House Warborn
We shall not bend, we shall not bow, we shall not break.
Arguably one of the strongest and most brutal of all Goliaths, House Warborn sprung from incredibly dangerous and savage warriors, who organized themselves into an even more deadly fighting force. The strength of this house is unchallenged, even by the mightiest of houses, such as House Ironborn, their rival. Goliaths of House Warborn were obsessed with violence and the spirit of fighting, and could fly into a deadly, supernatural rage when doing so. They were truly a force to be reckoned with.
House Warborn Origins
With the most violent past in the history of the Goliath people, House Warborn was literally born from blood and death. The land they laid claim to was infested with Frost Giants and other very dangerous creatures, destined to survive in the fields of unforgiving ice and snow. The tribes who called themselves "Warborn" were in a constant struggle for survival. They could not afford to be soft, as that could end their entire existence. They were always competing with giants as well as these other creatures. "Only the strongest survive" was a part of their everyday lives, and they took this dogma seriously. They were not the stupid, daft savages that some say they are; they were crafty, and learned to outsmart the low intelligent giants that roamed through their camps. The Warborn learned to set up eye level and foot level traps to immobilize these creatures, and create the perfect opportunity to defeat their enemies. And when it came to killing, they were deadly efficient.
The Warborn to truly bring glory to their house was a Goliath known as Vishal the First Warborn. Vishal was a brutal and barbaric man, but also an incredibly determined one. He believed that his people deserved to live in fortified cities instead of constantly competing with the giants for land in the snowy wastes. He devised a grand conquest, in the year 1000 ADW, that would start in what is now known as House Warborn territory, and stretch all the way into House Ironborn territory. He aimed for cities, villages and towns that were established, but had no house to rule them. His conquest can be mirrored to that of Queen Drathos in the year 1578 ADW, just less brutal and barbaric. Vishal Warborn and his tribesmen swept through established cities, towns, villages, homesteads, and farmlands, laying waste to those who opposed and enslaving those who surrendered. The people were utterly terrified, and were forced to either join his horde, or become his obedient "citizens." Soon, he had thousands of followers of this way of life; pillaging and conquering. His conquest ended abruptly when his son, Gronyr Warborn, pleaded for him to stop and settle in what was conquered. Gronyr was a leader figure, and pleased those that followed this burning crusade by resurrecting law and order within the recently conquered cities and towns. He tended to the wounded, who were left for dead in the conquest. He also tended to those that could not join the violence and bloodshed, and named them the first citizens of House Warborn. If it weren't for Gronyr, the conquest would have sparked rage and turned those that followed into those that wanted revenge.
Vishal the First and Gronyr settled in their recently captured fortresses and cities in the year 1004 ADW, and their most loyal followers became bannermen and spread to forts to rule over their hold. Despite being barbaric savages, as some would say, House Warborn was among the first major houses to regain order and rule over their hold officially, without any official declaration from a higher ruler. However, Vishal the First's conquest days were not over. He wanted to bleed, and wanted others to as well.
In the year 1005 ADW, after his forces were settled, he ordered and led another brutal campaign that would end in the same year with his death. He commanded his followers to reign violence upon their neighbor, House Ironborn. This was no ordinary house, as it was another major house that was determined to live in the coldest region in all of Jotunrath. Vishal the First's soldiers swept through the Iron Ice region, the home of House Ironborn. However, House Ironborn quickly stomped their feet into the ground and became an impenetrable defending force. The Warborn were at a loss as to how their might could be stopped. However, the now mad with bloodlust Vishal the First Warborn saw this as a challenge. He continued to push his forces, trying desperately to break through House Ironborn lines. However, all attempts were to no avail, and with each attempt, more of his soldiers were killed needlessly.
