A History of Myrrenstone

A history of Myrrenstone and Eolathir

Ancient History
The land of Eolathir was said to be once inhabited by a great race of people. They have been called different names, but most refer to them as the Gwymar. Little is known of the Gwymar, however traces of their cities can still be found in the plains of Eolathir. Tales tell that the Gwymar are ancestors to both Elves and Dwarves. For a millennia the Gwymar lived as immortals on the land. Their empire was vast and their rule was unquestioned. Other, lesser, races were treated with dignity and respect but none were given the stature and honor that the Gwymar commanded. The Gwymar were fantastic masons and accomplished magicians. They drew their magic from a source known as Qu’ranka or ‘The Eternal Stone’. From this source of power, they were able to engineer massive magical engines to power their cities.

No one knows for certain what led to the disappearance of the Gwymar. Some say they were too greedy in their use of the Qu’ranka, others insist the Gods felt that they had grown too powerful, still others insist that the Gwymar having reached the peak of their evolution, made the choice to depart from the world all together. What we do know is that the Qu’ranka was shattered and the explosion of its power reshaped the world. Where there were rivers there were now great fields, where there were mountains now there lay desserts, where snow once thrived now mountains of fire erupted. When the Qu’ranka shattered, shards of the stone flew all over the land. These stones, known in the modern tongue as ravensglass, still hold elements of the power that once was. When properly harnessed, these stones can make a sword more swift, armor more sturdy, or a wizards powers more deadly.

Modern History
The Dawn of the Elves and Dwarves

With the disappearance of the Gwymar, the land of Eolathir had changed so drastically that it was unrecognizable to the races that still remained after the shattering. As the remaining beings roamed the land, crude settlements were formed. The dwarves in the West settled in the mountains, the Elves to the forests and rivers in the south. No other races were as quick to develop after the shattering. Most remained nomadic tribes wandering from settlement to settlement, while others ventured over the mountains to the west.

Soon, clear borders were drawn between the kingdoms of elves and dwarves. While both remained peaceful and grew prosperous there began to grow a swelling resentment between the two nations. Around 500 AQ the rulers of both races struck an embargo against the other, forbidding all trade, relations, and contact with the other race.

The Coming of Men

It’s not certain when the first boats arrived, however, about 525 AQ the northeastern shores of Eolathir were rife with tribes of men. Territorial though not unfriendly, these tribes of men had fled their home across the sea. They called this place Dunebrel. They had apparently left after fleeing for their lives after a hostile ruler had seized their homeland and forced thousands of their people in to exile.

While the elves and dwarves welcomed them to their shores, both races viewed the humans as refugees. The native races, as such, often treated the humans with a poorly hid veil of disrespect. It didn’t help that the humans took no part in the quarrels of elves and dwarves. The humans made it clear that they were thankful for a home and didn’t want any more war in their life.

To the amazement of the native races, the humans multiplied quickly. By 700 AQ their settlements had turned in to vast towns and cities, fortified with strong stone and iron buildings. The men, using their sea craft were able to trade their wares along the coasts and thus grow their economy at an unusually quick rate. They also showed their skill for masonry, smithing, and magic in this new land. Using the techniques from Dunebrel coupled with the vast resources of Eolathir, these human refugees saw their might increase exponentially.

The Battle for Eolathir 

While the humans settlements grew, the elven and dwarven kingdoms continued to grow as well. Both saw their kingdoms evolve in to beautiful nations despite their trade embargo with each other. However, soon their trade war grew in to a national bloodshed. Through a series of disagreements, falsehoods, and mistaken truths both nations found themselves in a full-fledged war. For 6 years, battles were fought between the two nations. The human region managed to stay at bay during all of this, never choosing a side. However, as fate would have it, the humans would be forced in intervene to save all of Eolathir.

Both Elves and Dwarves had trained powerful wizards and sorcerers to aid in their conquest. However, through their own desire to rule they would create an evil that would consume them all. During the battle for Shadeberry, Ellenghast the Dwarven sorcerer drew from all the hate and power he could muster and unleashed a terrible spell upon the other side. As fate would have it, Kymarie, the Arch Mage of the elves put forth a similar spell at the same moment. The unbridled hate and disdain from these two spells collided, twisted, and brought forth an unholy force in the middle of the battlefield. These two spells had unintentionally birthed a wretched demon on to the world. The demon brought forth an unholy massacre to all that it encountered. Nothing either side did was able to stop this abomination. What survivors there were from this battle fled to warn their homelands of what had transpired.

