Our Mother

An Origin Story

As told by Ragnorix the Runesmasher, Master Rune Scholar and Jarl of Fogburrow Transcribed by Currox, Apprentice Rune Scribe:

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“Listen well and transcribe quickly, welp. This story is as old as our people and has been told by my father’s father’s father’s father and likely past them as well and I do not like to repeat myself. Many of our people are not privy to this story, but my family has always walked with The Mother’s strength. The Salt-Touched Foothills has always been a cruel tempest of beauty and strength, but it used to be an unconquered land that held savages and monsters too innumerable to name. It stood against the rest of civilization as a monument of foreboding power and fear. Crossing the mountain range was hard enough, but the challenges one would face back then would crush the soul of any warrior.
  Our people date back to a long lost civilization that existed beyond those mountains. It was a civilization ruled by a cruel and dishonorable creature and was inhabited by similar fodder who lived by no code other than self gain. Our people were used as tools and treated like the mud under their boots. However, this story isn’t about that dark time, it’s about her.
  Are you listening? I swear by The Storm that you will be practicing your Runes till your fingers bleed if you miss this.
  She was described by my ancestor as a beacon of power amongst our tired people. A titan of a Drakari in full plate armor, carrying a horn in one hand and a spear in the other. Nobody knew where she came from, but she rallied our people to rise against the selfish oppressors. Under her, our ancestors picked up anything that they could use as a weapon and smashed what pitiful forces stood against them and their freedom. Her rallying horn and empowering light gave our people strength despite the odds. Oh how I wish I could’ve been there, to feel her power coursing through my veins, I could only imagine how my ancestor felt upon looking at her brilliance. Our people took over half the city and pushed the weak willed to the edge of destruction before marching on the ruler’s home and taking their head.
  Not much was talked about what happened afterwards, but my brood father believes the people must’ve quickly gathered supplies and left with the city in flames behind them. You see, our people followed her, the one we now call The Mother. She led our people through the inhospitable mountains to this land. She stood upon the peak of the mountains, pointed down at these foothills and claimed it to be our land. She promised us strength, honor, and a good life if we just took it from what had lived here before. Our people took her offer with enthusiasm. We cut our home out of this overgrown land and crushed any beast that stood against us. It was here that she created our most sacred traditions and gave birth to the Salt-Touched people. We all were born from her strength. Let me see what you wrote down. By The Storm you foolish welp! Stop writing down all of my commentary and just write the story! What did I just say? Is this a joke to you? You will resp….”
 

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As now written by Ragnorix the Runesmasher, Master Rune Scholar and Jarl of Fogburrow:
  The Mother is our strength. She birthed us and our way of life. We owe everything to her. My studies have only uncovered minor information regarding the story of my ancestors and I fear that most of the evidence for this has been lost due to time and the Sundering. Through minor interactions with foreigners, I have discovered parallels between one they call “Valorheart” and The Mother. Could they be one in the same? Did this foreign God save our people? I do not know.
  My studies have also found correlation between descriptions of The Mother and Zephyrak. Zephyrak has always been a strong one, but his strength and will pushed the boundaries of what I thought was possible by mortals. Just being in his presence gave me hope for a better future for our people. His bloodline is unknown, but a small part of me wants to believe him to have had her blood running through him. I will keep his offspring under a watchful eye, especially that daughter of his…..