Family History

Mr. Athos

Lived in Era 28, got 1 heir(s) (Athos II) and was a member of Jester Jester read all about it
History of the origins of the Louvite people.
The Louvites are an ancient tribe who came from the North East, their name means “Wolf men” and they were named thusly because they lived in the wilds and where often feared for their rugged ways and lifestyle.
Every leader takes the name of Athos after the first leader of their recorded history who led them from The War That Nearly Was to their home land some time around 3 millennia ago when a powerful nation called the Dragoon, had spread over the land. The Hittites where a rival nation who fought the Dragoonians for land and power, both had their sights on the land on which the Louvites where currently living. The Louvites wanted to remain free and independent but knew they didn’t have the technology or military power to confront these nations. They decided that since they had a mostly nomadic lifestyle anyway they could gather the lose tribes of their people and migrate far away from the influence of the 2 warring nations. (The tribes where called Houses and each House had a main family whose elder was the leader or Chief) But the Hittites and Dragoonians knew that the land was more valuable if there were a people occupying it to tax and control.

While the many Houses gathered at the central Louvite village, a Hittite army had assembled and was moving on Louven. Luckily hunters in the region had detected the approaching army, (The Hittites had arrived first because Louven was closer to Hittia then it was to the Dragoon Empire.) The Houses that had gathered were warned and the chiefs quickly held council. It was decided that the veteran Chiefs and champions would stay and hold off the invaders while the rest of the soldiers and people would flee. They needed to reach the docks (Situated on the coast of the Black Sea) as quickly as they could then sail across the sea to wilder lands away from the large nations. Athos was a wise man who was chief of the main House; he was also an experienced warrior and commanded the Louvite Elite Hunters. It was he who led the veteran army, his final words to his people were, “Our people's future lies in the strength and determination of the younger generations.” He gathered his forces at the hill Fort of the village and prepared to meet the superior forces of the enemy.
The veterans where not just some old soldiers though, these were battle worn warriors and champions of their people, who had fought more battles than most of the Hittite Generals, they were all extremely talented fighters who had trained long and hard for most of their lives. Although most of their battles had been hand to hand fighting with rival tribes, never had they faced an organized army. The enemy found the village empty of any people except for the Fort which was well defended. The Hittites sent an emissary with a message that demanded that Louven become a state in the Hittite nation or it’s people would be forced into slavery. The Defenders sent the messenger back to the Hittite camps with a reply that said they would defend their independence to the death.

The night before the battle the Army of Champions could see distant torches in the many enemy camps forming outside the forts walls and heard them yelling and singing war songs. In the morning however the champions awoke to a strange sight and a bitter realization, the enemy banners had been thrown down and their armies where dead and in their place an even larger force had been set up. The Dragoonians had taken longer to get here but they where much more prepared. They sent the same ultimatum and received the same response. The Defenders did not run or despair despite the odds, their mission was still clear, the Houses had to get their people moving and reaching the docks would take time. They needed to hold the bulk of the enemy here so that when they did reach the exodus (which was unavoidable since both enemy nations had riders that would travel much faster than burdened villagers) the rest of the Louvite soldiers would be able to hold them off more easily. Old warriors where sacrificing themselves for a new generation, it was an honorable way to die. The Fort was only made of wood but its walls where thick and tall, the store rooms in the walls had been filled with dirt to better resist rams. The Dragoonians began the battle with a volley of arrows but the Defenders had large heavy shields of wood and copper that resisted, not even long spears could break those shields. They tried to knock the large door down with a ram but it held and the Defenders threw heavy stones down on them. They put up ladders, but while the defenders where outnumbered, they were not few. They tried to push back as many ladders as they could and if an enemy did manage to reach the top he was met with large axes and heavy clubs. The Dragoonian general had been too confident by just rushing their forces in so he pulled them back and decided on a new plan. The next day, early in the morning, under cover of an attack of arrows, they brought many containers of oil to the fort walls and set fire to them, the hard wood burned quickly. The Champions tried to throw water on the flames but they had limited reserves and only helped to slow down the blaze. They did succeed in isolating the fire by wetting the wood around the oil spill. But by evening there was a large smoking breach in the front wall. The invaders pushed forth with a large attack force, the defenders held the line at the breach and swung their heavy weapons, axes cutting flesh and maces crushing bone, trying to keep the enemies back. But every once in a while an archer or a spear got a shot through the wide shields, and the defenders numbers where inevitably decreasing. As determined and able as the Champions where, they where hopelessly outnumbered. The attackers did try the fire again but this time the defenders spotted them and were able to rush out from the breach. They killed the oil carriers and rolled or threw the lit containers down the slope of the hill. The flames flowed down towards the line of archers and set fire to their gear and to a few archers; this bought the Champions some more time but not much. Soon the enemy was pushing forth again.

