Valtia
Valtia is a long-lost isle of wonderment, and was once the center of a great empire called the Valtian Free State, but was completely destroyed in a cataclysm. At its prime, the Valtian Free State was an advanced civilization and the dominant military and cultural power of Micras conquering or subduing many other nations, including Viken. Valtia is the ancestral home of the House of Ettlingar Freyu as well as the spiritual predecessor of the High Realm of Stormark.
Contents
Foundation
Thousands of years ago a chieftain called Arnar Ingólfursson led a group of Vikings, who were fleeing the Kingdom of Viken to escape the oppression by the very brutal King Halfdan Evilheart, on a sea voyage to find a new homeland. After a long time in rough and foggy seas, they made landfall on the shore of an island. Not long after they landed, the men wanted to take to the sea again, but the women who were traveling with them did not want to leave. One woman, named Valtia, suggested that the women burn the ships out at sea to prevent them from leaving and they did so.
At first, the men were very angry with Valtia, but they soon realized that they were in the ideal place to settle, and out of gratitude they named the island after the woman who had torched their ships.
Structure
The Valtian Free State had an unusual structure. At the national level, the Althing was both court and legislature; there was no king or other central executive power. Valtia was divided into numerous chiefdoms, which were essentially clans or alliances run by chieftains. Each chief built and was responsible for running a Temple.
The chieftains provided for defense and appointed judges to resolve disputes between chiefdom members. However, all free men could attend. It gathered at the Law Rock. The system made it difficult if not impossible for any individual to accrue too much power, since people could switch their loyalties and there was no property for him or her to dispense. With no king or chief executive, the Valtian Free State was a unique political system at this time. The chiefs were required to explain their vote on any issue to their supporters.
A Law Speaker was elected every three years by the Althing. He or she served as the de facto Sovereign of Valtia, offered legal advice and presided over the sessions of the Althing.
Destruction
Valtia was destroyed when it sank into the sea on a winter night in cataclysmic event known as the Destruction of Valtia nearly a thousand years ago. None of the inhabitants of Valtia survived its destruction, save for a few families who left Valtia just before its destruction.
The House of Ettlingar Freyu escaped the disaster because the Lady Freyja had forewarned them and told them to flee to the Mysterious Isles.
Legacy
To this very day Vatlian cuisine, medicine, and crafts and arts are highly valued in Froyalan and items, objects and artifacts from the Days of Valtia, such as Valtian Steel blades and Valtian Silk clothing, are extreme status symbols. Valtian customs are still adhered to in many parts of Froyalan, and Sagas about life in Valtia also remain very popular.
