Thule lore

The Thule are patient, pitliess, and possessed of great arcane power.

Overview

The Thule page gives an overview of the things the Empire has long known, or suspected, about the Thule. In recent years a lasting peace, and the opening of certain trade routes, have presented Imperial citizens with opportunities to learn more about their northern neighbours. This page is presented in the form of a report, written in late 386YE, collating information gathered from those who have been granted access to Otkodov. The civil service have done their best to remove rumours and synthesize consistent facts from the reports. Where something is based on conjecture, it should be made clear.

This report has been prepared by Czesław Zbyluta, a civil servant working at the embassy in Miekarova.

Sources

Imperial merchants have been granted access to certain towns and villages along the border between Otkodov and the Empire. Caravans are not permitted to travel deeper into Thule territory than this, and there is some indication that only selected, approved Thule are allowed to meet with Imperial guests in these border towns. When asked about this, the warlocks responsible for overseeing Imperial visitors have generally been quite frank. The Empire has made no secret of its plans to spread The Way, they say, which is seen by the Thule as a hostile and destabilising force. So long as the Imperial Synod maintains its commitment to spreading The Way of Virtue, Imperial Citizens will not be permitted to speak, unsupervised, with the general population. One Thule merchant trading in Skarsind did point out to this author that in this regard the Thule are no different to The Empire, who do not permit the proselytizing of foreign religions within their borders either.

As such, this report is drawn from interviews with Imperial merchants, travellers, and soldiers who have experience with the Thule (both in peacetime and in war) as well as what scant information was collected from captured combatants in the past. Given the levels of secrecy and concealment involved, it has proved difficult to verify many concrete facts.

Czesław must also thank Rak-Who-Speaks-For-The-Dragons-Undivided, the Thule ambassador to the Empire, for all his 'help' with preparing this report.

Society and Politics

Thule society seems to be extremely hierarchical, with the population divided into distinct castes based on their role.

Bonded

The bonded, or peasant, class have the least internal rivalry and struggle of the groups identified here. There is some competition for resources, especially during bad winters, but helping your peers to survive and thrive in the harsh environment is seen as good, if nothing else for the fact that it benefits yourself. This solidarity amongst the labouring people does not come with hostility to their social superiors, but rather any hostility is directed to the environment. Storms, snow and famine are the enemy — and the leadership of their betters keeps them alive, if not necessarily thriving.

The name bonded appears to denote a level of bond to the land and the warlock, or coven, ruling that land. Members of the bonded class take great pride in their bonds, as the more powerful their rulers are, the better their own position is. They have been at pains to stress to Imperial visitors that the bond referred to is more akin to membership of a banner, or even a nation, than to slaves' bondage. Indeed, when slavery was still practiced by the Thule, a very clear demarcation was kept between slaves and bonded.

Bonded do not have any magic to speak of. Perhaps one in several hundred might have some simple spells but never any ritual lore. If a child born to bonded parents does show signs of magical prowess, they are taken to apprentice under a warlock at a suitable age. This is the only means of social mobility in Thule society and can only happen with youths. Once a peasant is past maturity, they cannot become a warlock even if they develop magic. The exact process of apprenticeship varies greatly from sept to sept and warlock to warlock, but it is often not a pleasant experience.

One junior warlock spoken to by a Kallavesi drover delivering food to the Trading Hall at Wreck reminisced, seemingly fondly, that the cattle being brought for slaughter were treated better than he had been as an apprentice. He remarked that he was looking forward to taking an apprentice of his own in a few years to teach them the ways of the world.

In recent years, the abolition of slavery has resulted in a large number joining the bonded class who have no affiliation with the existing septs. Some former slaves have joined existing bonded communities and adopted their ways. Some, where there were a large number of similar background, have formed new septs, or reformed a sept which was destroyed when they or their ancestors were first enslaved, and this seems to have been encouraged by individual warlocks. A scant few have chosen to remain independent in small family groups. These groups are viewed with suspicion by the majority, as they do not fit within established societal norms. They wander from place to place, providing seasonal or project labour, but have not yet chosen to settle anywhere.

