Javert 5573 Share Posted September 3, 2022 History and Traditions of Clan Kvitravn The Coat of Arms of Clan Kvitravn “Our Blade Never Dulls” Preamble For nearly one-hundred years, Clan Kvitravn has been a part of Norland and its society. From the times of Einar ‘the Bear-Slayer’ on Morsgrad and early Varhelm to the modern Clan under Dominic Kvitravn in Alisgrad, Chieftains of the family have sworn loyalty to none but the King of Norland. The Rimetroll battles, the Norlandic-Orenian War, the Skanarri War, the War of the Wigs, and the Cartref Mor Uprising have all been wars in which members of Clan Kvitravn have proudly raised their banners in support of the Red and Black of Norland. Yet in recent years, it has become clear that the once prestigious clan has fallen into a shadow of its former glory. With this missive, let it be known that the Clan Kvitravn and the banner of the White Raven shall fly proudly alongside Norland once more. History The Clan finds its roots in Morsgrad, where Einar Olavsson was born to Olav and an unknown mother. Not long after his birth, his mother abandoned his father and Einar to an unknown fate, leaving Einar to be raised by his cruel and often abusive father. Einar’s father would often go to extreme lengths to teach Einar to survive on his own, and allegedly left a twelve year old Einar to fend for himself in the frozen forests of the north for an entire year. Einar would eventually go on to kill his father in a ‘hunting accident’ to escape his abuses at fourteen, and began wandering Norland’s cold wilderness to survive as a hunter. As the years passed and Einar grew into adulthood, he adopted the name ‘Kvitravn’ (Common: White Raven) when he came upon a rare white Raven, and decided to take it as his surname due to the rarity of the creature and how stunned he was by its beauty. It was this time in the frozen northlands that Einar would begin his reputation as a bear-slayer when he encountered a massive bear in the summer near the Orenian border. The legend goes that Einar had been bathing near a river when he suddenly noticed a bear fishing in the water. Einar rushed out of the river and grabbed an Axe to defend himself, and at this point the bear had noticed and began charging towards him. Einar and the bear fought fiercely for nearly an hour until eventually the beast grew tired and allowed Einar to strike a killing blow to its skull. Einar then took the bear’s fur and made a coat of it and cooked its meat to eat later in the day. Einar Kvitravn faces the bear, circa 1760 F.A. Legends and myths aside, Einar would go on to father Five children upon deciding to return to Morsgrad in 1770. These children were in chronological order; Eyvind (1775), Esben (1781), Olav (1783), Felix (1785), and Caesar (1794). He gave all of the children the name of Kvitravn, and officially founded the Clan in 1790 by styling himself as Chieftain of Clan Kvitravn. Even so, the Clan would not enter prominence in Norland until after the migration from Arcas to Nyrheim and the settlement of Varhelm. Einar had fought in the Inferi war alongside Norlandic forces, and when it came time to leave Arcas he did so willingly alongside his Sons. Einar would go on to help establish the City of Varhelm as one of its first settlers alongside his young children. He would quickly go on to join the Northguard under Marshal Donovan, and his three eldest sons would join him soon after. Not long after him and his sons joining the military, King Halvar Edvardsson Ruric officially recognized Clan Kvitravn as a Norlandic clan. This is where many of the modern Kvitravn traditions began, especially with bear-hunting becoming a rite of passage for young adults of the clan and the iconic T visors for Kvitravn helmets. Nonetheless, the Kvitravns would join the Marshal on many patrols of the new Norlandic lands, and on one fateful evening Einar would join the Northguard on a patrol north of the farming town of Elysium. They were soon set upon by Rimetrolls, and Einar would be slain at the hand of one of the trolls when it shattered his skull with a tree trunk. With Einar’s unexpected and sudden death, the Clan was thrown into mourning and panic as Esben Einarsson Kvitravn took up the mantle of Chieftain after his eldest brother Eyvind had died before their father had. With Esben not expecting to be Chieftain so early, he quickly became overwhelmed with stress and fell into depression. After only two years of being chieftain, he was convinced by his younger brother Olav II to abdicate the chieftainship. Esben later went on to sire a son named Eirik Esbensson, but soon after left to wander the wilderness and died after an encounter with rimetrolls similar to ones his Father had faced. Once Olav had become Chieftain, he issued minor reforms to the Clan and encouraged the continuation of traditions created by Einar as Chieftain. He would go on to sire his only son and future Chieftain, Hali Kvitravn. However, as his son grew into adulthood Olav would take a smaller and smaller role as Chieftain until abdicating fully to his son after he had come of age. Though his chieftainship lasted 10 years, it still allowed Clan Kvitravn to continue to prosper in Norlandic society despite a very slow decline in membership. Hali Kvitravn would become Chieftain at 17 years of age, not long after completing his rites of passage. He would go on to join the Norlandic military as soon as he possibly could, and soon began recruiting new people into Clan Kvitravn. Despite his young age, Hali would not shy away from adopting children and bringing them into the Clan whilst simultaneously partaking in the Norland-Orenian War. By doing so, he ended up having four adopted children (Emerald, Elyssia, Erwin, and Serene) while only having two bloodborne children (Ragnar and Ancelie). Even with the Clan’s new growth, things would abruptly come to a halt during the Skanarri War, where Hali would meet his end after being ambushed by the Skanarri in the Raenrland mountains and being decapitated in battle. Hali Kvitravn, Donovan Freysson II, Caedric Edvardsson, and other Norlandic riders in the Raid of Southbridge, circa 22 S.A. The Clan fell into disarray. Emerald would go on to join the