It started over a beautiful young woman, a bold young man and a fine herd of cattle. And what other way would it have started? A beautiful, glorious, tragic, horrible story. She was beloved of Ernalda and from a good bloodline of the Taleni. He was blessed of Orlanth, from a poor bloodline of the Narandoni. They were inevitably drawn to one-another, like moths to a candle.

A wild one, he, what could he do but raid for the bride-price? But he went too far, taking too much from the great herd of the Herandathing clan. He had to prove that he was worthy, not realising that her kin, too, were ready to beggar themselves to pay the dowry.

First the Herandathing carls, then the Herandathing thanes and finally the whole Herandathi clan said enough! Their herds were dwindling, their reputations vanishing. The Herandathings called in all of their friendships, alliances and debts. It was not a raid, it was war. The Narandoni were overwhelmed, most of their cattle and wealth taken. Of course, the Narandoni war-band died in that raid and he with them. And over the next two years, the Narandoni fell to pieces, finally collapsing into kinstrife over the remnant crumbs of wealth.

She was devastated, as were her kin. In those same two years, her bloodline whipped up the Taleni into a frenzy! It was not enough for them to take the herds of the Herandathings. Too often, stead-burning or other atrocities were the result.

The feud began.

Now, more than 400 years later, the feud seems to be the defining “raison d’etre” of both the Taleni and the Herandathings. The feud has continued at varying levels of intensity, even after both clans were absorbed into the Volsaxar confederation.

And then, with their already precarious existence as war-clans, the Lunars came.

The defeated war-bands of both the Herandathings and the Taleni ended up in Whitewall under their High-King, Broyan. Inevitably they initially focused their hatred on each other, despite the encircling Lunar army that had driven them from their lands. Finally, Broyan stepped in. With the priestesses, he ritually bound them to peace with each other, under the threat of exile. Exile for the already exiled… certain death.

The Herendathings war-band and the Taleni war-band

Story Seeds

Long term

Over time, as the full impact of the Lunar siege sinks in, the two groups will come to respect one-another and then become reconciled. But then how do they convince their clans to drop the feud?

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