It is worthy of note that, so far as we can tell, there is now no distinction made, legally or socially, between the former slaves and those who grew up as bonded. They have integrated fully into the bonded class with surprising speed, and no traces of tension between the two halves are tolerated by the Warlocks.

Of note amongst the bonded are the skuldyr; a type of bard specialising in oral-tradition poetry and prose storytelling. While they are bonded, with all the rights and responsibilities thereof, a talented skuld is often something of a community leader. They enjoy the patronage of the warlocks, and the most prominent of them often live alongside a coven of warlocks or travel freely within Otkodov, collecting and spreading new tales.

Broadly, there is a feeling amongst the bonded class that life in Otkodov is the best of a bad batch, so to speak. They are aware that they are the bottom rung of the ladder and that they face oppression, but they firmly, truly seem to believe that all the alternatives are worse. One labourer, interviewed whilst unloading cargo from an Imperial wagon, had this to say:

"What person would choose the Jotun, where war and death are constant, or worse yet their thralls who can never defend themselves and must beg for protection from brutish warriors with less magic than a turnip? Who would choose life under the Druj, where poison, betrayal and torture are your day to day? And worst of all, who would choose life in The Empire, where your rulers change every other week, and you are always a pawn in somebody's reckless, chaotic power play."

For the bonded, life in Otkodov is hard, but it is peaceful. They are looked after by their so-called betters, they benefit from ritual magic cast almost without thought to bolster their resources, and they live in a tight-knit community which looks after each other.

Middle Class

There is a small, though developing, middle class who are either not warlocks or are very low-ranking warlocks. They are separate, and above, the peasant class and live in considerably more comfort but lack much direct influence. These are the orcs dealing with trade, selling food and goods, providing services to the warlocks, and so on. They are currently in a bit of an upswing; the recently freed slaves have meant a change in the importance of financial means to operating a labour force. Warlocks no longer own their own slaves and don't want to deal with the difficulties of managing an independent labour force directly, so they tend to bring in these non-mage citizens as middle managers or hired contractors.

Competition within the middle class is fierce, and the struggle for power is almost palpable. For the middle class, power often manifests as money or access to resources, but they are equally desperate for other sources of power over others. The favour of a powerful warlock, for instance, is worth more than any money. When one loses status in the internal struggle of the middle class, they and their family tend to be driven into poverty and scorn. Interestingly, though, the rigid social structure works here to help them. It is not possible for a family to become bonded peasants, just as it would not be possible for the bonded to join the middle class. Those who have fallen out of favour may find themselves struggling for a few years, but they retain all the rights and obligations of their station. As the constant churn of intra-class rivalry does its work, the dispossessed can soon rise again to power and status.

We note, however, that sufficiently large transgressions are presumably punished by death. This is certainly the implication of many comments overheard by Imperial merchants, but with the limited access we have been granted and the short time that access has been available, we have no confirmed instances. This point therefore, remains conjecture, although this author is reasonably confident in its truth.

It is the middle class that Imperial merchants have been dealing with most directly. Attempts to subtly discuss Virtue with them have been met by everything from indifference to outright rejection. The Thule middle class are doing quite well from the way things are, and can easily see how even small amounts of disruption and chaos could ruin them, so they are not inclined to help Imperials rock the boat.

Warlocks

By far the most dominant class in Thule society are the warlocks. Not every magician is a warlock, but every true magician is in the warlock caste, so to speak. They may be apprentices or failed warlocks or assistants, but they are all part of the same power struggle. From what we can tell, the higher a warlock rises in political position, the more access they are given to magical training. There is extremely fierce competition amongst the warlocks for power and status. This is seen as a necessary tool to drive the powerful to succeed and the weak to fall out of the system.

