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War Forged: The Mountain Callers

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The Mountain Callers

Mountain Callers by InTheDappledRain

"IN THE SHADOWS OF THE MOUNTAINS, WE WILL STAND"

Never quite the strong or respectable clan, but an important one nonetheless, the Mountain Callers are often thought to be a clan of mystery with a lack of general importance when it comes to history.

After the God's war, (unknown amount of time, seeing as the history has been long lost to the clan) the small town of Warwick was founded by a unicorn named Aaron. Best known for it's farmers, bridge builders, and the small hub for trading with the nearby Sea Bringer Clan, the Mountain Callers originally ascended into being from the unicorn's great deeds during some of the more... gruesome parts of Onea's past. He gained quite the following, and eventually came to be known as an ally to the common horses that suddenly found themselves located outside of their homeland.

Now best known for being lucky enough to have held the position of Stone Circle for two generations, the clan also has the terrible reputation of being the only Clan to worship Argus, much to the distaste of some members within the clan, and more importantly, members of the general War Forged community.

The Callers have always been considered a relatively docile southern clan that doesn't boast the harsher accent of the north nor does it really claim to be a part of most of the bloodier battles and clan conflicts of history with the exception of Garok's war to unite the clans. The Callers are, by large, a clan of easy-going, but hard working equines that just so happen to be worshipers of Argus in comparison to most of the other clans.

History

THE GOLDEN YEARS - FOUNDATIONS
  • The Mountain Callers, despite their colorful history and intense traditions that call back to their "non-onean" heritage, are actually one of the older clans within the War Forged, dating back to the first clans that formed after Kaia's disappearance from the world she created.

  • Aaron Mountain Caller (or whatever the name the clan held at the time, that name is dead to everybody) is the known founder and first clan leader of the Mountain Callers, though it is largely debated on whether the clan held that name so early in it's history. As the term Mountain Caller originally referred to the horses and other non-unicorn breeds that had started to call the lands of Onea their home. Although most assume now that the clan literally means that these horses and unicorns can "call up mountains", it was originally meant as a slightly derogatory term; they were visitors, not true members of the herd.

    Mountain Caller originally had a clan of mostly pony unicorns when it first started out, but when it became known that he sympathized and wished to help the horses within Onea settle the lands and begin life as members of the War Forged, the clan vastly grew into a group of horses, some hippocampi (though most joined the neighboring Sea Bringer Clan), and unicorns.

    This ascent into power, however did not last for long, as when his son took over as the clan's chief, the clan fell into slight disrepair.

  • Unlike his father, Rafiel was never meant to be a leader. He was lazy, inattentive to the clan's lands or law, and often preferred spending time in the neighboring town of Seton, preferring the company of pirates, harlots, and only Kaia knew what else to that of his actual Clan needs. Although most of his "reign" was known to be nothing but a disaster, he did manage to solidify a good marriage for his twin brother, Castiel, that united both the early Mountain Callers and the budding Sea Bringer clans for years to come. It has been said that thanks to this brother, one normally cannot find a Mountain Caller who doesn't have a Sea Bringer at their back in most battles.

    This alliance still stands strong today, and most of the Mountain Caller's timber harvesting goes to the Sea Bringers to help them build their ships.

  • However, it may come as little to no surprise that an ineffective leader often leads to revolts or riots. Castiel Mountain Caller eventually succeeded his brother in power, though many horses and unicorns alike believed that the younger twin murdered his brother to ensure that the clan could rise to a better place. History often tells of many stories involving Rafiel. Some insinuate that he became a pirate, living his days out at sea with the clan he actually enjoyed being around, while others paint Castiel in a much darker light. Whatever the story, many clan historians agree that Castiel was more than fit for the position, as the clan boomed for many years while under Castiel's power.

  • Castiel lead the clan for many years, bearing many sons and daughters that still have roots within the clan today. He is by far known as one of the best chieftains to ever have lead the Callers and many children within the clan have held variations of his name because of it. When he died, his eldest son, Gabriel, took over as Cheiftain and the clan continued to progress into the future, establishing their first official market within the first few years of his reign.

    However, Gabriel's rule was soon to be tainted, as he fell in love with a horse that believed in the good god of arcane... His marriage to this horse, Amalie Bridger, would set his clan on a different course than expected... and would eventually solidify the name Mountain Caller as the clan's official title, as they would quickly accelerate into being strong believers in both Argus and Kaia... much to the other clans' distaste.

  • Little else is known about the early years of the Callers.

    RECENT YEARS
  • After many years of silence from the Southern Clan, things changed vastly when Orik Mountain Caller, descendant to the Caller's of old, found himself in a very interesting relationship with none other than Garok of the Stone Hooves. Orik's father owed a debt to the Stone Hooves that he could not pay off in any normal manner, forcing him to give his eldest son, and next in line for Chieftain, over to the Clan as ransom. Orik, who had been born blessed with psychic manipulation, found himself in a vastly different field of politics than he had ever expected, as his family and clan often only dealt with the "relatively passive" (read: the callers were blind to the crazier side of the clan) Sea Bringer Clan that lived in the neighboring town of Seton (which was now nearly fully conjoined with Warwick).

