For New PCs: The Songs of T'aquar

[Scheherazade]

"Namaste.

I welcome thee, whether thou art a brethren of the First People or an outsider from a foreign land, I welcome thee to Tel Aranae Quessir, nation of the First People.

Whither shalt I commenceth? The history of the First People is vast, as vast as the huge, lush forest where thou stand and I hath seen the turning of eons, the plodding of millennia, the rolling of yahrens and I hath observed great and small things, these ancient eyes hath witnessed much.

The telling of such lush history wouldst take eons, and thus, these scripts shalt aid thee in thine undertaking if thou should step into the land of T'aquar. 'Tis hath been compiled by chroniclers and scholars and they harness truths and rumours and as a historian, I resolutely advice that 'tis up to thee to percieve which art the truth from false.

Shouldst thou continue thy sojourn into the land of the First People, the Nation of T'aquar, thou must keep in thine mind that we art a noble race and thy journey shouldst be noble as well.

Thusly, I greet thee again, welcome and mayest the Light of the First People shine upon thee."



Holy Un'Vhien Uth' Xecra
Silent Witness and Chronicler of the Runya
Arch-Priest of Illuminatus of the Library of Runya

*Translated from the Ancient Adhiel Tongue to Common Language

[Scheherazade]

The Night of the Great Conflagration

Fifth Mark, Evetide, 19th of Samheen, Yahren 1224 AD.

Read these manuscripts! They were written by Danini Thady Rioch the Arch-Bard and Court Historian of Tel Aranae Quessir, and at no master’s dictation, but in his own words.

Hearken to me, you who will live, you who will find these pages that I wrote. This is the true history of a time that was, a time of a once great nation, an era of a once majestic kingdom, the race of the T'aquar Adhiels. These scripts may be our last words, our last voices for you to remember us, that we were once proud and mighty, that once, minstrels and bards sing of our illustrious kingdom. Listen and hearken to our words.

We are a dying kingdom. Our blood is now dwindling, on a verge of extinction. What once a noble realm is now but a far picture of what we once were. We are slowly dying, one by one; our blood is being sacrificed, like a lamb to a Mad God.

We are slowly dying.

It was our noble blood that was spilled in the desert dunes of Amun Rah. It was our kin who stood defiant against the darkness that blanketed the whole realm. We sacrificed everything for the Mother, for Tazlure, for you to live. Many of us were slain; many of us were sacrificed, butchered like lambs, their voices unheard, their actions untold. Yet still, the One God prevailed for we alone cannot contest against the Madness of the One God. Our brave kin who stood defiant against the Mad God were entombed into the desert dunes of Amun Rah. Out of the depths we cried to our Gods, to listen to the voice of our pleading, yet our Gods were thwarted, left crippled by the Mad God and our prayers were left unanswered. The bodies of our kin were buried in a molten glass of sands, their hands stretched out in supplication against the massacre of our race. Few of us were spared. Defeated, our small surviving race went back to our beloved forest of Tel Aranae Quessir, our numbers greatly diminished and thinned, what once a lush race of T'aquar Adhiels was now but a sparse whisper of once a great and noble roar.

We are slowly dying.

Yet even in our forest, darkness loomed. Must we sacrifice all of our noble blood for the darkness to vanish? Our majestic city of Taloh was torn down, demons and fire ravaged our forest, even in the sanctuary of our weald, our blood were being butchered. Black smoke blanketed our majestic city; fire burned the trees, kindling them to ashes, wails were heard, cries for help floated as the demons attacked us. It was a sad night for the race of the Adhiel. Fathers, mothers, daughter and sons of Taquar died on that holocaust, T'aquar was awashed with a river of blood, our blood, our race slowly being fed into the fire of extinction.

Cities were abandoned; villages left unattended since almost all of us were left homeless, refugee inside our own realm. Yet, there still loomed trials before us. In the west, Orcs harassed the border of our forest realm. In the south, the zealots of the One God marched on, craving for our blood and there will be no escape against their madness.

Will there be dawn for the race of the T'aquar Adhiels? I am afraid that this is our last age.

We pray that there is hope for us.

If not, we pray that you remember us.

