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The Stone Laird of the Wundvolding
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The Wundvolding are the fourth most numerous Clan but have the second largest Clanhold,
and moreever are the only Clan with an active enemy neighboring (the Kor), and furthermore
have many Ungheuer in their lands. Wundvolding settlements are typically far apart,
and the distances between them are rugged mountains. Thus Wundvolding settlements
tend to be larger and as self sufficient as possible.
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However their lands are rich in metals and stone and their skilled craftsmen are
adept at working them into products ranging from the practical to the beautiful,
and they are a very wealthy people.
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The Wundvolding Laird commands a large demenses and has talented subjects. The besterung
is rich, and proximity to the Daelanthanor to Shidaal trade route is lucrative.
Accordingly the mighty and stoic Wundvolding are a power within the Machtig.
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BADGE OF OFFICE
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The Stone Laird's badge of office is a finely made smith's apron made of metal-stamped
heavy hide engraved on the chest depicting a black anvil with a sword and hammer
resting length ways on top, behind the anvil is a mountain, and surrounding the
whole of this image is a ring of mountains with a wide area below the anvil. It
is Var made and Druid blessed and has been used for over seventeen hundred years
without visibile signs of wear.
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This apron recalls the times when the Wundvolding Lairds were always both Thegns
and Waffshmeids, a tradition that eventually gave way due to the fact that most
Waffshmeids prefer to tend to their craft than to politics.
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HALL
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The traditional seat of the Stone Laird is the mountain fortress of Steinern, which
started out as a Varhold but has been expanded upon by the Wundvolding.
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The court itself is a huge hall two hundred spans long by a hundred spans wide carved
out of the mountain in the capital Steinern. Walking through high doors 30 spans
tall and each almost 10 spans wide and a handspan thick,
leads down a center walk way with stone benches on either
side angling away diagonally. In the center of this huge hall is
the Steincircle where any in the Wunvolding Clan can stand and be heard by the Stein
Laird and all others in attendance.
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The circle is rather large at 60 feet in diameter. This is where all matters of
justice brought before the Stein Laird are heard, and if violence is indicated also where it is watched and recorded. Fertigkeiten
also stand here to challenge for their respective titles.
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Across this circle there is a dias on which sits the Steinthrone
and 30 feet behind the Steinthrone there stands a fully
equipped forge of the highest caliber, and racks of weapons and armor.
The forge isnt actually used anymore, as it the noise of it is quite disruptive
to doing Lairds business, but it is maintained as a sort of shrine to the Var of
the past.
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If counted one would find stands to hold armor and
weapons for each Steinwach and the Laird himself arrayed about the
Hall, though most stand empty as the Steinwach is rarely idle.
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Dyorgrim Steinrolf
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Dyorgrim Steinrolf is the current Wundvolding Laird and has sat the Laird
throne in Steinern for thirteen years.
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APPEARANCE
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Dyorgrim Steinrolf (DEE-your-GRIM STINE-er-ROLF), born Dyorgrim Dorgathsen,
stands at 6'6 with honed muscles, pale skin, eyes as green as any emerald,
and an unusual inky black goattee.
His head is neat shaved bald in order to have a tighter fitting helmet, but his eyebrows are the same inky black as his beard and indicate
his mixed Machtig-Horvisian ancestry.
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Dyorgrim only dons the smith's apron that signifies his Lairdship when in court,
over a long sleeved white woolen shirt tucked into plain leather pants when he sits
the Steinthrone as he is no Waffshmeid himself and feels it is a disrespect to dress
as one other than for formal functions.
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When the Laird is not in the hall his clothing is always
of a practical nature but rugged enough for the rigors of mountain life and he eshews
any visible signs of status. However, he does carry a famous magical blade that
can be mistaken for no other.
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HISTORY
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Dyorgrim's mother Amadea, though born and raised among the Machtig,
was of a people from the island nation of Horvis. Her mother Aladeal, said to be
a breathtaking beauty, was taken Slave by a Raevoring war party and brought back
to the Vold where she eventually married her taker and was accepted into the Clan
and raised to Thrall status in the Raevoring tradition.
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Amadea grew up near the Raevoring border with the Wundvolding, and
frequently traveled into Caer Svato with her father to sell off loot taken on faring.
On one such visit she met the Gefolgsman Dorgath Steinrolf from Caer Ungorhaus who
was in the steading on business for his Reeve father. After a whirlwind courtship
they fell in love and were married, and Dyorgrim inevitably resulted from this union.
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Dyorgrim grew to adulthood in Caer Ungorhaus along with Magnus son of Farbjorn and
Valeren Vandorssun who was a son of the then-Laird that was living with an uncle's
family in Caer Ungorhaus. All three would grow to either distinction or dishonor
respectively and to have an impact on Clan history.
