Test

T h e C a pit a l o f V a l h eim, Dragonspire

STORY VALHEIM here is no purpose greater than the protection of our bloodline. Let no cause nor covenant exceed its importance. Let no ego nor lust hinder its calling. The blood of Old Saeryl runs through your veins. The blood of dragons and magic, of warriors and empires. Without it, we are nothing, weaker than the least of men. With it, we are Saerylan and we must protect our own. That is our duty. That is our purpose. - Rhaegor Valaryn to his Three Sons History of Valheim The Realm of Valheim has experienced vast changes over the millenium before the Valaryn Conquest. To most, the stories of the First Kin and the Lost People are little more than ancient history of no consequence. Most smallfolk know little of the time before the Dragon Kings, but that does not discount the role these periods played in the development our Valheim. This section explores the this history and the major figures whose actions shaped the physical and cultural landscape of Valheim. The Origins of Terai In the time before House Valaryn escaped Old Saeryl, before the Lost People left Ivoria, before even the First Kin built their great citadels and temples, there were the Gods that created us all. There are many stories and myths of the creation of Terai, but most share the common story of the Gods of Creation and the Gods of Betrayal. The Creation Once, long before the Cataclysm, all gods were Creators. They built the mountains, plains, and oceans we inhabit. They breathed life into the forests and fields. From the stars, they formed the First Children, a race created in the Gods’ image. Life flourished beneath the Creators. But peace could not last. The Creators gave their children many gifts. Fire, tools, and magic. But the Children were not as pure as the Creators hoped. They used the fire to burn forests. They used tools to make weapons of war. They used magic to subjugate others. The Creators attempted to intervene, enacting their will to control the Children’s actions, but every interference seemed to drive their world further into darkness. It seemed that First Children were incapable of following their Creator’s will. So came the Great Divide. The Great Divide Some of the Gods found the cruelty of the First Children entertaining. They enjoyed watching the wars and slaughter. It was entertainment to them after a long millenia of creation. They wished to further the violence. These gods made plans for new creations. Ones of purposeful evil that would wage war and bring destruction to Terai. These Gods would become known as the Betrayers. But many other Gods found the slaughter disheartening. These Gods loved their children and wanted them to thrive without war, carnage, and violence. They blamed themselves for the fall of the First Children. Perhaps if they started over and wiped the slate clean, their creation could be better. These Gods would remain as the Creators. The splitting of the gods led to argument, the argument to conflict, and soon the Gods themselves were close to war. The Betrayers created new beings to serve them, monstrosities, aberrations, and fiends. The creatures of evil that still haunt Terai to this day. They raised these creatures from beneath the ground to lay waste to the First Children. A new era of bloodshed began. In response, the Creators brought more life to Terai. From the trees, they gave breath to the elves as guardians of nature. From the stone, they carved the dwarves as beings of invention. And from the mud, they formed the humans as beings of possibility. Together with the First Children, these races pushed back the creatures of the darkness. But the Betrayers refused to fail. They took to the mortal plane in a storm, killing thousands, forcing the Creator to intervene. of 11 CHAPTER 2 | STORY OF VALHEIM

The War of Gods And so the War of Gods began. Creation fought creation. God fought God. And soon, it was clear there would be no victor without the destruction of Terai. So the Creators made a difficult choice. They saw their folly as that of a parent who never lets their child grow alone. Their creations needed freedom to make their own choices, right or wrong. And so the Creators built the Divine Gate, locking themselves and the Betrayers away. At last, Terai had a chance for peace. But scars remained from the War of Gods. The creatures and races created by the Betrayers survived to threaten the world. Heroes were required to protect all that remained of Creation. In a final act, the Creators made a veil across the Divine Gate, allowing them to grant power to their chosen but it gave the Betrayers a glance into Terai as well. And so the world as we know it was finished. Forces of good and evil fighting for dominance with our gods locked away behind a Gate no one shall ever open. The Cataclysm 12 CHAPTER 2 | STORY OF VALHEIM

