Saints and Heathens

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The time of gods is nigh, cloaked in the minuscule forms of Men, wielding weapons and armor beyond humanity's comprehension.

From the day they ransacked the monastery of Lindisfarne and robbed us of our relics in a display of Pagan might, the followers of God have been forced to retreat. We have lost kingdom after kingdom, relic after relic, time and time again as they have struck our homes from the seas, breaking our spirits as the skies boomed and the earth crumbled under our feet.

We thought it to be the second coming. We thought it to be the Day of our Judgement. But when the Prayers of our slaughtered Brothers and Sisters beseeched the Heavens for an answer to the heathen threat, He bequeathed upon us his own servants.

From the grave, our Saints rose, bearing the Shields and Swords of God. Carrying His name with them, they threw the Heathens back to the north, beating back their savage weapons and their unholy gods.

But with Halfdan Whiteshirt's renewed invasion of Mercia and the unceasing strife among our Saxon brothers, the Christian kingdoms of the isles have found themselves in peril once again. Though the Saints and their Servants in our kings have done their best to keep them back, the lands of the Saxons have once again found themselves in peril.

It is a time of legends and warriors. A time of glory and death. An Age of Saints... and an Age of Heathens.

The Time of Fire


The Time of Fire

The vikings start raiding the Isles, carrying off many priceless treasures and relics for their own use as the powers of the heroes of old start emerging back into the world.


Lindisfarne Falls

793

By MeskaMeska

For four weeks, Lindisfarne had raged with Sicga's impossible illusions. Towering waves had threatened to engulf the island, while whirlpools to rival Charybdis herself turned the calmed North Seas into a fierce maelstorm. The skies were filled with winged beasts and all kinds of maddening, unknowable things. Unholy figures roamed the corridors, their faces a savage mask of unloveliness.

The First Invasion


The First Invasion

Halfdan Whiteshirt and his brother Ubbe begin their invasion of the Isles, showing the Saxon peoples of Britannia the true strength of the heathen threat. As kings and kingdoms die on battlefields made from their own soil, the first Saint rises to save the Isles.


The Vultures Feast

865

By EkronakEkronak

The smell of hundreds of dead men hung heavy over the sodden field of Ethandun, as Dane, Norseman and Saxon alike lay dead or dying on the battlefield. The armies of both King Alfred and Halfdan Whiteshirt had left a day ago, but the corpses they left stayed where they had died on that fateful morning- much to the benefit of Edith.

The Bloody Peace


The Bloody Peace

The Danelaw hangs over the beleaguered peoples of the Isles, yet as the Saxons hold on to their fragile peace, a new threat from within begins to split them apart as the Papal Inquisition pushes the issue of the relics to the fore.


The Danelaw of Jorvik

870

By chiifuchiifu

We have been defeated at every turn, and now my people have found themselves at the mercy of Alfred. We cannot stand the war any longer- and I am certain it is the same for the Saxon bastards.

And so, for the last time I confronted King Alfred; not to wage war, but to offer terms of peace.

The Second Invasion


The Second Invasion

Halfdan begins his second invasion, bringing the time of the Bloody Peace to an end. As Saintmaking is revealed to the kings of the Isles, Saints begin to rise to fulfill their masters' will. With them, the Age of Legends waxes upon the world once more, and the line between Saxon and Norseman begins to be tested.


A Servant to Greater Men

875

By EkronakEkronak

In our folly, we gave the Mercian the keys to grow in power that would outshine even Alfred, so that he may destroy what was left of the peace in our Christian lands.

The King, in his infinite ambition, wanted no ordinary Servant of God- he wanted Saint Peter.

The Summoning of Saint Peter

875

By EkronakEkronak

Ecgberht smiled sadly to himself as he held it, before looking up at the raging inferno that had become of the place which once kept it hidden. It didn’t have to be this way, he thought as he watched the flames lick higher and higher. It never had to be.

As the fire crackled and the screams began to die down, Ecgberht was reminded of a sight much like this, in a time that had been gone so long ago.

The World Without


The World Without

A greater world rests outside the Isles, and with the upheaval caused by the vikings uncovering relics long thought to be lost to history, who knows how the continent at large will change in the years to come?


This time in history remains unwritten. Perhaps you will be the first to write a story to fill it.

The World Before


The World Before

The long gone age of legends, home to a time when relics were freely used and epic figures roamed the earth.


This time in history is as of yet still unwritten. Perhaps you will be the first to write a story to fill it.

Author's Reference




The Saints and Heathens canon is an alternate history setting focusing on an anomalous version of the Viking invasions of the 9th century. While there are no Foundations or GOCs yet, certain analogues for those groups exist within the setting, all jockeying for different anomalies (called relics) that hold powers that could be used for their own purposes.

While there is a greater anomalous world out there, the setting focuses mainly on the struggle of the pagan Norse invaders against the Anglo-Saxon kings of the British Isles. As such, the setting is centered around two main characters: King Alfred of Wessex, the last Saxon king, and Halfdan Whiteshirt, the Northman king. From there, the canon is mainly divided into six sections, with four being concerned with the actual invasions and raids, and two focusing on the world before and during it.

As follows, these sections are:

The World Before (<793) - Everything before the raid at Lindisfarne that takes place in Britannia (i.e. Roman stuff, King Arthur).

The Time of Fire (793 - 860) - Norsemen and Danes begin to go on raids for relics and treasure, striking monasteries all over the Isles with increasing intensity.

The First Invasion (860 - 869) - Halfdan and Sigurd invade the Saxons, Ivar invades Ireland and Strathclyde. The Saxons answer, but are quickly routed and broken on the field of Ethandun. King Aethelred of Wessex and King Burghred of Mercia are slain, and the now King Alfred of Wessex goes back to Winchester in disgrace. Saint Cuthbert then rises, turning the tide of the war with Alfred at the second battle of Ethandun and bringing the first invasion to an end.

The Bloody Peace (869 - 875) - Danelaw is instituted between the Saxons and Halfdan. The Papal Inquisition arrives, dividing the Saxons as clergymen rally up peasant armies to seize relics from ealdormen. As Alfred begins to act, Cardinal Azio excommunicates the king with power granted by the Pope, which fractures the realm into a thousand pieces as lords reject the authority held by the King. Soon, anarchy reigns.

The Second Invasion (875>) - Halfdan invades again. The Inquisition is divided into three factions: The Keepers, the Peacemakers, and the Puritans. Saintmaking is revealed to the kings at large, bringing ever more Saints to aid the ambitions of the men they serve.

The World Without (N/A) - Everything outside of the Isles.

An in-depth explanation for these periods can be found in The Setting tab, which dives deeper into the lore of the canon at large. As far as casual readers go, however, I think this acutely sums up all that you need to know about the canon. If you want to contribute, however… read on!

Note: If you are planning to contribute to this canon, please do know that the setting is large in scope, and that not everything has to be about Alfred, Halfdan, Aethelwulf or other major characters. The lore described in the Setting tab is only a rough guide and description for everyone who wants to go deeper into the canon, and everyone's encouraged to fill in the blanks!

We'd love to hear of small-scale struggles as well as big ones, and a family feud between two minor ealdormen can be just as exciting as important events like the Battles of Ethandun!

Additionally, the Second Invasion section is for everyone to contribute to and decide. The war is now ever changing, and more saints and relics are being unearthed, summoned, and used. Just make sure to keep your stories within the section grounded within the current storyline of the setting, and please do make sure to read the previous tales of the canon in order to get a feel of where the characters are!

Footnotes