Akazdarön was an ancient Khundari kingdom of the central Sarajis Mountains, covering more than half of that mountain range. Founded during the height of the Age of Chaos, it was considered one of the greatest Dwarven realms since the abandonment of the Eight Cities. Her craftsmen and artisans were much sought after throughout the North by Umantari rulers, and even the Telnori.

The greatest achievement of the Akazdaröni builders was their ability to create the almost indestructible torlixam of the Ancients. Some believe they re-discovered the secret of its making, but most scholars are convinced they simply found and learned to use some of the tools left behind by the Ancients. Whatever the case, they were sparing in its use outside their own cities and fortresses, which were never broken by siege engines.

But even the strength of torlixam was no match for the tremendous geologic upheavals that brought the Age of Chaos to an end. The northern portion of Akazdurön was lost in the destruction of Kahir-Tomar, when that land sank beneath the waves. The survivors fled south, where they endured for many centuries, until the coming of the Necromancer. Then, all but a few outposts perished, and the greatest Khundari realm of northern Ysgareth finally came to an end.

The most famous survivor of the Great Cataclysm was Prince Dhaur’azym, the youngest son of the King of Akazdarön. He was said to be the greatest builder and craftsman of all his kindred, the master to whom all other masters bowed in matters concerning the working of stone or metal. Legend says that he was traveling in the southern portion of his father’s realm when the destruction of Kahir-Tomar brought an end to the north, and that he rallied his people during that dark time.

For many years he ruled the shattered southern remnants of the kingdom, rebuilding damaged cities and strongholds, and seeing that the survivors from the north had shelter and food. He was beloved by his people, so when eighty years had passed they called for him to formally take up the crown and become king. He had long resisted this call, hoping that some of his brothers, or even his father, had survived, but now he agreed to the wishes of the people.

But before the coronation could take place, a large band of northern survivors made their way to Kamoroth, the city Dhaur’azym had made his new capital, and leading them was his eldest brother, Gemar’tah. The Crown Prince had been badly injured in the destruction of the north, and even now he was crippled in body, if still strong in spirit. He had gathered such survivors as he could over the years, as he slowly healed, unable to move far. Eventually, hearing of the survival and renewal in the south, and being strong enough to travel, he gathered his people and set out southward.

Prince Dhaur’zaym was overjoyed to find his brother still lived, and immediately acknowledged his right to the crown, though many of his own people argued against it. But the Prince was adamant, and Gemar’tah was crowned King of Akaztamyr (Akaz Reborn). Sadly, he was not the man his younger brother was. His high-handed and arrogant attitude soon brought unrest and renewed mutterings that Dhaur’zaym should have worn the crown. When these mutterings reached the ear of the king, who was already jealous of his brother, he became fearful of rebellion and treason.

Dhaur’zaym tried to sooth his brothers fears, but this only seemed to make matters worse. The more he tried to advise the King to moderate his words and actions, the more Gemar’tah took the opposite course. When the day came that his brother demanded that he turn over his tools to artisans of the King’s own choosing, the Prince realized there would never be peace between them. But not wishing for civil strife, he determined to remove himself from the field. With only a small group of his most trusted followers, and taking with him all of his tools and artifacts, Dhaur’zaym left Kamoroth one night and was never seen in the land again.

Rumors abound on the subject of where Dhaur’zaym and his followers went – some say he sailed overseas, to found a hidden realm in Skavaria… or perhaps it was in the mountains north of the Hidden Sea; others are equally certain they went south, taking his skill and tools into the Mountains of Karac. Certainly the rise of the city-states of Karac began in the century after the Prince’s departure from the north, but the Khundari there have always denied any knowledge of him. Many people, especially those in the only outpost of Akazdarön still surviving, the Princedom of Dürkon, believe that the Lost Prince simply set up a solitary workshop far from his brother’s rule. There, they say, he spent the rest of his days creating marvelous artifacts, tools and weapons that he would send out in the world to find their way to his people, too aid them in their work and wars.

In any case, the memory of the Lost Prince is kept alive among the Khundari of the Sarajis Mountains, who believe he will be reincarnated when the time is right to rebuild the Kingdom in the North, recovering his great artifacts, buried with him in his hidden tomb, to help his people back to greatness.

POPULAR BELIEF

Every child in Ysgareth knows of the Deathspawn, the soulless beastmen who lurk in the dark and dangerous wilderness, the tales of which are used to keep rural children close to home. Monstrous beings part human and part animal, they live mainly in the mountains and highlands of the world, although they can be found even in the lowland wilderness at the edges of human civilization. Depending on the tribe, they range from 3′ to over 5′ 6″.

They are said to stalk the nights, preying on isolated human settlements or travelers, a constant threat and danger in remote areas. They breed at a ferocious rate, and when they outgrow their fetid underground warrens, they burst out in a swarm, a deadly tide that can sweep across whole districts leaving nothing alive in its wake. They eat anything on hoof or foot, including human beings, and will rape anything – man, woman, child or beast – even in the midst of battle.

