Icecrown Almanac

Chapter 1: Icecrown's Beginning.

Icecrown. A beautiful, frozen planet in which even the oceans are covered with a thick layer of ice. There are a total of four continents on this frozen world. The first is known as The Wolf's Hubris. It is coated in a powdery layer of snow and home to the Werewolf race on Icecrown. On this continent, the vast "Mammagon" mammoths roam the snowy plains and the ferocious "Worg" wolves hunt both the Mammagon as well as other forms of life. According to Werewolf culture, Worgs are captured at a young age and then raised as mounts and as hunting beasts. As for Mammagon, they are raised for their milk, their fur, their meat, and as pack animals for trade caravans as well as for Werewolf Packs that are on the move, as is their nomadic nature. The next continent is known as Ash's End. It is on this constantly-erupting volcano that the temple to Efreet, god of Fire, Cataclysms, and the protector of the God Flame is kept. Only those who have proven worthy and have been called by Efreet are allowed to even set foot on this sacred mountain-continent. The next continent is known as The Bloody Mesa. It is a tall, icy mesa that has seen so much violence that the ice is forever stained red with blood. It is on this red mountain of ice that the Vampire Courts make their home. As well, flying hawk-like wolverines known as "Crimson Shrieks" hang to the walls of the mesa, lapping at the rock and swooping down at the ocean below to hunt for fish in the holes made by the ice being warmed by the mesa. These Shrieks are usually taken at a young age through selection and domesticated as flying mounts to be sold or used by the Vampire Courts. Finally, there is the continent of Fortesia. This rocky, iceless, black continent is home to the Fortesian Legions. With no snow, the only plants on all of Icecrown grow on this continent. However, the beaches are cold enough that the ocean freezes to the rocks. And with plants, comes life from Jungle Mammagons all the way to the vicious, insectoid Brood. In the beginning, each race fought for control over Icecrown. The Vampires, being ageless and powerful in the arcane arts, believed the other races to be inferior and considered themselves the master race. The Werewolves opposed this and a war broke out between the two. The Fortesians, ever the peace keepers and strict military-like beings, tried to pacify the two by entering the war themselves in an attempt to defeat them and seize power in order to perpetuate peace. This failed, and the War of Three broke out. Icecrown was ready to fall. However, out from the blackness of space came the peace that all had longed for. Delques Bane, the lost, illegitimate, bastard son of the fallen Vampire king, Vaclav Bane and the fallen female Werewolf Alpha, Selena. Delques took up the blade of the Void God, Tangkath, and through it proved his right to the thrones of both the Werewolves and Vampires. Having learned how to fight from the Fortesian legions, he was a combination of all three races. Nobody opposed. Delques was named the first High King of all Icecrown. Delques learned through arcane research with the aid of the Vampire Courts that a fallen God of the Warp, the demonic realm linked to Icecrown, was responsible for the Vampires' lust for power. It was Ulkaer, lord of Pestilence and Plague, and the son of the Gravelord, one of Icecrown's four deities. And so, Delques tracked down the plague lord and found him, on the holy ground of Ash's End. It was there that Delques, with the Void Blade Frostmorne and the blade of Efreet, Ashbringer, did defeat Ulkaer in single combat and banish him and his plagued legions back to the Warp. However, Delques had entered the mountain and had taken up Ashbringer without Efreet's consent. The God of Fire was insulted by this, but grateful to Delques for purifying his mountain. He allowed Delques to walk off the mountain, however, he was to leave behind Ashbringer and never return to the mountain. Having defeated Ulkaer, it was then a time for celebration and recognition. Delques was officially crowned king and Icecrown celebrated for seven long weeks. However, the happiness was not to last. There were other races on Icecrown, and they too wanted the same power that Delques and the now unified Icecrown Kingdom had claimed. First, came the K'davei. Ancient, decrepit skeletal droids left behind in ruins from times long before even the Vampires. They had been awoken by the Warp energy release caused by Ulkaer's defeat. They came forth from their crypts and amassed a large fighting force. However, with the help of the Vampires' sorcery, the free peoples of Icecrown were able to drive the K'davei back into their crypts, even if they were not able to destroy them. Next came the Orc Horde. Green, strong mutants that lead a tribal, scavenging lifestyle. Under the command of a charismatic Orc named Warboss Sledgefist, the thousands of Orc tribes united under one banner to assault the weakened Icecrown Citadel, capital of the planet. However, Delques foresaw this attack and called upon the aid of the Werewolf Packs, who used gorilla tactics to break the Orc moral and eventually cause their armies to splinter and break. Sledgefist, in a final act, challenged the leader of the Werewolf Packs, Ivar Bloodfang, to a duel and was killed. The Orcs went back to their warring, tribal lives and have since only caused minor problems for Icecrown. Finally, from the jungles on Fortesia, came the largest threat since Ulkaer's plagued legion. A hive race of insects known as the Brood. Under their Hive Mind, they made their agenda known. To kill all of Icecrown's inhabitants, consume all resources, and evolve further. However, the Fortesian legions under Ablar General Crucian were prepared. They constructed a large iron wall around the Brood's jungle and fortified it with heavy artillery, armor, and soldiers. The new "Brooding Line" still stands today as the most effective and the front line defense against the vile Brood.

