History of The Grandwere

 The Forging of the First Great Kingdom

The first king of Grandwere, Cyriak the Conqueror, inherited an already vast kingdom from his father Henneke that held the coast of the Thorbrim Ocean from the Pike River to the Goldthorn Mountains. The future conqueror was raised on the battlefield. Myths tell of his father carrying him as a swaddled baby into the fray at the Battle of Axum. His people, the Trinovii, had developed a sophisticated battle formation making use of massive bronze-tipped longspears which allowed them to march over the neighboring tribes. Such were the drunken rages of the elder King Henneke that he was slain when he attacked one of his own captains who he believed lusted for his fourth wife. Shortly after being crowned at the age of seventeen, Cyriak was overtaken by a dread illness. As rumor spread of his pending death, civil war broke out between his brothers and an uncle as they all began to claim their right to the soon-to-be-released crown.After a week of unending restless sleep, Cyriak awoke startled, declaring that he had been visited in his dreams by a prophet named Elshender who gave him a vision of a demesne greater than his father had ever conceived.

Cyriak gathered those troops still loyal to him and put to the spears all that denied his claim to his father's throne. Using the power of his vision to inspire them, his armies pushed north taking all the lands up to the Helrenna in less than two winters. The great fortress of Pen Dynas was constructed to secure the new lands. After his return to Kadan, his home city, more of his vision came to fruition when a local farmer found on the shores of the Mercara Bay a sword belonging to a time long forgotten by man. Cyriak pronounced that this weapon was the Sword of the Overlord, sent to him as a sign from the goddess Sibylla that he should begin his conquest of the lands to the east.

The Erni people of the Wynn Valley and surrounding Loch Ernaig were scattered tribes with no central ruler or standing army. Many of the villagers welcomed the Trinovii hoping for an ally in the many small disputes between the tribes. The last of the Ernic tribes surrendered after five years lay overwhelmed and fallen to Cyriak as he led his calvary into battle. Once within the Wynn Valley, the high priest of Sibylla crowned Cyriak king of the northwestern realm---thus was born the Kingdom of Grandwere.

But the fates spun different futures for the new kingdom than those of which Cyriak dreamed. He would only rule for seven more years before passing in his slumber after a day of drinking and hunting. There were those who spoke rumors of murder, while others claimed that it was an old wound that opened during his ride. The Crown of Golden Leaves was passed to his loyal younger brother, Jonathas, but Cyriak's rule was not an empty one. Much had been accomplished during his short reign. At the place of his coronation, Cyriak had founded the city of Tii, later renamed Glennheim. He also oversaw the expansion of the small village of Keldona on the Sruth River to serve as a trading center for the Erni people. The worship of Sibylla, the patron of Grandwere, spread through all major towns and cities.

King Jonathas would rule over fifty years of peace and prosperity as a common language and law allowed for trade to begin with the scattered people of the northwest. Unlike his aggressive and demanding older brother the new king was seen as mild in bearing with a perspicacious political mind. Often locking himself in his study for days, King Jonathas passed many proclamations. He scrutinized each detail of the kingdom during his reign; from the pattern of the streets in Keldona to the training of the newly acquired Ernic conscripts.

Though it took the sword of Cyriak to capture the lands, it was the intellect of Jonathas that would secure the prosperity of the Kingdom of Grandwere for the next five hundred years.

 The Age of Serenity

Though his marriage to the daughter of an Ernic tribal leader was politically impelled, the coronation of Jonathas’ eldest son Treminet was the first step in forever bonding the Trinovii and the Erni. His father had left him a kingdom with a culture that already seemed to commingle many of the best aspects of both ethnic groups, but his marriage made the disparate cultures to shade insensibly into each other by the sanctity of their public union.

For Jonathas, the key to ruling the vast territories came from a common language and an established system of trade. Calling a council of sages to Kadan he translated and transformed the primitive pictograph writing of both people into a more complete script. This new written word was first used to institute the divine right of the king over all the lands conquered by Cyriak. He who held the throne of the Kingdom of Grandwere was believed to be chosen by Sibylla. Not a god himself, the king of Grandwere was to be favored above other mortals. With divine authority, his word became law and his laws spread through the lands of the Grandwere. These laws were enforced by local governing assemblies called a Doukas, mostly administrating the rules of trade and tax. Each Doukas was provided a compliment of soldiers to enforce the word of the King. The military was organized into two main groups; those who answered to the commanders of the northern fortress of Pen Dynas and those who answered to the commanders of the newly constructed southern fortress, Pen Ryn.