The Time Before Humankind For a thousand thousand years, the world developed. The Creations settled far and wide, while new races and species developed. Humans claimed lands across Ivoria and Gallica. Tieflings, the product of union between the Creator’s and the Betrayer’s children, settled Setessa. Those descended of the First Children, the Saerylans, built a powerful empire stemming from the Island on Old Saeryl. And Valheim was home to the First Kin. In the time before humankind came to Valheim, Elves, Gnomes, and Genasi flourished across the forests and plains that stretch from Blackfyre Bay to the Poison Sea. Dwarves, Giants, and Goliath ruled from the Ashen Range to the Shadow Peaks. This was an era idealized by today’s people, but make no mistake, Valheim was as dangerous as ever in these ancient times. Wars and conflict were unending. The land itself was filled with dangers. And Valheim stood alone. During the time of the First Kin, Valheim was cut off from much of the world. The extreme storms and weather patterns that plague the Poison Sea made it near impossible to reach the continent by ship from the south. A few adventurers from Erisia, the continent south of Valheim, survived the journey to the continent over the years. But when they returned speaking a land that was ripe, fertile, and filled with opportunity, most were silenced by their Kings and Rulers, fearing the what this new land might hold. But even with their forced silence, rumor would circulate of this northern land. But even with the few encounters from the rest of Terai, the First Kin remained blissfully unaware of the greater world. They knew nothing of the Saerylan Empire and their expansion across Erisia, conquering much of Ivoria, the Aesa Steppes, and Xhorhas. They new nothing of the small realm of Hellas and their strange gods that spit in the face of the Pantheon of Terai. They knew nothing of Setessa or Gallica, though their borders were just a hundred kilometers away across the Poison Sea. The First Kin lived their own lives and fought their own wars. Much of Valheim’s ancient history was a time of peace, but, as in any land, there were times of great hardships. From ancient tombs and long abandoned citadels, one can learn of the many wars waged amongst the First Kin. From the Twilight Wars and the Emergence of the Drow to the Giant Incursians that saw the deaths of thousands. The ideallic, peaceful vision of Valheim before the humans is one unsupported by history. Wars and conflict were as much a part of Valheim then as they are now. And the longest lasting of those feuds stood between the dwarves of the mountains and the elves of the forests. To this day, there are still tensions between many of the remaining Dwarven Citadels and Elven Kingdoms. These conflicts trace back to ancient times and the disputes between the two races. For the elves, harmony with nature was their way of life and beliefs. The dwarves’ industrialization with sprawling mines and vast citadels spit in the face of those values, leading to a series of unending wars that lasted until the First Invasion and the arrival of the Lost People in Valheim. The Lost People The Great Houses of Valheim can all trace their roots back more than a thousand years to the Lost People and the First Invasion. These were the humans and halflings that escaped the war torn lands of Ivoria during the The Twilight Wars 13 CHAPTER 2 | STORY OF VALHEIM

Saerylan Expansion at the turn of the last millenium. These people had spent years living in fear of the approaching Saeryl Empire and their dragons. And their fears came to pass when their homes and lives were destroyed by the Dragon-Lords, killing or enslaving all those who opposed them. For a time those who lived in the lands around Old Saeryl attempted to resist the Saerylans, but it would prove futile. War was not a thing of passion or emotion for the Dragon-Lords. War was a profession and a way of life. Their armies were vast. Their supplies were endless. But most of all, they had their dragonriders. All who stood in the way of the Saeryl Empire fell. Tens of thousands died during the Saerylan Expansion. Many more were enslaved. Few escaped west. And some of those refugees were the Lost People. As the Lost People escaped Ivoria and entered Gallica, they banded together, forming Clans Mallis, Merrick, Rayne, Torrik, and Wyne. For a brief time, there appeared to be a threat of conflict between the humans, but level-heads won out. The five clans that emerged from Ivoria chose to stick together for safety in this new land. The Lost People had already been victims of such violence, it was senseless to risk even more in this new land of Gallica. Gallica was, and still is, known as the Land of a Thousand Kings. Of course, this title is up for academic debate as to its accuracy. In truth, the number of Kings in Gallica fluctuates between six and seven hundred. Though, the Land of Between Six and Seven Hundred Kings doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. Regardless, the naming conventions of Gallica are beside the point. What matters is that each of these Kings turned away the Lost People, some with threats at sword point. The Lost People were forced further and further north, until they reached the northern coast of Erisia, where the Gallica countryside meets the Poison Sea. It was on that coast where the leader of the smallest clan, a human man by the name of Errik Torrik, called a council of the