His son pleaded him and his men to return home from this needless conquest. His father was so mad and lost that he took this as a threat, and ordered his son to be arrested. Gronyr was arrested, but broke free thanks to his followers. His son came one night to the tent that his father was sleeping at, and with no options left, he murdered his father and took over the war camp. He ordered the bannermen, now under his control, to return home and hold the land they captured. Within hours in the night, all of the bannermen fled House Ironborn's region and returned home. When confronted about his father's death, Gronyr told a half truth, and convinced his bannermen that, "he was too weak. He was leading you to your deaths, that would end in the victory of another house. It is our duty to hold our land, the land that we deserve. This land is not ours, and we should not have to bleed on it."
From Gronyr on, House Warborn leaders remained within their own hold, and continued to wage violent campaigns against giants and other snowy denizens.
It wasn't until the year 1545 ADW that a Goliath akin to Vishal the First would rise to power. This Goliath, who would revitalize the brutal and barbaric ways of House Warborn would be known as Boudeca Warborn. Boudeca was destined to become chieftain of the house, but her father could not stomach a female in charge of the house and the hold, and in her infant years, attempted to kill her by throwing her from a sacred mountain. It was the shamans that found her, completely alive, protected by The Few Nine, the ancient gods of the Goliaths.
Boudeca survived all of the rigorous and bloody training sessions that each Warborn child would have to endure. This process would create unstoppable warriors, or would create child-sized corpses. Boudeca beat out all other competitors to become Chieftain, and for her trial she was sent to challenge Ygrid Ironborn. At just 16 years of age, Boudeca Warborn engaged with another 16 year old, Ygrid Ironborn, that would actually be her first defeat. Her father was opposed to Boudeca taking charge from the beginning, and used this defeat to spit venom on her name, and call her "weak," and attempting to enact the Only the Strong rule, where a Goliath can kill a weak member of society in front of the law and not have any repercussions. This law was abolished, but Boudeca finally accepted the challenge on her 18th birthday after ignoring it for two years. In the year 1547, Boudeca accepted this challenge, and buried her father's own axe deep into his skull. Boudeca assumed the Chieftain position in that same year, and continued to lead on well after the Bloody Seven.
Role in Goliath Society
Despite being huge advocates for violence and bloodshed, House Warborn contributed to the population of all of Jotunrath. The people of the Warborn believed in having as many offspring as they can manage, to ensure that the traditions of the Warborn continue on for generations. Those of the Warborn bloodline believed in this as well, which is why House Warborn has the most members out of all the other major houses. Boudeca Warborn bore many children of her own, but only one would assume control after Boudeca's death.
House Warborn in the Bloody Seven
House Warborn made up a large portion of the army during the Bloody Seven. They had thousands of loyal bannermen that fought specifically for House Warborn and wore their flags into battle, but their citizens contributed to more than half of all the volunteer regiments in all of Jotunrath when Queen Drathos called for all of the country to fight. They created weapons and armor that would be sent to the front lines to other units of Goliaths, as well as be responsible for the training of these volunteer units. They were not as hard on these volunteers as those of their own house and blood, but they were still brutal in their training, creating deadly fighting forces, no matter what house a volunteer pledged themselves to.
At first, Boudeca Warborn was skeptical to join Queen Drathos' side. Boudeca was a stubborn and proud warrior, and was perfectly fine with controlling her own hold, and perfectly fine with how the country was. After seeing Ygrid Ironborn, her hated "friend" bending a knee, she caved in and joined. Drathos, Boudeca, and Ygrid would become close friends and even family during the war. Boudeca and Ygrid became generals for Drathos' army, and even sat on her council, leading all of Jotunrath.
When General Haguto Kage of Wuxia pleaded for Goliath troops to assist in his civil war, fighting against the Jade Empress, Boudeca, along with Ygrid Ironborn, were the first to pledge bannermen to go and fight. However, a different promise was made by Ygrid Ironborn to the Jade Empress to help her, leaving a split among the Goliath armies for the first few months of the war. Even when Kage's forces were losing against the evil Jade Empress, Boudeca kept her troops as guerilla fighters, continuing the fighting spirit of the rebels she supported. When Boudeca supposedly died towards the end of the Bloody Seven, her troops were eventually pulled out by her son, Vishal Icewind Warborn.