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History and Tales of Dunstrand
Before Dunstrand was officially made a Duchy, it was settled and built as the Vale of Dunstrand and was fought over by many forces. Western Dunstrand was first a Grand Barony, then an Earldom. The Sea Kings moved into the vale through the now closed southern cut in CY 4903, right before The Sundering in CY 5000. The forces of Umbak fought them, and eventually the Bronzemen stopped their progress up the vale along the path of the Nanford River – as recorded by Bronzefolk in Dunstrand a abridged copy of which was added the ancient annals of Dunstrand. Umbak and the settlers of Dunstrand contended for the land after that. The duchy charter is founded on the principle of cooperation – many peoples of different cultures coming together and resisting outside forces. The druids had a strong presence early on, and the Wyld Faith/Green Church brought a sense of Compassion, Justice, and Stewardship. The famous Malorian Prohibitions govern the use of the mystical arts within the boundaries of the Grand Duchy of Dunstrand; Over the years their use and enforcement has increased.
Current State of Political Factions: CY 9130 – The Earl of Bar-Innis, Danver Aelishan, is healthy and the most ambitious lord in recent memory. They are a distant branch of the Duke of Dunstrand’s family, and are seeking to raise their standing through politics, war, trade, whatever means is possible. The current earl has a son and daughter, and a brother and sister himself. His sister is younger, and is said to be afflicted with a falling sickness that makes her marriage less likely every year. He also has an ‘adopted’ daughter – a woman his wife brought in to take care of their own daughter and has grown up with her, always watching over her. His son, ‘Drundal’, is a strong warrior who serves in the household of the Duke of Dunstrand. The earl’s brother is Rogon. Rogon left his home and made a name for himself in the south – starting as a pilgrimage to Beryl and lasting over 10 years. He and some of his friends returned home and settled. He has three sons, Danver [the second; named after his uncle] (the oldest), Sandovhal, and Hervogin (youngest).
[COMMON KNOWLEDGE] CY 7088 – The Settling: Knights and settlers from southern Dunstrand and the Riverdans are encouraged to go into the ‘West March’ – rocky lands partially settled by Umbak. When war comes with Umbak, they side with the small folk of Loamwold and are able to hold the Umbakians (though a lot of their forest land is burned before the King of Gladnor intervenes) at bay. There is a small area in the south of the West March (The Saelish) where the descendants of the ancient Lords of Bronze have managed to hang on – near the border with Umbak. These folk rebel against Umbak and side with Dunstrandians. This is the initial declaration of the Free Territory of Dunstrand.Chronicle and Tales of Dunstrand
Information Sources: Mundane Reference | Associated Phenomenology Only | Specific Lore
Pervasive Knowledge / Very Easy Difficulty
WEST SETTLED
SUNDERING 5000
Became Grand Duchy?
Dunstrand’s Modern Age
CY 7319 The old lands of family Faer, minor holdings and a swathe of the ‘Vale Nanford’ become unified territorially; All smaller holdings are rolled into a single holding named of County Faer under a title of ‘Count’.
CY 7322 East River Run becomes a unified territory under pressure from the High King of Gladnor (creating a long standing rebellious desire for sovereignty); All smaller holdings are rolled into a single holding under a title of ‘Count’.
CY 7674; West River Run becomes a unified territory under pressure from the High King of Gladnor (creating a long standing rebellious desire for sovereignty); All smaller holdings are rolled into a single holding under a title of ‘Count’.
CY 7689
CY 7701 The duke’s brother marries an elven woman, starting a cavalier branch of long lived partial elven blood. An information campaign is waged to change the attitudes toward half breeds and full elves even. Diversity and tolerance become an even bigger part of Dunstrandian culture – except in the north of the twin river counties of East River Run and West River Run.
CY 7951 – The Moorswood Blight – The Pranin Moorswood between Dunstrand and Loamwold takes on its current character.
