WINDHAMMER
PDF
EDITION
For some time the first core gamebook in the Chronicles of Arborell has been available both as an online title and as a html-based download file. As a part of an ongoing commitment to provide all titles in this series in the PDF format Arborell.com is pleased to announce the release of a new PDF edition of this popular gamebook title; complete with updated graphics, 600 sections, more than 400 A4-sized pages and a further 200 pages of supplementary documents and information. At over 600 pages this is one of the largest gamebook titles available in the genre and as with all the books in this series is free to download. For a copy just click on the link below.
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WARRIORS
OF THE MARCH
WARGAME
Arborell.com is proud to announce the release of Warriors of the March, a large-scale wargaming system set in the lands of Arborell at the time of the Sixth Horde War. This new war-gaming rule-set and tile system is available free to download and includes everything required to recreate the Grand Army of the Four Nations and the Armies of the Oera'dim.
Warriors of the March requires two download files; a Commanders Guide and a Basic Tile Set that deliver all the materials required to play the game. Both of these files can be found at the link given below.
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SERIES SYNOPSIS
This page covers every available title and all coming titles that constitute the Chronicles of Arborell. Includes title descriptions, timeline dates and availability.
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JOTUN OF THE WEST
The Jotun of the West series is a selection of gamebook adventures that introduce readers to the character of Tansen'Delving, a Jotun of Kraal Delving and a major character in the second core gamebook in the Chronicles of Arborell series - Earth and Stone.
Through the five books planned for this associated series the reader follows the quests of Tansen as he evolves from an enemy of the Four Nations to Halokim Vesh's ally in his quest to kill the Shadowch, a creature of malice and wrath that wishes the death of all living things. These stories take the reader to the lands of the Jotun of the West, and deep into the culture of the Jotun themselves.
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QUEST FOR
THE ORNCRYST
Quest for the Orncryst is a card-based gamebook system unique to the Chronicles of Arborell that delivers a totally random gamebook experience. Based on the Torchlight adventure system this game allows a player to meet a range of quest objectives whilst experiencing a different set of encounters and dungeon setups with each try. This unique gamebook comes with a 100+ page manual, a set of 77 game cards and a range of additional materials and documents. If you have ever wanted to play a truly epic gamebook the Quest for the Orncryst is now available for free download both in its card format and as a purely text-based adventure.
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What follows here is a compilation of questions that have been forwarded to the author regarding
the world of Arborell. I have found these particular questions most interesting and believe they
provide additional information about the nature of Arborell that others may also find informative.
If you have a question regarding this gamebook series you can contact me at the email address
given above, or through the chroniclesofarborell yahoo group.
 Question Links
Hammer and Darkness consistency
Obedience to the Code
Random question about the Hordim
Hammer and Darkness consistency
From: Dark [ Mon Nov 09, 2009 2:21 am ]
Hello.
Well, I've just finished reading the new mythology, and I deffinately appreciated it considderably. It certainly answered some of my questions about the Trel and the word of command, and from a purely literary stand point, I like the irony that the Trel actually doomed themselves through their own fault by using Hordim as assassins, rather than the word being broken by some external agency (as I originally thought). I do however have a couple of questions, which also concern the consistancy of the chronicles. These are not meant as cryticisms, just points i'd apprciate some clarrification on.
First, Aggeron. I thought I recognized the name from the Book of Scars, so I went and checked. There, the Arbitar of the pillars of dissolution claimes to be Aggeron, second to Hamulkuk and architect of the breaking of the word of command. While I can clearly see how Aggeron was instrumental in breaking the word, the Architect is obviously a Jotun, not one of the Trel, and it would seem a very strange position for a Trel Tyrant to be granted, especially given what the position of the rest of the Tre is said to be in the Underworld. then obviously, who is this Hamulkuk? sinse it appears from the mythology that Qirion was the chief player in the insurrection.
Then, I have a couple of questions concerning Kraal assignment and the Word of Command.
In answering my previous post about the Hordim, you stated that new Hordim had a Craal assigned to them when they first arrose from the Horns of Gorgoroth. This was later confirmed in the start of the Hammer and the Darkness, when describing how the word of command took possession of hordim leaving the birthing grounds. While I understand that the spark of life is what is actually immune from the effects of the word, thus conferring that immunity on successive generations, if Kraal assignment is based on which ever Kraal happens to need warriors, how is it that all the immune Hordim end up in certain Kraals, such as the Denma?
