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.

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 him 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 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 Damaskos of Treft was High King that year and proclaimed thirty days of feasting and merriment.

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 Dancer 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 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 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 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 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 Forgathering 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 I: Westrun Part 5

By the middle of the 35th century the Meni refugees had diluted into separate people using intermarriage as a tool of peace and generational conquest. The two major subgroups were the Menes along the north coast and the Talir along the South. 

Some of the Menes merged with the men of the City of Wood and eventually gave their name to that place, Menea; while others reached still farther North of the Red River into Sudland and married in among the exiled northmen -- there becoming the Boldi. The other Sudlanders were still fiercely independent and lived as a dozen distinct, but settled clans.

While the Menes moved northward, the Talir largely remained in Watersedge, and following the example of the Tren, allowed large numbers of the Nandi to enter their midst both as general labor and as men-at-arms. Some of the Talir intermarried with the men of Treft where their High Vyrum tongue and mannerisms were prized. At Watersedge, because of the 100 learned Meni who had settled there as refugees, was built a place of learning intended to rival the colleges of old. If any evidence of their skill and knowledge was needed, Talir soon had it. By the end of the century, the men there had drained the marshes turning it into rich farmland, and raised a colossus of the previous age which had been toppled into the sea.

Inland, the Rathor still controlled a vast swath of territory in the middle of Westrun and used their power to regulate and tax trade. Over the course of the century the Nandi of that confederation slowly entered permanent settlements and consolidated into three large and wealthy kingdoms: Rath, Gere and Palo.

To their West were the minor kings of the Saks and the Tari -- both of who seemed closer to the elves of the Mistwood than of their fellow man. In the far Southwest the Bal were firmly ensconced in the ald they now called Balrest and demanded fealty from the tribes of Aras, Du and Ren. 

In and among these kingdoms, some Nandi still roamed with difficulty. Nadi, Sahna, Numin, Shina, Anis, and Duvi were known as itinerants and raiders, reluctant to give up their nomadic ways. Moving seasonally between hunting grounds, these people groups increasingly found their way inhibited by permanent settlements and found their lifestyle costly. Meanwhile the settled men of Westrun continually disputed with each other -- testing borders and resolve. Not infrequently, these disputations erupted into armed conflicts and even minor wars. 

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 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 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 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 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.

The Censure

THE CENSURE OF 5046

In the year 5046ey in solemn assembly before the Throne of the Eight Kingdoms and the Conclave of the Dweomersecte, let it be proclaimed and set forth, that order may be restored to the practice of magic within the realms of Westrun.

Article the First:

By right of sovereignty and ancient compact, let it be recognized that His Majesty Gregory of Rath, High King of Westrun, and his lawful heirs shall hold dominion over the Eight Kingdoms, and that the Archmage Balakarde, First Among the Dweomersecte, and his duly appointed successors shall preside over the governance of the Arcane Arts within these lands. Each shall have the undisputed right to name and ordain their successors according to the laws and customs of their respective offices, and no claim to either throne or title shall be made but through these lawful means.

Article the Second:

In the name of peace and the preservation of wisdom, let there be a binding and perpetual accord between the Crown and the Archmage, that neither shall take up arms against the other nor seek to diminish the station or authority of their counterpart. Furthermore, should any force, known or unknown, seek to unseat or imperil either institution, the other shall stand in defense, that harmony and stability may endure in Westrun.

Article the Third:

That the work of governance and order is never finished, let it be agreed that in due time and at proper intervals, the Crown and the Dweomersecte shall meet again in council, to deliberate upon matters of magic, governance, and the welfare of the Eight Kingdoms, so that this accord may be strengthened and adapted to the needs of the age.

Thus is the Censure ordained, in the sight of all Lords Temporal and Arcane, to be held inviolate from this day forward.

