The Lion King
Valkyri male and female; one a frontline fighter and the other a scout.
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To provide a much-needed update to the very old original submission.
- Image Credit: Conor Burke (artstation.com/conorburke) w/ minor edits by myself.
- Canon: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Links:
- Name: Valkyri
- Designation: Sentient
- Origins: Midvinter
- Average Lifespan: 150 Standard Years
- Estimated Population: Planetary
- Description: Valkyri are large humanoids, far taller and broader than the average human. They are native to the planet Midvinter, a cold and inhospitable world where only the strong survive. They are known for their bravery in battle and their tremendous physical strength, which allows them to perform feats impossible to the average human. They are also considerably more durable, able to shake off minor injuries as well as recuperate from more grievous wounds faster than most. A Valkyri could lose an arm in the midst of battle and all it will do is slow them down. They are utterly fearless in battle, for they all desire to die a glorious death so that their souls might be chosen to enter Beornskald - Realm of the Gods.
- Breathes: Type I
- Average Height of Adults: 210 cm (males); 190 cm (females)
- Average Length of Adults: N/A
- Skin color: Caucasian
- Hair color: Blonde to black.
- Distinctions:
- Males are taller and broader, possessing far greater muscle mass than females, and because of this they are genetically inclined to be the physically stronger of the two. Due to the hard living on Midvinter, as well as their heavy focus on martial training, most males achieve this state of peak physical fitness just from daily activities and performing the necessary steps to survive. The growing of large beards is custom among men, culturally but also to provide that extra protection against the cold. They also grow their hair long, either kept wild and unkempt or made into long, thick braids. Tattoos are commonly worn to display upon their bodies their great victories or deeds over the course of their lives.
- Females meanwhile are shorter and less bulky by nature, more toned and slimmed in their muscularity, yet still far stronger than the average human. Their lither physique, though not as imposing as that of their male counterparts, allows them to perform far more agile feats and are generally quicker on their feet. They keep their hair long and in many different styles, and may also adorn themselves with tattoos or jewelry. Though it is not uncommon for them to partake in the heavy lifting, it is far more common for the women to care for the household and the children while also honing their fighting skills. Death does not discriminate, and neither do the Valkyri.
- Though it is said that Valkyri can reach the ripe old age of 150, given their harsh lifestyle and willingness to die in battle the vast majority will never live to see a hundred, and for those that do it can sometimes be considered an affront to their honour; that they should live on into old age when all their friends and companions are long gone. It is not unusual for elders to grow reclusive and anti-social, cursing the gods for not granting them a glorious death in battle. While old age does not impact physical fitness as rapidly as it does regular humans, as Valkyri reach the age of 150 and beyond muscle mass will gradually begin to deteriorate as the body can no longer sustain that level of physique. Their shoulders stoop, their backs grow crooked and their senses become impaired. If illness have not already claimed them by this point they will eventually pass away naturally, much to their dissatisfaction. Currently, the oldest living Valkyri is Bors Greythorne, a lord in service to House Heavenshield.
- Races: N/A
- Force Sensitivity: Standard
- Physically stronger than the average human.
- Valiant and brave, they will gladly face any danger.
- Resistant to cold weather and sub-zero temperatures that would otherwise kill an average human.
- Hard to kill, as they will simply shake off injuries in the heat of battle until they are either finished off or bleed out.
- Military powerhouse when united under a strong monarchy.
- Technologically inferior to most other species.
- Uneducated on the galaxy as a whole.
- Stubborn and reluctant to embrace new ideas.
- Isolated due to the remote location of their world.
- Divided by petty squabbles when lacking a strong monarchy.
- Diet: Omnivores. Though they generally prefer meat and a strong drink, life on Midvinter is harsh and they will not turn down any meal they come across. There are no known local foods that are poisonous to them, their bodies having developed an immunity over the millennia, while those same foods could prove quite deadly to an offworlder.