I know that the next Jotun gamebook is the Horns of Gorgoroth, so if these sorts of questions are answered there, fair enough. Stil, I do wonder if perhaps the Kraals of the Hordim are more than what I initially thought, groups the Hordim use to give their existance meaning, but essentially creations of their society, and without significance outside it.
I'm also finding myself curious now about how the Mutan reinstated the word, and what reaction they got, especially from the free Hordim, also how they are able to maintain power when planely a signficant number of hordim are in fact immune from the words' effects.
Congratulations on getting the Hammer and the Darkness finished, I'll be looking forward to playing Murder of Crows soon.
My Answer
Hi Luke,
Thanks for your post. It is great as an author to have readers such as yourself that notice these types of questions and then take the time to put them forward. In a series such as mine consistency is everything and your questions certainly got me thinking.
In relation to your first question regarding Aggeron's place as Arbiter in the Pillars of Dissolution you are absolutely right. The Three Powers are not that forgiving, the use of Aggeron's name having slipped in around 2005 but it should have been removed. This is a mistake on my part that thankfully is easy to correct. I used the name Aggeron once in the Book of Scars but the name should have been Ghered, and I have taken steps to correct it. I took the opportunity to also update the Book itself and make a few minor changes. The updated version can be found on the download page at the Chronicles.
You are also correct that Qirion is the chief instrument of the Great Insurrection but he is not the only Hero of Oera'dim legend. Hamulkuk remains as the greatest of all Oera'dim legendary figures even though as a character he has only been mentioned in passing at this stage. His place as the greatest of all warriors relates mostly to the fate of the Dragons of the Ancient World. You might remember from some of the tales told by Gremorgan as he travelled with Mallen Cael that the Oera'dim were not the first creatures created by the Trell'sara. In their attempts to defeat the Forgotten Ones they first designed creatures, which we would call Dragons, to use as weapons against their enemies. These Dragons proved to be less than reliable and became a threat, one that had to be removed although the Trell were certainly had no intention of doing it themselves. It was then that the Trell'sara built the first Hresh with the specific purpose of using it to kill all the Dragons. This first Hresh's name was Hamulkuk and the story of how he was able to subdue most of the Dragons of the Ancient World is the greatest of all Oera'dim stories. With his success the Trell'sara refined their work and created the Hresh in their hundreds of thousands to overwhelm the Forgotten Ones. The rest is history.
In a way Hamulkuk was the prototype of the Hresh as a species and when Ghered proclaims that he was second only to Hamulkuk he is making a specific statement that he served as second in command to that greater warrior in the wars against the Forgotten Ones. Ghered also claims himself architect of the Great Insurrection and this is also correct. Qirion is the Hero of the Great Insurrection but he is essentially a tool used by the Silvan Tree to start a fire that is taken advantage of by a network of the Hidden already placed throughout the power structure of the Trell'sara. It was no accident that the Hidden where concentrated within certain Houses of the Trell, or that the Vardim, the hand-servants of the Masters, were able to act so quickly to stop any of the Trell'sara raising an alarm that might lead to another of their number invoking the Word of Command. If you look at the Great Insurrection like an intricately planned coup then there had to be a planner, somebody, or something that put it all together. In this case it was Ghered, acting on the direction of the Silvan Tree. The Silvan Tree was the power behind the Insurrection, but it was Ghered who worked out how to do it.
As a side-note to this, I already have the draft of the legend of Hamulkuk at hand so in December I'll put it all together and release it as another mythology. You'll see in the story of "The Moon Dragons" why Hamulkuk is the greatest of all Oera'dim heroes and get a better idea of how the Oera'dim came into existence. Although Hamulkuk's story is a far older story, the tale of Qirion and his role in the Great Insurrection has been told first because it is instrumental to what happens in A Murder of Crows.
You may ask the question with this in mind as to why, if Ghered is a Hresh of great import, how he turns up as a Jotun Arbiter in the Pillars of Dissolution? This is relatively straightforward. You will notice that when the True Witness travels through the Underworld that all he sees are Jotun. All the trials and the rewards of the Underworld seem to be undertaken only by Jotun and this is because of the nature of the place itself. The Underworld is not a real place, it is a construct of magic by which the Dreya Tree can fulfill her purpose to scrourge and make ready a Being to be returned to the world Above. Within this Underworld a Being will only see what it is that furthers the purpose of the Dreya, and to this end every Being you encounter is presented as one of your own kind. If a Morg is to enter then it will only be Morg that the Being will see. For a Mutan the same and so on. In truth it is only the Spark of one's existence that travels through the Underworld. How you experience that world is determined by what you were when you entered. How Ghered himself became Arbiter in the Underworld is another story, and one I'll leave for later.
