Kovorov

Overview

In the far North of Ramesh lies Kovorov. Home to the city of silver, Karjakin, Kovorov and its people are known to be of the strongest wills. Under the rule of Vorov and his Orics, Kovorov is the richest of any nation or city state in Ramesh. Kovorov’s raw resources are almost as plentiful as its snow. Built on tradition, a traveler venture through the frozen lands will find history older than memory.

Vorov

Patron god of Kovorov, Vorov is a stoic god. They value strength, independence, and will. Vorov’s followers are allowed a great deal of freedom. It is the belief of the god that those of true greatness will rise on their own merits. However, failure is swiftly dealt with in turn. With great freedom comes the responsibility to succeed at all costs.

Vorov does not like magic. They believe it to be a crutch and therefore rarely dispenses Clerics or Paladins. A follower of Vorov might more resemble a Barbarian or Fighter rather than a class with High Magic. Yet, Vorov does make an exception with regard to the Torosk Third Born.

Quote: When your eyes are afraid but your hands are still doing is when the fire of the world lights within your blood. Never lose it! To be when the world attempts to snuff your light is the greatest strength a person can have. Do not idle your hands. Forge on - Vorov at the final battle of Brastroma.

Worshipers

Vorov has a distant relationship with their worshipers. In the god’s mind, it is important to give followers space from his influence. If Vorov helps every follower with every problem, they would not grow strong. Coddling helps nobody in the eyes of Vorov.

That is not to say that Vorov does not give his followers aid. Sometimes a few extra crops during the harvest season or one lucky break is all somebody needs to grow. Vorov understands that there is an aspect of luck in growth. Therefore, for devoted followers, Vorov always seeks to tip the scale ever so slightly. Additionally, Vorov often gives praise when praise is due. The Saints of Vorov are busy. They travel to devoted followers and people to deliver messages. Sometimes a follower who has completed a great deed may receive a reward from the god.

During special days, Vorov might also send congratulations to a follower. Marriages are often times when the god might show his approval. Often a Saint or even Vorov himself might appear during a marriage ceremony. An appearance by the god is thought to show that the marriage will be good, long, and prosperous for the people involved. If no presence of Vorov shows, this is thought to be a bad omen. The god and their Saints might simply be busy, but the omen stands nevertheless.

Relationships

Vorov has no love for Zell. The two often clash away from the material plane. Their followers fight in back alleys and dimly lit rooms. Destruction caused by these encounters is thought to be isolated and usually not traced back to the root cause.

Apart from Zell, Vorov maintains good relations with most other gods. He recognizes that as long as Kovorov has many trading partners, his people are safe. Therefore, Vorov goes out of his way to avoid feuds.

In recent decades, Vampires have become a true threat in Kovorov. The polar night allows them months of unfettered travel in the northern reaches. Vorov has begun to train his ire on them. There is hope that eventually the vampire menace can be subdued or even eradicated.

History

Over 1300 years ago, Vorov was a great warrior. Little is known about his early mortal years other than that they were full of strife. The land that is now Kovorov was ravaged by low magic. Necromancers mongered the land, destroying villages and people as they wished. In that time of shadow, Vorov led a group of nomads.

After decades, Vorov was betrayed by worshippers of the god Fergal. Their high magic proved too great. Vorov had to retreat from the city of Karjakin. For twenty days and twenty nights, Vorov fled from an undead horde that chased him and his followers to the edge of the Glass. There, Vorov made his stand at Brastroma.

Brastroma had been the sight of many battles. Its cliffs and harsh means of entry meant that together the city, an invader had to wade into a kill box. Many great warriors had fought and died at Brastroma. Its hills were their tombs.

Yet, Vorov was confident in their victory. He bellowed for two days at the approaching undead horde. On the day of their arrival, Vorov charged. The Skalds tell of the many thousands he slew that first day. Then on the second day Vorov killed double and on the third day triple. His followers began to believe in his words. Incredible amounts of aether poured into Vorov’s body. Yet, more necromancers surged into the area around Brastroma.

Knowing that on the fourth day all would be lost, Vorov communed with the ancient heroes that had died in Brastroma. At the center of the Gil Viska, the heroes spoke to Vorov. They told him of his upcoming death but to not fear. His blood was eternal like his warrior spirit. To Vorov, the heroes gifted their aether in an event known as the Pact of Gil Viska. With his body brimming with all the aether it could hold, Vorov left for the battlefield.

Using his mighty axe, Vorov cut into the undead lines. He drew out the necromancers and slew them one by one. The aether that swam through his veins protected Vorov from their magic. Once the last necromancer had fallen, the undead fell limp on the battlefield and a great cry could be heard as people turned their voices toward the sky.

Yet, Vorov had sustained fatal wounds during the battle. He walked back into the Gil Viska and died upon a great stone. But moments later the stone cracked as the aether destroyed Vorov’s mortal body, forming a new divine essence. It was here, during the Final Battle of Brastroma, that Vorov became a god.

His followers marched East, destroying any necromancer they found in their path. Then, as they retook the capital, all the followers of Fergal were executed. The god was wiped from the annals of Kovorovian history. Vorov and his Saints proclaimed that all magic was corruptible. From then on, Kovorov attempted to rid itself of magic.

Over the years, as each of Vorov’s closest lieutenants succumbed to old age, they joined Vorov as his Saints. For 1300 years, Kovorov has remained. For 10,000 more it shall continue onward.

North’s Will

The people of Kovorov are said to have a will that can break the fiercest of blizzards. This will is a point of pride for Kovorovians. Routinely, throughout their history, this unshakable resolve has been crucial to the survival of Kovorov. There is no better example of this than the Final Battle of Brastroma.

In domestic life, the “northern will” arises in a number of ways. The first price spoken in most economic negotiations will rarely be changed. There is a stubbornness to hold to one’s first decision or notion. Due to this, change is slow within Kovorovian society.

Additionally, the northern will is found in the parent-child relationship. Children strive for independence as early as possible. Many children will strike out on their own as early as fifteen years old with some particularly boisterous children starting their independent lives as early as thirteen. Adulthood in Kovorov is not an exact number but a state of mind. This has led to controversy since the Kovorovian military uses soldiers as young as sixteen (outwardly). The accusation of using “child soldiers'' is an ongoing debate within Kovorov as well.