History
A land steeped in ancient history, much of it forgotten to modern phae, Helmfirth is a land of mystifying ruins and old legends. Modern phae only tell stories of the very beginning of their settlement on the island, only gaining clearer history since the beginning of the Dark Age, when the age of the four holds began as well.
Helmfirth phae believe that they were the first phae to settle the isles. Whether or not this is true is lost to time itself, but evidence points to there being… something here before them, although these ruins hold nothing but old stone structures worn smooth and bare by wind and snow.
Utmjirr, an old god from a land whose name is forgotten to time, sailed all the corners of the world in his mighty ship, conquering and gathering followers wherever he went. When he decided he was getting too old to continue, he gathered his followers and set out to new lands to claim one final time. When finally the archipelago appeared on the horizon, they sailed towards it, only to find it uninhabited and unforgiving. Utmjirr helped his phae followers settle and create a life here, and once he was assured he could leave it in the hooves of those survived by him, he allowed himself to pass away, and the smoke from his funeral pyre formed the first aurora.
After Utmjirr’s passing, phae spread out and colonized the empty land, finding it completely devoid of all other phae-kind. According to them, they then spread out and colonized the rest of the isles, but there is no concrete evidence of this.
As they created settlements throughout the tundra isle, Sytva claimed lives here and there, making herself known and earning respect as the local deity of the very cold around them.
They remained strong and united until the beginning of the Dark Age, when the March of Mirroweld arrived on their turf.
Strong and hardy from surviving in their unforgiving land, they struggled initially due to sheer numbers, but once word reached snowstead, a troop of phae numbering in the thousands arrived in Brumehaven to beat back the invaders. Completely unprepared for the raw power and terrifying magic cultivated in the land of ice and snow, Mirroweld’s army beat as hasty a retreat as they could in the oncoming snow, and the first conference of Helmfirth was held. The then king conceded that it would be easier to split the duty of ruling– and so it was that the four holds were created. Four equal in size with equal power, more ready to respond to a threat and able to organize both with themselves and with the other holds.
Recent History
After the Dark Age began, Helmfirth’s four holds placed importance on military might, and so began to craft many ranks and duties for phae to respond to a threat if needed, including the rank of wandering knights, who would be the very first line of defense against attack. This gradually evolved into aid for other herds, and as time wore on, the practice of a strong military was largely for physical betterment than active military need.
Timeline
Year 000 of the Dark Age – here