Found few and far between, deep to the South, in the realm of Voyrmark, are the scattered clans of olde Erborn. Led by the ancient Siadhre, or Själiare to the masses, these spread peoples are able to stay away from the dangers of the wilds, at least as long as they choose to, by the use of the clairvoyant magick of their elders.
All who choose to follow in the Verdigris Path are able to call upon the spirits, but it is the ability to see and to feel what is to come that is uniquely awe-inspiring.
A singular spirit is the prime focus of each of the remaining seven great clans, and the art of being able to manifest the energies of the collective at once is lost to all but what is said to be the Utvaktens, or Chosen Ones, during the Rhythmic Cycles.
Religion
Whilst the Glacial Knights and more homely folk of Kälran would dare not to betray faith as it would be seen through their eyes, the Erborn do not feel such a need to constrain themselves, and express their worship through many less conventional means. The rites of their kind are just as metaphysical, if not more so, and it is the pure physicality and extended exaltation of the land that sets them apart.
Believing in the Divine as those in the North do, their focus is more towards the entities held within the Sentinel Sept and the Forsaken Quaternity rather than the Celestial Triumvirate, though they do of course recognise their import. Unlike the Glacial Knights and citizens of Huldan, they have no separation between them.
Not viewing any of the Gods of the Frozen North to be “good” or “bad”, both their devotion and the name given to them is the Ingrveir. It is not so much the Ingrveir they devote rituals towards however, but more so their Gyryr.
Spirituality
The supernatural is a wild, wonderful, and also very scary presence woven into the fabric of existence. Most are oblivious to it being an actual force of power, and even to those that do know, fewer still are truly attentive of how much it really commands in the cosmic landscape. The Glacial Knights would separate the power granted to them by their faith from that of the Erborn and their Siadhre, but in truth it is not entirely dissimilar.
Gyryr is the term used to describe the quintessential spirits that bestow the Erborn with their potential, with command over the following forces, both elemental and visceral, being key:
- Waten of spring, the waters and mind.
- Waeyr of autumn, the earths and matter.
- Wimos of summer, the fires and soul.
- Wivtr of winter, the winds and sense.
- Woedi of estiva, the forests and heart.
- Welka of hiberti, the wildlifes and kin.
- Wiore of midtid, the storms and aura.
Any natural site may be considered sacred, but in particular the Fornweal is venerated as the supposed birthplace of the Gyryr, from within the since long absent Världsträd. Sagas tell that the major branches were the source of the Gyryr, and through them all that is living is at balance.
Community
Each clan, or Ersk, is typically self-reliant and dependent solely on those a part of it. Though aid from other clans is not frowned upon in times like these, it is known for strife to often come out of too frequent intermingling.
At one point in history the clans were part of a caste system, with the ruler shifting as the Waxen Wind that Wends would determine, but eventually after bloodied discourse and the rise of undeath, they split, whether by choice or otherwise.
An innumerable number of smaller and more isolated Erskor are dispersed across the region, but exact numbers are exceedingly difficult to quantify.
Relationship with the Glacial Knights
With diametrically opposed philosophies, reluctance is most often felt by both the Erborn and Glacial Knights when it comes to working together. With the key goal of survival in mind, fate does at times have it that an alliance is required, no matter how brief.
There is one faction that works counter to these trends, that of Lloerwydd, the Perennial Moonglade. More than a simple accord, members of this unified sect hold a shared ideology, one where the crucial article of faith is to marry the powers of the Light with those of the Verdigris Path to not only endure, but to repel the perils they face.
Enlistment to the order is ever-growing, and General Sondus Vajdorn has even recently promoted the expansion of them by inducting a contingent into the wider army led by both Ar’caudh Hervi and Ar’wffon Seltav Torscard, much to the ire of those set in their traditionalist ways.
Threats
Always on the move, the greatest threat to the lives of these druidic kin is the growing corruption creeping over the countryside. Harrowingly kept at bay by the continued efforts of Lloerwydd, a living darkness is the constant thorn in their side.
The Mawrwch as it is called has persisted for as long as any can remember, even before undeath came to plague the North. It is believed that when the oceans froze over, some sort of timeworn mystical protective ward broke, and it was able to spread to far greater effect than ever before. Thankfully, an archaic enchantment spanning the entirety of the wall adjoining the two states prevents its growth beyond the borders.