The Three Tribes
In the beginning, there was but one tribe, and one land. Then the great Godbeast, Luscaa, shattered both the Island and the people. When the dust had settled, the continent was now a series of Islands, and the people had become three tribes – the Norscella, the Kurgali, and the Tung.
The Norscella had the outermost islands, rich in lumber and metals. They took to the seas, surviving as both fishermen and pirates – raiding villages and plundering ships along the mainland. During the dry season, the Norscella returned home and recuperated from their losses. Of all the tribes, the Norscella were most open to outsiders, and had the broadest pantheon of gods both old and new.
The Kurgali lived on the largest, most central island, which was made up of great savannahs and prairies. The plains were home to many great beasts, and such the Kurgali survived as horsemen and hunters. During the dry season, when the great sea itself dried up and the Norscella stayed home repairing their ships and tending their meagre farms, the great horsemen of the plains rode across to the mainland to raid. The shaman of the Kurgali granted the tribe a closer connection to the realm, and worshipped bestial spirits alongside their gods.
The Tung claimed the great mountains that burst forth from the two most remote islands. Seeking isolation, they settled atop these mountains, creating great monasteries, observatories, and terraced paddy fields. Unlike the other tribes, the Tung survive by farming alone. They claimed to have achieved communion with the gods among the stars, and were regarded as the wisest among the tribes.
And so the tribes remained, until the Era of the Beast, and the coming of the Reaver-Queen.
Vorghya of the Norscella
Vorghya was born to one of the Norscellan clans, and lived a relatively simple childhood. Upon reaching adulthood, those of the Norscellan tribe who wished to call themselves raiders were expected to complete a rite of passage known as “the test of truth”. To complete the rite, all the aspirant needs to do is go out into the world and earn a name or title that they feel matches their purpose. Most aspirants spend time hunting with the neighbouring Kurgali tribe, or join up with a passing pirate crew, and return within a year. Vorghya, however, went against all expectations and headed for the more civilised lands of the mainland, and would not return for nearly a decade.
During her time away from the tribe, Vorghya achieved many things, worked many jobs, and earned many titles – but none gave her purpose. After 9 years away from home, she found herself working for the Temple of Soris in the city of Excelsis, and even lost her hand fighting in defence of the city when it was besieged by the forces of Kragnos and the hordes of Destruction.
A Purposeful Name
While scavenging through the aftermath of the Siege of Excelsis, Vorghya discovered an abandoned hideout belonging to the Nullstone Brotherhood. Within she found a single Aelf Corsair’s corpse, still dressed and hanging from the ceiling by his wrists, positioned in front of a broken mirror. Rifling through the Aelf’s possessions, she discovered a Glimmering in one of the pockets that showed her a vision that filled her with purpose. Grabbing the Aelf’s belongings, the Glimmering, and a shard of the mirror, she left Excelsis and returned home to the Norscella.
Though it took a long time, Vorghya arrived back on the Norscellan islands just as the dry season was coming to an end, and the clans were preparing for the season ahead. Making her way from clan to clan, she challenged each Jarl to kneel to her rule, declaring her true name as ‘Reaver-Queen’. Those that knelt joined her growing following, those that refused were put in their place through single combat. Less than two months after returning home, the Reaver-Queen was the undisputed ruler of the Norscellan clans.
Cementing the Future
With the Norscellan clans united under her control, Vorghya looked to her neighbours. Sending emissaries to the Kurgali and the Tung, Vorghya was pleasantly surprised when both tribes agreed to her terms – the Tung having seen her coming in the stars, and the Kurgali simply hungry to raid larger and more prosperous settlements.
United under the Reaver-Queen, Vorghya leads her people out into the wider realms to pillage and plunder, while also following the guidance of the vision shown to her by the Glimmering. The last recorded sighting of her flagship – the Greedy Bloodfly – had Vorghya headed in the vague direction of the Hungering Steppe.