- Communication: Verbal and written communication. Though most will know how to handle themselves in Basic, their native tongue is called Runian, after the Valkyri Goddess of the Earth. Their runic writings, originally carved on stone, consists of symbols that each corresponds to a letter of the alphabet. They have a strong oral tradition passed down from one generation to the next.
- Technology level: Severely lacking in advanced technology, when compared to most other worlds theirs might come across as crude or backwater. While they may not have progressed much as a society throughout their existence, they have instead perfected what already was. For instance, though they lack the technology to build blasters, they instead employ longbows that fire arrows more akin to spears in size. Instead of speeders, they use horses to get around. As one might imagine, they also lack any sort of space-faring technology. Only in the last few decades have they been introduced to the standards of the greater galaxy, such as starships and speeders. They can understand how to operate a piece of advanced technology well enough if demonstrated to them, however they cannot be expected to comprehend how it works, much less reproduce it themselves.
- Religion/Beliefs:
- Valkyri are firm believers in a pantheon of colourful gods led by Odiir, the Allfather. He is the High One, chief among all other gods, and the skies are his domain; wind and weather are his to change and shape, as are the very stars in the night sky. His wife, Runa, is the Goddess of Earth; flora and fauna are her creations, and so when the Allfather created the Valkyri in His image, Runa provided for them. Together they have three children: Helm, the grim-faced God of War and Justice; Éar, Goddess of the Hunt, Beauty and Fertility; and Velkar, God of Fire and Trickery. There are many other deities outside of the ruling family, such as Teign the Smithing-God and Master of Craftmanship, as well as a slew of lesser ones. A recent addition to the pantheon is Thrand, the Bringer of Dawn, a High King who upon his sacrificial death was elevated to divine status by the people of Midvinter. Thrand is worshipped as the Sun God; the bringer of light and warmth, and is immensely popular with the masses for His active role in safeguarding Midvinter.
- The Valkyri are a paradoxical people on the subject of religion. They are as likely to fall to their knees in reverence as they are cursing the names of their gods, both being socially accepted behaviour. While their religious beliefs are intrinsic to their laws and customs, they do not define them and how they live their lives. There are no temples, no priests, no holy texts. Each person is free to honour the gods in their own way, through deeds both great and ordinary. Major settlements such as cities or larger villages traditionally employ the services of a Seer - a person supposedly in direct communication with the gods, although the accuracy of their predictions vary greatly and it is not uncommon for less-successful Seers to be labeled charlatans and run out of town.
- General behavior:
- The Valkyri are a millennia old warrior culture, and they've honed their craft well. Belligerent by nature, further encouraged by their religious beliefs, each person is born with battle in their blood. But Valkyri are not the simple brutes many would label them as, though regrettably their artistic side is one not often shared with the rest of the galaxy. Many verbal forms of expression such as poetry and songs are often improvised in the moment, and thus rarely recorded in written form. The flyting pits two challengers against each other, both trying to outwit the other with clever rhymes designed to insult their opponent in front of a crowd of their peers. Flyting is often used, other than for entertainment purposes, as a legal means to settle a dispute before it devolves into armed conflict, ranging from matters as trivial as neighbors not getting along to as serious as the prevention of open clan warfare.
- Valkyri could be seen as very stoic and cold by outward appearance, their tough exterior seemingly as hard to crack as stone. It's true that for an offworlder it could prove difficult to earn their trust, but for those that do they will find an inherently jovial and brotherly people that love a good feast and strong drink with which to keep the cold at bay. They work hard and party hard, as the expression goes. This is then immediately contradicted by their sober views on courtship, for to lay hands on another man's woman is considered a most grave offense and will more often than not result in a tveikamp - a duel to the death. Valkyri women know well how men will gladly compete for their affections, and can be very demanding of their suitors. Once married however, there is no stronger bond than that between husband and wife. It is an equal partnership considered unbreakable, beyond the boundaries of life and death.
