warriors amongst them, and many of the earthly form of that year's spirit. Despite the grim nature of horgr blót, to be chosen is a point of greatest honor and pride for the norn, and each year all hope to be chosen.
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Far, far to the north, beyond the dwarven stronghold of Keldvar and even the lost elf city of Haaenakadi lie the frozen wastes of Tyriedar, a land inhospitable to even the most steadfast of adventurers. One could walk for days into the blinding white and find only the most minimal signs of life - dolyaks and snow hares, the occasional snow leopard, but other than that, a vast, barren expanse. But it was not always so, for one may stumble upon what looks to be a stray stone, only to discover that this stone does not budge. Buried beneath the snow and ice, former homes and lodges of the norns litter the landscape, and it is hard to imagine that any living soul could have once called this place home. In the Second Age, however, it would have been quite easy to imagine, as the land was at this time a lush and beautiful taiga, and the earth gifted heartily with any natural resource the norns could need.
For the first two Ages of Tyriedar the norns enjoyed a secluded lifestyle in the far northern reaches, the would-be cold chill tempered by the warmth of dwarven forges in the mountains and fortresses that dotted the landscape. The two races coexisted as peacefully as races who find excitement in the heat of battle could do, and trade of both goods and knowledge between them was frequent. Rarely did the norns venture south, and they remained largely unknown to other races for much of their early history. Being as far removed as they were, the norn developed their own sense of religion - reverence, they call it, and it is within everything from animals to weapons to the very air itself. Successful hunts are gifts from the spirit of the animal slain; a sword is imbued with its own as it comes from the forges. So too was the longship of Thorgir the Cunning, king of the norns to the very end of the Second Age and the first amongst his people to desire sailing southward beyond the southernmost settlement of his people. It was here he gathered a crew, promising adventure (and payment) to those brave enough to accompany him, and in late summer he and 25 strong norns set out on what would prove to be the start of one of the most disastrous chain of events in norn history.
The sky was dark a week after Thorgir and his crew set out, and the cold came suddenly. In great waves the air chilled around them, an unnatural cold that froze not only the air but the ocean around the ship's hull, turned to slush with great chunks of ice that were impossible to navigate. Understandably unprepared for the sudden freeze, it took mere hours for the cold to start claiming the lives of those on the ship; one by one Thorgir's crew and the king himself succumbed to freezing pain and madness. Further north, within Thorgir's kingdom, this sudden cold was also felt - so cold was it, in fact, that the forges within the mountains would no longer work, rending that small bit of hope useless as the norns there scampered to throw together their bare essentials after wrapping themselves in the warmth of furs and blankets. Before their migration, they tried to usher their dwarven friends from the mountains to safety as well, but it was to no avail - the cold within the stone had frozen all the doors shut, dooming them to die within. Great blizzards blew around them as the norns made their escape south, fearing the anger of the spirits of the wild and the wrath that had chilled the air itself.
It was only once the norns reached southern lands that they learned of the concept of Ages - and with it, a great many other things that had been unknown to them. Some refused to move further than Norvegr, having already encountered both a frozen palace and a settlement of what looked to be either smaller versions of themselves or larger versions of dwarves. Humans, they'd called themselves, and the norns were wary of both their weapons and their words, not to mention their manner of dress. Those that remained behind founded the city of Norvegr, and with time they would evolve into a seafaring people that no longer called themselves norns but instead took on the moniker of vikings. They do not take to the seas during the winter, choosing instead to fish along the coast and tend to their peoples on the shore - but come summer, they set sail in longships that would have put that of Thorgir the Cunning to shame, using power, strength, and speed to drive back enemy ships to the coasts, where their crews are quickly brutalized and their ships pillaged. So too do the coastal cities of Mirerenna often fall victim to the raids of the vikings and those within the range of these northern pirates pray every day to the gods that they are not next chosen.
While those that would become vikings stayed behind in Norvegr, the rest of the norn population ventured east, coming eventually to the land of Dalry and its colder coastal towns. It was here that the city of Skorrajvik, the capital of the norns, was founded; conveniently, it was directly across the water from Red Water in neighboring Dalry. Initially, the norns and humans that lived in these two towns were cordial to one another, engaging in trade as the norns once had with the dwarves of the far frozen wastes, but this was no long-lasting friendship; tensions grew between the two capitals over various issues and grievances, and soon enough the two peoples were butting heads with any excuse they could muster. To this day the people of Dalry and the norns of Skorrajvik regularly engage in open battle, typically over control of a small outpost that controls the gate into the bay.
Despite being in such close proximity with Men now, norn culture remains a bit of a mystery to those not directly involved. The concept of reverence isn't entirely understood by those looking in from the outside, but there have been many a norn scholar who has detailed in writing the intricacies of their day to day lives and their spirit-based system of worship. A gender-equal, prideful race built upon boasting of feats of bravery and strength and how well one can hold their ale, the norns are surprisingly peaceful amongst themselves - conflicts are resolved quickly via single combat, and at the end of the fight, the disagreement is done. Despite their conflicts with citizens of Dalry, norns are not closed off from the outside world; they are welcoming to outsiders more often than not, believing the world to be a place meant for harmony and balance. These days, there are often elves intermingling amongst the norn - Soundless, they are called, and they subscribe not to the beliefs of their elven brethren's fanatical teachings, but instead more to the norn ideas of harmony, balance, and reverence. So closely intertwined are the two cultures now that newborn Soundless elves are often designated a guardian spirit just as norn infants are, though they are not, at least up to this point, subjected to the most secret of norn reverence ceremonies. Called horgr blót in the native tongue of the norns and performed on winter solstice, these are sacrifices made to the spirits of the wild for prosperity in the coming year: an infant and mother are chosen for sacrifice, as well as some of the fittest warriors amongst them, and many of the earthly form of that year's spirit. Despite the grim nature of horgr blót, to be chosen is a point of greatest honor and pride for the norn, and each year all hope to be chosen.
If you have any questions concerning norn, please see