Lupin History
Culture, Traditions, and History:
Since lupinkind have first settled in the Reach, they have been in constant conflict with the accursed lycankind. For several centuries, the lupins struggled to keep the curse in check. That is until the construction of the Bittergate was completed. The wall served as a barrier between the lycan menace and the outside world, but more importantly, it served as a physical manifestation of hope. With the wall barring the further escape of lycankind, the lupins were able to push back against the lycans that have plagued their homeland since the beginning of the second age. Centuries of survival in a land shared with lycans have transformed lupins into finely tuned weapons against their ancient rivals. All lupin are born a sixth sense that allow them to sense the lycan curse amongst the afflicted, regardless of the form they take. With this gift, the great abundance of silver, and the Bittergate to prevent their enemies escape, the threat of the lycans were finally quelled. This gave rise to the first High Warden of the Reach, Aesir Bloodmane. His first action as ruler was the establishment of Wolfbane Mines, an eternal prison for lycankind. Here they would mine the very material that burns their bodies until the day they die. A Punishment declared suitable for the strife their kind has caused since the beginning of second age itself.
These are the events that would shape lupin culture to what it currently is today. After the creation of Wolfbane Mine, bounties on the remaining werewolves enticed the people to take up arms and to hunt their kind to extinction within the Reach. This policy was met with great success and soon lycans were all but a forgotten threat within The Reach's borders. Generations of gifted werewolf hunters were the byproduct of these times. With the threat extinguished in their own lands, the new generation of werewolf hunters set their eyes upon the outside world. Lupins that ventured past the Bittergate and returned with live tribute for Wolfbane Mine were treated as war heroes and a great deal of these hunters were promoted to noble status and were given land. This gave birth to the tradition of earning one's name. Those born outside of nobility were forbidden from inheriting the surname of their family. The only way to earn a surname for yourself was to contribute a great service or deed for your country. Should a lupin believe he or she is worthy of name they would council with their liege who would judge whether or not they are fit for name. Should their deeds be found worthy, only then may they finally take a surname for themselves, often reflecting the deeds that caused them to earn the name. This is a rare occurrence within lupin society and should not be mistaken as a rite of passage for a lupin to be accepted as an adult. Less than 5% of individuals who reside with The Reach are found worthy enough to take a name for themselves and many spend their entire lives attempting to achieve this goal, but many die before they can. It is not a dishonor to ones family to die without earning a name, it is perfectly normal. However, when a lupin earns their surname, it is often met with great celebration and festivities within their village or town of birth.
Time passed once more and the Reach experienced a renaissance. With so many werewolves populating Wolfbane Mine, silver was common enough to be available to the common people. In these times, your status and wealth amongst your peers was reflected by how much silver you were able to decorate your home with. Whether it was a modest set of silver dinnerware or a set of silver armory, society expected you to own silver finery in one way or another. Even in times of marriage, a groom that could not provide a dowry of silver was viewed as an unworthy husband. These times gave rise to the invention of Aesirian silver, named after the first High Warden (Also known as lupin silver to the common folk of the outside world). This form of silver proved to be as hard as steel and created a market of extravagant arms and armor fit for royalty. With this sudden surplus of wealth, the Reach was finally able to join the modern world in trade. The most common exports were pelts, salt, root vegetables, and of course, raw silver, silver goods, and the greatly prized Aesirian silver. For the first time in their history, commoners were able to afford delicacies such as fruit and spices, goods that simply did not exist in The Reach beforehand.
With the uprising of their nation, missionaries of the Light made pilgrimages to the Reach and the religion was met with open arms and was welcomed by the lupins of the Reach. With the spread of The Light in the Reach, churches, schools, and universities were built en masse. Ultimately this would attract the attention of the Silver Hand who would come to settle in the Reach and establish the famous Light's Hope Chapel. This proved to be a beneficial relationship to the lupins of the Reach and the paladins of the Silver Hand. The High Warden would provide silver and other goods to create potent weapons that would help the order fight the monsters of the world, and the order would in turn bring up young initiates in advanced methods of hunting these monsters. With this relationship came the emergence of a new generation of undead, witch, demon and werewolf hunters. It also gave a more divine purpose for young werewolf hunters to venture outside The Reach, to do so in the name of The Light. Crusades were formed to hunt down bastions of heresy that harbor the evils of the world. It was considered a great honor to participate in these organized crusades and festivals were held to celebrate the journey of these crusaders. Merry-goers would celebrate the soon to be tribute to Wolfbane Mine and to joy to enact the will of the Light.
