A History of the Kingdom of Eleador

Printable version of this History ---- Timeline of Eleador ---- Kingdom of Eleador

Contents

1.    The Monarchs of Eleador

2.     The Foundation of the Kingdom

3.     The First Constitutional Crisis

4.     The Silver Age of Eleador

5.     First Expeditions Abroad

6.     The Second Constitutional Crisis

7.     The Short Reign of the Short King

8.     The Reign of Preston the Priest

9.     The Reign of Beaue Avlen and the Fall of the City

10. The Reign of Naithin Nahilin

11. The Reign of Rhynn de Montagne

Annex 1. Codex of the Regulations of the Kingdom of Eleador

Annex 2. Sources for the History of the Kingdom of Eleador

The Monarchs of Eleador

 1. King Thalentis Vhalember IV (Months 1 -17)

2. Queen Kaliaa "the Witch" (Months 17 - 18)

Interregnum: Naithin appointed as Viceroy (Month 19)

3. King Thalentis Vhalember IV (again) (Month 20)

4. King Drekkan McCrane "the Short" (Months 21 - 27)

5. King Preston "the Priest" (Months 27 - 29)

6. King Beaue Avlen (Months 29 - 31)

7. King Naithin Nahilin “Val Elear” (Month 31 - 82)

8. King Rhynn de Montagne (Month 83- )

The Foundation of the Kingdom

So. Eleador is a kingdom of guilds. On the one hand, the history of Eleador is the history of each of these guilds. But the past of the guilds is their own affair; some are ancient, some new; some record the past, others choose to forget it. If you wish to know the history of the guilds, you must ask their own historians.

But the guilds are united by at least one thing, the Epiphany. The Kingdom arose to give tangible structure to that Epiphany. The history of Eleador is, therefore, the history of the Epiphany, and it is from this experience that we may trace the history of the Kingdom.

What is the Epiphany? Much has been written in the libraries of the Kingdom on this topic. It is not quite the same to each individual within a guild, nor to each guild within the kingdom. And to each race, and each profession, again the Epiphany differs. To some it is located in a vision of the Kingdom of Cambruin, that fell over a century ago in the land of the baneful Shadows. To others it is simply the feeling that the time has come to put away petty hatreds. To some it is the celebration of the diversity of the lands. To others a reluctant acceptance that to prevent destruction it is necessary to work with those you dislike. Does this sound vague, and tangled? Perhaps. But such is the politics of any kingdom, especially a great one.

The warriors that were to make up Eleador came principally came from the land of Darktide in the Continent of Dereth, whither they had in turn arrived heeding the call of Asheron. They arrived in the land of Aerynth, about a century from the Turning, in a decade when life was even darker than usual. Driving rain made war impossible, and travel a nightmare. The rivers broke their banks, and the district became a morass of swamps. Earthquakes destroyed whole cities, rivers of fire making neigbouring towns unreachable. Strange ructions in elemental forces disturbed the hands of the mages, and no answers came to the prayers of the priests. Men gathered, when they could, in caves, rarely venturing forth, awaiting their Release. Messages crossed the land only by the most daring of pigeon, and replies, if they came, were garbled and confused.

There was much time for meditation. Races and professions that customarily kept far apart from one another found themselves in close proximity. Some guilds tried to assert themselves, erecting small bastions of racial purity. Others spent the dark, hungry nights designing theologies and magicks so that, when the Release came from the rains, they could refight their old battles, and recover their old dominance.

But there were some who scratched their heads, and banded together, like with like, or like with unlike. And in time they came together to councils, and greater councils. They muttered that things could be better than they had been. They sent out messengers, calling for those who shared this, rather humble, vision to step forth. And they came, men, elves, half elves, shades, giants... all the races of the lands. So in time, though rather a long time, the leaders of these guilds agreed to swear that in future they would concentrate on working together to overcome the dark. Both the dark that lay beyond their petty province, and that lying within their neighbours and themselves. And the outline of the Great Oath they swore was the Magnos Ethos; they signed it one frosty night, with the ink warming over the fire. For these were the days before they built the great citadels (and captured those nasty, pointy-eared slaves who pump the underfloor heating). They called the Kingdom they founded Eleador, meaning, in an ancient tongue, the Land of Enlightenment, and themselves the Elear, meaning, the Enlightened. And one became their leader.