leaders. Errik Torrik was said to have been a dreamer and was plagued with visions of the future. It was a gift and a curse that gave Errik great power, but also a great burden. Legend tells us that Errik saw the future of his house. That he saw the eventual Valaryn Conquest. That he saw House Torrik’s role in the shaping of our realm. And so it was that Errik Torrik convinced the other tribe leaders to cross the Poison Sea to reach a new land to the north. A land with no kings to reject them. A land that would grant them salvation. Valheim. The Arrival of Humanity As mentioned before, Errik Torrik had convinced his fellow clan leaders that the only way forward for their people was to cross the Poison Sea and reach the land to the north. With knowledge of Valheim existing as little more than roomer, for the Lost People, it would be a gamble to cross the Poison Sea. They would not have known how far the journey would take them. It could have been days or weeks or months. This voyage would not be too dissimilar to those brave explorers that venture into the Endless Ocean to the east today. So the Lost People set to work building ships. Along the journey from their origins in Ivoria, the Lost People’s numbers continued to swell. By the time they reached the Poison Sea, they were nearly fifty thousand strong. The fleet needed to transport the Lost People to North Coast of Gallica

Valheim would take more than a decade to build. During that time, the Lost People lived on the northern coast of Gallica. They built strongholds and villages that still exist to this day, though most lie in ruin. The city of Tyne boasts that it was built over the remains of the Lost People’s first camp. A monument to honor Errik Torrik looking out across the Poison Sea is even erected in the city’s harbor. However, there has been no archeological evidence to suggest that Tyne was built at the same location as the first camp. A decade after reaching the shores of Gallica, the Great Fleet was created to carry the Lost People to Valheim. Near the turn of the millenium, Clan Torrik along with the other four clans, boarded the fleet to enter the Poison Sea. Not all fifty thousand Lost People joined their clan leaders in the voyage. Many stayed behind for fear that the voyage would be a fool’s quest. Many men left their wives and children behind. The fleet of refugees became a fleet of fighting aged men. The journey to Valheim was long and difficult. Some cataclysmic event tens of thousands of years ago had left the Poison Sea barren to most sea life and created supernatural storms plague the southern end of Valheim. Calm seas lasted week and a half before a deadly storms hit the fleet. But the storm was not the worst of it. A colossal being coming from the sea itself attacked the fleet. Many ships were destroyed before the Colossus dissapeared back into the depths. Days later, as the sea calmed, Clans Torrik, Merick, Rayne, and Mallis made landfall at the mouth of Corlyth River. But Clan Wyne was nowhere to be seen. Their ships had been pushed west and north out of the Poison Sea. They became lost to their brethren and their journey proved far more daring than the rest of the Lost People. Clan Wyne did eventually make landfall on the Rock, more than a month after leaving Gallica. With no knowledge of where they were or how far off course they had been blown, Clan Wyne set forth to build a new home within the rocky beaches, monstrous pines, and looming mountains of their new island home. It was there that humanity would first encounter the horrors that come from the land beneath our own, the Underdark. For many years the Rock attempted to reject it’s new found human residents. Battles with the Elves of the Wood, Wars against the Dwarves of the Mines, and skirmishes with the Giants of the Mountains. But worst of all were the Drow, Abberations, and Monstrosities that call the Underdark their home. The Rock was riddled with entrances to this land beneath our own. The years to follow challenged and tormented the humans of Clan Wyne. By the time Clan Wyne regained contact with their lost allies, they had been transformed into hardened men. They would make contact not as friends, but as raiders. In the meantime, on the Valheim mainland, the rest of the Lost People found themselves in the fertile grasslands and forests of the Reach. They made camp on the banks of the Corlyth river. They hunted and farmed the land. They began a new human civilization on Valheim. And by summer, the Great Fleet was sent back to the shores of Gallica to carry those who were left behind. It appeared that Valheim was their salvation. But nothing is ever so simple. The First Invasion At first, the Lost People thought themselves to be the only race to have come to Valheim. But this was not the case. Within a week of their landing, the nearby elven village of Eldewyn took notice of the newcomers. These elves made their home in the forests around the Corlyth river. At first, the interactions between the humans and elves were cordial. The elves were willing to share their land and helped the Lost People begin to settle. But as time passed, tensions grew. The humans of Ivoria were not respectful of nature in the same ways as the elves. It began with the clearing of the forests for farmland. Then the destruction of the natural world to make way for human towns, villages, and forts began. The humans began to hunt for sport rather than for sustenance. The Colossus and the Great Fleet 15 CHAPTER 2 | STORY OF VALHEIM