Your question regarding Kraal designation is a good one and can be answered with further detail on how the Insurrection was planned. As we know the Oera'dim are created beings, designed as slaves initially for the Trell'sara. When a Trell needed a new worker, or miner or servant they would essentially order one and that creature would be forthcoming within the Horns of Gorgoroth. Because an Oera'dim spark of existence is eternal, it was possible in the Ancient World that an Oera'dim might start life as a Hresh, then be killed and their spark reused in their next life as say a Mutan or a Jotun. The Trell thought they were creating new beings each time they ordered a new worker but were in fact reusing the same sparks of life over and over again, if in their hundreds of thousands. It was neccessary for the Powers of the World to limit the number of Oera'dim created by the Trell because of the imbalance it caused in the world, and this led to a spark having many different forms over the long years of its use.
The Silvan Tree used the fact that the Trell were unaware of this reuse to plant the immune Oera'dim exactly where she needed them according to the plans of Ghered. Most of the Hidden ultimately fell into the positions required, and it suited their purposes that most of their number should be concentrated in the four Houses of Delving, Oldemai, Amdahl, and Denmar, those Houses that were closest at that time to the Utterer. The Vardim were a different matter and you will see in upcoming parts of the Chronicles that they have a big part to play in what happens to the world of Arborell.
It can be said that these four Houses became the four Kraals of the story that we know now and that since the destruction of the Trell'sara the Silvan Tree has maintained all Oera'dim in the forms that they are familiar with. A Jotun is now always a Jotun, a Hresh always a Hresh etc.
Your last question relates to the Mutan and how they reinstated the Word of Command. It was mentioned in passing during the Living Book's telling of the Hammer and the Darkness that they fell once again under the thrall of the Word of Command because they trusted too much in the integrity of the Mutan. As a supplement to one of the forthcoming Jotun of the West books there will be a full explanation of how this happened. Let us just say that betrayal and vengeance are the keys to that story. How they maintain power at this time has no mystery though. They maintain control of enough of the Horde to suppress the remainder, and you will see in A Murder of Crows exactly how the Mutan exert their control on the Jotun of the West.
If you have any more questions please post them here. I really enjoy answering them.
Regards
Wayne Densley
Re: Hammer and darkness consistency
From: Dark [ Sat Nov 14, 2009 8:18 am ]
Thanks.
I must admit, your answers this time were incredibly illuminating and quite a surprise. I assumed from the book of scars, that when the true witness found himself standing before the gates of halandraal he was given a literal, physical form and in a place populated exclusively by Jotun. Indeed, I did wonder what differences the process of scourging would involve for Muten, Hresh and Morg, sinse obviously their nature was different. this also makes it clear what the precise diference betwene the spark of creation of each individual Hordim, and it's relation to that Hordim's memories and personality work.
Previously, I assumed the sparks were rather like the Hindu or buhdist idea of an eternal soul which continues through a number of life times, ---- losing memories and previous identity, but retaining the same basic character and moral worth betwene differentlives. I now realize this idea was incorrect, and that the Hordim basic existance in the world is a lot more bleak and meaningless than it essentially appeared. Perhaps this would also have become clearer if I'd actually managed to make it to the pillars of disolution in Torchlight, but though I've set out several times I've not yet made it there.
The business with Aggeron does make more sense, and I must confess I did wonder if this was simply a miner mistake of names made in the writing of a long series (one reason I thought it needed highlighting), but tere was also the possibility I was incorrect. With Aggeron being identified in the Hammer and the Darkness this also gives a clearer idea of what The word of Aggeron mentioned in shards of moonlight, which I also replayed recently actually is, Aggerons way of getting into the temple of the moons at Nemhaleen, and not a creation of the ancient Hordim as I initially thought, given the use of the name Aggeron in the book of scars. I also didn't realize that the first Hresh who wielded the Orncrist was actually called Hamulkuk, sinse his name doesn't appear in te tale about the orncrist's origins mentioned in Torchlight, I'll look frward to readng his story.