With the order the Grandwere imposed, many of the tribes were able to settle into a stable existence as farmers and craftsmen. The excess of production allowed some to leave the farm in pursuit of more refined aspirations. The cities of Kadan, Tii, and Keldona swelled with the arrival of new residents from all parts of the known world. Land owners began to form the first noble caste, with many also serving as officials within the Doukas for their province. The contentment of the people of Grandwere soared, as even the poorest among them was able to flourish in this era of prosperity.

As the Erni did throughout their history, so to did the people of the Kingdom of Grandwere view all gods but Sibylla as capricious forces who must be constantly appeased through sacrifice and worship. One aspect of the Trinovii faith still extant is the belief that great heroes will live for eternity on the island of Elloorn; the location of which has never been determined. The largest Grandwere festival was held for four days in early spring to honor Cyriak and to celebrate the birth of the kingdom. The climax of this festival was a precession, presided over by the king, through the streets of Kadan that ended at the Temple of Sibylla.

For over three centuries, the lineage of Cyriak and Jonathas bore the Crown of Golden Leaves until the death of King Philkin. The kingship passed to his Ernic advisor Lord Owain of Tii. This period marks the height of Grandwere civilization as the growth began to level and it became more popular for the people to celebrate their distinct cultural roots. Even before the passing of Philkin, the people had become disillusioned with the kingship. One general wrote that King Agacia, “had the manner of a girl and the wit of an ass.”

The Kingdom of Grandwere had accomplished amazing things. The Library of Kadan, originally started from Jonathas’ personal collection, had become one of the greatest sources of knowledge ever compiled. His great grandson King Basilius constructed the Temple of Celestial Acumen to house the books and declared that it should forever be open to the people of the kingdom. The Brotherhood of Guidance was believed to have started secretly deep within the shadowed rows of the Library. The priests of the temple spent years transcribing texts to build the library.

King Cyriak the Third became the first human ruler to host an elven representative when Lord Aranedhel of Greenholt attended the Festival of the Trinovii as his guest. This meeting helped formally define the boundaries for the Kingdom of Grandwere with the elven lands of Greenholt and the Waywood Forest. In time, limited trade and cultural exchanges began with the elves of both forests while the elves of Kethrendil continued to rebuff diplomatic gestures.

The greatest architectural accomplishment of the kingdom were the numerous Ardcath Towers, the construction of which started around the time of King Duiperr and continued for three hundred years until the last was built just outside the village now called Oeaster. Originally built for the purpose of protecting the surrounding area, the various Doukas soon used the towers as an expression of power and wealth. Dotting the landscape of the kingdom, the towers tend to be tall, thin structures without supporting walls. Some of the more impressive where built with a star shaped base and stretch over fifty feet in height. . It was seen as a sign of good luck to use as many white stones as possible. Nearly every village and manor fell under the shadow of at least one tower. Many of these towers either remain standing or where absorbed into a greater walled fortress such as at Deas Caer.

The second hundred years of the kingdom was an age of enlightenment and artistic expression. The most common art from the period are rich tapestries and intricate mosaics that adorn finer homes and legislative buildings. Also quite popular were Ernic wood carvings; often accented in gold. The Ernic tradition of the storyteller led to the first theaters for mass attendance. While historical reenactment was always the most poplar during this time, also came the great works of the playwright Eustas whose tales take place in a fictional realm of the Eldar called Welafeld.

Though a time of peace, the Kingdom of Grandwere still maintained a strong military tradition. From trading with the dwarves and other lands, they learned to craft weapons and armor of steel. Duke Caltarni formed the first knightly order and the fortress city of Deas Caer. With the borders secure, his Order of the Griffin would patrol the kingdom seeking tests of valor and maintaining the peace. The Ernic people still preferred light armor using speed and sheer ferocity but they were also regarded as the greatest charioteers of the known lands.