Life continued peacefully for the next few centuries, with the Trylian people going about their daily lives much like our prehistoric ancestors, hunting and gathering as they pleased, until Tzaliek grew tired of waiting and decided to take matters into his own hands. In an attempt to please Hurfrey, he tore a fissure into the surface of the world, releasing all manner of monsters and demons into the land, all led by their king The Hunter, who sough to obtain the Hur Sword so he could rule over not only the Underworld but Trylia as well. After numerous failed attempts at obtaining the sword from Tzaliek's hands, The Hunter ordered his army to destroy as much of the world as they could in order to force Tzaliek to give up the weapon.
Tzaliek, who feared for his life, decided to gather all of the remaining Trylians and escape to the sacred Lake Bluhound, where Hurfrey had granted him the sword, so he could plead for their protection. However, upon reaching the lake, he instead met Herrance and Horrace, who had condemned Hurfrey and sentenced him to rule the Underworld, where he renamed himself The Hunter. The two gods then proceeded to punish Tzaliek for his own evil and promptly destroyed him, using his ashes to form a makeshift island at the mouth of the Bluhound River and founding the city of Eltherria on said island. This city, surrounded by water, would become to new home of the Trylian people, safe from the reaches of The Hunter and his forces. In secret, the two gods also sent the Hur Sword into the city, disguised as a statue commemorating the founding of Eltherria and placing it in the town square, where it stands to this day. Through the ingenious design of the duo, the only way to access the weapon was also concealed, and would only open when the land's chosen heroes would come into need of it. They also left artifacts of themselves within the statue, with Herrance enshrining his own bow and quiver while Horrace placed away his sacred armor.
Once the Trylian people were secure, Herrance and Horrace summoned an army of angels and entered into a fierce and preceded to wage a fierce battle against the The Hunter and his troops in the area now known as Wraithblood Plains. According to legend, it was here that the duo discovered their original chosen hero, and had granted him immortality as a sign of honor. Although only briefly mentioned in retellings of the history of Trylia, the chosen hero played a significant role in the battle, eventually retiring to a shack somewhere in the Turrence Forests. After a long and bloody week of fighting, the two gods managed to subdue The Hunter, driving him into a prison deep in the center of the Crowless Dunes, where a great seal was placed on his cell in order to ensure his permanent imprisonment so he could never again harm Trylia or its inhabitants. Stripped of both his original powers and physical form by the capabilities of the seal, The Hunter was forced to take the form of a shriveled old man full of dangerously grandiose potential capable of destroying the entire world should he ever escape.
Releasing they would soon perish as a result of the grave injuries sustained from the battle against The Hunter, Herrance and Horrace wanted to ensure their prisoner could no longer hurt their people, and, fearing another great catastrophe, decided to create a spirit to be bound to their enshrined gifts that could their chosen heroes on their journeys in the future. Once they had finished that, they summoned four guardian dragons to watch over the lands of Trylia, with each dragon entrusted with a fragment of a spell that would ensure the return of the two gods when needed, with each individual fragment being passed on to their respective heroes one day. Finally, with their last breaths, the gods created a gate to the underworld, sealed away within an ancient dungeon, that would be instrumental in the eventual banishing of The Hunter. With that, Herrance and Horrace left Trylia, hoping they'd ensured its protection for millenniums to come.
Throughout the adventures of the chosen heroes, Eltherria becomes an important location, garnering multiple visits, whether it be for equipment or story progression, so I recommend you familiarize yourself with its many notable places. The Town Square (green), for example, is the city's busiest site. Standing in front of the Trylian Castle (red), a fountain bearing an image of the infamous Hur Sword sits in the square's center, flanked on each side by market stalls and crowds. A small establishment, the Horrace Head Tavern, lies directly to the west, and is the home of much of the town's gossip and quest-giving. Numerous buskers stand out front, and will often garner the attention of guards, which can be used to your advantage. Besides that there's lengthy Bluhound Avenue (green street), which leads to the town drawbridge, where you can visit the blacksmith. There's also busy Monroe Street (blue street), where most of Eltherria's residents live and where you can stock up on health at the numerous food vendors, or visit the fortune teller, who can aid you on your adventures. And, finally, there's South Street (red street), one of the town's quieter areas, where you can stop by the local clinic in times of need.
