I entered the world of Conquest too soon. Not long after I’d started investing in my army, the Nords faction was released and I was immediately jealous of those who were arriving at games with a boxful of Vikings. My Norse ancestry and passion for pillaging runic designs called to me but my friend Josh got in too quickly, which has turned out to be my experience across a table from him as well.
The Nords look like they’ve stepped straight out of an illustrated book about Scandinavian folklore. Bearded men and war-painted women ride oversized wolves alongside trolls and some of the most classic giants in all of wargaming. And once we look into the lore we discover a context and meta-narrative that really adds to the experience of seeing them in the game.
The Frozen North
The land of Mannheim, where the Nords live, is more than just a cold place. To completely misuse a metaphor, it’s the oven within which the Nords are baked. Endlessly battered by freezing winds, buried under snow and surrounded by icy seas, Mannheim demands survival against unthinkable odds. Only the most resilient thrive here, and the Nords are testament to that.
Nord society is shaped by the immediate and practical needs that life in Mannheim requires. Weakness, hesitation and comfort aren’t even luxuries, they’re folly that will lead to death. Power belongs to those who seize it, and survival and victory are what earn respect and leadership. They believe the gods crafted Mannheim to test them, and it’s a belief that manifests in all they do. To live in Mannheim is to be vigilant and self-reliant, and also fiercely loyal to those who share in its hardships, demonstrated most practically perhaps in the Ting, an open discussion forum for making the most critical leadership decisions.
Wisdom and stability in Nord culture comes predominantly from Shamans and Volvas (soothsayers), who interpret omens and guide decisions made by the Konungyr and Jarls. While adaptability to their harsh surroundings is fundamentally important to the Nords they also place high value on tradition and mysticism.
The Blood of the Gods
Few in Mannheim are mere humans. Most Nord bloodlines can be traced back to an ancient heritage that blends human resilience with something…else. The Einherjar, the first and mightiest of the Nords, were chosen by the Vanir and Aesir, two complementary races of godlike beings who prepared humanity for Ragnarok, the prophesied end of days. These Einherjar warriors were transformed, gaining supernatural strength and speed in the process.
Echoes of the Einherjar linger on in the Nords of today in many ways. We can see it firstly in Nord myth and culture; the tale of the death of the Vanir centres around the betrayal by Loki, one of the Aesir, which prevented the Einherjar from waking up and protecting them from destruction.
Here is where we start to unearth the blurry line between Nord myth and Eä’s reality. While the stories behind the truth of the Vanir have surely evolved over time, their connection to the biomancies of the Spires is tricky to ignore. The Einherjar’s descendants, known in their more human form as the Exalted and in other forms as Half-Bloods, still show fragments of superhuman power that look suspiciously like the experiments that created the W’adrhǔn.
There Were Giants in the Land…
The original driver for the Spires to experiment in this way may lie in the presence of the Jotnar. In the ancient times Mannheim belonged to the towering giants, fierce and primal and no doubt a threat to the northern border of the Spires’ territories. While the Einherjar led the battle that caused their downfall, the memory of the Jotnar lingers in Nord culture and now the Nords live in a delicate tension with their descendants.
The Jotnar are embodiments of the forces that still test the Nords. While they inhabit the wilds of the mountains, forests and seas certain Nords can invoke oaths that bind the remaining Jotnar to their cause. While such alliances do little to convince your run-of-the-mill Nord to trust them, their legacy persists in Nord hierarchy and culture. In many ways, conquering a giant in battle or gaining its respect is a microcosm of the Nordic way, a symbol of the harsh majesty of their homeland.
Why I Love the Nords
The classic stereotype of the Viking warrior is at home on a fantasy wargaming table, and the Nords are that and more. They’re an aggressive people characterised by conflict, tested by their environment and driven by a heritage of myth. That living myth in its most visible sense is what brings the most variety to what we see on the tabletop, but digging into the stories adds tremendous colour to a faction whose culture scheme ought really to be various shades of grey, brown and blue.
The Nords embody ferocity, loyalty and determination. As a people they’ve suffered from hardships and still do, and yet they continue and find their purpose in that resilience. They thrive as they push beyond their boundaries and it’s this rejection of surrender that makes them so compelling.
If you’re looking for a faction that exhibits a warrior’s spirit, a legendary past and supernatural diversity the Nords are the faction for you.
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