    It was during the time that Orik spent living and learning from the Stone Hooves that he quickly became acquaintances with none other than Garok. Although Orik was often shirked by the clan for being from a much "softer" southern group of unicorns that worshiped such a mundane god like Argus, his friend saw something else entirely in the stallion. It was soon made obvious that the older members of the clan didn't know the power that the young colt held as well as Garok did.

    He had seen in person the kind of effects psychic manipulation could have on another horse, and saw use to it that nobody else did.

  • It was only when a raven came to the Stone Hooves that Orik's father had passed that he was allowed to return home. He was now a fully grown stallion that had known nothing but the Stone Hooves for most of his life finally allowed to go back to the home he should have been raised in. It wouldn't be long after his return that he would get his own bird from the Stone Hooves, from Garok himself, asking him to join the stallion in what would eventually become the biggest crusade in recent history.

    Uniting the clans.

    It is assumed that the letter reads something like this:

    "Dearest besty,
    How is your old home doing now that your old man is dead, possibly from a broken pride? Your
    real home is doing great. Hopefully you haven't slacked on your awesome blessings from your second rate god. Remember that time you got that group of colts riled up to beat up that weakling from down the street? Yeah that was fun. Hey, I just got an idea. If you're not busy Saturday night, wanta come back here and help me take over all the War Forged clans? We can put everyone under one banner, preferably my banner, and then maybe we'll take over the other clans.

    Your besty,
    Garok <3"

    Courtesy of HoundFlash 


  • Orik, still knowing that his family owed the Stone Hooves, immediately agreed to the idea to ensure that he would no longer owe the stallion or his clan anything. This agreement would eventually put Orik in a position where he would do nothing but work for the eventual War Lord until Hira's rise into power.

  • The rest is relatively known in Edmond's history, though he lives in Skeldr Town and often deals with his hometown's issues via raven.

    Thanks to Jennycallie for being amazing and letting me go with the relationship between Orik and Garok.

Clan Lore, Culture, and General Information

  • Despite it's efforts to prove that not every member worships the Arcane God, there are whispers from other clans/members of the herd that most certainly see the Callers as nothing but second rate citizens who don't know how to properly be a part of War Forged society.
    "Her gaze lingered on Edmond next. She knew the name, but more importantly she knew his clan, for even in a united Onea, clan and kin were the lifeblood of society - particularly when it came to the political ladder and who occupied the top rungs. Edmond's clan had enjoyed a Stone Circle seat for more than one generation, but their passion for low-lander gods was an open secret that tasted bitter to many tongues. Sif didn't know how Garok had tolerated an infidel on his council. Sif didn't know who Edmond sent his prayers to, but she reckoned men didn't stray far from their kinsmen. The irony of this belief wasn't entirely lost on her."

    Taken from queerly from Plot 401: Iron and Stone.
    However, because of their belief in Argus, the clan has also managed to easily get along with their neighboring clan, as many Sea Bringer captains will attest that The Sight has come in handy for avoiding enemy ships (especially Bloody Flank ones) and for spotting home when no one else can do so.

    Sixth Sense also has come in handy for the forester community, as it can sometimes be difficult to see where other horses are on misty mornings when trees need to be taken down.

    If anything, the clan has come to incorporate Argus so well into their lifestyles that most, if not all, of his blessings have come in handy for them in their history, and the clan will happily boast that they still manage to do just as good of a job providing for the War Forged as a whole as any other clan.

  • However, this does not mean that Kaia is ignored within the Callers belief system, as most horses don't worship Argus solely, but instead worship him in tandem with Kaia or Alya depending on their positions. Cascade is often left for the Sea Bringers while Ignacio is vastly ignored by all.

    Blessings that are common within the clan are:

    • PLANT MANIPULATION which often helps with the timber communities, as the clan will replant trees and help them grow into hardier saplings.
    • EARTH MANIPULATION though not as important as plant manipulation, Eath Manip is often seen as a great option for tilling grounds and often is seen as the "signature blessing" of the clan due to their name (from an outsider perspective). It isn't nearly as important as Plant Manipulation is to a clan that lives in the lowland mountains near the sea, though.
    • DUPLICATION as it often is seen as a great blessing to use in tandem with any of Argus's gifts... that and having a second hoof to help around the house is never bad.
    • PSYCHIC MANIPULATION seeing as the Mountain Caller family is known to have children born blessed or blessed with this ability. Almost every generation of Mountain Caller's has managed to boast having one member of their household blessed with this, and so far, aside from Edmond (who honestly probably has a cousin with it, so even then it's debatable), this has stayed true.
    • TELEPATHY although not entirely something that everybody would consider to be important, Telepathy can easily help any horse relay information that may be sensitive to others without causing issue. Though it is much less common than that of psychic manipulation, it most certainly has been seen to have it's uses.

