Kata Tamrielic Tales: [WIP]

THE NORTH

It was a land of mountains and valleys with lush greenery every where the eye could turn. It was also a land of frost, the winters would kill more men than any war. Being caught out in a blizzard was a death sentence. But the mighty men who lived here grew used to the cold, and even resilient. They survived in the harsh winters amongst their clan, only die fighting each other in the summer months. They loved to fight. These men would boast at their combat ability, the bigger the sword, the hammer, the axe, the more they would boast. Strength was their most favored attribute, endurance followed shortly after. They were not men of magic, they were men of the land. They had a reputation for muscle, for brawn. They also had a reputation for tactics in war, though many of them preferred to charge head on into battle. They were men forged of the land.

Ancient ruins lay beneath the surface of this land. Ruins filled with strange machinery with creatures to match. These ruins sometimes perforated the land, the tower-head poking through the earth, something a surface opening - like a door. These were great bronze works. Within these ruins were great bronze guardians, morphing from ball to nearly humanoid, or merely humanoid and gargantuan. These were weapons of war forged by some ancient peoples. Their language all but understandable - what is understood took several lifetimes to achieve. These ancient people were master craftsmen and worshipped the gods of logic and science - not the Divines worshipped now.

What men attempted to enter these ancient halls were cast out, or killed. The survivors brought with them tales of strange pale creatures without eyes wielding deadly poisons. Accompanied by strange beetle-like creatures who were fast and strong and their bite was poisonous. None of the survivors lived long, for the poison was in them, and eventually they would succumb. This was the birth of myth, beings of darkness poisoning the men who lived on the surface. Soon, every cave became subject to one tale or another, fearing this pale creatures without eyes few caves were completely explored. Brave men were often paid to explore some of these caves, for any signs of the pale creatures. Some of these men died by the pale creatures that lived in caves, some of them died by bears or wolves, giant spiders, giant snakes, or strange otherworldly creatures. Caves were eventually marked as safe or unsafe based on whether or not an adventurer ever returned from it.

This was a ripe opportunity for bandits and the unlawful. They would take refuge in these caves, build forts around them. Use them as hideouts, prey on the superstition of others. These bandits would raid small towns or even cities, and then retreat to their superstition protected domain. This land was ruled by force, and so warriors, comrades, would band together into parties, or guilds, give themselves titles to be known by, some delved into these superstition-laden forts or caves to root out the bandits. Some succeeded, some met terrible fates at the hands of unknown creatures, and some were simply bested by the bandits.

This land was one of might, of muscle, and of dominance. Magic had no place here. There were no teachers that taught magic, and users of magic were looked down upon as weak. Magic was also a punishable crime, punishable by death without trial. Being related to someone who uses magic is also punishable by death. There was something of a phobia within the populace of these hearty people. A phobia of magic. This phobia came from the stories told of the very first encounters with the people in the cave, the pale creatures without eyes. This didn't stop some from leaving behind the society they knew. Covens began to form in some of the ruins of old settlements, or the abandoned graveyards.

The covens were mostly composed of women. They would explore their magical power in private, inside the the old caves or old abandoned fortresses. Sometimes they would make contact with something from the other side. These occurrences would be beneficial at times, and very frightening at other times. Sometimes the woman would find herself possessed and attack her fellows in the coven. This greatly limited or cut down the population within these covens. Some of the covens would submit to this possessed member, and be forced to worship them as a god. These were demons in the guise of a mortal shell. Sometimes, they would tap into more benevolent magic, and find one of their members possessed by some good-natured spirit. Peace and harmony, death and destruction, these were the two extremes the covens could fall into. Those that did wouldn't last long. Their presence would be discovered and hunting parties would be sent after them and they would be attacked and killed. Magic was intolerable regardless of function.

Occasionally a witch of the coven would approach a warlord or man of the settlements and tempt him with power to be better than the rest. Some would accept, only to find themselves cursed and publicly humiliated before he was put to death. Others found themselves as leaders of great war parties, conquering parts of this northern land, driving the indigenous out or his brethren out. When two men with opposing views, both enchanted by the magic of a witch, would clash, the land would shake with their power, and they would exchange mighty blows until one of both of them lay slain upon the earth. Death, however, was not always the end. If the witch was powerful enough, she could bring back the fallen warrior, and he would be undead. More powerful than he was in life, but lacking in the luster he once had, now just a pawn to the witch and her musings. When these men were discovered to have had dealings with a witch, they were exiled, but their taint would always remain. This led to a time that would leave a black mark on their history. Anyone who was suspected of even having the faintest trace of magic about them were executed. The paranoia that someone you knew had magic potential and that knowing them could get you killed led to the needless deaths of many people.

Magic was almost wiped from the bloodline of these people. Purged through the slaughter of hundreds. When the paranoia subsided, some of the people were horrified at what they had done, but the strict laws against magic remained in place. Though they were divided, the warlords that led them agreed on one thing: magic was evil.