Warlocks will often have a coterie of advisors, assistants and labourers around them. These individuals may enjoy privilege and status through their association with their patron but are still firmly locked into their class.

There is some speculation that higher ranking warlocks walk a political knife edge, attempting to please the Dragons without doing anything to draw too much attention. One caravan owner, Antonio Gallia von Temeschwar, told us of a discussion zie and zir friends had been having in the common room of their lodging house in Tinfjalla. They were speaking of the ruthless cut-and-thrust of politics in the League, when a somewhat drunken warlock joined them at their table. She was mostly quiet while they talked, but from the few comments she did make, Antonio believes that she was implying that it is very difficult to rise within the hierarchy of warlocks without rising too fast and being punished for it. Antonio suggested that a little Courage might aid her Ambition, at which point the warlock appeared to realise that she had said too much and stopped the conversation.

The path taken by less ambitious warlocks seems to be mastering a few powerful resource enchantments, and a scrying ritual or two, then getting appointed to govern a settlement or lead some great project. This can provide sufficient status and power for all but the most ambitious, and the only big risk is from other warlocks attempting to usurp their position.

Framleithandi

Artisans are considered somewhat adjacent to warlocks, and an artisan is given the title of framleithand. They create powerful magic, though in the form of items rather than rituals, and are considered a valuable part of the magical infrastructure. A framleithand may be a political player but will never rise to quite the same heights as a warlock. Since magic items, particularly those which affect ritual magic, are so valuable, a good framleithand is often able to balance the favour of several powerful warlocks.

Groups of framleithandi are called fyrirtæki, and seem to operate similarly to Thule covens. They closely guard their secrets, as the ability to craft particular items is incredibly valuable knowledge. Some fyrirtæki are small, serving a local warlock or coven and often running within a single family. Others are large and well known and have representatives in the courts of many powerful warlocks throughout Otkodov. Like the covens of their warlock kin, these fyrirtæki are intensely hierarchical.

Direct contact with framleithandi has been exceptionally rare for Imperial citizens. The more prestigious framleithandi have some of the bonded who conduct their business for them; others will hire some of the merchants of the middle class if they need to interact with the outside world.

Most Imperial citizens simply refer to framleithandi as artisans. This has been met by different reactions. Some Thule will follow the lead of the citizen they are talking to and use "artisan" too, others will continue to use framleithand but not correct their interlocutor. In one case, whilst discussing the fine craftsmanship of an exquisite staff carried by a warlock, the orc became quite enraged by her visitor's continued use of the term. She is reported to have said "How dare you sully the name of the great Ylfa of the ancient and honoured Companions of The Ice Wyrm who makes this staff for me anew each Spring. No simple artisan, she is framleithand, through and through!"

Dragons

Very little is known about the Dragons, save that they are the rulers of Thule society. They are spoken of by other Thule in an almost religious manner, and attempts by Imperial citizens to ask directly about the Dragons have been pointedly ignored. Many Thule speak of the Dragons as 'Living Ancestors' and act as though they will intervene in day-to-day life in the manner of, for example, Asavean gods. The bonded, especially, will often keep a small shrine in their homes to either one specific Dragon or to "the five undivided". Among the bonded, rumours and myths about the Dragons are rampant. They say that they can somehow "walk as spirits" and observe anything that happens in the lands they claim; that they are physically immortal; that they are living ancestors, possessed by the spirits of the greatest Thule who have ever lived; that in times of need they can assume the form of unique and terrible beasts with their magic; that they feed on magical materials and mana crystals; and that they travel bodily to other realms where powerful spirits offer them fealty.

The Dragons have never been encountered on a battlefield, but are believed to be extremely aged orcs who are both potent shamans and extremely skilled ritual magicians. They are believed to occupy a cavern complex in the heart of Otkodov, possibly in caverns beneath the vast mountain at the heart of Nithoggir. The five Dragons are listed below, along with some information about activities we suspect or know them to be responsible for. Moreso even than most Thule, information about the Dragons is exceptionally difficult to come by.

