Raoden's Histories Part I: the Barcidae

(written by Jacob, in the context of his character Sesel's new retainer Raoden concerning a recent expedition into the Cenotaph of the Colossian Temenos and earning Raoden 100 xp per level; let it be known that he took a free hand to write some history, and that the scribes encourage such enthusiasm)

One cannot have too much knowledge. With that in mind, I begin writing this volume, perhaps one of many, with which to augment both my knowledge, and that of my friends and allies. Each chapter will be the history I learned of a different culture from in and around the Tel, updated as more is learned.

The Barcidae

These men, now known to the Dual-Cities as great smiths and fishers, were once but a loose tribe of men. Granted, men with exceptional physique and strength, now called Bulrathi, but still just men. Until they, with others of the great houses of Gadeed, eeked out a patch of land for themselves as this great mother of cities. The Barcidae, in particular, claimed a portion of the beach and setup their Migdol, fish vats and fermentors.

During investigations into the Kenotaph of the Necropolis we came upon a tomb of one of the Barcidae’s founders. The great Warrior Smith Goroborg, the one-eyed. While we did not venture within the tomb, out of respect, I was able to investigate the runes outlining the door. While many were curses upon tomb-raiders, there was something of the Warrior Smith’s exploits. One story that jumped out at me was that of a battle to secure some of the land of the Migdol.

A great battle upon the sand

A cold and sleepless night, the beasts did set upon us. The plans for our great Migdol yet just a twinkle in our eyes, and yet we knew even then that this land would be forever of the Baraqae.* The sakkra set upon us from the caves to the North, using darkness and water to conceal their approach. The battle was fierce, with many losses on both sides, until Goroborg and his mubtadi warriors gathered. Together they formed a force none could withstand, and the assaults of the sakkra fell like water upon stone, destroying them to the last!

*Authors note: Baraqae is an ancient version of Barcidae

This excerpt reveals to us that Goroborg may have been one of the originators of the current-day Barcidae smithing processes, perhaps obvious given his name, but not only did he excel in the arts of smithing, bringing superior armaments to battle, but was also a forerunner in terms of some military organization and showed obvious battle prowess. While certainly something of these historical stories are less than factual, this author believes the great Goroborg to be responsible for much of the Barcidae’s initial success in securing and fortifying their Migdol.

Speaking of the early days of the Barcidae’s sea-side constructions, we stumbled upon yet another of their more important historical figures while walking reverently amongst the tombs. This individual, while quite a lot less significant than the great Goroborg, still played an important role in the history of the Barcidae and their Migdol. Brude, an officer amongst one of the earlier military contingents of the Barcidae, interred with honors after leading a successful charge against the Chnelh. While the tomb itself had little more than the officer’s name, I recalled a story regarding the fellow from my studies, copied here for completion sake.

...A troop of soldiers, led by up and coming officer Brude, was dispatched to deal with the recent assaults of Chnelh. At the time, the Migdol had rebuffed dozens of raids and assaults against their newly fortified walls, and Brude put together the expedition as a means of proving himself worthy of advancement.

The accounts of what occurred on the plains of the Tel are limited, for only a scant few returned alive from the expedition. But from their accounts Brude, moving with a small advance force, discovered an entire Chnelh encampment. He pulled back his scout force, and subsequently organized a swift series of assaults upon the encampment with the goal of eliminating or dispersing the infestation.

During the assaults Brude was able to slay the Chnelh leader, as well as several of their more formidable tribe members. However, the tide turned as the Chnelh rallied and fought with such savagery as to bring the force down to just a handful. Brude sacrifice his life in a desperate one-man assault on the remaining Chnelh, giving his men enough time to retreat. Fortunately for Brude, the stories of his remaining officers rallied the forces of the Migdol, and they launched an all-out assault on the Chnelh, wiping out their encampment, and recovering most of the bodies of their fallen, including Brude’s, now interred in the Kenotaph...

-Excerpt copied from Heroes and Legends of the Great Houses of Gadeed, chapter 6

Obviously the Migdol had its share of challenges during its inception and creation. Fortunately, between Goroborg, Brude, and the countless others who fought, built, and died in the creation of the Migdol and the Barcidae, we in the Dual-Cities are graced with their wondrous metallurgical creations.