Harqual: Year of the Return [749 N.C.]

Knightfall · Oct 11, 2006

Week Seven

4. Moonsday
Event: Spring Equinox – first official day of Springdawn.

7. Seaday
In Ilasi, the Avion-Onaway garrison project is started. Sir William Sicorex is responsible for the city’s defense by sea, and Governor Waldgrave is responsible for the city’s defense by land.

Knightfall · Oct 11, 2006

Week Eight

10. Moonsday
Taith-El arrives at Milo and petitions to speak to the High Thane. His request is refused and he is ordered to leave the kingdom of the dwarves. Dejected, Taith-El leaves the city of Milo, heading for the capital city of Fruen in the Kingdom of Thallin.

11. Earthday
A small band of tabaxi attacks Ilasi again but is quickly repelled by the new garrison’s forces. However, several of the builders working on the new garrison are either killed or taken as slaves.

Knightfall · Oct 11, 2006

Week Nine

17. Earthday
The tabaxi raid the southeastern coast of the Storm Peninsula, attacking both the city of Hutmallia and the city of Tallawan. They capture hundreds of humans, halflings, and elves during the raid, taking them back into their jungle home to become slaves. The lucky ones are sacrificed.

20. Windday
Taith-El arrives in the small halfling community of Barrow’s Field. He tells their elders of the dream he had and they see the wisdom of his words. Truly the Lord of the North has touched this young barbarian-priest. The community’s elders suggest that Taith-El go to the Kingdom of the Silver Leaves before visiting the Eastern Shores. Several younger halflings pledge to go with Taith-El to help prepare Harqual against the tabaxi.

21. Starday
The tabaxi raid several small communities on the northwestern coast of the Storm Jungle. Dozens of isolated communities are destroyed, the inhabitants bound in chains and irons and dragged into the jungles by the hundreds. The smoke from the burning communities can be seen for hundreds of miles to the north.

Knightfall · Oct 11, 2006

Week Ten

22. Moonsday
Taith-El leaves Barrow’s Field with eight halfling companions that have decided to dedicate themselves to him. Taith-El leads them towards the Kingdom of the Silver Leaves.

25. Seaday
Event: The first real warm weather in the lands of Northern Harqual. Temperatures rise to 10° Celsius (50° Fahrenheit) or higher during the day and -2° Celsius (28.4° Fahrenheit) or higher during the night.

First major thaw of Northern Harqual’s lakes and rivers. The ice on many lakes south of the Greystone Mountains becomes too fragile to withstand any substantial weight.
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In Ilasi, the first permanent structures of the garrison are completed just in time to repel a huge tabaxi invasion force. Loses are minimum but Governor Waldgrave worries that the next force will overpower her soldiers.

27. Starday
Taith-El and his halfling followers arrive in Silverleaf, the Elven Capital City of the Kingdom of the Silver Leaves. The barbarian-priest tells Menkhar Silversun, the High One of Silverleaf, of his god sent dream. The High One tells the young priest that he had heard rumors of a city appearing somewhere in the south. It must be the city of the tabaxi that Taith-El was warned of by Cronn. Silversun and Taith-El pray together in the Temple of Corellon together for the entire day, seeking the Elf God's consul.

Knightfall · Oct 11, 2006

Week Eleven

28. Moonsday
Event: Rain of Stone – Meteorite shower north of the Greystone Mountains.
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At dawn, both Menkhar Silversun and Taith-Elreceive the same warning from Corellon. Tu has returned and is once again planning to conquer Harqual for his people. Taith-El is warned not to go further south than Onaway by the Elf Lord. No reason is given for this but the barbarian-priest accepts it as the will of Cronn.

News spreads through the elven lands of this new threat. Hundreds of silver elves flock to Silverleaf to meet this favored soul of Cronn. Many of them pledge to follow him in his quest to warn Harqual.

Month of Sialic
Week Eleven (cont.)

1. Seaday
The southern communities of the Monarchy of Avion, closest to the Storm Jungle, remain on constant alert for more tabaxi activity. No word has come from the Aerie Holds, in the east, for weeks. The Queen worries that the city of Nasundria might be lost.

2. Windday
Menkhar Silversun contacts Lord LaMarche in Onaway to tell him of the tabaxi threat. He is shocked to learn that both Onaway and Avion have already had contact with the tabaxi.

Taith-El insists that he must go to Onaway and confer with Lord LaMarche. Dozens of silver elves go with him and his halfling followers.

Knightfall · Oct 11, 2006

Week Twelve

5. Earthday
Event: A comet appears, which is named Ptah’s Star by the priests of the Interloper God of Travelers.

6. Fireday
Event: First major thaw north of the Greystone Mountains. Snow and ice begins melting away anywhere south of the Cold Barrens.
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Avion and Onaway send two diplomatic envoys into the Storm Jungle to try to negotiate with the tabaxi.

8. Windday
The garrison at Ilasi is finally completed. Patrols along the edge of the Storm Jungle can find no trace of the tabaxi, yet several are lost in the first full day of deployment.

Knightfall · Oct 11, 2006

Week Thirteen

10. Moonsday
Event: Across Northern Harqual, temperatures rise to 15° Celsius (59° Fahrenheit) or above during the day and 6° Celsius (42.8° Fahrenheit) or above during the night. The lands of the Far South see a major rise in temperature to 20° Celsius (68° Fahrenheit) or above during the day and 18° Celsius (64.4° Fahrenheit) or above during the night.
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In Avion, Lady Felicia sends a rider with a message to the city of Nasundria.

