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

[Knightfall]

Okay, I had originally tried to post this information in a stroy hour format, but it would have been way to complex. What follows is a day by day, month by month accounting of the 749th year on the New Calendar, for the Lands of Harqual. Each post will detail the major events of the continent on a week by week basis. The first few posts will give the basics of how the various Calendars of Harqual are laid out, as well as the Calendars' histories.

This will be an ongoing project to help me better organize NPCs, Organizations, and the like for the continent. There will be some descriptive text, so the thread might read like a DM's journal mixed with a story hour. Most of the information is already written out, but I'll be adding tidbits here and there.

People are free to ask questions about the content of this thread.

Note that my current gaming group has already passed into the next year (750) on the New Calender, an thus this information is considered written history.

Cheers!

Knightfall1972

[Knightfall]

The Calendars of Harqual
There are three distinct calendars on Harqual. Each one is described below.

Gabriel Stonn and the New Calendar
The continent's most widely used calendar, The New Calendar, as it’s called, is Harqual's most important one. Two hundred and fifty two years after the end of the Divinity War, a man named Gabriel Stonn came to power in a city-state, called Araig, on the Jagged Peninsula on the eastern shore of Northern Harqual. Gabriel was the first man to have a vision of what Harqual’s future should be without also wanting to oppress its peoples.

He reformed Ariag’s failing political and justice systems and introduced widespread change throughout the city’s military to weed out corruption. He put the power of rule in the hands of the citizens of the city-state. Women and even those over the age of fifteen had the right to voice their opinion, although one still had to be at least eighteen to vote. It was a radical change that would reshape Harqual’s history in the region. It was this that brought about the creation of the New Calendar.

Stonn knew his growing kingdom, known then as The Kingdom of the Jagged Peninsula, needed a new calendar to track the seasons and the days. And since Gabriel was a humble man, he refused to name it after himself or the city-state he ruled. He would simply call it the New Calendar and be done with it.

The New Calendar spread through the lands of the eastern coast and eventually to the west and even to the Far South. Only the barbarians of the Northlands have never adopted it fully, as it is not in their nature to write things down. They simply track the passage of time the way they had since Cronn built the Hall of the Northlands. The barbarians of the Northlands do honor Gabriel Stonn for the pious life he lead and honor the celebrations and cycles of the calendar when visiting the southern lands beyond the Greystone Mountains.

As for Gabriel Stonn, the man ruled Araig and the kingdom that was built around it for his entire lifetime. At his death in 52 N.C., the city and the kingdom were both renamed Stonn in his honor by the people that had grown to love him. Stonn's kingdom still exists and is the oldest human kingdom on Harqual. (The silver elf kingdom, The Kingdom of the Silver Leaves, is the oldest.) Stonn’s birth is celebrated every 100 years from the 1st year after Gabriel’s death to the present. The next celebration is in three years.

The New Calendar follows a 12 months (365 days) per year cycle. Each month is broken down into roughly 4 weeks made up of 6 days per week. Each month is made up either 30 or 31 days. The year has 4 seasons that follow the same basic seasonal patterns of Earth – Springdawn, Summerfall, Autumnwind, and Winternight. Note that there isn't such a thing as 0 N.C., The New Calendar starts at 1. (The current year is 750 N.C.)

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The New Calendar, Jaeger, and the Honorbound
Jaeger’s death has great religious significance to all of the priests of the Pantheon of the North but none so much as his own. It was Jaeger that brought about the end of the Divinity War by sacrificing his life force and divine power, to the multiverse, to save all of Harqual from Hiisi’s evil.

His former clergy now call themselves the Honorbound and refer him to as Jaeger the Saint. As a result of Jaeger’s sacrifice a new, bright star was born in the heavens above Kulan called Jaeger’s Rest.

In honor of Jaeger’s death and sacrifice the second week of his month is celebrated by every faith in the Pantheon as the Time of Honorbound. Many treaties have been ratified and reworked during this week of celebration and remembrance.

This week is also when all the companies of Honorbound gather for the annual rites of passage for new members and to honor those of the company that have fallen over the last year. It is considered blasphemous to miss your companies gathering unless you are a prisoner of a military power that doesn’t worship the pantheon. All faiths of the pantheon will release a Honorbound to be at his gathering. This helps prevent vendettas and blood feuds between the faiths and independent companies.

