THE HISTORY OF ELANTHIA

I.      The Age of the Drakes (100,000+ years ago?)

"Of the first age, little is known, save for one thing -- the dragons ruled
all Elanthia.  There are no written records of this time, but paintings on
the walls of caves, carvings on petrified trees and glyphs found in the
Southron Wastes all convey the same desperate messages, of flight, fear,
and starvation.  Above all, the mighty wings and claws of dragonkind."
                                -Lisandrych Illistim, First Master of Lore,
                                Noble House of Illistim

I.A.    The Rule of Dragonkind

        From the dawn of time, none challenged the dragons.  Intelligent,
savage, and with powers beyond what men now name as gods, the drakes
called all of Elanthia their own.   The lesser races huddled in caves, hid in
the deepest forests, or wandered as nomads.  The drakes did not permit
civilizations other than their own.  So it had always been, and so it 
would remain.

        It was only the intervention of the drake's servants, the Arkati,
that allowed the lesser races to survive at all.  As old a race as the
drakes themselves, the humanoid Arkati were lesser in both powers and
numbers.  But they aided the drakes, and in return, the drakes suffered
the lesser races to live.

I.B.    The Ur-Daemon War

        All this ended with the coming of the Ur-Daemons.  Now believed to
be extra-dimensional intelligent creatures, the Ur-Daemons somehow opened
a portal to Elanthia approximately 100,000 years ago.  They fed on mana,
both that contained in the land's natural mana foci and that bound around
all life.

        There are no real records of the titanic battles fought between the
Ur-Daemons and the dragons.  Given the nature of the antagonists, it is
doubtful that any histories could convey the scale of such a war.  It seems
to have lasted for at least several generations, as such were counted by
our own ancestors, a span of at least a thousand years.  In the end, the
Ur-Daemons were driven back, making a final stand before the portal leading
back to their own dimension.  This final battle blasted the landscape for
hundreds of miles, leaving it barren and lifeless.

        The drakes had won, but they had also lost.  Most of their number
had been slain in the conflict, and many others had been driven mad by an
emotion none had known before - fear.  Drake rule was shattered forever.

        Though lesser in number and weaker than their ancient brethren, the
few dragons that survive today have not lost their appetites, and are still
the most powerful and feared creatures on Elanthia.

I.C.     The Coming of the Arkati (100,000 years ago?)

        The land recovered slowly from the war.  The Arkati worked to heal it.
Long the dragon's servants, they had themselves learned how to manipulate
mana.  With most of the dragons dead, insane, or hiding, certain of the 
Arkati began to mold the land and its lesser races into their own likenesses.
They who had been servants now played the part of master.
                         
        These Arkati are those whom we today call gods.  It is said that, in
these early days, they walked the land as teachers, leaders, and guides.
Imaera took the people of the forests, and taught them to be one with
the land.  Eonak showed the folk of the stone how to mine riches from the 
mountains.  Oleani adopted the smaller folk of the valleys, instilling in
them a joy for life and a special gift for growing things.

        Others of the Arkati chose not individual races, but seasons,
emotions, or tasks to be their own.  Kai accepted warriors of all sorts,
and Lumnis embodied wisdom and learning.  Ronan controlled the night, the
time of dreams, while Phoen's was the warm sun of summer.  Imaera chose the
autumn, while Lorminstra reigned over winter, the season of death.  The  
raging seas were Sharl domain.  Jastev's followers celebrated visual
arts, and developed a gift of prophecy, while his twin Cholen became the
god of festivals and performing arts.  Tonis, remarkable for his speed
and determination, became the messenger of the gods.  Over all of them
ruled Koar, with a firm but gentle hand.

        Not all of the Arkati chose to help rebuild the land.  Some 	
had a different vision.  Without the dragons controlling them, they
began to strive against the others.  Eorgina, Goddess of the dark,
became their leader.  Aligned with her were Ivas, mistress of seduction,
Fash'lo'nae, master of the arcane arts, Andelas the Cat, whose joy is
others' pain, and V'tull, the dark warrior.  Also joined with Eorgina were
Sheru, bringer of terror and nightmares, Mularos, who twists love to
control and destroy, and Luukos, he who feeds on souls.

        The two groups grew further apart, as it was clear each regarded
the land in a different light.  Koar's faction saw it as a trust which
had befallen them, the lesser races as children to be taught.  The others
saw the land as a stage for their own desires, its inhabitants as playthings,
food, or worse.