12. Fireday
Taith-El and his followers arrive in Onaway and are immediately brought before Lord LaMarche. The barbarian-priest shares his dream, from Cronn, with Lord LaMarche. Taith-El also tells the Onan Lord that the envoys sent to the Storm Jungle will not come back. The tabaxi have sacrificed the two men to their evil god.

13. Seaday
Lord LaMarche contacts Lady Felicia in Avion through a sending and tells her of the barbarian-priest’s arrival and dream. She immediately sends an emissary to Onaway to meet with Taith-El. The emissary has passed through the magical portal near Eilendar, known as a Way of Stone, before the end of the day.

14. Windday
News of the barbarian-priest’s dream spreads through the populace of Onaway. The citizens start to panic and rioting breaks out in the city, as well as the community of Onaco, down the Sword Coast to the south.

15. Starday
Event: A week of warming weather has caused a rapid thawing of Northern Harqual’s major waterways. The waters of the Wind and Fire Rivers quickly flood over their banks. Several homesteads in Thallin, Minar, Anoria, and Izmer are washed away.

Little or no snow is left anywhere south of the Greystone Mountains, except in the many hills and uplands of the Northern Heartlands.
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In Onaway, Taith-El goes out amongst the populace of the city to calm them down. The charismatic priest preaches a steady hand and patient attitude and wins over many converts to Cronn’s faith. Many of the faithful start calling him Cronn’s Chosen. The local shrine to Cronn becomes a popular place to pray overnight. Unrest continues to be a problem in the community of Onaco, however.

Knightfall · Oct 11, 2006

Week Fourteen

17. Earthday
Lady Felicia’s emissary arrives in Onaway to meet with Taith-El. The barbarian-priest’s prophetic dream from Cronn accounts the destruction of Valora and if preparations aren’t made all of the Monarchy of Avion and the lands to the north as well.

The envoy asks Taith-El to come with him and meet Lady Felicia in Avion City. Taith-El tells him that cannot –- that Corellon warned him that he must not go any further south then Onaway or disaster will befall them all. Taith-El assures the envoy that he would be honored to meet with Avion’s Great Lady but it would have to be in Onaway.

18. Fireday
In Avion, Lady Felicia receives a disturbing package from the tabaxi, her envoy’s heart in a leather bag. She faints from the shock.
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In Onaway, the Queen’s emissary, heads for the Way near Onaco, to start his journey back to Avion in order to tell his Queen of his meeting with the charismatic barbarian-priest. Several of Taith-El’s loyal followers go with him, as an escort, and to spread Taith-El’s message to the populace of Onaco, to hopefully calm the community’s fears.

19. Seaday
Lady Felicia declares open warfare with the tabaxi of the Storm Jungle. (Lord LaMarche follows suit two days later.)

20. Windday
In Avion, Lady Felicia watches the horizon hopeful for any sign or message from her allies in Nasundria.

Knightfall · Oct 11, 2006

Week Fifteen

22. Moonsday
In Avion, Lady Felicia’s emissary arrives back from Onaway and recounts his meeting with Taith-El. To her surprise, the escort of followers proclaimed that they were sent to insure the Great Lady’s protection -– it was Taith-El’s will. They would stand by her side from now on as loyal guards of honor in Cronn’s name. Lady Felicia was touched by the barbarian-priest’s concern for her welfare and started to make plans to go to Onaway and meet this young man.

24. Fireday
Lady Felicia starts her journey to Onaway with a full escort of her soldiers and Taith-El’s followers Cronn’s Pride, as they now call themselves. By nightfall they are encamped around the Way of Eilendar.

26. Windday
Lady Felicia’s caravan is attack by a tabaxi war party and several of her closest advisors are killed. Several members of Cronn’s Pride die, heroically, protecting the Monarchy’s Queen, as they defend her passage through the Way of Eilendar.

Knightfall · Oct 11, 2006

Week Sixteen

28. Moonsday
Lady Felicia’s caravan arrives in Onaway in the early evening. She immediate goes to see Lord LaMarche and meet this barbarian-priest.

Lord LaMarche informs her, “Taith-El is currently preaching near the new Temple of Cronn being built where the Lord of the North’s shrine use to be. His devotion is unlike anything I have ever seen before.”

Intrigued, Lady Felicia goes in secret to the temple to listen to Taith-El preach the word of Cronn. She finds a barbaric, yet intelligent young man, quietly addressing Cronn’s new flock of followers. “He speaks with such conviction, such passion… I must meet him.”

The Lady of Avion walks through the crowd, stopping near the simply wooden beach that Taith-El was sitting on. Taith-El noticed the woman approach and stopped speaking to the crowd. He immediately knew who she was, through the power of his god, and knelt before her on the ground like Cronn had done with Mirella in the beginning. “Ask what you will of me, milady, I am your servant!”

Everyone present knew the words from the Legend of Creation and a murmur rose through the crowd. Lady Felicia was shocked –- no one knew she was one of Mirella’s faithful. Yet to address her in this fashion left no doubt in her mind that this young barbarian-priest was chosen by Cronn himself.

And she instantly knew the response she must give in return. “No Taith-El, your destiny is not with me but with the land that gave you life. You are its master and slave, you must guard it against those that would destroy it.”

With that she left him. So great was his sorrow that he could not serve the lady, tears streamed from his eyes too dampen the ground. And thus, a great place of power was created in homage to both Cronn and Mirella. The two would never meet again, as Lady Felicia returned to Avion that same day.

29. Earthday
The news of the tabaxi spreads out from the Onan Territories to the rest of the states of the Wild Plains, while rumors circulate through the Eastern Shores about trouble brewing in the southwest.