Heronian

Its a ritual for them. You want to be seen as an adult, you go down onto the plains and raid an Auronian outpost or caravan. You think the Ferans and Vardanians hate each other? Boy, you ain't seen nothing yet.

— Unknown

There are many warlike cultures throughout the world. From the savages in the icy wastes of the Lands Beyond the March to the desert-dwelling warlords known as the Hijin. The Heronians living in south-eastern Scetia however stand out even among them. They are the Bane of Illigara. The terror parents conjure up to scare ill-mannered children. They are the Heronians.

Physical Appearance

Heronians are short (nearly a head shorter than most other people of the west), with a broad, muscular build and tanned skin. Rough faces with glowering eyes of either green or yellow are framed by dark brown or black hair. To many, the average Heronian is the epitome of the barbarian warrior. The women, although not as muscular as the men are still of what many consider a rough build.

History

One of the older peoples living on the Divide they first appear in recorded history sometime during the early years of the Dawn Age. They claim to descend from an ancient realm known as Ald Ryn in their tongue, which existed in the late Time of Twilight and encompassed large swaths of southern Scetia. The Heronians call this period the Old Order and while there are few if any remnants of those times, ancient Rhomeian maps do indeed show a large realm in that area.
At some point in time, this land was destroyed and the Heronians pushed north into the highlands they still inhabit today. Conflict with the Auronians dominates their later history. The hate between the two cultures is as ancient as it is powerful. There is no peace between them, only war.
A war the Auronians seem to have won. After the Battle Canasis in 2027 DA, the lords of Arcain's Ridge have held sway over the plains and lowlands, enslaving the Heronians there and pushing the remnants into the high hills and mountains. And while slave revolts and raids have been common, the Auronians always managed to regain control of the land.
The Heronians have no tradition of written history, preferring to share it through tales, legends and myths. If there was anything at one point it has most likely been burned by the Auronians.

Culture

Male Names: Adelchid, Garett, Kordt, Neidard
Female Names: Bedrich, Klotild, Raina, Sigin
Heronian society is patriarchal with women caring for the house while men are responsible for hunting and warfare. Farming and animal handling is usually a shared task. They typically form clans and chiefdoms ruled by councils formed from the oldest and most achieved of warriors.

War, Battle, Conflict, this is what their culture revolves around. From the moment they can stand Heronian boys are trained to fight. Once passing the age of 12 they are expected to join their brethren on hunting and raiding trips, although they are merely used as scouts and post-battle looters. At the age of 16, a Heronian boy is expected to face his father (or any other important male figure) in combat. In order to become an adult, he has to prove his worth has a warrior, he doesn't have to win, only put up a decent fight.
A young warrior is expected to make mistakes, they will learn and grow if the mistake wasn't lethal. As they grow older however the situation becomes less forgiving. Age equals experience and prowess in Heronian society. An old warrior is either a great fighter or a coward. While a young man returning from a defeat is forgiven and expected to prove himself another time, an old chief suffering defeat is not as lucky. In case of great losses leaders commonly commit suicide to wash away their "stain".
Combat is a ritualised affair. Before battle, warriors will carve their names onto small plates of wood which they wear around their necks. Be it enemy or mourning relative, the name of the fallen has to be known. They also bath their blades in a mixture of cow blood and oil to "wake" the blade prior to battle.

Disputes are settled by personal combat with the parties either entering themselves or sending a representative. Severe crimes are punished by execution. The offender is killed either by the victim or an executioner. Heronians consider being killed without a chance to defend oneself a terrible fate. It is one of the reasons they refrain from using archers in battle. Hunters, while seen as necessary, are also viewed with some distaste due to their proficiency with the bow.

The blade is part of you, its an extension of your body. And like any body part, it falls asleep if unused. Sharpening it isn't enough. It needs to taste blood to wake and only then you will be able to use it to its full potential.

— Kordt Garetsor, Heronian Warchief

Adelchid leads the tribes in one final attack on Auror's Golden Army. The Battle of Canasis in 2027 DA marked the end of Heronian independence and solidified Auronian supremacy over the lands south of the river Kefran.

Diverged ethnicities

• Auronians - Kings of the Golden Ridge

Related Locations

• Heronia - The Caged Daughter
• Scetia - The Western Daughter
• Vardania - The Northern Daughter

by Darkseid

Tall with skin of steel and fists of fire, he stood in defiance of the creatures will. With each blow, the monster shook and its deranged brood howled in fear.

— Excerpt from a Heronian Tale detailing Aldrid's final battle with the giants

The Old Order
Historians cannot agree on when exactly the Old Order started or how long it lasted. However, most think it synonymous with the late Time of Twilight. During that period Humanity had begun to rebuild civilization and the Rhomeian Empire began to explore the waters of the Great Divide. The Heronians claim that this was the age of Ald Ryn, their ancestral kingdom.
Founded by Aldrid Giantsbane, who drove the monstrous creatures from the fertile lands of Campestria. He stole Amara, the goddess of spring from her mother's palace and took her as his bride. He fathered a hundred sons and daughters and ruled the land for ten generations. In the end, it was the wrath of gods that brought him down. Nykara, Amara's mother and ruler of the skies, drowned the land in her grief and Aldrid and all his children with it.
Some of his descendants however survived and ruled the realm for another ten generations. Eventually Ald Ryn and its kings fell to a Shadow from the West and the Heronians were driven north, into what is now called Heronia.

All of this is merely myth and legend. The oldest existing Rhomeian maps however proof the existence of a large realm in southern Scetia during the late Time of Twilight. It is named Regna Anera Mara, which roughly translates to Realm of the Men of Wrath. Records show it in regular conflict with Rhomeian colonies during that time. It was destroyed in the last century of Twilight, part of a worldwide collapse of civilization.