Caridis Runebinder - Also sometimes referred to as Oathbinder. Reports from the time indicate that Caridis was responsible for directing the campaign in Skarsind, the rampant exploitation of its natural resources, and ultimately the death of Empress Britta.
Fraynir, the-one-who-waits - Was apparently responsible for cursing the nation of Wintermark in 378YE. The curse was broken when Imperial heroes recovered the Crown of Three Tears which had been in Fraynir's possession. Fraynir is said to be subtle, and cunning, and to be able to hide themselves from mortal eyes in a shroud of night.
Hinodir of the Bright Orb - Claims to be at least as old as the Paragon Zoria. She was in possession of the Staff of Zoria but sold it back to the Empire in 384YE. She also prepared a report on the blight of the Great Grasses which was shared with Imperial magicians. She is believed to be a consummate diviner and seer, and likely a master of Day magic.
Orobus the Chained - Negotiated (through a hollow) a treaty with the Empire in Summer 379YE. Is apparently an adept at negotiation and binding magic, and is said to have the most influence over the eternal realms. Details are unclear but there seems to be more regular cooperation between Orobus and Hinodir than between any two Dragons, although it would be a mistake to consider them "allies" as such.
Tathenon the Gyre - Apparently coordinates many of the Thule's military campaigns; a warlock of his was tasked with establishing the coalition to liberate Sermersuaq from the Jotun, for example. They are said to master the forces of destruction, and to be able to raise or quell wind, rain, and storms with but a word.

Hollowed

The Hollowed are sinister figures who seem to serve as advisors to the warlocks. They are often painted with runes, but rarely wield weapons or wear armour. Their eyes are said to be 'empty' - examination of corpses has shown a distinctive discolouration of the eye sockets, like a spreading black bruise that appears to be 'natural' rather than the result of make-up or tattoos. They are believed to be the results of Thule who have been found wanting and been 'hollowed out' - they have little or no personality of their own, and serve in some fashion as 'vessels' for the spirit of a Dragon.

The Dragon can apparently see through their eyes, speak through them, and even perform magic using them as a tool. No hollowed has ever been captured alive - the Dragon that controls them seems able to slay the vessel at will. By use of the hollowed, the Dragons can maintain a watch over the nation and provide a level of communication and cohesion that other rulers can only dream of... but at great cost. Some Imperial scholars speculate that the Dragons turn any Warlock who steps out of line into one of the hollowed, while others believe that the majority of shamans meet this fate at a young age.

When asked about the Hollowed, other Thule have displayed a strange mixture of revulsion and respect. It seems that the hollowed fill two roles in the minds of the Thule. The slow, shambling, empty creature is reviled. It is weak, a failure, worthless. But it must always be treated with honour and respect, for at any moment the thing can change, suddenly. Now it speaks with purpose and command, it moves with strength and power. Now, it is The Dragon. To be visited by a hollow is a great privilege, for it means the Dragons are watching you, but for the hollow to speak with the voice of a Dragon? That is a prize few ever experience.

Ximena i Projimo i Erigo, a merchant of the Brass Coast, reports that she was huddled around a campfire with several bonded peasants whilst snowed in on a mountain pass. The company began to swap braggadocious stories of their exploits. Most were of times they had served this or that warlock, but the tale which apparently won the most admiration from the group was when one of the orcs told how his great-great-great-grandmother, Authur, was visited in her workshop by three warlocks escorting a hollow. She was a wainwright, making wagons to transport resources for the army, and the group had come to speak to her master, the warlock Drifa. The conversation happened behind closed doors, but apparently, when the Hollowed spoke with the voice of the Living Ancestor, its shout was loud enough to be heard throughout the building.