        Strangely enough, the Arkati never came into open conflict.  Some
say that neither side trusted its strength to win the day.  Others believe
they simply await the appointed time.

II.    Second Age, The Elven Empire (50,000 - 20,000 years ago) 

        Under the Arkati's tutelage, all the lesser races developed their
own civilizations.  But none has ever matched the great empire of the
elves.  The most magically adept of the races, they saw themselves as the
natural heirs to dragonkind.  The elves quickly spread from the deep forests
in which they had always lived, staking claim to much of the known world.

II.A. The Seven Noble Houses of the Elves

"The lesser races live in savagery.  It is only with the guidance of our
own eternal empire that they shall ever rise from barbarism to enjoy
the benefits of civilization.  Incapable of ruling themselves, they are
rightfully grateful for our benevolence and aid." 
                                        -Yshryth Faendryl, XIV Patriarch,
                                        House Faendryl

        The elven empire was centered on the Seven Cities, each built by
and named for one of the seven noble houses.  Each of these lines had
risen to leadership of the elven peoples.  Even today, most elves swear
varying degrees of allegiance to one or the other.

        Ta'Faendryl, built by Korthyr Faendryl's line, was the capital city
of the empire.  Though all the houses were theoretically equal, most
acknowledged the Faendryl as the natural leaders of the race, though some
did so more grudgingly than others.  No other house had mastered both
spirit and elemental magic as well as had the Faendryl elves.

        Ta'Vaalor, the work of the great Aradhul Vaalor, is more a fortress
than a city.  The Vaalor have always produced the finest warriors of the       
elven race.  All Vaalor, male and female, enter the military at a young age,
serving for some hundred years.  Perhaps because of this, they are the
haughtiest of the elves.  They had little tolerance for the lesser peoples
of the lands, especially mixed-breeds.  They have never suffered the elven
culture or bloodlines to be tainted by others.  They also chafed under the
leadership of the Faendryl, believing the high seat should be theirs.

        The line of Zishra Nalfein founded Ta'Nalfein, which has always
been a center of elven politics.  The Nalfein are fairly adept at everything,
but they have always been the masters of stealth, whether in the field or
the council chambers.  Their politics are particularly ruthless, as they
let little stand between themselves and their desires.  The Nalfein are
also apt to take up the life of a wandering merchant, traveling the world
to trade in both goods and information.

        Sharyth Ardenai was the matriarch of Ta'Ardenai, and her line remained
closest of the houses to their roots in the deep forests.  Though they dwell
in towns and cities, they retain a closeness and a love for the land
exceeded only by the Sylvankind.  They tend to be less haughty than members  
of the other houses, and have less of an imperial bent.  They are typically
appointed as emissaries to other races.  They are, however, capable
warriors at need.  All Ardenai grow up to revere the hunt, and few can
match their bowmasters.

        Bhoreas Ashrim's line took to the sea.  None could match their skill
with elemental magic, especially that of wind and water.  They were said to        
have achieved control over the weather.  They used this skill to master the
waves, and they used their mighty city of Ta'Ashrim as a base for trading
with some and raiding others.  Coastal dwellers of the other races came to
fear the warships of the "Sea Elves," as they were known.  Though perhaps
the haughtiest of all the elven houses, the Ashrim had little to do with
elven politics - they considered the sea their kingdom, and cared little
for the concerns of those on land.

        Callisto Loenthra's house is one of craftsman, artists, poets and
bards.  Ta'Loenthra is generally acknowledged as the center of elven
culture, especially by the Loenthra.  Though some do leave the elven lands 
to ply their trades as merchants or wandering bards, most Loenthra consider
the lesser races too barbaric for their company.  An old Loenthra saying
describes performing to an unappreciative audience as "casting pearls
before dwarves."

        Ta'Illistim was founded by Linsandrych Illistim, the greatest
scholar in elven history.  Her house has continued that tradition, and none       
can match the knowledge of the Illistim Masters of Lore.  They are also
extremely adept at the working of magical rituals, and the greatest
artifacts produced by the elves came from the House of Illistim's
laboratories.  Though many Illistim choose a life of seclusion and study,
some others travel the world in search of knowledge, both old and new.

