The Sovereign Realm of Dalryn
Posted: Fri May 11, 2007 11:13 am
Here is a bit of history my players and I are developing. Enjoy!
The Realm of Dalryn: What All Its Folk Know
The Realm of Dalryn is under the special protection of the Goddess Yshal, Mother of All. By the grace of Yshal does the sun rise and set, the moon run through its phases, the seasons their course, and life pass from birth to death. Yshal is the maiden, the matron, and the crone. She is the patron of all that grows, but also the welcomer of all that dies. She is the sound of the waves on the rocks, and the whisper of the night breeze in the rowan. The Mother of All listens when one prays in the still of the night, and she is present when one raises a fist to the heavens.
Yshal was the mother of Rorik Dalryn, known as the lightning bringer, who 500 years ago carved the Alabaster Throne with the power of his song. For centuries, his descendants ruled Dalryn from their capital city, Mount Sky. Dalryn stretches form the Endless Ocean in the West to the peaks called the Fangs in the East. The wooded Elven Kingdom Erish Villal adjoins Dalryn on the north, and is Dalryns closest ally. The Realms major cities are Mount Sky, near the north, Mistvale on the Bay at the edge of the Endless Ocean, Edinkal in the central valley, and Wyvernus to the south.
Much of the Realm consists of the Friendly Forest, which stretches for miles west of the Fangs and south of Mount Sky. Graced with tall, venerable trees and flower-bright clearings, this forest is sacred to Yshal, both in her own person and as her Elven avatar, Ayshulan. The forest is called Friendly partly because she can be very friendly to those who approach her in the right spirit, feeding them with game and providing them with valuable herbs, wood, and dye stuffs. But she is also called Friendly because she is not always friendly, so it is wise to speak her fair.
All was well in the Realm until about eighty years ago, when High Lord Skarlathon Elliskia of Wyvernus assembled an army of mercenaries from Muradim, denizens of the Shadow Realm, and a legion of Fiends. Through magic and trickery, he gained entrance to the Grand Courtyard of the Palace of the Air in Mount Sky. He slaughtered the royal family and took control of the Realm.
One aspect of his evil interregnum was that he attacked the Friendly Forest, trying to wrest material gain from her treasures. Elliskias minions barged into the Forest, seeking precious herbs and dyes, and setting up logging operations to plunder the stands of tehagon trees which grow in that forest. Tehagon trees yield the most wonderful light, strong and fragrant wood, prized by builders and artisans all over the world.
The Forests invaders did not have it all their own way. Limbs fell on them when no wind stirred. When they felled trees, the trunks often twisted as they dropped to land on top of the logging crews. Briars seemed to infest every path. A band of woodsman-fighters led by a man known as Shadowhawk harried the invaders. Nevertheless, much damage was done to the Forest.
But as of two months ago, the fearless young woman Adrilana, a scion of the house of Rorik who survived Elliskias coup, reclaimed her throne with the aid of a force of Celestials, elves, centaurs, and Muradim mercenaries. Lightning played over Mount Sky and the usurper Elliskia and his family disappeared. Some say that crucial to the new Queens success was the help of two powerful women, a priestess and a deru or druid. Adrilana is appointing Warders to help set all to rights within the Realm. A new day of hope is dawning for the decent folk of Dalryn.
The Realm of Dalryn: What All Its Folk Know
The Realm of Dalryn is under the special protection of the Goddess Yshal, Mother of All. By the grace of Yshal does the sun rise and set, the moon run through its phases, the seasons their course, and life pass from birth to death. Yshal is the maiden, the matron, and the crone. She is the patron of all that grows, but also the welcomer of all that dies. She is the sound of the waves on the rocks, and the whisper of the night breeze in the rowan. The Mother of All listens when one prays in the still of the night, and she is present when one raises a fist to the heavens.
Yshal was the mother of Rorik Dalryn, known as the lightning bringer, who 500 years ago carved the Alabaster Throne with the power of his song. For centuries, his descendants ruled Dalryn from their capital city, Mount Sky. Dalryn stretches form the Endless Ocean in the West to the peaks called the Fangs in the East. The wooded Elven Kingdom Erish Villal adjoins Dalryn on the north, and is Dalryns closest ally. The Realms major cities are Mount Sky, near the north, Mistvale on the Bay at the edge of the Endless Ocean, Edinkal in the central valley, and Wyvernus to the south.
Much of the Realm consists of the Friendly Forest, which stretches for miles west of the Fangs and south of Mount Sky. Graced with tall, venerable trees and flower-bright clearings, this forest is sacred to Yshal, both in her own person and as her Elven avatar, Ayshulan. The forest is called Friendly partly because she can be very friendly to those who approach her in the right spirit, feeding them with game and providing them with valuable herbs, wood, and dye stuffs. But she is also called Friendly because she is not always friendly, so it is wise to speak her fair.
All was well in the Realm until about eighty years ago, when High Lord Skarlathon Elliskia of Wyvernus assembled an army of mercenaries from Muradim, denizens of the Shadow Realm, and a legion of Fiends. Through magic and trickery, he gained entrance to the Grand Courtyard of the Palace of the Air in Mount Sky. He slaughtered the royal family and took control of the Realm.
One aspect of his evil interregnum was that he attacked the Friendly Forest, trying to wrest material gain from her treasures. Elliskias minions barged into the Forest, seeking precious herbs and dyes, and setting up logging operations to plunder the stands of tehagon trees which grow in that forest. Tehagon trees yield the most wonderful light, strong and fragrant wood, prized by builders and artisans all over the world.
The Forests invaders did not have it all their own way. Limbs fell on them when no wind stirred. When they felled trees, the trunks often twisted as they dropped to land on top of the logging crews. Briars seemed to infest every path. A band of woodsman-fighters led by a man known as Shadowhawk harried the invaders. Nevertheless, much damage was done to the Forest.
But as of two months ago, the fearless young woman Adrilana, a scion of the house of Rorik who survived Elliskias coup, reclaimed her throne with the aid of a force of Celestials, elves, centaurs, and Muradim mercenaries. Lightning played over Mount Sky and the usurper Elliskia and his family disappeared. Some say that crucial to the new Queens success was the help of two powerful women, a priestess and a deru or druid. Adrilana is appointing Warders to help set all to rights within the Realm. A new day of hope is dawning for the decent folk of Dalryn.