Clan Wars of Nilfeheim

Clan Wars of Nilfeheim

The first discord between Nilfeheim Colonists happened right after the death of Erik Gustafson, the leader of the Viking Movement. He was killed by a Fangsnapper.

While Erik Gustafson was able to keep the various groups and characters in line with his personality. The Colonists split into three groups : The Traditionalists who wanted rather die than accept technology and the Progressives who wanted to use Technology to survive the hard conditions. A third group evolved into the Keepers of the Technology that came along with the Ark Ships.

But no open conflict was fought, the Groups merely dispersed among the planet.

After the Progressives begun Space Piracy and raided other colonies the rift between the groups deepened.

When the new founded United Star send a Battle ship and ended the Piracy. The Clans were asked. "Join the Union or be isolated forever."

A Union Outpost was established on the largest Island ( Bifrost). However only the Progressives had been asked by the Union representatives. The Traditionalists did not take part of these negotiations.

The Progressives who previously lived on the income and the food the Raids provided were cut off, used the modern weapons they still had and attacked the Traditionalists who started to eek out a living form the Planet itself by fishing, farming and hunting.

This was the First Clan War (2229 -2234).

This war was very one sided. One of the Ragnarssons (a Traditionalist Clan) sailed and walked half across the planet, hunted by Progressives who wanted to prevent his mission reached the Union Outpost and claimed that the Union membership was illegal as not everyone was asked.

A Union angelo.pagano@hotmail.de agreed and the Nilfeheim Clans formed the Circle of Elders and created the Book of Traditions as a law giving entity.

Modern weapons were outlawed, but axe, swords catapults, bow and arrow were still allowed.

This gave rise to the Nilfeheim Clan Burgs. Simple Round house buildings and stone houses grew into medieval looking castles, complete with towers, draw bridges and thick walls.

Since these Burgs were built on islands with the "biggest" moat possible, assaults and sieges were difficult, but still occurred. this was the age of the Burg Wars (2250-3500) A long period of continuous clan warfare, alliances, raids and battles.

The fighting hampered the development of the Colony and endangered its survival,as those who wanted to fish and farm could not simply do so but had to guard their possessions and defend it.

This led to the Truce of Uhim, and the Council of Elders received more authority. The Truce of Uhim stipulated rules of engagement and all distance weapons were considered coward weapons. A Clan that had beef with another clan had to send out his Clan Chief and he had to fight/ challenge the other.

This greatly tampered the easily to anger Clan Chiefs, instead of sending others to war, they had to first fight themselves. Many conflicts suddenly were solved over tankards of Ale. Over 1000 years of relative peace made Nilfeheim finally grow, the town of Halstaad Fjord grew into a sizable city and the Nilfeheim space port was built. A Union XChange opened on Nilfeheim and the true value of the planet was slowly realized as fish, Tyranno Fin and sea weed were exported for Union Credits, bringing new wealth to those clans who fished, farmed or produced something.

Envy and the right to fish around the Uhim grounds became the reason for the latest Clan Wars. This time it was mostly fought boat to boat and then someone armed a Hunting submarine with torpedoes and the war escalated as fishing boats and Hunting subs were blown out of the water.

Again off world weapons were used and the argument was they used modern weapons against modern boats and not Burgs or warriors.

This was the bloodiest of the Clan wars and caused the destruction of the Uhim Burg with a ship to shore missile.

Union interfered as a Nuclear device was intercepted by Union customs ordered by a Clan Chief.

The Circle of Elders outlawed Clan Wars completely.

The Book of Traditions was amended prohibiting the use of any off world weapon in anger. Off world weapons were only allowed to be used on  a mans own land.

The last Clan wars are over 400 years in the past, but the old enemies and alliances are well remembered and old enemies remained old enemies that now use covered means to hurt each other.