Post by Redkitebait on Jun 17, 2015 16:59:25 GMT 1
Place Name Berk
Current Leader Halldor Frodison
Notable leaders Stoick the Vast, Hiccup the Defender, Asther
Allies: Outcast Island (neutral)
Stance on Dragons Very much on good terms with dragons.
Location in the middle of nowhere, 5 days north of hopeless and a few degrees south of freezing to death. Located solidly on the meridian of misery. Roughly in the middle of the Arctic Ocean between Greenland and Norway.
Size & Geography Very Small. Berk is a diverse land, comprising mostly of a rocky terrain sprinkled with lots and lots of trees. As most islands in the Archipelago, the island is surrounded by high cliffs and jagged rock formations. It is bountiful, providing plenty of mining veins for the villagers, wood, crops, livestock, and of course... Dragons.
Native/Common Dragons: Deadly Nadder, Monstrous Nightmare, Gronckle, Hideous Zippleback, Terrible Terror.
History
It was 600 years ago when the first Vikings found and settled on Berk. They prospered, for a while. It was when they started profiting from the abundance of the fish-rich seas around them that a nearby dragon colony began to take advantage of the easy meal. Thus the dragon war began. The Vikings declared war on the dragons, who would incessantly steal their food, and the dragons would retaliate with force.
For 300 years, the Hairy Hooligans survived. Bork the Bold began to document the species of dragons and how best to survive against them, inventing the Book of Dragons, the most revered literature on the island. Many years later, a young unsuspecting lad called Hiccup Horrendous Haddock took to arms, and downed an elusive Night Fury, that had been terrorising their village. Undercover he attempted to kill the dragon, but found that he couldn't.
This was the turning point of Berk's history, as Hiccup Haddock was the first Viking according to the hooligans to train a dragon. With his new partner, he defeated the Red Death, who was the queen of the dragon colony, and made peace with the dragons. Now Berk lives alongside the creatures, and teaches each new generation how to train and take care of dragons.
Of course becoming allies with dragons didn't help with their allies, who were still very much against dragons. Many rivallries were made, though some islands also adopted the dragon culture, many did not. Wars broke out, but with dragon's on their side, they were frequently the victors. It has been like this for centuries. Berk's biggest threat is from Hysteria to the south, who have recently turned once more against dragons, and have had many years to perfect their dragon slaying techniques.
Berk is now a recognised name, and most islands and traders know of the little island. Now with their name on the map, the Berkians are receiving a lot of Outsiders on their shores, most of them good, but not all. Though most Vikings are welcoming (as long as they're not from an enemy island) to these visitors, some Berkians are wary and cannot trust these people at all, especially in their numbers. The villagers are happy to provide accommodation, though most prefer to leave the villagers in peace and set up their own homes as well.
Current Status: Standing strong.
Traditions & Pastimes
They like to name their offspring hideous names, as to frighten off gnomes and trolls.
They start training their children to train dragons at the age of 13.
Holidays:
Dragon Races
Thawfest Games
Snoggletog
Stump day
The Annual Regata
Thor's Day Thursday
Typical Occupations: Blacksmith, Healer, Carpenter, Woodsman, Hunter, Miner, Warrior, Dragon Rider, Fisherman, Tailor, etc.
Typical Clothing: Warm clothes, typically of wool and fur. Armour is iron or leather.
Preferred Transport: Dragons and Longboats.
Current Leader Halldor Frodison
Notable leaders Stoick the Vast, Hiccup the Defender, Asther
Allies: Outcast Island (neutral)
Stance on Dragons Very much on good terms with dragons.
Location in the middle of nowhere, 5 days north of hopeless and a few degrees south of freezing to death. Located solidly on the meridian of misery. Roughly in the middle of the Arctic Ocean between Greenland and Norway.
Size & Geography Very Small. Berk is a diverse land, comprising mostly of a rocky terrain sprinkled with lots and lots of trees. As most islands in the Archipelago, the island is surrounded by high cliffs and jagged rock formations. It is bountiful, providing plenty of mining veins for the villagers, wood, crops, livestock, and of course... Dragons.
Native/Common Dragons: Deadly Nadder, Monstrous Nightmare, Gronckle, Hideous Zippleback, Terrible Terror.
History
It was 600 years ago when the first Vikings found and settled on Berk. They prospered, for a while. It was when they started profiting from the abundance of the fish-rich seas around them that a nearby dragon colony began to take advantage of the easy meal. Thus the dragon war began. The Vikings declared war on the dragons, who would incessantly steal their food, and the dragons would retaliate with force.
For 300 years, the Hairy Hooligans survived. Bork the Bold began to document the species of dragons and how best to survive against them, inventing the Book of Dragons, the most revered literature on the island. Many years later, a young unsuspecting lad called Hiccup Horrendous Haddock took to arms, and downed an elusive Night Fury, that had been terrorising their village. Undercover he attempted to kill the dragon, but found that he couldn't.
This was the turning point of Berk's history, as Hiccup Haddock was the first Viking according to the hooligans to train a dragon. With his new partner, he defeated the Red Death, who was the queen of the dragon colony, and made peace with the dragons. Now Berk lives alongside the creatures, and teaches each new generation how to train and take care of dragons.
Of course becoming allies with dragons didn't help with their allies, who were still very much against dragons. Many rivallries were made, though some islands also adopted the dragon culture, many did not. Wars broke out, but with dragon's on their side, they were frequently the victors. It has been like this for centuries. Berk's biggest threat is from Hysteria to the south, who have recently turned once more against dragons, and have had many years to perfect their dragon slaying techniques.
Berk is now a recognised name, and most islands and traders know of the little island. Now with their name on the map, the Berkians are receiving a lot of Outsiders on their shores, most of them good, but not all. Though most Vikings are welcoming (as long as they're not from an enemy island) to these visitors, some Berkians are wary and cannot trust these people at all, especially in their numbers. The villagers are happy to provide accommodation, though most prefer to leave the villagers in peace and set up their own homes as well.
Current Status: Standing strong.
Traditions & Pastimes
They like to name their offspring hideous names, as to frighten off gnomes and trolls.
They start training their children to train dragons at the age of 13.
Holidays:
Dragon Races
Thawfest Games
Snoggletog
Stump day
The Annual Regata
Thor's Day Thursday
Typical Occupations: Blacksmith, Healer, Carpenter, Woodsman, Hunter, Miner, Warrior, Dragon Rider, Fisherman, Tailor, etc.
Typical Clothing: Warm clothes, typically of wool and fur. Armour is iron or leather.
Preferred Transport: Dragons and Longboats.