Everyone knows there are five tribes of Beastmen: the gül-Hovgavui, the Great or Black Gül, who are the largest and most fearsome of the tribes, part bull, part boar, part man, with great tusks and sometimes even horns; the gül-Bogabai, the Red Gül, part bear, part man, with thick dark reddish fur, second in size and aggressiveness only to the Black Güls, and are the most cannibalistic of the tribes; the gül-Nomai, the Brown Gül, most common of the tribes, are great miners and engineers, and the type most likely to swarm, their small tusks showing their porcine roots; the gül-Gramlini, the White Gül, a hybrid of wolf and man, are not quite as bloodthirsty as their cousins, perhaps, and are often found in woodlands; and the gül-Kobali, the Small or Streaked Gül, are the smallest of the tribes, woodland dwellers, their fur varying the most, from tawny streaks on brown to complex patterns of colors, they wield blow darts and bows, and are part weasel, part cat, part man.

It is said by some that the Gülvini are the result of interbreeding by the Necromancer of human and dwarven prisoners with various animals; others say they are the result of unnatural acts performed by the Khundari on animals; and a few even believe that the Gül are Telnori, corrupted and twisted by the god Korön. These latter slanders are generally only common in areas where humans and the other two races are in conflict or competition.

HISTORY

A hybrid race of malevolent, intelligent humanoids, also known as deathspawn, güls, beastmen and goblins. Divided into five known sub-species, the Gülvini are considered the most aggressive and barbaric of the intelligent, culture-forming species on Novendo. They are also dramatically distinct from most other races in their origin, biology, and society. While the sub-species are unable to interbreed, they are unfortunately capable of cross-breeding with both the Umantari and the Khundari, as countless rapes have confirmed. A Telnori half-breed might be possible, but that race is able to control their biology to such an extent that it would have to be a willing interbreeding, a very unlikely event. Most Umantari, and all Khundari, cultures believe the Gül have no redeeming qualities whatsoever, and in general both fear and hate them. The feeling is mutual.

The Deathspawn first appeared on Ysgareth in the mid-25th Century during the Tyranny of the Necromancer Pürshok, a renegade mage who sought to use his considerable arcane powers to build an empire with the goal of freeing Korön, the Chained God, from his confinement. They quickly became Pürshok’s primary tool for subjugating his enemies, and their ferocity and depravity became feared throughout the continent, earning their lord the sobriquet “Pürshok the Deathspawner.” Colonies have since found their way to Ishkala and Koruik, though they remain small and generally isolated there.

Where they came from and how Pürshok gained control of the Gülvini is one of the great mysteries of history. The Necromancer claimed to have created them entirely from “scratch,” as it were, but few experts believe this. The great scholar and mage Talorin Silvereye believed they were descended, in part, from the ancient Orukeshi, monstrous soldiers the Immortal Korön’s created during the Age of Chaos. Thought extinct for a millennia, Pürshok may have found a surviving tribe and bred them in an unholy union of Umantari, Telnori, Khundari and animal genetic material, creating the five distinct sub-species known to exist today: the gül-Hovgavui, gül-Bogabai, gül-Nomai, gül-Gramlini, and gül-Kobali.

Whatever their genesis, they soon proved almost ungovernable. Despite his arcane powers, Pürshok was hard put to maintain control over his armies. In 2511, after attacking and destroying the heartland of Serviana, Pürshok’s army was annihilated by an avenging Khundari/Telnori army at the Battle of Harkathir. Pürshok was captured and is said to have been buried alive in a stone tomb with an “honor guard” of 15 starving Gülvini, three from each “tribe.”

The Necromancer’s demise released the surviving Gülvini from central control and they sought refuge from the Khundari and the armies of Oceania and Valtira in the mountainous areas of Ysgareth. The subsequent withdrawal of the Allied forces back to their homelands soon allowed the Gülvini to flourish.

Conflict with other races was inevitable, given the Gülvini breeding rate. In the decades after the Great War population pressure forced some Gülvini to descend from the mountains into conflict with Ysgareth’s tribal folk. This forced some tribesmen to attack the civilized Umantari kingdoms, leading to the Hundred Kingdoms Period in central Ysgareth. By 2650, the Gülvini were widespread throughout the continent, and their population of about 100,000 has been relatively stable since then.

BIOLOGY

Gülvini have a unique reproductive biology, which is taken by many scholars as proof of their artificial origins. In each tribe females make up no more than 35% of the population. Births are skewed heavily towards the male gender, and the dominant male of a tribe controls the females, who live sequestered in well-protected “harems,” ruled by the dominant female. The “king” of a Gülvini tribe allows select males to mate as a reward for courage and loyalty, or as a bribe for desired behaviors. The “queen” decides which females are given to which male.

