Great Historical Figures of Aerath

From Phobos Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
Book5.pngBook7.png Great Historical Figures of Aerath
Author(s): Tia Heraldor
Location: Empo Sar, Mirai, Timari
Description: -

Text

Page 1

Greet Historical Figures of Aerath
by Tia Heraldor

Page 2

Introduction

Over the past millennium, many great figures of Aerath have come and gone. Their great deeds may have broken through the barriers of science or magic, shattered empires, or saved many innocent lives. They all leave behind them the legends and tales we might one day share with our children. Here I have tried to summarise the lives and deeds of just some of these great figures, and I have strived to be impartial but rigorous in the selection. In future years I aim to update this book, so if you feel I have missed somebody, please let me know!

Page 3

Aigelthin I

Aigelthin I (Aigelthin Grindumson al'Baerin), born in the year 100, was a great warrior and inspirational leader. He founded the city of Emporium Sariele, (now Empo Sar), bringing order and stability to southern Aerath in the dark times that followed the War Against the Shadow.

The first year following the lifting of the shadow over Erasan as Phobos was defeated in the War Against the shadow was a time of joyous celebration and merrymaking. However the taint of Phobos was still very much part of the world and it wasn't long before territorial disagreements spark conflict between the remnants of the old scattered kingdoms. Over this time, the living world changed dramatically; very few of the previous powers remained; much was lost and very little gained during this period of thoughtless warring. Yet from amongst the chaos of war a number of dominant powers immerged. Aigelthin Grindumson, a prominent member of the House of Baerin and his followers were amongst these, and they built a great castle, upon Hawk Hill of the Lionel Plains, which they named 'The Lion's Castle'.

This castle signified a point of strength and security that was so lacking in Aerath at that time, so it wasn't long before houses began to spring up around it. Aigelthin actively encouraged this, and by the year 165 the collection of houses had grown and the city of

Page 4

Emporium Sariele was founded, with Aigelthin as king.

Aigelthin I's reign was not without its problems. Not only was Aigelthin plunged into war following disagreements with the nearby city of Kraan, but he also had to fend off coastal attacks from orcs and goblins who had fled across the seas at the end of the War Against the Shadow, trying to return to the inner continents. However Aigelthin dealt with such challenges with relish, and overall it cannot be argued against that Aigelthin brought society, structure and stability back to southern Aerath.

King Aigelthin I eventually died in 200 of natural causes at the age of 100. Sadly this led to another period of war, this time between his two sons, Graaf and Eirim, as Graaf refused to accept his father's wish for his brother to be King.

Page 5

Fundy Whitemoon

Fundy Whitemoon, or Fundy the Mad as he is often referred to, is (or, if some leading wizards are correct, was) an inventor and wizard of great talent, power and creativity.

Where or when he was born is unknown, or rather: far too many people know too many times and places, and Whitemoon himself certainly didn't help the situation by claiming a different birthplace every time the question was asked. Although it seems likely that if still alive today, he would be close to two hundred years old. The earliest records of him appear in fragments from the library at Leithe Falum, where he is later known to have been offered a position as Archmage in the Acadh Cinn; an offer he turned down. From then onwards, references of this remarkable man increase, not only of his many magical inventions but also his odd behaviour. He had numerous strange ideas and would almost always act upon them impulsively, often dropping one project in the middle to pursue another.

Olaf Hornblende, a wizard who was briefly acquainted with Whitemoon, once wrote of him:

Fundy was always a rather distant man. He never seemed to fully grasp social codes, but he once made an effort in inviting me to his home for dinner.

Page 6

As he welcomed me into his small house, I saw that almost every flat surface was covered with strange devices, metal, gems, shells and crystals together in every shape imaginable. He led me through the mess, deftly stepping between his inventions to small clear patches or onto things he deemed unlikely to take damage. We then entered what I assume passed for a dining room (which I was unsurprised to see was equally cluttered) and he led me to a small table in the corner, which he cleared with a firm sweep of his arm, scattering gems and bits of wire to the floor. A few small pops punctuated this action as a cloud of sparks rose from one of the offended objects, but Fundy was too busy rummaging through the many pockets of his cloak to notice. Finally finding what he sought, he drew out a small and particularly exquisite piece of work, something that looked rather like a small scale with four gems, each a different colour, hanging down. He held It up, spinning it and deftly tapping the gems in a complicated pattern. As he did this, the air above the tabletop shimmered, and two fully laden plates materialized. This gave me quite a shock; most of the magical devices I had seen were very inefficient and often unstable. This one, however, worked quickly and I hadn't sensed any surplus magic at all.
"Tea?" Asked Fundy.
"Yes, thank you." I replied.
"Good choice", he mumbled. Before I could ask why, Fundy cleared his throat exaggeratedly, and from under a stack of papers jumped (and yes, I do mean jumped) a pink teapot. Apparently humming merrily to

Page 7

itself. The teapot Joyfully bounded up to the table and filled both mugs to the brim. Fundy sipped his as he fumbled around with his chair, before placing the mug back onto the table. Looking up hopefully at Fundy, the teapot edged towards his mug to fill it back to the top. Fundy waved it away firmly, and after a few attempts to hop over Fundy's arm, it reluctantly gave in.

However, the rest of the evening was the strangest of all, as he was able to keep up a completely normal and lucid conversation with me! I still wonder to this day whether he really is mad, or if he just does it all for fun, to see how well he can fool us!

How much of this was truth and how much was embellishment is difficult to say. The few devices known today to have been made by Fundy were not only ahead of that time, but this time, too. The nature of the inventions range from practical to fun to random. Occasionally a new piece of his work will be found, and the price for a piece of his handiwork is always great.

