Springdale (Realm)/Before Springdale Was

This story is told by Dame Katrina Dragul.

My family is from Aegir’s Deep; and has been here since the time of giants and old lore. My earliest memories are of watching the ships coming into the harbor and of my grandparents’ tales of the giants that once inhabited this land and the old lore of the region. They even had tales of dragons and told me often that one still lives somewhere to the east of us. Indeed my grandfather believed that his family was descended from those very giants that once lived here and my grandmother had these curious stones she called, with these runes she could tell the future. They live now as they have lived for generations, quite simply, managing the fleet of ships that come and go from the harbor there. We were here before the others came and formed the realm of Springdale, and the rebellion that rebirthed her into what she is now.

The story has been told to me ever since I was young, of the coming of the giants to this land. One such giant, Aegir himself, sailed into the harbor of the land across the waters to the south of what is now Aegir and Aegir’s Deep and was befriended by Mimer. Mimer was my father’s great-great-great-great-grandfather. It is said that Aegir fell in love with Mimer’s Daughter Freke and they were married. They sailed across to what is now Aegir’s Deep and began a family and a sailing company to bring goods to this new land.

More giants followed Aegir to this land. Odin, Ymer, Hella, Nifel, Muspel, and the Norn sisters among them. They and their families moved across the land to many places that are now part of this realm. A few moved to other lands such as Valkyrja, and Yggdramir. For a long time, there were no others in the land but the giants and their families. Their descendants formed the three great realms that comprised the realm that is now Springdale; Nifel Kingdom, Springdale, and Virovene.

Then the first ones that would colonize came. They brought with them a strange new religion of a female god named Krystyn, called Atinism. They came first to Springdale and Cold Springs. Slowly they pushed toward Aegir’s Deep and our old lore of giants and dragons was replaced by this female god who rewarded those who served her. Those who came to form this realm chose Attius Miriel as their King. They stretched the new realm to Yaren. Soon though, we began to hear rumors of the the oppression and ruthlessness of this King.

Then came the rumors of the rebellion. A good man named Neel Arya started the rebellion that took only three days to remove King Attius. Neel Arya was then made Emperor of the new Empire of Springdale, and they expanded the realm to include first Muspel and Muspelhiem and then Aegir and Aegir’s Deep. Though there have been troubles and growing pains in Springdale since our Emperor has taken over, the realm has known peace and prosperity under his rule.

And now we are here, in Nifel, about to try and take over lands that once belonged to giants but have long since gone into ruin…”

But the story of Nifel and Muspel is a story for another time.