Creative Exercise: The Sovereign Dominion of Eyros

[Mouseferatu]

Okay, folks, since we're in the home stretch, I'm going to relax the rules a bit.

The requirement is now three posts before you can contribute again.

Hope that makes things easier.

 

[Rystil Arden]

Contribution:

Up until recently, when the Nistadeeni fleet has allowed them to become an expansionist kingdom, Eyros ignored them as a backwards lot of forest-dwelling elves. Nistadeeni land may be lush and verdant, a throwback to their older nature-worship, but it is not very desirable for common agricultural uses, nor is it an ideal fighting ground for Eyros's army, used to the vast open spaces of their homeland. Currently, some Eyrians, particularly House Zhal members who can't stand the idea of an elven nation, have begun to regret that Eyros didn't simply destroy the tribes of Nistadeen before they solidified into a kingdom and became powerful.

 

[Sarellion]

@Arkhandus
Your post about the Grafen in Saagersberg sounded very good. Do you want to contribute it?

Contribution:
The Grand Marshal Zhavarus dal Zhal led 6 legions into Nistadeen 1600 years ago. They established garrisons to pacify the land and tried to subjugate the the popluation. Then he tried to pacify the elves of the inner woods. The battle of the silver forest is still one of the most embarassing defeats the empire suffered, being second only to the defeat of New Haven. It is said that the grand monarch went insane after hearing of the lost battle, running around in the palace, screaming "Zhavarus, bring back my legions!"
The remaining garrisons were hit by guerilla tactics and a wasting disease. After this defeat every other force attempting to colonize the lands of Nistadeen was struck with this disease, called Valjins Curse. Every time the empire considered to invade this worthless stretch of forests, there were some other pressing matters coming up, like the war of crumbled pillars, a xalerian or indraccan invasion or other civil strife.

 

[Rystil Arden]

Great post on battle in Nistadeen! I was actually going to write up something very similar for my next contribution, but yours already does the job admirably.

 

[Rhialto]

There were other reasons for the nations of Xaleris and Indracca's tendencies to invade whenever it looked like the Eyrosians were poised to conquer Nistadeen--aside from a desire to keep a thorn in the side of their common enemy, Nistadeen was a valuable route around the Eyros hegemony, allowing Xal and Indraccan to trade freely, away from the prying eyes of Praes Thanatos. Further, the decadent cultures found the trade in the addictive hatza nuts and yol blossoms that grew in abundance in Nistadeen's woods to be a great draw. With the elves acting as middlemen, Nistadeen's beginnings as a mercantile power were sown. In the kingdom's early years, the Xal and Indraccan often lent it quiet support--advice in war, military training, and advanced weapontry.

While relations are no longer as cordial as they were, the three nations remain in what Senator Maarius calls "a quiet triple alliance, dedicated to our overthrow, so that if an Eyrosian legionarre kills an Indraccan in a barfight, it's increased piracy in the Isles of Grief, and double prices on foreign luxuries those damned pointy-ears bring in."

 

[Sarellion]

Thanks, I ripped a little bit from history. I thought of Varus defeat in Germania during the reign of Augustus that stopped roman expansion into Germania. Augustus said something like this when he heard of the defeat, but I am not sure if the translation is correct.

A question: Do we want to keep the stuff about the imperial oath, Tellas, Aelkadas spell and so deliberately vague? Some ideas about them them jump around in my mind but not sure how we want to handle this.

@Rhialto

Great post. It explains the rise of Nistadeen as a mercantile power and the senator´s saying is very funny.

It´s the isles of grief or do you mean different islands?

 

[Rhialto]

Thank you. And I changed it, immediately.

Also, allow me to state that history is the best place to steal stuff from. So many neat stories...

 

[Rystil Arden]

Thanks, I ripped a little bit from history. I thought of Varus defeat in Germania during the reign of Augustus that stopped roman expansion into Germania. Augustus said something like this when he heard of the defeat, but I am not sure if the translation is correct.