THE CENSURE OF 5048

In the year 5048ey, in the court of High King Alfrend of Saklan, before the assembled lords and masters of the Eight Kingdoms, let it be known and recorded that the previous agreement between the Crown and the Dweomersecte, to establish rightful order in the governance of magic, is held in force and hereby expanded.

Article the Fourth:

The Archmage of the Dweomersecte shall maintain a permanent representative in the court of the High King of Westrun, who shall speak with the voice of the Dweomersecte in matters concerning the practice and governance of magic throughout the Eight Kingdoms. This representative shall be accorded all due honors and protections as befits an emissary of so great an office. He shall be called the Chancellor Mage.

Article the Fifth:

The vassal kings of the Eight Kingdoms shall henceforth admit only those Masters of the Arcane Arts into their courts who are sworn members of the Dweomersecte, and whose appointment has been given with the advice and consent of the Archmage. No other shall bear the title or dignity of Magister or Court Wizard, nor shall any outside the Dweomersecte wield arcane authority within the councils of the Eight Kingdoms.

Article the Sixth:

The protections and privileges afforded to the Archmage and his order by the Crown shall extend only to those who are licensed to practice magic by the Archmage or his duly appointed lieutenants. Those who wield the Art without such sanction shall find neither refuge nor amnesty in the lands of the Eight Kingdoms, nor shall they claim the rights and dignities of the Dweomersecte.

Thus is the Censure established, in the name of order and wisdom, that the practice of magic may be safeguarded and that the realm may know peace.

THE CENSURE OF 5050

In the Year 5050ey, before the High Throne of Westrun and the Conclave of the Dweomersecte, and in the presence of Saric, Grand Hierophant of the Continuum, let it be proclaimed that a solemn and binding agreement has been set forth, strengthening the compact between Crown, Mage, and Priesthood, that order may be preserved and the distinctions of divine and arcane authority be made clear to all.

Article the Seventh:

Let it be known that Saric, Grand Hierophant of the Continuum, does now stand as signatory to the Censure, and that from this day forward, the sacred authority of the Ancient Priesthood shall be recognized alongside the Crown of Westrun and the Dweomersecte in matters of governance, ensuring harmony between the divine and the arcane within the Eight Kingdoms.

Article the Eighth:

To prevent confusion between those who wield the Arcane Arts and those who bear the mantle of the Priesthood, all licensed wizards shall don vestments of distinction as decreed by the Magisters of the Great Schools of the Dweomersecte. No practitioner of the Art shall go unmarked, and their garb shall stand as testament to their station and sanction, setting them apart from the servants of the Continuum and from those who would wield magic without rightful authority.

Article the Ninth:

As the Great Schools are the wellspring of learning and order among those who practice the Art, so too shall their Magisters bear responsibility for those who wear their robes. Should any wizard, clad in the garments of a Great School, transgress the bounds of law and propriety, the Magister of his house shall answer for the deeds of his wayward charge. Thus, shall discipline and accountability be upheld among the learned, and thus shall the schools guard against folly within their ranks.

By this accord, let the peace endure between the Crown, the Dweomersecte, and the Continuum, that the realms of men may know wisdom, and that the practice of magic may remain bound by order and tradition.

THE CENSURE OF 5058

In the Year 5058ey, in the court of High King Alfrend of Saklan, on the occasion of the election of Vecna, Archmage of the Dweomersecte, before the assembled lords and masters of the Eight Kingdoms, let it be known and recorded that the previous agreement between the Crown, the Dweomersecte, and the Continuum; to establish rightful order in the governance of magic, is held in force both now and forever more.

THE CENSURE OF 5068

In the Year 5068ey, in the court of High King Edwar of Collonia, before the assembled lords and masters of the Eight Kingdoms, let it be known and recorded that the previous agreement between the Crown, the Dweomersecte, and the Continuum; to establish rightful order in the governance of magic, is held in force both now and forever more.