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A skilled young Thegn, Dyorgrim took it into his head to visit the home of his grandmother's
people in Horvis, and he sat out on faring alone though it saddened his friend Magnus
greatly. From this humble beginning Dyorgrim's fate went awry by one misadventure
after another, and he traveled much of the world in various states of status and
discomfort ranging from lowly galley slave to exhalted hero.
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Almost ten years passed and Dyorgrim was thought long dead by all his old friends
and family, and his father's health declined. When Dyorgrim returned from his final
great adventure far to the north, where he gained the fell Black Blade in some fashion
that he will not discuss even to this day, he found that many of his lands had been
encroached by his supposed friend Valeren, who had taken advantage of his father
Dorgath's poor health to trick him into selling the family estates.
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Only Magnus had remained loyal to his old friend, taking Dorgath into his household
as an honored guest. In a cold rage Magnus confronted his former friend Valeran
and slew him in a challenge.
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Valeren's father Vandor Aveandorsen was still the Laird at the time and was a somewhat
petty and selfish man that had risen to power by coersion, politicking, and presenting
a false face to the public. In a clear abuse of his power for personal reasons,
the Laird refused to set weregild and declared a blood fued between his family and
Dyorgrim.
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Vandor used all of his power as Laird in his personal vendetta against the killer
of his only son and soon a series of challenges were thrown at Dyorgrim by the family
and supporters of Vandor, including several members of the Steinwach. Dyorgrim was
triumphant each time, though a handful of the warriors he had to face down made
him work for it.
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The might of Dyorgrim's fell sword was soon realized as he used it to cleave through
swords and armor as if they were made of wax, and in the final days when he was
plagued by injuries from the endless series of challenges he had fought in, it was
probably the only thing that gave him a fighting chance.
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Dyorgrim was labeled by his enemies with the nickname Steinrolf, which means Stonehearted,
due to his unflinching courage when facing down and slaying each of the warriors
that came against him. The great Elder Skald Giorgi Ymirssen penned the Saga of
Stenirolf telling the tale of Dyorgrim's great faring and the tragedy of coming
home to find his sickly father preyed upon by a supposed friend, which swept the
Clanhold seemingly overnight.
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Many deaths and a couple of Volksradding later found Vandor dead and the conquering
hero Dyorgrim the new Laird almost by accident.
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PERSONALITY
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Dyorgrim is a plain spoken and simple man who prefers to keep formalities
to a bare minimum, but takes his responsibilities as Laird very seriously and believes
that he has a responsibility to represent his people well.
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Dyorgrim is very much a Wundvolding's Wundvolding so to speak, being
very traditional and representative of his people as a whole. He is unswervingly
obedient and respectful to Druids, honors all Skalds, gives court to the concerns
of his Landsgraf and Fertigkeiten, sets reasonable besterung, keeps a loose but
controlled grip on his Reeves, and is in all ways a model Laird much beloved by
his people.
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He honors his young wife, though she has brought him no children,
and is steadfastly loyal to his friends and supporters. It is widely believed that
he is a man of iron integrity, and his word is never distrusted.
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BATTLE
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When this Laird takes to the battlefield he dons possibly the single finest suit
of plate armor in the Vold; it
is made of Varic steel (Durocaled) and is polished
till it gleams like dark silver.
It is strewn in bizarre etchings that do
not form a pattern until one gets close enough to see they are in fact
Varic Runes.
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Sometimes the Stone Laird also wears a similarly enchanted shield, but
not always; he favors swords over most other weapons and wields
fell Urunblacic (OR-oon-BLOT-seek), the Black Blade, but
has been known to use the traditional Wundvolding pick, axe, or hammer from time
to time as well.
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POLITICS
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Dyorgrim is largely apolitical. He fends off the blandishments of
both the Herodi and the Pargori. If he is still Laird he will vote the will of his
people when the time comes to determine the next Oberlaird, and attempts to curry
his favor will not sway him.
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INTRACLAN
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Dyorgrim is one of the most popular Lairds in living memory,
often helping others with daily chores or tasks that help the community, going down
in the mines to lend a hand on occasion, and sometimes investing his own money from
farings and besterung into the community at large.
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He is a real Laird of the people
in other words, and he has tremendous support within the Clan. His strongest and
most loyal supporter is his oldest and most trusted friend Magnus, who is the current
Reeve of their mutual home at Caer Ungorhaus.
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INTERCLAN
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Raserei respects Dyorgrim and is wary of him; though Raserei fears no man
Dyorgrim is a legend in his own lifetime and Raserei fully appreciates the fact
that while his own life story is somewhat impressive it doesn't hold a candle to
the Saga of Steinrolf...yet. Raserei is always careful to present himself
like a respectful prodigy when around Dyorgrim, giving Dyorgrim pride of place and
making a show of deferring to him when it costs Raserei little, and seeks his support
in the next Oberlaird vote.
