Hounds of Glory – The Long Winter of the Geats

This Scandinavian Viking Era setting is part of the iVerse continuum. It is part of the Eon of Ancient Futures, located on Earth in the Edge-Space of the Gohrmliht Imperium.

Hounds of Glory puts forward an alternate history of the world, starting with a divergence from the established timeline in the 500’s. Two hundred years later the Europe historians understand is gone – replaced by a pagan end-times battle which forever alters every religion and empire on the planet. The culture of the Vikings is the dominant culture – united in their myth and under the banner of their Runes, their gods, and strong warrior culture. Protected from the plagues unleashed in the battle, their people survive the worst. Only the Franks, returning to the pagan roots and strange allies through the “sidste kamp” (Last Battle) flourish nearly as well. The distant Finns and their gods retreat to their ancient lands – an example a few other cultures follow. Nubia is the great inheritor of Egypt’s gods, culture, history and their protection. The Bifrost bridge shines brilliantly over the Blatic Sea, and all the portals to the otherworld’s of myths open from violent earthquakes. Perils spill from them and continue to prey upon humanity – many believe the end times still nigh. The world is remade, new opportunities abound amidst the fear and terror for great warriors. Where it not for the survival of the gods, it would be Ragnorok – though many think it simply yet unfinished.

The characters are nominally part of the victorious Viking peoples, who now are spreading throughout the world.

NOTE: The setting is a very Euro-centric one; the fates of the rest of the world are not covered here.

• 659 Penda, last heathen king of England, does not die in battle. Paganism holds against the encroaching tide of Christianity. The Celtic Picts, Gaels, etc. barely retain their culture.
• 730 The Bulgarian Empire sacks Byzantium by trickery after the Muslim siege is lifted. Nova Roma falls and the Roman Empire comes to an end.
• 731 Charles Martel has a vision of a great battle and the all-father Odin. He rejects his illegitimate blood, divorces and marries into the Merovingian line – preventing the Carolingians from ascending to power. Frankish lands begin a return to paganism.
• 732 – 739 With the collapse of the Byzantine empire, Europe and the east erupts in war. Martel looks to the Rus – the Russian Viking lords – to aid him to stop the advance of Islam. Instead of a single battle, the battle of Tours is replaced with
  years of battles – fire, smoke, madness and death spread. A winter descends in Europe that will not leave. The Battle of Tours in 732 is not a definitive one.
• 740 A vast horde of Germanic, Danish, Swedish, Russian, and Norwegian tribes sweep south. The Black Forest area along the Rhine is the site of a near end-times. Angels fight Valkyrie, Djinns and Giants, Christos Lucis and Odin crash to the earth and the world serpent’s tendrils flex.
  Gods walk the earth, and many go into exile. The Judaic faiths repudiate the divinity of the obvious figures of myth which walk and talk amongst them – but the spread and reign of monotheism ends.
  Roman gods fight germanic, hordes of a host raised from the dead and lead by a prophet out of the desert of the Sainai. Surely it is the time of Ragnorok – but the time ends as the population is devastated with famine and plague.
  It spreads to Africa and Asia, brought by those same who are trying to flee from it. Only the new world is spared – remaining unknown and undiscovered.
• By nearly 750 over a third of the world’s population is dead and empires and kingdoms are laid waste. A mild winter covers northern Europe, to the Alps, and through Afghanistan and covers Mongolia and northern China.
  Cities are abandoned as centers of death and disease. The Franks and Vikings are the ruling powers in Europe, paganism flourishes and the Merovingian dynasty is secured.
• By 760 the famines and plagues, and war let up. People start their return to the cities as centers of protection against the monsters and gods that continue to predate upon them.

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