Because of the great response I've gotten from my Taming of Dragon Pass posting, I thought I'd give some background to the Taming of Dragon Pass Campaign in the form of the Jarangssaga. I am trying to personalize that time period that KoS pg 201 referrs to as when "the internal affairs of Heortland had grown tumultuous" as well as gain a better personal understanding of how Heortland became a "semi-feudal" society. Some of this isn't finished (like the name of Jarang's clan) but here is my draft:
THE JARANGSSAGA Orlgandi Ivrikson was an excellent man from (somewhere on the Bullflood River in the lower highlands). His older brother Kagradus was a godi for the Bullfloodsaetan. A prosperous and respected carl, Orlagandi married Tiri Unnsdottir, a wealthy woman from the (somewhere near Backford). Orlgandi had three sons, Kjarten, Umathkel and Jarang, and two daughters, Unn and Karendra.
Orlgandi's stead was prosperous and two of his kinsmen, Munn and Jon, moved their families to Orlgandistead and helped in the fields and with the livestock. His hall was tall and proud, with an ornate roofbeam and an oaken throne. He and his household owned four sulungs of land, although much of the land was farmed out to cottars.
Kjarten, as the oldest son, married a well-born woman - Benera, and he was an able and steadfast carl. He was called Kjarten Stone because of his rock-like steadyness. Orlgandi and Tiri both expected Kjarten to become head of the family after they died. However, it was their youngest son, Jarang, who was Orlgandi's favorite.
Jarang was a bold youth, who often quarrelled with his brothers and was never intimidated by their age or greater strength. At a young age he killed a wolf that threatened the cattle he was tending. Unfriendly outsiders often thought Jarang slow because he did not often speak, but the truth was that Jarang kept his own counsel.
When Orlgandi and Tiri announced their intention that Kjarten be elected head of the family when they passed on, Jarang stood up and said:
"It is all very fine that Kjarten-Stone be head of this stead after you, but he will not be my headman for I am going to found my own stead and make my own bloodline. It is better to be poor and struggling, but chieftain of my own stead, than to wear silver armbands and grow fat on feasts but be known only as Kjarten-Stone's little brother. My brother may become a great man, but I do not want his honor to be my only claim to honor."
This sentiment greatly impressed Jarang's family, for a man who chooses his own wyrd is always greater in the eyes of Orlanth than a man who meekly follows a wyrd set by others. Orlgandi approved of Jarang's words and the family agreed to arrange an advantageous marriage. With Kagradus the Godi's aid, Orlgandi arranged a marriage to Inanna Ernaldnessdottir, a well-born woman of the Karandoli. With the money provided by the wedding-gift, and with generous gifts from his kinfolk, Orlgandi bought rights to a sulung of land east of Backford.
There Jarang built his stead. Although it was not large, he and Tiri built it out of oak, strong and sturdy. The first years were hard and thin, but Jarang managed to increase the size of his herd of cattle with the rents from the family of Nim Sarnagson who farmed a portion of his land and by judicious purchase of stud-access from the local chieftain.
The birth of Jarang and Tiri's first child, their daughter (?) was a joyous occasion. Jarang had the bloodline which he so greatly sought. Two years later a son, Otag, was born. With the birth of their second son (?) tragedy struck, for Tiri died giving birth. Jarang was hearbroken, but knew that his three young children needed a mother and was too proud to foster them to a patron.
Jarang soon married a charming and somewhat mysterious dark-haired woman, Leika the Herbalist. Leika was a wise woman from the Kitori lands and knew many of the secrets of the Earth spirits. Jarang considered this to be a good marriage even though she brought little dowry and her kin were quite distant. Their first (and only?) child was little Svarr.
For all these years, Jarang's stead prospered. As a respected carl and as a carl who chose his own wyrd, Jarang's council was always welcome at the (?) clan moot. He was recognized by the elders of the clan as a juror because of his ability to look at issues fairly and honestly.