Tensions between the elves and men grew. Arguments and territorial disputes increased in frequency. The worst offenders were those of Clans Mallis and Merick, while Clan Torrik attempted to mediate the conflicts between races. For a time there was a tense peace. Then came the Summer Slaughter. A month after the Great Fleet left, Clans Mallis and Merick allied themselves together against the nearby elven villages. With even more settlers arriving in the coming weeks, many of whom were the wives and children of the first wave of humans, there was a need to expand. Rather than negotiate and bargain for land from the Elves, the leaders of those two clans, Colren Mallis and Keren Merick, chose to eradicate the local elf population. The slaughter that followed haunts the memories of all the residents of Valheim to this day. Under the cover of night, Colren and Keren lead their forces into the forests and into the nearby elven villages of Eldewyn and Melinir. That night was one of blood and fire. No one was spared the sword. The elves’ homes were burnt to the ground. By the time dawn broke over the western horizon, Eldewyn and Melinir were no more. Clans Mallis and Merick were free to expand. The truth of this event that would become known as the Summer Slaughter would not be known to the other Clans for many years. But the aftermath would affect them all. Word of this catastrophe reached the other elves of the Reach. Vengeance was demanded. And war began. It started small. An attack here. A raid there. But before long, the conflict escalated. Without knowledge of the Summer Slaughter, Clans Torrik and Rayne believed the Elven attacks to be unprovoked. They joined the alliance formed by the other two clans. Together, the Clans drove back their elven adversaries, claiming much of the Reach for humankind. Some elves managed to keep their homes and villages, so long as they swore fealty to their conquerors. As more and more humans arrived from Gallica, their power grew. The humans would not settle for the Reach alone. They longed to control all of Valheim. This was the event that would be known as the First Invasion. The Clans pushed forward into the Storm, The North, and the Bay. Valheim’s locals tried to resist, but with no centralized fighting force, there was little they could do against the invaders. It was not until late in the Invasion, after the humans had taken control of most of Valheim, that Elves of the forests banded together with the Dwarves of the mountains. This alliance held the humans at bay for a time, but defeat was inevitable. By this time, humans were pouring into Valhiem, not only from Gallica but from the lands under the control of the Saeryl Empire. Word had spread that Valheim would be a haven for their people. The clans had transformed into kingdoms with their Great Houses at their lead. The Storm had been claimed by House Rayne. The Reach went to House Merick, the house who would evolve into House Westmark. The Bay was taken by House Mallis, who had now become House Mallistair. And the North was given to House Torrik. The local populations of Dwarves, Giants, Goliath, Elves, Gnomes, and Genasi were pushed into the deepest forests, the most remote mountains. It took many generations, but Valheim had been completely taken by the humans. Great cities and Castles were built around the realm. From Stormwatch and Highmeadow in the Storm and Reach to Emberfall and Blackhelm in the North and Bay. All lands of Valheim were conquered, save the Wilderlands to the East. By the end of the First Invasion, the truth of it’s bloody origin had come to light. Many Houses wanted no part in a continued conquest of Valheim. Disgusted by his ancestor’s actions, King Veryn Torrik, the greatgrandson of Errik Torrik, took declared the North unaligned to the other human kingdoms. Other Houses followed suit as the human alliance fell to pieces. With the end of human aggression, a region of Valheim to the East was left in peace as a last refuge for the First Kin. Of course, many other regions remained independent of Human Rule. While most dwarven citadels in the Ashen Range and Frostfangs were destroyed in the First Invasion, in the Summer Mountains and Shadow Peaks, great dwarven civilizations remained. The Giants had removed themselves from harm’s way early in the First Invasion, hiding away to the far north and in remote locations. But even with the holdouts, far and wide, Valheim was a human realm made of four kingdoms (though a fifth existed on the Rock beneath House Redwyne, the house who had once been known as Clan Wyne) And for a time there was peace. Errik Torrik 16 CHAPTER 2 | STORY OF VALHEIM