Chapter 2: The Races of Icecrown part 1


Werewolves:

The Werewolves are a proud, nomadic race that believes in more spiritual and tribal means of life as opposed to technology. Their nomadic groups, or Packs, are divided into three main Packs. The Ghostclaw, the Bloodfang, and the Greymane. The Ghostclaw believe in finding spiritual connection within shamanistic ancestor rituals as well as offerings to the spirits of nature. The Bloodfang believe that the hunt is most necessary of all of life's assets and they exemplify this through constant war games and hunting parties. They are by far the most violent of the Packs. Finally, the Greymane believe that through study and understanding can the Werewolves find true peace. The Werewolf race comes in two types. There are the Transformed, which are large, hulking wolf men and women with sharp fangs, thick fur, wolf snouts and eyes, and long sharp claws as well as wolf ears and tails. They, in all counts, look exactly like humanoid wolves. Then, there are the Non-Transformed, which fairly resemble humans only with wolfen features such as sharp eyes, a keen sense of smell, thicker hair on the head, for males usually thick sideburns, small yet sharp fangs, and sharp nails. While the Transformed specialize in brute strength and primal cunning, the Non-Transformed tend to use their brains to solve puzzles. Some even go on to become full-fledged Mages. A good number of Transformed wolves will usually join the King's Army as either assassins due to their wolf-like stealth, or as Berserkers due to their ferocious fighting prowess. In fact, some Transformed Werewolves that abandon the Shamanistic life go on to become disciples of the Blood God and God of War, Khorne.

Notable Werewolves :

