[CHAR] Scholars of This Algid Earth! Come Worldbuild with us!

[Polybius]

Cast of Characters

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King Alem I, & his steward, Bremen

A Mad King & His Luckless Servant

Played by @Polybius

Charles D'Hartbourg

The Retired General

biography

Name: Charles D'Hartbourg

Race: Human

Appearance: Charles is in his late forties, yet already has a full head of silver-brown hair, descending down in a mess of grey curls, and a grizzled face beset upon by flecks of white and grey hair. Charles was formerly a fit man with wide shoulders and muscled arms, but more recently he has grown outwards and his arms have turned gaunt, he often appears haggard and tired, bags under his eyes and circles of wrinkling around them. His left knee is weak, and his hands curve into claws due to arthritis.

Abstract: The Retired General

Background: Charles was born in Hartbourg, serving in the military from a young age. He wrote of his battles, publishing them after his retirement due to a string of injuries. His works were popular amongst the peasantry that could afford them due to his focus on them, and the ruling class found them excellent guides on what not to do in war. Charles was given a commission by this ruling class to write of past events in the same way, given a library and manor to do so. He joined the group of scholars called by King Alem simply because it was his duty.

Played by @bluetommy2

Sister Cordelle of Exeter

The Rebellious Nun

Biography

Name: Sister Cordelle of Exeter

Race: Human

Appearance: She has a somewhat frazzled appearance and appears constantly rushed. She is 46 years old with premature wrinkles and greying brown hair that is kept in a neat bun. She has a wiry frame that is springy and constantly in motion. Though she is only 5'1'', she has a presence that can be imposing given her birdlike facial features and scrutinizing gaze. She dresses in the traditional garb for a nun of her station - loose silver robes and a simple silver coif, though she sometimes forgoes her head covering. She is spry and abrupt in her movements, and surprises people with her concentrated energy. She is quick to hearty laughter, and lacks the reservation that many assume her to have given her vocation as a nun. She is quick to express her emotions on her face, and isn't one to hold back in terms of defending her opinions.

Abstract: The Rebel Nun

Background: As the third daughter to a minor lord, the best option for Cordelle was to join the mysterious convent of the Seven Souls. Though uninterested in the dogmatic nature of the majority religion of her region, she took advantage of the learning available to her, conducting research into natural science, history, geography, the religions of the world, and sorcery (but on the DL). She considers herself a specialist in the cultural realm. She is headstrong and unswayable in her assertions which have decidedly hyperbolic tendencies. Though she's stubborn, she is feverish in her pursuit of knowledge, leading her to be recognized for her scholarly achievements. Her biases also include casting anything arcane in a negative light. Her reporting style is concise, but contains romantic elements that make her writings seem more mythical rather than factual, though they do reflect the truth as she sees it. Her scientific research has distanced her from her convent, as they see her achievements as contrary to their faith. She is dismissive of them, which has caused a strain - and perhaps a rift - in their relationship.

Played by @Eirene

Deles Tro, Human Scholar

Errant Academic

Biography

Name:Deles Tro
Race:Human
Abstract: Errant Academic
Appearance:Deles is a man of average height and build, though his legs are bulkier than the rest of him. Weathered, bronze skin drapes the man's soft, angular features; his brow always in a perpetual crease. His long black hair is tied back into a ponytail reaching below the shoulders. A full beard encompasses the lower half of his face, scraggly and untrimmed.
Background:An orphan raised by the insular Ulloy Monastery. Tired of the cloistered lifestyle, Deles left at an early age, to learn what he could of the world.

Played by @Voltin

Lupus Krus, Human Bard

Drink, lie, earn, repeat.

biography

Race: Human

Appearance: Shorter than other humans, taller than a dwarf. Has red hair, green eyes and a handsome face. He dresses well, at least better than most of the common drivel, and keeps his hair long.

Abstract: Drink, lie, earn, repeat.

Background: Grew up in an orphanage, was kicked out of it when he was 16, joined a band of minstrels and became an actor as well as a vivid storyteller.

