(Jokullsrafn)
The Arctic Crows are famous for being meditative, serene and intelligent.
A member of the Arctic Crows often has visions of future events or cast the runes to peer beyond the veil of fate. The Arctic Crows are also experts of ancient magic rituals passed on orally within the clan.
A true Arctic Crow lives to serve the circle and its principles, she would do anything to preserve them.
An Arctic Crow will never pass the opportunity to tell a story, recall a legend or pass down a myth. It doesn’t matter how urgent are her obligations, she will always find time to tell about the way of the Gods and keep the culture of the Nordic people alive.
Serving the Circle
Despite their preeminence in the politics of the North, the Arctic Crows aren’t a proper clan, they’re a vast and highly structured circle, formed primarily by hermits, wise seers, sorcerers, and Skalds. They live according to a precise code of conduct, fully devoted to preserving the divine order on The North, and by extension the whole Rassilon.
The Arctic Crows fulfill this divine call by retelling the legends of the Gods, they spread the cultural and moral values through their actions.
Teachers, Judges, and Arbitrators
The Arctic crows are more than the protector of the cultural heritage, they often handle administrative and bureaucracy for the other clans. It’s quite common for a Crow to sit next to the King or a Jarl as an adviser or a judge of the feuds between the citizens – or fulfill the
role of the expert-of-the-law (Løgsøgumaður)during a
Thing , a gathering of a great clan.
Their presence – as advisers, teachers, and wise men or women – through almost every village of The Unclaimed Lands gives the Arctic Crows an immense network of informants that the circle can always use for its own ends.
A Lifelong Path
While every Arctic crow is free to act as she saw fit, there’s a precise hierarchy within the circle.
The headquarter of the order is in the famous
Temple of Uppsala in the region of
Shadowvale, very close to the forests of the
Wolves of the Shadow.
When a youngster joins the circle, she has to swear an oath to Fate itself and sever every bond with her previous life. These new recruits must embrace neutrality and have a single purpose: serve the circle and pass on its values.
These adepts are called “
Root” (Rót) and usually, after the first term of studies in Uppsala, they serve a
Mímistafr (“Pillar of Wisdom”) as apprentices for up to ten years, following the master in her journeys. During the long apprenticeship, a
Root must learn the old tales, how to cast and read the Runes of Knowledge and study the principles that regulate the life and death of every Crow.
Although there is no official age to join the Arctic Crows, it’s a common custom to send small children to the circle. There are several reasons for that, these children might be orphans or their parents swore an oath to the Gods. Some villages, especially the Wolves of the Shadow’ ones, send at least three children to the Crows every year as a tribute. In some, much more rare, circumstances a kid might be sent because she was born with spot or other birthmarks that look like the sacred Runes, hinting at a higher call.
An Arctic Crow might remain a
Root for just a few months or her entire life. This spiritual journey has no pre-determined length and only when the
Mímistafr thinks the
Root is ready, she would be appointed a proper
Mímistafr during a ceremony at the temple of Uppsala.
After the apprenticeship ends with a trial decided by the master, the
Root becomes a
Mímistafr and can participate fully at the life of the clan and the meeting of the circle, but she can’t vote.
These sages – the
Mímistafr – are the heart of the circle and, besides the usual responsibilities of every Arctic Crow, they are constantly traveling between Uppsala and
the villages of the other clans.
These continuous travels help the circle to keep its network alive, going from
Mímistafr to
Mímistafr across all the Northern lands. Additionally, a
Mímistafr must take care of the education of the
Root (usually having one apprentice at every time) and she must also relay instructions to the
Flakkàndi (“wanderers”) she met.
Some
Mímistafr choose to become
Flakkàndi and pass the rest of their lives wandering from a village to the next, serving the typical duties of an Arctic Crow at each stop. They’re free to go wherever they want unless the circle assigns them a particular task.
Although they usually live in Uppsala, some
Léradhr are allowed to act as advisers to a Jarl of a different clan, while others choose to become hermits.
The
Léradhr usually act as teachers and mentors to the lower ranks, passing on the tradition and the rules of the clan. They’re also part of the council of the
Léradhr: the ruling body that debates how the circle should answer to the political evolution of The Northern lands. They have no decision-making power, though, this is usually reserved for the three
Mímaneidhr (“tree of wisdom”).
According to tradition, the three
Mímaneidhr are chosen from three different age groups, to represent the Norns and have a different point of view of every given decision.
To make a decision official, all three
Mímaneidhr must agree.
When a
Mímaneidhr dies or chooses to abdicate, the
Flakkàndi bring the news to every member of the Arctic Crows and the circle gets ready for the new investiture.
