Dyrke Clan
The Lost Clan of Orri
Dyrke Clan is one of the five Great Orrian Clans that populated and controlled the country-continent of Orri. Located further south than any of the other Orrian clans, Dyrke Clan enjoyed the largest amount of farmable land in the country, and as such dominated the agricultural trade market. The Dyrke were the chief Orrian exporters of crops, dairy products, wools and other animal goods.
Post-Impact
Of all the Orrian clans, Dyrke Clan was unquestionably the most affected by The Impact in the year 0 BDB. The everlasting winter brought record-low temperatures, freezing the soil and eliminating any possibility of cultivation. The southern fauna of Orri was not equipped for the cold and soon died off, leaving Dyrk farmers utterly empty-handed. One by one, the surviving Dyrk settlements began assimilating into Prata Clan as former farmers sought work under Pratan merchants and sailors. Within a few generations, Dyrke Clan would go on to lose its entire identity and become known as the Lost Clan.Structure
Like every Great Clan, the Dyrke are ruled by a jarl. From the regional capital, the jarl holds jurisdiction over all of the clan's land. A jarl is typically attended by a thane, or advisor, who offers council and acts as interim ruler if the jarl needs to leave the capitol.
Smaller settlements and hamlets are usually overseen by a lendmann appointed by the jarl, but villages have occasionally been known to choose their own leaders with the jarl's permission.
Orri has never been ruled by a High King. Instead, each of the Great Clans lives semi-autonomously, each governing themselves but united with the other clans by the Orrian Accord. In times of crisis, any of the jarls can call a moot, to which every jarl is obliged to attend. The issue can than be discussed, debated or argued by the combined leadership of the entire nation.
Assets
Dyrke Clan's territory has by far the richest soil on the continent, since most of the northern regions are too cold for growing healthy crops. This also makes it most ideal for raising horses and livestock. Dyrke Clan's hardworking lifestyle and prosperous lands make them among the wealthiest of Orrians.
Demography and Population
A Dyrk settlement.
Dyrk territory's forgiving climate and numerous food sources made Dyrke Clan's average lifespan notably longer than those of the northern clans. As such, their total population was second only to Prata Clan. Their capitol city Grönstad was centrally located in southern Orri, surrounded on all sides by smaller settlements and villages. Instead of grouping up near coasts or ports, Dyrke Clan spread itself evenly across its land, maximizing the farmable space between settlements.
Military
All of the Orrian Clans are well-equipped and capable of fending off aggressive wildlife, but aside from that, Dyrke Clan is not particularly militarized. Most Dyrke find greater joy and profit by living the farmer's life, but often have to protect their appetizing livestock and harvests from hungry wildlife.
Also worthy of note is Dyrke Clan's mastery of horse breeding and training. Dyrke's horses are renowned throughout the country, and are often sought-after by the other clans. This ancestral talent for raising horses carried over to Dyrke's fighting styles, making any Dyrke warrior a skilled mounted combatant. Anyone seeking to invade the otherwise peaceful lands of Dyrke Clan would soon find themselves face-to-face with a fearsome Orrian cavalry.
Technological Level
Dyrke Clan's reliance on agriculture has prompted them to innovate over the generations, and they continue to develop new and efficient ways of reaping their harvests and managing their fields. Horse-drawn ploughs and seeders are often used on large properties.
Religion
The Orrian Clans hold a belief system descended from Ashraism. Rather than worshipping Ashra as a chief deity, the Orri revere Ashra's five Solars as gods in their own right. These five "gods" make up the Orrian Pantheon, and are named as follows:
Veja, Goddess of Fertility and Agriculture (Vita, Angel of Life)
Låch, God of Fire and Light (Lux, Angel of Light)
Fornak, God of Creation and Invention (Fornax, Angel of the Forge)
Proceyya, Goddess of Wind, Rain and Sea (Procella, Angel of the Tempest)
Bellor, God of War and Conquest (Bellum, Angel of War)
The sixth and final god in the Orrian Pantheon is Lura, the trickster god. It is said that Lura can take any shape or form and exists only to toy with the lives of mortals and meddle with the work of the other gods. When misfortune occurs, many Orrians are quick to blame Lura for their ill luck.
Dyrke Clan offers most of its praise to Vita and Proceyya, the goddesses of agriculture and weather, respectively. The farmers depend on their blessings to nourish their crops and bring in bountiful harvests.
Foreign Relations
Dyrke Clan gets along just fine with nearly everyone it meets, but the list is rather short. Being so far south means that plenty of Dyrke live their entire lives without ever even seeing a Fång or Skapa clansman. Neither the Dyrke nor the northern clans have any reason to venture any further than Åbenhamn, since there they can buy or trade for whatever they need.
Likewise, Dyrke Clan does not get many foreign visitors, instead preferring to sell its harvests to Prata Clan. Foreigners who do chance to meet a Dyrke would describe them as simple, down-to-earth and generally peaceful.
Agriculture & Industry
Dyrke Clan is by far the Orrian leader in agriculture, out-doing every other clan by a landslide with their fertile crop fields, countless livestock and skilled horse breeders. Truthfully, Dyrke Clan could survive just fine without assistance from any of the other clans, and it elects to do business with Prata Clan mostly in the spirit of Orrian camaraderie and for access to some foreign luxuries.
Of course, this would all change after the Impact, when Dyrke Clan would transform from Orri's most independent clan into its most helpless. Without their agriculture to support them, the southern farmers were forced to abandon their trade and assimilate into Prata Clan, and the Dyrke name was lost to history.
A Dyrk lendmann's estate.
Trade & Transport
Dyrke Clan's territory is generally flat, rising only in the form of rolling hills and trimmed by a mountainous fringe on the southeastern coast. This makes travel between settlements very easy for beasts and pedestrians alike, and commute via wagon is most commonplace. Dyrke Clan does also host a few small ports on its eastern coast, allowing for the shipping and receiving of goods by boat.
Education
There are no official educational institutions anywhere in Orri. Everything, from language to trades to history, is passed on orally from each generation to the next. Some jarls keep libraries or historical archives, but they are typically small, mostly containing logs and records written in Orrian runes. Journal-keeping is not unheard-of, but certainly not commonplace for the average Orrian.
Orrian expertise in the trades and in warfare is recognized by most of the civilized world, and have been known to travel to Orri seeking an apprenticeships from locals in various fields.
Infrastructure
Dyrke Clan enjoys the most temperate climate in the country, and as a result does not need to overly reinforce or insulate its structures. Dyrk homes are simple and pleasant, built of wood with thatch roofs and animal-skin door flaps. The Dyrk landscape is also dotted with large wooden barns for housing livestock.
Man skördar vad man sår
(You reap what you sow)
Type
Geopolitical, Clan
Capital
Alternative Names
The Lost Clan (after The Impact)
Demonym
Dyrk
Government System
Oligarchy
Power Structure
Semi-autonomous area
Economic System
Mixed economy
Major Exports
- Crops and grains
- Alcohol
- Wool [li[Leather
Major Imports
- Lumber
- Steel and metal equipment
Location
Official Languages
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
The Dyrk capital Grönstad.
South Orri, before The Impact.
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