The Lion King
The Sword and Shield of Midvinter, standing vigil over the lands beyond.
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To flesh out the areas around the City of Fridheim.
- Image Credit: Wallup.net
- Canon: N/A
- Links: N/A
- Landmark Name: Straits of the Setting Sun
- Classification: Straits, Monument
- Location: Midvinter
- Affiliation: The City of Fridheim, governed by [member="Thurion Heavenshield"].
- Size: Massive [100 meters tall]
- Population: Sparsely populated
- Demographics: Valkyri [99%], Beorni [1%]
- Accessibility: Easily spotted and accessible to the public by boat.
- Description: A narrow strait separating the vast ocean known as the Great Maw and the Golden Gulf. On either side of said straits stands two gigantic stone statues depicting two men, one holding a sword and the other a shield in their left hand, and their right hand reaching out towards the western horizon with an open palm.
- The Golden Gulf: The body of water upon which shores the City of Fridheim is located and where the principal harbour of Midvinter can be found, along with the largest amount of ships. Owed to the straits beyond keeping the worst waves at bay, thus allowing for calmer waters within, at sundown the gulf becomes awash with a golden glow, hence why it is called such.
- The 'Brothers-at-Arms' monument: Named such for the depiction of High King [member="Thyrian Hearthfire"] and Warden [member="Thurion Heavenshield"], these two towering sentries serve as reminders that the lands beyond are under their protection. Carved from the high cliffs and added to by great stone blocks, they stand at hundreds of feet in height.
Rarely is it by royal decree that the Valkyri of Midvinter erect grand monuments or memorials to prominent figures within their society and culture; rather it is the people themselves who judge whether specific individuals are worthy of being immortalised in stone, wood or otherwise. Thus it came as no surprise to anyone that when the [member="Dawnbringer"] fell in battle defending his homeland against the undead, statues of him sprung up all over the place as people received word of his sacrifice and subsequent ascension into man-made-god. Such a great king was he that Thrand Dawnbringer is widely considered the Founding Father of today's Midvinter, for he was the first to look to the future rather than dwell in the past. He made the correct assumption that one day their world would garner the attention of forces beyond their borders, and he knew that they were in no shape defending themselves against any galactic power.
Thrand's two sons have since taken up their father's plight; the elder serving as chosen successor to their father's throne, reigning from the Capital of Tháinbroek, while the younger brother settled upon the western shores and founded the City of Fridheim, now serving as Capital of the Westmark. Together these two brothers have defended Midvinter from numerous threats, from within and without alike, and theirs have proven a rule most prosperous. Thus it was that stonemasons from all over Midvinter banded together to honour them by erecting two massive statues - hundreds of feet high - depicting the two brothers, standing vigil upon the shores of either side of the natural-formed straits west of Fridheim, just beyond the Golden Gulf. One wielding a sword, the other a shield, and both reaching out towards the vast oceans beyond.
The symbolism for their stance is twofold; the more obvious one is to relay a warning to all whom would seek to enter Midvinter from the west, that these lands are under their protection. Another, more subtle take, is that the sons of the Dawnbringer are reaching out towards the setting sun to bid their beloved father a good night.