And who was this first King? Fourth of his name, of noble birth, and variously known as the White-Beard, the War-Maker, the Long-Winded, the Twice-Flamed, and, some whispered, something darker. If you would know the ancestry of Thentis Vhalember, and the truth of his lives on expeditions far abroad before the foundation of Eleador, you must ask him to tell his own story. Whether he gained his authority in the land by force of character, by power of his vision, by election, by acclamation, or by quantity of ink spilled, is not recorded, and it may have been a little of each of these.

The Guilds represented at the signing of the Ethos were the Defenders of Order, the Brotherhood of Amn, The Circle of the Eternal Dragon, the Inner Circle, the Circle of Arms, and the Keepers of Asheron, all originally from the land of Darktide of the Continent of Dereth. The names of the leaders were: Thentis Vhalember IV (Circle of Arms), Coran Pathfinder (CED), Voltaire (Amn), Kaliaa (Keepers of Asheron), Einar Halvbjorn (CED), Araweg (CED), Payn, Bunk, ChinaCat (IC), Ake of Amn, Yablo Sagitta (CED), Talar, Mordakai (Keepers of Asheron), Ry-Jin, Uziel, Sophist (CoA), Ninielle, Thomas the Grey, Aliaundriel, Tathar De'Vir (Amn), Quid (CED), Areen Saviij (CED), Qed (CED), and Thorgrimm the Thunderer. Many of these are no longer with us. For such is the heart of a man, that he should torture that which he loves. Yet this is the tale of the Kingdom, not its individuals. But anon.

The First Constitutional Crisis

Not long after arose what has become known as the first constitutional crisis. It is a matter of debate whether the crisis was precipitated by a will to power on the part of its principals, or by general interest in the welfare of the Kingdom. For in those days many believed the great battle was near at hand, though it came to pass that the Archons that govern our fates had other plans. Be that as it may, the decisions of the kingdom (though truth to tell such decisions were rather few) were at that time made in secret councils, by leaders of the guilds, one representing each profession. But there were those who felt these decisions should rather be made with each member of the Kingdom having equal voice. The first to leave was a certain Aan Oakenheart, of whom little was heard before or since, the fiercest of the democrats. But then to the democratic movement was added the Conciliar faction, taking the view that the kingdom could not recruit additional guilds if they had to swear to an existing king. They thus wished to replace the monarch with a high council, citing as a model the guild of The Ancient Order (TAO), that was governed successfully by a council, on the land of Darktide in the continent of Dereth, following the then recent merger of three guilds (the Circle of the Eternal Dragon, the Inner Circle and the Brotherhood of Amn). However, the Conciliarists were seen off, the monarchists arguing that only a firm unity could secure the success that had eluded the side of light in the land of Darktide, where, following the fall of Ayan Baqur, the forces of evil had long predominated. They also noted the failure of previous federations on Darktide, such as the Iron Triangle Alliance (ITA). And thereafter Chinacat departed the kingdom, leader of the professional guild of the warlocks, representing an independent wing of The Ancient Order. Coran Pathfinder, leader of the elves, and the influential former leader of The Circle of the Eternal Dragon, did largely also retire. The stature of the monarchy in Eleador was never thereafter seriously threatened, despite the marginal competence of certain of those who came to hold the post. Yet the links to the mightiest of the Darktide Guilds were weakened, perhaps fatally. The offices of Wardens of the Peace were established, to reduce dissent within the Kingdom.

The Silver Age of the Kingdom

Thereafter came one of the greatest of the ages of the Kingdom - though paradoxically the rains ensured that no weapon could be raised in anger. Recruitment proceeded apace, many from lands far from Darktide. The reputation of the Kingdom in the spheres of the arts was sans pareil. Its artists were reknown throughout the realms (even opening an art gallery, though containing some pictures of dubious repute). It became a leading centre of heraldic research. Its storytellers exceeded all others in their inventiveness. The taverns of the town were filled with the grunting of barbarians, the banter of elves, the dreams of town-planners, the speculation of magicians, the grumblings of dwarves. The theologians of the land held up the model of Eleador in the face of opposition from bigots abroad, presenting it as the true re-enactment of the great Kingdom of Cambruin, when elves and men lived alongside one another, prior to the treachery of the Elven Court.

