The Kingdom of Littonia - Vaults of Pandius

LITTONIAN HISTORY AND LEGENDS
“We are the men of the Gaudava River
and the lands through which it flows. Its
waters run in our veins, just as the soil of
Littonia is in our bones.” (from the oath
of the Littonian Royal Guard)
The Creation Epic of the
Littonian People
In the beginning the land was cold and
only the moon shone in the sky. The
world was the dominion of Mēness and
nothing grew; but the Immortals had
created the Littonians, and needed to
build a home for them, so they could
grow and sing praises.
Saule leapt out of the sea, pulling the
sun behind her, and so the land grew
warm, melting the ice and letting the
great Gaudava flow. The land was
warmer but still barren, and Zemes māte
and Meza māte, the Mothers of Soil and
Forest, were not satisfied; for they loved
all life and despaired of seeing nothing,
and so great forests sprang from the
earth, and animals arose to dwell in them.
Not to be denied her due, the Mother of
Waves, Jūras māte, reached deep within
the oceans, and threw fish into the
Gaudava, and extended her dominion
over the land for a time. Her sisters were
angered, and where they fought, lakes
and other rivers formed, and of their
conflicts great Pērkons was born.
Pērkons let loose great storms upon the
quarreling sisters, but they were mightier
than he and cast him upon a great
mountain, from whence he rages from
time to time.
All the while did Saule fight with
Mēness for dominion over the skies, for
the latter would neither yield his domain
nor accept an end to the darkness. But
Saule in her burning rage was aided by
Pērkons; and so Mēness offered her
partial dominion – by day she would be
supreme, and during the night there
would be no light save that of the moon.
Thus was the land made ready by those
on high for their children, among whom
they walked from time to time.
The Giants of Ulf
The Littonians were not alone in their
land – the evil frost giants coveted all
they saw and to the south were countless
hordes of barbarians and worse folk. But
the Littonians were firm in their faith,
tending the land and expanding across it.
But they were proud, and would bend
their knees to no one save their chiefs,
and thus did Mēness slake his thirst for
battle. As they fought one another, the
Littonians grew weaker, and so they fell
to the giants of Ulf, who created
Nordenheim.
Worse torment there could not have
been in the land of the frost giants, and
the spirit of the Littonians was crushed.
King Ulf towered above all as he
surveyed his fief. He and his court
feasted on their slaves, and Velu māte
ushered many lost souls into the shadowy
realm of Vinsaulē.
By blood and bone did the Littonians
build great Høgborg for their masters.
After many years of suffering, great
Namejs arose to lead his people against
the giants. The clamor of battle rang
from the hills to the sea, and the
Littonians finally prevailed, destroying
the vile at Høgborg. Namejs created the
first kingdom, Littonia, but his was a
golden age that did not long outlast him.
Men turned on each other once more, and
they destroyed much that he had so
painfully wrought. Once more the land
bled, and Mēness was again sated – and
all the while Littonia’s enemies crowded
around the edges like wolves.
The Lay of Karlis
There came a man, Karlis, who was
destined to be king, and he set forth to
bind his people together once more. For
many years his armies marched, offering
friendship to those who would pledge to
him, and death to those who refused.
The wayward kings of Saldus rejected
Karlis, seeking to hold their treasures in
great secrecy. Yet their greed was no
shield against the Unifier’s swift blade,
and Saldus was never again counted
among the fiefs of man. By the passage
of two and ten years, Littonia was whole
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once more. Karlis the Unifier gave his
people a strong line, and so the realm has
endured since his passing over a
thousand years ago.
Troubles and Triumphs
That strength of Littonia was sorely
tested by the Kaarjalans, who came from
the west not long after the passing of
Karlis. Though many battles were
fought, King Māris saw little profit in
fighting those who could be allies against
common enemies. Thus were Kaarjala
and Littonia bound together in an alliance
that holds to this day.
Though the kingdom was stronger, it
was not without enemies. The frost
giants wreaked much havoc from time to
time, and the goblins to the south harried
the Littonians until they were finally
brought to heel by King Viesturs.
There were enemies within, too. Not
all of the wounds suffered by the
Littonians in their sundering had been
healed, and so the people sometimes
fought one another. Still, the work of
Karlis was not undone, and Littonia
continued to grow – as it does to this day.
The greatest battle of all was not fought
on a battlefield – it is still being fought
today, in the heart and mind of every
Littonian. For, with the passage of time
everything has changed.
The land is not as it once was, and the
people have changed with it, but many
traditions and beliefs are still as they
always were. The people are aware of a
world larger than their realm, of exotic
lands and people to the south, and many
feel the kingdom must change if it is to
prosper. But there are those to view
these changes with fear, who say the
Littonians would be turning their backs
on their heritage – even their Immortal
birthright – if they should walk down this
unfamiliar path.
This battle will be fought in each person,
and not even Mēness knows whether the
kingdom will hold.