I find myself distinctly looking forward to murder of crows for more information on the Mutan. One thing I really admire in the Chronicles is there's no clear cut good or evil, just various factions with their different motivations and alliances. The Mutan do seem very close to being simply power hungry though, i'll be interested to see firstly how that power is maitained, nd secondly if there is in fact any reason to their domination of the hordim other than simply holding power for power's own sake. Then again, the accounts from people like the Living Book are essentially accounts from the Mutan's enemies, perhaps anaccount from the Mutan themselves would have a different swing on events.
I gather from the synopsis a full novel concerning the Mutan is planned, but sinse that takes place at the end of the Chronicles I expect it'll be a while a coming, and it'd be nice to find out sooner given the huge role the Mutan play in the Chronicles. I'll look forward to finding out more soon concerning the Vardem, sinse I am quite curious. I'm guessing though that like the Nomdrues of the south, the enemy of the old world and just about everything else answers will be revealed in due time.
One less pressing question, ---- which I admit is rather idel curiosty on my part and which I was sorry wasn't answered in the Hamer and the Darkness, is what precisely did the Trell, those ordinary Trel citizens who weren't quite as corrupted by Magic as Aggeron look like? While there are some races like the forgotten ones and the Vardem who's form is obviously mysterious, sinse we as readers haven't encountered them before, now that we have so to speak got a sight of the trel'sara, even by proxy it'd be nice to have some more mundane details about the Trel themselves, their civilization ad it's like, though once again, if the next mythology will concern the Hordim's creation by the Trel, I'm guessing information on this will be forthcoming soon as well.
Obedience to the Code
From: Dark [ Fri May 14, 2010 9:29 pm ]
I'm really pleased Murder of Crows is now being released, and it was great to get a full explanation of the life and honour of the Jotun. there were however several points about the code that I found slightly odd.
The understanding both of systems of insult, honour and dueling made sense, particularly the idea of a miner duel with knives for a miner insult which is expressly designed not to be fatal (thus keeping matters in scale and insuring that not too many Jotun get killed at random in duels). I also was interested to learn how regulated the system of life and trade betwene the various groups was, and the position and duties of the household Arbiter. My one major question of the code concerns the authority of the chief.
Presumably, sinse the chieftainship is hereditory (or at least as close as the Oera-dim can come to hereditory), there is no chance of any Jotn not part of the chief's immediate household becoming chief himself, though I did get the impression of the code that other positions of rank such as Aldan or Arbiter were open. This means however, that there has been a succession of the same Jotun holding political power for several thousand years. Furthermore, sinse a chief can be challenged neither physically nor politically, this power is absolute. While I do understand that all of the chiefs' sons are open to challenge, and indeed must meat these challenges in order to become chief, once chief, there seems absolutely no check on their power.
What is to stop a chief ordering that the Jotun build him a palace, personally and singly attempt to attack the southlands, or indeed having those Jotun he didn't like executed on a whim. Such personal and selfish behaviour might not be particularly typical of the Oera-dim, but clearly the individual members of the hord aren't all alike, and it's thus possible for some to be as foolish, selfish, or generally unpleasant as it is for any human despite their adherence to the code.
Also, in the actual behaviour of his Companions to Tansen, though he is clearly in command, there is an expectation by the other Jotun that their in put and suggestions and advice would be taken seriously and considdered, and though tansen does indeed have the final word, i do rather get the impression that if he did, for instance, decide to attack the hundred Hresh alone, the other Jotun would try at least to desuade him. I do find it surprising that there is no way essentially to propose a vote of no confidence in a chief, or indeed question a chief's judgement over a certain issue even if the chief does have the final say.
Also, while the Oera-dim's focus on honour and personal achievement through the arts of combat and what position they win makes a lot of sense when set against their original creation as slaves, i find it slightly difficult to comprehend how a group of beings created originally as slaves under masters with absolute authority, now existing un der yet more absolute masters, would chose! yet another absolute ruler of their own free will. Or is this because they have no conception of any other sort of rule? rather the way the Russian pople went from the absolute monarchy of the Zar, to the authoritarian state under Stalin, and only more recently have started adhereing to different forms of government.
My reply
Hi Dark,
Thanks for your post. Once again you have provided a series of questions that point directly to the centre of the concepts that rule the behaviour of the Oera'dim and in this case the Jotun.