Played by @Catchphrase

Adrien Sylvillus

The Curious Librarian

Biography

Name:Adrien Sylvillus

Race: Human

Appearance:

Adrien looks only in his thirties, yet he sports an impressive brown beard. His eyes are a brilliant azure blue. He is 6'1 and has a moderately lanky frame and a ponytail. His favorite color is green and dresses as such.

Abstract: The Curious Librarian

Background:

Even as the fifth son of a well-to-do goldsmith, Adrien had always had a fascination with epics and heroes from ancient legends when he was young. When he was sixteen, his decision to be apprenticed to a priest to learn medicine and history was met with little resistance from his father, who already had four heirs to his own position. After a few years under the priest's tutelage, Adrien worked in a harbor as an accountant, in a college as a professor of ancient Relnish literature, and even did a brief stint in the military as a barber-surgeon before finally settling down and becoming the librarian of a certain military college for young officers. Adrien felt a little pained when summoned to the Tower of Truths, since he much prefers enjoying ready-to-read books than writing down endless bits and pieces of academic wish

Played By:@BingTheWing

Compendium Information

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Guidelines for Posting Articles

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1)Follow the formatting found below. Use the [color=steelblue] tag for references you would like to see others write about in your articles. The format is for readability, organization and to save me the headache of keeping things in order.
2) Make no more than 4 references in your article posts.
3)Do not consecutively post articles using references that you created. For example, you write an article about Gargoyles. In the Gargoyle article you reference a stonemason named Teddy Roosevelt. Your next article cannot be about Teddy (or any of the other references you made in the Gargoyle article).

Formatting Compendium Articles

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Please stick to the proper format for your Compendium Articles. Here are some guidelines to keep things organized:

Cheat Sheet

[h3]Name of Article[/h3]

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<<<don't forget the line break
[b]Sub-Category[/b]
Main Text-Be sure to use [color=steelblue][/color] for articles you want others to write about.

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Another line break
[b]Name of Article Again[/b]
[i]Your character name[/i]
[i]Any other info about where the article is published, written or stored[/i]

Completed Articles & Author:

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Unclaimed Articles:

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Below are unclaimed articles. Feel free to pick one and start writing or make something up from scratch! Next to some articles are notes that further explain the article. I only ask that you keep with the medieval-to early renaissance setting. Check back for updates as the RP progresses.

Artifacts
Durin's Legacy, shield crafted with anomic light
Dragonfire Armaments

Books & Tomes
History of War and the Follies of Man- Slings and Stones to Arrows and Bows By Charles D'Hartbourg
"Prison Journals" memoir by Telabar the Liar
The Scripture of the Seven Souls

Cities, Locations, Kingdoms
Abandoned Continent, the geography
Calpasia, Kingdom of, desert kingdom
The Convent of the Seven Souls monastery
Descaren Sea,The connects to Pelmar's Lake
Emberhold city
Fountain of Light,Theanomic font
The Pabashaw Outlands geography
Pelmar's Lake location
Red Queen's Forest on the Abandoned Continent
Relnish Heartland geography
Rhiordan, Kingdom of geography
Sleeper's Spine Mountain Range,The
The Tower of Truths location
Valsyian Wildson the other side of the Sleepers Spine Mts.

Eras of History
Era of the Warlords (Reln)
Great Civil War, the Kingdom of Reln

Events
The Resurgence of Dragons
The Disappearance of the Druids
The Second Diamond War involving King Brogg the Clever
War of the Leprechauns

Factions & Organizations
"The Breath" followers of dragons
Chained Ones, the Relnish Warriors in the time of Haldisfar
Druids

Flora
Many-Eyed Oakstree

Geographical Features
Druid's Grove

Gods & Goddesses
Mogaes Diety of Death, the 4th soul
Ignaes Diety of Magic

Important Figures
Alem of Reln, King Historical Figure
Arrenna Tabithar Mother of Telabar the Liar
Brogg the Clever, King former king of the Relnish Heartland
Durin al-Ifah, alchemist, supposedly killed by a Marid
Haldisfar,Emperor former king of Reln?
Inchwood, Harold Famous Relnish Architect,father of Telabar the Liar
Kallar,King Leprechaun King
Prescur III The High Wick of Ignaes
Tar Un Dun Ban stone-troll leader of the Chained Ones
Telabar the Liar scholar, debunked
Titus, St. Saint in the Convent of Seven Souls

