Warre
Establishing Nation
- Joined
- May 13, 2010
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- Nick
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There is a tale that's often told in Tyrculir, a tale which is set in the oldest of old days, when the sons of An Lyr were truly the sons of An Lyr, sharing common language and a real capital of their proverbial world. In these days of high adventure and new horizons, there many conflicts to be had, and a man who wished to wet his blade could do so as readily as a man in our modern era can wet their throat with cool, clean water from a tap.
Peace however, true and lasting peace was a commodity costlier and more sought after by some than gold or the love of a nubile Himyari princess. It was during a time searching for peace that two such clanns, found themselves attempting to settle the same lands. They were the sons of AnLyr, so it was not out of the question to share lands, but one squabble over a flock of livestock (tales dispute if this was over a singular goat, a prize bull, or an actual herd of goats or cattle) escalated into a fatality, and soon after peace was farther away than the sun in the coldest days of winter.
The worse part of it all was that they had been profitable for the Empire before this, and close friends. If they had simply stood together, stalwart and unhesitating supportive of each other, they might survived the push of the later people's migrations into what would become Skania. But they did not, killing their neighbors simply because they were their neighbors and not blood kin.
For decades this continued, on-and-off, and eventually it expanded beyond themselves. Traders from other places in the AnLyric realms were dragged into it, either by being waylaid for their goods, or simply being press-marched into the armies of those tribes. It continued for nearly a half-hundred years before the news of what had went on reached the halls of the old AnLyric High King. Gathering brothers, uncles, cousins, sons, neighbors and strangers from all across AnLyr, he sailed in a great fleet to put an end to this bloodshed, for it was his duty as the Ard Ri.
His army, better equipped and supplied than either tribe, was enough to menace them into pacification, but the wise old High King knew better than assuming that he could simply afford to leave a faction of his army here and demand they police it. In time, the army would become apart of one tribe or the other, and in the end it would simply be a waste of this effort. The only way for peace was to have peace, and while warfare would be a costly price to continue to pay, if he was simply to send one of them away from the lands they had shed so much blood against each-other and against foreigners for, then warfare would just break out in a few more decades when the one who had been sent away grew enough to settle their lands and prosper, then build an army and take their old lands in revanchist jealousy.
So this old High King decided to end it in a form of warfare that was not warfare. Feeding both tribes in a feast that he and his man gathered or used from their own supplies, he announced his decision. The ownership of the land they were on would be decided not by warfare, but by athleticism and games. The winner would be allowed the lands, but they would help the losers find new lands to settle. If they disagreed, the High King would sail in with an even larger army and eradicate both tribes rather than having them weaken the nation any longer.
So the games, tests of warrior skill, athleticism, strength, courage, and even the truest of old Lyric skills for a man? They were all included, and in the end, the camaraderie of the games and the continued sharing of food and habitation made these two rival tribes lose much of their long instilled hate, and instead gain friendship, appreciation, and as a few of the better competitors were offered wives who came from the opposing tribes? Soon they became one, and while the hate washed away in the waters of time and friendship, the games continued every year at the end of the cold harsh winters and the plantings of springs. To celebrate their ties, what it meant to be Lyric, and each other, the game continued.
So the legend of the Old Lyr Games began, and so each year they begin, with a race of running, of whooping, of sailing, of the oldest of raiding skills.
What are the Old Lyr Games? The Old Lyr games are a collection of sports, athletic competitions, festivals, and dancing which mark the beginning of the summer season in Tyrculir and are the largest Pan-Lyric cultural celebration in the world (or so it claims).
Who competes? Individual Athletes from across the world who can claim a Lyric heritage, or who are from Lyric nations regardless of heritage. There are team sports, but they are not nationally specific, and while they can be sponsored by their home nation, there are no restrictions on only people who are citizens of a particular nation being in those team sports, so long as the members can all claim Lyric heritage or nationality.
The exemption to this rule is for nations or specific individuals invited in any given year, to participate in the games, and while the athletes are normally meant to be from non-Lyric nations or ethnicities, the spectators are easily allowed to, and spectators from around the world are often invited.
But what does it mean? Bragging rights for the participants, a lot of summer fun which might not otherwise happen, and in the same way that the mythical original games provided camaraderie for the two tribes, it is meant to provide camaraderie for all Lyric peoples and indeed all peoples who wish the embrace Lyric culture.
Where is it held? The Old Lyr games are held in a preserved and upkept natural valley some five miles from the edge of the capital city of Tyrculir, CarrickAodh. This area has transport easily enough from lodging in the city but is a one mile square of specific grounds for the games, and another mile radius of wilderness that is up-kept by groundskeepers under the employ of a cooperative specifically paid for by the MacCuAodh's of CarrickAodh, and the Old Lyr Games' Commission.