Before answering the specific questions you have posed I should give a more in depth explanation of one aspect of the Oera'dim as it will give a better context to what I put forward. The first thing to say is something we already know, and that is that the Oera'dim started their existence as slaves. Designed firstly as weapons but then as servants to serve the needs of the Trell'sara, they were designed in all their facets to perform in two specific ways, the first to perform their designated function efficiently, the second to do it without question.
Aggeron in designing the first Hresh understood that a weapon can be used both by its creator and anyone who might gain possession of it, and went to some lengths to ensure that his Hresh would be obedient to all Guardians but above all else to himself. He did not only make his creations obedient, he built into them a hard-wired acceptance of the Word of Command, and specifically to an unthinking obedience to whomever uttered that Word. We know from the mythologies already presented that he was the Utterer of the Word and with that absolute command of his creations ruled the world for more than one hundred millenia.
With the breaking of the Word of Command the Oera'dim looked to Qirion'Delving for leadership. His time as First Hammer of the World lasted many centuries but with his passing there came a time when the Oera'dim on their own could remain neither civil or organised. Without an overiding authority they quickly fell into chaos and it was only the institution of The Code and the Utterance of the Word of Command once again by the Mutan of the Clavern'sigh that brought the Oera'dim back under control.
Although the Mutan may have reuttered the Word to gain control of the world for themselves the day-to-day existence of the Oera'dim is governed by the tenets of the Code. That Code is both complex and unchangeable and a lot more involved than the general overview given in the appendix, Blade and Hammer. It can be said that the Code is like a set of immutable laws, but as will be seen as A Murder of Crows progresses all laws have their loopholes.
Your first question regards the position of chief within the Kraals of the Jotun of the West. What must be said to start is that the Jotun are not human, they do not have the same moral code as the Men of the South might, and their concept of Honour is entirely different from our own. For a Jotun honour is about obeying without question and getting the job done. If the task is to burn a village to the ground and kill everything that lives within it then the honourable thing is to do it. To obey and to be efficient in your function is the concept that guides Jotun life. What the Code does is formalise everything that might provide dispute within a Kraal and between Oera'dim in general. What it also does is spell out in fine detail exactly what a Chief can do, and the things that can be done of his behalf.
A Chief cannot be a tyrant in the way we might concieve it because every Jotun knows what the Code says about what a Chief can and cannot do. He may be unassaible in all matters but he is above all else an Oera'dim himself, and the Code is the rule he must live by as well. The concept of transgressing those rules is outside of the paradigm of their existence. The check on their power is the rules set out in the Code. They may be incompetent, ruthless or ambitious but a Chief will be all those things within the boundaries that the code allows.
A point that must be made is that although the same Jotun bloodline may hold power essentially forever, it is in name only. A Jotun may arise from the Horns of Gorgoroth with the marking necessary to identify them as a Brother-Chief but they are individual Beings who have been marked so and are more than likely simply the next Jotun in line to be returned to the World Above. If a new Brother-Chief is required by a Kraal it will be provided by the Dreya Tree and it is essentially pot luck as to the spark of existence that will be reborn into the World to fill that need. How that Jotun then fulfils their position will determine what happens to them when they are returned to the Underworld at their End of Days.
I guess the acceptance the Oera'dim have of their social structure is determined by their design and their expectations. An Oera'dim has a different perspective on both honour and the concept of freedom. The slaves of the Trell'sara rose up so that they might throw off the tyranny of Aggeron and in doing so take control of their own destiny. For the Oera'dim however, freedom is a notion completely different from our own. In the Kraals of the Oera'dim there is no free speech, no democracy and certainly no notion of equality, only a struggle for survival and the rule of the Code that allows redress for any wrong done against an individual. For the Oera'dim the Great Insurrection gave them the opportunity to rule themselves and it is the history of the chaos that followed after Qirion's End of Days that moulded the social structure they have today. To survive they must have clear and absolute leadership otherwise they fall quickly into anarchy.
Your question regarding the role of the Brother-Chiefs in A Murder of Crows is interesting. At the time of this story Tansen is a Favoured Son but still only a Brother-Chief like his brothers. Until such time as he ascends to be Chief he is the same as his brothers and the leadership they grant him is based on the expectation of him becoming Chief. When he finally takes that position he will then be unquestioned and none of the Brother-Chiefs will do anything but provide advice. If he did try to attack one hundred Hresh alone Glydenhaal would probably beat him to the ground and restrain him. It is a part of his duty to his current Chief that he keep his brother alive.