II.B   The Sylvankind

        Sylvankind spring from the same roots as the elves, but they chose
a different path.  As the elves moved from their forests to build the
Seven Cities, some stayed behind.  These are the Sylphs.

        The Sylvankind care little for the world outside their forests.
For them, the forests are the world.  They retain a closeness to the land
which approaches unity.  A keen-eyed traveler can always tell when he
approaches a forest of the Sylvankind, for the plants and trees appear
both more lush and more dangerous.  Few enter such a forest without the
permission of its masters, and fewer still escape.

        Within these forests, the Sylvankind have built great hanging
tree-cities.  Some of their dwellings have hundreds of rooms, as they
have grown over thousands of years.  The race is ruled by a council of
Hierophants, each of whom serves for his or her entire adult life.  There
is little for them to rule on, however, as the Sylvankind are generally of
like mind.

        Few Sylvankind leave their forest homes.  There is simply little to
interest most sylphs "out there".  Of course, there are some who feel the
call to travel, whether out of curiosity, ambition, or an understanding 
that events outside the forests can threaten what lies within.

II.C   The Dwarves   

        The dwarves also founded an empire, though one more limited in
scope.  They did not challenge elven control of the land, for the dwarves 
were more interested in what was underneath it.  They made their home in
the mountains.  There, they found gold, silver, mithril and other materials.
The vast underground cities of the dwarves were, however, little known to 
other races, for the dwarves allowed few to enter and see their riches.

        The dwarves were split into many clans, each dwelling in a range
of hills or mountains.  Ruling over all was the line of Khazi Khazar, who        
founded the greatest of the dwarven holdings, the city of Kalaza.  His 
line served as the dwarven Overking for thousands of years.  Little is
known of most of these years, as the dwarves do not offer their history
freely.  Most of this history, however, involves their never-ending war
with the other mountain-dwellers, the orcs.  The dwarves have been 
battling orcs, and their larger thralls, the trolls, for generations.

        Though most dwarves remain in their clans, a fair number do
travel the world.  Dwarves are, by necessity, accomplished traders,        
bartering the riches of their underground kingdoms for food, cloth,
and the like.  They are also the world's best weapon and armorsmiths,
surpassing even the skills of the Illistim elves.

II.D   The Humans

        The lot of the humans was a treacherous one in this age.  The elves
ruled the land, and they would permit no others to settle its more fertile
areas.  The Vaalor, in particular, have always gone out of their way to
make life difficult for humans.  Most humans lived a nomadic life, barely
sustaining themselves in the barren lands they were permitted.  Others
served as slaves, beggars or thieves within the shadows of the great elven
cities.

        Not all humans accepted their lot as thralls.  Some rebelled.  Many
so-called rebels were little more than outlaws, more brigands than freedom
fighters.  Some few, however, actually achieved minor victories.  The
Black Wolves were one such group.  Led by the wizard Aramur Forean, once
a student of the Illistim himself, they actually drove the elves out of the
area around what is now called Wehnimer's Landing.  After one of their
raids killed a young Vaalor prince, however, the elves hunted the Black
Wolves down.  The humans vanished into a series of caverns near the sea, 
and they were never heard from again.

II.E   The Giantmen

        The Giantmen developed a tribal society in the northern lands.
These semi-nomadic tribes followed their herds' migrations, spending
all but the winter season in warfare with each other.  For there
is nothing a giantman likes more than battle.  These were, fortunately,
limited wars.  The tribes sought to best each other, seeking glory and
joy, not to destroy other tribes.  For while two tribes might
be at war this season, they might be allies in the next.

        Some giantmen have always traveled the world, generally in search
of a good fight.  Many have made a life as a mercenary, and they can be        
found wherever there is the clash of steel and the cry of the battle-horn.

II.D   Halflings

        Halfling society has changed little since the second age.  By then,
they had developed a peaceful, agrarian society.  The elves did not        
consider them a threat, and therefore left them to their own devices.  This
was fine with the halflings, who neither share nor understand the other
races' ambitions to plunder the land.  After all, soldiering is the sort
of nonsense which could make one late for supper.

        Halfling villages are each governed by a democratically-elected
mayor.  Each village is independent, as there is no need for any higher
form of government.  Halflings themselves tend to stay in their villages,
for few can bear to leave their families.  However, they are also an
extremely inquisitive people, so some do travel the world in search of
adventure.  