The New Calendar and the Divine Children
Gabriel Stonn was a pious man and was true to the gods of the Pantheon of the North when so many others were not. He honored the gods by naming each of the months for one of the Divine Children that fell during the Divinity War against the Pantheon of Swords. Thus, the twelve months of the New Calendar are named Anon, Zealot, Sialic, Thorn, Truce, Hansa, Hela, Seraph, Nessus, Euphoria, Tulle, and Jaeger, in that order. (See below for more details on the structure of the New Calendar.) All, but three, of these Children were lost to total oblivion. Jaeger's legacy is noted above in the section on the Honorbound but more details are needed regarding Hansa and Hela.

Pronouncing the Different Names of the Months
Anon (eh-‘nän)       Truce (‘trüs)                     Nessus (‘nes-ahs)
Zealot (‘zel-eht)    Hansa (‘han(t)-sah, ‘hän-(,)zä)   Euphoria (you-‘for-ee-ah)
Sialic (si-‘al-ik)   Hela (‘hel-ah)                    Tulle (‘tül)	
Thorn (‘thό(eh)rn)   Seraph (‘ser-ehf)                 Jaeger (‘yeh-gar)

Hansa was buried under the earth during a battle with Hiisi’s godsons, Deltum and Enduma. It was the cat god Tu that sent Hansa spiraling down into ground forming what would become the Twilight Valley. To this day, he struggles to free himself from his underground prison, which causes seasonal earthquakes that plague Harqual. The third week of his month is known as The Shaking due to high number of quakes that occur during that time period. Clerics of Hansa gather in the Twilight Valley during this time to pay homage to their god.

Hela’s tragic tale, of Thera binding Hela's essence to the sea of the Sword Gulf so that the Peace Goddess could never rest, is honored during on the first day and last day of her month. Her clergy gather on the shores of the Sword Coast, on the first day, throwing peace blossoms into the sea and singing sad dirges for the release of their goddess. On the last day, they come again along with the faithful masses, this time in brightly colored clothes, to sing and dance and feast in Hela’s name, to bring the Peace Goddess love and merriment.

Also, when the violent storms of Autumnwind begin to break against the Sword Coast near Gillian and Avion, it is said they are the storms of Hela’s sorrow, raging to be free of her torment. This time is also sacred to her followers and to sailors of all faiths, up and down the Sword Coast.

[Knightfall]

The New Calendar and the Elements
The elements are also linked to Harqual’s calendar by way of the names of the days of the week and the moons of Kulan. The days in order of first to last are Moonsday, Earthday, Fireday, Seaday, Windday, and Starday. The four middle days are of course directly linked to each of the four Prime Elements - Air, Earth, Fire, and Water. (Other elements exist, such as the Para-Elements and the Element of Wood, but they aren’t linked to the New Calendar.)

Elementalists all across Harqual perform special rites and prayers, each week, on their associated day of the week. If this is not done, then the elementalist loses one spell level for the remainder of the week. If the rites are missed again the next week the elementalist incurs a –1 penalty when casting any spells from their Elemental School (this continues each week until the elementalist performs the rites on the proper day (this is cumulative, –2, –3, etc.).

The first and last day are also linked to the elements but hold less daily significance to elementalists.

Moonsday, of course, refers to Kulan’s two moons – Novan and Lithe. Novan is a Water World and is considered the source of power for Water and Air Elementalists. Lithe is a bare, mineral rich airless void that is considered the source of power for Earth Elementalists.

Starday is named for both the stars and Kulan’s sun. It is considered a special day for astronomers, especially during an eclipse or other celestial event (such as a comet). This day is also important to Fire Elementalists as it denotes the sun and the source of their power. Solar eclipses are considered ‘bad’ by these elementalists as this lessens their power for the duration of the eclipse [reduced by one level for 1d4+1 minutes before eclipse, full duration of eclipse (including partial), and 1d4-1 minutes after the eclipse].

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Calendar of Swords
Before the time of Gabriel Stonn and the calendar he created the only method of tracking the days and seasons of the years was by using the archaic Calendar of Swords designed by the Old Sword Imperium. The CoS, as it was abbreviated, was designed for recording historic and military achievements of the Imperium. It was never used to track the birth dates of the masses, festivals, or the changing seasons. The only birth dates ever recorded on the CoS were those of the King-Priests and a few of the more ambitious Dead Emperors.

Another problem with the calendar was that only a few individuals on Harqual knew how to decipher it. The CoS was written with strange archaic symbols that are still etched into the ziggurats. (The current year is 2460 CoS.)

The Third Calendar
The third calendar is not really a physical calendar at all. The abbreviation D.W. refers to the time that passed from the end of the Divinity War to the Year of the Dawn. Thus, it only spans from 1 D.W. to 1001 D.W. No one ever uses it to refer to events before or after these years and most never use it regardless.

