The Days of Halinard

On the occasion of his royal wedding 5280ey

These are the days of Halinard, the High King of all Westrun and the Free Provinces.

Halinard was born in 5212 the least-favored son of his father, Aleranus II of Bolden. Though he was born into humble circumstances, and not the heir of his house, he quickly made a name for himself as an able administrator and a cunning warrior. When his half-brother was made the King-steward of Bolden Halinard distinguished himself as a soldier and rose quickly from Baron to Count to Duke.

After winning any engagements with the Northruners, "Iron Duke" Halinard caught the eye of Dane II the Learned who had succeeded Aleranus II on the Platinum Throne. When Dane prosecuted a war against the Berserkers of Northrun, he took Halinard as his military advisor, eventually promoting him to Chancellor General.

Dane served his sentence as High King of Westrun for 11 years before he came to an untimely end. In 5261 he choked on his supper after a hunt and he died in the sight of many witnesses.

Then "Iron Duke" Halinard was entrusted with the Stewardship of the High Throne for the Winter of 5261 was particularly harsh and precluded travel from the far corners of the Eight Kingdoms. When the Summer came, the conflict between Saklan and Rath prevented many from travel. These delays continued until early Winter of 5263. During which time it was revealed that Halinard was the rightful monarch of Bolden, though he grasped not at the seat of power.

When justice was served, Halinard was elected unanimously to the High Throne in 5264. 

He was married in 5265 to Brianna of House Fieldstone and produced five daughters. His wife perished in 5273 while giving birth. In 5274 he was married again, this time to Tirese of House Waldron who produced three daughters -- the last one being a simpleton. Her physicians say that Tirese despaired of the love that Halinard still kept for her deceased cousin Brianna, and in a fit of jealous melancholy threw herself from the balcony of her drawing room. Halinard was thus able to be married a third time and did so in 5280. This time to Joana Tarnblen, a lass whose youth was hoped would produce an heir.  He produced both a daughter and a son.  

Halinard remains the High King to this very day.

History of Man in Four Books: Introduction

By 3000ey the mighty Vyrum Empire had come to end. It’s last ruler, Io the Great, went into exile. The remaining Princes were pried out from behind their impregnable walls of stone and were led way in chains. The great alds were left abandoned and ripe for the taking.

The vassal rulers among the five races were left in uneasy peace. For 150 years they had known only war – first against the rise of the Old Ones and then, beginning even at the Battle of the Dry Rift, against each other. The eventual end of their conflicts is fixed as 2991ey. They did not end by treaty, but instead from a general unwillingness to fight any longer. Constant struggle had depleted the treasuries and armies of the Besnir. Their mighty Cavaliers -- guardians of peace and justice for seven centuries, were no more. Into this whimpering peace the human race came to the fore.

The rise of man was noted first by the Hierophants of the Continuum. They sent emissaries to each of the remaining Ranes reporting that the wild primitives who had long been in the shadows were now coalescing into bonafide tribes and putting down roots in permanent settlements. The humans were observed having ceremonies for their dead and though they had an unknown tongue, it was nonetheless language. At the Peace of Dovaris in 3024ey, the Grand Hierophant declared to all the assembled Besnir that the 7^th Age had begun. This was not a popular finding among them, and least of all the Urok – for they had long anticipated their own return to power.

In the Four Lands of Northrun, Southrun, Eastrun and Westrun the tribes of man slowly ascended.

History of Man -- Book I: Westrun Part 1

In Westrun the nomadic tribes of men spread out across the land. These were collectively called the Nandi and each tribe had its own law and own ruler. Before them retreated the Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes and Halflings, but the Urok of the Saltmarsh (what would later be called Talir) had a fortress remaining in the place they called Edgewater and from there they staged frequent raids against the humans, all but daring the Continuum to act.

By 3100ey, the human tribes of Sak and Tari had given up their wandering for fishing and raising crops on the Eastern slopes of the Grene Mountains. Far to the south and west, the Bal had done the same near the Cape of Salorgard. Their chieftains and kings were as common as copper nails. But, they were not the only humans of Westrun, for some had been tamed and kept as servants by the Vyrum, and some of them remained in the Alds – the abandoned metropolises of the previous age.

Little is known of Ald Biye. Some of the humans who once lived there are said to have taken shelter among the High Elves of the Mistwood and even intermarried, giving rise to Panamir – the so-called half-elven people. Some from Ald Biye joined the Nandi tribes -- their offspring became men of note among them. Many heroes and princes would come from that line. The Ald itself remained vacant and the elves permitted none to enter that pace. In time, even the stones would be plucked up and put to better use.

Ald Saloren had been the home of Vyrum heroes, where cavaliers on horseback once raised and trained their steeds. The walls and architecture of that city showed the great respect the empire held for horses. The towers were built in the semblance of equines and the Ald boasted two colossals -- a stallion and a mare which still flank the main gates of that metropolis. But by 3000ey the city was empty and its gates were left wide. The men of the plains foreswore its walls, as they were superstitious and believed a great curse would befall any who tried to live as the Vyrum had.

Ald Morin, however, was still home to the Tren. When the Vyrum empire fell into ruin, the Tren remained and lived off its former glory. They only sallied forth to trade with their wild brethren the Nandi who migrated back and forth across Westrun. The Tren had secrets in weapon smithing and great foundries with which to work their metals. This made them valued trading partners and they were careful to guard their secrets closely. They had one king in those years – a man chosen among them who had been high in the counsel of the Vyrum and was called Etru the Wise. Under his rule, they traded weapons and tools for the goods which the Nandi carried. They relied on the height of their ancient walls to keep their rivals at bay. For this reason, Ald Morin would also be called The City of Stone and would eventually lose its Vyrum appellation to the one the Nandi preferred -- Treft.

In a bend of the Red River on the Ascari Plain, another settlement out of the Nandi was taking shape. By 3190ey it was encircled by a wooden palisade. The City of Wood was a contrast to its rival a fortnight away -- the City of Stone. It's people also traded with the Nandi.

The Nandi were in conflict with one another as they competed for hunting ground. Of perhaps fifty tribes, only the names of the Nadi, Sahna, Numin, Shina, Anis, Duvi, and Rathor come to us from the northeast; while the three tribes of Aras, Du and Ren roamed the grasslands to the southwest. Of the other elder races, little was heard, save the Urok, who pressed their claim to Westrun and especially Ald Morin repeatedly. While mankind had the numbers to bolster their claim, the Urok had many long millennia of stratagem and war to enforce theirs.

History of Man -- Book I: Westrun Part 2

In the Spring of 3222ey, the Urok of the Saltmarsh began attacking both cities of men, as well as raiding the tribes of the Nandi. The Urok had long demanded tribute from the humans, who chaffed under this burden and finally declined to pay. Humans responded to the resulting raids with military force and the First Urok War was joined. It lasted for three years and ended in the Winter of 3225ey with the defeat and dispossession of Edgewater Fortress. Humanity declared victory and the Urok retreated to the Saar Mountains, finding grudging hospitality among the Dwarves of Dynkyr.

