|
A History of the Kingdom of Xenthus |
I created this history about 20 years ago. In reviewing it for the website, I decided it needed less revision than most of my work from that era. This fits with a feeling I've always had about Xenthus; I didn't invent it as much as I discovered it.
One day in the spring of the eleventh millennium, as the elves reckon time, a fleet of ships appeared off the shore of the peninsula they called Xenthus. There were three dozen proud vessels, and they contained many men, women, and children. Humans had come to Elcea.
Not even they knew where they had come from, their minds having been clouded by the gods who guided them. They were quickly befriended the elves, who helped them to establish the city of Krell at their landing site. Humans proved able allies and were quick to learn the ways of magic, with which they had been unfamiliar. The elves gave humans the the entire Xenthus peninsula on which to dwell, and humankind rapidly spread across it, populating the land.
Among the humans were nine great chieftains: Hasson, Chillom, Halgon, Orbali, Nessal, Shaldon, Drussal, Orfan, and Parmon. Each established a kingdom on the peninsula, and several founded cities. The settlement process took a century, and by its end Lycpasus, Langoust, Balimar, and Ossana had been founded, the latter two outposts on the western side of the sea. Huge tracts of forest had been leveled for farmland, and people were thriving. All was not well, however. The many small kingdoms began to squabble among themselves, and threats from the borders arose; gnolls to the north and sahaugin from the sea. Cooperation between kingdoms was poor, trade faltered, and the threats grew.
Yet humans were neither evil nor stupid, and they met at Arly in Hassondy to seek a solution. One was found: elect a High King to coordinate policies and plans among the kingdoms. This was approved by most, yet there were dissenters. Parmondy, Orfan, and Drussal refused to recognize any outside authority, and angrily stormed out of the chamber when the Council at Arly elected Turnas, son of Talon, Lord Mayor of Krell, to be the High King.
Turnas was a lord who had proven his skill in combat many times in his forty-eight years, and he now displayed qualities of judgment and leadership as well. Collecting a contingent of troops from each of the loyal provinces, he led his army against the northern dissenters. There, in the battle of Caldroy (112 C.R.), Turnas shattered the rebel army, leading the charge which captured the enemy banner himself. For the next year he put down guerrilla resistance and consolidated his control. The following year he routed an army of gnolls beyond the north borders, ending that threat for many years.
Turnas ruled sixty-three years. The authority of the High King became unquestioned, though Turnas was careful to stay within the limits to his power established at the Council of Arly. His line remained strong for many centuries. In this time Krell grew to be the mightiest city in Elcea, and humankind's friendship with the elves and dwarves grew. During this time human armies aided these races, and Elcea knew peace for a time.
The reign of Queen Uriel II the Great (606 - 676 C.R.) marked the end of this period. She was a mighty ruler, remaining vital and far-seeing to the end of her 130 years. Her son Palvar, however, was prematurely senile, and in the thirteen years of his mad reign decay set in. He left no heirs, so his younger sister Palowyn became queen. She was already ninety-seven when she took the throne, and while a middling monarch, lacked the vitality to restore the damage done by Palvar. Her daughter and son perished before she did, so her grandson Parg the Mad came to power. His insane rule, during which crippling taxes and unnecessary expenses blighted the kingdom, was cut short by his assassination, the kingdom's first.
The fact that Palvar, Palowyn, and Parg's reigns all lasted thirteen years and mark the decline of the Turnian kings has led to their designation as 'The Cursed Kings'.
Parg II was cruel and efficient. He continued many of the policies of his father, but directed them with the efficiency to make them work. He crushed budding rebellions in the provinces, and for sixty-five years Xenthus groaned under his yolk. Trade declined, banditry increased, and relations with other races worsened.
The next century saw six rulers who were harsh or worse, the most infamous being Queen Calaphtha the Witch. Strong imperial authority prevented change. Finally, in the reign of Bondar, Barlef I's second son, revolt occurred. Bondar lacked the cunning and the powers of his predecessors, possessing only their meanness and love of luxury. The revolt succeeded, Bondar and his family executed, and for the next fourteen years the land was without a king.
Several petty squabbles occurred during this time as many different factions put forward their candidates for the throne. The most significant was the Parmondy War. Lord Thannis and Queen Ivrimel, Parmon VII's daughter, ruled the northern part of the province of Parmondy. A squabble over Parmon VII's backing of a throne candidate led to his attempting to banish Thannis and Ivrimel. Instead, they revolted and succeeded in winning independence, with Thannis slaying Parmon in single combat. This was the start of the province of Lucran, and an echo of the bad feeling between the two provinces exists today.
Finally, in 902 C.R., an alliance of Orbali, Drussal, and Halgon succeeded in pushing forward King Asnar, the Foehammer. Asnar was the mightiest warrior of his time, and his he and his armies simply swept the opposition in front of them. Thus Asnar became High King, founding the line of the Aesnir.
Asnar ruled for an incredible 126 years. His reign saw the Kingdom of Xenthus reach the highest levels it had yet attained. By 1000 C.R. the borders had been expanded to include the eastern Greybole forest and the land south to the Darkroot Mountains. Humans ranged far and wide, the arts and trade both flourished, and those of neutral alignment fled Xenthus in droves, founding many cities and kingdoms far away.
The Aesnir kings and queens reigned for many years. Their line was typified by long life, great wisdom and maturity, and physical vitality. Asnar III, the Conqueror, expanded the borders farther to the north and northwest (ca. 1150 C.R.).