In the heat of battle, Athos and his second in command, Garok were at the breach with shields up and weapons thrusting. They were doing well because the besiegers were tiring more than the defenders and they needed to replace their forces with fresh soldiers which took time, time that the defenders used to prepare for the next attack. But as luck would have it, while the two chiefs and several other champions stood side by side at the breach, an enemy ladder was pushed up and an archer climbed quickly. He fired a few shots before a heavy stone threw him to the ground, but one of the shots reached Garok and struck him in the chest. He fell dead before his friend could react, Athos reached down to help but saw there was nothing he could do. He had been ready to die but upon seeing his comrade, his friend who had fought and hunted along side him all these years, he realized he hadn’t only sacrificed himself, but also all these friends. A vengeful rage took him and he grabbed his great Meteoric hammer and threw a murderous battle cry, which was heard throughout the Fort, before rushing out of the breach into the line of attackers. Every Louvite in the keep who could still stand took up his cry and followed him out waving their weapons. The counter attack was so sudden that the archers where swept aside before they could fire more than a few shots. Athos was at the front of the charge waving his hammer with both arms, having cast aside his shield. By the time they reached the Dragoonian camp though, the invaders had had time to prepare and fired a full volley of arrows. They where rushing in to close the door before the Louvens reached them but Athos and three other men burst through and into the base. The Dragoonians who had seen Athos’ attack and lived had described him as “A giant barbarian who fought like a bear, so great was his strength”. Over half of the champions had died by that time in the siege, a third made it to the enemy camp and less than a quarter was alive when Athos arrived at the general’s tent. Athos had an arrow in his arm and another in his gut but he was focused on his goal, the general was still equipping his battle armor when the mad man rushed in. Before the guards could intervene, Athos had struck a lethal blow to the general’s head, moments before they pierced him with half a dozen spears or swords. So ended the Battle for Louven, autumn of 2065 B.C.

The courageous charge of the Champion army had killed a good number of Dragoonians but it was small compared to the amount of forces that remained and they were expecting reinforcements. In fact there had already been some riders that had moved ahead to find the villagers. The best thing that the defense had done was damage in confidence; the Dragoonian troops had lost a general, their leader. Now they feared the hills where filled with these savages that could rush through defenses and ignore the bite of sharp metal, that they where waiting for the army to move in deeper into their land before striking again. It took time for the invasion to progress and when they did reach the docks, they found them fortified and defended by more brave Louvites. The Louvens held for a whole day, but on the dawn of the next day, while more Dragoonian troops where arriving, they found the docks empty of any troops or ships. The Emperor of Dragoon was not pleased with the news when it reached him. The acquiring of such a small state was usually a show of superior power, they captured or killed the few rebellious inhabitants who stood up and the rest usually fell into line. Now all they had was some buildings and an empty land. Louven remained a harsh and wild land for a long time to come and was never heavily colonized by the Empire.

Few Champions had survived the Battle, some had fallen but not died in the final charge, others who had stayed at the Fort because they had been too wounded or ill to run. They had been captured and where destined to become slaves of the Dragoonians. One man, a captain of the northern hunters named Orme, who had been shot by an arrow in the side of the chest yet lived was still imprisoned a month after the battle had ended. The Dragoonians didn’t have the time or guards on hand to bring the prisoners all the way back to their home land and even under threat of death they still refused to swear fealty to Dragoon so they decided to execute the prisoners and be done with them. Orme overheard his guards talking of this and planed an escape. The general attitude of the soldiers was lacks since most of the natives had left the land and the few tribes who had remained weren’t very dangerous so the escape was successful. Orme went with a fellow Louvite and an Elf who had shared his cell. The three snuck out of the prisons under cover of darkness and tried to free as many of their comrades without being detected. Before leaving though, they stole back the hammer of Athos that had fallen into the hands of the enemy when the commander had fallen. It was held by the leader of the Louvites and it was a symbol of his strength and his eternal will to defend them. It was said that it had been made from a metal stone that had fallen from the sky in a ball of fire and was rumored to have magical properties. After that the fugitives fled to the coast and found that the dock had been taken up by a Jewish company. They bought a boat with some stolen gold and managed to pick up the trail of their tribe. It took long but as they where constantly on the move, they eventually reached the new Louvite camp and returned the hammer to Athos’ son who had taken the title of Chief of the main House and was now Chief of the rest of the tribe.

The Louvites traveled for a long time generally towards the West and the South, hunting in the harsh wilds and staying on the move kept their population small but strong. They came across some nomads who would sometimes join them. The story of the last stand of Athos and his brave champions was told and retold. So popular was it that the day of the Battle became a Holiday where troubadours and minstrels told the tales of the old land and sung songs of the brave deeds done and all the soldiers and strong men (and woman) played tournaments and duels. After a few hundred years of roaming they settled in a land called Louven Valley and decided to form a real town, not just a camp or a hunting lodge, a place where all the tribal Houses could stay to form a city state that would have more influence than a bunch of tribes. It was in a valley with plentiful resources where their population could grow. On a hill in the center of the valley they built the white temple, made of hard white stone and made it their center for all political, religious, and royal dealings (In game terms the White Temple is sort of like The main building, town hall, palace and embassy all in one large structure.) Beneath the hill are the crypts, where the past leaders and chiefs are buried. Other notable buildings were the Library, where all written knowledge was stored, and the Museum where the people’s history and relics were kept. These three buildings where made of solid stone foundations and have stood since the beginning of the town and are considered important historical symbols by the Louvites.