Peace would last six years before the coming of the Urok Warleader Hareg Greatjaw. He promised to restore the Saltmarsh to his people and rallied a great following. In 3231ey, finding common cause with Ogurf of Graymantle Hills, he led a series of daring raids to start the Second Urok War. Within two years his forces took possession of the Saltmarsh, Treft (renaming it Ald Morin) and lay seige to the City of Wood. 

Many words have already been written about the Fraternity. Justice to their entire story cannot be done here. Nevertheless, during the Second Urok War while they were still a small team of cattle thieves and saboteurs, they were called Rodalon's Rangers. This team assailed Greatjaw and his supply lines to such an extent that the Urok host were forced to quit the City of Wood. After that success the band of cutthroats and vandals added many recruits to their numbers and their operations greatly expanded, extending even to open warfare. By 3239ey the Rangers had dislodged the Urok from Ald Morin (renaming it Treft) and skirmishers harried them along their entire retreat to the southwestern plains. Hareg Greatjaw himself was slain.

Once expelled onto the plains, the Urok took hold of the long-abandoned Ald Saloren and ended their retreat. The Rangers, far from home and on unfamiliar ground, could not prevail against the massive walls of the abandoned metropolis. After a siege of two months, Rodalon's men returned to Treft and City of Wood and eventually disbanded.

Peace returned to Westrun for nearly a decade. Greatjaw was replaced by a string of lesser leaders until Oguron son of Ogurf became the Paramount of Ald Saloren. For seven years he gathered Warleaders from across the Four Lands and became general of a mighty host of Urok. The tribes of men in the Southwest were sorely pressed. The Aras, Du and Ren were pushed farther West, while the Bal were dispossessed entirely -- its refugees seeking refuge further East.

By that time the rising tension attracted the attention of the Besnir. Many debates were held on the wisdom of their interference. Centuries of war made them reluctant to join it again. So it was that the Hierophants of the Continuum made themselves known to the tribes of men. Called the "White Robes" they encouraged humankind to reconstitute their Rangers and offered them the gift of their naturia -- secret magic held closely from the days of the First Age.

Prepared with Hierophants naturia, the Rangers rose once more to safeguard the peace. Tensions steadily grew until 3248ey when the Urok and mankind once again went to war. Despite the new powers of the Rangers, the Third Urok War saw many early gains against the humans. This continued until the pillage of Dun Dynkyr, a miscalculation by Oguron, and a watershed in the war. Thereafter mankind was steadily reinforced by angry Dwarven militias until the Ranes of Oromir and Dynkyr were forced to send regular companies to assist. 

The Urok had their first great defeat at the Maple Vale and then again at Clandbur River. From there a long string of losses saw their retreat back to Ald Saloren. Even that refuge was denied them. The armies of man rooted out their foes after a successful siege aided by Dwarven sappers. All of the captive Urok were then force-marched on the Bitter Passage, with a son of each Warleader taken as ransom. The last day of that march, when men stood on the Graymantle Hills, was the first day of Spring 3259ey.

The next decade was a period of uneasy peace. The Rangers were a standing army without loyalty outside of their brotherhood. This worried many chieftains and princes among men who called upon the Grand Hierophant to negotiate for their disarmament. The Rangers complied reluctantly with calls for them to lay down their arms and become a reserve force, calling themselves the Fraternity.

For the last twenty-five years of the 32nd century, Larec Redfist became a dominant power in Westrun. As great chief of the Rathor Confederacy, he controlled the territory between the Brownbeck and Wody Rivers. This put a vast swath of land between the City of Wood and the City of Stone (Treft) under the control of the Rathor and meant tribute could be exacted from nearly all trade, back and forth.

History of Man -- Book I: Westrun Part 3

The 33rd century saw the arrival of the Fahr humans in Westrun. The Fahr were a great stock of Northruners with fair hair and great stature. Their own legends said that they were the bastard children of giants who generations earlier were pushed out of the artic snows. Those who settled in Westrun were pushed South by competition among their clans, or were perhaps drawn by the lure of agriculture over hunting and raiding. Whatever the case, there were two main settlements straddling the Silverlode Mountains: Wanderhalt and Sudland.

Wanderhalt was encircled with great timbers hewn from evergreen forests and under the control of a single Jarl. Sudland was a loose collection of farming freeholders who went as far South as the City of Wood permitted -- generally the north banks of Red River. Wanderhalt was entirely too remote to be of concern to the Nandi of Westrun, and because the men of Sudland were content with living peaceably in their new homes on what was considered only seasonally viable farmland, they were allowed to thrive on the north fringes of Westrun.

Over the course of the next century, the Jarl of Wanderhalt established himself as credible Westrun nobility, even if foreign born. The men of Sudland struggled among themselves to establish what might be considered a permanent noble house.

The fishing villages of the Bal consolidated and finally put aside decades of superstition to occupy Ald Saloren, renaming the city Balsrest and slowly becoming the preeminent power in the Southwest. 

History of Man -- Book I: Westrun Part 4

For the eight or nine generations spanning two centuries, the Tren had established themselves as the pinnacle of civilized men among the Nandi. At Treft, the City of Stone (formerly Ald Morin) the ways of the Vyrum were slowly disintegrating along with the architecture and wonders of the world they had built. The first generation of men who inherited from their masters were the best educated, but with each passing generation something more was lost. 

Within the first decade of inheriting the ald, as the Tren took over administrative and governing functions, they needed laborers and workers to assume their menial tasks. This fell to the more "savage" and uneducated Nandi that were allowed to become residents. A stratification occurred in society between those who could speak Vyrum and those who could not; with the former being seen as occupying a higher class of society.

Even this language skill was losing steam. New writing was very rare; understanding older writing was rarer. The Tren, as mere servants, had already spoken a low version of the language -- the words they used for communicating with their masters while serving was mixed with that of their native tongues and this pidgin was spoken in the kitchens and smithies and stables of the ald. The syntax and grammar of their low Vyrum already differed significantly from the original "high" Vyrum, but even as the purebred Tren proved reluctant to intermarry with their incoming Nandi population, the bloodlines were invariably mixed and so was the language.

Outside of Treft, in the City of Wood and along the plains, none of the ways of the Vyrum were known, let alone preserved. All that the Nandi had of "higher" culture was what came from emigres from Treft -- some of whom came as wealthy traders and others as the sons of daughters of Tren given to cement alliances with various tribal chieftains. 

Such had been Larec Redfist of the Rathor Confederation. His father was a Nandi warlord (perhaps descended from servants of Ald Biye -- the record is unclear) but his mother was the youngest daughter of a Tren merchant of Treft. With such "noble" blood in his veins, Larec was destined to become the sire of kings. Even Eiter, King of Treft in those years, was not pureblood Tren, for his grandmother was a Nandi "princess" whose father and tribe had been accreted into the city to patrol its walls and keep its peace.

In 3413ey refugees from across the Dagger Sea entered the social milieu of Westrun. Like the Tren, the Meni were the tamed human servants of the Vyrum Empire. They too had inherited alds and assumed the mantle of civilization. Unlike their Westrun counterparts however, the Meni of the Principalities were right at Ald Dovaris -- the center of what had been the Vyrum Empire. As a consequence of better education and perhaps great wealth, they almost seamlessly continued the governance and institutions of the previous age, albeit with shorter reach. 