  • The wealth of the clan is seen as almost entirely average, as they are completely capable of getting the ends to justify the means. They do not boast a large amount of money nor do they really care about that, seeing as the entirety of the clan is more set on helping one another and ensuring that their timber industry is completely capable of sustaining itself. Most of the area's wealth belongs to the Sea Bringers.

  • Due to this comfortable lifestyle, most of the clan is loyal to the traditions of the War Forged, though many younger horses are beginning to rebel against this. Orik, who spent more of his time with the Stone Hooves, is very biased and set in his ways on how the War Forged work, and by extension so is Edmond. Though it should be noted their clan is slowly but surely moving in the same direction that Hira is pushing them.

  • Warwick is by no means a bustling town in comparison to Skeldr Town, though the small village can most certainly be seen as a town due to it's joining with Seton. Originally the two towns were set on the banks of the same river, but over time they have both progressively begun to build into each other. It is sometimes hard to tell where Warwick ends and Seton begins, though the general sign is the amount of sailors and merchants one comes across. It is a warm and hospitable community that boasts having an inn, a port that connects to Seton's main "naval yard", and a worn, but well cared for statue of Argus in the center of town.

  • The largest holiday this clan celebrates is what is known as the "Last Outing", which relates to the final round of tree collection the foresters take part in before the oncoming snows. There is a great festival had once the family members return home with the last of trees taken down for the season. Although it is not as big as the Flower Festival in the Spring, it is still an important part of the Clan's history and is still deeply ingrained within their day to day lives.

  • The village is known to partake in the "it takes a village to raise a child" motto and often will help younger members of the clan try out various positions and apprenticeships before they are required to find the job that they wish to stay in for the rest of their lives. This may also explain why Ed is out to adopt every single child he sees in the street.

  • Warwick and Seton both are set on the smaller southern mountains near the main ocean that leads into the inlet of the Narrows. As it has been mentioned, the largest industry that the Callers take part in is Forestry, though farming and other "War Forged ranks" still have their place within the clan.

  • It should also be noted, aside from the derogatory term of Mountain Callers and the idea that these horses literally "call upon the mountains" they are also known as the mountain callers because they live at the foothills of the southernmost mountains, and often call upon the mountain's bounty to ensure that they can survive.

  • The Clan boasts a large population of North American horse breeds, meaning that at a glance it is super obvious that Edmond is a member due to his appaloosa heritage. Other well known breeds that the clan holds are mustangs, quarter horses, the Chincoteague pony (which made up a vast majority of the unicorn population), and the American Paint horse.

The Shrine

  • Warwick boasts (sort of) having the only shrine to Argus within Onea, though that's not hard considering most other Argus shrines that may be seen or found within the land probably are in major disrepair, whereas this one is kind of out in the open for everybody to see. Most houses hold smaller personally built altars, as despite the clan's collective belief, most equines within it believe that most horses and their religion is a business of their own that does not need to be discussed in the open.

  • Located behind the statue of Argus that is seen in the middle of town, the shrine to the god is a simplistic one, build from cobble with smaller pink and purple gems set into the eyes and neck of the smaller statue within. There are a few horses that care for it year round, wearing the colors of the clan while also boasting relatively priestly attire that occasionally seems more akin to Breim's style of outfits over that of the War Forged. (Most Clan "outsiders" - normal WF horses - disapprove highly of this)

  • A small bowl that offerings can be placed in sits at the bottom of the statue, as it is often stated that Argus prefers the mundane gifts that most everyone can give over that of the ornate.

  • The shrine also has an area that holds many various messenger birds. It should also be noted that a few Devil's birds are found within this holding, however, they are imported from Sirith, are extremely hard to obtain, and cost a lot to care for. In olden times, the chieftain often had one as a pet for the sake of making a statement.

  • Alya and Kaia also hold statues within the small area, as both gods are just as important to the clan, if not as important as they make Argus out to be. These statues are, in fact, larger than the one of Argus, but that may or may not be because there is literally a life sized statue of him sitting right outside of the main entrance to the shrine... just saying. 

Members of Note

  • Orik Mountain Caller - still alive, NPC, needs to be given a reference
  • Edmond and his family, though it should be no surprise that they're a major part of this clan despite none of them spending more than a few weeks at home to see their Grandpa while Edmond does his normal Stone Circle duties. Ed's the only member of his family that actively lived in the town for a period of his life, but that's mostly because unlike Edmond, Orik preferred keeping his family away from most of the dangers of the north... y'know since there was a war going on and all.

  • More NPCs to come because I am trash and I really want that AP... as does HoundFlash
3,064 words when not counting Julie's post to plot 401 | 10 AP to Edmond

Want to have a character that lives in Warwick? Feel free to let me know and I can add them to the Members of note thing.
© 2017 - 2024 InTheDappledRain
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Luneby's avatar
Hello there! So I was looking through the existing WF clans in an attempt to find inspiration to rewrite the story of my upcoming character and just stumbled on this wonder! Is this clan still open by any chance? It would suit her so perfectly in my opinion and you did such a GREAT job making it!<33