Kethira-720TR-Harn-Melderyn

From “Melderyn Mysteries”, by Harien of Guinas, unpublished:

The history of Melderyn itself can be murky. The first humans arrived on the main island of Hârn around 1300 BT, but there is clear evidence that people were living on the island of Melderyn over 1400 years earlier. It has been called the Henge Culture by those who research such matters. Those folk built a number of megalithic structures on the islands of Melderyn, Elnar, Glenoth, and Ikom. They also built smaller structures on smaller islands in the Indatha Strait separating Melderyn from Hârn proper. There is also evidence of Henge structures in Emelrene, just across the Melderyni channel on the Lythian mainland. Both of these nations have long histories that point to mystical connections. Many of the henge sites appear to have mystical properties, and some of them bear striking resemblances in both design and decoration to the sites of the Ancients, although no Ancient building techniques seem to have been used.

The mainland Jarin seem to have migrated to Melderyn about two thousand years ago, and developed along different paths than their Harnic cousins. Although magic is not publicly used in Melderyn, there is a commonly-held persistent belief that magic is far more pervasive there than elsewhere. Much of the same attitude appears to hold true regarding Emelrene, as well. Neither nation has ever been conquered, neither appears to be interested in conquest as opposed to peaceful expansion by colonization into generally-empty land, but both seem uncannily aware of the steps needed to fend off external threats.

When Emelrene was faced with a threat by the expansionist Azeryani Empire, Emelrene developed a strong imperium and remarkably good legions within a generation. When Azeryani, in her prime, was unable to conquer the much smaller nation of Emelrene, it signaled a major reversal; Azeryani fortunes have suffered greatly since, including the loss of most of their former properties. With the threat over, Emelrene quickly faded back into peaceful obscurity – until barbarians from Shorkyne came raiding. Emelrene quickly built effective fortifications and an excellent feudal army to defeat them and quell the threat, then subsided again.

In similar fashion, Melderyn largely seems to ignore its’ neighbors until something occurs to arouse its’ interest. When Pharic barbarians invaded much of southeastern Hârn in the tenth century BT, Melderyn seems to have suffered none of the violent conflicts of the rest of the area. Instead, the Pharic invaders seem to have been quietly assimilated throughout the locals, creating a hybrid culture that existed until the Pharic influence was diluted beyond recognition. Pharic pragmatism remains, but the persistent perception of arcane influences remains far stronger.

There are a few centuries, between 650BT and 200BT, that may hold the answers to many of the questions about Melderyn. No records can be found from this period. It is not known what form of government the Melderyni had during this period, or the activities and influence of the various arcane societies that are known to have existed before and after this period. Even population data is either impossibly vague or not available. Ancient tales and private recollections suggest that arcane societies and individual magicians virtually controlled the island, but it has not been possible to verify this.

What is clear is that those years were a time of incredible accomplishment for the Melderyni philosopher mages. Records from elsewhere indicate that many of the common practices of the Shek-Pvar were developed in Melderyn during this period, and there are persistent (if fanciful) tales of research into other worlds of existence, where even the laws of nature are different.

Even after this period, when Erebir the First united the Five Kingdoms into the Kingdom of Melderyn in what has now been called Year 1 of the Tuzyn Reckoning system, Melderyn retains the popular perception of an island ruled by magic, hence the reference to “the Mages’ Isle”. There are persistent if unconfirmed reports that a covert group operates out of Melderyn with high-level (royal?) support to influence matters all over Melderyn, and beyond.

What is certain is that Erebir established a practice of restricting trade with the mainland. Many of the current proscribed items – various types of weapons, goods, books, drugs, etc., date from Erebir’s time. This has had two major effects. First, the port (and royal seat) of Cherafir has grown wealthy due to its’ control of trade with the continent, and Hârn has remained something of a cultural backwater unaffected by many reported advances on the mainland. It is unknown whether this second effect has been intentional, but it appears no less real. Technically, the trade restrictions apply only to Melderyn and ships stopping at Melderyni ports, but the Melderyni Channel is a very difficult crossing and it is generally impractical to cross from Emelrene to Hârn without stopping at one of the Melderyni ports for supplies and/or repairs. Dropping anchor at port gives the local authorities an opportunity to come aboard and enforce the trade restrictions.

The first several Kings of Melderyn adopted an insular policy, but the brutal excesses of the Empire of Lothrim around 110-120TR changed matters. It has been suggested that Ninin, then King of Melderyn, felt responsible for Lothrim. There is some slender but credible evidence that Lothrim was a renegade magician from Nurisel on Melderyn’s north-west shore.

The mainland properties of Melderyn were not gained by conquest. In the late first century, the tribal unrest of the Migration Wars began, repeatedly threatening the small, peaceful Kingdom of Elorinar around the Horka River. Between 218 and 222TR, the Bujoc were enough of a threat that they ravaged eastern Elorinar and defeated every force the kingdom could raise against them. In 223, King Korob turned to King Shelir of Melderyn for aid. Relations between the two nations had always been cordial, dating back to the founding of Elorinar in 155TR by Nathwic Alaga with the aid of several Melderyni knights and advisors.

