Neriak

Neriak is a dark beautiful city carved out of the very bones of the earth, deep under the forest of Nektulos. The multileveled tunnels that make up the basic connecting structure of Neriak were originally carved by meandering underground rivers that sprang from Lake Neriuss when its levels were higher. Later, they were widened and carved into a beautiful, dark, secret city by the magic of the dark elves, named in their own language as "Teir'Dal." Everything in this city is carved from the same dark stone, but minerals give it different colors. The dark elves are ruled by King Naythox Thex and his queen, Cristanos. Though it is not commonly acknowledged, the kings of the high elves and dark elves share a common lineage, as once all elves were related.

The areas of Neriak are designated as the gates; The First Gate, the Second Gate, the Third Gate, and The Fourth Gate.

The First Gate, the Foreign Quarter as it is more commonly called, is perhaps the busiest of Neriak's gates. It serves as the main connection between the city and the Nektulos Forest. It also is the epicenter where the foreign allies of the Teir'Dal, such as the ogres, trolls and humans of Freeport can be found.

The Second Gate, the Commons Quarter, is home to the average citizens of the Teir'Dal kingdom. Most of Neriak's Taverns, shops and inns are located in this section of the city.

The Third Gate is the domain of the Teir'Dal nobility; as such, there is very little commerce in this area. This area is reserved for the residences of elite Teir'Dal society. Any who are not of Teir'Dal lineage – even those who have amply demonstrated their allegiance to the dark elves – are not warmly welcomed in the Third Gate of Neriak.

This old book is titled "Dragoon Zytl - Blood Rank". It is the account of a dark elven soldier that appears to have lived hundreds of years ago. Its chronicle tells of his involvement in events that led up to the invasion of Faydwyr. Through much work, most of the missing pages have been found.

My subordinates have displeased me. Today I had to discipline a whole contingent of Dragoons for daring to question the King's orders. They do not need to know why the First Gate is being built. All they have to do is defend it. To question the King's orders is to question why you are allowed to breathe.

The First Gate has neared completion. No longer will these disgusting Trolls be allowed to walk so close to the Third Gate. It is bad enough that we must continue to suffer their presence. The Queen has assured me personally that all will be understood in the future.

The First Gate is a testament to the superiority of the Teir'Dal. It is now complete and the lesser races that we allow to enter will only interact with the low-born - merchants and simple guards, alike. The monuments glorifying the wisdom of our past rulers will show the lessers where their place in the world is.

All heretics will suffer the same fate as the band suffered today. No one will walk within Neriak and dare to utter blasphemy as they did today. Innoruuk has not grown silent, as they claim. He is in our very hearts and guides our hands in all of our actions. I am sure the Queen's necromancers will bring upon them a more deserving fate even in undeath.

My troops will be the most prepared when the day comes. I drill them twenty hours a day. I will not suffer the indignity of seeing Gmiz's command reign victorious. Mine will be the first to go see the glory. And take it all. In several more years, my men will see what I've done for them.

We have won every last one of the contests. My men will be the first. Gmiz came to congratulate me on my victory. I ran my blade through his gut before his hand had fully lifted his assassin's dagger. Now, not only are his men without a leader, but they will remain behind as the invasion begins.

Unwilling to turn a blind eye once more to the risks the hills posed, the rulers of Kelethin, Felwithe, and Ak’Anon agreed to share the cost of a small stronghold to secure the region. An old mining site was chosen for the location of the new city, and gnomish clockwork guards were built and sent to crew the place in order to reduce the cost of shipping in foodstuffs. Called Therege, the small fort soon spawned a small town within its walls. Peopled largely by misfits, adventurers, and scholars (aside from the clockworks), Therege was soon filled with relics that had been recovered from the tombs that various undead and the many earthquakes of the region had brought to the surface. Such finds provided just enough economic stimulus to encourage more civilians to brave the harsh land, and Therege, very slowly, grew. Other elves and gnomes had noticed a new resource within the hills as well. The destruction of so many undead and the opening of so many tombs had left the land rich with bits of skeleton bones, scraps of mummy wrappings, and flakes of zombie skin. Gnome necromancers were likely the first to notice the ease with which such corpse-based material components could be acquired in the hills, but their discovery soon spread to the Teir’Dal of Neriak. Spurred by the desire to gain greater power, Queen Thex of Neriak sent agents to take control of the Hills of Shade. Her agents failed miserably, but they did manage to send back caravans full of necromantic magics and materials. The Queen was angered by her servants’ failures, but was unwilling to remove them from such a useful post. She decreed that the agents could never return to Antonica until they ruled the hills. The agents accepted their exile with what little grace they could muster and established a roving camp for the exploitation of ruins and the mining of corpses. Called Exile, this camp soon became a common stop for necromancers of all races.