The leaders of both nations, Brelon Stonebeard and Quelathar Leafhunter, came together, putting aside their differences to face this demon, but it was not enough. Each attack was pushed back and the demon slaughtered all who attempted to slay it. Their only hope was to beg the race of men to aid them in destroying the demon which they had created. Together, Brelon and Quelathar rode to the capitol city of men. There they begged for aid from Queen Myrren and her people. The Queen, who was wary of interfering with the wars of others eventually conceded aid, however, with one condition. Should the coalition of the three great races destroy this demon, Myrren would be granted dominion over all of Eolathir and all in her line would succeed her in her rule. Brelon and Quelathar had no choice but to accept these terms and soon all three armies rode to meet the demon in battle.

The final battle, known as dooms end, was fought over 3 weeks. The armies of men, dwarves, and elves were relentless in their attacks, but with each attack the demon seemed to grow stronger. In one final act of desperation, Ellenghast and Kymarie, racked with guilt, sought to cast whatever power they had left in to Queen Myrren’s family sword. They took her ravensglass blade, which had already been imbued with all of the power of her most powerful mages, and poured the rest of their lives in to the Queens weapon.

With a new found hope, the Queen met the mighty demon head on in the field of battle. All watched as she fought the dark beast for hours on end. With each cut of her sword, the demon was thrown back. Soon the demon had slowed enough for the Queen to make her move. With one fell swoop she dodged an attack from the demon and drew her blade deep in to the demons chest. The beast let out a wretched cry as black blood gushed out of the wound. The beast knelt before the queen grasping at its chest. The Queen didn’t hesitate as she lopped the demons head from its body. The day was won.

The Reign of Queen Myrren and her line

The elves and dwarves were true to their word and on the field where the demon lay, all bent their knee to Myrren. The Queen built her new capitol on the spot where she slew the demon. The stone was brought from the dwarven mountains, the elves provided old magical wood from their forests, and the men created a canal in to the city so that their fleet in the ocean could reach the capitol by boat. Myrrenstone was built in twenty years. However it’d be another hundred years before the city would see its true glory.

<p class="MsoNormal">Queen Myrren reigned for 80 years over all of Eolathir. In her time, Eolathir was prosperous for all citizens. While she maintained an unquestioned monarchy she created a small council within which she appointed her most trusted advisors. These advisors included many races so that the Queen could properly represent her Queendom. However, she created two stations which held power above the rest of the council. The Queen created a royal army, the leader of which would always be appointed from the former dwarven kingdom. This army would be named the Myrrens Wrath. Myrrens Wrath would be charged with policing the borders of Eolathir. The Queen also created a treasury and a domestic city guard the leader of which would always be appointed from the former elven kingdom. These guardsmen would be called the Scarlet Guard.

It was in this that she was able to broker a standing peace between her two largest groups of subjects.

Recent Events
<p class="MsoNormal">It’s been ten years since King Raylor, second of his name, died in search of his wife Queen Naela. Queen Naela was acting emissary of the king on an inspection tour of the kingdom when her caravan was attacked by raiders from the west. Her body was not found among the dead and thus a royal search party was formed to find the kidnapped queen. King Raylor led the search party personally, leaving Myrrenstone in the charge of his eldest child, Prince Thaylor, fourth of his name. King Raylor, not being in the health of his youth was made weak by the search which lasted for two years. He eventually returned to Myrrenstone where he passed away due to illness and exhaustion from his travels. Queen Naela was never found, nor the bandits responsible for the raid. She is now believed to be dead.

<p class="MsoNormal">Prince Thaylor IV, along with his younger sister, Myrren VII, have ruled in the years since their fathers passing. With guidance from Magistrate Elara and General Braodnuk, the young prince has weathered the transition of power and maintained stability in the kingdom.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Five days before Prince Thaylor IV, came to be 20 years of age and take the kings crown for his own he was found dead his study. The details surrounding his death have been kept secret until two days ago when the Magistrate and General released a joint statement stating that they believe the prince was murdered. Princess Myrren VII now 17 years of age is the last of her line and the sole heir to throne of Myrrenstone. By order of Princess Myrren VII, a tournament is to be held in two days time to find a group of warriors worthy of finding the Prince’s killer. In the meantime, both Magistrate Elara and General Braodnuk will be working with Princess Myrren VII in her transition to rule Myrrenstone.