The Louvites fight for survival and consider Family, Nation and Honor to be their most important assets. Their original language is an old form of French although they also learned the Anglo-Saxon's tongue.

Mr. Athos II

Lived in Era 28, got 1 heir(s) (Athos III) and was a member of Brotherhood of the Wolf
Athos II, son of Athos the Champion, was the one who led the Louvites into their exodus, he led them far across the lands, maintaining this nomadic lifestyle for 20 years. He was known as Athos Iron Hand for none matched his skill with heavy weapons and he fearlessly led the remaining warriors in their hunts or raids.

As they traveled, the Louvites tried to settle down and establish a new home for themselves but they where always hounded by the massive empires of the land. They always managed to escape, leaving many fallen enemies behind them but do to their small number they had to remain nomads. They sometimes found a place where they could settle and live for a few years, but always a massive nation would come and threaten them with slavery and death.

Until they one day found a strange valley, it was tucked away between tall mountains and not well known by the surrounding Nations.
Here is an excerpt from the journal of one of the Louvite Soldiers who was witness to their entiering these lands: "October 15th, year 859 of the Fifth Era. Entry of Mizan ShadenClaw,
We walked down the slopping road that winded down into the heavily forested valley. The thick woods there looked ancient, the sun light had trouble reaching the ground and many of the troops wonders if any people could live in such a wild land. Suddenly a wolf's howl broke the silence. We looked around and could see shadows in the underbrush. Many of us drew our swords as a figure came into the light, a figure of a man, cloaked in gray pelts and ragged clothing. "Fear not, he told us, no harm will come to those who visit our woods, except for those who bring harm with them." We where still wary but Commander Athos told us to stand down, realizing we had indeed found the inhabitants of these lands. We explained who we where and how we where fleeing war torn lands, looking for a new home and asked the man if his people had a city somewhere in this strange valley. The sinister man smiled at our group and told us that his people did live in the valley. "Follow me, I will lead you to our villages tell you about my people..." "
The inhabitants of the valley where in fact groups of men who lived side by side with packs of the great North Wolves, they where known as the Brotherhood. Their tribe had existed for millenia. They had taught the wolves the knowledge and speech that they had and the wolves taught the humans the magics of nature. The men eventually learned the ability to change into wolf shape and the wolves learned how change into human shape, bringing the two clans together. They lived a secretive, shamanic lifestyle, hidden from others in their forested valley. The Brotherhood usually chased away outsiders too keep their nation hidden but they saw the strength and resilience of the Louvites, and offered them to join their Brotherhood. While Athos had hesitated at first, but in his heart he knew. His people had always been close to nature, they always hunted or foraged for their food and rarely farmed, they where considered odd by other tribes. They would not be abandoning their humanity, but also embrace their animal side. And so it came to pass that the Louvite people became part of the Brotherhood of the Wolf.

Mr. Athos III

Lived in Era 29, got 0 heir(s) and was a member of Brotherhood of the Wolf
An aged, gray furred wolf stood upon the rock cliff, gazing outwards past the mountain side to the lands beyond. The sun was dropping in the sky, but it still cast enough light to show the moving shapes in the distance, approaching the mountain chain. War was coming, unavoidable, unstoppable, like the storm on the horizon, approaching. Still, he considered himself lucky that they had had a warning, time to prepare, to hide away what could be saved.

As he gazed out, deep in thought a lightly armed soldier approached quietly, “Commander, the officers have arrived at the camp. They are waiting for you.” The old wolf sighed and looked at the Warrior who was as ready for war as all the other Louvens in the camp were. The wolf looked at the soldier and nodded before stepping off the cliff and heading down the slope of the hill. As he stepped his shape changed suddenly and seamlessly into that of a tall man, his hair the same gray as his fur had been, cloaked in thick animal pelts and with a heavy broad sword at his belt. He strode through the camp, returning the salutes from the men, and the slight nods from the wolves that he crossed, his troops, he wondered how many would be alive after all this. He laughed inwardly at the thought; after? They were never going to see what happened after the wars, battles or conflicts, it was an eternal fight to survive.

The camp had been set up in one of the depressions in the mountain chain so that it could overlook the inside of the valley and the outer realm without being so high that it could be seen easily. Even so, troops had been ordered to keep all fires out, they would have to rely on fur and toughness to endure the cold autumn air, and keep their eyes open and alert in the diminishing light. The Commander arrived at the central tent that had been erected around a large oak tree and stepped inside. Inside where 11 people around a table, the eleven Leaders (himself being the 12th) of the wolf packs of Louven Valley.

They were all ready for battle, ready to fight and die for the greater good. They awaited only his command before going into combat. He looked at all his comrades and told them, "Even if we die here tonight, our people will have victory before the end..."