Roveni Steppe Hosts

Muskal: The leader of a Roveni Host elected to lead them in everyday life and military matters. They often   Clan Bearer: The head of a clan with the Roveni that often takes charge of the duties that can help maintain it.   Clan Kin: Families that make up the entirety of the Roveni often marry into one another to create strong bonds.   Outbounder: New members of a Roven, often outsiders with no ties to them, must earn their place with them to join them.

Being A Member

  Our ancestors came together to pursue freedom from those who sought to chain them and learned to survive the harsh lands we call home. The Steppes are unforgiven to those who do not know them, yet they give anyone who embraces them a remarkable life unbound by the laws of landed peoples. We are not just a people but a way of life that all wish to be free to achieve and embrace should they seek to join us. Among us, we are all kin and will stand together to face any struggle we may face together. This often means that we must fight for our right to live as we are, as not all believe in it, so we must fight with the speed of the wind on our side, as nothing is given freely in life and must be earned to prove that they are capable of achieving that they seek most.  

What People Think of You

  The Ruskev of the Roveni are both feared and respective for their military prowess and their defiance against the vanquished warlock when most others chose to be their slaves. While most have no quarrels with them and have open trade, they are often cautious, knowing that they have a war with them will not go well with them in either outcome. It is all the more reason for them to make them their friends or pay tribute to avoid being attacked by them. Some people even want to join them and live a life of freedom, with all who chose this path welcomed into their Roveni. It is often best to leave them alone and avoid the tundra, for it only belongs to Ruskev and them alone.

To live freely upon the lands we call home with our kin in peace from all they seek to take from us.

Fortresses: Fortresses have been made to protect them from weather and wildlife, but they can easily hold off invaders should they need to.   Mounts: Ruskev horses and reindeer have been bred to be mobile and endure great distances to ride on them.

Born of Defiance

  When the Warlock Lords arrive on the Continent of Norria, they brought not but wickedness and enslavement to all that fell within their grasps. Entire tribes kneeled before them and were placed in changes, believing they stood no chance against such a thing as they cemented their rule across the land. Those that still resisted their tyranny and ventured out into the wilds where no one would follow them; many would find themselves upon the vast Frostbound Steppes forced to fight for their survival at every turn. Many would perish as they found themselves alone to face the elements and the wildlife that roam it. However, a few came across other groups, often from different tribes and cultures, that sought the same thing: to be free from the chain of their supposed overlords. Those who did not try to kill each other would work together to survive in their new home, sharing their knowledge and skills in a place that sought to kill them. In time, these groups would intermingle and become kin, sharing traditions and beliefs that would change with them and founding the Ruskev people, who would conquer the steppes a free people away from the lands of the Warlock Dominions. Knowing they were outnumbered, they needed to remain on the move, becoming nomadic and taming wild horses and reindeer to move fast and avoid the many dangers around them. They knew their mounts would be the key to their survival, so they learned to master their riding skill, making it essential for them and their children to ride before they could even walk. They would adopt more people into their bands who shared the values that escaped their dark masters and become free just like them, becoming children of the steppe. When their numbers grew exponentially, they became the first Roveni Host known as the Derugi Roveni, which would live in defiance upon the steppes and wage war upon their oppressors for centuries.  

Era of the First Roveni

  The Derugi Roveni, despite facing insurmountable odds against the Warlock Lords, their courage and horsemanship allowed them to pick their battles when needed. Raids upon the dominions would be limited in these early days as the Ruskev continued to grow to hunt the beasts of the land that were often twice their size and mold themselves in all aspects of the tundra to perfect their crafts of survival. Creating strong bonds of community within and growing their number to all who wished to be free while building their martial prowess to become skilled warriors, knowing that danger was always near. It was a time of great uncertainty for them, and they would remain in relative peace for more than two centuries as the Icebound Steppes' size allowed them to stay well hidden from their armies. It would not be until the rise of twin Muskals Yulif Windborn and Rimisha the Fierce took control of the Roveni that their people would prove they were not to be trifled with. It is what would be known as the First Ruskev War, which saw Derugi Roveni face the ever-encroaching Warlock Lords onto the steppes, seeking to rid themselves of the nomads once and for all with four High Lords and their armies marching onto their lands to seek them out. Yet, they managed to drive them back to their lands through cunning and determination, slaying many, including several Fell Lords and two High Lords. This came at a high cost, with Rimisha being killed and Yulif being forced to scatter the Derugi Roveni into smaller ones to trick the Warlock Lords into believing that the Ruskev were defeated. At the same time, they fought over the ruleless lands of their deceased rival and put down any rebellions that followed while these new Roveni scattered across the tundra; most of them survived the purge that followed afterward when the fighting settled down. Though tragic, it would ensure that the Ruskev would live on and continue to fight to become stronger than ever before.    