 The First Expeditions Abroad

As the warriors grew itchy of foot, they engaged in wars abroad. Some, led by the Elven archer Naithin, returned to the land of Darktide. Others planned expeditions to Albion in Galahad among the lands of Camelot, but not under the command of the King, but of the first warlord, Kaliaa the Elf Witch, alongside the House Forsaken and the Wielders of the Sword, in a formation known as the Circulum Trium. Indeed, many were inducted therein that were not subsequently recruited to the Kingdom of the Elear. The relation of the Circulum to the Kingdom was never very clear, and when the leader of the House Forsaken, Sarvoth Talem, was no longer able to take his part in the triumvirate of leaders, and the Wielders also fell into confusion, eventually the Elear warlord took the reigns of power, and after some success, abandoned it to its fate, and it fell, as was expected.  And the glory of Eleador was not enhanced.

The Second Constitutional Crisis

(month 17, or month 5 of the year 1, Eleador reckoning)

And it came to pass that rumours reached the Kingdom of a new land to conquer - that of Mordred among the isles of Camelot. But the King of Eleador had grown weary, and was rarely seen in the halls. Thereupon he handed over his crown to the Elven Witch Kaliaa, who, working her cruel spells on the souls of the blessed, was acclaimed the second monarch of the Kingdom. Immediately she sought to install her followers in the principal offices of state. Those who opposed her unbending and autocratic rule were forced into fearful silence, or felt it necessary to leave the Kingdom. And it transpired that Owyn Stormwind, the bewitched leader of the Templars, had treacherously reformed the Defenders of Order and been gathering fellows loyal only to him in the lands of Camelot, and sought to expedite their inclusion among the hallowed ranks of the Elear. Each of them did falsely swear the sacred oaths, violating all that was most sacred of the Kingdom, even those of the Temple, who with the vision of the betrayal of Cambruin before them, should have known better. Such was the shock at these actions that many of the Kingdom committed themselves to exile: the barbarians of the Hill People (led by their great Shaman), the remaining Brothers of Amn (led by the former Minister of the Interior, Voltaire), and assorted druids and elves under the leadership of Mordakai the Shapeshifter,  who had come from Darktide and before in service of the Queen, including Kaidence and the great artist Ron D’Aeblis. They formed a new city nearby, which they called Ainur, and a guild, which they called the Champions of Aerynth.

Happier Days: Kaliaa before becoming Queen

Read Queen Kaliaa's Account of the Crisis

The matter came to a head when plans were laid for an expeditionary force to the land of Andred in Albion, where combat was expected to be fast and furious; suitable for such as the elect. Rules were laid down insisting that all Elear must venture forth in war-groups led by the minions of the Queen. For many Elear this was the final straw, believing that such as should group together would, and others should do as they chose, but all to the greater glory of Eleador. Tired of arguments, the monarch cast off her recalcitrant subjects, and abandoned them to their fate. She formed a band with a few of her followers, Keyel, Dulin Thron the Aracoix (also known as Web and Varda Baelnorn), Yablo Sagitta, and Arandar, calling themselves the Iron Circle. The False Templar also led his men away, forming a guild, again calling itself the Defenders of Order, taking with him those he had brought from Albion, and certain Elear who had fought with him, including the Minister of Knowledge, Killian the Blue Rider. And so Eleador had split into four groups.

The Kingdom much depleted, the High Council, who all remained loyal to the spirit of the Elear, decided that the remaining members of the Kingdom should each have a voice in the choice of the new Monarch. After a short interregnum, when Naithin did lead in the role of Viceroy, and the former King, now hopelessly senile, was briefly reinstated, it came to pass that the dwarf Drekkan McCrane was chosen as the next Monarch.

The Short Reign of the Short King

(month 21, or month 9 of the year 1, Eleador reckoning)

Fate was not kind to the dwarf king. For after barely four months of noble rule, he did disappear, doubtless in the thrall of some evil spirit. For such is the fate of the great, that they leave the world, or go mad. In his reign, certain of the mighty warriors of Eleador found chance to set foot on the islands of Aerynth, but since few in number, their deeds were not writ in song, though their valour was undoubted. In this period also the ties between Eleador and its errant guilds became more distant, and the Kingdom heard rumours that there was no harmony among them.