"She heard him then," said the orc, filled with awe at his own tale. "The mighty voice of Tathenon, the Red Rage. He bellowed louder than an aurochs, and cursed her master with some great working of magic." Apparently, Drifa was strung up from a pike for all to see, and a new warlock given charge of the carriage works.

It is notable that this story, of one's ancestor hearing the voice of a Dragon faintly through a wall, was considered a greater brag than any current act of service or heroic deed (although Ximena tells us the other tales were not that impressive. Perhaps this one would have lost out to a more accomplished speaker.)

Shamans

A curious note is that, unlike most other Orc cultures, the Thule do not seem to have shamans or an equivalent role. They do hear their ancestors, as all orcs do, but it is not clear that the Thule put much stock in the advice of these ancestors, especially since the 'Living Ancestors' are available instead. Our knowledge of orc cultures elsewhere would imply that some individuals should have the Shamanic ability to hear the ancestors more strongly and more often, but we have so far not encountered any evidence of them.

Magic

The Thule pride themselves on their magical prowess, and are extremely secretive about their magical traditions. What information we have been able to glean is included here, but it is this author's belief that information about magic is a highly controlled secret even between warlocks. This has made it difficult to pin down any specific details.

Covens

Covens in Thule society are incredibly important. As well as facilitating the casting of large rituals, they are also a part of the governmental structure. From what we can tell, all Thule covens are incredibly hierarchical. There will be a senior warlock, or rarely several senior warlocks, at the head of it who also hold great political power. These warlocks seem to spend most of their time on research and study, from what we can tell, and do not cast many actual rituals. Beneath them will be a number of stratified ranks of other warlocks, often changing as the internal political struggle dictates, who are responsible for casting most of the coven's rituals. They will each have charge of some specific thing, as often a mundane article of governance as it is an aspect of magic. Beneath them are a number of junior warlocks and apprentices. These serve as the main source of magical strength for casting large magnitudes, and constantly work to move up into the more senior ranks. A coven will also have a staff of non-magical servants tending to their needs.

The members of the coven often live and work closely together in a compound on the outskirts of their settlement, which serves as both a centre of magical study and a regional seat of governance. More powerful and prestigious covens may have their compounds built on or near a strong regio, and be permitted some amount of control over who accesses the regio.

Most covens are old and storied. They have existed for hundreds of years, and the deeds of the members reflect the reputation of the coven as an institution. When an old coven is destroyed, it is a major event. To create a new coven seems to require the blessing of the highest ranking warlocks, or perhaps even the Dragons themselves, and is a boon rarely granted.

Reading between the lines of statements made by a junior warlock Arnur Pag, to some Varushkan cabalists, it seems as though at least some of these covens are formed around a magic item to which all members are bonded. These items, lasting as they do for many years and being so important to the coven as an institution, would presumably be crafted with Star Metal, which might go some way to explaining the difficulty in forming new covens.

Ritual Lore

The Thule have no equivalent of Imperial Lore or Urizen Lore and, indeed, the very suggestion that they would is met with scorn and mockery. Powerful rituals freely shared are dangerous, they say, because anyone with access could use them for any purpose. It is good that dangerous information should be controlled and rationed, with only the worthy being permitted to learn.

From what we can tell, in its place is a system referred to as 'Tomes' whereby a warlock will be given permission to study a particular set of related rituals. It seems that being granted access to a Tome is a great honour and often involves travelling some distance to wherever the Tome is held. The warlock will often spend a whole season studying the Tome before returning to their coven.

Arcane Projections

Much of the ritual work performed by Thule covens is the development and casting of Arcane Projections. The more prestigious warlocks seem to spend almost all of their time working on such projections, and the structure of their covens may be what it is partly to facilitate the very expensive process of casting high-magnitude arcane projections. We can presume that, much like the Empire, the Thule face a bottleneck in codifying ritual texts. We might conjecture, therefore, that having an Arcane Projection codified would be a great achievement for the warlock responsible for the projection.