History
The Horde
Descended from voyagers who sailed across the world a long time ago before the fall of Sheor in Arc 178 - Rahiko Burhan, the man who became leader of the house of sails was the chieftain of a horde of Biqaj. They lived peacefully, sticking to the islands and outskirts of Sheor; fishing, working the land, building boats and enjoying island life.
Despite their capability for war it was not their way to be selfish. Hopeful that they could be civil with their neighbours, the Burhan Horde offered to take part in Sheor’s trade on the conditions Sheor would leave their lands alone and they would act as allies. This allowed them to continue their way of life and to be friends whilst not binding themselves to the city’s rigid structure and laws.
Eventually after a long series of negotiations a treaty to that accord had been made. Henceforth they were known among the Sheorians as a free and friendly people, with an archaic way of living that was simplistic, hardworking and didn’t interrupt with the Sheor way of life. Through trade and many fond talks, Rahiko Burhan became great friends with Verne Andaris, one of Sheor’s leaders. Together they created a festival to celebrate the sea, on Ymiden 32. On this day children would - and still - run wildly across the beaches playing, adults would come to admire the grand displays and as the sun set over the horizon all would settle for a feast. Bonded through this holiday the Burhan became friends with the Sheor citizens, it was this bond that formed the foundation of what would be a long lasting alliance and this bond that answered their call in a time of great need.
In the collapse of the great and magical Kingdom of Sheor, the Burhan gathered their fleets and sailed into the city for the first time; on a mission to rescue the fleeing populace from Galador’s wrath and guide them to a new homeland. The journey, riddled with obstacles and harsh consequences made it difficult for the Burhan to keep Andaris and his people from the rapid decay of starvation. Forced to fish for more mouths than they had accounted for, the Burhan had to ration the supplies they caught along the way. But where one problem was solved, another arose as a great storm settled over the seas and forced them to land.
In a combined effort the houses came together to gather food, build shelter and make a temporary lodging for themselves. They were fine for a while, at least until the Jacadon came. Rising up from beneath the ocean the giant winged creature tore through the Burhan fleet and with a slash of its mighty tail brought down many of the horde. Those lucky enough to have survived or remained on land, bravely stood to face against this mighty winged beast. With them stood the seven; Andaris, Warrick, Krome, Venora, Endor, Gawyne and Rahiko Burhan himself, each leader armed with a unique weapon or object of individual making. It was only with their help, the other artefacts and the Ghost Ship that had been passed down through the horde bloodlines for generations, did the Burhan stand a chance of survival.
A final stand in what would be the life and death of two entire civilisations; they fought a hard battle that suffered many losses. Through the mist and the fog of war Rahiko sailed the seven around the creature, taking orders from the foreign general Andaris in a battle of tactics as they used what little remained of the Sheor men and the Horde to cause a distraction.
Courageous in their determination to protect their family and friends the Burhan fought to buy time for the seven alongside those that dared to challenge the creature. But by the time the Jacadon fell in Arc 186 and all was said and done, what was once a horde of over three hundred had been reduced to nothing more but a mere five dozen.
Broken and scattered the horde that had sailed the Sheorian’s away from their crumbling homelands with the best of intentions instead found themselves amidst the darkest pits of despair they had ever known. Following the Jacadon's petrification the differences in their culture became known. While the armies of Sheor broke into solemn silence, the horde took to celebrating the lives of those that had passed. Joyfully they crafted small boats of flax and driftwood with shells from the beach and set them to sail back into the heart of the oceans to join their ancestors. Ceremoniously enjoying the life that they shared, the life that had been given to them by those that sacrificed their own; they danced, sang and gathered what they could to make a feast in honour of the fallen.
With little Horde and little of a home to return back to, it was in honour of their sacrifices Verne Andaris extended an invitation for Rahiko and his Horde to join them as the house of sails, centered in the heart of Rynmere.
A New Life In Rynmere
“Where one journey starts, another ends,” – Rahiko Burhan, The Beginning of Rynmere
Rahiko had taken time in his decision to choose whether to join the settlement of Rynmere with the land that was offered to them. For although the centre of the island offered an endless opportunity to build ships, the sea they loved would be far away. Few and fearful the horde urged Rahiko to do something and eventually he agreed to Verne Andaris’s proposal.
Given a new home, new lands and new status; what remained of the Burhan horde became what was known as one of the seven duchies of Rynmere, and they became an official noble House in Arc 183. Rooted in the heart of nature and now in the heart of a place they didn’t quite understand, the house of sails found themselves in the most awkward of circumstances. Protected by their friends as they had tried to protect them, but locked into the land, the Burhan found the forest way of life challenging. Although they were used to harsh terrains, weather patterns and survival of the fittest, the forest was not a territory they knew well.
Aware of the differences between the people that surrounded them and their ways of live, Rahiko knew that to be able to live in the new society they would need to understand how it worked. Eager to understand, the biqaj chieftan lay down his pride and sought help from the Lady Cyrene Venora.
Without a distraction Rahiko and Cyrene knew both of their people would suffer great losses in morale when they needed it most, so they came up with a compromise. Gathering together the house Venora and the House Burhan a camp was held where the two houses would travel to a retreat in Burhan to learn about culture, do art, play, dance and sing away from the judgements of the other houses. Over time this tradition slowly became something for the two houses to look forward to and helped immensely for the Burhan integration.
Alliances were forged between old friends and old enemies to create peace and with this peace a thriving civilisation formed into the Rynmere of today. The decay of time took over what remained of old grudges and became a newly learned wisdom to be wary. New children were born, new elements were celebrated and new stories were told. Somewhere between the traditions of new and the traditions of their ancestors the Burhan remain free spirited and in touch with elemental aspects that surround them. Through the help of Venora, the Burhan over time learnt the ways of sophistication they needed to remain a part of Rynmere society.
In The Recent Past
A war by the making of what people saw to be Veljorn Burhan, but the house of sails knew to be someone other than the Veljorn they knew. What had been an endeavor to bring equality and fairness to the people, swiftly turned to bloodshed when the real Veljorn was killed and mimicked by a Champion of Syroa. The Queen once known as Freya, known to have vanished and rumoured to be dead; was very much alive. A demonic entity with a blessing that allowed her to change her shape, she impersonated the ambitious Burhan and became the forefront of a civil war in Arc 716.
United against Rynmere with the aid of a woman by the name of Ellasin, Freya successfully used her power to charm over the men that followed Veljorn in a plot to overtake it. Although the battle was bloody and Freya got hurt, through treachery and deceit Ellasin saved the champion for the sake of her own interests. It is unknown as to their whereabouts.
A subject of tension, to this day the Burhan clan remain unsure of the truth of this outbreak or why one of their own would try so hard to battle to break the peace and many are suspicious of what happened. Few are eager to get down to the bottom of it.
Please Note: The Knowledge Veljorn was acting strange is restricted to the heads of the Burhan household or those that knew him well. Many still believe the Burhan renounced him from their family, while the House of Sails speculate among themselves about the truth.
Credit: Lorena Burhan for the history!