III.     The Age of Chaos (20,0000 - 5,000 years ago)

        The elven empire spanned the known world, and ruled for nearly
30,000 years.  They believed none could threaten them.  They believed
this until they heard the name Despana.

III.A    The Undead War

"Thousands of them!  Ghouls, zombies, and worse, all blackened and half-
rotten.  They poured into the valley, an endless horde of screams, blood
and stink.  Now, we were all veterans of the orc wars, and we were ready
for them.. But nothing could have prepared us for the banshee."
                                        -Rhak Toram, Warrior of the
                                        Dusk Mountain Clan, survivor
                                        of Maelshyve

        Nobody knows just who or what Despana was.  Her contemporaries 
believed that she came from the jungles said to lie beyond the Southron 
Wastes.  She searched the land for the old places of the Ur-Daemons.
Somewhere in what is now called Rhoska-Tor, her quest succeeded when she
found the Book of Tormtor.  The book was lost during the events which
followed, so none can now be sure of its contents.  It was said to be
written in the language of the Daemons.

        Using this ancient work, Despana created the first of the Undead.
Their numbers grew rapidly, and she soon had a vast horde of them to serve
her.  Their first task was to build the great keep of Maelshyve, where
Despana took residence.  From this keep, countless hordes of the Undead
began their second task - the conquest of Elanthia.  They were led by
the arch-lich Dharthiir, who was said to be more than simply Despana's
General.

        Dharthiir commanded many of the living, as well.  Entire tribes of 
orcs, drawn by promises of conquest and plunder, swore fealty to him.  They        
brought with them their traditional allies, the trolls.  Many humans, too
joined Darthiir's horde.  Some came for silver, others to join any foe of
the elves.  

        The hordes struck first at the elven nations.   Their progress was  
lightning fast, easily destroying what little resistance they met in the     
outlying provinces.  The leaders of the elven houses were unable to
organize any real defense.  This was not due to a lack of means, but a lack
of leadership.  Each house wished the glory of vanquishing the Undead for
themselves, and none would consent to have their troops led by another.
And no house would commit troops to defend the territories of another.

        Within a month, the Undead had cut a swathe to the heart of the
elven empire, threatening Ta'Vaalor itself.  The Vaalor were led by
Taki Rassien, wielder of the legendary veil-iron sword Aramier, and the
greatest warrior of his time.  He took the cream of the Vaalor armies to
make a stand at the fortress ShadowGuard. With him went the Sabrar, a 
legion of elite knights that had never known defeat.  Taki knew that, at
ShadowGuard, the Vaalor would stop the horde.

        The battle of ShadowGuard lasted less than one day.  The Undead
destroyed the entire garrison, leaving fewer than a score of survivors.
The elite Vaalor armies had been lost, along with Taki himself.  At the
time, this was considered the greatest defeat in the history of the 
elven empire.

        Modern scholars, however, point to the battle of ShadowGuard as
the turning point of the Undead War.  For several reasons, it marked the        
high point of Despana's campaign.  First, the leaders of the other houses
were shocked into cooperating.  At last, the Faendryl were able to unify
the command of all the elven armies and mount an organized defense.  Second,
Dharthiir himself was never seen after ShadowGuard.  Tavern-tales hold that,
at the last, Taki led the Sabrar in a charge at the heart of the undead
army, and that he slew the lich.  As none of the Sabrar survived the battle,
this confrontation remains more legend than history.

        The battle of ShadowGuard also brought new allies.  From Kalaza, the
dwarven overking sent legions of his heavy infantry.  The Giantman 
Warmaster ordered each of the tribes to support the elves.  There were
even small bands of halflings and sylvankind.  Lastly, humans came to fight
with the elves.  Some were mercenaries, but others came for nobler reasons.
Thus were humans the only race to fight on both sides of this war.

        The Undead advance slowed, then stopped.  A stalemate was reached,
with neither side able to push the other back.  Daily charges across the
lines of battle brought heavy casualties, but little progress.  This state
of affairs lasted for years.

        Finally, the Faendryl proposed a plan to end the war - a lightning 
strike at Despana's keep.  They claimed to have discovered a secret that 
would destroy Maelshyve and its mistress forever.  It was a new form of
magic, one they would not reveal to any.