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For his part Dyorgrim is publically as respectful of Raserei as he is all the other
Lairds, but privately he considers Raserei to be both promising and potentially
dangerous as a leader. He believe he has the potential to be a great leader, but
also has the potential to lead the Machtig into peril. Being the most well traveled
of the current Lairds save perhaps Gunnar, and more importantly having traveled
many of the lands north of the Machtig Dyorgim understands that the world has been
changing in the past century and the Herodi habit of warring indiscriminantly may
prove to be less succesful than it once was.
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Gunnar blusters and emotes as usual, but definitely hesitates to cross Dyorgim.
A part of him is sure that the stories can't be all true about Dyorgim's prowess
and exploits, and of course Dyorgrim is getting on into late middle age; even if
he once was all they say, what has he done lately? However another part of him that
he would never admit to is a little afraid of the stern gazed Wundvolding with the
soul-chilling sword. Gunnar tends to run his mouth in his usual brazen fashion around
Dyorgrim, but a glance of disaproval from Dyorgrim is usally enough to buy a rare
few minutes of silence.
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Dyorgrim thinks of Gunnar as being a dangerous and unpredictable thug, but never
shows it.
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Chigante gives Dyorgrim all due respect and not one jot more, as he
does with every one else. However, the amount of respect that is due is greater
than he gives to any other Laird, and Chigante considers the Wundvolding and Hengsting
prospects and goals to be similar. The Herodi, Ulthferen, and Raevoring are the
warlike Clans and represent three of nine votes for Oberlaird while the Pargori,
Huarthmunn, Faendradi, and Jagrling tend to prefer peace.
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The Wundvolding and Hengsting both prefer to stay in their own lands, but both also
have a martial aspect and profit from war. This makes them both swing votes when
it comes time to side for Oberlaird; when they lean towards war they vote one way
and when they lean towards peace they vote the other. This means they are both ever
courted by the hawks and the doves.
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Dyorgrim gives Chigante a grudging respect, but believes his means of becoming Laird
was against the spirit of the traditions. However, Dyorgrim effectively rose to
power in a similar fashion; the only real difference being that Dyorgrim was the
popular choice, whereas Chigante definitely was not. Remembering that Dyorgrim makes
some allowances and maintains cool but polite correspondence with the Horse Laird.
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Brengreifer unabashedly idolizes Dyorgrim, and considers him a rolemodel.
The Saga of Steinrolf hit it big when Brengreifer was a young new Thane and it directly
served as a great inspiration for him on his own less accomplished but still succesful
farings as a young man. Brengreifer is proud to host Dyorgrim in his own hall, is
deeply honored by invitations to Dyorgrim's hall, and in the past has been known
to seek Dyorgim's counsel on complex issues.
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Keanha is just lucky that Dyorgrim is not political. Almost all of the Varic
items that are so key to the Pargori trading blitz of the last few decades come
through the Wundvolding, and of course the routes to both Shidaal and Kasaad are
well within Wundvolding territory. Thus an order from Dyorgrim could dam several
very lucrative lines of commerce that are crucial to the Pargori mercantile economy,
and Oberlaird or no there isn't much Kaenha could do about it. Thus Kaenha treads
very carefully around issues that concern Dyorgrim and always treats him with careful
respect and dipliomacy.
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Dyorgrim keeps a sharp eye on Kaenha and doesn't fully trust him, but appreciates
the fact that most of his policies are good for the Machtig and thus gives him the
benefit of the doubt more often than not.
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Bjorjan isn't really all that impressed by Dyorgrim's past; the patient,
detached, insular (and borderline sociopathic) Jagrling Laird believes that no matter
how great the Thegn an arrow from afar will do for them as easily as any Thrall,
or as he likes to say "men and deer look the same when sighted down an arrow".
However, while he isn't affected by Skald's tales and heroic sagas, Bjorjan respects
results and Dyorgrim has been an effective Laird to his Clan, and further Dyorgrim
does nothing rashly which is a trait the patient and disciplined Jagrling favor.
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Dyorgrim suspects that something is not quite right with Bjorjan, but has little
reason to interact with him and thus does not concern himself about it.
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Neirin has his people's usual distrust for the Var-influenced Wundvolding.
On the one occasion they met he was civil but little more, and they have never corresponded
directly.
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Dyorgrim has met Neirin on one occassion and took an immediate dislike to him, though
he was careful not to show it out of general politeness. The Wundvolding and the
Faendradi have always been distrustful of each other.
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Wolkengreifer gives Dyorgrim the respect of one alpha-male to another, and
is characteristically inscrutable and silent otherwise.
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Dyorgrim recognizes Wolkengreifer as a better Ulthferen Laird than most, but wouldn't
trust him to stand watch on a night with a full moon so to speak.
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