Age of Peace For the next seven hundred years, the peace between First Kin and Lost People remained mostly unbroken. It was a time of art, creation, and development. Vast cities and strongholds began to speckle the face of Valheim. Orders and factions developed across the land from the Academy of the Arcane in Mythhaven to the Cult of Shadows in Misthall. There were, of course, endless conflicts between the human Kingdoms. There were few years that didn’t have wars, skirmishes, and arguments between the Greater and Lesser Houses. The Bay and the North were especially prone to these conflicts with greatly differing treatment of the First Kin. In the North, the First Kin were welcomed and honored. In the Bay, they were reviled. House Torrik of the North and House Mallistair of the Bay formed blood feuds that would last until the Decimation of Blackhelm in 3 BC. But of all the conflicts that spanned this era, none were as prevalent as the dangers posed by the Raiders from the Rock. The First Invasion came and went with no word from the lost Clan Wyne. The other Lost People assumed their brethren were lost at sea and would never be seen again. But nearly a hundred and fifty years after the Great Fleet first left the coast of Gallica, Clan Wyne (Now composed of several Houses pledging fealty to House Redwyne) reemerged from the Rock as reavers and raiders. It started small. An attack here. A missing ship there. But before long, the raids against the Valheim mainland grew more frequent. Those from the Rock had been molded by their dangerous home into hard men and women. Warfare was a way of life. The Kingdoms of the Valheim mainland led multiple conquests to put an end to the threat of House Redwyne. However, all attempts would fail due to the perilous nature of the Rock itself. Eventually a peace of a sort was reached. Large scale raids against the mainland were ended, but House Redwyne made no promises for those smaller attacks against fishing villages. Trade was opened between the Rock and the mainland, strengthening all of Valheim as the years progressed. New Blood The Age of Peace lasted for hundreds of years. Through this time, Valheim remained mostly isolated from the rest of the Terai, save the humans who braved the Poison Sea to reach the realm in hopes of a new life. But Valheim could not hope to stay the hidden jewel of the north forever. Eventually, the world came to Valheim in the Second Invasion. And with it came the New Blood. From Setessa, Gallica, the Aesa Steppes, Ivoria, and even Old Saeryl itself came a second wave of people. But these were not the humans who had escaped Ivoria more than seven hundred years prior. These were orcs, bugbear, and goblins from the wilds of Gallica and the Aesa Steppes. The halflings from Ivoria. The tabaxi and tieflings from Setessa. The dragonborn and kobolds from Old Saeryl. Some of these races, like the halflings and tieflings, came to Valheim in peace, searching for a new home. Others, like the orcs and goblins, came as raiders and bandits. But most came to escape the Saerylan Empire. The story of Valheim had begun to spread far and wide. It was said that this land was a place of opportunity. And it was said to be beyond the reach of even the Saerylan Dragons. The New Blood came to Valheim in droves, bringing with them a wave of culture, art, and diversity. The orcs formed their own nomadic nations in the wilds between the many cities and villages of Valheim. Halflings attempted to integrate themselves into human societies, some even managing to marry into the lesser houses. The tabaxi pulled Valheim into a more global setting, opening trade routes from the northern realm through Erisia and into their homeland of Setessa. Kobolds took to the mountains, bringing their wild dragon overlords from Old Saeryl with them. Dragonborn settled with their clans along the coasts and rivers, building new lives away from the tyranny of the Saerylans. And the tieflings found their homes in the sprawling cities of Valheim, acting as entertainers, merchants, mages, and courtesans. The Second Invasion was not near as violent as the first. Some conflict came of the New Blood’s arrival in Valheim, but as a whole, the event brought more good than bad to Valheim. It opened the realm up to the global stage, introduced new and exotic cultures, and set Valheim on its path into the future. Colren Mallis 17 CHAPTER 2 | STORY OF VALHEIM

The Valaryn Conquest History continued on in Valheim for another three hundred years after the Second Invasion. There were wars and famines, innovation and discovery. Valheim was slowly becoming a major player in its region of Terai. But, the infighting between the kingdoms and the lack of unification kept the realm from true greatness. Then came the Valaryn Conquest. The Slave Boy First, we must return to the time before the Lost People and the First Invasion. Back to the disputed lands in Ivoria during the Saerylan Expansion. Back to when House Valaryn was born into the Empire. The Valaryns came from less than nothing. The founder of House Valaryn was a slave boy named Aeron. This boy was a slave to one of the Great Saerylan Houses, House Taeryn. Aeron was a household slave to Lady Vaera Taeryn. He attended to his master’s every need. He was regarded as less than dirt. He was a boy with no prospects and