The kingly line had already been somewhat diluted when King Tarsil II died in 1460 C.R. of a strange seizure many found suspicious. His bastard son Morgan seized the throne, exiling his younger brother, Tarsil III, the legitimate heir. Morgan's claim was shaky, but it stood until Tarsil had him killed eleven years later. Morgan's young daughter Morganta was smuggled away, but returned twenty-seven years later leading an army. Civil war occurred in 1498 C.R., and Morganta prevailed. Tarsil and his family were executed.
Morganta's son, Asnar IV, was assassinated in 1525 C.R. by unknown forces. He left no heirs, and once again the provinces fell into bickering over who should occupy the throne. The Aesnir empire began to disintegrate. In 1527 C.R. Urian, a distant cousin of Asnar IV, seized power. Tough, shrewd, and ruthless, he held together what was left of the power and wealth of the Aesnir until 1556 C.R., when his dark wizardly researches called up a power too great to control. He died hideously in a palace he had established in the southern Greybole Forest; the palace was abandoned, and has been shunned ever since. With him were lost the Mighty Servant of the Aesnir, the artifact of unknown origins which had served Aesnir kings since the time of Asnar II, and the Crown of Might, given by the dwarves to Turnas and a symbol of the Kingdom ever since.
Chaos reigned for several years, during which the border areas were overrun by evil things and the kingdom's vitality declined. In 1560 C.R. Kolak the Usurper, a mighty wizard, gained control. He slowly crushed all opposition, and thus was founded the line of the Wizard Kings. The next five rulers were all magicians of greater or lesser ability. Their rule was at least efficient, though a certain corruption spread about Xenthus. Things took a bizarre turn with the ascension of Larsif's son Klarnos Demonsblood. It was indeed rumored that Klarnos was the offspring of Larsif and a succubus, for he had a strange visage and many powers. Things began to worsen, and for the first time evil began to taint the dealings of Xenthus. Dwarves and elves drew away, and a darkness settled on the land.
The next several rulers all possessed demon's blood, though it slowly weakened. Revolt came in 1903 C.R. against Afnak II, who was executed. The unhealthy elements were largely purged, but the land remained kingless for twenty-six years. Finally Afnak III returned from exile and took the throne, promising reforms. He died mysteriously, probably at the hands of his youngest sister, Marna. After Afnak III's young daughter, Queen Sarryl, also died, Marna became Queen. Her descendants ruled in mediocrity for eighty-seven years.
Marna's grandson, Mardell II, was a weak and foolish man. He took the throne in 1970 C.R. Twenty years later Xenthus faced the sternest test it had seen in nearly 2000 years when an alliance of gnolls and barbarians attacked, initiating the Frost War. The Xenthian army was badly defeated in the Battle of Lycapsus, putting Xenthus on the defensive. With Lycapsus besieged the King offered to negotiate. He and the royal family went north with the army to meet and negotiate, against the advice of his counselors. At the peace conference the family was betrayed and massacred. Thus started the terrible Battle of Snows. The Xenthian army escaped annihilation only when a foreign lord, leading one of the Xenthian hosts, rallied the demoralized troops. This marked the rise of Arecius, Lord from Beyond the Sea. He took command of the army and a year later won a tremendous victory at the Battle of Seven Lords, ending the Frost War.
Arecius was proclaimed High King by popular acclaim. He was a wise ruler as well as a great warrior, perhaps the most far-sighted ruler Xenthus had ever seen. In 2080 C.R. his great-grandson, Thilbard II, fell in love with and married the elven princess, Maeryon. In 2082 C.R. their son, Kirin the half-elven, was born. Forty years later Kirin became King, leader by right of both elves and men. Kirin's reign was the high-water mark of the Kingdom of Xenthus. All human and elven lands were united and expanded, peace reigned, and art and magic reached their highest levels of attainment. It was a golden time. Kirin's sons, Kargol, Keros, and Kalen, continued the age of the Kirinari, and the half-elven race they established built a palace near far-distant Karnak. This period lasted over 500 years.
All went well until the War of Despair. The vast Kirinari empire was attacked suddenly by evil armies from all points of the compass; gnolls and giants from the north, orcs from the south, and hordes of fell beasts from the west. Sahuagin rose from the sea in greater numbers than ever before. Despite the fact that all their enemies moved and attacked with unprecedented cooperation, the Kirinari should have won. Some evil bane sapped their resolve, however. They and their people lost heart, and no remedy seemed to restore the hope that was being drained. After a long and destructive war they were overrun and their palace was sacked.
Thus started the Dark Time. After their victory near Karnak the armies of evil began to fight themselves as much their foes, which was all that saved the remaining islands of civilization. The halfling's valley disappeared, along with almost all of the halflings, and it could not be found again. Xenthus was partly overrun in 2700 C.R., and the evil armies were not driven out for nearly a century. Langoust was partly destroyed, and Lycapsus, Ossana, and Balimar were all seized by evil warlords.
Finally, in 2970 C.R., Karnon, an adventurer distantly related to the ancient kings, found the Crown of Might. His claim to the throne was supported by a divine sign of favor; servants of Eru appeared and announced Eru's support for the new King. Karnon Gnollsbane, as he became known, slowly drove out all evil from Xenthus. The long period of anarchy was over.
King Kelos, 75th ruler of Xenthus, took the throne in 3120 C.R., fifth king in the Karnian line.
Click here for a list of all the rulers of Xenthus, with the dates of their reigns.