As to his current location, there are a number of theories. Whitemoon apparently disappeared from Erasan in the year 940. Many say that he is dead, finally succumbing to his long-overdue sleep. Others say that he is living somewhere in solitude, making ever greater and more imaginative inventions. Some even claim that he now resides in another dimension,

Page 8

in a tower of his own making.

Page 9

Queen Liranda I

Liranda I, daughter of King Hirald II and Queen Marianne, was born in 766, but complications during labour resulted in the death of Queen Marianne. Ten years later her father died and Liranda was crowned as the first ruling queen of the Emposian Kingdom, just tan years old. The coronation was not without complications however, as a Malieran prince tried to claim his right to the throne. Emposian law was rewritten in order to prevent the Malieran from taking the throne. The new law stated that the rightful heir should be a direct descendant from the previous ruler, regardless of age or sex. During the first few years of her life the kingdom was ruled largely by her father's advisors while the royal teachers taught Liranda everything she needed to know. Her education stretched from warfare strategies to math and politics, but she was also a keen and adept swordmaster.

In 797, at the age of 23, Liranda married Richard Rybenik, the son of an influential merchant in Kraan. This marriage was arranged to strengthen the relation between Kraan and the Emposian Kingdom, as well as increase the kingdoms treasury. Three years later at the turn of the century she gave birth to a pair of twins, Aigelthin and Marianne. The latter proved to be very intelligent, but had a weak heart. Nonetheless, she complimented Aigelthin who, even though he was a great strategic and excelled in the warrior arts,

Page 10

lacked certain finesse in dealing with politics and finance. In the years to come, while she spent much time raising and educating her children, Liranda also worked actively for increased women's rights around the kingdom; the effect of this campaign was apparent even during her reign but the changes became most obvious by the end of the war.

In 814, the Malieran Empire started to expand her territories into Emposian land. When the city of Fern was taken by the Malierans, Liranda gave the Malierans an ultimatum: to leave the Emposian Kingdom within the year and pay a fee to compensate for the damage they had caused, or suffer the consequences. The Malierans responded to this ultimatum by moving additional forces to Fern and thus war was declared in 815. In the three years to follow, a few skirmishes were fought, but no major battles. In 818, an assassination attempt on Queen Liranda and her husband Richard, was made while they were on a diplomatic trip to Deluthiel. The assassination resulted in the death of Richard and left Liranda wounded for a year. During this time the war escalated, and Mailera advanced south down into the Emposian Kingdom. In 820, during a battle on the Plains of Lionel, Marianne was killed protecting her wounded brother from a group of Malieran soldiers. Liranda herself had been badly wounded and she never fully recovered from it. Up until this point, the Malierans had been pushing further and further south and this event hit the Emposians hard. However Liranda did not

Page 11

allow her followers to lose heart, and three years later the tide turned in favour of the Emposian Kingdom.

By 825, the Malierans had been driven back to Fern, and when the winter came round Liranda sent everything she had at the Malierans, temporarily driving them from the Emposian Kingdom. During the last of these battles around the ruined remains of Fern, at the age of 59, Liranda was slain and her death was mourned throughout the kingdom. Her son, Aigelthin III, was shortly after crowned in her place.

Page 12

Lerith Miratus

Lerith Miratus was a well known and widely respected Malieran scholar and wizard. Born in 774, Miratus quickly developed into an extremely intelligent student of magic. He had a particular fascination with the element spirit, because of it's strange and unique characteristics, and spent much of his life in Leithe Falum studying It; documenting many of his findings in the book Spirit: the Lone Element in 820.

He also married Rhiannon, a chemist notable for her contributions to establishing a convention and table of elements. Miratus returned to Maliera shortly after in order to aid the fight against the Emposian Kingdom as the Emposian-Malieran conflict raged on. Ultimately the conflict took his life, as he died in the Battle of Fern in 825, age 51.

Page 13

King Eirim III

King Eirim Ill is considered to have been one of the greatest strategic minds of the millennium and it was his reign and inspiring leadership which brought about the end of the wars with Mailera. After the death of his father, King Aigelthin III, in 887, Eirim III was crowned king. A few years later, King Eirim III was introduced to a fair young lady named Liera, after some time of courting they were finally married in 891. A few years later, Liera had given birth to a boy, which they named Eirim IV after his father. In 925, Emperor Riklaovis eventually signed a truce between the Emposian Kingdom and Malieran Empire.

In the years following the truce, Emperor Riklaovis prepared a plan to try and assassinate the king; however it failed. Immediately after the failed  assassination on King Eirim III, Emperor Riklaovis marched towards the Emposian capital, Empo Sar, to start one of the largest bottles to be seen since the Shadow Wars. Aigelthin Keep was badly damaged during the battles that followed; however it was never fully repaired or rebuilt and was later abandoned. After some lengthy battles and many deaths on both sides, King Eirim III, using King Aigelthin Keep as a vantage point, set an ambush for Emperor Riklaovis. The Malieran Emperor died in the ambush and what was left of Emperor Riklaovis' army fled back to Sivaris. The allied armies of the Emposian Kingdom, Hecate, and Deluthiel marched towards Sivaris, and

Page 14

besieged the city. However after some time, using mass numbers and outstanding strategic cunning, largely on the part of Eirim III, the allied armies were able to overwhelm and finally seize Sivaris in 929. The Malieran Empire was finally defeated.

During the time from 933 to 955, several laws were rewritten to allow and encourage equality in the choosing of a new heir, specifically towards female heirs. Then in 955 when King Eirim III died, Queen Liera took the throne.