Blåkulla
Blåkulla is an Orkanan religious shrine, royal mansion and small settlement in Kulla Crown Domain, Vittmark. Blåkulla literally means 'blue hill' and the house is indeed built on top of a blueish granite piece of bedrock in the upper valleys of Kulla. It is one of the more remote houses, still is managed by the Royal Court of Vittmark.
History
The house has a long and vivid history, of which large parts do not have any historical accounts to base it on. This means that it is difficult to separate myths, legends and actual events during the 2000 year old history of the site.
Blåkulla sightings
More than 2000 years ago, Blåkulla became known as a spot for regular sightings of the spirits of young and wise women. According to legends, these wandering spirits weren't reunited with Vind and had unfinished affairs on Gotha. Blåkulla was assumed to be the point of origin for all these female spirits. Orkanan clergy at the time believed it was evident that a religious shrine should be built here. Religious counselling was necessary for these wandering spirits, and helping a spirit reunite with Vind was considered a holy task. Many alfs with ambitions traveled here in order to meet a wandering spirit and help her towards her goals. The shrine therefore became an educational institute.
Beginnings of current building
Around 6575, the foundations of the current house were laid by the caretaker of that time: Bengt till Långsrum. His stim managed the house and shrine until 6951, when Herger Joarsson till Långsrum was replaced. It then came under the custody of the Av Kulla family.
The legend of the Blue Ones can be retraced to the time when the Till Långsrum stim were managing Blåkulla. Although historical evidence is lacking, stories of travelling pseudo-clergymen trying to convince young people with a religious calling to Blåkulla are considered true by most Vittmarkers. According to the legend, exemplars from Blåkulla were travelling the lands before the rise of the Greater Stoldavic Empire. They recruited young people for a religious education at Blåkulla. Especially during the cold phases, when food sources were scarce, many families would welcome the arrival of clergymen offering free education for some of their children. Travelling groups of children were commonplace according to the legend. Blåkulla received a bad name because of the Legend of the Blue Ones, a reputation that stood until the late 7500's.
During the Greater Stoldavic Empire
The Av Kulla stim took over the fortified, almost cubic house with small windows and a gathering of temporary buildings surrounding it. Its location high up in the mountain valley made it impossible to defend by any regular military units of the time. The house fell under attack by wandering gangs on a regular basis. The fortified structure was used for other purposes than a religious shrine by its caretakers. Blåkulla was used for recruiting (child) soldiers for the war efforts, both during the expansive phase of the empire, as well as during its death struggle. The magnitude of these practices are unknown, since these activities most probably were never registered, but also because of the sacking of Blåkulla around 7200 RH. Since the end of the Greater Stoldavic Empire, Blåkulla has never again had a residing landlord for a longer period of time until the 7570's. The area became a no man's land between Kulla, Liden and Mörenburg. The house was occupied though, sometimes by Liden opportunists, sometimes Orkanan clergy, sometimes by dark Orkanan cults, sometimes by the military, sometimes a combination of all. The inaccessibility of the area has contributed to a great deal more horror stories connected to Blåkulla, like female spirits harvesting souls leaving empty bodies, collective suicides etc.
Liden years
According to the Legend of The Blue Ones, when noble families from Liden finally visited Blåkulla in order to be reunited with their children around 7200, they found a small group of people living in decadent wealth, unable to close the vault doors from all the gold that had been gathered. Sex slaves and death fight entertainment was present as well, according to eyewitness accounts, but many victims are said to have been sold into slavery in Aedeland and Dhonowlgos during the previous decades. Whatever the amount of factuality in this legend, the Av Månsta family has fought a battle for power with the landlords of Blåkulla just after the demise of the Greater Stoldavic Empire. The storyline most probably has been "spiced up" by the victorious side in order to justify the very brutal and bloody conflict.
After the death of Peter Gudmundsson av Kronan, the last caretaker with connection to Av Kulla, the house was put into the custody of Karin Törneskiöld, then Britta Pedersdotter Strömberg and Anna Kristoffersdotter Strömberg, none of them ever visited the house though. The house was then sold to an industrialist by the name of Nils Stedt in 7276, who made an effort to turn it into a mining settlement. His widow Sara Stedt Linroth took over custody in 7299. She was succeeded by her son Claes Nilsson (who ruled the house in-situ in military style), his son Claes Claesson and then again his son Fredrik Claesson. He sold the estate to the Adelsvärd stim in 7380, but a bankruptcy led to a quick sale to the Killander stim in 7384. When Andreas Killander died in 7390, his widow Anna Killander took over, and then their son Johan Andreassson Killander. The Killanders however never occupied the house, which stood empty when it was sold to Nils Petterson Ekvall in 7424. The house had been occupied by passing migrants and occult Orkanan cults during these four decades.
Mörenburger years
Ekvall never could claim his possession, since the land became occupied by Mörenburg. Georg Schramm saw the possibilities of the sturdy house and turned it into a military outpost. However, local recruits refused to stay overnight at the Jungfrau Haus as it was called at the time, remembering the legend of The Blue Ones. Allegedly, some recruits were executed to set an example, adding another bloody chapter to the house's reputation. However, the house proved of minimal strategic importance, since neither the neighbouring Kulla Sanctuary, nor the expansionist Av Månsta family made any attempt to change the fragile balance in this large uninhabited borderland. The house became a place of refuge for uprooted stims that were suffering from the expansion of Liden and Ådalen north of the mountains. As a result, the military presence was reduced to a minimal staff. The custody was left in the hands of the Bengtist Stift, who were using it to supply aid and comfort to uprooted people, guiding them towards new sheltered residence in the area.
