Horvakar

Horvakar culture is a culture found on the three volcanic islands between Athvrea and Lepittan. Horvakar culture is defined by martial honor and local democracy. Local communities may come together to discuss and solve problems or adjudicate disputes and criminals. However, a king who is a first among equals usually rules over several communities. Local and island politics are dominated by powerful families who have proven themselves in battle over generations.

Until around 250 years ago, Horvakar raiding parties were a common sight in Scara, the coast of Lepittan, and the small limestone islands of the inner sea. With the advent and wide adoption of cannons and small arms as well as the consolidation of Athvrea and Lepittan, the Horvakar no longer engage in such activities. This does not stop them from skirmishing with one another. Small kingdoms rise and fall on the three islands and no one Horvakar ruler has ever managed to unify them. Most Horvakar consider such centralized rule to be anathema to their fierce independence.

Horvakar acknowledge many gods but hold Orkinos above all others due to his association with the sea, the moon, and tides. Horvakar folklore holds that the couple from whom they descend were at sea when their ship sank and they were forced into a small rowboat. With little food, a few waterskins, and a pregnant wife, the man despaired, staring into the water and awaiting their death. A nautilus came up and turned to the side, eyeing him. It swam away in a straight line and then returned, eyeing him again. After a few repetitions, he got the idea that it was trying to guide him. With nothing to lose, he began to row. Following the cephalopod, he eventually found the middle island of the chain. Here his wife gave birth and here the Horvakar grew. For this reason, the nautilus is considered the most sacred animal in their culture and killing one outside of use in vidigrek is considered to bring terrible luck.

Horvakar architecture uses the basalt and dark timbers of these islands along with steep roofs and wood carving. Carvings tend to be geometric abstract designs or sea creatures. Bards and scholars have created systems transcribe the Horvakar language into the Lepittanian or Athvrean alphabet but the Horvakar rely on oral tradition. Horvakar sagas are accompanied with images carved into stegosaurus plates. The plates are carved, filled with ink, and then polished down to create a contrast. The style of these plates is still geometric but much closer to realism than other Horvakar art. Horvakar music is known for its bassy, deep horns constructed from whale bone. These were used for communication at range on the sea. Shrill woodwinds and free reed instruments also developed on the islands.

Bards are viewed with suspicion in Horvakar culture. They are a people who value honor and bravery and see bards as slippery and dishonest. That said, kings and powerful families paying for bards to spy on and sabotage rivals is an open secret. Bards are welcomed as performers and loremasters though, especially those of Horvakar descent.

Vidigrek is a mystical tradition practiced by the women of the Horvakar people. It involves observation of an animal or monster followed by mixing part of its body with ink and tattooing the animal into the skin. The tradition supposedly grew from women defending and managing their homes and children while the men of the community were at sea. As such, while taking tattoos for fighting is common, utility abilities are more common. The tattoos are solid black and geometric, using increasingly smaller polygons to achieve shading effects.