[SR] The Alamais(e) Conspiracy

[Ancient History]

In the distant past, Lowfyr drove his brother Alamais from his home. Lowfyr laired at that time on the outskirts of Vasgothia, to the North and West of Barsaive.

Fleeing South and East, Alamaise settled along the Serpent River, convincing the Passion Jaspree to plant the tree which would become Oak Heart, which grew into the forest of Wyrm Wood, Alamais' personal demense.

Alamaise desired servants, but did not trust the local elves, so he made a bargain with the Passions Jaspree (growing things) and Astendar (love), and assuming elven form, Alamaise sired a daughter with an elf. That daughter, Caynreth was a Great Elf, blessed with Immortality. Alamaise had many other childer as well, who ruled the Wyrm Wood as he plotted his revenge on his brother, and researched his magics. These children he taught to view themselves as superior to others.

One day, his daughter, known as the First Speaker of Harmony, allied with her dragonkin, rose against Alamaise and wounded him near to death, forcing him to flee to the north, where he waited through a downcycle healing (he still bears the scar) and planning to retake his home. Centuries pass, and the descendents of those dragonkin (not all Great Elves, as the trait does not pass to all descendents) formed the nobles families, the ranelles, of the Elven Court of Wyrm Wood, while the descendent of the First Speaker of Harmony became the first Elven Queen for her beauty, wisdom and power.

To the North, near the source of the Serpent River lay the City of Spires, the coastal land of Shoshara, and the Northern Islands, while to the west were the Western Kingdoms. These elven lands too had Great Elves and dragonkin: the servants and progeny of Lowfyr. For it was common practice in those ancient days, to sire long-lived children to rule their domains while the dragons worked to their own ends.

These days shaped Elven Culture, and many artifacts were created; such as the Everliving Flower, which bloomed red in the presence of dragonkin.

The assault on Alamaise triggered an end to this practice, as a Council was called, and all attending dragons save Denairastas pledged to sire no more such childer to rise up against them.

Still, the damage was done. The influence of Lowfyr and Alamaise, or possibly their childer, caused a rift to grow between Shosara and the Elven Court, even as some attempted to make peace with their cousins to the south.

When Dallia, Queen of Wyrm Wood, left to make peace with Shosara, she was confronted by Alamaise. The Queen was either ignorant or feigned ignorance of her descent, and was killed for her effrontry by the dragon. Alamaise either used his spies (false drakes) to alert him of the Queen's movements, or an informer (perhaps a loyalist in Wyrm Wood, or perhaps Alachia) told him of her plans. In any event, the empty throne waited for Alachia, a Queen of the Western Kingdoms, who entered into Wyrm Wood (It is possible she was driven there by Lowfyr or her cousins, who tired of her schemes, but if she DID have help within the wood, such as the young Aithne Oakforest, then this may explain how she quickly took the throne.)

However, those Great Elves and dragonkin who had originally banished Alamais from the wood wanted no Great Elf for their Queen.
Under guise of backing Elianar Messias, they arranged to be banished from the court, fooling Alachia into thinking she had rid herself of her enemies.

These Usurpers, as the dragons called them, left the court and recovered an ancient cache: the Books of Harrow.
Whether they truly discovered these, or were informed of their location by knowledge stolen from Alamais is unknown (The Rose Crystal, for instance, is a draconic memory gem).

The Usurpers kept much from Messias and his disciple Jaron, as the Maracian scholars discovered when he appealed to them for help. The Great Elves and their progeny formed the Heavenherds and began what became the Theran Empire.

The Heavenherds moved to the outskirts of the empire, including the lands which would be Azania and Aztlan, establishing enclaves there. The Heavenherds came in contact with many Feathered Serpents int hese forgein locales, and may have learned from them the depths of blood magic they later used. Certain dragonkin descended from these married into the Heavenherds after reblling from their parents, such as those childer of Mujaji, the Rain Queen.

The dragons turned to the creation of drakes as loyal alternatives to their rebellious childer. Alamais waited for the moment to regain his precious Wyrm Wood, and gain his revenge on his brother, all the while spying with his stunted Flase Drakes, unwilling to trust more powerful servants.

Eventually came the Schism, where Alachia seperated so much of the elven kingdoms.
Some families of Dragonkin eventually fled to kaers when Alachia declared her refusal of the Theran Rites of Protection. From these was born Aina.

Then came the Scourge, and the creation of Blood Wood.

Harleaquin and Ehran the Scribe had active youths, and were tutored in swordplay and wizardry in the City of SPires by the same teacher. Halrequin went on to join one of the guilds of paladins, the Knights of the Crimson Spire.

Caimbeul Harlequin became ambassador to the Blood Wood, to the endless anger of Alachia.

Aina returned to the Wood and was with Aithne for a time and then parted on bad terms, Aithne blaming Aina for the death of his son.

Alachia may have hated AIna from this point, because it is unlikely Aina would submit to Alachia's schemes or rule.

