Hlienes Vaskr [Read-only]

there is no great legend associated with the name. their faces are those that could easily be forgotten among the many, they have done no great deeds, gained little notoriety. their trappings are humble and their words warm, their bonds close and their loyalty stronger. they are no brooding lion, waiting to pounce. no, instead they are the earth beneath your feet - steady, solid, unchanging. their roots begin and end at the stardust of the world - they have existed in some form far longer than we can know, and always will. on silent feet and broad shoulders they carry the blood of the world, the history and the intent, the hopes. they are noble, they are humble, they are unchanging.

they are Hlienes Vaskr.

What they call 'The House' or 'The Home is the roots, the culture, the ground beneath their feet - all their beliefs and their collectives together. Hlienes Vaskr means;  home valiant for which they were first named. All souls are welcome within their collective although agencies may vary from generation to generation. The name is seared into their very being, the fiber of their bones and will rejoin the earth only at the time of their death.

the naming system and colloquial language of Hlienes Vaskr is a combination of two pseudo-languages and select elements of old norse.

At base, the "language" and culture of the pack is based around the Lapine language from Richard Adams' Watership Down which details a simple yet robust lexicon used by the wild rabbits of the story. For words and/or phrases that don't exist in lapine (or are longer than 25 characters, which tends to happen) are utilized from a combination of  the trigedasleng tribal language and old norse.

Using a combination of three languages can sometimes be challenging, but I hope to model a breathing lexicon that changed rapidly as it grew - with some facets that are still similar at root but some that have been changed and eroded by time, and dialect.

one. those in power will take on the title Frith^{(spirit of the sun/life)}. This name serves as a title to outsiders - but within pack serves almost as a given name. The title of Frith cannot be transferred after an heir is chosen - only death can free one from the responsibility of the Vaskr. Frith is not required to be a mated pair.

two.  within the house, the line follows the strong. while the society is matriarchal in nature - marriages are regarded as bonding ceremonies rather than matings, and pair bonds can form between any individuals as long as both are willing. If a mother has no daughters to carry her stead - a son may take the mantle. The production of pups is viewed as just that, a necessity for the next generation. There are no regulations or expectations of a binding mating for any wolf within Hlienes Vaskr except that mating will not occur between direct kin.

three. gender does not determine usefulness. beyond the connection of lineage, all members of Vaskr society are allowed to work, live, and exist as they see fit. no position within the pack is bound by biological sex or gender presentation. those who display non-traditional gender expression are as welcome as any other.

four. all travelers are considered Hlessi; ^{(outsiders, '"above grounders")} until they have spent three months learning the way of the collective. then, if they so choose - they may forsake their former name and be welcomed among the vaskr. It is believed that Inle sees their true name etched into their being long before they might choose their path home.  Hlessi as a rule, are considered to be any wolf who is not a full member of the collective. those who are born in Hlienes Vaskr cannot be considered hlessi unless they have committed a great sin against the people.

five. members of Hlienes Vaskr can come and go as they please. they may take another name, one that they wear outside of the Home - but always here they will be remembered by the name Inle gave them.

six. pups are cared for by the entirety of the pack. they have a mother, a nursemaid, and perhaps a father within the collective but all are considered equally family. pups are considered unnamed (and named for their birthmother) until their third month of age. on the first moonrise of their fourth month, all will be named by Inle.

seven. Inle^{(spirit of the moon/death)} was once a title used - but has now been honored to the collective's former leader, Hoskuld, who continues to guide the pack even after her life has ended. It was Hoskuld's training and wisdom that trained her successor - and so now the people follow the strongest.

eight. members of the Flay must undergo an intensive training; and only those most qualified can become a member of this elite group. if no members of the pack are fed - the Home dies. those that current flayrah believe to be talented may be trained.

nine. those who have grown old and weary are well cared for among the vaskr. All wolves above five years of age are promoted to bralrah unless they would prefer otherwise.

ten. death releases all members of Hlienes Vaskr into Inle's eternal embrace. they are to be buried among the stones beneath the ancestral hlien^{(home/den/warren)} regardless of where the vaskr may reside when that wolf joins Inle. if the body cannot be transported home before the elil^{(enemies/nature/others)} would descend upon it, then the current Inle will bring their femur home to bury among the stones.

eleven. the pack may wander as the bralrah see fit, but each winter will be spent within the ancestral hlien. special care should be given to honor the lost, the dead, and those who came before as the year itself draws closer and closer to death.

The line of ɨռʟɛ:
Yri
Hoskuld, frithsdottir
Heimr, hoskuld dótturson


The line of ʄʀɨȶɦ:
Skjold
Aestrid
Dahloi, rusatithi to Hoskuld
Sol, bralrah flayrah
Lendri, moldburin