--Excerpted from, The History of the Adhiel Race: Kingdom of Tel Aranae Quessir.
By the Master Bard and Court Historian, Lord Danini Thady Rioch.
*Translated from the Adhiel Tongue into the Common Language.

[Scheherazade]

The Exodus from Taloh into Kes'Levy.
24th of Samheen, Yahren 1224 A.D.

The Dirge of an Adhiel Mother. 1
--Anonymous
*Translated from the Adhiel Tongue to the Common Lexicon.

“Listen to the sound of crying in T’aquar,
of mourning for the
destruction in the land.”

“Weep for the nation of T’aquar!”

“They have come to destroy paradise;
its soldiers are beaten,
and their bows are broken.”

“Weep for the nation of T’aquar!”

“Sons and daughters are dead,
the walls of mighty Taloh
are thrown to the ground,
and its towering gates
burned down.”

“Weep for the nation of T’aquar!”

“We are thrown into despair,
woe to us and cry for
the sons and daughters of T’aquar.”

“Weep for the nation of T’aquar!”

“In bitterness,
we bewail our fate.
As we gnash our teeth,
tear our hair out,
bemoan we upon our Mother,
to save us from the claws
of death and destruction.”

“Weep then for the nation of T’aquar!”

1 Author's Note: An elderly, woman's voice sang this elven song as the procession moved through the woods. I have tried to pen the exact words. --Master Bard, Danini Thady Rioch

[Scheherazade]

The T’aquar Affair: An Analysis of the Recent Crisis.
Excerpted from Chapter Five of the Adhiel texts,
Compiled by the Scholars of the Library of Runya.
*Translated into the Common Lexicon from the Adhiel Tongue.


It was quite obvious to the Adhiel government of Tel Aranae Quessir – The Tari2 – at this point that the realm was facing a threat of the gravest nature, a threat that the government of Tari was ill prepared to confront. T’aquar had long relied upon their wide ranging forests with its defenders3 -- the allegiant paladin knights of the Emerald Order4 and the rangers5 of the borders -- to protect, defend and shroud them against an all out attack of the Orcs in their western border and a full blown confrontation from the southern Oneist. The situation facing the Tari government that time, however, did not appear to arise from mundane and normal civil and political problems. Those particular dilemmas can be taken in stride and usually solved by the Adhiel’s famous deliberation of its cabinet’s councils in the majestic, tree-top, Court Palace of T’arquir.

The Tari soon realized that on that time, however, things were quite different. When the combined forces of the Adhiel races were left butchered against the confrontation with the One God in the desert dunes of Amun Rah, the populations of T’aquar were greatly reduced and they went back to their mother land sparse, defeated and beaten. Nevertheless, the Tari government held on, led by the Queen and her trusted advisors: The Avatar of the Mother Laliel Salieu, the Lord Sorcerer Un’Qyn and the Tari’s cabinet councils6. Their main focus were to close their borders from an outside attacks from the Orcs and from their southern borders and salvage the dimming populace of the T’aquar Adhiels. But the Elven government did not realize that danger was within their borders, inside their forested realm, waiting for the right moment to strike. This time, the lurking danger was obviously of paranormal origins and tainted with evil and deamonic nature.

So intertwined was the Queen’s connection to the essence of Tazlure that she felt the disturbances in the natural order of her realm. It was one of the evidences that something was going on inside her borders yet it was still hidden away from her. The disturbances were obviously coming from some as-yet-to-be-determined sources and were so contained that the unbalance and taint in the natural order of Tel Aranae Quessir could not be pinpointed accurately. Following the advice for the Lord Sorcerer Un’Qyn, the Queen held a closed meeting with the Druid Shapers of Bhiradhun Aidhuqir7. Surprisingly, the Shapers admitted that they were sensing the disturbances in nature as well yet they were perplexed on the apparent origin and purpose of the taint. The Druid Shapers informed that there had been sightings of strange creatures in the forests and that the woods exude an evil aura. Led by the Master Shaper Lyannia, a small group was sent out to investigate the strange happenings and occurrence in the woods wherein they encountered a small part of the forest of T’aquar being forcefully altered and twistedly mutated by a dark, twisted Shaper named Rhimmuld8. A minor clash arose between the Master Shaper and the Dark Shaper in which he fled in defeat, calling for his dark mistress to aid him.