The advent of these crusades further created a deep sense of national pride amongst the lupins, that they were the jailors in the north, the vanguard that protected humanity from the threat of werewolves. This was the lupins promise to the races of kalimor and their solemn purpose. So long as the lupins of the Reach hold the Bittergate, the world would no longer be threatened by lycankind. This is why lupins often say "By silver our vows are bound" as a farewell with strangers, it is a statement of pride and a constant reminder of their purpose. This was true of course as werewolves truly did dwindle in numbers. Soon they would be just a fairytale parents would tell their children to keep them from misbehaving. This pride also led to respect that the sentinels of the Wolfbane Mine earned. To guard the mines was considered one of the greatest and honorable services you could do for your country, comparable to the guards of The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The honor to guard Wolfbane Mine was granted to the members of The Silver Hand, a gesture of good faith and friendship extended by the High Warden and this agreement has since been honored and respected.
Recent Events:
The greatest tragedy to the inhabitants of the Reach, an event known as "The Great Outbreak". On this night, for the first time in history, the werewolves escaped from Wolfbane Mine under the guise of a moon filled sky. Hundreds of werewolves that were once prisoners carved their way through the countryside towards the one exit that would lead to their freedom. The Bittergate. The lupins on the wall fought bravely but there was no stopping the onslaught. Since the gate was constructed, it was never breached. Not once. On this night, the werewolves changed this as they charged past it's crumpled gate. The lupin that was known as "Volg" was declared responsible for this national tragedy but he managed to flee the country during the event. This lupin would become one the most sought out criminals in not just the lands of Reach, but the lands of Kalimor themselves. The High Warden herself promised the title of "Count" and a royals fortune should this criminal be brought back to the Reach dead or alive.
That night caused a great depression and loss of purpose for all the lupins of the Reach. Their one promise to humanity. Their one purpose. Gone. Things have only gone downhill since the incident. The sudden loss of silver production hit the economy hard. The High Warden sought to repeat history and placed great rewards on live tributes for WolfBane Mine. Miners were also sought to try and stabilize the growing deficit, but too few accepted the High Warden's request. Many believed it was a breach of tradition to have anyone but lycan work those mines and some suggested that to do so would bring misfortune to the miner's family. Without cheap materials, many silversmiths were forced to abandon their shops as they simply could not afford to continue their work.
Misfortune within the Reach continued as the sun dipped below the sky, never to return. Food suddenly became the most important goal for the lupins. Hunting and farming exploded within the Reach as the need for food grew higher and higher with every passing day. It only took one year for the hunters of the reach to hunt all the game that roamed inside the Reach, the only remaining wildlife fled deep within the frozen peaks. Not even masterful hunters chased their quarry deep into the mountains for doing so guaranteed the death of even the most experienced. By this years turn, the High Warden's plan to repopulate Wolfbane Mine was starting to see a small bit of success. Ever so slowly, silver was starting to make it's way back into the market. This silver would go into the production of silver weaponry to meet the needs of the many werewolf hunters that required them.
To the south, the highmen fight a losing war on their own homeland, putting great pressure on the lupin people to send aid in the war efforts. The High Warden is reluctant to send battalions the federations aid, but the prospect of Nightmyst falling under control of a warmongering orcish horde is forcing her hand. Ideally, the crown must stay in the Nightmyst name. Should Nightmyst fall, the king of Stormwind will take up leadership of the Federation which bodes poorly for the lupins of the Reach. Should the Nightmysts become victorious, the lupins will continue to have a buyer for their silver exports and they will be able to negotiate the terms of Gilneas's membership within the Federation.
Notable Relations:
Northmen:
As neighbors of the lupins in the north, their complicated relationships have been guarded and met with hostility. Too many times have settlements outside the Bittergate been exposed to northmen raiding parties. On the other side of the coin, the northmen make up the highest population of humankind in the northern territories. Politically, cooperation and trade with them is required to flourish in the modern world. Settlements outside the Bittergate have a high population of northmen which are generally accepted and met with friendly relations. Lupins and northmen in these villages are known to work hand in hand in their survival and these villages have grown to be a melting pot of lupin and northmen traditions. However... northmen are met with great hostility and racism within the mountainous borders of the Reach. Memories run deep within the lupins behind the Bittergate and they view northmen as bloodthirsty bandits that rape and pillage the villages that lie outside the Bittergate.
Worgen:
If there were a race that lupins hated more than werewolves, it would be worgens. Some even consider being a worgen a worse crime than being a werewolf. The fact that worgens do not share their vulnerability to silver like their werewolf cousins is cause great disdain for many werewolf hunters. "At least silver kills those monsters." In their eyes, both are cursed and both let bestial savagery consume their way of life. Similar to werewolves, lupins believe worgens are a threat to humanity that are not to be trusted. They must be killed with extreme prejudice, no other option is acceptable. With the worgens recent admission into the federation, this alone has had created a great rift between the Reach and the Federation, enough for the Reach to withdraw from the Federation. Recent measures have been put in place to ease the tensions between the worgen and the lupins but these new mindsets do little to combat generations of cultured racism. Threats to cut off trade from the Federation have been enough to force lupins to consider a professional relationship with the worgens of Gilneas, much to their discontent.