For two centuries, while the men of Westrun were engaged in war with Urok and each other, these civilized men of the Principalities were developing noble Houses and contending with one another for control of the Empire. When the pretensions of one House proved unsuccessful, a lesser son led some 700 people in exile including a company of trained warriors, plus five score of the best trained and most capable administrators, artisans, architects and sages. Coming over the sea in a flotilla of makeshift vessels, Tal the Just made landfall at the charred ruin of Edgewater Fortress - the former Urok home in the Saltmarsh. 

The only rivals for their new land were a minor fishing tribe of the Rathor Confederation. At first the Meni named their settlement for Ald Casera, but the name among the Nandi would not take and slowly became known as Watersedge. The people which lived there were the Talir. A new fortress was built, the marshes were drained and agriculture to rival that in the Principalities was started.

The Rathor were unhappy with a new walled settlement between the Wody and the Brownbeck, but lacked the ability to assail it through miles of barely accessible marshland. Moreover the protected harbor of the Meni meant any siege was unlikely to cut off food and water. Westrun was astonished to discover humans who spoke High Vyrum and who were self-evidently of noble blood on their very doorstep. The Meni flourished and spread along the coast, actively avoiding conflict with the tribes they encountered.  

History of Man -- Book 1: Westrun Part 6

In the 600 years since the proclamation of the Grand Hierophant at Dovaris, mankind had indeed proved himself to be the obvious successor to the Vyrum. While they lacked the sophistication and learning of the previous age, they had an obvious gift for fertility. Three times, the more experienced and more tactically sound Urok had been repelled by the men of Westrun. Those victories were based on attrition as much as on any other factor. While the Urok had fought themselves to near extinction after three conflicts, the armies of man were able to completely rebound within twenty years.

Not only did they have numbers on their side, but the human capacity for death and loss proved to be greater than any the Besnir had ever seen. The Urok were by no means alone in this observation. Factions of the Dwarves and Elves were horrified by the way in which many humans abandoned their dead and even failed to mourn them for the decades required in Besnir society. Among the Besnir it was not uncommon for a mother who lost a child to forego the rest of her years of fertility. 

Most frustrating to the Realms was that within a decade, mankind could forget alliances and treaties and even a state of war. Agreements made between a Rane and a human king might not survive the birth of the king's first heir, let alone his coming to power. Treaties between the Mistwood and Sak were in a state of continual reinforcement, with the elder race providing reminders by way of gifts. In this way, their borders were made sacrosanct. The Dwarf of Oromir and the Lord of Sudhall memorialized their treaty with a construction of a massive keep using the artistry and craft of the Dwarves, which no man could gainsay. 

Rath too was beneficiary of such an arrangement. When the King's men uncovered a centuries old well-intended, but sacrilegious burial of Dwarves, he returned those remains to Dynkyr. This single act was well-received for there were many still alive who missed their kin and wondered about their final rest. In this way, the King of Rath earned great respect and gratitude from the Dwarves though there were few enough humans who even remembered that Dwarven militias had helped at the Third Urok War. The prevailing opinion that mankind had no memory, compounded the generosity of this gesture rather than diminish it.

All was not peace in Westrun during the 36th century. Small scale war continued between what few Urok remained and the tribes of the Balduren Confederacy.

3600ey the monarchy of Treft was toppled after the assassination of its king who did not leave a clear heir. Various pretenders to the throne rise and fall before the city declares itself a democracy and the light of the world.

In 3605ey the Jarls of Northrun cast a jealous eye on the growing prosperity of Wanderhalt and Sudland. A decade of raids and war followed. During the height of these conflicts, the timber fort at Wanderhalt was taken and its lord was sent into exile, not to return on pain of death. The Lord of Wanderhalt went through the Silverlode Mountains into Sudland and appealed to the Lord of Sudhall for assistance. 

In 3618ey at the Gathering of the Fraternity, the Lord of Sudhall petitioned the Rangers to retake Wanderhalt for its exiled lord. In stirring them to action, he also extracted an oath of everlasting fealty from its lord. Two years later, Wanderhalt was retaken and the daughter of the Lord of Sudhall was married to the son of the Lord of Wanderhalt -- linking the two nobles thereafter.

3622ey Arepos, the former court magician of the King of Treft resided in the Mistwood since the king's death and ingratiated himself to the ancient Llormaster and librarian there. After stealing the ancient Scrolls of Alobal and taking them back to the kingdoms of men, he ignites a war between Treft and the Elves which leads to a one year siege of the ancient ald. To resolve the siege, the City of Treft consents to surrender every scroll and slip of paper in the city, loading them on carts and sending them out to the waiting Elves. The scrolls are not recovered.

3627ey The Dweomersecte is founded with a tower in Talir. Within weeks of completion, this tower is burned by what some say are Elvish saboteurs. In 3647ey the second tower of the Dweomersecte is completed in Menea. This tower is also burned within weeks. A third tower is located near Sudhall and comes under the protection of Oromir, after negotiation between Elves and Dwarves, this tower escapes damage, but Arepos himself is found dead (believed assassinated) in 3651ey. Sarseer is declared the new Archmage of Westrun.

In 3686ey the Urok make an unholy alliance with the Dweomersecte. Under the Dread Foulness, they begin to give themselves over to simple, savage propagation -- hoping to beat humanity at their own game. This magical reproduction gives rise to animalistic goblins who hate the banishment of their forebears and eventually vow eternal war on all the other races. In one hundred years, no Urok will remain and all will have been replaced by their goblinoid descendants.

History of Man -- Book 1: Westrun Part 7

At the dawn of the 37th century there were no fewer than 25 kings in Westrun. The first forty years recorded the many disputes between petty kings who were vying for control of the land and resources within their controlled borders. But the hallmark of this time was not contests between men, but rather the rise of the gods later called the Decadon or the Pretenders.

3744ey is the first recorded instance of Heimos in Westrun. Notwithstanding that date, the Priesthood of Westrun would come to teach that Heimos and the other gods arrived on Erenth almost seven centuries earlier. Their arrival was said to be in a fiery chariot whose descent could be seen in the night sky for a fortnight. The same records would claim that the entire pantheon came to end the rule of the Vyrum and to usher in the glorious new age of man. However, in the still extant writing of Gys, first Magi of the King of Bolden, there is another version.

In those early records Heimos is described as a tall, broad-shouldered man with bright blue eyes that seemed to burn with undying fire. In that telling he kept the company of six formidable Northrun warriors and two-score fawning Fahrish sycophants, including a half dozen wives (all pregnant) that he guarded with no little jealousy. At that time no mention is made of any supernal power beyond having a commanding voice and being possessed of great personal charm.

According to the records of Gys, this same Heimos contracted with the Boldish king for a handsome annual payment of silver to be able to settle his pilgrim band in the wilds of Ochre Island. Within a few weeks of the first payment being made, however, the silver was revealed to be some sort of temporary enchantment which disappeared. All subsequent attempts for the king to collect were met with misfortune and violence.

The next mention occurs in the records of Menea five years later. In 3749ey a great battle is described in which Heimos, now called the Conjurer and also named the Lord of Lightning, kills or puts to flight a company of Menes who outnumbered his forces. In 3774ey Heimos is made the king of the Meneans and Talireans -- ruling both kingdoms through vassal earls from his island redoubt. 