More than half the male Gülvini population never have sexual contact with females of their own species. This does not mean these males are impotent; they are fully capable of rape, as survivors (both male and female) of Gülvini raids can attest. Sexual tension, male-on-male rape, and competition for sexual access to the females explains much about Gülvini “society.”

Females become fertile by age 12, and the species has an exceptionally fast internal gestation rate – just 90 days from conception to birth, which consists of three to five egg-like sacs. These quickly toughen into a leathery shell, which protects the still-developing young for another 30-40 days, during which time they are kept warm and protected in mud “nests” within the “queen’s” area, guarded by the other females. Once they fight their way out of the shell, the young are left with the females for the first four years of life, after which the males are taken to be trained as fighters. The species matures at an accelerated rate, reaching full growth by age 10 or 12.

Since no Gülvini male could be trusted to guard a tribe’s seraglio, the best of the females form a “Queen’s Guard.” These female warriors keep all males except the dominant “king” away from their sisters. They are often the most vicious fighters in the tribe, though few outsiders have a chance to learn this unless they are invading a hive-nest, as the females seldom stray far. There have, however, been occasional bands of female warriors seen during “swarms,” although never integrated with male bands.

Gülvini are capable of impregnating Umantari or Khundari females (Telnori are immune due to their total control over their biological functions). The half-breed offspring of Gülvini rape generally appear more like his/her mother’s people, but seldom enough like them to pass unnoticed in either Umantari or Khundari society. If born while the mother is still in Gülvini hands, the child is almost always killed and eaten. Those few who survive to adulthood in civilized nations generally lead difficult and solitary lives. They are also themselves almost always sterile (an 80% chance). There have been only two documented case of a human male impregnating a Gülvini female, and in both cases the offspring proved fertile. It’s not known if this is a fluke or represents a normal fertility rate, but with no volunteers willing to brave the experiment, it is unlikely scholars will ever get a larger population for proper analysis. The recent Oceanian embassy to Vonkal-Va was sent, in part, to study the fertility rates of that hybrid nation (see below).

Gülvini have the shortest life spans of Novendo’s intelligent culture-forming races. Fully grown within a decade of birth, they seldom live past the age of 30. Most die violently long before then. Half-breeds, if they survive childhood, live longer, but seldom past 60.

Racial Memory

Gülvini are born possessing a common set of memories, or more accurately, racial instincts fused within their genetic code – another indicator of their artificial creation. This racial memory includes the basics of their language, customs, fighting, etc. Additional specialized information is included for each sub-species. For example, Kobali are born knowing more about hunting, while Nomai instinctively know more about mining and mechanical constructs.

Because Gülvini begin life with so much cultural information, they develop very quickly. Newborn Gülvini begin very quickly to interact with their tribe, and reach adulthood within a decade. However, their racial memory cannot change (beyond normal genetic drift) and is therefore a fixed pool of knowledge from one generation to the next. Unlike other intelligent species, Gülvini tribal society seems to remain almost totally unchanging.

Although Gülvini begin life with a common set of memories, they are still able to learn. Indeed, one of the first things newborn Gülvini need to discover is the geography of their lair and surrounding area. The young are taught this additional information by the tribe’s females, but much is learned by trial and error, or by watching and listening to others, after the males leave the harem. If all the older Gülvini avoid a certain tunnel, for example, most youngsters will eventually notice and copy the action. This can result in Gülvini avoiding areas for reasons now long forgotten.

A crucial element of their racial memory is an instinct to submit to a clearly superior authority. Hence, the Gülvini will accept the control of a king, provided he demonstrates an ability to eliminate rivals. Similarly, most species accept slavery under the dominant Hovgavui. This trait explains Gülvini submission to Pürshok, whose arcane powers and cruelty were formidable. It has also, from time to time, allowed others to gain brief dominance of some colonies. Continued submission, however, demands that the controlling force be merciless; any sign of weakness brings an immediate revolt which is inevitably fatal to the would-be tyrant.

SOCIETY

Gülvini tribes vary dramatically in size, ranging from forty members to a few thousand. Only the colony-dwellers, not the nomads, form the larger tribes. Tribes constantly raid each other. Even within their own tribe, Gülvini squabble, maim, kill, rape and cannibalize each other. However, if faced with an external threat, or a mutual target for aggression, they will suspend internal discord until the common enemy is defeated. Only with an exceptionally strong king is there any hope of tranquillity within a Gülvini colony, but even this brings a population explosion which always leads to a massive bloodletting.

Gülvini have no social restrictions barring competition to become king, and thereby gain unrestricted access to the queen and other females. Methods range from a knife in the back while sleeping to mortal combat with the community watching. The only requirement, from the point of view of the would-be king, is to survive long enough to enjoy it. It’s rare that any survive more than a few years. It is considered an important rite for a new king to publicly devour the body of the deposed monarch. That Gülvini are violent by instinct is not surprising, considering that most of them are the offspring of the most aggressive males.