Kal'Dorei:
The kal-dorei have a great taste for crafted goods of the highest quality so naturally they became interested in the silver goods that master silversmiths in the Reach had to offer. In return the kal'dorei gave lupins a taste of a previously unheard luxury, fruits. The Reach is too cold to grow such goods and were glad to trade their silver for such delectable foods, a fine change of pace from the hard lettuces and roots that lupins were used to eating. Bonds between the kal'dorei and the lupin grew greater and greater with every generation until recent events brought change to this history of open borders. When druids came to the aid of the worgens of Gilneas and taught them their arts, the lupin felt betrayed and infuriated that they aided these beasts. At first they could look past this fault. They wanted to continue their previously pleasant relationship with the Kal'Dorei. Peaceful and friendly relations remained until the leader of the kal'dorei, Tyrande Whisperwind, personally recommended that the worgens be admitted into the federation. The High Warden Iulea Highdawn pleaded with Tyrande Whisperwind to reconsider, that these people were monsters. When they failed to withdraw their recommendation, the lupins felt as if they were truly betrayed by their long time allies. Their relationship has yet to recover but memories of this act of betrayal are starting to fade from memory. Recently, trade has been renewed with the kal'dorei but exchanges are much more tense than what they were in olden days
Highman:
Lupinkind have since the beginning of the second age had a well nurtured relationship with the highman of the south. For the better part of their history, they considered the highman cherished allies and accepted their invitation into the Federation. Upon the coronation of a new king of Nightmyst, the lupins would send the newly crowned king a blade made of the finest aesirian silver, a gesture of friendship. While the lupins of the Reach were members of the federation, there were open borders between the highman and the lupin. It was a rare kindness for the lupins of the Reach to allow foreign races into their own land, but highman were freely permitted to travel to and from the Reach. Friendly relations continued until the day came where the Federation were presented with the decision of wheter or not to accep the worgens of Gilneas as members of the Federation. Unfortunately, the king ultimately decided to admit the worgens into the Federation at the behest of Tyrande Whisperwind of the kal'dorei. Unhappy with the decision, the High Warden Iulea Highdawn ultimately decided that their people could and never will be allies with the worgens and she made the decision to have her people withdraw from the Federation. Surprisingly enough, this did not harm the relationship between lupins and highman as much as scholars would think. To this day, lupins still visit the lands of the highman and the highman still visit the lupins in the Reach, however with their exit of the Federation, it is rare for any race to cross the threshold of the Bittergate without proper reason Gone are the days of free travel and open borders
Notable Political Figures:
Iulea Highdawn:
Only child of her late father, Ogmun Highdawn, and current High Warden of the Reach. As for her appearance, her pelt is predominantly white with very small patches of silver. She is of average lupin height and her face is scarred with a history of battles. Her right eye is missing, in it's place is a black rose that she has made into an patch to cover the lost eye. On the same side of her face with the lost eye, her mouth shows ghastly scars. When she speaks it reveals a line of silver teeth that she has replaced her originals with. In battle, she prefers to wield a singular longsword which she displays great mastery over. When she is expected to make an appearance in court, she drapes herself with the black pelt of her greatest kill, a werewolf that would have easily stood 12 feet tall in life. Complimenting this shroud is a full set of aesirian silver plate armor, crafted by the finest artesian in the Reach.
As for her policies, she believes in the deep roots of her people and the traditions that spawned from that history. She has also been known to willingly accepts the council of Uther Fordring of the Silver Hand, a close friend and ally to her and her people. During her rule, she has yet to choose a husband in which to produce an heir to her kingdom. The focus of her agenda as of late has been the restoration of her kingdom with the passing of 'The Great Outbreak'. Pressure from Uther Fordring and Robert Nightmyst have forced her into considering rejoining the Federation. The initial act of leaving was met with mixed results in her kingdom. Many aggreed with her choice, calling the members of the federations traitors for taking the worgens into their fold. Lupins have fought to rid the lands of the lycans that have plagued all races since the beginning of the second age. To many lupins, worgens are considered worse than werewolves so accepting them was considered an act of ungratefulness, akin to that of spitting in their face. The other half of her kingdom cried out for Iulea Highdawn to reconsider, saying that leaving the Federation would lead to the decline of their country. Without Federations aid, their people would be left out of the critical events of the world. They pleaded that communications and trade with the Federation had to continue, it must continue. Iulea has since kept information about possibly remerging secret from the public. Rumor has it that with the orcish threat in Nightmyst, she is prepared to send lupin battalions in return for a seat at the negotiating table at the end of the war.