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Lodriland - History |
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| Back to Oliver's Web Site Back to Lodriland Before The Dawn - The Fight Against the Ice Before the dawn Lodriland was much like any other Dara Happan city, if somewhat farther north than most. But then the troubles started and the ice began to advance. Every effort was made to stop the advance but nothing seemed to work. Finally a large Dara Happan army led by some Star Captains themselves tried to halt the advance and was destroyed. Prayers to Yelm went unanswered and attempts to seek aid from other Solar gods were also fruitless. The people fled in terror before the Ice and would have been destroyed except for the aid of one of Lodril's many sons, Hanish the Stead-fast Spear. Hanish had some of Lodril's fiery attributes which stood him in good stead as he fought delaying actions against the Ice and its allies. Hanish was ably assisted by the human hero Damuzi who led the peasant militia which scored many successes against trolls and hrollri alike. Finally the remnant farmers and craftspeople gathered at Badrul. There in their despair the people slaughtered all the nobles and soldiers who had failed them. Only the followers of Lodril and Oria and their children were spared. All others, whether Star Captain or lowly harper were slain. Finally the priest Ninazu led a mighty prayer that called upon Lodril for aid. Their prayers were answered and Lodril unleashed His Mighty Spear which drove the ice and trolls back. The Ice, balked by the Spear and Ring of Fire went over and around them creating a great dome over the ruined city of Badrul (the Spear had driven right through the centre of the city). Inside the great dome a group of nomadic reindeer herders known as the Rangini were also trapped. After The Ice After the great dome was created Lodriland was isolated from the outside world.. With most of the non-Lodril following priests and nobility dead at the hands of the peasants, craftsmen and farmers a new society had to be built. (See A Prayer to Lodril for details). Damuzi who had been one of the heroes of the Fight Against the Ice, had built up an enormous store of personal credibility and was very influential. Ninazu who had led the priests and people of Lodril in the great prayer was willing to allow Damuzi to become the leader, a new Emperor of Lodril. This decision was a popular one among the people and peasant militia alike. However on the eve of crowning Damuzi Ninazu suddenly died. The remaining priests quickly met in a secret conclave and chose one Ur-Nammu to lead them. Ur-Nammu told the people that Lodril had spoken to him commanding him to lead the people as their Priest-King. Thus did every aspect of Lodrili life fall under the guidance of Lodril himself through his chosen messenger. Damuzi agreed to follow Ur-Nammu thus lending his credibility to his reign. This is reckoned as Damuzi's First Miracle. Ur-Nammu quickly move to consolidate his rule. He instructed Damuzi to form the first Priest-King's Guard. He then instructed Damuzi to seize the reindeer herds of the Rangini and destroy them. Damuzi was troubled by this order and revealed to Ur-Nammu how he had had a vision that the Rangini followed Rangifer, Lodril's Lost Son. He quested to prove this and Ur-Nammu and the other Lodrili were forced to accept the Rangini. Damuzi then instructed the Rangini to live in the barren area near the Ice dome. This was to their preference so they did so gladly. They agreed to place themselves under the Priest-King's guidance and provide the people with food and raw materials. This was the second of Damuzi's Miracles. The barrenness of Lodriland troubled everyone as there was only soil within the area bound by the Ring of Fire. This land was unsuited to many of the traditional Dara Happan crops due to the heat. Associated problems were the lack of water (with the destruction of the river by the Spear of Fire) and the lack of building materials since their was no longer any source for clay to make bricks. Again it was Damuzi who provided answers to these problems. He instructed the people to chop holes in the bedrock in which soil could be placed to grow food. (The stone removed to make the holes was fashioned into building stones). These holes were also used to trap water as the ice continually melted in the lower sections of the dome. Before the holes were dug the water had all run down the slight conclave of Lodriland into the Ring of Fire which caused clouds of steam to form. Damuzi's idea to connect the holes being dug to fashion the stone canal that became the Ring of Water. This took many years. An attempt was made to dig a similiar ring closer to the dome but it was soon discovered that the water in that canal just froze. It was the followers of Rangifer who rediscovered the art of skating. Watching them skate around the small canal inspired Damuzi to have an entire shallow canal dug to enable them to cover great distances very quickly. These events combined are accounted Damuzi's Third Miracle. Damuzi's Fourth Miracle was to quest for life for the Ring of Water. He quested back to the Gods War and returned with fish and puffins and other life to live in and along the Ring of Water. His Fifth and final Miracle was to quest for new seeds for the people to grow to supplement the meagre resources that had survived the destruction of Badrul. After this final Miracle Damuzi died and his coffin was committed to Lodril's Spear where it still circles the Ring of Fire to this day. Damuzi still watches over the Lodrili and Rangini to this day as their guardian. (Interestingly enough while Ninazu's coffin circled the Ring once before disappearing beneath the surface of the lava Ur-Nammu's coffin was immediately swallowed by the lava upon launching). After Damuzi's death Lodrili and Rangini life settled into the patterns they have followed to this day.
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