Gülvini are nocturnal; they prefer to hunt and raid at night when their vision is most keen, and prefer subterranean living. They usually find cover and sleep during daylight hours, but they can fight in sunlight if necessary.

Gülvini eat only meat and always seem to be hungry. Most tribes are constantly hunting, although a few also keep food animals. They do not hesitate at cannibalism (some tribes even regard the meat of their young as a delicacy) and all Gülvini very much enjoy eating Umantari or Khundari flesh, and Telnori is a rare delicacy. Sometimes they even kill or cook their food before dining.

The northern Ysgarethian Khundari, in particular, have an abiding hatred for the Gülvini. They will seldom tolerate the presence of the Deathspawn for long in lands they control. The animosity is mutual; the two races have a long history of conflict dating from the Rape of Akaztamyr and the Carnage of Zakiruth five centuries ago. Nothing is likely to please a dwarf more than the gift of a gül head.

The Swarm

When a Gülvini colony becomes overcrowded one of two events will occur: a bloody civil war or a swarm. Civil wars can kill up to 80 percent of the population in a sudden orgy of bloodletting, perhaps lasting only an hour. A swarm occurs when a significant number of males, perhaps 40 percent, seize as many females as they can, and escape to establish a new colony. A rarer, but not unheard of, trigger to swarming is when a cadre of females revolt, leaving the colony and establishing themselves in a new hive-nest to await whichever males are strong enough to make it to them. Either way, a swarm can be very unpleasant for anyone in its path.

Vonkal-Va and Vonkal-Ur

The one known exception to Gülvini tribal life, one that confounds the learned, is the divided nation of Vonkala. A wild and rugged land laying south and southeast of the Karac Mountains, it was overrun during the Great War by hordes of the Deathspawn fleeing the destruction of their master and his armies. The sparse Umantari population was soon enslaved, but over time a strange thing happened – the offspring of Gülvini/Umantari mating began to grow common enough that they eventually took control. A hybrid culture evolved, although not without difficulty. Today Vonkal-Va is home to the more human culture, while Vonkal-Ur remains dominated by stronger Gülvini traits. Both societies are considered abominations by most Umantari nations, with the exception of Oceania, who has recently sent diplomats to Vonkal-Va.

Language & Scripts

Each sub-species has a distinct spoken language. Racial memory provides a template for grammar and vocabulary, although the latter is never extensive. Gestures are used to qualify statements or indicate emotional states. Most humans cannot interpret these rapid hand signals, so Gülvini speech inevitably sounds like chaotic grunts and growls.

Communication between the sub-species is also difficult. Each language assumes the speaker is conversing with someone with the same racial memory. Consequently, it is easier for Gülvini to learn a local human language than another gül tongue. However, their racial memory also includes a highly-developed sign language which is identical for all Gülvini. This sign language supplements Yashparic, for speech between the sub-species in Ysgareth.

There are no Gülvini scripts. Although reading and writing is rare, a few güls have learned the scripts of others.

RELIGION

The Gülvini are irreligious. Their racial memory informs them they were “Forsaken by the Gods” but they cannot explain the origin of this notion. Their instinctive awe and fear of superior power has allowed a few bold clerics of Naventhül, Zelist and Korön to convert some Gülvini, but this has always been short-lived. The Gülvini require an ongoing demonstration of superiority to honor their submission. No deity or demon, not even Naventhül, is willing to play this game, and Gülvini cannot accept blind faith.

The first people ever to see Jazaka, some twenty years ago, are said to be the sailors of the Windwalker. She was a great sailing ship, such as the Torokel peoples have used since before the Skavarian’s came, to move cargo between the towns on the Hidden Sea. She would sail from Serukir to Eldinär loaded with amber and hides, and would sail back with pottery and precious metals.

As the ship sailed in the Seruin Gulf, it would use the top of Mount Ossüak to steer by. The mountain was tall and could be seen from many kilometers off, but it was a gloomy sight. The top was always shrouded in grey clouds, even if the sky was bright and clear. Some of the sailors said this was a bad omen, but no one gave the mountain any heed because it never changed and nothing bad ever seemed to happen near it.

But one night, as the Windwalker rested near a beach and the sailors drank and gambled, one of the men, named Tebik, noticed that something was different about the mountain. He looked closer and saw flame and lightning jumping from cloud to cloud. He told the others to look, and they did, but by then the flame and lightning was gone. Tebik tried to convince the others of what he had seen, but they did not believe him.

After the ship had set sail the next morning, one of the clouds left the mountain and started flying towards the ship. It came closer, easily outrunning them, and landed on the deck. The cloud was gray, and swirled first one way, then another. It seemed to some that perhaps the cloud was breathing: in, and then out. After a few moments, a voice came from the cloud. It was a voice like that of a man, loud and commanding. The cloud said:

“I am Jazaka, Master of the Winds, Ruler of Windheim. Yield to me your cargo, and no evil shall befall you. But if you refuse me, then shall you suffer.”

