The Reforging of Renvere
An excerpt taken froom a more modern text by Albinius the Scrivner 44AS
At the end of the War of Ashes the Celestine Empire was founded, but much of modern day Renvere was still embroiled in conflict, both with roving bands of demons, but also warlords vying for power. A former member of the Arcane Triumvirate, Visya traveled to the region looking to track down the royal bloodline that she had believed to be somewhere in hiding. After years of searching she finally found a family deep in The Mire which she determined to be the descendants of the kings and queens of old. She told them of the great kingdom of Renvere, that stretched from the Wildwood to the south to the shores of the northern seas and Mirromere. She told them of the great knights and mages who defended the small folk and protected them from evils that would harm them. She convinced the family of their heritage, and that their lives among the common folk for who for years had been hunted by demons and terrorized by warlords would make them royalty just as great as those past. She stayed there in The Mire for close to another decade, before announcing his claim to the lands. At this time, the Empire was still but a single city, and working to bring the other city states in line with their goals, and did not have eyes on Renvere. With Visya's announcment came with a promise that this new king, King Toren I, would bring peace to the lands, and would start by liberating the people of Renshire from an oppressive warlord. A few hundred small folk flocked to The Mire, bearing only household tools and spears fashioned from wood as arms, but they marched alongside Visya and King Toren, in his families ancient armor and sword that Visya had kept safe during the war. When they arrived the warlord laughed at them from the walls of Renshire, sending forth a few hundred outriders from the gates of the city. Just as their charge was about to meet the lines of King Toren and his militia, Visya teleported them into the city with a powerful spell. In an instant the archers on the walls found themselves embattled with common folk wielding pitchforks, hammers, and pointed sticks. The warlord found himself in a duel with King Toren. The streets were filled with commoners in Renshire who had gathered to watch, and Visya was able to rally them and together they quickly took the gates to the city, shutting out the warlords riders. The battle lasted only momentariy though, as after a drawn out duel of ten minutes, King Toren slew the warlord, causing his forces outside the wall to flee, and those inside the walls to surrender. In the aftermath of the battle the king, in his wisdom, saw fit to knight several of the common folk who took up arms with him and distunguished themselves in the battle. These became the first of the Knights of the Realm. They were given what little armor and weaponry that could be found, and were sent out to help ascertain what needed to be done to liberate the remaining settlements in the region, and if possibe, do what needed to be done to grant them security, or return with information so the king could act. The king and Visya spent a few months in Renshire organizing, and it was there where King Toren married the daughter of a pair of the elders of Renshire. But soon he departed with Visya, in the guise as merchants, and traveled an old mountain road, forgotton to the humans, but known to Visya. Their destination was Ferethrane, where the king revealed his identity, and sought an alliance with the dwarven kingdom. Visya was able to help negociate a trade agreement, producing an ancient dwarven artifact she had recovered from demons, Khol'thros, the God Forger. In addition to a trade alliance, the Ferethrane dwarves also agreed to a light military alliance, but only if King Toren could prove his worth and unite his kingdom. Visya went afield, leaving Toren returned to Renshire to find his knights returned, as well as emisarries from the kingdoms of Hoss to the south, and Malaster to the north. The emisarries bore warnings, claiming him the king of the swamp and threatening war if he were to order soldiers across the Ren River or onto the Amber Stretch. His knights came with news of several warlords meeting, discussing an alliance to put an end to King Toren. He revealed his wagonloads of weapons and armor to them, and asked any of those common folk of Renshire willing to draw blades against his enemies to do so, and help him free others just like he had freed them. Many of those capable of fighting joined, but their numbers were few. He sent his wife to his home village in The Mire, telling them of his plans, and sending along weaponry and armor, asking for help retaking the town of Daromere. When he arrived the town had been fortified, but the warlord there had yet to recieve aid from her allies. King Toren was not equiped for a seige, but knew that he had but days to take the city before the other warlords forces fell upon his small army. They set about constructing makeshift battering rams and by the second day they were prepared for an assault. It was said that the king did not sleep that night, knowing that victory was uncertain, and without the support of the people of The Mire, it would be a costly battle. Nontheless at sunrise the next morning he began his assault. He quickly realized that the resistance he met was minimal and