The Queen’s presentiments were beginning to come true, the report of the event in the woods followed by various incidents involving accounts and witnesses of Border Rangers and the council of the Druidic Shapers that the woods of T’aquar were now becoming dangerous. It was further proven by the appearance of a Paladin9 of Illuminatus, bearing the news that her God sent her to aid T’aquar. The Queen was deeply troubled with the surmounting evidences that a great darkness was rising. However, when war broke out in the human city of King’s Court, T’aquar was called forth by the accords of the alliance between the two nations. Headed by the Avatar of the Mother Laliel Salieu, the elite knights of the Emerald Order marched forth from the woods of Tel Aranae Quessir to the southern King’s Court, yet, when they arrived, they were welcomed coldly and that their heathen and pagan aid were not needed.

Without the Avatar’s presence, the Emerald Order, and the triumvirate power in T’aquar crippled: The Queen, the Sorcerer, and the Avatar; the realm soon realized that they were totally left defenseless. In her deepest heart, Her Majesty knew that troubles were brewing and quickly hid three powerful artifacts that symbolized the power and essence of T’aquar: The Circlet, the Mirror and the Arrow10. Unfortunately, before the Queen could ever conceal the Circlet, the Cabal of Thorns stole it from the Temple of the Mother.

It was at that time, when the Monarchy and the realm were at its weakest that the enemy attacked. The horrors of that night will remain forever etched upon the memories of the Adhiels who survived that holocaust. From out of the darkness, a She-Demon11 came out of her waiting and attacked the Capital City of T’aquar: The Taloh12. Mutated beasts ravaged the city and the surrounding forests as fire burned the green foliage covered city of Taloh. The twisted hounds butchered and torn to pieces the hapless citizens of the realm and the inferno burnt half of the City to cinders. Meanwhile, a titanic battle occurred inside the walls of the T’arquir palace that fatal night. Strokes of lightning and peals of thunder reverberated within the Palace as two titans fought against each other: The Queen of Tel Aranae Quessir against the unknown She-Demon. None knew what transpired between the confrontation, save when the smoke and thick haze was gone, the Queen had disappeared13. The Avatar and the full ranks of the Emerald Order were too late. When they arrived from the city of King’s Court, half of the city of Taloh were left burnt and in ruins, a hollow shell of what once a majestic capital, its surviving citizens, refugees inside its own realm.

The days that followed were catastrophic. The ruling bodies of T’aquar fell as the Lord Un’Qyn was upon his weakest strength and the Prince of T’aquar -- The Prince Regent, Taroile Galan Cerubhion was assassinated. Without the Queen and the T’aquar Regent Prince to succeed the Monarchial government of Tel Aranae Quessir, it was left to Prince E'uinn (Twin Brother of Princess Elevie, Bride of the Prince of King's Court), the Avatar of the Mother and the sparsely, despondent senators of the Tari to decide the fate of the realm. The Emerald Order was having its problem of its own. The Ancient Commandant of the Emerald Knights were slaughtered in the Night of the Great Conflagration and their ranks were greatly reduced; first, by the war in King’s Court and then by the attacks of the Twisted Hounds that fatal night of the conflagration. But hope remained under the charge of the new young Commandant14, the code of the Emerald Sword still intact within their souls. The Border Patrolmen and the Emerald Guards worked feverishly together to fight and defend the realm against assaults coming from inside the realm and outside the borders of Tel Aranae Quessir.

But such was not the case. The She-Demon was not yet defeated, with vile, dark arts, she raised the surrounding forest and the city of Taloh Tel Amrun itself with Nether Creatures that the populace of the the City was left to abandon the famed city and flee towards the northern cost. Upon that night of departure, moans and groans of undead could be heard from the huanted city, further proof that the She-Demon's clawlike grip was ever tainting the southern border of T'aquar.

This writer is fully convinced that the Nation of T'aquar faces the gravest threat in her long and glorious history. To whom can we turn for aid? Where in all Tazlure can we find a force sufficient to repel the Nether minions of the She Demon, the savage attacks of the Orcs and the zealot worshipper of the Southern Mad God? Must T'aquar, in all her glory, fall beneath the onslaught of the Southern Zealot? Will the glorious nation of the First People be massacred by the creatures of the Nether? I weep, my brothers, for the glory that must die. The Majesty of T'aquar, the Land of the First People, the home of truth and beauty, the center of Tazlure, is doomed. The darkness descend, and there is little hope that morning will ever come again.