Monsters & Creatures (Greater)
Spirits some sort of ghost (see Red Queen)
Therianthrope, shape shifting creature of some sort
Jinn, Monsters in the Calpasian desert
Marid, particularly nasty type of Jinn
Trolls stone trolls...other types
Leprechauns

Monsters & Creatures (Lesser)
Were-rabbits

Races
Sky Elves Mythic? race of elves atop the Sleepers Spine Mountain Range

Misc.
The Valiant Emperor Haldisfar's Ship
Sign of Ignaes

[Polybius]

Reserving

[Polybius]

Anomic Light

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(Arcane Anomaly)

For centuries the rippling energy we now call 'Anomic Light' or simply anomes, has baffled scholars and students of the Arcane. Often sighted in both the sky, and beneath flowing water, anomic light most often appears at the end of the rainy season in the Relnish Heartland. The dubious scholar, Telabar the Liar has described the appearance of Anomic Light as quote:

"...leftover stuff from the Gods, when they do things."
-Comments on Weird Things That Happen, Rhiordan Civil Press by Telabar Omsford

Of course Telabar's work should be taken with a grain of salt, considering his condemnation as a liar and eventual exile from the Kingdom of Rhiordan. But it was Telabar's book, Comments on... that first encouraged the Arcane community to begin researching anomic light. In the past 500 years great progress and understanding of the anomaly has occured.

Take for instance the mad alchemist Durin al-Ifah. Some 300 years ago, Durin suggested that anomic light might be 'trapped' or 'enchanted into a piece of armor. In this way, the wearer of such vestments might better be able to defend against the devilish Jinn that plague the desert land of Calpasia.

Before his untimely demise at the hands (claws?) of a demon Marid, Durin al-Ifah successfuly enchanted a shield with the power of anomic light. The shield of Durin's Legacy has been lost to the ages, but various Calpasian scholars, claim to have seen the artifact.

Anomic Light still eludes scholars and researchers to this day. It should be noted that the Church of Ignaes specifically banned the study and use of anomic light for some twenty-five years, during the reign of King Brogg the Clever, claiming that Ignaes, the god of Magic had deemed the stuff 'too powerful' for mere mortals to meddle with.

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Anomic Light
By Jacob Jacobson,
Royal Library, Kingdom of Reln

[Voltin]

Druids

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(Magic/People)

Seeing as my penance within this Tower is due to the tumultuous cataclysms which are befalling the land, I figured the first topic with which to begin my books with are the matter of druids.

...through their foul, supernatural workings and glib avoidance of our laws, I here-forth grant our zealous executioners way with the vile druids...
Proclamation of Heresy,
The High Wick of Ignaes, Prescur III. Circa XXXX

Even during my isolated upbringing high on the un-scalable peaks of Mount Quos did I hear about the Keepers from the Sky; those said to maintain the balance of the Earth's humors, just as some Calpasian physician might. A people who are strictly secretive of all their matters, they have also been proclaimed as heretics by Ignaes' church for the strange magic and rituals they are said to have conducted.

This proclamation, however, has been long since forgotten by the common people as you may have noticed my past tense; the druids have seemingly disappeared. No longer were children abducted from their homes. No longer were infrequently used roads a source of paranoia nor the doubt that the wolf in front of you truly was a wolf¹. No longer has a new Grove been discovered...

Though, as previously stated, secretive, some information has been gleamed about the druids through the ages. Their organization is loose, yet singular; pockets are said to be scattered throughout the world, yet recorded information from discovered Groves -- such as regional weather and soil fertility -- match, with nary an indescrepency between such information.

The magic they are said to have worked is also believed to be a separate category than those permitted by Ignaes and his church, hence the old Wick's declaration. However, I myself have heard little on this magic's exact nature except that it granted control over form; both of one's self and the land itself.

¹Though therianthropes have been documented throughout the ages -- and recently have rose to prominence -- their skinchanging should not be confused for a druid's thorough transformations; often resulting in some hybrid of creature and man.