As more of the warriors of the Kingdom found their way ashore, the first city of the Kingdom of Eleador, of that name, was founded, by the Templar leader Rhynn de Montagne, and great were the deeds of Beaue, Temper and a certain Silvermoon.

Picture of part of the Elear expeditionary force to Carnage in the lands of the Shadow

As the absence of the King lengthened, in order that the Kingdom might be given firm leadership, the High Council of the Kingdom established that a new leader should arise. And Preston was chosen, first in wisdom among the elder statesmen. Immediately he made new appointments, filling the vacant offices of state, as foreseen long ago by that mighty first Council. Thus was the Kingdom prepared for its greatest battle.

The Reign of Preston the Priest

Shortly after the rains finally abated, and men finally found their Release, a town, named Eleador, was established, on the continent of Deception, in a temperate zone by the northern sea.

A meeting at the site of the City of Eleador, before the erection of the walls

It was to be found directly west of the Runegate to the North, and the lands to the South, East and West were under its protection, including such areas as Haroun Wildlands, Connauch Highlands, the Ruins, and the Runegate. The territory bordered that of House Daenyr to the north, around their capital of Gaeryn's Hope, and, as long time friends with Tearin's family, the Elear did not fear to administer justice to trespassers of his Kingdom as well. Control and proximity to the Runegate allowed them to make regular visits to the Ice Island far in the East, where resided the Defenders of Order, in the cities of Order and Lion's Pride, having formed an alliance with The Ancient Order as "The Alliance of Order". When the need arose, the Elear were prepared to defend and assist enlightened Kingdoms everywhere; not excluding their brethren who had sworn the solemn oath, but were at that time non-communicant, and did not accept the authority of the rightful King. For the spirit of the Commonwealth of Eleador and the memory of the Epiphany held sway over all petty politicking, and encompassed all those who had ever made their compact. Thus connected, the City grew fast, with armoires, emporia of magicks, and trainers of all types; attracting all races and trades of warrior.

The location of the City of Eleador, one of the first foundations on Deception in Aerynth of the lands of the Shadow

In the first First Great War of the land, the Elear fought nobly against the unenlightened, the Avatars of the Flame, as a part of the Northern Alliance, led by the House Daenyr. After the destruction of the Avatars, the Kingdom consolidated its influence, maintaining an uneasy peace with the successor nations of the Avatars, the Legion of Steel. But then, to rest from war for a while, the alliance made a truce, brokered through Arkat, a non-communicant Elear of the Alliance of Order, with a small but aggressive guild, going by the name of Kill Cult, based in the city of Lankhmar. They were considered little threat, and granted the foul bog of the Lizardmen to practice their arms. But they grew stronger.

Treachery

Then did the greatest tragedy befall the Kingdom, that of treachery. Uhe Sunstalker, also known as Lute Soothing, let his names live in infamy, who had joined the guild with King Preston some eighteen months before, had risen with him through the ranks to the Inner Council, and was as a warrior second only to the Elf Stern Silvermoon. Unknown to the King, Uhe had fallen under the influence of Florin Wink, an unprincipled slayer of men, notorious in the land of Darktide. There Wink had gone by the name Barbasol the Lawyer, and also masqueraded as a silent stone-age warrior called "Og" , the only syllable he uttered, leader of the Oglings, a bane to the good-aligned guilds of the day. Wink had infiltrated the Elear under the name Snort, the Centaur Druid, and it amused him greatly to discomfort his old adversaries. He plotted with Sunstalker, who treacherously opened the gates of the City to its enemies, slaying the highest ranked trainers, and emptying the banks of some seventeen million gold pieces, and on the day before the workmen of the town were due their wages.

But the emotional shock of the betrayal was far greater that the material loss, which was rapidly recovered. Perhaps from this date the city began to fall into disrepair, as the Treasury could no longer afford the upkeep of the buildings and defences. Those who might have been new recruits saw no reason to choose the city of Eleador as their home. Thereafter the City was never able to defend itself without recourse to its allies.

And then the good King Preston decided to retire from the weight of the Kingship, and handed over the reins of power, in accordance with the established procedure of the Elear, to Beaue Avlen, until then first Minister of the Treasury.