One small point not yet mentioned in A Murder of Crows is that it is the Chief that chooses what role a Brother-Chief takes on. Glydenhaal has been chosen as First Hammer and Tansen as Favoured Son, their other Brother-Chiefs to be content as leaders of their respective Households alone. If a Brother-Chief dies another is born into the Horns at Gorgoroth and that Jotun is either given the vacant household or made a Favoured Son or First Hammer if that position is vacant as well. Once a position is given though it remains that Jotun's until they die. The Household Arbiter is chosen also by the Chief and usually from the ranks of the Aald'en. This is done for political reasons and allows at least one of the nimirim to gain entry to the leadership group. The Aald'en themselves are chosen only by fate. The oldest Jotun in any single nimirim becomes Aald'en until such time as they die to be replaced by the next oldest in turn.
It is true that a major flaw in Oera'dim society is their incapacity to question the decisions of their leadership. It is a weakness that has led to many failures on their part and given an amount of predictability to their actions. It will be seen as the Chronicles of Arborell progress that the most dangerous of the Oera'dim will be those that think for themselves.
You are absolutely right that the Oera'dim have no concept of democracy and know absolute rule as their only option for viable government. They were made to obey and lived in the grasp of tyranny for countless millenia. For the Oera'dim it is all they know, and all that they can conceive of.
Having said all of the above I will say that the Mutan of the Clavern'sigh do not follow the Code. Apart from the power they hold with the Word of Command and their participation in the Treaty of Araheal that allows them to harness EarthMagic they are considered dishonourable and worthy only of contempt. How they have come to rule the world of the Oera'dim is a story still to be uncovered.
I hope this answers your questions.
Regards
Wayne Densley
Re: Obedience to the code
From: Dark [ Tue May 18, 2010 10:01 pm ]
Hi, Thanks again.
This once more highlights the thing that I find most interesting about the Oera'dim, the fact that they are essentially alien beings. Whether from their own point of view, or in their laws and customes, or even seen through the eye of others (as in Windhammer), there's a distinct difference about the hord. from a literary point of view this is fantastic, sinse so many created fantasy races devolve into standard sterriotypes or humans with some exaggerated characteristics.
On the mythological side, I'm actually now very much looking forward to more tales of the time after the fall of the guardians and how both the code ad the rule of the Mutan came about, as well as how the Oera'dim lost so much to the men of the south, but I know these are planned for future installments of the chronicles.
Random question about the Hordim
From: Dark [ Tue Jan 20, 2009 11:16 am ]
Okay, alright, as I've been rereading and playing through all the chronicles stufff (really enjoyed blood and Iron, though it has left several mysteries), a rather random thought occurred to me reguarding the hordim.
I'm not sure if this is because I'm strange, or because it's a topic of rather personal interest to me in fantasy in general. I was just wondering about the Hordim's gender.
I assume that the Hordim basically don't have a genda, and words like "he", "him", "brothers" and "sons" are used A,for linguistic convenience and older traditions of speech, sinse for a long while in English the masculine was! the only acceptable pronown, and B, because the culture of the Hordim, being incredibly warrior and honour based is more traditionally seen as masculine, either that or that's the way the people of the four nations see it as they seem fairly traditionally patriarchal themselves. The problem with thinking of the Hordim as basically genderless however, is that firstly in the Jotun's folk tale at the end of Shards of moonlight, a maiden is mentioned. Sinse this story supposedly took place long before humans arrived on arborell, I do wonder where the Jotun got the idea? Unless the Trell, the Vardem, or some other race we currently know litle about had a more traditional genda setup.
The other and more serious problem, is where do litle Hordim come from. From the Book of Scars, I sort of got the impression that Hordim just sprang up pretty much new formed from the Horns of Gorgoroth, however sinse the Hordim have sons, brothers and very important family relationships, this obviously can't be as simple as it appears. Also, where do "new" hordim come from? While I know from the Book of Scars, and references in blood and Iron and Shards of Moonlight that Hordim are directly reincarnated after undergoing trial or reward, some percentage of Hordim who die obviously are not reincarnated and become dreyadim, unless new Hordim were being directly created, this would mean each generation there were less Hordim, and eventually they'd die out.