THE CENSURE OF 5088

In the Year 5088ey, in the court of High King Leltward of Talir, before the assembled lords and masters of the Eight Kingdoms, let it be known and recorded that the previous agreement between the Crown, the Dweomersecte, and the Continuum; to establish rightful order in the governance of magic, is held in force both now and forever more.

THE CENSURE OF 5101

In the Year 5101ey, in the court of High King Thelstan of Treft, before the assembled lords and masters of the Eight Kingdoms, let it be known and recorded that the previous agreement between the Crown, the Dweomersecte, and the Continuum; to establish rightful order in the governance of magic, is held in force both now and forever more.

THE CENSURE OF 5108

In the Year 5108ey, in the court of High King Thelstan of Treft, on the occasion of the victory of Grand Heirophant Pernar over Saric the Continuous, and in the presence of Gamasiel, Patriarch of the Church of Westrun, before the assembled lords and masters of the Eight Kingdoms, let it be known and recorded that the previous agreement between the Crown, the Dweomersecte, and the Continuum; to establish rightful order in the governance of magic, is held in force and expanded as follows.

Article the Tenth:

The Church of Westrun, through the person of the Patriarch, does affirm the sacred compact between Crown, Mage, and Priesthood, and pledges its unwavering support in the enforcement of the Censure. No wizard shall practice the Arcane Arts within the Eight Kingdoms save by lawful sanction, and none shall defy the ordinance without incurring the full measure of divine and temporal justice.

Thus is the mandate established -- that the Faith, the Throne, and the Arcane shall stand as one in the governance of magic, and that none shall defy them without consequence and that the Censure shall stand in perpetuity in all ten articles.

The Accords Binding All Erenth

Penned and signed, in the Year 3990, as the Elves reckon time.

Let it be known and set forth upon this parchment, by the authority of those whose wisdom and might shape the weft of this world, that the Wizards of Erenth and the Lords of Dragonkind, in solemn counsel and with measured purpose, do hereby affirm these Accords. Though the winds of time may shift and fates may weave new destinies, let this covenant stand as testament to the understanding reached between the Most Wise and the Ancient Powers.

On the Respect Due to Power

It is acknowledged that the Princes of Dragonkind and the Wizards are each mighty in their own right, and that neither shall seek unjust dominion over the other. Those who bear the gift of magic among mortal races shall not presume mastery over the Dragonkind, nor shall they seek to undo their sovereignty, lest ruin and calamity be their due reward. In turn, the Lords of Dragonkind, wise beyond mortal reckoning, may offer counsel when it is sought and guidance when it is earned, but shall not be bound to act at the behest of another.

On the Sorcerous Balance

No Wizard shall raise a binding upon a Dragon without just cause and due provocation, nor shall they seek to yoke the will of those who rightful place is beyond the reach of time. The forging of spells, artifacts, or enchantments meant to compel the Princes of the Chromatic Faction shall be deemed an offense worthy of swift and terrible correction.

Yet, let it be understood that the Lords of Dragonkind shall not devour the wellspring of knowledge that mortals seek to protect. No dragon shall set forth to raze the sanctums of the Wizards, nor their so-called Dweomersecte. Neither shall they seek to hoard the Magical Arts entirely to themselves. What wisdom is claimed shall remain in possession of those who rightfully wield it, save where arrogance leads to perils too great to be ignored.

On the Dominion of Many Realms

The sovereign lands of the Wizards, their towers, halls, and libraries, shall remain inviolate from the predations of the winged lords, save where debts or oaths demand otherwise. In return, the Wizards shall not seek to depose the great Dragons from their rightful holdings, nor rally the lesser races to war against them.

Yet, where conflicts arise, let it be known that neither side shall move lightly, for war between the Arcane and the Eternal yields only ruin. Should grievance be laid, let arbitration be sought before annihilation is pursued, lest the world itself weep for the folly of its greatest children.

