Wolfraven

Wolfraven (Elw: Уљраун, Ullraun; Hyperborean: Uolrhaphen; Farewellish: Ulvravn) is a Cimmerian island and city. Politically part of Cimmeria in Elwynn, the island is considered the capital of Cimmeria. It was its own bailiwick until 1680 when it joined the other Cimmerian bailiwicks in forming one bailiwick.

History

The capital of Cimmeria is named for the Wolfraven tribe that inhabited the island bearing the same name early in Cimmerian history. Of the five isles, a tribe of Cimmerian folk has traditionally ruled each. Early on Wolfraven displayed a knack for dominance, raising exemplary warriors and building magnificent dragonships. Wolfraven was one of the earliest settlements and thus gained an advantage over the other neighboring isles. Always a rural community rooted in a simplified lifestyle, there was never any city named Wolfraven until much later in Cimmerian history. People simply settled themselves in groups across the small island, not bothering to name places or construct large dwellings. It wasn’t until the Wolfraven tribe began to exert influence and control over the neighboring islands that a city developed.

A very small island, Wolfraven only has room for one city. When the tribe began to send war parties out against the other tribes, retaliatory attacks became more frequent. These attacks brought about a need for defense, and thus the city of Wolfraven was founded. Constructed initially as a wooden fort, the original structure was later razed and rebuilt several times, expanding during each reconstruction. It eventually became a large castle-like structure built of logs – as it remains today – and impenetrable to the rival tribes. Combined with the fierce warrior nature of the Wolfraven people, they quickly subdued the other four islands and united them to form Cimmeria. Although never a great power in its own right, Cimmerians were recognized as a strong people and are respected throughout Hyperborea. They remain a reclusive and rural people, untouched by the centuries of technology that have passed by on the mainland mere miles away. A stout and proud people, they are firmly rooted in the belief that their ways need not change so long as they are content. This belief certainly has a modicum of truth to it.