Ayleids of Rivenspire

By Count Verandis Ravenwatch

Rivenspire was long a land uninhabited by men and mer. Many sources suggest that some Ayleid clans settled in the southernmost parts of Rivenspire in the middle to late Merethic Era. Due to Rivenspire's inhospitable environment most of these clans soon left Rivenspire and returned to what would become the region of Stormhaven. The Ayleid clans who remained struggled for their survival, but stayed mainly due to the wealth of rare minerals, aswell as Welkynd and Varla stones, in Rivenspire's mountains. It is uncertain how many cities were built by these early Ayleid settlers, most of them have long since been buried and forgotten. We do however know that the main Ayleid city-state of Rivenspire was called Lorkrata, and most of what is now Eyebright Field, along with northern Westmark Moor, belonged to it. The city-state was ruled from "Lorkrata Tor" in northwestern Westmark Moor. The Undiin clan which ruled Lorkrata worshipped Vaermina, and many shrines dedicated to her were built beneath Lorkrata Tor. Another Ayleid city-state in Rivenspire was located in southeastern Westmark Moor, its name is belived to have been Falodiil. Falodiil was ruled from a royal hall located near the enterance to the Crypt of Hearts. The clan which ruled Falodiil worshipped Peryite, and according to an old Ayleid tome retrieved from Sanguine Barrows a shrine to him was constructed in the mountains north of the royal hall.

For a long time Rivenspire was a peaceful land, and Lorkrata and Falodiil seemed to have no problems coexisting. But in the first years of the First Era king Filestis of Kwyrothil landed with his clan on the shores of northwestern Rivenspire. Filestis had been sent to Rivenspire by king Anumaril of Abagarlas. By Anumaril he had also been gifted with a powerful relic known as the "autaracu alata", meaning "remnant of light". The hall of Veawend Ede was built on the location where Filestis' clan has landed, and soon the city of Erokii was built not far from it. Filestis and his clan did not face the same challenges as those who had previously tried to settle in the region. The Remnant of Light brought life and warmth to the otherwise dead and cold land, and the inhabitants of Erokii lived far longer than other Ayleids. The Ayleids of Erokii placed the Remnant of Light on the pinnacle of a montain near the city. They did so to in part to keep it safe from the other Ayleid clans of Rivenspire, but also to increase its power. All of northern Rivenspire, which was given the name Boralis, was now full of life and warmth. When Filestis lay dying it is said that he was brought to the pinnacle where the Remnant was kept, and that it cured him completely and allowed him to live for many more years.

Sources differ on what the cause for the war between the Ayleid clans in Rivenspire. Some sources claim that the Lorkrata and Falodiil clans grew jealous of Filestis' clan, and that they therefore declared war on the city-state Erokii. Others say that the rulers of Erokii wanted to control all of Rivenspire, and therefore attacked the other city-states. Whichever was the case a bloody war ensued. Neither Lorkrata and Falodiil or Erokii was able to gain an advantage, and the war went on for years and years without either side showing any signs of being victorious. The rocks and fields of Rivenspire were coloured red by blood. This had an effect on the Remnant of Light. The Remnant was corrupted by the blood that was spilled on the land that it had brought life to. As the Remnant was corrupted, so too was Rivenspire. As the land died, the Ayleids began to aswell. When the Ayleids were at their weakest, their slaves grabbed their tools and slew the last of the Ayleids who had not gone to war or fled.

Ayleid rule over Rivenspire was lost, and with them so was the memory of the Remnant. The Remnant had lost its light, and Rivenspire had died. But the Remnant remained, as a shadow of its former self. The Remnant still sits atop the pinnacle towering above the ruins of Erokii, and I fear that its new, corrupted powers may have been unleashed upon Rivenspire.