However, not long after Otag was initiated as a man by Orlanth and given his first weapons by his uncle Kjarten, a new problem arose. A greedy and ambitious Hendreiki thane named Ortossi Wilmsson set his eyes on the wealth of the (?) clan and decided that he would unjustly take that which did not belong to him by honor, by tradition or by hard work.
At first Ortossi and his retainers plagued the clan lawmoots with complaints about local farmers ploughing lands which belonged by right to the Sons of Hendrik and demanding that compensation be paid and boundary stones be moved. Ortossi always sought the advice of a clever man named Ermanrig Deep-Thought who was from Durengard and was said to understand the mystical mysteries revealed by Arkat. The clan's lawspeaker was often amazed that Ermanrig so knew the laws of (? clan founder) and several times Ermanrig won a verdict because he outskilled Ortossi's opponents. However, our chieftain Rostakos took a Greybearded Sage named Enderos the Old into his Inner Council and Ortossi lost many decisions against upstanding men.
Eventually Ortossi grew impatient of this stalemate and appealed to the age-old Law of Violence. He killed carls who worked land that he desired and his followers intimidated those who thought to speak against him at the law-moot, while others physically prevented people from speaking against him. During one of his raids, Leika the Herbalist was killed defending Jarnagstead until Jarang arrived with his sons and several carls to force Ortossi off. Even so, Jarang was badly wounded by Ortossi and never quite recovered. Eventually Rostakos decided to keep Ortossi away from the law-moot and the next time Ortossi arrived at the law-moot, the carls followed Rostakos and forced him away, killing several of his followers.
The next year, Ortossi and his men ambushed Rostakos and several of the clan thanes as they travelled to Backford to trade, and there they killed them. Among the thanes was Jarnang's brother, Kjarten-Stone. However several of Ortossi's men were killed by the ambushed men and Ortossi had the nerve to demand were-gild for his lost men.
With Rostakos dead, the leaders of the (?) clan decided to appeal to King Venharl of the Hendreiki. The king said that the clan should give a portion of their lands to another Hendreiki thane named Harstagar Ironsword and that they should give him and his family tribute like a chief. This Harstagar would defend the clan from other avaracious Hendreiki and in exchange, the clan would support his family.
The clan held a moot to discuss their options. Many carls, wanting an end to the pointless bloodshed that plagued Heortland (for this same problem occured in many communities) wanted to accept King Venharl's offer. Others, like Jarang and his son Utog, thought that this would be an intolerable affront to their dignity, their rights and their well-being. Jarang pointed to the wounds he took from Ortossi and asked if the clan really wanted "protection" by exchanging one landgrabber for another.
Despite Jarang's speeches and other's like it, the moot accepted the King's offer. Jarang announced proudly that Harstagar could graze his cattle on his fields, because he would be leaving for elsewhere. For the brave and adventurous, Jarang said, there is an alternative to craven submission.
To the north of Heortland lies the Wilderness of Dragon Pass. Ten generations ago, the great kingdoms there were cursed and devastated by the Great Dragons. The dragonnewts erected great stone crosses at the edge of the Wilderness and decreed that no humans born of living flesh would ever live if they came north. So for centuries the land lay wild.
That is until, brave Colymar of the Black Spear and his followers broke the Dragon's Curse and settled in Dragon Pass around Clearwine some sixty years ago. He showed the path by which bands of settlers - small and large - have braved the Wilderness and begun to build new clans and new kingdoms in Dragon Pass. Guided by Orlanth, these brave souls follow in his path and the the eternal path of the Storm Tribe - to win a place for oneself in a hostile world by one's courage, by one's strength and by one's wits.
Gathering together in a Ring of Travelling, a group of (?clan) carl
families began the great trek north into the Wilderness of Dragon Pass,
where they would establish a new life and begin the ardous task of taming
the wilderness to
their will.
This is of course, background material for the players in my campaign,
since they are playing Jarang's daughter and three sons.
Yours truly,
Jeff Richard
End of Glorantha Digest V2 #10
WWW material at http://hops.wharton.upenn.edu/~loren/rolegame.html
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