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Dao Tyr – A Political Primer

Posted in Ancient Lands, Dinnae, Elves, Gavin Wel, Innien, Lands of the East, Niskantel, The Shadow Road on June 7, 2013 by coyoteandthunder

Click above to enlarge.

1164, in the seventh aepoch of the raelfaen.

Dinnae – Shadow city on the edge of the Fay Dark. The Court of the Black Orchid at the behest of the Queen of Shadow rules with grim and gothic solemnity from the Palace of Blood and Stars. The city population has grown to nearly half a million living souls in the past few years, and has become a major trade stop on the Lilthen Sea. One of the City’s many secrets is the use of undead labor in its industry, driving its economic growth.

Edorinn – The Sylvan nations of the Southern Sun. The City of Edorinn is an ancient metropolis of many thousand elves and eladrin, built on colossal, building like mushrooms. Swarming armies of elf-mounted, green drakes spring from roost to roost, ever vigilant of threats from the north.

Ethilistyr – The Dreamwater. Built on the ruins of the most fabulous of the first cities of DaoTyr, Khepathia, this land of men and fay exists as a rural sovereignty; wealthy from the plunder recovered from the deep and infinite ruins beneath its fertile farms, the Dreamwater also owns considerable arcane wealth from the real opening of the Shadow Road (a powerful vein of multiplanar magic) one hundred years ago.

Eyrolia – The Stone kingdoms of the North. Argon Meavoi, the King of Eyrolia, one of the stonekin, rules as a benevolent king over a vast, frozen land where strong men hunt caribou with the wolf and the raven.

Gavin Wel – If there is a cultural hub of Dao Tyr, it is Gavin Wel. Gavin Wel, governed by the so-called Council of Eagles, a cabal of druids, has prospered in recent years after many years of war and strife. Gavin Wel has marketed itself as a center of freedom and expression and because of it, has become an international magnet for all manner of artists, adventures and con men.

Gildensong – The lands of Wine. The great valleys of Gildensong are protected by ancient dragons who jealously protect those who have tended to these endless vineyards since the beginning of the fifth age, so many thousands of years ago.

Hyth Anir – The DragonKin empire of Lord Arnithol. The destruction of the city of Hyth Anir fifty years ago left a whole race of people angry, strife-ridden and homeless. The chronicles of Valenta Quoul records the recent history of this ruthless army on the move.

Mortileux – The land of the Dead. Ruled over by the dark king of the Blightlords, Volukai, holds grim court in a land of gray sand and black water.

Niskantel – The Copper City. The trademeet of the North. The Scarlet Sorceress, Ariathia, from the Tower of the Eye, permits a free market to all manner of economic activity on the streets, populated by almost a million people, so far under her stone tower.

Norwylnn – The Fay North. Wild Raelfaen, hunter and gather communities guard ancient libraries across tundra landscapes.

Purdjion – The wound in the world. The realm of Angels and Demons. From the bottom of the black crater, where a mortal to stand there, they would witness a font of heavenly angels cascading from a hole in the sky to then tirelessly meet a infinite well of demons bubbling up from a crack in the blistered earth. An ancient hold keeps this war from spilling out over the great geoscape.

Puriol – The first city of men. Mostly a hallowed ruin, only about ten thousand noble souls still call this ancient place home. The Navy of Puriol is still a potent armada, administering trade all the way to its namesake, Theriol, on the other side of the continent.

Sword Call – The seat of power in Eyrolia. The home of Meavoi. The ritual of EO, 75 years ago, occurred here, and marked the end of the six age of the world.

Tem Salaam – The most-ancient Raelfaen observatory. A place of fay magic that has remained in this place for over 50,000. The oldest power in the world, by far.

The Lilthen Sea – really a massive, freshwater lake.

The Red Tower – Seat of power in the Dragonkin kingdom of Hurthyric. After 100 years of war with the Kingdom of Theriol, the dragonborn people of Hurthyric are in a dire situation. Their goddess, Tiamat, has been vanquished and their emperor is missing.

The West Island – Ancient lands of the Silver Fay, druids of thunder and wilderness.

Thessany – The largest wilderness area in all of Northern Dao Tyr.

Theriol – The Eastern kingdom of Men, Ruled by the noble and young King Brogan VIII. A wealthy kingdom, protected by the strong Clockwork knights.

Unon – The Ancient Lands of the Raelfaen, defined as the area from Gavin Wel to Tem Salaam.

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The Gherivon

Posted in Ancient Lands, Dragons, Maiah, Primordial Aepoch, The Hunt of Tiamat on April 24, 2013 by coyoteandthunder

“And since I got back, I’ve barely slept a night all the way through.” The old elf wizard sat on the small stool, staring at the swirling tea leaves in his steaming mug.