Records of a Trapped Man
by Deles Tro, the Traveler

[Catchphrase]

Reserved because I screwed up

[Bluetommy]

On the Works of Telabar the Liar

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(Important Figures)

M

any consider the works of Telabar the Liar worthless after the discovery of his biased opinion and many tales inserted in the place of historical fact, however, despite their many inaccuracies, they are still valid sources to take from.

Consider the case of King Brogg The Clever, for years it had been believed that Brogg lost a hand fighting in The Second Diamond War, but Telabar's first hand account, discovered long after Brogg's death described him as having both hands in an (No pun intended) off-hand statement while describing how worthless he was in his old age.

While it is true that Telabar did tell many lies in his accounts, these accounts were, as is oft forgotten, first-hand accounts, and the large amount of those in the scholarly community that dismiss his works simply on a matter of principle should be ashamed, as a scholar's one and only job is to present the truth, no matter how unethical.

(A few pages later)

Telabar the Liar was born in Reln, though he would later claim to have been born in the home of a druid, despite heavy evidence showing otherwise. Telabar was born a street urchin by the name of Lucas Inchwood, presumably to one Arrenna Tabithar and her husband Harold Inchwood, an architect favored by the nobility of Reln. He would later claim descent from the royal family, which was undoubtedly false, but considering the fact that Reln was founded near solely of cadet branches of the royal family, it may not have been so false as it seemed.

Telabar first began his life as an artist, a wholly unsuccessful one, considering his poor motor skills and worse perspective, he would draw multiple self portraits during this phase of his life.

"Self portrait in Home", Pencil on papyrus. [+]

After spending a time as a painter, Telabar then began his infamous writings, in which he inserted himself into historical events, falsified events, and defamed kings. These writings were quickly discovered by one of the royal family, who imprisoned him for a time, burning most of his earliest writings, which are now believed to have been much tamer than his later work.

It was around this time that Telabar dropped his birth name, instead favoring the one of his own creation.

After a decade imprisoned, where he compiled his "Prison Journals", he was released due to his father's intervention. Telabar returned to his writing, creating very scathing accounts of the royal family, and wars that he had not even bore witness to. As a result, he spent many years in and out of prison, until finally he died at the age of thirty six of unknown causes, his writings were later taken by a friend who published them, writing copies out by hand and distributing them in secret. He made hundreds, and Telabar's accounts became a standard in any library.

History of War and the Follies of Man- Slings and Stones to Arrows and Bows - Chapter One of A Collection of Unfinished Works
Charles D'Hartbourg
Estate of Charles D'Hartbourg, Tower of Truths

[Catchphrase]

Pelmar's Lake

Location
Ah yes, Pelmar's Lake. Let us begin with how it is today. It is a relatively large lake, full of the wreckage of the old ship Pelmar, for which the lake gets its name, as well as many other ships that fought on the lake for Emperor Haldisfar's amusement. The Emperor once ruled most of this land, until the day of his death, right on the very lake itself. The reason he died, well, that is because of the ship Pelmar, who sunk the Emperors own ship, The Valiant, in a contest. Costing both ships their crew.

You see, the Emperor had a fascination with ships, building them, sailing them, and destroying them. He made the lake with funds that he acquired in his war against leprechauns which lasted many years, till his armies were victorious. After the battle, he had his best engineers design and build the lake, with water coming in from the Descaren Sea which used to be bigger at the time. After it was filled up, they were still in need of a name, so, the Emperor decided to hold a contest. Anyone who wished to name the lake, may enter into the contest with their own ship and crew, the winner would be whichever ship was last floating on the lake. Over a hundred ships were entered, with the total number of crew from all ships being in the thousands, most of which belonged to the Emperor's own ships. Which leads us to the Pelmar.

The Pelmar was a small ship, no bigger than two longboats tied end to end, and as about as wide as two lashed side by side. It was built, and crewed, by twelve men, Thomas Dunn, William Jones, Henry Hopk, Barry Tills, Hu Man, Wo Man, Gerry Gells, Lokar Betl, James Jameson, Bill Billson, Harry Hatg and Killar Narm. These men and women were completely unknown to anyone, and despite there being twelve names on the roster, on six were ever seen at one time. It was an entire year after the contest was announced that it finally took place, with the Emperor man in his own ship, and the Pelmar being manned by six people. After the contest started, the crew of the Pelmar suddenly doubled, and became much shorter. It turned out to be a trick! The crew of the Pepmar were none other, than King Kallar, Leader of the leprechauns and his most trusted bodyguards.