The Reign of Beaue Avlen and the Fall of the City

(from month 29, or month 5 of year 2, Eleador reckoning)

Offended by the continued predations of the Kill Cult, the allies of the House Daenyr declared war. The Elear preferred to respect the truce, but had no choice but to help their friends, who declared a siege of the Cult's forward base, the town of Vanguard. With Stern Silvermoon at the helm of the siege engines, the tree was destroyed. The Kill Cult retaliated, along with forces of CoD, and destroyed the very few buildings that were left unprotected in the Elear capital. The Cult, allied with the Shadow Syndicate, then placed siege-banes on the cities of House Daenyr (Gaeryn's Hope) and Eleador, but both were successfully defended. The siege of Gaeryn's Hope was remarkable for the heroic attack of the Defenders of Order, with the noble but non-communicant Elear Owyn, to lift the siege. But shocking was the surprise attack of members of The Ancient Order, led by the Elear Coran Pathfinder (known among those people as the former Dragon Owain Goch), yet fighting against his brethren and on the side of the Kill Cult. Recently the Ancient Order had been members with Owyn of the Alliance of Order, and the reasons for their treachery were not well understood by the citizens of Eleador.

Friedrich Gladwin of Eleador and the Knights of the Alliance defending Gaeryn's Hope in the Great Siege (from the Knights' archive)

The forces of Owyn attacked Larchmont, the Kill Cult capital, with the assistance of Eleador, but were routed. Subsequently the Kill Cult, with The Ancient Order, attacked Gaeryn's Hope and the city was destroyed. The City of Eleador was again sieged, this time, for shame, by The Ancient Order. It had long since been abandoned in spirit, for the wise citizens of Eleador had decided to build afresh. But still, it was a horror to many when, on the eleventh day of the sixth month of year 2, Eleadorian Reckoning, it finally fell. Many of the greatest warriors then left the continent, their spirit broken, including Stern Silvermoon, Friedrich (also known as Jshabel and Talar) and the whole family Gladwin (a great loss); the remaining Templars Voltaire of Amn (who had briefly returned to the Kingdom) and Rhynn de Montagne leaving shortly before.

The surviving band, with grit in their heart and seeking revenge, joined with the Defenders of Order in the Second Great War that then split the continent of Deception. The Elear divided themselves between the city complex of Order and Lion's Pride on the ice island, and the Elear outpost of Basilica Cavea, managed by the merchant Antonio Lasante, on the mainland. The Northern Alliance of House Daenyr with the Defenders of Order and their allies fought against The Ancient Alliance, Kill Cult, and the Legion of the Sword, and thrust a counterattack deep into the heart of The Ancient Order. Shining cities on the west of the mainland declared themselves subguilds of the Defenders of Order for the duration of the conflict, to facilitate communication. And the guildmen of DIE also joined forces with the Defenders, such were the straits of the warriors.

And, broken by the loss of his city, it so happened that Beaue Avlen grew tired of rule. And who could blame him, for -- though the fault was not his -- the Kingdom had fallen to a low ebb, no more than a motley band of a dozen, without a city, and with few alliances.

Yet the war continued across the continents of the land. It reached even the cities of Order and Lion's Pride, the shining jewel of Owyn, but they held out. And after a month of long and desperate attacks the alliance of the traitors, The Ancient Order, Kill Cult, and Legion of the Sword, sometime known as SACK, suffered a great defeat when on the sixth day of the seventh month of the year 2, Eleadorian reckoning, the city of the Ancient Order, Caer Yinyang, fell, though at the cost of the Northern Allies taking under their wing all those who could hold a sword or cast a spell, irrespective of the state of their soul.

And on the next day Naithin Nahilin, long term viceroy of Eleador, was appointed sixth King of Eleador.

The Reign of Naithin Nahilin

(from month 31, or month 7 of year 2, Eleador reckoning)

