Heritage:Fjallmenn

Fjallmenn Heritage

The Fjallmenn people are a group of shapeshifters who originally hail from the continent of Sheydal. They are known in the modern age for their incredible festivals which seem to run non-stop all year round. Despite their original hostility when arriving in this area, they have since learned to get along with their neighbors and share their culture with others. Ruhnar Vatn, a powerful mage that founded the University of Arcane Knowledge, claimed Fjallmenn heritage.

Culture

The Fjallmenn currently have three major cultures, each having subcultures within them. They are:

• The Soulbonded, a clan devoted to the practice of Galdhud
• The Future-Seekers, who are devoted to the practice of Galawe
• The Fence-Sitters, a group that appreciates the use of both Galdhud and Galawe

History

Arrival

They arrived on the continent of Hedaware in the Awakening, where they immediately came into conflict with the native Nivalii people. After forcing them to abandon their homes and seek refuge underground with the Duuema, the Fjallmenn claimed the northern part of what is now Anhres as their home.

The Forbidden Forest

After the Vanishment where the Duuema disappeared, the Fjallmenn moved south until reaching the forest of Crestwood, which was then inhabited by elven people known as the Kroeven. Unlike the Nivalii, the Kroeven had able defenses to protect them against the Fjallmenn, who learned very quickly that the forest was not safe for them. Despite their ability to turn into animals, the elves utilized magic that worked alongside nature to expose them and force them back into their bipedal forms, disabling them from launching attacks against them. Seeing that they could not match the magic used against them, they resigned to living in the areas that were outside of the forest.

Meeting the Aurilore

Not long after it became clear that they could not enter the Crestwood forest, they again felt that they needed to defend their new home, but this time against foreign invaders. The Aurilore, a group of blue-skinned elves from the island of Halia, arrived on their shores without warning. However, the Aurilore did not intend to cause war. Instead, they had come over to hunt the Kroeven due to a cultural disagreement. The Aurilore offered to eradicate the other elves in exchange for the Fjallmenn allowing them to share their culture with them. The Fjallmenn agreed, and after the Kroeven were dealt with, they allied with the Aurilore.

Learning Galawe

The Aurilore introduced them to their magic, called Galawe, that they claimed was easier to control than the traditional magic the Fjallmenn used, called Galdhud. Deciding that this was correct, they began fully adopting the elven magic and using it in their everyday lives. Even though the magic was indeed easier to command, it came with a harsh downside; regular users of Galawe completely lost the ability to shapeshift, forcibly disconnecting them from their ancient culture. Once this side effect was discovered, a movement started to discourage other Fjallmenn from using the destructive magic.

The Fracture

Despite the seemingly simple choice to stop using Galawe in favor of Galdhud, many Fjallmenn enjoyed the ability to control their magic and refused to stop using it. Many years passed before it became apparent that the presence of Galawe in general caused people to lose their shapeshifting abilities, so someone deciding to stop practicing the elven magic for themself would still be affected by its use by others around them. This realization spurned an event called the Fracture, where Fjallmenn society split in half. One side, the Soulbonded, argued that all use of Galawe should be ended, while another side, the Future-Seekers, argued that it was more important to have controllable magic than to be able to shapeshift. Many individuals determined that both arguments had valid points and formed a third side, one that believed that there were positives and negatives to both Galdhud and Galawe.

While the Fracture began as mere arguments with family, friends, and other acquaintances, it quickly grew into full-blown conflict between the three sides. Many perished during these battles. Eventually all three groups entered into an agreement, a sort of truce that relegated them to different parts of Anhres. The Future-Seekers took the northern area, where the University of Arcane Knowledge existed, while the Soulbonded moved into the now-vacant forest that made up southern Anhres.

Despite their strict separation, though, animosity on the part of the Soulbonded grew exponentially. They despised that other Fjallmenn were willingly abandoning their natural abilities and decided to break their truce to wage war on them. During this period, a person by the name of Fyolsky Julong was discovered to be the Drekanda, an entity considered to be blessed by the god Elduranda himself to be able to shapeshift into the form of a dragon. The appearance of the Drekanda at this time prevented the Soulbonded from formally declaring war on the Future-Seekers, with their presence and strong leadership skills bringing the three sides back into a formal alliance. Currently, the Fracture is considered to be over, although many believe that the Soulbonded are simply biding their time until they can destabilize the region again.