Towards the end of their war, they escaped to take revenge later. Now was their time. As soon as they revealed themselves, they used their magic to set the Emperor's ship alight, as well as their own, and rammed each other, until on the final ram, both ships cracked in half and sunk to the bottom. With the Emperor dead, and no one willing to admit that a leprechaun had done it, The Great Civil War broke out. But, everyone decided that the lake should be named after the Pelmar, and so, Pelmar's Lake was born.

And thus, a new era was born, as well as a lake.

Pelmar's Lake
Hard To Believe Tales
by Lupus Krus.

[Eirene]

On Binding the Seventh Soul

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(Arcane/Religious History)

The Seven Souls, the heptalogy of scripture beloved to those who follow the way of the Gods and Goddesses, are scarce to be found outside of a temple or a convent. The wealth of materials needed to create the First to Sixth Soul are rare, and in short supply in Rein. However, the Seventh Soul, the book devoted to the teachings of Ignaes, Deity of Magic, is the most formidable to create of all, requiring immense resources and strength of body and spirit.

The Convent of the Seven Souls devotes their lives and resources to the creation of the The Seven Souls, devoting upwards of three years for the creation of the Seventh. A herd of 100 sheep and 25 spring calves are slaughtered over this period, to provide the vellum, parchment, and soft leather. The ink, a characteristic deep red, is made from the oak apples of the Many-Eyed Oaks, whose gnarls watch forest travelers as if possessing sentience. The second ink ingredient must be blood of a beast possessing magic - a sacrifice to Ignaes in return for his teachings. Earlier in history, the blood of Druids or Leprechauns were sought out for their potency, but the current Abbess of the Convent has had trouble stomaching the task. It has been twenty years since the last group of nuns have been sent to procure a sacrifice of this type and the art of the hunt is becoming lost. Now, the wisdom, litany and prayers to Ignaes are written with the blood of were-rabbits, a second-rate sacrifice that some believe have angered Ignaes.

The last step is the binding and the branding. The bound book is submerged in the Fountain of Light, a known source of Anomic Light deep in Sleeper's Spine Mountain Range, north of Rein. The Fountain of Light, said to be the tears of Ignaes himself, and thus both bitter and healing, cures the glue and sets the ink, yielding a nearly complete Seventh Soul. Historically, the Fountain of Light was forgone, especially during the rein of King Brogg the Clever, though the books produced during this period have faded and torn, while those created using the methods of old have withstood time. The last step is the branding process, necessary to mark the book as belonging to Ignaes. The same iron used to mark the wrists of Convent Initiates with the Sign of Igneas, is used on the cover of the Seventh Soul. The book, complete at last, is escorted to its final destination, which could be any temple or convent in Rein or the surrounding region.

The Binding the Seven Souls
by Sister Cordelle of Exeter

[Voltin]

Dragons

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(Creatures)

Moving on from my previous discussion of Druids, yet still pertaining to the cause of the current Cataclysm; Dragons. They were beasts long thought to be extinct centuries before man ever had its first lucid thought. From the few skeletal remains that we have found, a few things have been deduced.

One, they appeared to have been hierarchical by nature, but not in the same way humans are. Rather than a societal, divine right that appoints our rulers, dragons appear to have been biologically chosen. The largest of the dragons -- both from sheer mass, as well as the broadness of their chests -- seem to have been given certain "rights" by the smallest of the horde¹. More riches, a larger selection of mates, etc... However, these privileges do not seem to have been hereditary. In fact, from what evidence that has been garnered on the matter, it appears the broad-chested dragons are incapable of having young like themselves. Whether these larger dragons were simply just a mutation, or part of some grander design is still a mystery.

Second, the dragons appear to have been gifted magically. While there was no way to determine this simply from their remains, places where they have been found also contained powerful artifacts. Dragonfire Armaments. These unwieldy devices have proven bizarre to human standards, and many of their exact uses have proven so esoteric as to stump even the most genius of artificer and scholar. How do we know of their power then, exactly? Well, one has been successfully activated, and as much has led to the Abandoned Continent's creation...