The Valkyri are an ancient people inhabiting the world of Midvinter. They are the dominant species, numerous and widespread, although they have relatively recently come to share their world with two other native sentients: the Aelvar, commonly known as Elves primarily residing in their woodland realm of Averlorn, and the Beorni, great bear-folk who once upon a time educated the very first Valkyri in the ways of surviving the elements. Today these races share bonds of kinship as the Three Kindreds, however this was not always the case.
When the first Valkyri stumbled out of their caves, they were greeted by the good-natured Beorni who took them in without question. The Beorni had long ago achieved tried and true methods of agriculture, smithing, architecture, construction, laws and traditions. Being the benevolent race that they are, they gladly provided the young humans all the tools required to advance as a species, thinking that they would follow in their footsteps and become valued members of their already established society. For a time, this was so.
The Valkyri, ambitious and curious by nature, proved eager students. In but a couple generations, they had reached the same level of progress that had taken the Beorni centuries to achieve, and they were proud to watch as the furless beings even surpassed them in some regards, believing they had performed their teaching role well. What they could not have anticipated however, was the alarming pace at which Valkyri belligerence and inability to get along grew. Whereas the Beorni had always been a pacifist people, living in harmony with the birds and beasts of Midvinter, mankind displayed increasingly disturbing signs that they did not possess the same patience or goodwill toward their fellow man.
A divide formed between master and apprentice, a powder keg that was finally set off by the swift rise of a new religious identity within Valkyri society deemed too different from that of the Beorni to coexist. Their ambition had finally outgrown their benefactors, as leading figures believed it was the destiny of the Valkyri to rule the world and all that inhabited it. A tragic civil war broke out, in which the reluctant Beorni were soundly defeated and subsequently driven off the continent and into enforced exile. Thus the first High King, Hrothgar Dragonbane, was crowned and the dominion of Men began.
The Valkyri proved far less noble masters of the land, divided into a tangled web of fueding clans each desiring more power than the last. Progress as a species came to a screeching halt as constant warfare inhibited creativity and hindered natural societal evolution, locking them into an endless cycle of vengeance and death. High Kings came and went, some proven more successful than others, but no lasting union could be achieved by any of them.
Millennia passed as the status quo was upheld. Avenging sons spilling blood in the name of ancestral grudges which in turn only served to deepen the wound. These were the Dark Ages, when famine and disease ran rampant amidst clan warfare and there was no hope to be found anywhere. Even the very gods they claimed to devote their victories to appeared to sit silent and do nothing.
Then, at long last, we arrive in the Age of the Three Fathers. Thrand Dawnbringer, exiled Prince of Midvinter, rebels against the Usurper Beorlund and reclaims his murdered father's throne, ushering in a new era for his people, and indeed Midvinter as a whole. Though he would only go on to rule a paltry ten years before falling in battle, his sons would take up his crown and further cement his legacy, both destined to outshine him. Thyrian of House Hearthfire, his eldest son, ruled for twenty years and established diplomatic relations with both Beorni and Aelvar, forging a lasting bond of friendship and brotherhood. He was also the architect for dividing the realm into its various provinces, organising the many lords and chieftains.
When he too fell in battle, Thrand's youngest son Thurion of House Heavenshield, long-standing protectors of this world, reluctantly assumed the throne. He'd been raised and lived as a Jedi all his life, and would instill the same virtues of humility, his personal code of honour, and his selfless duty in his people. His lifelong connections to the Jedi has also given Midvinter a fighting chance against galactic threats, as the Silver Jedi in particular continuously aids in outfitting his homeworld with the necessary technology to last against an invasion fleet. He rules Midvinter to this day, along with his wife and several children and grandchildren dedicated to the protection of the realm.
It is thanks to the hard work and sacrifice of these fair and just rulers that the Midvinter of today flourishes like never before, in spite of the many threats lurking at their doorstep. Their hearts are one, their swords are one, and they will stand as one against any who would dare seek their ruin with unwavering courage, unyielding hope, and always with a war chant in their hearts.
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