Vosa (Origo Mundi)
The Vosa are a nomadic tribe of the north that began a southward migration in 1041.
History
Exiled from their ancestral lands, the Vosa followed Croderic the Outlaw around the Great Inlet to the land of the strangers called Roens. Croderic had many goods with him, and livestock also, and he traded with the Roens. The Roens were hospitable people; they allowed the Vosa to settle in their territory. For six winters the Vosa remained in Roenish country, during which time the number of their dwellings shrank by one-half. The frost bore down with greater intensity each season, affecting Roen and Vosa alike. On the eve of the spring festival on the seventh year, the Vosa departed from Roenland. The Roens gave them Karsdmir the Sage who would accompany them on their journey. Karsdmir advised Croderic to follow the hilltops south and southwest, and skillfully guided the Vosa through the wilderness. Then came a terrible attack by the Olek tribe, the first of many. The Vosa warriors were decimated. Karsdmir helped the people evade attack by disguising their movements in the woods, but still they were harried by the Oleks throughout the journey. When the Vosa came to the edge of the Dead Forest, Karsdmir turned back because no man had ventured there before. But Croderic pressed on. He bravely crossed the Dead Forest and reached the southern swathes, where he died peacefully in the presence of the elders and the gods. Afterward, the Vosa reached the stream that flows from Peuca, and lived there for a year.
The migrations of the Vosa continued in a southerly direction for most of the decade. The more temperate southern lands provided good hunting and grazing grounds for men and beasts, and the population gradually recovered. A new leader was elected, Arvi Hakam. Soon, however, the Vosa began facing competition from other tribes who had begun moving into the area as of late. These tribes had similarly left their homelands for a better climate, but they did not come with peaceful intent. With enemies on all sides, the Vosa would have to learn the ways of war and become dependent on themselves alone.
After a war against the Osjots, the Vosa migrated south to the Land of Many Lakes, where they gathered strength. Arvi Hakam had been dealt a defeat; he could not risk another. Already the young warriors were quietly questioning his authority. It was only a matter of time before he would have to defend his title with steel. That day would come sooner than Hakam expected. Old age had weakened him. He was not prepared to go head-to-head with his enemy. In a legendary battle, Molnar the Rock-splitter split Hakam's head. This was the end of milder days in Vosa society, and the beginning of succession by strength, conquest, and meritocracy.
The conquest period
The Vosa were on the move again, once more united to begin another conquest. They put an end to their tribal feuds and invaded the land of the Osjots who lived on the western inlet. They stormed through their territory and pillaged their settlements, including the place known as Osfjoll. From there, the Vosa migrated to the western arm of land near an inland sea.
Society
In the early days, the Vosa tribes owed their allegiance to the handu (chiefs) of the Mebir Confederation. Upon their departure from the confederation, the Vosa invented a new social structure. They organized themselves into a tribal society, made up of several lesser chiefs ruled by a paramount chief, or bansa. They also elected a military leader known as a khundha. Later Vosa chieftains were often granted both titles at once, resulting in the title bansa-khunda.