        The elven armies and their allies assaulted Maelshyve, and the attack
went well at first.  Berserking giantmen warriors broke the front lines of
skeletons, zombies of ghouls, and a solid square of dwarven infantry
battled back the orcish hordes.  Slowly, they pushed Despana's forces back
toward the keep.  

        Then, Despana released the banshees. Their screams decimated the 
attacking forces, which fell back in disarray.  For a moment, the battle 
appeared to be lost.  

        The Faendryl chose that moment to reveal their secret, their new 
magic.  Inscribing circles upon the ground, they summoned a flight of lesser 
demons to battle the undead hordes.  Their foes fled back through the gates 
of the keep.  The Faendryl then cast their final spell, causing the keep 
itself to implode, leaving nothing but smoke and rubble.  Despana and her 
armies are said to have been utterly destroyed.

III.B.  Aftermath of the Undead War - the Age of Chaos

        The elves had won the war, but at great cost.  Much of their
empire had been sacked by the Undead.  Their armies were nearly destroyed.
But the political results were even more devastating.  All the elven houses 
were appalled at the spells the Faendryl had unleashed.  The summoning of 
demons was thought to be a particularly heinous act.  Illistim mages
pointed out the dangers of penetrating the veil.  For all any knew, the
Ur-Daemon still existed somewhere beyond it.  The Vaalor and the Nalfein
were also adamant on the subject, though some cynics have speculated that
their motivations were not entirely selfless.

        The Faendryl argued that it was necessary, that Despana would have 
won without these magics.  The other houses did not agree.  They expressed
their outrage by expelling the Faendryl from the empire.  They were exiled
to Rhoska-Tor, the barren, blackened land where Maelshyve had stood.

        Without the Faendryl to lead, the elven empire began to decay.  The
houses began an internal struggle for power, as each thought themselves the
natural heir to the Faendryl's position.  As they bickered, their empire
slowly disappeared.  The outlying territories declared themselves
independent, or rebelled outright.  To this day, the elves have not resolved
their internal politics.                              

        The dwarven empire also fell as a result of the Undead War.  Soldiers
returning to Kalaza from the final battle brought with them more than tales
of victory.  They also brought plague, the sickness known as the Red
Rot.  It swept through Kalaza like a firestorm, killing over half the 
population.  The dead included the Overking and his entire line.  From 
that time on, each clan has ruled itself.  The clans have become staunch 
isolationists, caring little for the politics of the outside world.  Kalaza 
itself was hidden, its great gates buried under an avalanche of concealing 
stones.  Only the dwarves now know its location.

        Without the elven armies to keep order, the land fell into anarchy. 
The next 20,000 years were known as the Age of Chaos.  Orcs, trolls and 
worse raided at will.  Travel to many areas was dangerous, if not impossible.
Of the various wars, plagues and other disasters of the era, little is known.  
The fragments of song and story which survive tell of a very dark time,
full of hunger, fear and little else.

IV.     The Fourth Age - The Modern Era (5,000 years ago - present)
                
        It is difficult to mark an end to the Age of Chaos.  Most historians
designate the modern age as beginning 10,000 years ago, but this is an
arbitrary designation.  Order was slow to return to the Land, with both the
elves and the dwarves preoccupied with their own problems.  

IV.A    The Dark Elf - Sea Elf War (5,000 years ago)

        In the aftermath of the Undead War, the Faendryl had been banished
to the land of Rhoska-Tor, the barren and blasted land where Maelshyve had        
stood.  Life in that place was never easy, for little grew there.  Below
the surface, however, the Faendryl found extensive networks of caverns.
Not only did these provide shelter, but they also contained an unusually
large number of mana foci.  The Faendryl were able to refine their already-
considerable talent for magic.  This helped them survive.

        Slowly, the Faendryl began to change.  Their features became even
finer and sharper.  Those living in the deepest caverns, those closest to
the ruins of Maelshyve, found their skin darkening to a brown or black.
As their aptitude for magic increased, they became physically weaker.

        The Faendryl also became increasingly bitter towards the other elven
houses.  Many believed that their exile had more to do with political
opportunism than anything else.  As they regained their strength, they
began to look southward toward their ancestral home.  Some counseled a
war to regain it.

        Others within House Faendryl sought a peaceful reconciliation with
the other houses.  This included Rythwier Faendryl, XXXVII Patriarch of
House Faendryl.  He arranged to have his eldest daughter, Chesylcha, wed
a prince of House Ashrim.  She traveled to Ta'Ashrim, the sea-elf capital,
with a wedding party numbering in the thousands.  All hoped this would
bring peace to the elven houses and help them begin the restoration of their
empire.