A question: Do we want to keep the stuff about the imperial oath, Tellas, Aelkadas spell and so deliberately vague? Some ideas about them them jump around in my mind but not sure how we want to handle this.

@Rhialto

Great post. It explains the rise of Nistadeen as a mercantile power and the senator´s saying is very funny.

It´s the isles of grief or do you mean different islands?

I agree that its probably best to keep some of this vague. These areas are so mysterious that it is nice to leave the final mystery up to the DM. That said, if we were to flesh some of them out in an interesting way, that could also work too.

 

[Arkhandus]

My post about the grafen in Saagersberg was a contribution. The post explaining what types of graf were which, was not a contribution, just a clarification.

 

[Khorod]

I like the idea of sidebars, sideboxes, and the like including some details for how a GM might flesh out such mysteries. That way its not canon, but there's still suggestions about what to do with it.

This is the last of my long-waiting contributions. Its just such an example of something that should probably be an aside from canon material.

New Contribution:

Pillar Mulcibe has any ancient stash of treasure passed down since the conquest of the Elven realm. This treasure has been stolen and recovered on several occasions. Some has been sold to get through tough times, and some has not withstood the ravages of the years. In this treasure is the Ven Loqandis. This gold-bladed sword was created by the leader of the Elves to strengthen his hand picked warrior-a champion, bodyguard, and personal agent.

No one knew that amongst its magics was a tremendously complicated geas that the Elven Archmage had layered into the magic- enchantments of loyalty to himself and the Elven people, requirements to fix certain problems. Amongst these were a series of directives about what to do if the People were conquered...

This sword has been carefully locked up and forgotten for the last four centuries. For all who hold it for longer than an hour (at night) begin to go mad. Also amongst the sword's many enchantments were the means for the swordbearer and the Archmage to communicate. It was determined by sages those centuries ago that to hold the sword connected one's mind to spirits of the dead, and thus to madness.

The Jagged Eye's most talented seers always strive to discover weapons of the past, and recently they came across this sword. Typical of seers, they had few details, and those few they had were misunderstood. They thought the sword had been designed to empower those who sought the destruction of Elven enemies. That is at best an incomplete understanding of the blade.

Sending out a team to collect the sword, the Jagged Eye operatives manipulated a scion of Mulcibe to go and get the weapon and bring it to them in the night. Unfortunately, the team had been suitably overcautious, and it was not easy for the young man to reach them. In fact, despite their manipulations it took well over an hour. At his arrival he was dark eyed and raving with madness. Sword in hand and blazing with dark energy he struck down all before him. In the wake of their passage, the spirit world quietened, and he found peace for the rest of the night.

Athad Ren-Oliir Dal'Mulcibe cried for a short time, shuddering at the memory of the madness. He quickly made way to the home of his uncle, the best loremaster of his branch of the Pillar. Telling his Uncle what had happened, he was given a charm that would strengthen the defenses of mind and spirit and acclaimed the next day for his heroic victory over the Jagged Eye.

Two days later the charm began to fail, and on the third day he went mad and killed his sister. Rather quickly, peace returned to him. For again, in the wake of spirits' passage the voices of hell are silenced. This time, however, he made some sense of the voices. They were demanding things of him. The sword itself was demanding things of him. And in those demands was the promise that it would be easier -not like it was, but easier- if he obeyed.

Disappearing into the night, Athad entered the caves of the Crucible, stole a piece of blessed lavarock, and made his way across Eyros to the village of Oobrack. Without fail he went mad every four or five nights, until he realized that if he killed someone near the brink of his own mind's limits he could head it off. So far in his travels he has sought out bandits and prisoners. But how much longer will he be able to find such people? And as the madness stains his mind more and more... will he still be so discerning?

Roleplay Suggestion: This is an NPC/Plot Hook. However, it might also make an interesting solo game, where Athad is replaced by the PC. The PC gets captured by the Jagged Eye, psionically compelled to raid a well guarded Pillar treasurestore for a forgotten sword, and deal with the deleterious effects of the sword's magic and compulsions.