once his forces got the gates open they found the warlords forces in battle with the common folk inside. A group fo Mirefolk had snuck into the town and freed several prisoners the warlord had caged due to the probelms they were causing. Among them were three sisters, maligned as witches, who used powerful magics to manipulate plants. Together the three of them were able to bring low the warlords guard, and eventually defeat the warlord herself. With the death of the warlord, her remaining captains surrendered and king Toren offered them a chance to fight for him, and redeem themselves of their crimes. Some chose imprisonment, but most accepted his offer. He then turned to the three sisters, and elevated them to lordship of Daromere, seeing the benefit of their wisdom and power, even if some of the common folk feared them as witches. With the intelligence of the defeated captains offered, he split his forces amongst several of his most trusted knights and continued his campaign, freeing many more small nameless villages and hamlets, and rallying the common folk to his cause until all of the land south of the Ren River and north of The Mire swore fealty to his cause. After the campaign in the Renshire region ended, he returned to the city, to find that he had a two year old son. He gave him his name, Toren II, and declared him the heir of this new kingdom. New of this spread south to the kingdom of Hoss, who began raising an army. The Hoss kings had won their kingdom not through battle, but through immense wealth. They did have much in the way of a standing army, and many commoners in their lands were growing weary of the overlords the Hoss' had installed. They sought to solve the concern over this new king and their issue with the small folk by conscripting them. The news did not reach the Malasters, as in the north there was trouble. Their control over the region was greatly overstated, and in the central part of the region, a group of people lead by a man from a lineage of rulers, self titled the Fisher Kings, had taken issue with the Malaster claim that anything north of the Ren River was under their jurisdiction. They saw themselves as independant, and moved against the Malaster, driving them out of their eponymous city and pursuing them south, in an attempt to end their line. The Ren River was known for being rough to navigate and difficult to cross with bridges regularly being washed out or burned over conflicts. When the Malaster forces reached what they thought might be an escape into the lands held by King Toren, they found the bridges destroyed. The Malaster army dug in as defensible a position as they could, with their backs to the river, but the Fisher Kings army was fierce, and anhilation seemed inevidtable. But unbeknownst to both the Malaster and Fisher kings, King Toren had begun work on a great stone bridge over the Ren River to the east, and it was suitable enough to transport his calvary across the river. As the Fisher Kings forced clashed against the Malaster defensive lines, King Torens knights attacked their rear position. Once again King Toren found himself in single comabt, and slew the last Fisher king. Once the Fishers were routed, he turned his attention to the Malasters. The Malaster king who once maligned King Toren as "King of the Swamp" now bent the knee and in exchange for being granted similar station in the region, he swore fealty to the line of King Toren. Their forces traveled together back towards Malaster, but stopped at the lakeside town of Akenai, where the Fisher Kings ruled from. The forces that remained there were unwilling to bend to the newly named Baron of Malaster, and in order to prevent further bloodshed, as well as an intended slight to the Malasters, he named the daughter of the Fisher King Countess, under the condition that she marry one of his most loyal knights, and did not raise a blade to either the Malasters or against his will. The young woman cautiously agreed, and with that Malaster was now also under the control of King Toren. When Toren returned to Renshire, he found that he now had a second son, whom his wife named Visyn, in honor of Visya, who had in the month prior to the campaign in Malaster had returned and begun educating Toren. He also found a small host of Hoss soldiers outside his city walls. They allowed him and his army to pass into the city. The next day he rode out to find an emisary from the King of Hoss, stating that he would be willing to bend the knee to Toren as long as they were able to keep their wealth and control over the region. After some debate an agreement was reached where King Torens youngest son was to marry one of Hoss' daughter, and in exchange, as a dowery, the Hoss' would include a sizeable amount of gold. While the Hoss' to this day claim that it was nearly all their wealth, most believe it was but a taste of the depths of their treasury. Another condition is that Renshire cannot be the capital of the new nation, and must be its own seat of power, equal to the province Hoss would control. Part of the dowry was set aside for the construction of a new city. King Toren chose to found Torenvar on the coast, directly east of Renshire, on the tip of a peninsula, its cliffs overlooking the sea. The region was more or less uninhabited, and the ruins of an ancient city there were in good enough condition to act as a foundation for the new city.