Korob swore fealty to the Melderyni throne, and Shelir sent emissaries to the Bujoc. It is noteworthy that there are no records available that suggest Melderyn sent actual military troops. There are also no records I can find that detail the skills or resources of these “emissaries”. Nonetheless, the attacks gradually stopped, and by 225TR King Shelir was able to announce the Peace of Anadel. The Bujoc returned to their former peaceful ways, and Korob became the first Earl of Elorin.

In 409TR, Chybisa was facing a succession crisis and under virtual siege by both the Hodiri and the Pagaelin. They offered their throne to Imidain I of Melderyn. He accepted, and the barbarians appear to have quieted down almost immediately, although no Melderyni military forces seem to have been present. Melderyn gave their new possession a great deal of autonomy and rarely visited it. In 475 the Chybisans seceded following the irregular – but legal – succession of Arabar II to the throne formerly held by his father Erebir V. Arabar was only a bastard child and the succession laws were loosely written. Arabar seems to have taken little notice of the profound insult of the secession and did not pursue the matter beyond issuing a proclamation denying their right to secede.

Later, in 569TR, the Kandayan city of Aleath in south-western Hârn was besieged by bloodthirsty Tekhosian theocrats. One month before the city fell, four hundred adults and many of the city’s children under twelve sailed from the city. There is strong evidence that this escape was orchestrated by two merchant brothers, Rolin and Taryn of clan Melesen. These two had immigrated from Cherafir to Aleath in 552. There is other evidence, less strong, that these two men were sent from Melderyn in anticipation of this very event, although that would assume nearly twenty years’ advance knowledge. Behind them, the city of Aleath fell to what became known as the Theocracy of Tekhos, a lethally religious dictatorship following Morgathian disciplines until its (fortunate) collapse in 588TR.

After suffering greatly from bad weather, the ship of refugees was able to reach Keboth Island, south of the Shava Forest. There, it is definite that they were met by both the Sindarin and by the legendary Genin, known as a mage of Melderyn. After their vessel was repaired and medical attention given, he led them through the Indatha Straits to the estuary of the Horka River, in the Elorin province. King Poleryn of Melderyn gave them a charter to found the Freetown of Thay. It has since become the dominant economic force in the area, eclipsing Harden – the old capital of Elorinar.

The Genin Trail was blazed from Laket up to Chybisa, and soon all the way to Kobing, not long after the founding of Thay. This trail has greatly improved communications and trade among the eastern Hârn nations.

From this period, it seems Melderyn has increased its’ obvious involvement in external affairs. Notable among these is the founding of Thay itself, and Poleryn’s founding of the Laranian Order of the Lady of paladins. Given recent excesses against the Solori, one wonders if Poleryn is watching somewhere, regretting his founding the Order.

Melderyni expansion in the Elorin region, and its’ Harnic possessions in general, has been slow and peaceful. King Lordos may have hoped that establishing settlements on the edges of Solori territory would have helped civilize the barbarians. If so, he was disappointed.

In 686TR, the present King of Melderyn, Chunel, accepted an oath of fealty from Balesir, the exiled King of Chybisa. This became the basis for a force composed of Melderyni advisors and military adventurers, which took back the Chybisan throne from the Kaldoric forces at the Battle of Geda. Again, there are no records of actual Melderyni soldiers being involved. As is well known, Balesir renounced his oath of fealty as soon as he regained his throne, but Chunel seems to have taken no obvious action to press his claim to the throne beyond issuing a denunciation, and continues to refer to the Chybisan king as “Our vassal the Earl”.

It is entirely likely that Melderyn continues to claim Chybisa, not so much out of desire of ownership, but rather as a deliberate ploy to neutralize Kaldoric claims to the same region.

In 705TR, several dozen Orbaalese dragonships – most reports say about 40 – descended upon Thay. They were not able to breach the city’s defenses but were able to hold it under siege. Frustrated, they stormed the surrounding area, burning and looting manors, villages, and the local Peonian Temple. In the process, they carried off a great deal of booty and many women. Although the Orbaalese never entered the city, this event has become known as the Rape of Thay. Repercussions of this throughout Melderyn were wide and varied; many people called for military retaliation, and Chunel promptly send several ships of craftsmen to help rebuild, along with other ships of supplies and relief from taxes. However, there was no military force sent against Orbaal.

Two years later, in 707, the King of Orbaal sent a massive fleet – a full hundred dragonships – south to take Thay and begin an Orbaalese conquest of southern Hârn. As this force rounded Cape Renda, a storm came up with tremendous force. It sank many ships and drove others to disaster on the rocks of the Cape. The surviving ships were scattered, and their staging base on Keron Island was also destroyed, even though Keron is over fifty leagues away. Thay is a bare sixteen leagues from Cape Renda and barely felt the effects of the storm.

The Orbaalese have made no further efforts to attack Thay, nor have they sent further fleets south. It is commonly believed that the storm was either divine action, or the intervention of magicians from Melderyn. No one has claimed credit. Similarly, no one has denied credit.

If the Cape Renda disaster was indeed of Melderyni origin, then some of their resources are now evident. Melderyn has no formal alliances with any Harnic kingdom, but all of them have a healthy respect for the potential Melderyn appears to possess. Their presumed mastery of the arcane arts only adds to this respect.