The cloud stayed on the deck, awaiting an answer. All of the sailors wanted to agree, but the owner was greedy. He asked Jazaka if they could keep some of the cargo in exchange for helping him unload it. The cloud changed color from gray to black, and a mighty wind struck the ship. Jazaka roared and changed again, from a black cloud into a black whirlwind which began to tear the deck apart. He flew towards the owner, picked him up in the wind, and threw him screaming into the water. The sailors jumped overboard, rather than face Jazaka’s fury.

As the sailors swam away, the wind grew powerful, and dark clouds gathered. Soon the swimmers were in the midst of a storm. Few of them survived this mighty storm Jazaka created, and fewer still survived Jazaka’s wrath.

He commanded his cloud servants to carry some of the men to his mountain. Tebik and two others were snatched from the water and taken to Mount Ossüak. As they were flown away, they begged Jazaka for mercy. He showed them none, for these three were never heard from again.

But the ones who survived the storm and were not captured by the clouds landed on the very beach where they had drank and gambled on the night before. Too exhausted to move, they saw small gray clouds fly from Mount Ossüak to fetch the cargo from sinking Windwalker. They flew until no cargo was left, and then Jazaka let out a mighty roar and threw the ship onto the beach, where it shattered into thousands of pieces.

The remains of the Windwalker lie still upon that beach on the island of Demith, teaching any that care to heed it the lesson that Jazaka should be respected and obeyed. And since the time, no ship sailing the eastern Seruin Gulf has been safe. Although no one can predict when it will happen next, Jazaka still occasionally lands on ships and takes their cargo, but he no longer speaks to any one. He has given his first and only warning…

Some of the most popular stories current in Ysgareth and Oceania, and known even into the far East, are tales of the adventures of Kavyn Stormborn and Gil-Garon, current Empreror of the Ocean Empire. For ten years they adventured across many of the lands of Novendo, seeking to thwart the plans of the Chained God to escape his imprisonment, and to restore Gil-Garon to his throne, usurped by his murderous Regent.

Legend has it that Kavyn appeared in the midst of a great storm over the far western islands of the Shattered Sea, in a bolt of lightning that shattered an ancient circle of Standing Stones. With no memory of who he was, he was cared for by the Telnori of Kirthan until he was able to venture forth.

It is rumored that he is the Avatar of a god (some say Cael, others Korön), but this he vehemently denies. He simply ignores those who suggest that he is somehow the offspring of those two former lovers, now enemies. Others claim he is an exile from the distant past or another world. Whatever the truth, he is clearly one of the greatest mages of all time, a mighty warrior, and favored of the Immortals – perhaps sent by them to restore the rightful bloodline to the Coral Throne.

Gil-Garon and Kavyn first met when the young mage saved the young Prince’s life when the Regent moved to usurp that same Coral Throne. The two escaped certain death, and began their quest to restore Gil-Garon to his throne, and to find the truth of Kavyn’s mysterious origins.

Gathering a band of mighty friends as they went, including Grimbold of Logoth, Flaricia of Telishan, the Purple Druid, and Aldor of Tolus, they ranged the world, doing mighty deeds and making both great friends and powerful enemies. In that time they also forged the bonds of one of the great loves of all time, their devotion to one another unbreakable. Even when they met Mirial, Queen of Tor Andar, who loved them both, their passion remained strong enough to encompass a third – when Gil-Garon was restored at last to his throne, and married Mirial to unite their realms, Kavyn was there at their side. The three remain to this day of a single mind, the shining ideal of noble love.

In the year 3001 the heroes succeeded in restoring Gil-Garon to the Coral Throne (and many believe they discovered the truth of Kavyn’s origins, although the rumours remain as numerous as ever). In the process they ended the long-laid plans of Korön to once again escape his imprisionment, and ushered in the Sixth Age of the World.

In the 17 years since, the two have adventured very little, as the rule of a mighty empire occupies their time. Kavyn was named Myrmytron of the Ocean Empire, First Advisor and Regent to the Emperor, his right hand.

Mirial remains Queen of Tor Andar, as well as Empress of the Ocean Empire. Her son by Gil-Garon, Crown Prince Fayrn, will one day inherit both crowns, thus restoring much of the Empire’s lost mainland possessions.

The companions of Gil-Garon and Kavyn have since retired to quieter lives themselves, though adventure does occasionally find them… Aldor is a paladin of Tolus, advisor to his King, and proud family man; Grimbold the Khundari tries to live the life of ease his riches allow, but often grows restless; the Purple Druid has staked his claim as protector of the Lake Kasira wilderness; and Flaricia has recently settled down with the great love of her life, Ronan of Kempel, on the Isle of Iria.

Veldorthan was a noble knight of the ancient Kingdom of Garathar, who lived in the 12th Century. One day, traveling in a dark wood, he came upon a beautiful youth beset by a dozen brigands who had routed his escort. Outraged at the injustice, and smitten by the youth’s beauty and bravery, Veldorthan challenged the brigands and defeated them all in fair combat. The youth thanked his champion and gave him a green and gray checkered kerchief, which he tied about his neck.