This abbreviation only came into use after the tabaxi returned to Harqual in 749 N.C., the Year of the Return. After that had occurred, there was finally a way for scholars to note when the Divinity War actually ended and important D.W. dates are usually noted on The New Calendar. (The 1,001 years correspond to -253 N.C. to 748 N.C. Remember, there is no such thing as 0 N.C.)

[Knightfall]

Month of Anon
Week One

1. Fireday
The City of Tattenger reappears in the Storm Jungle after being trapped for 1,001 years on an unknown demiplane. Due to the thousands of years of barbarism mortals forgot the knowledge of the tabaxi’s banishment. They are only remembered as a strange legend told by older priests of the pantheon.
---
Elsewhere a young barbarian priest of Cronn, living in Twilight Valley, is shown the true nature of the threat of the tabaxi through dreams sent to him by the Lord of the North. The young priest tries to convince his elders of the truth. (He changes his name to Taith-El, meaning Teller of the Past.)

2. Seaday
Unable to sway the elders, Taith-El sets off on his journey through the snow and cold temperatures to warn the rest of the Lands of Harqual of the return of the tabaxi and hopefully prepare them for the wrath of Tu.

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Week Two

10. Starday
Taith-El leaves the Twilight Valley, heading southwest, up into the mountains, towards the cities of the dwarves of the Kingdom of the Greystones.

Week Three

14. Seaday
Event: The last major snowfall before the beginning of Springdawn. It blankets the Northlands and the Ragik Peninsula. This snow will likely only last until the end of next month.
---
Tabaxi soldiers attempt to lay siege to Anthmoor on the southern tip of the Storm Peninsula. The city’s defenders, including its powerful sorcerers, repel the tabaxi with ease.

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Week Four

18. Earthday
A tabaxi army moves up the River of Sa into the Monarchy of Avion, sacking the city-state of Valora, taking half its population as slaves.

Week Five

24. Earthday
In Avion, the city of Ilasi is attacked by the tabaxi. Several of the Monarchy’s Knights of Avion, dedicated to protecting their country, die repelling the assault.

27. Windday
Taith-El arrives at the village of Kartelormar on the edge of the Greystone Mountains and petitions to speak with the village’s Defender. His request is granted and he tells the Defender of the dream sent to him by Cronn.

The Defender is skeptical but ensures the young barbarian-priest that he will inform the local Thanes of the tabaxi threat. The Defender suggests that Taith-El continue on to the city of Milo to seek an audience with the High Thane of the Stone Fists and the High Priests of Moradin.

28. Starday
In Avion, the Queen, Lady Felicia Gerrard III, learns of the attack on her people in the south, through a sending spell cast by the city’s Governor, Francis Waldgrave.
---
In the Greystone Mountains, Taith-El continues his journey, now underground, heading for the capital of the Kingdom of the Greystones.

[Knightfall]

Week Six

29. Moonsday
The tabaxi attack the city of Ilasi again, nearly breaching the walls.
---
Lady Felicia Gerrard III, in Avion City, magically sends a message to an old ally in Onaway, Lord Than LaMarche, for aid after learning of the second assault on Ilasi from Governor Waldgrave.

LaMarche agrees to help Avion against this new threat.

30. Earthday
Lord LaMarche issues a sending to the commander of three warships, near Ilasi, Sir William Sicorex, which states the need of the citizens of the City of Ilasi against the tabaxi. Sicorex immediately turns his ships towards Ilasi, at full sail.

[Knightfall]

Month of Zealot
Week Six (cont.)

2. Windday
The Onan warships arrive at Ilasi and find the city under siege. The combined forces of Avion and Onaway quickly rout the tabaxi using excellent tactics and sorcery. The tabaxi retreat back into the Storm Jungle. Governor Waldgrave and the citizens of Ilasi greet Sir William Sicorex as a hero.

3. Starday
Lady Felicia Gerrard III suggests to Lord LaMarche (through a sending spell) that setting up a combined garrison at Ilasi would protect both of their nations. LaMarche agrees. He informs Sicorex through another sending that his warships are assigned to Ilasi until further notice.
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More tomorrow... time to go to sleep.

[Knightfall]

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.

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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.

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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]

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.
---
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.

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Week Eleven

28. Moonsday
Event: Rain of Stone – Meteorite shower north of the Greystone Mountains.
---
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]

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]

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.
---
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.
---
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]

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.
---
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]

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]

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.