Of course, multiple records from 3752ey are extant. All declare that Heimos is named the Patron and Protector of All Nations (of Westrun.) He has a total of 25 earls beneath him each of whom he anoints in a public ceremony in the shallows where the Brownbeck meets the Sea. A grand manse with stately columns is erected on Ochre Island and the Invitatory Court is erected across from it on the mainland. It is here that the earls meet with their liege to receive direction, but Heimos is content to let the earls have autonomy as long as their tribute is paid, preferring to rule his island alone.

Further records indicate that all but one of his six wives died in childbirth. Ranay lived to give him three children. All of his offspring were raised by his devoted followers and a kind of priesthood they developed toward that cause. By all accounts, the children of Heimos were quick to anger and difficult to control. Each of them was called a conjurer and wonder-worker, like their sire, and that made their easily roused anger a dangerous thing.

In the early years Heimos made no secret of his plan to install his children in the place of his earls and use them to usher in a era of peace in Westrun. But his offspring proved to be uncontrollable well into adulthood. They became agents of unpredictability and violence. From the first, each showed even less interest than Heimos in having control of armies and land. Rather, each enjoyed the tribute and accolades heaped on them by the men of Westrun and each developed their own cult of personality.

Alone among the kingdoms of Westrun, the Southwest tribes still contended with the successors of the Urok, the so-called Goblins. The most powerful of them, the Aras, were annihilated utterly. The warriors of the Aras were slain to the very man. The wives and children of the Aras were carried off as spoils and slaves. The remaining tribes on the plains (Du and Ren) sought shelter at Balsrest and unified their tribes under King Belos Thunderhooves, thereafter calling themselves and their city by the names of their tribal gods: Balduren.

History of Man -- Book 1: Westrun Part 8

Sometimes called the Lost Centuries, the years between 3800ey and 4100ey are filled with fantastical tales of the works of Heimos and his offspring. There are records of battles but the casus belli for each amounts to the offense of one god or goddess against another. There are also strange inversions of cause and effect in which certain of the line of Heimos are claimed to be the parents of ancient tribal heroes of the Nandi, now divinized.

Einil and Ninlee became associated with the men of Sudhall. Einik with Watersedge. Inossa with Rath. Kinurea with Watersedge. Noilo and Ninurto with Menea. Ningula with Balsrest. Utuno with Treft.

Some of the more familiar, and undated, tales from the Lost Centuries include the following:

• Einik, son of Heimos and his brother Utuno fishing in the Inner Sea for a Kraken using the head of a Gorgon as bait. Having hooked the Kraken the two brothers squabbled over who would claim the catch, and coming to blows, lost their catch and net to the sea. 
• Kinurea engaging in a contest of poetry to the death with two ancient dragons.
• Noilo overhearing a prophesy that the gods would be slain and agreeing with Utono to fight against Ningula, whom they hold responsible. 
• Morven, the granddaughter of Heimos, leading an army of the dead against the Decadon while Heimos himself is swallowed by the earth and must battle six titans to escape. 
• Bolid the Brave, (he reimagined as a grandson of Heimos) riding a pegasus into battle against the trio of medusae and tricking Utuno into blinding them so that they turn each other to stone.
• Ren of the Plains (here reimagined as the grandson of Heimos through Ningula) and as penance for the death of his death of his father must race six creatures of fantastic speed. From each of these races he takes a prize and uses them to effect his escape from his other mother's prison.
• When Beddas the diseased kidnaps his grandfather, his own sister tricks Anora (a mortal woman) into seducing him and securing the release of Heimos.

Not all of the three centuries is completely lost to fantasy, however.

Dated at 3990ey, then Archmage Nizarys is said to have impressed the five dragon princes with his command of arcane knowledge, and extracted a promise from them which some call the Accords. Whether this happened or not is still a matter of some debate, but it is far more likely than the tales of the twins Noilo and Ninurto wrestling with a hydra.

Dated at 4004ey, the scrolls of the Belasarian Reforms to the Balduren army were recorded in some detail. The men of that city reorganized themselves from foot soldiers to light cavalry, and tipped the balance of power across the plains from the Goblin Hordes back to humankind. 

Also in 4018ey at the 74th Forgathering of the Fraternity, the Rangers reconstituted some of their numbers and detailed them to the Northern Marches of Wanderhalt, where the goblins were seeking new access to Westrun.

History of Man -- Book 1: Westrun Part 9

In 4122ey after three centuries of direct involvement in the affairs of men the gods of Westrun were summoned to Ochre Island by their father and grandfather Heimos. While the sire of the gods had suspended his own activities among men for more than fifty years and entered a kind of reclusive retirement, the sometimes murderous and rapacious deeds of his children continued. These deeds were noised abroad and the worst of them eventually made their way to his redoubt.

The Priesthood taught that the Divine Recession was the prohibition by Heimos for any of his children, or children's children to personally leave Ochre Island under any circumstances. Under a kind of house arrest, he mandated that mankind would have to appeal to their gods for favors using the Invitatory Court or through messages delivered by the High Priesthood, who alone could travel to and from Ochre Island on the Consecrant Vessels.

The Priesthood could not agree as to whether his children or grandchildren obeyed the sire of the gods willingly. Some tales come down through the years of the common people lining the streets to weep for the departure of their gods. Still other tales are little more than a continuation of the previous centuries of battles involving gods and men -- this time with Heimos bringing his recalcitrant offspring to heel. 

Eighteen years after the Divine Recession, in the Fall of 4140ey the construction of the Grand Temple of Heaven began. Funded by the wife of the Earl of the Boldish (and daughter of the Jarl of Wanderhalt), the stones were taken from the ruins of Ald Biye and used to build a extravagant tribute to Heimos. The best artisans were commissioned from across the known world to create sculptures, paintings and tapestries. This magnificent building was placed in the city that was rising up in the shadow of the peak of Mount Oromir, directly across from the Dwarfgift of Sudhall. 

Some say the tribute was meant to humble her braggadocious husband, others say it was to curry favor for her unborn son. Still others believe she intended to become Heimos' seventh wife. Whatever the reason, ground broke and work continued apace depleting the treasuries of Bolden and Wanderhalt alike. The work was finished thirty years to the day from its start. Entreaties were sent to Ochre Island for Heimos to witness the capstone placed on the dome, but they went unanswered. The completed work was commemorated by mortals alone.

The latter quarter of the 41st century also saw repeated incursions along the Plains of Balsrest and Wanderhalt by Goblin Hordes. In 4181ey a two-pronged simultaneous attack begins by the goblin twins Helok and Horok, who claim descent from an ancient tribe of men (possibly Aras). The Northern part of the so-called War of the Half-goblin Kings ends after eight years at the Battle of the Stonefist. The Southern part is decided at the Battle of Balduren's Gates.

In 4191ey, though it is unknown to the men of Westrun, the Dun of Dynkyr is besieged by retreating Goblins from Balduren's Gates. This siege will end with the abdication of the throne and the eviction of the Dwarves from that home. The Stoneborn people will settle on the Southern peninsula as the so-called Sundered Dwarves and the Goblins will rule Saar for the next 17 centuries.