“Well, from the sound of it, it is lucky you got back at all.” The human ranger took a deep breath and poured a bit of whiskey from his flask into his own cup of tea. “How many did you say there were? Six?” Tim looked up from his mug at Thaylinn, who was staring out the cabin window at the setting sun beyond the lake. The elf nodded. “Well, as you know, old friend, I was trapped in the Abyss for many years. It is all kind of fading from memory. I did not do much battle there. I mean, yeah, I was tortured and stuff, but I was hooded most of the time and pain fades from memory.”

“I know Tim, and I am glad your soul is intact. We all are. The Dreamwater needs its Sherriff. Technically, I was never actually in the Abyss. Those six succubi were the last enemy to face us in a final battle at the Dawn of Time. And although I was the only one in my party to survive the trip back here to the Dreamwater, my soul is broken. Rhoen, Lagozed, and dear sweet Aelar, all dead…Lost in time.” Thaylinn reached into a fold of his gray robe and pulled out a fist-sized bundle wrapped in leather. “I grabbed this, the meaning of our ill-fated quest, before I saw the time portal and my friends, collapse into the void.” Thaylinn took the whiskey flask from Tim and spiked his own drink, took a slow sip and then began to unwrap the object on the table.

The object glowed from within, a deep opalescent radiance that transcended anything from nature. Tim could recognize this as an object of deep, ancient magic, possibly druidic, possibly even proto-druid. “50,000 years” Thaylinn whispered. “Across many oceans of time. Behold. The Gherivon.”

Tim raised an eyebrow. “Mighty name. I’ve heard of it before. Penelius told me once of a world-ruining device by that name. We were talking at one point about going to get it ourselves. That is what you were doing? How long have you had this thing?”

“Nearly twenty years Tim. I’ve kept it here, in Maiah, safe. But that time is done Tim. I can’t keep it anymore. I am departing to the West and where I am going, this can not come.”

“Oh lord, you’re giving it to me, ain’tcha?” Tim’s drawl always brought a smile to Thaylinn’s face. Tim sighed again and pulled an herbal cigarette from his belt, lit it and continued. “I’ve had many experiences with old, powerful weapons. Hell, I threw on of the Swords of Doom into that lake right there. (see Ethilistyr) Shall we do that with this?”

“No, afraid not old friend. That won’t keep it safe. Tim, listen to me. I need you to take this thing far away. You are the only one who can do this. The Gherivon needs to be taken to my younger sister, Safein, to the land I am from: Theriol.”

“Wait. Hold up. You want me to walk, because I don’t know how else to get there, across the whole of Dao Tyr to give this little rock to your kid sister?”

“Well that is the long and the short of it, I suppose.”

“Thaylinn, that is going to take me twenty years to walk that distance.” The elf had nothing to say at that. Tim sat with his mouth agape. “This will be the last thing I do with my life. You know that I am an old man too, right?”

“I wouldn’t ask unless I was certain there was no other way. I believe that there is great fate left in this object Tim and I believe you, and my sister, have some great roll to play still. I can discern the stars aligning in a particular way. Please Tim, do this.”

“Okay, I guess. I’ll grab my boots.” Tim stood, extinguished his cigarette and finished the whiskey.

“Just like that? you are leaving now? Humans are astonishing”

“Yeah, just like that. There is only one way to start a long journey, and that’s to start it. Tell me though, Thaylinn…” Tim paused, lacing up his boots. “What can this thing do?”

“Well, for one, I can tell you that the power in this thing can ground any dragon.”

“Any dragon?”

“Any dragon.”

“Well hell, okay then. It just might come in handy. I think I’ll wear it as a belt buckle.”

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In the Temple of the Ancient Future

Posted in Ancient Lands on July 17, 2012 by coyoteandthunder

Moloch, ancient and now young ArchDevil, challenges the heroes of DaoTyr’s future in a contest for their own souls. Erdan, the axe-wielding warrior, along with Thaylinn the Elf wizards battle alongside Rhoen, the Warpriest of Ogremoch, Aelar, the Scald and Lagozed, prince of the TrogKin.

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The Alienation of Ogremoch

Posted in Ancient Lands, Primordial Aepoch on June 23, 2012 by coyoteandthunder

The ancient genasi were massive creatures – giants only once rmoved from primordial blood. Rhoen, the warpriest, went on a vision-quest, accompanied by Bestalapyr, the first genasi, deep into the Aintyr Wastes. There he communed with the lord of the Earth, Ogremoch, for over two months. Rhoen, now known as the Incorruptable, was unable to be moved by the Earthlord and kept his mind and his free will as his own.

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Avatar of the Molten Heart

Posted in Ancient Lands, Primordial Aepoch on June 23, 2012 by coyoteandthunder

An avatar of the molten heart of Unon, an angel named Tixneerie, approached Aelar one evening and whisked her away through the night sky to a festival on the other side of Chronoholm. Before a court of fallen angels, fresh from their war with the creator gods of Olde, she entertained, sang, and beguiled them into letting her leave at dawn – her heart still intact.