Lastly, and perhaps the hardest fact to believe, they still live. Not only are there records of bones being just as old, if not younger, as humanity as a whole, but recently, they've been making appearances; a fact I would not for the life of me believe had I not seen one with my own two eyes. They live, and are highly aggressive. They are not here to parlay (though it begs the question if they can even understand us, let alone us to them). I have seen one thoroughly wipe out a standing army of over a thousand men without batting a lash and barely got away with my own skin. Though, with such power, this supposits the question: what are they doing here?

With this recent "Resurgence of Dragons", there has also been an increasing amount of heretics; those who believe the dragons to be the children of Ignaes himself. They have somehow come upon the belief that these dragons are the true inheritors of the Earth, and that humans and their kin are nothing more than upstart impostors. They call themselves "The Breath", and while a majority of them have proven docile, they are definitely not friendly, or working in the best interests of humanity.

¹Hoard being the term used for a group; much as one would say "school" for fish.

Records of a Trapped Man
by Deles Tro, the Traveler

[Polybius]

The Sleeper's Spine Mountains

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(Geography)

Brief Historical Summary

For generations, the Sleepers-Spine Mountain Range or simply 'The Spine' has captured the imaginations of mankind. A short journey north of the Relnish Heartland, the mountains remain a source of mystery and ritual for many. The mountains are divided into three distinct ranges and elevations, the oldest and most sacred , The Fingers of St. Titus, hold the immensely important Fountain of Light, a holy site crucial to the binding & branding ritual of the The Convent of the Seven Souls.

Legend tells of the mythic Sky Elves and their cloud cities atop The Spine during the reign of Emperor Haldisfar. The ruins of those cloud-city towers can still be seen on clear, cloudless days as far away as The Kingdom of Rhiordan, appearing as the bony spine of some slumbering monster, giving the mountains their current name. In the time of Emperor Haldisfar he used this imposing appearance to dissuade followers of Great Ignaes from travelling into the mountains. Many modern scholars now associate this 'shunning' of the mountains with the appearance of Stone Trolls some 800 years ago.

It is well recorded in the histories of Reln that Haldisfar died, not on Pelmar's Lake in some mock-naval battle of whimsy, (as is a popular tale among bards of the land) but rather on the field of battle, defending the immensely important Fountain of Light from the horde of Stone Trolls that emerged from the Valsyian Wilds on the northern side of the mountains. Whatever the case, both the Stone Trolls (although in considerably decreased numbers¹), the various offshoots of that vile creature and the Fountain of Light still exist to this day.

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The Sleepers Spine Mountains
..excerpt from 'Updated & Annotated Geography & History of the Kingdoms of Man' by Brother Rufus Crowler, Vol. 37
Royal Library, Kingdom of Reln

¹Royal Rangers Report, Sleepers-Spine Mountain Range, St. Titus Fingers Area, Master Ranger Toma Valsoon yr.XXXX

[Bluetommy]

Emperor Haldisfar of ancient Reln

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(Important Figures)

A

ncient Reln was a very different place than the chivalrous and beautiful Reln we know now, a man was valued for his mettle in combat instead of for the person who he was, emotions were suppressed, and men raised to positions of power based solely upon their skill in combat.

Haldisfar was an excellent warrior.

Haldisfar was a brilliant strategist.

And Haldisfar was completely mad.

Haldisfar was born into the lowest caste of Relnish society, as a thrall, but not a housework thrall or a slave for unsavory pleasures, but as a member of the famous Relnish Chained Ones, heavily armored soldiers who wielded heavy flails attached to their bound wrists. Especially strong Chained Ones were given more links to their chain, allowing them to serve as exceptional mid range combatants.

The leader of these chained ones was the Stone Troll Tar Un Dun Ban, who was large enough and strong enough to wield a flail about the size of his abdomen. Tar Un proved himself strong enough to break down castle drawbridges by himself.

Haldisfar sunk a fleet.