Of War and Survival

  Despite their number being scattered across the steppes and weakened for many generations, the many Rovenis would continue to roam the land and continually fight against the dominions in lightning raids to steal resources and liberate those enslaved to add to their numbers only to leave as quickly as they came before a more potent force could stop them. Here, they gain knowledge and skills from their new kin, which allows them to grow strength against their powerful enemy. Every member of these Roveni was educated in more than one skill to ensure that knowledge was not lost should they be killed, leading to the growing importance of education for all of their children to learn reading and writing later on besides practical skills. This did not mean that the Ruskev fought the Dominions and would sometimes fight one another to combine their number with those that survived the open conflict. Still, later codes of conduct were created to lessen the bloodshed with duels between Muskals or challenges that determined superiority over one another, seeing that they were all descendants of the first Rovani. For much of this time, these Rovani would continue to stick to the wilds and diversify as a people, keeping their distance to avoid too much from the Warlock Lords. It wasn't until the Warlock Lords began encroaching on their lands again that they began to unify and fight again. Still, by this time, their foes had long since been divided by a desire for more power and petty squabbles in the Second Ruskev War that would see the Warlock Lords all but abandoning the Steppes, seeing them too much of a hassle to hold with growing paranoia that rivals would attack them should the fighting make them too weak. This allowed the Ruskev to have sole domain over their homeland and begin to build small strongholds to act as retreats to rest from long travel or harsh winters. They would use limited farming to diversify their food pallet to ensure they were no longer dependent on hunting and gathering. Roveni Hosts would unify under larger ones, and raiding into the Dominions would decrease to keep unease and peace between them but slaughter any forces they came across in their lands.  

Change On The Wind

  Much would change for the Ruskev when the collapse of the Warlock Dominions drew near with their defeat in the Warlock Wars. The current Roveni Hosts of the steppes saw an opportunity to finally rid themselves of their lifelong enemy; during and after the war, they would forge the Derugi Pact, named after the First Roveni to see them obliterated in Third Ruskev War as attacks were conducted all across the lands bordering the Steppes and beyond that would so sow chaos and rebellion, bring about many battles and be finally free from their tormentors forever. Going into the Age of Heroes, the Ruskev would create larger settlements and Roveni Hosts, expand their reach across the steppes, and conduct trade with their neighbors. This did not see the end of raiding beyond their borders, seeing it as a part of their way of life that would deter aggressive tribes that desired to claim their lands. The Ruskev would live in relative peace during much of this era, besides conducting raids across their borders and participating in the Fourth Ruskev War and the Draugr Invasion. Their rule over the Frostbound Steppes would finally come to an end with the coming of Darius Harkon, the first High King of Norria that sought to unify all land under him to create a prosperous Norria that started the Northern Wars of Unification. However, this did not result in an entirely unified front against him, as some of the Hosts allied with him, as he aided them during his adventuring days and shared his vision of a better world. Much kin blood was spilled on the tundra as the divided Roveni Hosts clashed between old and new ideas on their future that they believed was for the best for them. When the killing had finally ended, Darius' forces would be victorious, with the Roveni on both sides now bowing before him as their ruler. The Steppes are now scarred and divided by the Hosts that remain, filled with mistrust for one another as their future remains uncertain and the coming of a new world is just on the horizon.