Pan-Anarian War
The Pan-Anarian War arrived in this region around 7540rh. The Blue Mountains became terrain for troop movements, trying to out-manoeuvre the other side for good positions in battles that were mainly fought elsewhere. The Bengtists abandoned the house, which was used as a stronghold or outpost by many sides in the war. This led to an increasing dissatisfaction with the local population, who saw themselves get robbed from means of transport and food produce time after time. A rebel group calling themselves The Blue Ones operated in the area, attacking all sides in the conflict and especially the ones currently residing at Blåkulla. After the formation of Vittmark, these activities stopped, which has led to speculations that the Av Kulla family was involved in this infamous group.
Early Vittmarker years
In 7555 the Av Kulla family was awarded with the custody of the Nelfsdalen region (under which Blåkulla fell at that time), a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual border region which had been seceded from Mörenburg by the treaties that ended the Pan-Anarian War. Karl av Kulla was residing in Auresia at the time and he transferred executive power to his cousins ruling over Östervallen. The lack of executed authority and postponing the institution of functioning governmental bodies is generally seen as one of the main reasons why the region fell into the Three Ways Conflict. Nelfsdalen possessed large amounts of iron ore and coal, which attracted new immigrants from Liden and Ådalen. The Pan-Anarian War had created a huge gap in society between collaborating landowning stims and an ever growing class of landless workers. Blåkulla was outside the main migration patterns, but even here no functioning custodian was appointed, leaving the house under the unofficial care of the Bengtist Stift again.
For the first time since 7204, they made an attempt to re-open the house as a religious shrine, accepting visitors and pilgrims. The ongoing conflict got introduced in the unprepared Bengtist society this way, and the attempt had to be given up prematurely. In 7564 joint military units from Östervallen and Liden set up headquarters in the house, using it as a command post for the pacification process which was regulated by the Treaty of Nisipari. Blåkulla was transferred from the Inälvsdalen region into Kulla Kronområde. In 7569 Queen Anna of Vittmark turned over custody of the house to Palne Kristersson and with that put it under the governance of Fjällsta Stift, a rather new and modern group within Mellanhand Orkanan.
Fjällsta Stift reoccupied the house and made conditions liveable again. In 7570 Palne Kristerssons stim settled permanently in the house. They opened the shrine for visiting pilgrims. The shrine is dedicated to the life, works and legacy of Exemplar Iohann Albrekt Pripp. He is an Orkanan figure of mythological proportions and a lot of the works contributed to him have probably been added after his death in order to increase his importance. Like any Exemplar named Iohann his works revolve around agriculture and the provision of food, in this case the art of brewing beer.
Blåkulla is the first of the 17 mansions one can reach through the pathway through the mountainous terrains from the Bengtist Station in Gäddedevida. The Blue Mountains Railways opened up for new opportunities, like pilgrimage towards the Bengtists and most of the traditional Kulla mansions. Passing pilgrims helped in establishing new guest quarters and locally produced food. Blåkulla was able to attract a new generation of pilgrims, most often young people on the brink of adulthood under spiritual guidance of domestic sockens and stifts. Since 7573 the immediate surroundings of the mansion underwent a transformation into a botanical garden.
Mansion household
Blåkulla was reinstated as one of the 17 kulla's in the 7570's in the form of a family residence for non-essential royal family and stim members. At first this included the members from Palne Kristersson's input in the newly established royal stim. Then management was passed on to his second daughter Sanna av Blåkulla, sister of Queen Tovemor of Vittmark. The it was handed over to the sons of Queen Tovemor, with Sanna av Blåkulla's offspring moving to a nearby, newly built residence.
The estate is managed as a pilgrim's destination with an Orkanan shrine, but especially as stop-over on the pilgrim's route of Moa's Trail.
Mansion building
The cubical house currently is a private residence for the noble Av Blåkulla family, the descendants of the late Queen Tovemor of Vittmark. The building looks far from a noble mansion with royal roots, being a robust house in natural stone with small windows, lacking any architectural detailing or smoothing. The garden in front of the house still is in use as a tundra and alpine styled botanical garden, open to the public. The backside is however completely private.
The west wing building is a refurbished carriage storage and stables building. Nowadays it is used as living quarters for mansion staff, previously it served as overnight accommodation for travellers and visitors.
That function is now housed in a newer building on the opposite side of the road. This hostel with restaurant and bar was opened in 7636 and has been extended several times since then, last time in 7686. Despite the name "hostel" it has accommodation at hotel standard levels as well as dormitories, catering for a wide variation of visitors.
The main complex is completed with three identical service buildings, also in natural stone but with thatched roof. The service buildings also house a museum, which replaces the mansion's function as Orkanan shrine. The house is too small to host shrine pilgrims, so this function was moved to the service buildings. Items from the shrine are on display here. The service buildings also house individual meditation rooms.
The side gardens are in use for fresh produce for the residents and guests. A greenhouse has been built to extend the growing seasons in this high altitude location.