History of Man -- Book 1: Westrun Part 10

In 4204ey, barely 14 years after the War of the Half-goblin Kings, the Goblins were again rallied to the cause of sacking Westrun in the Great Goblin War. Under Bariq Broketooth, the goblins pushed the cavalrymen of Balduren behind their walls and made incursions in force beyond the Saar Mountains. Not since the retaking of Ald Morin one thousand years before had the people of Westrun known such fear. A combined army of the Earls of Westrun managed to push the Goblins back onto the Southwestern Plains, where they could only prey upon the people of Balduren.

To commemorate the victory over the Goblins, Simmon the Builder, High Priest of the Decadon commissioned the expansion of the Grand Temple in Peakshadow in 4211ey, a project intended to take ten years. From the start, the expansion project would be plagued by material shortfalls, weather delays and accidents. These setbacks would continue for the next 160 years. Many in Peakshadow claimed the Dwarves of Oromir were jealous of the grand edifice that mankind was creating and sabotaged the work. No evidence for this was ever found.

In 4224ey, animated with a religious fervor, the Goblin armies returned with the so-called Chanters' War. The goblins took for their standard a crude depiction of the Collosus at Talir, believing it to be the god of their people and a marker of their rightful home. The goblins believe that a certain war chant renders them all but invulnerable. 

Their forces drove hard to retake and resettle Edgewater Fortress, which once stood within view of the great statue. They had a prophecy which said if they could retake their ancestral home, it would never again be lost to them. Once again a combined army of the Westrun Earls repelled the goblins. This time an alliance with the Marksmarshall of Balduren saw the goblins driven back behind the Graymantle Hills far in the West.

In 4236ey Fergus the Lame, youngest son of Ferag, Lord of Sudhall stood to inherit his father's house. His older brothers having been slain in the Chanters War, Fergus set out from Sudhall to see the ratification of a new pact to join all of Westrun together. He began with only one nominal supporter -- Jarl Rigus of Wanderhalt who still owed fealty by five hundred year old oath and intermarried blood. Fergus promised Rigus (his distant cousin) that the latter would be released from his oath, if the pact cannot be ratified by five others within five years.

4238ey Fergus won an official finding from the Grand Temple of Heaven that Heimos is no longer ruling the Eight Kingdoms through his vassals, the twenty-five Earls. Therefore mankind had the right to recognize mortals as Kings once more. 

In 4240ey Fergus began the Wars of Ascension. These were a series of low-level conflicts and confrontations that eliminated minor tribes and smaller kingdoms across Westrun, while ratifying and providing legitimacy to larger ones. Rather than set himself up as a conqueror, he extracted oaths of loyalty from those he defeated. They were not loyal to him nor to his line, but to a five-part pact of mutual defense. 

Within 10 years the Eight Kingdoms Pact joined the kingdoms of the Boldish, Rathors, Menes and Saks to those of Talir and Treft. It also recognized the Jarl of Wanderhalt and the Marksmarshall of Balsrest as Kings of much wider expanses called Collonia and Balduren.

In 4266ey after nearly fifteen years of negotiation and disputation, Fergus was elected as the first High King of Westrun -- a largely titular office with only theoretical power.

4272ey saw the Edict of Artifice issued by the Priesthood of the Grand Temple of Westrun and this sent shockwaves into the newly formed Eight Kingdoms Pact as the men of Balduren and Collonia did not recognize the Grand Temple, nor its Decadon.

4286ey Fergon succeeded his father as High King of Westrun -- a title still spoken with something of a smile. 

History of Man -- Book 1: Westrun Part 11

Two days after the Summer Solstice in 4301ey the cities of Bolden, Watersedge and Treft were brought low by the Scouring -- a massive wall of water which swept over mountain and valley alike. When the water finally receded, little remained of those cities or their inhabitants. Balduren, a coastal city, but one which was little altered from the time of the Vyrum, remained intact. Witnesses said that the water which swept over its walls was more than four times their height. And there are records showing the water reached inland as many as three days travel. 

In the wake of the disaster, the Elves of Mistwood came to the aid of man over the objection of those of Greywood. For it was believed by many of the Besnir that this was the judgment against mankind and the end of the 7th Age. Against this explanation stood the claim of Mithrid the Sorcerer, Archmage of the Dweomersecte, who said that a distant war caused a god to fall and smite the waters of the Inner Sea. In some agreement, the Great Hierophant of Westrun claimed that the Scouring had no origin which was natural to Erenth.

The disaster also had an unexpected beneficiary in the office of the High King. For it fell to Fergon to annoint the sovereigns of the three Kingdoms of Bolden, Talir and Treft -- who died along with all their heirs and Houses. The first four appendments to the Eight Kingdoms Pact were written giving the High King that authority, and all saw that it was wise and necessary. 

In the rebounding years after the Scouring, mankind proved to be as fecund as ever. While the Dwarves of Festog looked to their cousins at Dynkyr and became aware for the first time, that their Dun had been overrun by goblins.

In 4326 High King Fergon was succeeded by his nephew Fergus II of Bolden.

In 4338 Menea contributed Wallace (a cousin of Fergus) to the High Throne. This was a calculated decision by powerbrokers in the north of Westrun. Having another one of the Eight contribute a High King was a way of advancing the idea beyond the borders of Bolden. In 4348 Rig of Collonia (another cousin of Fergus) was sentenced to the High Throne and in much the same manner of Wallace.

In 4356 the previous investment in appearances paid off. The first king not directly related to the founder of the Eight Kingdoms Pact was elected to serve his sentence as High King. Sut of Saklan was followed by Etru Damaskos of Treft in 4368.

In 4371ey the expansion of the Grand Temple in Peakshadow was finally complete. For more than a century it had let in wind, rain and snow -- causing many to forgo even mandatory visits established by the High Priest. Work on it languished as the three cities of man were rebuilt. Etru proclaimed thirty days of feasting and merriment.

Etru was followed in 4378 by Gregor of Rath, in 4388 by Howerd of Talir and in 4396 by Wald of Menea.

Wald is sometimes called The Jurist by sages of history. His contribution to the Eight Kingdoms Pact and his work at codifying the laws common to all the men of Westrun cannot be overstated. If Fergus was the founder, Wald was the consolidator. By the end of his reign, the High King of the Eight Kingdoms was no longer seen as a mere contrivance, but as a force of power and an source of authority. Thanks to him and now having made its rounds through most of the Eight Kingdoms, the throne could no longer be assumed to be the unique vision of the men of Sudland.

History of Man -- Book 1: Westrun Part 12

Until the Paper War (sometimes called the War of the Scrolls) of 3622ey the Tren people of the former Ald Morin were among the best educated and most civilized humans in Westrun. When their libraries were pillaged as a condition of lifting a seige of Elves, much of their learning was lost. That learning was, in part, restored by the knowledge of the Meni from the Principalities. What the Meni did not bring in books, they brought in experiential knowledge and fresh memories. In due course, much of what the Tren had lost was restored to them. For a time, Westrun was on track to recover the arts, sciences and architecture of a former, more glorious age. 