On the Pact Eternal

It is acknowledged that these dealings have been struck, debts incurred, and agreements laid down for observance across the annals of time. Such bargains as are made shall be honored in their spirit, if not in their letter, by those who hold true to wisdom. None shall not be bound against their will, but neither shall they set themselves above the reckonings of old where word and honor hold weight.

Likewise, the Wizards shall not claim ignorance where knowledge was once granted, nor shall they seek to rewrite the past to suit present convenience. Let both parties walk in the shadow of history with their eyes unclouded.

Thus, by the will of Nizarys, so-called Archmage of All Erenth, and the Assembled Princes of Dragonkind—

Noxifer the Black, Prince of Umbrevost
Ceraunor Dracontes the Blue, Prince of the Far Wastes
Viridion Chloroctis the Green, Prince of Emerald Wood
Pyraphon Rubiclasis the Red, Prince of Vyruma Serpentis
Borealys Glacivor the White, the Frostbound Prince

Be it known that this Accord is sealed, witnessed, and spoken into the fabric of time. It is the duty of all signatories to communicate it to their offspring in perpetuity. Let none say that the great and the wise did not seek a path apart from ruin.

Patent of Nobility

The "patent of nobility" is a legal decree issued by a sovereign or ruling authority that grants noble status to an individual. It typically confers specific rights, privileges, lands and titles, elevating the recipient and their descendants into the nobility. 

The earliest patents exist as simple brass plates attached to a torc with an inscription written in Vyrum.* All modern patents now come in an ivory case, along with a shield (painted with the sigil of their house), a signet ring and a ceremonial key (to the court of their leige lord -- representing their access to justice.)

*There are 22 noble houses with the ancient brass plates as their patents of nobility. Sometimes called the "Two-score and two" they are not necessarily the richest or most powerful, but these houses nonetheless retain the prestige that comes with their long standing.

Some scholars of Vyrum have maintained that the brass plates can be translated to read "Hold me, lest I elope, and you will have gold." It is a mysterious phrase that is taken by these families to mean that their nobility is the ticket to wealth and prosperity for their vassals.

The Moon of Winter

Long ago, when the kingdoms of men were still young, a bitter and unrelenting winter descended upon the land. Crops withered under frost, rivers froze solid, and entire villages succumbed to the cold. The common people whispered of a curse cast by a lesser god, enraged by humanity. Desperate for salvation, the High King of the realm turned to the Grand Temple of Divines.

The priests, steeped in forbidden knowledge, revealed that a god named Vyel had been rebuffed by his one-time paramour - a half-mortal woman named Irenee, daughter of the Goddess of Night. Because Irenee would not continue to give herself to Vyel, he cursed all the land with perpetual Winter. 

The priests sent an emissary to convince Irenee to give herself again to Vyel, but Irenee fled far to the North to avoid such a fate. There she died atop a frost-bound glacier.  Before breathing her last, a single tear is said to have fallen from her cheek, and fell into a deep chasm becoming a precious gem -- the Moon of Winter. 

The stone was said to be like a piece of the moon itself, encased in flawless crystal. The priests of the Grand Temple claimed that giving this last tear of Irenee to Vyel would turn aside his wrath and release the curse of perpetual Winter upon the Eight Kingdoms.

The High King dispatched a company of knights to retrieve the Moon of Winter from its resting place in the frozen wastes of the north. After months of perilous travel, battling frost giants and evading packs of ravenous wolves, the knights found the gem guarded by a ghostly spirit—an avatar of the demi-goddess.

The knights, driven by loyalty to their king and the desperation of their people, deceived the goddess, seized the gem and began their return journey. The knights never reached Peakshadow. On the eve of their return, their camp was attacked in the Silverlode Mountains by a warband of orcs, led by a shaman named Gragrith Frostwalker. The orcs overwhelmed the knights in a brutal ambush.