Are a certain amount of new Hordim automatically created from the Shan'duil occasionally? Or are there indeed female Hordim, but the Hordim (unlike the men of the four nations), draw no distinction whatsoever betwene male and female and afford both the same status and duties to the extent where they don't even acknolidge the difference most of the time?
Appologies if I'm just thinking far too much here, I suppose it's a consequence of studdying philosophy, and I do admit gender and gender related sterriotypes are a bit of a pet subject of mine.
My reply
Hi Dark,
This is a great question and one that touches on the origins and nature of the Hordim. As you are aware the Hordim are manufactured beings designed firstly as weapons of war and then as the workers and engineers of the Ancient World. They have no gender, but because of the nature of the work they were designed for they have more masculine characteristics and therefore identify themselves in that manner.
Even though the Oera'dim are genderless the concept of male and female is known to them however. Their first enemy the Forgotten Ones had both genders and the Trell'sara who were modelled upon them also mirrored that distintion between the sexes. In the Elder Tongue that forms the basis of all the Hordim languages there are words for woman, mother, sister etc. and all are understood by the Hordim even if they are not represented in their own populations. The arrival of Humanity in Arborell only reminded them of those they had previously destroyed.
In your question you mention the maiden of despair and this touches on one of the major themes to be written into some of the future books in this series. The maiden mentioned in the folktale - The Unwary Traveller and the Maiden of Despair - is not a Hordim but a Shapeshifter of the Ancient World using the form of a Maiden to bring down the son of Braga. This Maiden is indeed a representation of a woman of the Ancient World, and may be either a Trell'sara or one of the Forgotten Ones. Who she might actually be is something that will be discovered later.
In answer to your question where do little Hordim come from the answer is that there are none. Hordim of all types arise in the world within the confines of the Horns of Gorgoroth, and they arise from the soil and stone fully formed and adult. As manufactured beings they have no concept of their own childhood, they are simply ready for life at the moment it is returned to them by the Dreya Tree. The Book of Scars outlines the process by which a Hordim is tested and then returned to the World Above. It is a cruel and lengthy proces and one that leaves nothing of the previous individuals memory intact. They arrive back in the world fully formed and are met by others of their kind who assign them kinship to those kraals and families that require new blood. A chief will have a new son assigned to him when one of his other sons has died but there is no actual blood relationship between them. What binds the hordim together is the honour code and duty each has to their allocated kraal. For the Hordim those ties are everything. For them there is nothing else.
In regards to the Dreyadim you make a good point. There should be less of the Hordim with each generation that passes through Hallen'draal as certain Hordim are found wanting in their previous life, but the Hordim number in their millions and the amount of time each individual spends in the Underworld can vary from years to millenia. At any one time the majority of Hordim may well dwell in the Underworld as they undergo the ritual scrouging of their Spark of Life and then enjoy the rewards of the honour earned from their previous existence. Those the Dreya Tree takes as her servants comprise only a very small percentage of the total Hordim population created by the Trell'sara.
In a way it can be looked upon as a rather tragic situation. The Hordim are sentient if cruel beings, fully aware of why they were made yet trying to give themselves meaning and purpose when their original reason for creation has long passed.
I hope this answers your question Dark. Most of the nature of the Oera'dim is still to be uncovered in the Chronicles and I welcome any opportunity to talk more about them.
Regards
Wayne Densley
Re: Random question about the Hordim
From: Dark [ Wed Feb 04, 2009 9:49 am ]
Hi.
Thanks for the explanation. I do find the hordim fascinating, sinse there's a really alien quality about them which makes them feel considderably inhuman rather than (as happpens with many fantasy races), humans with a couple of add-ons or exaggerated characteristics. I actually find myself now being quite interested in the importance of the Kraal to the Hordim, not only in life but as it's part in the petrified forest of Halandraal if it is merely allocated. I did rather assume familial relationships betwene the Hordim, but this now raises even more questions, and actually makes the Hordim more admirable in a sense, sinse they are being loyal to an ideal they chose for themselves rather than their generation. I'd be interested to know also how the various Kraal relationships (partciularly those of the Jottun), came about and why they hold so much fascination for the Hordim, but I assume this will be explained in later installments of the Chronicles.
