Clan Crushbone

Journal: A preservation of Truth by Vergeth Jawcrush, a loyal son of Crushbone

I must write this quickly. It won’t be long before I am branded a traitor and locked away, or perhaps subjected to some worse fate. But I cannot remain silent while my beloved empire crumbles around me.There was a time when Clan Crushbone was pure. We could stand against any of the races that challenged our rightful rule of Faydwer. But little by little we have been corrupted from within, and now that corruption threatens to destroy our way of life.

What do I mean? I wonder if, by the time someone reads this, it will even matter. The damage could have already been done, and the glory of Clan Crushbone may only be a memory. But I must try.The Teir’Dal came to us long ago and established a kind of alliance. It made sense, for we shared a common foe in the light elves. Our mutual interests even resulted in them sending an ambassador to stay with us. That is how the usurper came to be here.

D’Vinn was ever near to Emperor Crush, whispering in our great leader’s ear of plans and promises. The emperor had proven his divine right to lead us through countless battles against our enemies. What had D’Vinn ever proven? Nothing, except his ability to deceive.This snake lived in our presence for generations, standing beside many emperors. His venom was inflicted so gradually it went without notice. After a time, many believed that D’Vinn was as important to us as our own emperor. Oh, mighty Rallos, how could we have been so blind?

When the War of Fay reached its end and the Teir’Dal lost their grip on Felwithe, D’Vinn brought many of his kind to our keep. He said his mages would teach us their dark arts of necromancy and make us stronger. The promise of such power appealed to the Emperor.Thus the corruption spread under the guise of fortune. Our keep was expanded and made stronger, though much of the castle would be taken up by the Teir’Dal. Even as we seemed to grow more powerful, we could not rid the lands of the accursed light elves.

D’Vinn used this unrest to his advantage. Working with the Prophet, who was hungry for power of his own, the devised a plan to take control. The Prophet claimed to have received a vision from Rallos Zek that told him our army would never know victory until we atoned for our losses in war.The Prophet told Emperor Crush that he must make a pilgrimage to a sacred shrine hidden in the Loping Plains. Once a blood sacrifice was performed, Clan Crushbone would once again know Zek’s favor and be victorious in battle. To appease his people, the emperor agreed.

Journal: A Preservation of Truth by Vergeth Jawcrush, A loyal son of Crushbone

I must write this quickly. It won't be long before I am branded a traitor and locked away, or perhaps subjected to some worse fate. But I cannot remain silent while my beloved empire crumbles around me.

There was a time when Clan Crushbone was pure. We could stand against any of the races that challenged our rightful rule of Faydwer. But little by little we have been corrupted from within, and now that corruption threatens to destroy our way of life.

What do I mean? I wonder if, by the time someone reads this, it will even matter. The damage could have already been done, and the glory of Clan Crushbone may only be a memory. But I must try.

The Teir'Dal came to us long ago and established a kind of alliance. It made sense, for we shared a common foe in the light elves. Our mutual interests even resulted in them sending an ambassador to stay with us. That is how the usurper came to be here.

D'Vinn was ever near to Emperor Crush, whispering in our great leader's ear of plans and promises. The emperor had proven his divine right to lead us through countless battles against our enemies. What had D'Vinn ever proven? Nothing, except his ability to deceive.

When the Elder Age was in full bloom, long before the Faydark was divided, the fey (brownies, pixies, faeries, and fae drakes) and the other sylvan creatures (unicorns, griffons, and others) dwelt together in the great forest. They assisted the Woodkine in the defense of their homeland, but, unlike the Woodkine, the fey eventually forsook the Greater Faydark for its smaller and more isolated sister forest. After the Faydark was divided by orcish assaults, the fey tried to maintain their ancestral homes in both forests; however, as the world beyond the forest continued to change, too many creatures began to venture into the realms of the fey. The Fier’Dal left their home on the continent of Antonica and began to settle in the Greater Faydark. Though they disliked the thought of sharing their woods with outsiders, the fey tolerated the wood elves, but grew increasingly uneasy as the years went by and other less welcome visitors began to arrive — dwarves, humans, and orcs; foresters, hunters, raiders, and bandits.

The fey fought these intruders, but even though the wee folk were brave and determined, in the end they proved too few to stem the tide. Faerie warriors perished at the hands of orc centurions, brownies were rounded up and killed or captured as curiosities, and nearly all of the proud unicorns of the Greater Faydark were slaughtered. At length, the pressure upon the fey grew too much, and they began to depart en masse, relocating to the nearby Lesser Faydark. Few remained in the Greater Faydark, stubbornly defending their old homesteads, sharing an uneasy truce with the wood elves and battling the intrusions of the Crushbone orcs and others.

The rest, however, retreated into the ancient and forbidding depths of the Lesser Faydark, where they created the last purely fey settlements. Intensely territorial and fearful of the outside world, the brownies, faeries, and fae drakes all jealously guarded their realm against intrusion, harassing if not ferociously attacking outsiders. For a time the fey held the outside world at bay, and lived at peace amongst themselves. The fae drakes flitted about the forest, serving their royal court and aiding the other inhabitants of the forest. The brownies founded a small but thriving settlement, and mushroom-houses were dotted throughout the area.

Few outsiders came to the forest, and fewer still survived. The best known of the survivors was the human monk called Master Wu, who established a small encampment and spent several years contemplating the wonders and peace of the surrounding forest. Perhaps sensing a kindred soul, the fey generally left Wu in peace, and after a time he moved on, continuing his studies elsewhere. For decades, the folk of the Lesser Faydark continued to live in peace.