Aina studied blood magic and horror lore with the Therans, finally meeting her dark teacher and tormenter, Ysgarthe; who even sired a childe on her, Thais (a half-horror). Finally, Aina banished Ysgarthe, unmaking herself and all the years of blood magic she had endured.

Many times did the Theran Empire and the Dragons clash, always with mixed results: individually, the Dragons could destroy a city or a Behemoth; but the massed power of the Theran navy could whittle them away, one at a time.

Eventually, a great clash came between the Great Elves and the Dragons. Aina sided with Dunkelzahna and the Wyrms, while most others, notably Aithne Oakforest and Ehran the Scribe (albeit relucatantly), stood on the other side. I believe the final conflict was avoided by terse negotiations, which ended in the formation of Watchers, neutral parties to the conflict, as well as a unifed code of behaviors between the various Great Elves, based on Draconic Etiquette and customs.

Alachia herself took the opportunity to hunt the dragons as they were sleeping during the downcycle.

I believe that the Blood Wood, corrupted from within by the depatterning of so much blood magic, finally destroyed itself, and the Ritual of Thorns failed on all those it had been cast on.

I believe these elves migrated to what would be Tir na nOg, where they settled (explaining the land's high ambient magic and lack of dragons).

The aggression between Tir Tairngire and Tir na nOg stems from the elders who control those lands: those elders behind Tir Tairngire wish to create a place where they can hold power, using the customs of the Elven Wood, while Tir na nOg was founded to replace the Elven Court of Wyrm Wood. The old hatreds flair, even as Ehran, Sean Laverty and Alachia play both sides of the fence. Harlequin and Aina care little for either side so long as they do nothing stupid, while Lowfyr sat in on the Councils to keep order among his descendents.

I believe a more secretive force is behind Aztlan: perhaps a Great Elf, survivor of Blood Wood or the destruction of Thera, who has gone mad and wishes to bring the horrors here.

Azania holds the final Theran remnant: the descendants of the Heavnherds.

The Northern Isles (supposedly in the North Sea, these were washed away during the fall of the Cycle, perhaps because they were maintained trhough magic.)

The Western Kingdoms (I believe these referred to both Shosara, the City of SPires, and what would be the British Isles and Tir na nOg. Certainly the celtic roots for those Great Elves which came from the Western Kingdoms is there:
Alachia, Sean Laverty, and Lugh Surehand have red hair, while Jenna Ni'fairra, Jane Foster, Ehran and Harleaquin have blond hair (Harlequin dies his reddish-brown)

aithne is the only 'native' Wyrm Wooder with his black hair.

Aina is a negroid elf, and her family may have come from Mujaji's brood (or anothers') as ambassadors to the Wyrm Wood, then left during the Schism.

The Theran Empire may have reached even to Australia, which explains the presence of Urdli (either through a draconic inhabitant native to the continent or intermarriage with the locals). Urdli is guardian of a citadel of imprisoned spirits, possibly a work of the Heavenherds.

______
Face it you fraggers,
Bulldrek is sub-divided.
pain-wracked, schizophrenic,
self-serving, epileptic,
sado-masochist haven for the
divinely warped.

And I love each and every one
of your bitter,
thrice-damned souls.

[Serious Paul]

Very worthy, I assume you are posting this for either feed back or to stir gneneral discussion?

I want to read it a few more times before I make any real comments.

[Ancient History]

Hey! Positive response! Cool!

[3278]

Well, it's fucking incredible, like everything you do involving the game. That's why no one really has anything to say.

[Ancient History]

Thank you. I try. Wait till my long-promised update comes into being!

[Ancient History]

I will have to revise this to take something I missed into account.

[Serious Paul]

I'd like to see you put this all together, this post and your stuff from the website in a format thats really useable-Like an OOP or an adventure. Something that brings the 4th world back into the so called meta plot with style.

[Ancient History]

NOt quite sure how I'd go about that.

Oh, and the revision:

All-WIngs (go read the Dragons.pdf) charge Icewing (read: Ghostwalker) with being the intermediary between the Dragons and Alamaise' children.

When the elven dragonkin rebelled during the Age of Dragons, Icewing felt responsible.
This is part of why he goes to such measures to confront the Theran Empire, building up the forces of the T'skrang (through House Syrtis) and the kingdom of Throal (through the royal line), to redeem his failure to see the treachery of the Usurpers.

Later on, when Icewing and Mountainshadow leave Barsaive for what would be North America, the bring with them a remnant of the dragonkin families. This is why Tir Tairngire was founded where it was, this is why the Elven architectural style has elements similar to both Salish and Celtic, and this is why there is such a large segment of elves in that area (the SInsearch, the Manitou).

[Ancient History]

Well, it's fucking incredible, like everything you do involving the game. That's why no one really has anything to say.

I shouldn't bring this post back up, but quite frankly, this is the nicest compliment I've ever received in recent memory.