During the Lost Centuries, under the conflicts of the Decadon, the idea that man would someday achieve what the Vyrum had, was temporarily put aside. The sons and daughters of Heimos had little concern for libraries and academies. That disregard for learning relegated all former knowledge to decaying tomes on dusty shelves. But as destructive as the Lost Centuries were to the dream of human advancement, the signature event of the 43rd century ended that dream altogether. 

The Scouring was a mega tsunami that accomplished a level of destruction that neither war, dearth nor disease could match. In a span of single afternoon, an entire generation of the brightest minds was lost to Westrun. Both of the two centers of Vyrum language and learning (Treft and Watersedge) were all but destroyed. While those cities were swiftly repopulated in true human fashion by those of Tren and Meni descent, it was with stock that had long ago vacated the cities for life among the Fahr and Nandi -- people for whom learning did not have the same value.

Thus began the Years of Darkness.

From the 44th until the 48th century, learning among man was wholly vested in two rival groups: the Priests of the Grand Temple and the Magisters of the Dweomersecte. Each was loathe to share knowledge and each had a vested interest in promoting their own esoteric rites above the cause of greater humanity.

Unknown to most anyone, the library in Peakshadow had been built on the recovered pictographic tablets of Lyosha and was placed in the charge of the gray-bearded Fingermen who took vows to keep their knowledge secret. For more than four hundred years the High Kings of Westrun were sitting on a repository of information that was assumed to be little more than a record of deeds, titles, and patents of nobility.

Wald the Jurist was High King for three decades. His record of accomplishment nearly speaks for itself. He did prosecute Danforth's War which remains controversial. Judgment is divided as to whether the High Priest-motivated invasion of the Goblin Kingdoms pruned the goblin horde which later counter-invaded Westrun or, if it instigated the waves of attacks over the next decade. The answer is complicated and might not have a definitive answer.

In 4426 Fredirk of Bolden took the High Throne. His time on the High Throne is marked by the resurgence of the Fraternity led by Marin the Martyr -- who died in the first sortee after the Rangers were reconstituted.

Fredrik was followed in 4438 by Goren of Rath and he is credited as being the first of the High Kings in the Years of Darkness. He was followed in 4443 by Damon of Saklan.

Despite being seen as a hedge against the power of the High Priest, Damon's sentence was a disappointment to many. He was widely viewed as a puppet of the Grand Temple. It was often said that none could tell where the High Priesthood ended and the High King began. There are works of forbidden art that date from that period which show Damon with his lips uncomfortably close to the buttocks of one priest or another.

In 4528 Wallace VIII of Menea was sentenced to the High Throne. He was followed in 4540 by Gareth of Talir, in 4563 by Norfur of Bolden, and in 4581 by Larec of Rath.

In 4597 Norfur II, called the Heretic, imprisoned Kiran the High Priest of the Grand Temple and was excommunicated in return. The so-called war between the High King and the High Priest even saw the temple swept out and turned into an elaborate stables.

Peace was struck between Throne and Temple in 4610 by the election of Liam of Treft. Liam released Kiran in return for the concession that the High Throne would thereafter chose the High Priest from among those selected by the Priests Prime. Thus began the period known as the Captivity by the Grand Temple of Westrun.

In 4620 Liam was succeeded by Henrik of Menea, in 4641 by Vincent of Saklan, in 4650 Dominick of Collonia, in 4662 by Saren of Talir, in 4671 by Eldel of Menea.

Damon II the Everking was sentenced in 4691. Born with elvish blood in his veins, he reigned for nearly 100 years on the throne of the High King. He outlived five wives and used each to cement loyalty from his vassal kings. He was immensely popular with lords and common people alike. It was his vision to build a wall between the Greymantle Mountains and the Inner Sea -- a vision which was not realized until his successor.

Damon II was succeeded in 4792 by Jan the Bricklayer of Bolden. His predecessor had drawn plans and laid aside funding for the wall, but died before the work was begun. Jan undertook the project and became known for it during the 19 years of his rule.

When the Eight Kingdoms were remiss in providing men and arms to the High Throne, Jan saw to the establishment of chartered Halls and the reliance on many mercenary companies from far-flung lands. Jan himself founded the Silver Blades of Bolden, a light infantry company charged with some of the most difficult and politically sensitive actions for the High Throne.

Jan was succeeded in 4811 by Rolod of Collonia, and in 4821 by Beram of Menea who was also called the Chivalrous. Beram was followed in 4831 by Jan II of Bolden, in 4838 by Milytus of Menea and then in 4850 by Marten of Collonia.

Marten was also known as the Pauper King for overspending the High King's treasury and for prosecuting multiple simultaneous wars. Despite his profligate ways, Marten was beloved of the people and dedicated to his subjects.

History of Man -- Book 1: Westrun Part 13

Shortly after taking the High Throne in 4901, Favian III of Bolden began the Debtor Wars to extinguish the debts owed by the crown to the great lending houses of the Principalities of Vyruma Serpentis. This led to the subjection of the princes of that coastal land and their absorption into the Eight Kingdoms as the so-called Free Provinces. Favian was able to install Westrun barons over each of the provinces, promising them a lighter hand in their oaths of fealty than on the continent.

Favian was succeeded in 4921 by Timaldus of Treft. As High King Timaldus was called upon to settle the matter of succession in Collonia, for the last King (the son of Marten the Good) had died without an heir. So Favian created a Congregation of Nobles to appoint a Steward to rule until such time as an heir be found in Collonia. By this decision the fate of Collonia was sealed for many years.

In 4930 Gelder I the Paver of Bolden was sentenced to the High Throne. Gelder was named "The Paver" for the most ambitious and enduring project of the Eight Kingdoms Pact, the revitalization and expansion of the highway system in use during the Vyrum Empire. Under Gelder, every mile of the system was marked with sign showing the distance to Peakshadow. Every place where the highway crossed a river was spanned by a stone bridge, if not already. This ambitious project was carried out by grants in each kingdom simultaneously and managed from the capital using the same standard for construction. The success of this project made the High Throne an immensely popular force in Westrun. From nobility to merchants to peasants, all had recourse to the highways of their High King. Gelder died an untimely death the night following the completion of the last mile of road.

In 4946, Gelder II the Less began a project even more daunting than that of his father. He saw to the rivers and canals of Westrun, hoping to provide towpaths and quays where previously only footpaths had existed. Perhaps the project was overly ambitious, but it was not helped by the short reign of Gelder II who died in the Seige of Peakshadow during the Winter Rebellion.

 

During the Winter Rebellion, the Kings of Collonia and Balduren had withdrawn their troops garrisoned in Peakshadow to defend their own marches. Their action was swiftly followed by the monarchs of Rath, Menea, Treft and Saklan who did so in protest of shouldering disproportionate costs of the High Throne. Even the Steward of Bolden did not support his brother on the High Throne. Within a fortnight, all of Peakshadow was left to the Silver Swords Mercenary Company and those few soldiers still garrisoned in the city of the High King by the King of Talir.

To this day little is known about how the falling out occurred, but what is known is that the Talirean garrison turned on the Silver Swords after a night of some revelry. In response, the mercenaries besieged Sudhall Keep itself. The Winter Rebellion had begun as a protest of monarchs, but had metastasized into violent action that quickly claimed the life of the High King. While the City of Peakshadow never lost a day of commerce, many of the courtiers of Gelder were kept under house arrest until the Spring of 4950.