Ivar Bloodfang: Ivar was one of three children of Selena and her mate, Alfar. This means he is the half-brother of Delques Bane. As was Selena's last wish, Ivar and Delques had spent a good number of their childhood together before Delques was chased off to the planet Earth by his evil Vampire half-brother, Stinggle. Ivar, like all Bloodfangs, has a love of fighting and hunting, a practice he and Delques both partook in on numerous occasions growing up. After Delques was chased off of Icecrown, Ivar was deeply saddened by the disappearance of his brother. So, Ivar channeled his longing to find Delques again into determination to become a more powerful warrior in order to impress his younger brother upon his return to Icecrown. Ivar learned to master the art of wielding a Spirit Weapon, a weapon that Werewolf Shamans would call into the physical world through calling its name in the ancient Werewolf language. His Spirit Weapon was a large, double-bladed cleaver that he wielded with only one hand. Ivar quickly became a force to be reckoned with among the Werewolves. There was even talk that he would be named Alpha, leader of all Werewolves. And so, the rumors became true. The Elder Werewolves from each Pack came together and their ancestors granted them the vision of Ivar leading the Werewolves to peace. Ivar was made Alpha. Afterwards, he and his Bloodfang Hunters began to scour a place that the nomadic Werewolves could settle down. A place that was large enough for Nomadic life to be possible, but still small enough for their people to guard and protect. And so, they found it. A large valley formed into a canyon. The canyon, however, was inhabited by the arch enemy of the Werewolf Packs, Orc tribes. The Werewolves saw this as a golden opportunity to drive the Orcs from their lands and finally claim a home. Under the leadership of the Bloodfang, the Werewolves launched an all-out assault on the valley. The Orcs were driven out, but not before their Warboss, Sledgefist, would declare that he would have revenge for Ivar's invasion. After establishing a foothold on the valley, the Werewolves declared their sovereignty of their continent. However, they later found out that the Vampires, who were unknowingly under the corruption of the Demon Ulkaer, had declared themselves as master race of Icecrown. The Werewolves were now a united people, and felt that they would rather die fighting than be slaves. So, under Ivar's leadership, they went to war against the Vampires. At the first battle, the Battle of Blood and Fangs, Ivar lead his pack-brothers against the forces of Dracule Alucard, one of the Five Sons of Alucard. Ivar embraced the power of the Ancestors and used it to slay Dracule in single combat while the armies fought. Ivar showed his trophy, a necklace made from Dracule's abnormally long flangs, to both armies. The Vampires lost morale and retreated, the Werewolves still on their trail. However, while the battle was won, the war was far from over. Ivar then found himself and the Vampires beset by the Fortesians of the Blood Legion. The leader of the Blood Legion, Kharn, challenged Ivar to single combat. Ivar accepted. The two were evenly matched, even though Kharn was a Fortesian that towered over Ivar in all physical aspects. However, right as the two were about to go for the Death Blow, Delques appeared with Frostmorne, the blade of the Void God Tangkath. Delques there asserted his right as High King of Icecrown. Ivar's was the first voice to hail the new king, followed by Ablar General Crucian of the Fortesian Legions and lastly Andrastei Dracule, chief Arcanist of the Vampire Courts. With Icecrown united, Delques along with Ivar, Crucian, and Andrastei uncovered the reason behind the Vampires wanting to start a war. It was the work of Demonic Corruption at the hands of Ulkaer, a Demon Lord of Pestilence and Plague. Ivar and his best Tracker Wolves mounted up and hunted down Ulkaer's Dark Priests, and then did away with the plagued traitors. After wringing information out of one of the priests before ending him, they discovered that Ulkaer was being summoned to the physical world at Ash's End. Delques went alone to face the Demon Lord. After his victory over Ulkaer, Delques endorsed Ivar's position as Alpha of the Werewolves as well as Andrastei's son, Raiga's, position as the new Chief Arcanist and Crucian's position as Ablar General of the Fortesian Legions. Ivar never actually rode out into battle against the K'davei, but he was able to keep them at bay from destroying his people's home, now know as Den's Valley. However, word from Delques finally reached Ivar. The seeds he had sewn in order to give his people land had grown into weeds. Warboss Sledgefist had united all the Orc Tribes into a single, united front. Ivar then felt the full weight of is responsibility in Sledgefist's rebellion and decided to settle the matter personally. He gathered all his pack-brothers as well as all the able wolves he could find and then rode out to assist Delques and his army in the defense of Icecrown Citadel. Ivar found himself on the front lines, face to face with the Orc who he had defeated so many months ago. Sledgefist never forgot Ivar, and challenged Ivar to a duel to the death. Ivar fought Sledgefist to the death, and won at the cost of his tail. Now known as Ivar Bloodfang the Tailless, he leads his people as representative of the Werewolf Packs in Icecrown's high court.