new Kingdom of Elysium, only to be forced on the run a few years later after being wrongfully betrayed. Elyssia would go missing whilst Hali’s step-children and only two blood children; Erwin, Serene, Ragnar, and Ancelie left Norland with their mother (Hali’s wife). With Einar’s four children dead and the only bloodborne Kvitravns being nowhere to be seen, the Clan of Kvitravn was presumed to be extinct for good. That was until the return of Ragnar Kvitravn during the reign of King Vane Freysson Ruric. Having recently become a young man, Ragnar returned to Norland and would live quietly for the rest of his life in the outskirts of Norland whilst raising his three children; Dominic, Eyvind II, and Ancelie II. After Ragnar taught his children everything he could about survival and the old Clan traditions, he would retire to the wilderness and never be heard from furthermore. The most recent feat of the Kvitravn clan after Dominic and Eyvind’s return to Alisgrad was their participation in the Cartref Mor Uprising against the rebelling Adunians. Dominic and Eyvind would participate in almost every single skirmish and battle of the Rebellion, with the pair consistently placing themselves on the front lines. It is said that Dominic Kvitravn was the one to place the rebelling Adunian Lord in molten gold after he was captured following a skirmish at Ironguard. With that, we leave off with the most recent Chieftain, Dominic, still leading the Clan as of this missive. Dominic and Eyvind II scaling the walls of Cartref Mor, circa 86 S.A. Clan Traditions Over the course of the Clans history, it has created and adopted numerous traditions including Oaths, Rites of Passage, and activities that define the Clan for what it is. Many of these traditions are rooted in the Clan’s history, and most pay homage to the achievements of former clan members. The Trial of the Bear The Trial of the Bear, also called Einar’s trial or the Coming of Age trial, is a hunting ceremony in which a Clan Member who has reached the age of 17 will depart into the northern lands on their own to hunt and slay an adult Polar Bear. The young Kvitravn will be provided with one weapon of choice so long as it is a melee weapon and will be required to utilize either Norlandic or Kvitravn Clan Armor. Once the hunter succeeds in slaying the Polar Bear, they are to turn its fur into a coat and return the meat of the bear to the Clan to partake in a celebration feast. Partaking in this tradition is optional for Newbloods (adopted Kvitravns) but required for Bloodbornes (biological Kvitravns). The Oath of the White Raven The Oath of the White Raven, also called Dominic’s Oath or the Oath of Loyalty, is a spoken oath taken by any adult member of Clan Kvitravn willingly. The Oath requires that the Kvitravn present themself before either the King of Norland or Chieftain of the Kvitravns and do the following process: The Kvitravn shall expose their left palm and take a small dagger in their right whilst uttering the following: “I, [name], son/daughter of [Father’s name] swear my undying loyalty to the Crown of Norland. By the blood of my Ancestors and the oversight of Bjorn the Berserker, Paragon of War and chosen Paragon of Clan Kvitravn, I carve upon myself the sigil of my family to signify that this oath shall never be broken.” The Kvitravn shall proceed to carve a small raven onto the palm of their left hand and must remain silent whilst doing so. Upon finishing, they shall place the dagger into their belt and continue speaking: “Until the day of my death or until the foes of Norland lay defeated, I shall never remove my helmet before those not of my Clan. Only after my Oath is fulfilled shall I be relieved.” The Oath of the White Raven is not required for Newbloods or Bloodbornes, and is purely optional per every member past the age of 17. The Trial of the Survivor The Trial of the Survivor, also called Olav’s Trial, is a rite of passage in which one must survive for two days (OOC: Two Hours) in nature away from civilization. This is not the same as the Trial of the Bear, as the purpose of both is different. For the Trial of the Survivor, the sole purpose is surviving alone with nothing more than an Axe, a Bow, and Clothing. This is meant to prove the strength and resourcefulness of Clan members, and after two days are expected to return home. After the Kvitravn returns home, there shall be a lavish feast awaiting them in which the entire Clan shall partake in. Preferred locations for this Trial are the snowy forests of the North or the massive mountains of the Norlandic south. The Trial of the Survivor is not required for Bloodbornes or Newbloods, and is simply a way of testing oneself. The Chiefsmoot The Chiefsmoot is a rare tradition adopted by the Kvitravn Clan from the Rurikkid Clans of Norland. In the event that the children of the past Chieftain do not wish to inherit the title or there are no children to inherit, a Chiefsmoot shall be held to decide the new Chieftain of the Clan. Each member of the Kvitravn Clan shall be allowed to nominate themselves and each Kvitravn shall be able to vote. The Chiefsmoot may not be called at any random point, and only when there are no children of the past chieftain or if said chieftain are disinterested. Joining the Clan To join the Clan, one must find the current Clan Chieftain and express their interest in the Clan. Afterwards, the Chieftain shall ask questions to determine if the person is a good fit for the clan. If they are, they shall be given two tasks based on both the Clan History and questions previously asked. These tasks usually vary from person to person. Signed, Dominic Kvitravn, Chieftain of Clan Kvitravn, son of Ragnar Kvitravn Spoiler OOC: Been putting off posting this since I've been busy doing stuff irl and outside Norland, but I finally got time to post it. If you want to join, come find me IRP. We're a pretty laid-back clan, and we'd love to have you around 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rattussmackus 597 Share Posted September 3, 2022 Milki Kvitravn loves the Kvitravns and implores all to join. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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