At the end of the War of Ashes the Celestine Empire was founded, but much of modern day Renvere was still embroiled in conflict, both with roving bands of demons, but also warlords vying for power. A former member of the Arcane Triumvirate, Visya traveled to the region looking to track down the royal bloodline that she had believed to be somewhere in hiding. After years of searching she finally found a family deep in The Mire which she determined to be the descendants of the kings and queens of old. She told them of the great kingdom of Renvere, that stretched from the Wildwood to the south to the shores of the northern seas and Mirromere. She told them of the great knights and mages who defended the small folk and protected them from evils that would harm them. She convinced the family of their heritage, and that their lives among the common folk for who for years had been hunted by demons and terrorized by warlords would make them royalty just as great as those past. She stayed there in The Mire for close to another decade, before announcing his claim to the lands. At this time, the Empire was still but a single city, and working to bring the other city states in line with their goals, and did not have eyes on Renvere. With Visya's announcment came with a promise that this new king, King Toren I, would bring peace to the lands, and would start by liberating the people of Renshire from an oppressive warlord. A few hundred small folk flocked to The Mire, bearing only household tools and spears fashioned from wood as arms, but they marched alongside Visya and King Toren, in his families ancient armor and sword that Visya had kept safe during the war. When they arrived the warlord laughed at them from the walls of Renshire, sending forth a few hundred outriders from the gates of the city. Just as their charge was about to meet the lines of King Toren and his militia, Visya teleported them into the city with a powerful spell. In an instant the archers on the walls found themselves embattled with common folk wielding pitchforks, hammers, and pointed sticks. The warlord found himself in a duel with King Toren. The streets were filled with commoners in Renshire who had gathered to watch, and Visya was able to rally them and together they quickly took the gates to the city, shutting out the warlords riders. The battle lasted only momentariy though, as after a drawn out duel of ten minutes, King Toren slew the warlord, causing his forces outside the wall to flee, and those inside the walls to surrender. In the aftermath of the battle the king, in his wisdom, saw fit to knight several of the common folk who took up arms with him and distunguished themselves in the battle. These became the first of the Knights of the Realm. They were given what little armor and weaponry that could be found, and were sent out to help ascertain what needed to be done to liberate the remaining settlements in the region, and if possibe, do what needed to be done to grant them security, or return with information so the king could act. The king and Visya spent a few months in Renshire organizing, and it was there where King Toren married the daughter of a pair of the elders of Renshire. But soon he departed with Visya, in the guise as merchants, and traveled an old mountain road, forgotton to the humans, but known to Visya. Their destination was Ferethrane, where the king revealed his identity, and sought an alliance with the dwarven kingdom. Visya was able to help negociate a trade agreement, producing an ancient dwarven artifact she had recovered from demons, Khol'thros, the God Forger. In addition to a trade alliance, the Ferethrane dwarves also agreed to a light military alliance, but only if King Toren could prove his worth and unite his kingdom. Visya went afield, leaving Toren returned to Renshire to find his knights returned, as well as emisarries from the kingdoms of Hoss to the south, and Malaster to the north. The emisarries bore warnings, claiming him the king of the swamp and threatening war if he were to order soldiers across the Ren River or onto the Amber Stretch. His knights came with news of several warlords meeting, discussing an alliance to put an end to King Toren. He revealed his wagonloads of weapons and armor to them, and asked any of those common folk of Renshire willing to draw blades against his enemies to do so, and help him free others just like he had freed them. Many of those capable of fighting joined, but their numbers were few. He sent his wife to his home village in The Mire, telling them of his plans, and sending along weaponry and armor, asking for help retaking the town of Daromere. When he arrived the town had been fortified, but the warlord there had yet to recieve aid from her allies. King Toren was not equiped for a seige, but knew that he had but days to take the city before the other warlords forces fell upon his small army. They set about constructing makeshift battering rams and by the second day they were prepared for an assault. It was said that the king did not sleep that night, knowing that victory was uncertain, and without the support of the people of The Mire, it would be a costly battle. Nontheless at sunrise the next morning he began his assault. He quickly realized that the resistance he met was minimal and once his forces got the gates open they found the warlords forces in battle with the common