no future. Until he bonded with a dragon. Now, even as a slave, Aeron was unique. Most slaves of the Saeryl Empire were of other races ranging from humans to dwarves to tieflings. It was the ruling class and nobles that were of the Saerylan race. The Saerylans had magic in their blood. It is said that they were descended from the gods themselves. Their blood gave them the ability to summon great powers. Their blood bonded them with the draconic races in their homeland. It bonded them with their dragons. And Aeron, though he was but a slave, was a Saerylan. It is not known how or why the boy became a slave. Records of the origins of House Valaryn are few and far between. He may have been born a bastard son of Lord Taeryn and one of the slave races or a descendent of the Traitor Houses from the First Saerylan Civil War. We may never know the truth of Aeron’s family. But what we know is that, at the young age of 13, Aeron bonded with one of his master’s wyrmlings. We know the dragon was silver and called Valayra. We know when Aeron became a dragonrider, he was no longer just a slave with no prospects and no future. Aeron the Bold became a Dragon-Lord. The boy was granted titles, land, and status. Aeron was raised from slave to noble overnight. For in the Saeryl Empire, while not all nobles were dragonsriders, all dragonriders were indeed noble. Aeron left his slave quarters behind for a small keep with servants and attendants. In honor of the dragon that gave him new life, Aeron took Valaryn for his new name. To bind himself to his former master and liege lord, Aeron chose to marry the youngest daughter of House Taeryn, a girl by the name of Rhaea. Within the month, House Valaryn was born. Aeron Valaryn and his descendants would serve the Saeryl Empire as loyal dragonriders for a thousand years before the Fall. They maintained only a small political influence in Saeryl, remaining as vassals to House Taeryn, but the Valaryns continuously proved their worth as warriors. They were crucial during the Saerylan Expansion. They served faithfully in the defense against the riders of the Aesa Steppes. They fought on dragonback in the countless wars of expansion and conquest in the last millennium. There was no house more loyal to the Empire. No dragonriders more fiersome. And House Valaryn stayed loyal until the Fall of Saeryl in 15 BC. Daelor I Valayn and his dragon, Valoryx 18 CHAPTER 2 | STORY OF VALHEIM

The Fall of Saeryl Little is known of why the ancient Saerylan Empire fell. Rumors circulated of everything from a mysterious cult gaining power amongst the dragonlords to an ancient ritual being performed to seal off the borders of the empire to the unworthy. What is known for fact is that the Empire had been greatly weakened due to the Second Saerylan Civil War that ended just months prior to the fall. Every living Saerylan was called back to their Island home to discuss the future of the Empire. All answered the call, save House Valaryn. At the head of this ancient house was Rhaegor Valaryn. It is said that Rhaegor had gathered some sense of what was coming for Saeryl, whether through stories, foresight, or other methods. In the autumn of 15 BC, Rhaegor took his wife (Alaella), three sons (Maenor, Daelor, and Aenor), and daughter (Rhaelys), along with their household guards, servants, and allies, and fled Saeryl. And as the year 15 BC ended, Saeryl fell. The borders of the island were closed off through magical means. All communication in and out of the land was cut off. No one entered and no one left. To the rest of Terai, Old Saeryl was dead. The Dragon Flight For the next several years, House Valaryn traveled from realm to realm, searching for a safe place to call home. They found brief refuge among the Tribes of Ivoria and the Kingdoms of Gallica, but as soon as they grew comfortable, their hosts would show their true colors. It was not the Valaryns that interested the Kings and Lords who hosted them, but their dragons and the power they represented. So House Valaryn would move on, escaping from one treacherous lord after another. They followed a path not too dissimilar than that of the Lost People a millenia ago, until they reached the Poison Sea on the north coast of Gallica. After being turned away or betrayed at every door in Erisia, Rhaegor turned his attention north to Valheim, looking for salvation. The Valaryns made landfall at Stormwatch on the southern coast of Valheim. There, Rhaegor Valaryn treated with King Borros II of House Rayne, Lord of the Storm and Guardian of the South. King Borros II welcomed the dragonriders with open arms until the subject of the aforementioned dragons came up. Rhaegor lied to the king, claiming their dragons perished. With no dragons, King Borros’s interest in the Valaryns waned. He rejected their request for shelter and banished them from his lands in the Storm. Spurred by the King of the Storm, Rhaegor split his family to search each of the Kingdoms for a safe haven, with strict orders to say nothing of their dragons. Rhaegor traveled to Highmeadow in the Reach to meet with King Tytos I of House Westmark. The eldest son, Maenor was sent up to Blackhelm on