Nidik

Overview[edit]

Popular legend holds that Zar had three sons who founded the three tribes about 350 years ago. According to the Nidikans, popular legend is wrong. Zar had two sons and a daughter, Nidik. Raised by her hunter-nymph mother, Nidik was as aggressive as her older brothers, if not more so. After the quarrel separating and delineating the modern tribes, Surlt took as his inheritance the citadel which now bears his name, a fortress safely away from the borders of the Wilds, leaving the eastmost citadel for his younger brother Ockless. Nidik, left out of the inheritance, took the eastern citadel by force before Ockless got there, and refused to relinquish control.

Secretly relieved, Ockless went west where he eventually discovered a way to force giants to build a third citadel for him near the Buchek River. Then Ockless made up a song, and not long after, the folk of both Ockless and Surlt contrived to reduce the embarrassment of their heroic founders by changing popular legend. According to this new song, Zar had three sons, not two sons and a daughter. Additionally, the choosing of the citadels was supposedly by lot. The Nidikans have take this in stride. It is still a great joke to say that Ockless and Surlt no longer have a sister but a female brother, and then extend on the idea to make some vulgar comments about the virility and sexual preference of the other two Zar-sons. At least, such is the story told by modern Nidikans.

The descendants of Nidik weathered attacks by neighboring Surlt tribespeople, internal struggles, and even a slarge siege without suffering major harm to either the fortress or its inhabitants. However around 200 years ago a trio of giants, seeking revenge for the slavery they had endured when forced by Ockless to build his citadel, discovered Nidik and confused it with Ockless (giants can be slow at times). The giants destroyed the fortress, turning it to rubble not worth living in. An alternate story says that the giants were sent to attack Nidik by Ockless' king, whose dynasty could control giants.

About a century ago, King Skilfil's great-grandfather rebuilt his inheritance. The Zarings lacked the technology to construct massive fortifications, but through arrangements with builders from the mainland the fortress of Nidik was rebuilt in its present state. Still missing, however, is the great lower bailey.

The last great activity of the citadel was the Nobody-Won-War, wage by Skilfil's father against Surlt. As the name implies, no great effect was obtained from the conflict.