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Adventuring in an Ancient Age

Posted in Ancient Lands on June 23, 2012 by coyoteandthunder

Aelar and Erdan have now spent over a month in the Fay people’s camp – a place called Thym Rek – a large trade-meet of mercantile caravans, backed by a militia of approximately five hundred warriors. Both the bard and the warrior realize that since emerging from the chronomantic portal, they are now in Dao Tyr’s distantpast. Where there companions, the wizard Thaylinn and the warpriest Rhoen are, they could not say. The two, now armed with the knowledge that they, simply by their presence, are introducing revolutionary ideas onto a culture that has yet to even establish civilization. Perhaps as a gift of the gods – who can say – the two are able to understand and communicate with the ancient fay, as if there is a bridge of pure thought between minds born over such vastly disparate oceans of time.

All this is not to say this culture is not ancient. It is. Its magics are arcane, but not rooted in the written word. Its gods are divine, but struggle to emerge from proto-like projections of their future identities. In fact, the Fay people, now called the Eladrin are reeling from the recent cosmologic catastrophe that divided them as a people from their origin as Raelfaen. The Seladrine, who more resemble their Raelfaen antecedents, have departed this terrestrial world for astral courts in the heavens. The Eladrin who remain, are now a people bereft and divided – lost in the violent wilderness. The Eladrin refer to the travelers from the future as Madoru, the ceramic fey.

The Queens of Thym Rek – the shadow witches – are Fatale and Akadala. Fatale is protected by her ever-present fire hound and commands tremendous respect, speaking in resonant tones from under her low-drawn hood. Her sister, Akadala is a shape-shifting, thorn-sword wielding, snake priestess whose personal motives would never dare to be publically questioned. Up until two weeks ago, the trade-meet of Thym Rek had existed for a thousand years at the base of an enormous, glass mountain called Akta, the Bite. Then, in a sudden, violent, geophysical storm, the mountain was annihilated from existence – perhaps at the whim of the gods, or from some other terrible source. For the first time the Fay people were not isolated from their ancient enemies: the seven tribes of Blood – the Troglodytes of Ogremoch.

Under the shrewd leadership of the warking Kazzay’et, the united tribes of blood soundly defeated the rhino-mounted fay knights of Thym Rek. Under a red moon, Kazzay’et, leads his armies of troglodyte warriors into Thym Rek, along with a hoard of Belgoimerchants and a brigade of Anakoreslaves. Fatale and Akadala are placed in chains and most of the Eladrin fay knights are ritually sacrificed to Ogremoch, lord of the blood-soaked earth. The trade-meet is now a place of ritual combat and Kazzay’et refers to his lord, a hideous creature lord named the Gaj, who has yet to be seen by the heroes. Fatale is able to sneak away from her captors and tell the two heroes, who are held in a wooden cabin awaiting a pending trial – that the portal is activating again. It’s risky, but under the upcoming green moon, it may be that an escape can be held. If indeed, Thaylinn and Rhoen, can be made whole in this reality, through the Eye of Corollon, as the portal is called, and the team can make it through to the Transport Stone, the Ymothin, on the other side of Thym Rek, freedom may be had.

The Ymothinwill transport them, in theory, to an ancient Raelfaen university – Ekshuy– where the now-united team may or may not find their ultimate destiny in this ancient land of War.

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The Native Magic of Daotyr – The Bonasas

Posted in Ancient Lands, The Dragongods on June 23, 2012 by coyoteandthunder

Before the world knew of Greater powers – even before the dragongods thought of themselves as such, the pantheon of native draconic dieties dreamed magic into the world through a force called the Bonasas. The Bonasas, or called the Bonatian Circle, is responsible for, and the source of all life, weather, emotion and arcane power in the world. As your character experience the Aepoch of the Primordials, the Bonasas begins to enter your soul and you begin a relationship with it that affects your abilities as a Knight of the Scarlet Eye in a new and fantastic ways. The Bonasas becomes known to you through the material culture, the crafts and treasures, built by the exarchs – these gifts, these Bonatian items are the very essence of magic.

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Ogremoch, Lord of the Earth

Posted in Ancient Lands, Old Khepathia, The Dragongods on June 6, 2012 by coyoteandthunder

In the days of the first Sun – Ogremoch, lord of the earth, appeared indifferent to his overwhelming powers. Ogremoch obstained from most of the battles with the original Dragongods in the Dawn War.

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The Battle of the Vale of Fire Rain

Posted in Ancient Lands on May 3, 2012 by coyoteandthunder

Since the dawn of the first Aepoch of the Raelfaen, the Mount simply refered to as The Thorn had stood between the Tribes of the Chesdyn Seladrine and the savage tribes of the Trog chieftains. When a geo-physical storm wripped the great mountain from reality a valley of tremendous wilderness was formed and the vaccuum of power pleaded to be filled with the blood of the ancient armies. The battle raged for months and in the end the chieftains overtook the civilized tribes of Fey, invading their ancestral lands and taking there queen-witches as there own harlot queens.