the Bay to speak with King Corbus III of House Mallistair. The middle son, Daelor flew to the Rock and the city of Ravenlok to King Rickon V of House Redwyne. One by one, each member of House Valaryn failed to secure refuge, until Aenor, the youngest son, arrived at Emberfall in the North. At only fourteen years old, Aenor braved the harsh winter of 10 BC to reach northern city. There he found King Rylen I Torrik, a boy king of just thirteen years old. King Rylen and Aenor quickly became fast friends and within a week, word was sent to the rest of House Valaryn that refuge had finally been found. And word reached every member of that house after they had failed in their own kingdoms, except for Maenor Valaryn. Maenor took his time traveling to Blackhelm, stopping in many of Valheim’s cities and villages along the way. By the time he arrived at the capital of the Bay, his brother had already secured a home at Emberfall. Now, the specifics of what occurred within the walls of Blackhelm are not known to us. Perhaps Maenor was enraged by his youngest brother’s progress outpacing his own. Perhaps King Corbus III was feeling particularly cruel. Perhaps Maenor’s topaz dragon, Bloodwing, was discovered. What is known to be true is that, in the winter of 10 BC, Maenor, the eldest son and heir to House Valaryn, was murdered alongside his dragon within the walls of Blackhelm. The Father’s Peace Following the death of Maenor at the hands of House Mallistair, Alaella and her children wanted revenge. However, Rhaegor forbid any retaliation. The death of his eldest son had shaken Rhaegor to his core. It is said that the father never truly recovered. He would spend the last seven years of his life in peace at Emberfall. During that time, Daelor grew as a warrior, preparing for the day that vengeance would come for House Mallistair. King Rylen I and Aenor became close as brothers in those long years after the death of Maenor. It was a time of great sadness for House Valaryn, but also a time of joy as their new lives in Valheim began. 5 BC became known as the year of weddings in the North as Houses Valaryn and Torrik strengthened their bonds through marraige. King Rylen I Torrik married Rhaelys in the spring of that year, while Aenor married King Rylen’s younger sister, Silera, in the winter. Only Daelor remained unmarried as vowed to take no wife and father no children until the day his brother was avenged. And that day would come sooner than any imagined. For in the spring of 3 AC, Rhaegor Valaryn fell ill and passed. He was of the last dragonriders alive. A Lord of Old Saeryl. And he died peacefully in his sleep. But his death would bring nothing but war. 19 CHAPTER 2 | STORY OF VALHEIM

The Conquest The Valaryn Conquest did not truly begin until the end of 3 AC with the Battle of Blackfyre, but the early conflict between House Mallistair and House Valaryn set the stage for the wars to come. The Decimation of Blackhelm On the day of his father’s funeral, Daelor Valaryn left the North on dragon back alongside his brother, sister, and mother. The dragonriders flew for Blackhelm and for revenge. It was on this day that House Valaryn gained their words, Blood and Vengeance, for that is what they showed to the Mallistairs of Blackhelm. The fire from the breath of Valoryx, the red dragon of Daelor, Sunfyre, the gold dragon of Aenor, and Tharaxis, the brass dragon of Rhaelys, reduced Blackhelm to rubble.The poisonous breath of Alaella’s green Wyrith forced all to flee into the field below the castle. By the end of the day, all of House Mallistair was killed and Blackhelm was no more than a pile of stone. The False Peace Following the Decimation, House Valaryn returned to Emberfall, their taste for vengeance seeming satisfied. To lessen the aftermath of the end of House Mallistair, King Rylen I stepped in to raise Lord Randall Barlor of Whitehaven to King of the Bay. It was proclaimed that the bloodshed was over and the Valaryns had not come as conquerers, as was seen as the nature of those from the Saeryl Empire. However, peace was not destined to last. King Randall I Barlor proved more loyal to the dead Mallistairs than the peace provided by the North. He amassed a fleet in Black Bay composed of warships from his own harbors as well as those from the Rock. In Response to King Randall’s fleet, King Rylen was forced to call his own banners and raise an army to defend his lands. But Daelor Valaryn was not a patient man. Rather than wait for an army, the dragonrider chose to deal with King Randall as he had dealt with the Mallistairs. Along with his family, Daelor took to dragonback and flew to Black Bay. The Battle of Blackfyre As Daelor arrived at Black Bay, he gave no moment for King Randall to surrender. The Valaryns descended upon the bay with their dragons. It is said that the waters themselves seemed to ignite as the fleet burned. Flames burning so hot they appeared black in the daylight. It was for this battle that Black Bay was renamed Blackfyre Bay. Thousands died that day, including King Randall I, but the Valaryns did not escape unscathed. King Randall had prepared for the coming dragons, mounting automatic ballista created by the dwarves in ancient times to his ships. During the battle, a bolt 20 CHAPTER 2 | STORY OF VALHEIM

