User blog:Duncan322/Shaolin monks VS. Viking

Stas
The Shaolin Monks were Buddhists who lived in the Shaolin Monastery in China. In the Shaolin Monastery, where the Shaolin Monks lived, there were many expensive antiques and the temples had plenty of luxurious donations. As a result, it attracted thieves, and sometimes armies. The Shaolin Monks began training in Kung Fu to defend themselves by travelling around China, inviting Chinese martial arts experts to stay in Shaolin for 3 years. As a result, they had created a martial art style known as Shaolin kung fu which became popular till this day. However their Buddhist beliefs prevented the Shaolin Monks from ever being the aggressor in battle.
 * Height: 5'7
 * Weight: 145 pounds
 * Armor: none
 * Gear: 5 lbs
 * Symbol: Icon-Chinese Yin-Yan

The Tang Dynasty was seen as a dark age for Buddhists as the Tang wanted to spread Confucianism and so repressed the Buddists and demanded the monasteries to empty their wealth to the state.

The Shaolin faced discrimination in Maoist China when religion and relics were targeted by the government and Red Guard, but today the Shaolin are well respected. They still train in Kung Fu, but they do it for public entertainment.

Stas
Not much is known about them except for accounts written by their enemies. Vikings did have written languages in the form of runes; but scribes and writing material were too rare to spread Viking written works on a massive scale. What was known is that the Norse lived in Northern Europe (which is what the word 'Norse' meant). This biome was too cold for agriculture and as populations grew; hunting and fishing drove the region to famine. This forced the Norse to raid in order to survive. Vikings dominated European coasts with their Longships; which could travel up to 200 km per day and were propelled by both rows and sails.
 * Height - 5' 7"
 * Weight 175 lbs
 * Gear - 65 lbs
 * Armor - Chain Mail
 * Symbol - Great Axe  (Iconic Viking Weapon)

On June 8th 793 AD, the catholic monastery of Lindisfarne was the seat of the bishop for Northern Britain. The monastery was wealthy but relatively defenseless; making it the site of the first Viking raid against Christian lands.

Vikings sailors and warriors that settled across the lands of northern Asia, Europe and areas connected to the Arctic and Baltic Sea. They pirated and pillaged lands to obtain its natural resources and valuables. While considered barbaric by other people, the vikings fought not only for the wealth of plunder but also to die in battle, The Norsemen believed that to enter Valhalla (the viking heaven), one had to die in battle.

Viking's were also brilliant explorers and tradesmen, trading as far away as the Middle East. Their bold nature and skills as explorers lead them to settle Iceland and Greenland and to discover the Americas more than 400 years before Columbus. However the Vikings saw no reason to colonize America; especially since the Native American populations were still relatively big enough to defend themselves (as the Natives were not affected by European plagues at that time).

Many Viking kings would create the foundations of modern European states; most noticeably the Norman William the Conqueror in England and Rurik Prince of Novgorod in Russia and Ukraine.

King Rolo of Norman Christianized his nation in 911AD, marking the beginning of the end of Norse mythology and Viking culture. The 1060s were seen as the end of the Viking Age with the Norman conquests of England. After this, Viking raiding faded away and Scandinavia by this time converted to Christianity.

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