walls will not hold the winter
over and under crawl
walls will not hold the winter
all in the way shall fall
over and under crawl
walls will not hold the winter
all in the way shall fall
ARKLOV
Herd Info
Herd Relations
E'Leond: Frosty, passively antagonistic
Sub-Herds: None are tolerated in Arklov lands
E'Leond: Frosty, passively antagonistic
Sub-Herds: None are tolerated in Arklov lands
Current Events
Season, Year
Currently there are no events!
Season, Year
Currently there are no events!
In the eyes of Arklov, all are welcome and all are equal so long as one pulls their own weight. Close-knit and warm amongst the cold of the North, the herd of Arklov focuses on three core tenets that rule the foundation of their herd; Family, Duty, Honor. There are few souls found in the world as proud and as loyal as the members of the northmost herd, for they pride themselves on their dedication to each other above themselves. Anyone who fulfills their duty is praised, while those who skirt their work and laze about and waste precious resources are shunned and looked down upon, to the point of hardly being tolerated. The cold breeds a degree of hardness, and thus every Arklov member is expected to be strong, to not be a drain on the herd and those closest to them. That being said, anyone willing to work is welcome in Arklov, the herd ever needing able-bodied stags and does, and both stags and does are equal in the eyes of the herd.
Herd Laws
I. Thine King and Queen's Word Is Law, Thou Shalt Obey - The King and Queen rule all, their commands are to be obeyed without hesitation, and trust is to be placed that their commands are in your best interest.
II. Honour Thy Mother, Honour Thy Herd - Respect your mother, respect your herd, and always aim to do right by them. Honour is vital in Arklov, for without it one is little more than an E'leond wretch, forsaken and shunned.
III. Thou Shalt Not Show Cowardice - the deer of Arklov face trials meant for the strong and brave, and those who hesitate or flee such tests are deemed useless, weak, in the eyes of the herd. There is not enough resources for those who do not stand by their brethren.
IV. Thou Shalt Not Force Thineself Upon Another - Consent is above all else sacred. A stag may not force himself upon a doe, nor shall a doe force herself upon a stag.
V. Murder Thou Shalt Not Commit - To kill another Arklov member is taboo, and the punishment for the crime is often violent and swift.
VI. Thou Shalt Not Harm A Fawn - The murder or injury of a fawn is the worst crime anyone can commit in Arklov, and the guilty shall be hunted until the end of their days, and if captured, are given to the bereaved mother for punishment. It is more often than not a slow death.
VII. Duty, Family, Honour - The core tenet of Arklov, the herds' hearts beat as one, for only as one can the herd survives the worst Idris has to offer. These three values are emblazoned in every Arklov's heart, and to turn your back on one or all is one of the worst things an Arklov member can do.
II. Honour Thy Mother, Honour Thy Herd - Respect your mother, respect your herd, and always aim to do right by them. Honour is vital in Arklov, for without it one is little more than an E'leond wretch, forsaken and shunned.
III. Thou Shalt Not Show Cowardice - the deer of Arklov face trials meant for the strong and brave, and those who hesitate or flee such tests are deemed useless, weak, in the eyes of the herd. There is not enough resources for those who do not stand by their brethren.
IV. Thou Shalt Not Force Thineself Upon Another - Consent is above all else sacred. A stag may not force himself upon a doe, nor shall a doe force herself upon a stag.
V. Murder Thou Shalt Not Commit - To kill another Arklov member is taboo, and the punishment for the crime is often violent and swift.
VI. Thou Shalt Not Harm A Fawn - The murder or injury of a fawn is the worst crime anyone can commit in Arklov, and the guilty shall be hunted until the end of their days, and if captured, are given to the bereaved mother for punishment. It is more often than not a slow death.
VII. Duty, Family, Honour - The core tenet of Arklov, the herds' hearts beat as one, for only as one can the herd survives the worst Idris has to offer. These three values are emblazoned in every Arklov's heart, and to turn your back on one or all is one of the worst things an Arklov member can do.
Herd Traditions & Celebrations
The Dead's Feast - Death is sacred in Arklov, and is not something to mourn, but rather celebrate as a deer moves onto the next life. Music and merry is made from dawn to dusk, and at the grey of twilight the Seer sets the deceased's body alight (or if there is none, an effigy of twigs), sending the departed's spirit onward. On that day, the deceased is treated with as much honour and fanfare as a King or Queen, as the herd's gratitude to the deceased's service.
The Rite - Undertaken by all who seek to become Vigilants, the Rite is the task of a young stag or doe to go into the wilds of Arklov and bring back the carcass of a predator they killed, as a sign that they are the rulers of the land, and will not bend nor bow to the mercy of meat-eaters. To return successful is a great honour, and a celebration is thrown in the victor's name.
Winter's Dawn - A somber tradition, after the first storm of winter Arklov members mark that winter has truly begun, and the herd spends a week in meditation. Stags and does are encouraged to take each other's company, fawns to stay with their mothers, as all hold close that which they love the most in preparation for the winter possibly being their last.
Winter's End - A mirror to the Winter's Dawn tradition, when the first flowers sprout in the Vale, Arklov members mark that winter is over. A week is spent in somber respect for those who were lost to the winter, and on the last day of the week a feast is held with whatever the herd's Padhoofs bring from the other lands as the members of Arklov celebrate spring. It is also considered a celebration of those fawns that survived the winter by the grace of their mothers and the Tenders.
The Ravaging - This tradition is all but forgotten, as it hasn't been done in generations. Considered ancient, this ceremony is donned on the eve of war; Vigilants are marked by the herd with clay and soot, an act of the herd's prayers for their safe return. Fawns are forbidden from this ceremony and thus are kept to a small area of the Vale, and those lovers who's other half must march to war are encourage to spend the day in each other's company in the solitude and safety of the Vale's piney glades. Come night, the Vigilants gather and mark each other with their antlers or hooves, a single scratch upon the shoulders for each warrior, before they gather in a circle shoulder-to-shoulder and pray to return home, victorious and alive.
The Rite - Undertaken by all who seek to become Vigilants, the Rite is the task of a young stag or doe to go into the wilds of Arklov and bring back the carcass of a predator they killed, as a sign that they are the rulers of the land, and will not bend nor bow to the mercy of meat-eaters. To return successful is a great honour, and a celebration is thrown in the victor's name.
Winter's Dawn - A somber tradition, after the first storm of winter Arklov members mark that winter has truly begun, and the herd spends a week in meditation. Stags and does are encouraged to take each other's company, fawns to stay with their mothers, as all hold close that which they love the most in preparation for the winter possibly being their last.
Winter's End - A mirror to the Winter's Dawn tradition, when the first flowers sprout in the Vale, Arklov members mark that winter is over. A week is spent in somber respect for those who were lost to the winter, and on the last day of the week a feast is held with whatever the herd's Padhoofs bring from the other lands as the members of Arklov celebrate spring. It is also considered a celebration of those fawns that survived the winter by the grace of their mothers and the Tenders.
The Ravaging - This tradition is all but forgotten, as it hasn't been done in generations. Considered ancient, this ceremony is donned on the eve of war; Vigilants are marked by the herd with clay and soot, an act of the herd's prayers for their safe return. Fawns are forbidden from this ceremony and thus are kept to a small area of the Vale, and those lovers who's other half must march to war are encourage to spend the day in each other's company in the solitude and safety of the Vale's piney glades. Come night, the Vigilants gather and mark each other with their antlers or hooves, a single scratch upon the shoulders for each warrior, before they gather in a circle shoulder-to-shoulder and pray to return home, victorious and alive.