After a long Winter of protracted negotiations, the colonello of the Silver Swords, Cassirus, drunkenly declared himself High King of All Westrun from the parapets of Sudhall. In response to this declaration, the following morning 12 knights from the Grand Temple of Heaven arrived at the keep. Assuming the knights were there to continue the previous day's parley, Cassirus allowed them and their squires admittance. 

The knights informed the rebels that they were there to deliver justice, and proceeded to do so with alacrity. In the ensuing battle, all of the mercenaries were put to the sword, and by battle's end all but one of those delivering justice (a mere squire) lay dead or dying. The body of Cassirus was hoisted upon a pike in the throne room of the High King and his blood ran out upon his floors. A model of that gruesome death remains above the inner door to the throne room to this day.

The surviving squire was elevated to knighthood by the High Priest of the Grand Temple and the Order of the Dawn was founded that day. In the present time, all of its members are Paladins and are considered the strong right arm of the Patriarch of the Church of Westrun.

Larcus IV of Rath, sometimes sarcastically called Larcus the Liberator, arrived at Peakshadow's gates in the van of his own army, augmented by Southrun mercenaries. The bewildered citizens of Peakshadow (who did not know their city was in danger) did not forbid his entrance. He ceremoniously marched to Sudhall Keep and assumed control of the High Throne. After several days of negotiations with the Grand Temple, Larcus was declared the High King in 4950. Despite ruling as High King for twenty-seven years, his election was not ratified by a counsel of Kings until 4977. During that time, Larcus opened trade across the Rampart Mountains into Eastrun. By establishing the Peace of the Eastrun Bandits, his payments to the Daizu tribes meant overland shipments to and from the Empires of the East. Larcus' sentence was followed by that of Dane the Halfeleven of Saklan in 4980.

Like all of his sires, Dane was extremely long lived and believed to be of elven blood through Gladfiolas the son of a Elven King, and his human bride. Dane was extremely well-liked by the commoner and respected, if feared by the nobles.

After 100 years of incursions, he brokered a peace with the barbarians of Northrun which meant that Damon's Wall would be left unfinished and undiminished in Collonia and not expanded into Bolden.

He rode into battle at the head of his banners against the Goblins of the Rakag and is known for having put down Ferano's Rebellion in the Free Provinces. He also waged a sea war against the Eastrun pirates and sailed an armada to free the blockaded ports of Byza and Midir.

Dane sired many children, and thirty-eight sons. He ruled until 5010ey. 

There are some rumors that Dane Gladfiolas is still alive, but living in obscurity among his own kind, or else in some long forgotten noble house in Saklan. Others say he died at war at various times in the next eight decades. The truth is not known with certainty.

History of Man -- Book 1: Westrun Part 14

At the start of the 50th century, Dane the Hale was still the High King of Westrun and had been for twenty years. Like all of the monarchs of Saklan, he was long-lived and rumored to have some elf blood in his veins. He was already an elder statesman when he was sentenced the throne which he held for a total of thirty years before stepping aside. A third of the way through Dane's reign, Brocius the Barbarian King had stirred his people to bloodlust and attacked the City of Bolden by sea, sacking and burning it before marching over land to attempt to do the same to Menea. While these depredations were occurring in the east, a separate band of barbarians lay seige to Wanderhalt in the west. Dane's war against the Barbarians lasted until 5007 and was decisively ended by the use of Battle Mages against his foes. Later in his reign as High King, Dane also prosecuted a war against the Goblins of Rakag.

In 5010 Gelder V of Bolden succeeded Dane. Protracted negotiations with Balduren over the issue of shield money inspired him to build a wall in the South to complement the one in the North. The Southern wall was considerably less ambitious than the northern wall, and was only intended as a fail safe should Balduren be overrun.

5030 saw Alacan II of Menea sentenced to the High Throne.

In 5036 Gregory of Rath succeeded Alacan and under pressure from the High Priesthood managed to extract the first three articles of the Censure from the Archmage Balakarde of the Dweomersecte. In 5048 Alfrend of Saklan took the High Throne and negotiated the next six articles of the Censure. Then saw to their agreement by the Grand Temple, and the Continuum. 

During the last years of his life, Archmage Balakarde struggled to keep the Dweomersecte together. Its status as a body was in serious question after the imposition of the Censure. During this time, the Circle of Eight was formed, including Magisters Mordenkainen, Bigby, Drawmij, Rary, Otiluke, Nystul, Leomund and Otto. Like many of their peers, the Circle of Eight did not agree with the decision of Balakarde, but they formed their alliance to work together should the Dweomersecte be dissolved over the matter.

In 5058 Magister Vecna was elected to replace Balakarde and he rose to that position largely on the promise to keep the Dweomersecte together. Bucknard did not agree to the rise of Vecna and made no secret of his opposition to the Archmage. When Bucknard disappeared in 5065 he was replaced by Tenser, who was chosen over Tasha, despite the "gifts" she gave to each of the Magisters of the Dweomersecte -- gifts they did not return and still use to this day.

In 5070 Alfrend was succeeded by Edwar of Menea and in 5088 by Leltward of Talir.

History of Man -- Book 1: Westrun Part 15

Thelstan of Treft was sentenced to the High Throne in 5101. He was a good man and a strong leader by all accounts, but he was cursed to live in a tumultuous time that saw many changes. Heimar the Compromising was the High Priest of the Grand Temple at that time, and he vied with the Archmage Vecna for the ear of Thelstan, who seemed to prefer to keep his own counsel.

Heimar had been merciful to a young priest, writing him a pardon from the charge of heresy and permitting him to indulge in the worship of his so-called Forgotten God. In 5107 the priest, named Gamasiel, had gathered seven acolyte-pledges to his god and raised them to the priesthood. Then Gamasiel and the Seven ignited the War of the Gods against the other priests of the Grand Temple. The war took place in a series of ten battles of miracles, which were challenges to the power of the elder gods and ended with signs that showed the power of the Forgotten God. When the last of the battles was won, the priests either converted or deserted the Grand Temple and the monotheistic Church of Westrun was born. Gamasiel was then recognized as the Patriarch of that Church. 

In 5121 Edmun of Menea succeeded Thelstan to the Throne. During his reign, Planos became Patriach upon the death of Gamasiel.

In 5128 Edmun was followed by Eadred of Menea whose reign was only two years, but was best known for the Edict of Supremacy in Faith of 5129.

Eadred was followed by Aleranus the Pious in 5130. Halded the Militant was the Patriarch during Aleranus' reign. The High Throne and the Patriarchy saw to the creation of the Orders of Religious Knights, or Paladins, from the most devout and most charismatic from the sworn knighthood. 

In 5140 Serolgar of Rath followed Aleranus and during his reign Cronos the Blessed was Patriarch over the Church.