Veldorthan swore to see the young man to his destination, and the youth accepted his offer, though he warned the knight that great peril would pursue them. Veldorthan nonetheless stood by his oath, and as he escorted the young lord to his destination, they were attacked seven more times, each time by more fearsome foes. The final encounter was with eight demons. Each time, Veldorthan steadfastly repelled his opponents without thought of retreat and never complaining of his many bleeding wounds.

Eventually, they came to a hill overlooking the youth’s destination, a castle of unnatural fairness. Veldorthan collapsed and could go no further. As he lay, he saw the youth transformed into the Immortal Cael. He told him that the castle below was his, Atalvinar, but that it was not his destiny to enter it, although he must ever strive to do so. Veldorthan heard the god map out his future as his champion. Although he knew his inadequacy for the tasks he set him, he accepted the challenge.

Veldorthan lay long recovering from his wounds. When he awoke the castle and the god were gone. In their place were a brooding dark fortress and five mendicant mortal cantors who said they were sent to aid him. Their first task would be to take the dark castle below from its evil warlord. One of the mendicants blew a hom which was answered by the appearance of a small band of warriors who called themselves the Knights of Kemlor. Veldorthan led the knights to the gate of the castle and challenged the occupants. Veldorthan and his band won the day, although they were outnumbered five to one; then the Knights of Kemlor departed.

The dark fortress was converted into a temple and chapter house for worthy knights, and named Keminar. The tiny priesthood trained acolytes who were sent abroad to spread the word, and Veldorthan entertained and converted warriors to the cause of the Paladin of the Gods. For twenty years Keminar stood. Then the Knights of Kemlor returned and bade Veldorthan send everyone away. After he did this, a mighty army swept down upon Keminar, and although Veldorthan and the Knights fought bravely, the castle was destroyed and all were slain.

In 2740 Loris Kleftin, the third Earl of Urkonis, married Taralyn Odas, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy vassal knight. She was a gentle woman of great renown for her service and pious devotion to the Cult of Ariala, Mother of the World. Loris was a valiant knight and a wise and generous lord and the match was regarded as perfect.

Taralyn bore two sons, Madrin and Arvan, and a daughter Jayal. The boys grew into honorable knights of fine standing and Madrin, the eldest, won renown in tournaments. He traveled widely to broaden his knowledge of the world that he might better serve his father and his people. In 2769, he traveled to northwestern Ysgareth paid a visit at the court of Nahandis, the Delfari Emperor.

When Madrin returned home to Urkonis in 2771, he was a changed man. Where before he had been cheerful and ready with kind words, now he was moody and prone to fits of anger which gradually grew more and more frightening.

Madrin came to believe that his mother was betraying his elderly father, and went so far as to accuse her of adultery with the Baron of Belthin. Madrin became so obsessed with the notion that his father forbade him to speak Taralyn’s name in his presence.

One morning in Margas, Taralyn was found abed with her throat slit. A search of Madrin’s chamber uncovered a bloody dagger. Protesting innocence, Madrin cut down the guards sent to arrest him and fled, never to be seen again.

Loris, beset with grief, commissioned a tapestry depicting his gentle wife ministering to the orphans. Finished about a year later, the tapestry was hung in the great hall, where it hangs to this day. On the first anniversary of Taralyn’s murder, her pale face took on a red tinge, and this strange occurrence has repeated each year since, for two and a half centuries.

Madrin’s younger brother, Arvan, who succeeded his father, never believed in his brother’s guilt. He made several attempts to find the real murderer, but learned nothing except that his mother was murdered during the Night of Shadows, one of the most unholy nights of the year to several Naventhülian cults.

NOTE: It is not generally known, except to scholars and ecclesiastical authorities, that the effect occurs on the night of 14 Margas at about 24:30 and lasts for 25 hours, fading out at the same time on 15 Margas. Over the years the family has allowed scholars and religious experts to examine the tapestry, but they discourage casual sightseers; they have never allowed the artifact to be removed from the castle, despite repeated requests from the Church and various T’ara Kul institutions.

This tale is a parable of the Guild of Arcane Lore, most commonly told among the Torazan convocation of the T’ara Kul; but from northern Kildora to southern Tolus, everyone knows of the great folly of Baylora.

Born in 2902, in the northern mountains of Arushal,  Baylora Ariath was one of the greatest, and undoubtedly one of the most eccentric, Torazan mages of her time. Legend tells that Baylora had been an alchemist and herbalist in her youth prior to her being taken into the Guild of Arcane Lore by a wandering mage in the 2920’s. Baylora had a deep knowledge of Torazan lore and an almost uncanny knowledge of plants and animals. One of the youngest mages to achieve the rank of Vendari, doing so in her twenties, Baylora was considered a leading light of her profession, a mage of enormous talent and power.