folk inside. A group fo Mirefolk had snuck into the town and freed several prisoners the warlord had caged due to the probelms they were causing. Among them were three sisters, maligned as witches, who used powerful magics to manipulate plants. Together the three of them were able to bring low the warlords guard, and eventually defeat the warlord herself. With the death of the warlord, her remaining captains surrendered and king Toren offered them a chance to fight for him, and redeem themselves of their crimes. Some chose imprisonment, but most accepted his offer. He then turned to the three sisters, and elevated them to lordship of Daromere, seeing the benefit of their wisdom and power, even if some of the common folk feared them as witches. With the intelligence of the defeated captains offered, he split his forces amongst several of his most trusted knights and continued his campaign, freeing many more small nameless villages and hamlets, and rallying the common folk to his cause until all of the land south of the Ren River and north of The Mire swore fealty to his cause. After the campaign in the Renshire region ended, he returned to the city, to find that he had a two year old son. He gave him his name, Toren II, and declared him the heir of this new kingdom. New of this spread south to the kingdom of Hoss, who began raising an army. The Hoss kings had won their kingdom not through battle, but through immense wealth. They did have much in the way of a standing army, and many commoners in their lands were growing weary of the overlords the Hoss' had installed. They sought to solve the concern over this new king and their issue with the small folk by conscripting them. The news did not reach the Malasters, as in the north there was trouble. Their control over the region was greatly overstated, and in the central part of the region, a group of people lead by a man from a lineage of rulers, self titled the Fisher Kings, had taken issue with the Malaster claim that anything north of the Ren River was under their jurisdiction. They saw themselves as independant, and moved against the Malaster, driving them out of their eponymous city and pursuing them south, in an attempt to end their line. The Ren River was known for being rough to navigate and difficult to cross with bridges regularly being washed out or burned over conflicts. When the Malaster forces reached what they thought might be an escape into the lands held by King Toren, they found the bridges destroyed. The Malaster army dug in as defensible a position as they could, with their backs to the river, but the Fisher Kings army was fierce, and anhilation seemed inevidtable. But unbeknownst to both the Malaster and Fisher kings, King Toren had begun work on a great stone bridge over the Ren River to the east, and it was suitable enough to transport his calvary across the river. As the Fisher Kings forced clashed against the Malaster defensive lines, King Torens knights attacked their rear position. Once again King Toren found himself in single comabt, and slew the last Fisher king. Once the Fishers were routed, he turned his attention to the Malasters. The Malaster king who once maligned King Toren as "King of the Swamp" now bent the knee and in exchange for being granted similar station in the region, he swore fealty to the line of King Toren. Their forces traveled together back towards Malaster, but stopped at the lakeside town of Akenai, where the Fisher Kings ruled from. The forces that remained there were unwilling to bend to the newly named Baron of Malaster, and in order to prevent further bloodshed, as well as an intended slight to the Malasters, he named the daughter of the Fisher King Countess, under the condition that she marry one of his most loyal knights, and did not raise a blade to either the Malasters or against his will. The young woman cautiously agreed, and with that Malaster was now also under the control of King Toren. When Toren returned to Renshire, he found that he now had a second son, whom his wife named Visyn, in honor of Visya, who had in the month prior to the campaign in Malaster had returned and begun educating Toren. He also found a small host of Hoss soldiers outside his city walls. They allowed him and his army to pass into the city. The next day he rode out to find an emisary from the King of Hoss, stating that he would be willing to bend the knee to Toren as long as they were able to keep their wealth and control over the region. After some debate an agreement was reached where King Torens youngest son was to marry one of Hoss' daughter, and in exchange, as a dowery, the Hoss' would include a sizeable amount of gold. While the Hoss' to this day claim that it was nearly all their wealth, most believe it was but a taste of the depths of their treasury. Another condition is that Renshire cannot be the capital of the new nation, and must be its own seat of power, equal to the province Hoss would control. Part of the dowry was set aside for the construction of a new city. King Toren chose to found Torenvar on the coast, directly east of Renshire, on the tip of a peninsula, its cliffs overlooking the sea. The region was more or less uninhabited, and the ruins of an ancient city there were in good enough condition to act as a foundation for the new city.
Type
Manuscript, Historical
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