|
|
|
As the Hyborian Age enters its final centuries, few people feel it as acutely as the northern barbarian clans. It is a subconscious sensation — more a subtle, ever-present melancholy than any true emotion. But it is there, in the blood and bones of every Cimmerian. They all feel it. They each sense, deep within, the end is coming.
King Conan I of Aquilonia is Hyboria’s most renowned Cimmerian, though not typical for his people: he treasures life while his people struggle through and endure it, and burned with a curiosity to see the world’s wonders while his kinfolk even now stay within the mountainous boundaries of their homeland, caring nothing for what occurs outside their clan territories.
Life is hard in Cimmeria, and no greater evidence for this fact exists than the dour Cimmerians themselves.
|
|
|
|
The Cimmerians are a barbarous people, with a culture shaped by their harsh and dreary land to the point where foreigners look askance at the tribes of the north and wonder if they ever laugh or sing any songs beyond dismal dirges. To the world beyond Cimmeria, the barbarians of this cold and rugged region are locked in the misery of internal wars between feuding tribes and surviving through the efforts of dedicated hunters that provide for each community. The Cimmerians live hand to mouth in a hostile realm. It earns them the pity of the other nations, but it gives them a strength no training can ever teach.
The barbarians have little in the way of writing or book-learning, instead passing their lore verbally in fireside tales or whispered legends. They value martial prowess over their enemies, physical strength, and the ability to provide for oneself over all else. While they have their seers and shamans, the supernatural holds terror for most barbarians, not any wonder or tempting appeal. They pride themselves on working through life with their strength, skill and cunning, and never relying on the arcane mysteries that blacken the souls of the men in other nations.
|
|
|
|
In Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, players will find that playing the Cimmerians can be a very varied experience. Their barbaric nature, their stout posture and their willingness to charge into a battle where the odds are against them, should appeal to those players who would solve a dispute with the blade rather than with words. Still, the Cimmerians are a people with an interesting culture that often runs deeper than the roots of mountains, and exploring this society as a player will yield many surprises. They are certainly barbaric, but they have hearts – hearts that beat for the land that surrounds them and for their bloodline. Weaving an interesting story for your Cimmerian should pose no challenge.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cimmerian life revolves around weapons, blood and hard work! Cimmerian Soldiers can become Guardians, Conquerors or Dark Templars, and their Rogues may explore classes such as the Ranger and the Barbarian. The path of the Mage is closed, as their people has little interest in the deep mysteries of magic, however those who do have an affinity for the otherworldly will rather dedicate their life to becoming a Priest, joining the ranks of the Bear Shamans.
|
|
|
|
Cimmeria is a land filled with dangerous people and predators where, in the freezing hills, everything alive kills and is killed. Wolves, sabre-tooth cats and ferocious bears hunt the frozen plains and the thick woods with enough prowess to kill the unwary hunter. Fireside tales speak of monstrous beasts and of sobering legends like the Flesh Eaters that await reckless travellers in the cold wastes, and a number of these stories have already proven true. In Cimmeria, if the weather and the ground don't finish you off, something else will!
|
|
|
|
While the Cimmerians acknowledge Crom as their god, they do not worship him as the Aquilonians revere Mitra and the Stygians fear Set. Crom watches and broods from his mountain throne, but he cares nothing for the lives of mortals. The Cimmerians believe that Crom gives them strength at birth — the strength they will need to meet the trials of life. After that, they are on their own, as it should be.
|
|
|
|