I did believe the Maiden of dispare must be a female hordim principly because of the way the Son of Braga reacted to her. I assumed that had she taken the form of one of the Trel or forgotten ones, he would have reacted differently, unless the fact that he let his guard down before an enemy was due to his general unwariness. I find the cruelty of the Hordim interesting as well. In many cases, such as the Hresh attack in blood and iron and the assaults on maenem, I get the impression that the Hordim are (quite justifyably), trying to reclaime that which they lost to the humans. In other cases, I actually get the idea that the Hresh and Jotten have different values for life and suffering than humans, not only the warrior's ideal of dying well, but also the idea that physical pain and suffering matters less to them, the behaviour of the warrior of the Denma Kraal who let himself be captured and tortured to death by the Morg was quite illuminating on this.
The only Hordim races I've seen thus far who actually seem to qualify as truly cruel and sadistic are the Morg, who seem to enjoy torture for it's own sake, and the Mutan, who use the pain of others as a method of control. I'd be interested though to learn more about them in future Chronicles installments, particularly why the Trel's former farm workers changed so drastically once they acquired freedom.
Regarding the Clavern'sigh I do have a direct question.
In Blood and Iron it's stated that only 11 lore masters of the Dwarvendim, and 11 Domini of the Clavern'si have the power to directly wield earth magic, and what is done by one is always countered by the other.
I therefore presume that most of the other magic seen in the Chronicles, the explosive grane used by the Mutan shamans, the various magic barriers and traps in Stoneholm and so on, are simply naturally occurring substances or devices created at some ancient time which utilize Earth Magic, much the same way in the Modern world, comparatively few people are electricians, but everyone uses electricity. There do seem however, to be individuals such as the TaK Lovar, who have a sensativity to earth magic, and I would deffinately guess that the Dwarvendim temples trained quite a number of students. In fact come to that, there does seem to be a difference betwene the titles Maturi, used of a lore master, and shada.
If it won't spoil later Chronicles episodes, I'd be interested to know about this distinction and division of power.
My reply
Dark,
You are correct that the importance of the distinction between Maturi and Shadar will be outlined in future books. The difference between the two is mostly a matter of who is chosen. At any one time there can only be 11 LoreMasters and only 11 Dominus of the Sigh. The Shan'duil demands a balance between the two or none can gain acces to EarthMagic. A Maturi is another title for a LoreMaster and a Shadar is the title given to a student of EarthMagic. Many Shadar may be trained but only when a Maturi dies is another chosen from them to become a member of the Grand Circle.
Shadar who are not chosen act instead in their lives as agents of the Grand Circle, wielding the lesser powers that come from the use of talisman's and the few aspects of EarthMagic that they are allowed to harness. As a LoreMaster can live a very long time there are very few Shadar who are ever chosen to join their ranks.
On your point regarding the Maiden of Despair I look upon the story as a folktale of sorts, one that tells a morality tale that reinforces the dangers of a soft and indolent life. To the Hordim the Maiden is a symbol of the decadence of the Ancients they destroyed and her transformation as a shapeshifter the proof of the dangers of letting down your guard. He was both unwary and undisciplines and met an unhappy end because of it.
Regards
Wayne
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MYTHOLOGY
OF THE
OERA'DIM
The Mythology of the Oera'dim is a compilation edition of all myths and stories that relate to the Oera'dim of Arborell. Available in a pdf format, including the Book of Scars, it is presented with full colour covers and introduction and is free to download from the link given below.
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THE LEXICON
OF ARBORELL
Within the pages of the Lexicon of Arborell can be found a glossary of terms, places and character names that are unique to the books and supplementary documents of the Chronicles of Arborell. At this stage the glossary is a comprehensive listing of over 400 words and can be freely obtained from the link given below.
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SHARDS OF
MOONLIGHT
PDF EDITION
A new PDF version of one of our most popular gamebooks is now available. This new edition contains all the content of the online version enclosed in a set of full colour covers. To have your copy just click on the link below.
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BLOOD AND
IRON
Here can be found the tale of Mallen and Tomas Cael, Men of Kalborea and metalsmiths by trade. Their story begins in the Year of Settlement 517, some four hundred years before the destruction of the great Dragon Windhammer. For the Brothers Cael life is untroubled, the violence of the Horde only a distant memory for the residents of their coastal home of Callenfrey. In one night of destruction however, their quiet existence is torn from them and they are thrown into the quest that is the centre of this epic tale. It will be their fate to travel deep into the Lands of Perdition and on that journey discover the hidden magic of Arborell.
All episodes of this story can be found below. It is my hope that you will enjoy the journey...
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