Alas, Baylora had a terrible temper and a stubborn pride. After a long series of personal conflicts with other mages of her convocation, she stormed from her chancery, vowing never to return, and disappeared for five years. Rumor suggests that Baylora traveled widely during this period, perhaps even to the furthest reaches of eastern Ishkala. In any event, she returned to Arushal in 2942, a changed woman. Her hair had become wild and unkempt, her garments ragged and torn, and her eyes held the gleam of a visionary (or a fanatic). After a brief appearance in Lithkor, Baylora soon vanished again, this time into the the western vastness of the Pelon Delta.

Baylora settled deep in the trackless marshalnds of the Delta, setting up her sanctum in a small abandoned tower on an isolated island. There, she was free to conduct research and live free of the disputes that had so marred her career. Her servants were few and Baylora, with the aid of powerful enchantments, discouraged visitors from disturbing her peace.

While it is true that Baylora was a master in all aspects of Torazan lore, but she seemed to delight most in enchantments that dealt with plants, and particularly with accelerating their growth to monstrous sizes. Unrestrained by her peers, she begun to dabble in powerful arts far beyond her capacity to understand, much less control.

In 2948, one of Baylora’s servants was found drifting at sea off the Pelon Mouth in a small coracle; he was raving, almost incoherent, and in a deep state of shock. He was eventually nursed back to health, but if questioned about his mistress, his eyes would flash with fear, and he would ramble on about “horrific plants”, “putrid doom,” and “wretched death.” Obviously, something momentous, and dire, had happened to Baylora and all her household.

The fears of what Baylora might have unleashed are magnified due to the already unsavory reputation of the region – it is associated in the popular mind with the Necromancer, who’s haunted capital is now a sinking ruin at the heart of the Vindus Swamp, on the northwestern edge of the Delta. It may be that Baylora and those around her were simply killed, and nothing more… but many who knew her fear the horrors that might yet be growing in the isolated reaches of the Delta. Growing, and perhaps one day spreading beyond the marshes of Pelon…

One of the most enduring legends about the Telnori and the Age of Chaos is that of Elmorial, the “lost city of King Evenkal.” Telnori, Khundari, and Umantari legends all refer to its existence, although every tale is vague on details such as appearance and location. Telnori and Khundari legends are strangely coy on the subject of what became of the city; neither race seems eager to discuss the matter.

Although the ambiguity of the Elmorial myth casts doubt on whether it even existed, a few clues do exist. It is almost certain that it was built prior to the arrival of the Khundari in the north of Ysgareth. Dwarven tales speak of the “ancient halls of the Star King”, and since both Telitar and Stormhaven were built with Khundari aid, they are probably not the places being referred to as “ancient”.

It is generally believed that Elmorial was located in western Ysgareth, most likely on the shores of the Shattered Sea. This assumption is based on the fact that the Telnori influence has always been strong in the Archipelago. Attempts by human adventurers to find it have met with no success. The treasure maps that have occasionally turned up showing Elmorial’s location have been frauds. A minority opinion holds the city was in lost Kahir-Tamor, and now lies beneath the waves of the Hidden Sea in the northeast.

Some people believe that Elmorial was Gelivek. While this possibility cannot be entirely discounted it seems somewhat unlikely. Most of Gelivek was not built by the Telnori, and there is little to suggest that it was ever called “King Evenkal’s city”.

There are hints in the legends that Elmorial was destroyed by a natural disaster. This theory gained some support from the report of the survivors of a shipwreck in the Gulf of Yani in 2831. They claimed to have seen the ruins of a great city beneath the waters of off the Wild Coast. The fact that an expedition five years later found nothing has not dampened the rumor.

There are two other interesting theories about Elmorial. The first is that it existed (exists?) in another dimension and can be reached by one of the Vortices in Telishan. The second is that Elmorial is not a physical place at all, but rather a state of mind that the Telnori of the old blood could achieve. For obvious reasons, proof of these theories would be extremely difficult to obtain.

During the early years of the Migration Wars there arose a mighty Torokel warrior known as Coranid. He was a proud and courageous man, capable of fulfilling any of the requests given him by his king, the great Telnori ruler Kalonin. So feared was the sight of Coranid and his lancers that the invading Ishkali tribes feared him as a terrible avenging spirit – when he rode, “Novendo itself shook with fear, thousands did he slay, and thousands more drowned in the blood of the slain.”

From the fortress city of Erisban (?) to the gates of Harmazad (?) Coranid and his lancers chased the barbarian hordes, routing them in battle after battle. From atop his gray mare, Yonath, he commanded his forces, and the mere sight of his great sword, Korif, struck great fear into barbarian hearts. However, it became apparent to Coranid that, even after many victories, there was little he could do to stem the tide. As did many of his kin, he withdrew to haven in the Erodath Highlands.