In 5150 Clanute of Treft was sentenced to the High Throne and he was followed by Hareld of Menea in 5159, During Hareld's reign, Planos II the Silent and Cronos II the Short served as Patriarchs and both are notable for being eclipsed by the influence of Jerebola the Compassionate -- a hermitess of Sakish royal blood who forsook her riches and lived in a mountain cave in the manner of some Hierophants. The faithful of the Church of Westrun journeyed from near and far to hear the words she spoke and encouragements she offered.

in 5187 Braolas of the Guilds became High King, following Clanute. He is known for having strengthened the guild system, securing the legacy and integrity of trades. He also reinforced the rule of law across the Eight Kingdoms, especially concerning commerce and labor. Because of his contributions, a new middle class rose from civic or mercantile leadership rather than from noble or religious backgrounds. Braolas helped to stabilize Westrun society after a century of religious upheaval and shifting loyalties by grounding authority in law and tradition. Patriarch Salan was head of the Church of Westrun at that time.

History of Man -- Book 1: Westrun Part 16

In 5207 Galron of Menea took the High Throne. His sentence was unremarkable save that he was lost at sea in 5229. Neither he nor his ships were seen again.

5230 Aleranus II the Less of Bolden was sentenced to the High Throne. He served at the same time as his brother Anastorin who was elected Patriarch of the Church of Westrun. 

Aleranus II the Less was succeeded in 5250 by Dane III the Learned. 

Dane was from a long-lived people and was a lover of knowledge. He wrote massive endowments to the Bard's College at Ald Ciula where he had once lived as a student. He renovated the High King's Library in Peakshadow and invited the Archmage of the Dweomersecte to place a Chancellor Mage in his court. Dane was expected to serve for many years and his untimely death was a blow to many. During his short reign, he prosecuted the War of the Barbarian Kings through his military advisor -- the so-called Iron Duke of Bolden.

Despite his success, Dane often appeared pale and boyish to those in his court. His physicians prescribed outdoor activities and sports, which proved to be his undoing. He came to an untimely end, choking on his supper at the end of his first organized hunt. 

Dane was succeeded by his appointed Chancellor General Halinard, the so-called Iron Duke, who declared himself Steward of the High Throne. For two years the Council of Monarchs did not meet. Then in 5263 Halinard became High King of all Westrun by the unanimous vote of that august council. His first official act was to appoint his brother as the Steward of Bolden. 

5271 was the year of the Restless Dead in Menea, which was averted by the efforts of the Dweomersecte.

In 5284 the long War of the Northern Marches had been brought to the very Gates of Wanderhalt. A three day seige of that city was broken by Aleyn, the rightful king of Collonia, and his companions. The kingdom was restored, the goblins defeated and Halinard Geldorf recognized Aleyn Rigel and his line as the lawful crown of Collonia.

Halinard Geldorf reigns to this day as High King of all Westrun and the Free Provinces.

The Wars of Cinders and Silence: The Last Struggle of the Arcane

The Wars of Cinders and Silence, waged between 4992ey and 5046ey, were the series of escalating conflicts between rival wizards before the imposition of the Censure. These wars began as an outgrowth of the political contests between nobles who were employing battle mages in their retinues. As rivalries between the mages grew, their loyalties to the various lords were shifting and faltered. 

In time, these mercenary wizards were more concerned with the supremacy of their own magic than the political aims of their masters. This sometimes meant the wizards were more concerned with choosing opponents that boosted their reputation, rather than those whose defeat benefitted their lords. In time, the battle mages fought arcane contests without regard for the political alliances and rivalries of their employers. The resulting wars, spanning over five decades, saw the landscape of Westrun, and even beyond, scarred by the unchecked chaos of unregulated magic use.

What began as individual wizards battling for supremacy eventually evolved into a growing divide between two opposing schools of magical philosophy. The Pyromancers of Erenth, in league with the self-styled Archflame Vaelgor the Everburning, believed that magic should be a force of absolute power, wielded by those who could command it without restraint. Their ideology saw them forge pacts with infernal entities, trading their souls and servitude for devastating magical strength. In contrast, the generalist wizards, led by Archmage Ghrylan at the outset of the war, sought to maintain structure and discipline in the arcane arts, emphasizing controlled study and careful governance over magic’s destructive potential.

What began as minor eruptions between competing mages escalated into open warfare when, in 4992ey, a conclave of Pyromancers laid siege to the city of Alduldaros of Collonia, burning it to the ground in a single night. The battle mages, unable to ignore such unchecked destruction, retaliated with a devastating counterattack in 4995ey to erase the Archflame's stronghold at Ruinspire from existence —an act that would come to be known as the First Silence.

The Aftermath and the Censure

With the Pyromancers effectively eradicated and their infernal allies banished, the kings of Westrun and the remaining arcane order realized that such unregulated magic could no longer be tolerated. In 5046ey, the Censure was enacted, imposing strict controls over the practice of magic. Only those licensed by the Dweomersecte could lawfully wield the Art, and unregulated sorcery became punishable by death.

The war also marked a shift in magical philosophy. The Dweomersecte, once a loosely affiliated society of scholars, became the official governing body of magic in the Eight Kingdoms. The kings of Westrun, who had previously tolerated a wide range of magical traditions, now became strict enforcers of the Censure, fearing a return to the devastation of the past.

Legacy of the Wars

Though the Pyromancers of Erenth were eradicated, rumors persist that some survived in exile, hiding in the lawless wastes beyond the reach of the Eight Kingdoms. Meanwhile, the Dweomersecte’s dominance over arcane law continues to shape the world, with their authority growing even stronger in the centuries following the war.

The devastation of these wars serves as a cautionary tale for all practitioners of the Art—a reminder that magic, untethered by wisdom, is as much a force of ruin as it is of wonder.

Histories of the High Kings of All Westrun: I - Era of the Sudhall Kings

Era of the Sudhall Kings

4266 Fergus the First (Bolden) Fergus the Founder, Fergus the Lame

4286 Fergon of Bolden

4326 Fergus II of Bolden

4338 Wallace I of Menea

4348 Rig of Collonia

Norwatch and Damon's Wall

Before the Eight Kingdoms Pact, the men in what become Bolden and Collonia were considered the Sudlanders or South Men by their barbarian cousins to the North. The Lords of Sudland, originally issued their lands in grants from Northrun jarls, had a long practice of paying tribute to their one-time patrons.

After the establishment of the Eight Kingdoms Pact, the practice was continued out of convenience more than loyalty to Northrun. Beginning with Fergus II, the High Throne had assumed the burden of the cost from Collonia and Bolden and it was lost in the ledgers handed down for 200 years. The silver paid was a trifle in the eyes of the Westrun lords and, at any rate, was far less than the cost of fielding an army. And while it was a nominal sum from them, it was a substantial portion of the income that Northrun relied on. The clans split the silver and used the sum to purchase wheat and corn from the very Westruners who paid it. 

Damon named the practice extortion and sought to end it, by fortifying Bolden against attack and with the planned construction of a wall which would not only hold back invaders but provide an overwatch to the sea, as well as a fortified road to Peakshadow

The construction of the Wall began under Jan II the Bricklayer and continued for the next century.  Averaging about twenty-five candels in height, the wall is uniformly fifteen candels wide at its top and as many as thirty wide at its base. This allows for easy passage of carts traveling in two different directions at the same time and allows for the quick movement of men and materiel along its length. Even the High King's Highway does not guarantee that.