Gragrith claimed the Moon of Winter as a prize, dedicating its moon-like glow to Gruumsh, the one-eyed god of orcs. When Vyel learned that his intended gift had been dedicated to Gruumsh, he forgot his wrath against humanity and went to war against Gruumsh. But the orc's god emerged the victor and Vyel was banished for 100 years from the mortal realm. The stone passed to Magrul Sharpfang and with him it remained -- a sign of his horde and a symbol of divine favor upon his line.

Faren and Wyld

Back before the cataclysm, when the Elves had first awakened in the world, they had wings upon their backs and could soar as birds. But in soaring above Erenth, they soon felt hunger for the first time. 

There were two among them, Faen and Faren by name. When their hunger turned to pain, the two agreed, saying, “Let us go out and discover what will satisfy that which gnaws at us. We shall meet back here with whatsoever we discover and share it among our people.” 

Thus, Faen flew toward the rising sun and Faren had flown toward the sea.

When Faen had traveled some distance away he grew weak for his effort and lit beside a tree. There he witnessed an owl feeding. In its talons was a rabbit caught and the owl was eating of its flesh. So Faen drove off the owl and ate of the rabbit. Whereupon he found that his hunger was diminished. When he saw a raven tearing at the flesh of a squirrel, he drove it likewise off and took and ate. Then his hunger was no more and seeing that world was full of such creatures, straightaway, he returned to his people.

Faren, meanwhile, had gone away toward the sea and when he had traveled some distance away espied geese eating from the eel grass. Joining them in their supper, he ate of that grass and found his hunger diminished. Later he saw doves eating grains which had grown wild on the stem. So he gathered and ate of those grains until his hunger was no more. Then he gathered grains again until the darkness descended and he returned to his people with his hands full.

When he was joined again to them, Faren discovered that his Faen had returned before him. In his absence all the Elves had learned to eat that which had been slain, and Faren was dismayed. He was made sick by the sight of blood on their faces and the smell of death on their hands. 

Then Faren called out and offered the Elves the grains which he had gathered, though they were yet meager. At seeing this offering, some of them were ashamed, but others were in no way contrite. These latter said, “Why should we bend to the stem and coax from the soil? Why should we work until darkness for our supper? All we have need of may be slain and eaten at once!"

Then many strong words passed between Faren and Faen, but most of the Elves ridiculed the cause of Faren and joined themselves to the cause of Faen. So Faren purposed to go his own way and to live apart from those who killed for meat. While Faen and those who stood by him were glad for his departure.

In time, Faen would repent of his words and seek his brother. He took fire from the bowl of a valley and used it to light beacons so that Faren might follow them and find his way home. The beacons remained lit for many seasons and when they burned low, the Elves kept them piled high with wood and pitch so that they would be kindled again and would be seen by all the world below. 

For many long years the other people of Erenth oft saw the beacons of Faen and wondered at their purpose, but because they were too high for those without wings, they contented themselves with their imaginings. And Faren, too, saw the beacons of Faen and did not, at first, heed them. Rather he took them to be the places he would most avoid. Thus Faren was alone in the world among his kind, and he wandered far with great sorrow. 

When he came at last to a distant wood, Faren found a spirit therein and was alone no longer. Wyld he called it and it was untamed from the beginning. But Faren took Wyld to spouse and had offspring thereby and these were the three called Fae and the twins: Falth and Feere. Much mischief has come of them and their kin. 

Seaward Enclave of Triumphax

When a bard returns from his Practice of Tenure, he comes to Heralapix and presents his Magnum Opus to the Professing Masters. In attendance are those who are already Masters of his chosen art, and any Grand Masters of any art who desire to sit in. If his work is favorably graded, he graduates and earns the approbation of his peers and the Professing Masters alike. He will often be invited to join their ranks and live out his life as a member of that faculty. 

Depending on the art form he wishes to demonstrate, the bard will find himself at one Enclave or another. This particular one is called the Seaward Enclave of Triumphax and is generally used by those who will demonstrate oratory, dance or the dramatic arts.