caught Rhaelys’ dragon Tharaxis in the neck, sending both dragon and rider plummeting to their deaths in the bay below. The War for the Rock Following the death of his sister, Daelor Valaryn grew blind with rage. Discovering that some of the fleet in Black Bay came from the rock, the dragon lord turned his attention west. With little convincing, as Rhaelys had been his wife, King Rylen I joined Daelor in his quest for revenge. After forcing oaths of fealty from the remaining Lords of the Bay, Daelor called their banners, leading the armies of both the Bay and the North to the Rock. Daelor and King Rylen lead an assault from the south while Aenor Valaryn was given a force to attack the northern city of Mythhaven. The War for the Rock lasted the better part of year, with casualties mounting on both sides. Daelor had given strict orders to hold back their dragons for fear of loss, leading to a grueling ground war. But in Harvesthall in the year 2 BC, King Rickon V of House Redwyne surrendered to Daelor and King Rylen I, ending the war. The Changing of the Lords Following the war, Rickon V was executed for his involvement in the death of Rhaelys Valaryn. His son, Byron, bended the knee to become Lord Byron of Ravenlok and the Lord of the Rock. During this period, Daelor Valaryn also installed a northern lord, Luras Darklyn, as Lord of the Bay and ordered him to rebuild Blackhelm. Though both the Bay and the Rock were now kingless and answering to Daelor Valaryn and King Rylen I Torrik, at this point, Daelor still had yet to openly call himself king and Rylen only claimed to be King of the North. In the south of Valheim, King Tytos I Westmark and King Borros II Rayne plotted to create an alliance between the Reach and the Storm. The threat of Houses Valaryn and Torrik had grown to great to ignore any longer. Banners were called and war was declared. The War of Valheim Following the defeat of the Rock, it was King Rylen’s wish to return to the north and end these wars. But Daelor Valaryn was filled with a conqueror’s madness. And the armies of the Bay, the Rock, and even the North, were proving to be more loyal to the DragonLord than their King. Daelor led his armies through Bloodcross into the Reach and established a foothold on the banks of the Midnight Lake, a fort that would soon become known as Dragonspire. After founding this fort and would-be capital of Valheim, Daelor crowns himself King Daelor I of Valheim, Lord of Dragons and Protector of the Realm. This is done against the advisement of his 21 CHAPTER 2 | STORY OF VALHEIM

brother Aenor and in direct challenge to the remaining Kings in Valheim (Including King Rylen I Torrik). The War of Valheim stretched on into 1 BC through many skirmishes and battles. Highmeadow and the Reach fell in Summertide of 1 BC. This would have been a time of happiness for the Valaryns, but when King Daelor sent his mother back to Dragonspire to accept oaths of fealty from the Lords of the Reach, she was ambushed while flying above the Midnight Lake. A small force made up of deserters, Highmeadow Loyalists, and Men of the Storm used a ballista to shoot Alaella and her dragon from the sky. The death of his mother inspired a new vigor in King Daelor. The conqueror pushed on into the Storm, and by the autumn of 1 BC, King Borros II of House Rayne surrendered to the Dragon King. The Bending of the Knee With all the human kingdoms of Valheim conquered, King Daelor returned to his throne at Dragonspire. By then, the city had started to grow and at its center was the Spire, a great castle that rose into the sky in a pillar of black stone. King Daelor sent out an order for all the Lords of Valheim to travel to Dragonspire and declare their fealty to the new King of Valheim. It took many months for the lords to arrive, but by Frostfall of 1 BC, every lord had arrived at the city and bent the knee to their new king. All except King Rylen I Torrik. He was brother-by-law to Daelor and the first ally to House Valaryn in Valheim, but he refused to bend the knee to the conqueror. Rylen had seen Daelor’s savagery and lust for vengeance. Rylen knew that Daelor would not be a just king. In response King Daelor gave his old friend a choice, bend the knee or die. The Valaryn King With King Rylen I refusing to acknowledge Daelor as King, it appeared that a final war with the North was inevitable. Only Prince Aenor was able to save his longtime friend from death. Though the two had grown apart during the Conquest, Aenor still considered Rylen as much of a brother as Daelor. So as the year came to a close, Aenor the Young Dragon challenged his elder brothers rule and crown. One fight to end the wars and the conquest. The two brothers took to the sky on dragonback as the crowds of lords and smallfolk alike watched on. And both soon returned to the earth, one alive and one dead. On the 29th day of Frostfall in the year 1 BC, Aenor Valaryn killed his brother King Daelor I in combat, becoming King Aenor I Valaryn, the first true King of Valheim. 22 CHAPTER 2 | STORY OF VALHEIM