To become a
Mímaneidhr, a Crow must face three extreme trials:
- Swallow hot coals to become a vessel of the primordial fire of Muspell, bringer of life and death.
- Be buried up to the neck on a beach, at the water’s edge, waiting for the tide to shift; to conquer the sea and become one with Landvaettir, the spirit of the earth.
- Offer and officiate a sacrifice.
If more than one candidate survives these trials, the circle of the
Mímistafr chooses the one that made the most significant sacrifice as the new Mímaneidhr.
After becoming a Mímaneidhr, a
Mímistafr renounce her name and receive a new spiritual name from the circle of the Crows.
While a Crow cannot have a family, procreating is not forbidden, just not recommended outside of certain times of the year. During certain festivities, the Arctic Crows are used to organize great ritual orgies and every child conceived during these conclaves is considered a child of the entire circle and raised by the entire community.
The Broken Circle
Today, the circle of the Crows is more fractured and weaker than ever. Every important decision requires the approval of all the three
Mímaneidhr and, when this doesn’t happen, the Arctic Crows are forced to remain neutral until there is a unanimous vote.
The current
Mímaneidhr are (from the oldest to the youngest):
The old Spekisvidhr, “Wood of Knowledge”
The very young Límrún, “Rune of the Branches”
The adult Blóttré, “Tree of Sacrifice”
During the last year, the biggest point of contention between the
Mímaneidhr has been which side the Crows will support, at least politically, in the impending war between the
Thunor's Eye and The
Wolves of the Shadow Wolves of Shadow.
Under the religious perspective, every Crow thinks that it’s shameful and dishonorable for the King to deny the Northern Gods. Almost the entire clan thinks that the King’s companion is a powerful witch and some believe she’s, at least partially, responsible for the coming of the Fimbulvetr.
At the same time, there are no doubts that Ragnarok is at the gates and facing the twilight of the gods with the circle so weak and fractured will bring shame to all the Crows. It’s imperative to find a solution as soon as possible.
Finally, the circle has sent many
Mímistafr, along with their
Root, to investigate the rumors, more and more frequent with each passing day, of monsters appearing and other magical events. Unfortunately, the terrible weather conditions make journeys harder
and harder.
Relationships with Other Clans
The Bear Clan
The Bears are considered pure being, the closest true incarnations of the Nine Virtues. Because of that, the Crows see them as exuberant children that need guidance, so that they continue to follow the tradition and honor the gods.
Usually, at least one Crow lives year-round at each Bears’ village to arbitrate those conflicts that would be solved through violence otherwise.
These Crows also teach to the children and pass on ancient legends.
Recently, the Sages of the snowy mountains stopped sending news. Many think this is due to the terrible weather, but the circle has grown more and more worried about this lack of communication.
Gjallarhorn
The Arctic Crows always looked with suspicion and fear at the rulers of the Gjallarhorn clan, because they never allowed the Crows to interfere in the internal politics of their lands and were ruthless in punishing those who tried to meddle.
The Crows that still live in these lands are trying to contact the circle, but the weather isolated them and the few missives that came through were garbled and unreliable. They speak of a terrible war with the Saxa and of something horrible beyond the
Danevirke, but the only way to discover the truth would be to send other warriors into the unknown.
Jötunn Sons
It doesn’t matter how honeyed are their words, nor that the Wolves trust them and either that they now seem willing to follow the Virtues: the cursed blood remains such. The Crows know better than anyone else who the true enemy is.
Despite the rule of neutrality, every Crow with a lick of common sense will never turn her back to a Jötunn Son. Trusting a scorpion is never a good idea.
The origin of this rivalry is ancient and is grounded in the foundation of the outcast clan, but only a handful of people know. Not all battles are fought with swords and shields.
Since time immemorial these two clans duel using cunning, magic and politics.
Thunor's Eye
While the King is bringing shame to the clan denying the Gods, the Thunor's Eye is still considered an ally by many Crows. The reason is twofold: most of the Thunor's Eyes still pray the Northern Gods and the entire clan still honors the Crows as keepers of virtue
and knowledge.
Still, the spreading of the faith of the Flame might ruin the relationship between these two clans and many scandalmongers whisper that the Mímaneidhr haven’t reached an agreement yet because of the King bribed at least one of them.
Wolves of the Shadow
The Wolves are the clan closest to the Crows. While they are often too impulsive, they are, without a doubt, the most devout clan.
Recently, the Crows are relying more and more on the Wolves to investigate the strange sightings of magical beings. While the rule of neutrality prevents the Crows from openly admitting it, many of them would immediately side with the Wolves to eliminate the King of the Thuron's Eye and his clan.
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