-----------
INDEX:
1 Kes'Levy is another ancient city up on the north of the T’aquar Adhiel.
2 The Tari or the Adhiel Monarchial government of Tel Aranae Quessir.
3 T’aquar doesn’t have an official army but relies upon the mutual cooperation of the Emerald Guards and the Border Patrol Guards.
4 The Emerald Guard is an elite group of loyal defenders that guard and protect the realm. They live by the code of the Emerald Sword wherein they vow to honor and protect the government and its people. Commandant Draydis Quinn D’Anorre currently leads the Emerald Order.
5 Patrol rangers and guards that safeguard the borders of Tel Aranae Quessir from outside attacks.
6 Although the government of T’aquar is Monarchial, the Judges of the Regions holds an important role in legislating laws in the ruling body of the Tari.
7 Bhiradhun Aidhuqir, School of Druidic Shaping.
8 Rhimmuld was once a student of Bhiradhun Aidhuqir but was expelled. He was also a former head apprentice of Master Shaper Lyannia and the husband of the half-nymph Xe’Dane, Arch-Priestess of the Fae Lady. Rhimmuld leads a cabal group called the Black Thorns of the Lily, their aim is to overthrow and replace the current government with Rhimmuld as the ruler.
9 The Achadhiel, female Paladin of Illuminatus of the Order of the Light, Galliban Tyren.
10 The Circlet, the Mirror, and the Arrow hold the power and the key to controlling the essence of Tel Aranae Quessir. Few could ever guess what the powers of the three artifacts are for it was never used since the Last Great War. Prophecy tells that whomsoever holds the three pieces together shall have rule and dominion of Tel Aranae Quessir and of Tazlure.
11 The Demoness Blayvanna, Mistress of Chaos. She is the main force behind the mutation and taint in the woods and the evil power that is behind the Cabal of Thorns and of Rhimmuld. Her main purposes are to wreak havoc and destruction upon the order and balance of Tazlure and rift open a portal between the Nether and Tether to gain her full power.
12 The night of the Great Conflagration, 19th of Samheen, Yahren 1224 AD.
13 It is said that the Queen sacrificed herself when the Daemoness Blayvanna tried to use the Queen’s essence to rift and tear the fabric between the Tether and Nether. With the Queen’s sacrifice, the Demoness’ power was greatly diminished but the Queen was thrown inside the opened rift and was lost between the spaces of the three planes: The Tether, Aether and Nether.
14 The Paladins and Knights of T’aquar, The Emerald Guard, headed by the young Commandant Draydis Quinn D’Anorre took their headquarters inside the T’arquir Palace as their permanent Head Office after their Quarters in the City were burned down in the conflagration.

[Scheherazade]

The Invasion of the Zealots of the One
and the Burning of T’aquar
26th of Samheen, Yahren 1224 AD

Who will pity you, People of the First Nation,
And who will grieve over you?
Who will stop long enough to ask how you are?
You are thrown into the wind like straw,
And no one will mourn your death or say,
“How terrible, my friend, how terrible!”
No one will weep or cry,
“My land, my people!”
There are more widows in your land
Than grains of sand by the sea.
Your young men in their prime are killed
And made your mothers suffer
With anguish and terror.
Your daylight has turned to darkness;
Your enemies are killing those who are still alive.
Where are your heroes?
Those who promised to defend your land?

The Canticle of Xe’Dane the Nymph
High Priestess of the Sleeping Lady

[Scheherazade]

The Ode and Death of Spring
26th of Samheen, Yahren 1224 AD

*On account of the demise of Xe’Dane, High Priestess of the Sleeping Lady, Avatar of the Wanton Mother of Life and Spring, Beloved and Wife of the Twisted Shaper Rhimmuld

Why doest thou wound me?
Wilt thou perpetually hurt me so?
Shalt I, too, be reaped,
By thy own hand?

Look with last glance,
Beloved T'aquar weeps,
Spring is no more to be seen,
And winter laments.

Wither art the heroes of T’aquar?
Shall they wail when spring is no more?