After quite a bit of time in the Chained Ones, Haldisfar had quite a long chain, so long that he was able to wrap enemies swords within it and then bludgeon them to death with the metal ball. When a fleet from an enemy kingdom attacked, he chained himself to a few other Chained Ones, before breaking their shackles, allowing him to wield their chains as if they were his own. Haldisfar then proceeded to throw the chains one flail at a time into the enemy ships, sinking the enemy fleet all by himself.

Well, it is doubtful that this actually happened, judging by the large gap between our time and his, and the fact that the enemy fleet has never been identified as coming from one single kingdom. And, well, the feat is practically impossible for human hands.

Whatever the case, Haldisfar proved himself on several occasions, entering the emperor's court as a bodyguard.

Due to the fact that succession was only nominally from father to son in those days, often the only way of securing a place on the royal throne was to kill the emperor. Which Haldisfar did, proclaiming himself as emperor, jumping from the lowest portion of the social ladder to the highest in one fell swoop. This led to a short civil war, which Haldisfar and the Chained Ones easily crushed.

Haldisfar ruled for a decade, during which he had multiple battles fought simply for his own enjoyment. He was no less insane to those who knew him, his wife describing him as;
"A blood warrior, a battle hungry grasper, mad beyond his wits and gaudy in his royal robes." ^[1]

One famous anecdote had Haldisfar informed of his son's death, but instead of allowing the servant to say the words, he had to act them out for Haldisfar's amusement. This led to Haldisfar assuming the servant was planning to assassinate him, so he had the man executed as was common in those days, thrown into an arena with Trolls and animals.

As a result of his madness, rebellions sprouted from across Haldisfar's empire, leading to the fracturing of old Reln, and the beginning of the Era of Warlords.

^[1]Though the Lady consort was not the picture of sanity either, often dressing in odd clothes and taking her servant girls to bed instead of her husband

History of War and the Follies of Man- Slings and Stones to Arrows and Bows - Chapter One of A Collection of Unfinished Works
Charles D'Hartbourg
Estate of Charles D'Hartbourg, Tower of Truths

[Voltin]

The Red Queen

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(Historical Figure)

Having expunged upon possible causes for the Cataclysm, I thought I would move on to a popular tale here within Reln; "The Red Queen".

"The moon, the moon, the chained moon. The red, the red, the red rivulets. Can you hear it? The dragging. The scrapping. She comes, ready for your blood. She's mad; she won't listen to your pleas. She'll cackle, all the while, as the bone atop your brain is crushed all the same. She wants it, you know; your blood. It's her nectar, the one thing to keep her eternally young. So she'll come, arms limp behind her, dragging her chained moon; ready to strike while you're away, away from your mother's embrace; the comforts of the hearth. So children, if you ever see the moon -- the red orbulette so far above in the clouds -- run, run as fast as you can to your mother's arms, for she can be the only one to save you from the Red Queen's embrace..."

-from the Compendium of Relnish Oral Traditions
by Scholar Ibiz Arlock

Childhood tales aside, the Red Queen is an enigma in the history books, yet a mystery which has been partially solved if not only through hearsay and half-true rumors.

First off, I'll address why she is such a shadow on Reln's history. A woman believed to be the lover of the old Emperor Haldisfar, and mirroring many of his characteristics: the madness; her status as a chained one with a chain said to be long enough to have bound the moon; her ardent belief in Mogaes, the God of Death, whose teachings are held within the Fourth Soul; as well as her lust for battle. The last of these, had been her downfall, as she was the last general to wage war on the Abandoned Continent; the Dragon Armament there wiping any and all from living memory as well as written record.

So how do we know of her existence as an actual figure, you may be asking. Tales, for as little truth as can be found in them, were not altered as history texts had, nor were they stricken from memory. And spirits, they are seemingly not affected as they spend the rest of their eternity acting out the last moments of their lives. One such site where a mass of such beings can be found is one of the few distinguishable landmarks left on the Abandoned Continent, the Red Queen's Forest; a place where the spirits reside within the Many-Eyed Oak Trees of the woods. The dead soldiers there still whisper, still play out the slaughter that had taken place amongst the trees.

Wherever the scarce information may come, the Red Queen is always associated with this primal fear, as she is now a terror without face or factual knowledge; just tales of dead men and those we still tell our children at night.

Records of a Trapped Man
by Deles Tro, the Traveler