One night, as Coranid slept, Xydona sent him a vision of doom. In the dream, Coranid visited a fog shrouded countryside, the forms of his men dim in the swirling mists, their horses snorting their fear. Saddles creaked and harnesses clinked lifelessly. A gust of wind parted the fog to reveal a circle of great stone giants and a pile of twisted corpses, atop which stood a hideous old crone. A battle horn sounded and Coranid was dragged from his mount.

Awakening, he decided to move with great haste, for not three leagues from where he camped was a great stone circle known as Serlyn (?). With but a word, his lancers were again on the move.

After crossing the Nuem the prophesy began to unfold. The warriors were surrounded by a fog “unlike any mist they had ever seen” and soon there were wishpers of demonic influence. But, dismounting, they pressed on. After leading their horses for seven hours through the unearthly fog, a gentle breeze carried to them the scent of carrion. The mists parted to reveal a mound of horribly mutilated corpses within a circle of brooding stone watchers.

Coranid called a warning to his forces, drew Korif and laid about to either side. Three times did his blade strike home and three times did assailants fall. “For five days (?) did the Battle of Mists rage and many a Torokel was felled by unknown, shadowy forms. Then, as quickly as it began, the fog lifted and the battle was over. Of their attackers there was no sign, but the toll which they had inflicted upon Coranid’s men was terrible; two score of his lancers lay upon a field devoid of the corpses of their enemies. Atop the hill, under the watchful stones, lay the remains of a party of Telnori archers, their twisted bodies almost unrecognizable, their faces contorted in terror.

Coranid commanded that a tomb be hewn from the stone at the feet of one of the watchers. And so, the Telnori were interred with all their treasures and with the slain of Coranid’s lancers as an eternal honor guard. Then, great wards and traps were left to protect the fallen.

As Coranid and his remaining men departed the halls of the dead they were greeted by an old barbarian crone who proclaimed “Hail Coranid, guardian of the Lost Kingdom! Slayer of Umantari blood at the command of your soulless master! Hear my words and know that thou art accurs’d, doomed to the fate of thy soulless lord, bound to undying death for all eternity!”

Upon delivering these words, she produced a tiny silver sphere and with a speed that belied her age, cast it towards Coranid. He and his steed immediately vanished in a swirling maelstrom of light and sound.

Coranid’s lieutenants descended upon the crone, capturing her and demanding the prompt return of their leader upon pain of death if she so failed. To this the crone replied:

“Doomed is he now, to ne’er live nor yet die. And every seven score and ten years shall he walk the world, and then shall terror be his name, for he shall be a creature of the purest evil.“

At that, Coranid’s men slew the witch and hastened to Lahir-alna to inform King Kalonin of the disaster. Now, every 150 years the spectre of Coranid rides the lands, a tormented soul, and death follows him on his skeletal steed, as he slays wantonly, searching in vain for eternal peace.

Varialde of Sebryne was an Ethmoniri tribeswoman born on the banks of the Hialto River, near to Maru-Tel c.2798, during an Ethmoniri winter moot. She left the Ethmoniri for civilized lands at an early age and trained at the Harpers’ Guild in Lairial. She was the most renowned harper of her day. Varialde wandered throughout the eastern lands of the Ukali and found employment with many of the noble clans of the region.

Varialde’s voice was an otherworldly instrument of amazing power, and it was said that she could toy with the feelings of her listeners at will. She carried a Telnori lute of magnificent tone and, great enchantment.

Varialde left the eastern Ukali in 2809 to seek new songs in other lands. She traveled with a few close companions into the lands of the Delfari Empire, arriving in Delfarin itself in 2810. Her skill quickly came to the attention of Jirela, the Delfari Empress, who summoned her to entertain her court. Jirela was so charmed by Varialde that she insisted the harper stay as an honored guest at the Imperial Palace. Varialde quickly became one of the most valued of the Imperial favorites.

This came to a sudden end when Jirela slipped into a coma in 2812. At first Varialde stayed to try and sooth the ailing monarch, and by the time she realized that the Regent, Koltorin the Astrologer, was intent on seizing power, it was too late. He forbade her to leave, and she became a virtual prisoner.

When Koltorin did indeed gain full power in 2816, on Jirela’s death, he began his rule by impaling many of his enemies and former rivals. Varialde, however, escaped this grisly fate when her captor demanded she compose and perform a paean to his “glorious ascension to power.”

Varialde defied him, singing instead, a satiric condemnation of the astrologer and all his followers that sparked rebellion and strife throughout the realm, taking months to quell. Her reward was to have her tongue torn out and her hands burned to uselessness. The would-be Necromancer then released her to show the measure of his vengeance. But though he ruled for 20 years, he was never able to stamp out her ballad, and it served always as a rallying cry for the oppressed and defiant.

Poor Varialde wandered, half-mad and aided by occasional travelers, back to the eastern Ukali. Eventually she made her way “home” to Maru-Tel. There, it is said, Varialde laid aside her lute, and entered the mystic lights, to seek a kinder world.