        Chesylcha never made it to the wedding.  There are as many stories
about her death as there are storytellers.  Whether it was a Nalfein
or human assassin, or whether she simply fell ill, none are certain.  Most
believed what served their own ends.  Within House Faendryl, those who had
counseled war to regain their rightful place used the princess's death to
begin one.

        The war began and ended with a Faendryl assault of the Ashrim
home islands.  Faendryl losses were horrendous.  Their navies were no match
for those of the sea-elves.  However, a few ships did reach the harbor of
Ta'Ashrim, and those few sufficed.  The Faendryl's greatest spellcasters 
were on one of these ships. They struck at the Ashrim capital with the same 
spells they had used to destroy Maelshyve, but their abilities and knowledge 
had increased considerably.  The sea-elves were not merely defeated, they 
were obliterated.  Their home islands were reduced to lifeless, smoking 
rocks jutting from the sea.

        There were no known survivors among the Ashrim.  Certainly, some
must have escaped, simply by virtue of having been elsewhere.  If so, they
have remained hidden since that day.  House Ashrim no longer exists.

        House Faendryl also ended, after a fashion, with the sea-elf war.
After the Ashrim were destroyed, the other elven houses no longer considered
the Faendryl to be true elves.  Indeed, the changes in their physical
appearance lent credence to this.  Since that time, the Faendryl have been
known to all as the Dark Elves.

IV.B    Dwarven-Giantman War (2,000 years ago)

        The Giantman had always been a nomadic people, but increasing
contact with other races during the modern age has led some to settle
down.  Some tribes built cities, even becoming farmers.  Other tribes
retained the old ways, but their lands were becoming more and more
crowded.  They were forced to range farther and farther as they followed
the seasons, their herds, and their endless wars.

        One tribe decided to build a settlement in an uninhabited mountain
range.  Within weeks, a dwarven army had appeared, seemingly from nowhere.
The dwarves attacked immediately.  At first, the giantmen considered the
dwarves an amusement, more or less fat, bearded goblins.  But they soon 
learned that, despite their height, the dwarves were nearly as strong as the 
giants, far more organized in battle, and armed with the finest weapons and 
armor their master-smiths could forge.

        This odd little war lasted the entire summer.  The dwarves could not
force the giantmen to retreat off the mountain, but the giants could not
defeat the dwarves, either.  In the fall, the giants decided to continue
their migrations.  They had not been defeated by the little people, but
they never returned to that mountain, either.  Before they left, they
forged a compact with the dwarves there at the peak they called Sunfist.
This peace has lasted thousands of years.

        The dwarven-giantman war remains unexplained.  The giantmen never
learned the reason for the dwarves' attack,  and giantmen certainly need
no reason to fight a war.  The war did have an unexpected result, though.
The dwarves and giantmen each gained the other's respect for their abilities
in battle.  Over time, they began trade. Today, the races are staunch allies,
aligned more closely than any two other races in the land.

IV.C    The Rise of the Humans

        The Age of Chaos provided humankind not only with great dangers,
but also opportunities.  The elven armies no longer protected them, so they
constructed their first fortresses.  These fortresses eventually grew into
towns, then cities.  The humans developed a feudal society based in these
fortress-cities.

        The largest of these cities was the port of Tamzyrr.  The Overlord
Selantha Anodheles, later the first Empress, extended its control to the
surrounding baronies, and then further.  Her own ancestry is unclear.  Many
say she was of mixed human and elven blood, a sign of elven meddling in
human affairs.  Indeed, it is hard to believe that her rapid series of
political and military victories was entirely the fruit of her own talents,
as considerable as they were.

        Eventually, the Turamzzyrian Empire grew to control nearly as much 
land as had the Elven Empire at its height.  In the process, the humans have 
restored a measure of order to the land.

        Over the intervening centuries, other families have risen to 
challenge the Anodheles for control of the imperial throne, and it is not 
surprising to some that their number is not much greater than that of the 
existing elven houses.  In fact, there are constantly new contending families
which rise from obscurity to assail the circle of the empire's noble 
families, touting their lineage as being unmarred by elven blood and 
claiming a total freedom from elven influence.  Some view the lack of 
refutation from the noble families as tacit confession of elven influence 
and support.