The most felicitous and well-tempered of the elders of the Kingdom, liked by all and disliked by none, Naithin had long and patiently awaited his hour. Regretfully, the much-anticipated decision on the future of the realm fell to him. For many fought abroad, in the lands of Neverwinter, Planetside, or still more distant Horizons. The continent of Deception had become depopulated, a shadow of its former self, which, some said, had always been somewhat desolate anyway. The allied Kingdoms had begun to fall apart, as their members also ventured abroad, or to other continents, which they abandoned in turn. Amongst the confusion the remnants of those Elear expelled during the reign of the Queen Kaliaa returned from the continent of Mourning, seeking revenge on her former ally Owyn. The Shapeshifter Mordakai, at the head of the band of the Lex Talionis, aided by his ally Joran, tightened a web of alliances against that proud Prince, and, taking as his pretext a demand of tribute in compensation for the slaughter of a raiding party, fell on the few remaining defenders of Lion’s Pride, exacting upon it a final destruction. And so was that lust for vengeance sated, for though the sword is mighty, words once spoken cannot be unsaid, and burn in the heart of man long after all other wounds have healed. As these bitter struggles of chaos and anger raged around them, the theologians of the Kingdom came to the slow and painful realisation that the All-Father had in fact left the lands of Shadow forever, abandoning the earth to the lesser minions of banality, and that the search for his flame must now lie elsewhere.

Thus it was that the King issued the "free-form Eleador" decree, that the Kingdom should no longer seek the objectives of the Ethos solely in the lands of the Shadow, and that although those still fighting there should be supported, so should those adventurers abroad. When the time was ripe, a new battleground would be selected. Then would the call again be heard, and those of that great Commonwealth of Eleador, encompassing all who had ever sworn the Ethos, be summoned once more to uphold their most solemn oath.

And as time passed, Naithin's eye fell upon a new land among these strange continents of ours, slithering their way around the oceans of time and space. It was called Agon, in the world of the Fallen Dark. It seemed to him that there the dreams of the Enlightened might once again be kindled, and draw to her the forces of light. He arranged for a reworking of the constitution of the Kingdom, to preserve that which worked best, and purge that which had failed. Under these arrangements, a new High Council of six was elected by the entire body of the Elear, and those selected were Antonio Lasante, the former monarchs Vhalember, Drekkan and Preston, and the two most consistent footsoldiers of the Kingdom, Talar (known also as Friedrich and Jshabel) and Einar Halvborn.

Further expeditions abroad

As the times passed, the citizens, in their constant search of the new, again spread themselves among the continents. They engaged in The Wars of Guilds, and the Worlds of Warcraft, before settling, in the seventh month of the fifth year of the Kingdom, following duly established casting of votes, on a fresh sojourn in the lands of Darktide. There new creatures had awoken, and new lands come to light, to test their mettle, and strengthen their satisfaction in the slaughter of deserving men and beasts.  And after due time, another casting of ballots led the people to the Quest of Titans, which likewise were slain.  And then to the lands of the Middle Earth, where much investigation was had, and all the while others sailing mining ships between the stars, where a small but strong band grew in confidence and independence.

'Twas then that the Great Monarch Naithin decided to step down from the reins of power, after four years of patient and diplomatic leadership.  Following the established procedures of the Elear, the voice of each was heard, and a new King was chosen: Rhynn de Montagne, former leader of the Templars of the Kingdom, and thus named “firebug”. Immediately he sought to pacify the disparate wings of the Kingdom, while preparing expeditions to the newly formed realm of the Hyperboreans.

The Reign of King Rhynn de Montagne

(from month 83, or month 11 of year 6, Eleador reckoning)

And so it fell to King Rhynn de Montagne to lay the groundwork for the entry into the lands of Agon. By election and fiat, he established new members in the Council. As recruitment grew apace in the starways of Eve, and voices were raised that they should be heard, he founded a new seat on the Council so those junior members of the guild might be represented.  Thus was the moulding genius of the Elear again demonstrated, as the essential spirit of the Kingdom was preserved by timely and well-chosen adaptations to changing circumstances.

This history compiled from the documents of the Kingdom by the administrative services of Kingdom of Eleador

Last updated in the ninety—fourth month since the signing of the great oath of Eleador

Annex 1: Codex of the Regulations of the Kingdom of Eleador

 Below is a catalogue of the Regulations of the Kingdom of Eleador, being a list of all decrees made by the Council and Officers of the Kingdom acting in their official capacity.

Note: This document has no formal status; only the High Council, acting pursuant to the Constitution of the Kingdom of Eleador, has the authority to interpret the Law of the Kingdom of Eleador, including which decrees may or may not be binding.

The catalogue assumes that a decree remains in force until it is explicitly revoked or is obviously no longer relevant.

Although documents transferred to the library are available to all, be aware that links to the forum are usually only accessible to members of the Kingdom.