Curate, Bard and Witch

There is no formal ecclesial organization in Northrun. There are three roles that are played by the Speakers in society.

Lawspeakers are Druids who strive to keep their clans on a neutral path. They revere nature and the continuous cycle of birth and death in all living things. It is the Lawspeakers who are given charge over remembering the edicts of individual chieftains and the contracts that might be issued between two free clansmen.

Lorespeakers are Bards who are committed to remembering the legends and oral histories of great heroes and clansmen of renown. They are called on to perform at all meets.

Lathspeakers are also called witches. They are often bringers of ill-tidings and bad omens. The men of the clans are both deeply respectful and equally resentful of these crones, whom they fear beyond reason. 

Red River House of Redfall in Treft

A public house located along the Red River of Treft in the town of Redfall. A dining experience for the weary traveler and the road-worn merchant, alike. We specialize in many regional dishes and some from more exotic locales, as well. 

Your host is Kale Brownsleeves.

We offer:

Breakfast

Boiled Oats and oranges

Luncheon

Bacon and fresh bread

Cooked beans and a hard roll

Dinner

Eels in white sauce on a stale bread trencher

Smoked river trout served with oranges

Rabbit in red wine and butter, served pm a bed of greens

All meals are served with warm beer or river-chilled wine.

The Holy Men of Erenth: Monks of Eastrun

The Monks of Eastrun wear cast-off cloth that has been cleaned, dyed and sewn together to create both their inner robe -- that which is closest to the skin, and the outer robe -- that which is presented to the outside world. Cast-off cloth is made from clothing that is no longer in use because it is old or unfashionable. It also includes so-called corpse clothing which is discarded after a body has been washed and sewn into its burial shroud.

The color of a Monk's robes depends on their temple. Each temple keeps a unique formula of dyes which produces a variety of earth tone colors ranging from deep browns to bright reds.

The Holy Men of Erenth: The Diviners

Diviners, from the witches of Northrun to the astrologers of Southrun, do not have anything approaching identifiable clothing. Some wear opulent silk robes in the gaudiest of designs. Others wear hair shirts and appear not to have bathed or shaved in years. From the lowliest mystic through the seers, prophets right through to the oracles, there is nothing predictable about the vestments they choose. One thing is certain, Diviners have no strictures at all on opulence nor on outrageous or ostentatious behavior -- and it often shows.

The Holy Men of Erenth: The Curates

The Hierophant Priests (sometimes called Druids or Curates) will wear vestments depending on their rank. Initiates will be given the first of these vestments, a simple square white cloak called a mantle which is neither tailored nor fitted, but simply draped over his head when performing his devotions. 

It is never cleaned nor can it be replaced before its appointed time. This mantle is usually well-stained and gray by the time he becomes a Keeper. It is kept until then as a sign of his devotion to neutrality and also the difficulty in maintaining it. 

When a Keeper is elevated, he takes a new white mantle to wear and burns the old upon a ceremonial fire. Thereafter he also carries a living wreath on his brow or living sprigs plaited in his hair or beard. These plants will typically be meadowsweet or holly.

As a Protector he carries a stave of living ash or acacia wood. This is used when performing his faculties and rites. It is a sign of his office and is readily recognizable by the buds or tendrils upon it. 

A Guardian is said to have earned his horns and will be found with the horns of a ram, stag or bovine. The donor beast will never be slain for this purpose, but may give them up voluntarily to the Druid or Curate who aids him in some way.

All the Hierophants above the level of Guardian will be barefoot in all seasons.

The Holy Men of Erenth: The Pagan Priests

The pagan priests of the past were well known for their opulent and multi-layered robes, often made of the finest materials and accented with threads of silver and gold.

The Praxo was the head covering of the priest and it would be embroidered with the rank of his office and the symbols of his particular devotion.

These vestments, like the priests who still wear them, are only found in places which are generally far removed from the polite centers of various societies.