[OOC:
Peace however, true and lasting peace was a commodity costlier and more sought after by some than gold or the love of a nubile Himyari princess. It was during a time searching for peace that two such clanns, found themselves attempting to settle the same lands. They were the sons of AnLyr, so it was not out of the question to share lands, but one squabble over a flock of livestock (tales dispute if this was over a singular goat, a prize bull, or an actual herd of goats or cattle) escalated into a fatality, and soon after peace was farther away than the sun in the coldest days of winter.
The worse part of it all was that they had been profitable for the Empire before this, and close friends. If they had simply stood together, stalwart and unhesitating supportive of each other, they might survived the push of the later people's migrations into what would become Skania. But they did not, killing their neighbors simply because they were their neighbors and not blood kin.
For decades this continued, on-and-off, and eventually it expanded beyond themselves. Traders from other places in the AnLyric realms were dragged into it, either by being waylaid for their goods, or simply being press-marched into the armies of those tribes. It continued for nearly a half-hundred years before the news of what had went on reached the halls of the old AnLyric High King. Gathering brothers, uncles, cousins, sons, neighbors and strangers from all across AnLyr, he sailed in a great fleet to put an end to this bloodshed, for it was his duty as the Ard Ri.
His army, better equipped and supplied than either tribe, was enough to menace them into pacification, but the wise old High King knew better than assuming that he could simply afford to leave a faction of his army here and demand they police it. In time, the army would become apart of one tribe or the other, and in the end it would simply be a waste of this effort. The only way for peace was to have peace, and while warfare would be a costly price to continue to pay, if he was simply to send one of them away from the lands they had shed so much blood against each-other and against foreigners for, then warfare would just break out in a few more decades when the one who had been sent away grew enough to settle their lands and prosper, then build an army and take their old lands in revanchist jealousy.
So this old High King decided to end it in a form of warfare that was not warfare. Feeding both tribes in a feast that he and his man gathered or used from their own supplies, he announced his decision. The ownership of the land they were on would be decided not by warfare, but by athleticism and games. The winner would be allowed the lands, but they would help the losers find new lands to settle. If they disagreed, the High King would sail in with an even larger army and eradicate both tribes rather than having them weaken the nation any longer.
So the games, tests of warrior skill, athleticism, strength, courage, and even the truest of old Lyric skills for a man? They were all included, and in the end, the camaraderie of the games and the continued sharing of food and habitation made these two rival tribes lose much of their long instilled hate, and instead gain friendship, appreciation, and as a few of the better competitors were offered wives who came from the opposing tribes? Soon they became one, and while the hate washed away in the waters of time and friendship, the games continued every year at the end of the cold harsh winters and the plantings of springs. To celebrate their ties, what it meant to be Lyric, and each other, the game continued.
So the legend of the Old Lyr Games began, and so each year they begin, with a race of running, of whooping, of sailing, of the oldest of raiding skills.
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What are the Old Lyr Games? The Old Lyr games are a collection of sports, athletic competitions, festivals, and dancing which mark the beginning of the summer season in Tyrculir and are the largest Pan-Lyric cultural celebration in the world (or so it claims).
Who competes? Individual Athletes from across the world who can claim a Lyric heritage, or who are from Lyric nations regardless of heritage. There are team sports, but they are not nationally specific, and while they can be sponsored by their home nation, there are no restrictions on only people who are citizens of a particular nation being in those team sports, so long as the members can all claim Lyric heritage or nationality.
The exemption to this rule is for nations or specific individuals invited in any given year, to participate in the games, and while the athletes are normally meant to be from non-Lyric nations or ethnicities, the spectators are easily allowed to, and spectators from around the world are often invited.
But what does it mean? Bragging rights for the participants, a lot of summer fun which might not otherwise happen, and in the same way that the mythical original games provided camaraderie for the two tribes, it is meant to provide camaraderie for all Lyric peoples and indeed all peoples who wish the embrace Lyric culture.
Where is it held? The Old Lyr games are held in a preserved and upkept natural valley some five miles from the edge of the capital city of Tyrculir, CarrickAodh. This area has transport easily enough from lodging in the city but is a one mile square of specific grounds for the games, and another mile radius of wilderness that is up-kept by groundskeepers under the employ of a cooperative specifically paid for by the MacCuAodh's of CarrickAodh, and the Old Lyr Games' Commission.
[OOC:
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