        For the past two years the Throne of Turamzyrr has been held by the 
Empress Mynal'lyanna.  She is rumored to have the backing of a cult of 
Luukos.  Two of those who contested her claim to the throne were struck 
down with diseases which defied all treatments, and one was attacked by 
undead in the first such attack ever recorded in the city of Tamzyrr.  The 
victim was held in confinement until he displayed signs of the Curse of 
Luukos, and then was mercifully slain before the curse could fully manifest 
itself.  A cold, and calculating ruler, Mynal'lyanna has vowed to extend the 
empire's holdings beyond the shores of this land, and to bring all inhabiting 
races beneath the rulership of the empire.  Her supporters point to this 
openly anti-elven stance as proof that her rise to the throne is free of 
elven influence, and is a clear signal that the power of the elven houses is 
beginning to fade.  Detractors suggest that her vow is a sign of her 
megalomania, and fear that the powers that back her are anything but human.

        In the two years since her rise to power, Mynal'lyanna's imperial 
troops have doubled in numbers.  Used by former emperors to garrison the city 
and as shipboard troops to ensure the safety of coastal commerce, the empress 
has instead used her troops to isolate baronies which have failed to
fulfill their imperial obligations.               

        All of this has had an effect on even a distant frontier town like 
Wehnimer's Landing.  Neighboring barons who have viewed the Landing as too 
distant and paltry to trifle with in the past are now reassessing the 
situation.  Wehnimer's is a port town, and given the empress' vow to expand
the empire across oceans, any port has a new potential for trade and a 
possible influx of imperial silver as new ships are commissioned.  Also,
with the empress' increase in troops has come an increase in the baronial
taxes to support them, and every baron is now looking for any undeveloped
source of income which might lie close to hand.  Even if that source does
not currently lie within his barony.

        Perhaps more significant to the daily life of those in Wehnimer's 
is the sudden influx of those displaced by the new policies which 
Mynal'lyanna has put in place.  Non-humans have fled the inner regions of 
the empire as existing prejudices have been reinforced by imperial policies.
And while those with money and influence have been able to purchase
exclusions from certain new laws, the common folk of non-human races have
been stricken with a series of prohibitions and restrictions that are
pointless other than to humiliate and degrade.

IV.D    The Founding of Wehnimer's Landing (200 years ago)

        Wehnimer's Landing was founded 200 years ago, when Rone Wehnimer
established a Wayside Inn on the road from the Darkstone bay to
the heart of the human empire.  It lies on the very edge of the human
empire, and the town has become a center for trade between the humans,
elves and other races.  The Landing has always attracted a large share
of adventurers, who come to the edge of civilization to make their
fortunes.

        Rone himself grew restless.  As his town grew into a city, he
found his taste for adventure returning.  He was last seen heading southeast
with a pack-train of supplies.  Many believe he sought Deepholt, the
legendary underground city said to have been founded by Osriar Melenthrope.
As neither Rone nor anybody else has ever returned from Deepholt, its
very existence is unsubstantiated.

IV.E    The Krolvin Attack (150 years ago)

        Soon after Wehnimer's Landing was founded, the Krolvin were
discovered.  The human empress immediately dispatched three emissaries
to make contact with the Krolvin and establish trade.  These emissaries 
traveled through the Landing on their way to the Krolvin nation.

        The three emissaries returned in six sacks, borne at the vanguard 
of a Krolvin war-party.  The Krolvin have no use for trade. They take what 
they want.  The citizens of the Landing were hard-pressed to defend it.  
Though many accomplished warriors, wizards and the like called Wehnimer's 
home, they were vastly outnumbered.  It appeared that the Landing would fall.

        Talbot Dabbings saved the day.  As the gates were breached, the
halfing warrior was able to slip past the enemy unnoticed.  He made his
way through the enemy lines in the confusion, heading toward the Krolvin
war-leader.  Leaping from his hiding place behind a water-barrel, Talbot
slew the Krolvin.  Two things then happened almost immediately.  First,
Talbot was killed.  Second, the remaining Krolvin began to argue over
who should be the new war-leader.  This argument took over two days to
resolve.  By that time, the empress had sent reinforcements.  The Krolvin
boarded their ships and left - but few doubt that they will try again.

				    end