The Orkblight Wars: (Part 1) From the sunken lands of Scar Flow an army of Orks, altered by a long tunnel process in The Deeping, spills out. Tarmysia to the west, and the territories of West River Run, Cabella, and Bar-Innis in the east are hit hard. The Twin River Confederacy is born in the north as an alliance to hold them back. The Duke sends many troops over the pass into Tarmysia to help the more defenseless people there.
The Orkblight Wars: (Part 2) The Merchant Cities of the north decide to make incursions on Dunstrands disputed northern territory all across a massive area mercenaries are hired to harry and menace trade and attack settlements. The combined efforts stretches the Duke’s forces thin and consumes many resources. Many whisper that East River Run was complcit is bleeding dry the ducal resources and forces in this time – but nothing was ever proven.
CY 8710 The Nanford Accord: the Riverdans rise up in revolt of the trade monopoly of as East and West River Run territories use the Twin River Confederacy and combine forces to funnel all trade through only outlets they control – virtually cutting off the Riverdans. The Riverdans lack the financial means to keep trade routes open and bridges in repair, so the count of East River Run ‘offers’ the Duke his resources and in return for that and his actions in the Orkblight Wars gains control of much trade. When the Riverdans revolt, the count points to this destabilization as exactly the scenario he could prevent. The Duke forced into a pact to secure his northern borders and internal stability in order to fight against incursions by Umbak in the south. The Riverdan revolt is put down by mercenaries hired by the Twin River Confederacy. The territories are even further impoverished.
CY 8890; “West Cut” is created by West River Run – it is a swath of land permanently and forcibly ceded to them under dubious conditions. The hereditary rights of the bloodline of Glowarin are forces to swear fealty to West River Run for access to this.
CY 8717 Leslea becomes a unified territory; all smaller holdings are rolled into a single holding under a title of ‘Count’.
CY 8890 Haden’s Reach becomes a unified territory; all smaller holdings are rolled into a single holding under a title of ‘Count’.
Common Knowledge / Easy Difficulty
Dunstrand’s Age of Recovery
THIS ‘AGE’ IS RECORDED AS “THE WORKS OF HARRIAN The KEEPER” UNTIL CY 7255.
CY 7195 – The smaller Riverdan-like territory of Bar-Innis is enlarged into a fief under the title of ‘Earl’. The first Earl of Bar-Innis was Franz Deever – a hero of the West Marches ‘crusade’. Its charge is to guard against the perils of the growing Dwindor Swamp and to serve as a satellite state with Loamwold and watch the frontiers of Umbak. Deever names it Bar-Innis – after the ancient Innis Chair and the first real Dunstrand ruler himself (and a chair-like outcrop where he made his heroic stand to take the West Marches). The territory he asked for was not in demand – butted up against the swamp and likely to always be in conflict with Umbak in some way. The first Earl of Bar-Innis was allowed to take settlers from among the Riverdans and county Faer – thus began a long cultural heritage and political affiliation between Bar-Innis and the Riverdans, and a long and mutually beneficial relationship with the normally insular halflings of Loamwold.
CY 7259; The title of ‘Earl of Nanford’ is retired with the death of Sir Michale Caimen – the family retains it ducal title in the main branch only after this.
The Golden Circle formed? – a band of knights, bannermen and relatives which serve as the Duke’s special forces… Linnis Faer was part of that band and the last of the most famous leaders in recent times.
[— END OF THE ACCOUNT of Harrian The Keeper in CY 7255 — ]Uncommon Knowledge / Average Difficulty
CY 2362 FALSE Origins of the name “Dunstrand”: Helvia Dunstrand, White sister of Aerna, was the first official ‘pilgrim’ to die, leading a group of settlers she sent into the vale by the Forthright family, and therefor named after her.
Scarce Knowledge / Hard Difficulty
Ancient Settling/Pre-Ducal Times
CY 2362 Grand Barony of Dunstrand: Sir Calorn Forthright was chartered by the King of Gladnor to settle the “headlands of Dunstrand Vale” initially – where the Nanford River flows west. At this time in the Valewall Hills is the Forthright family securing the southern fork of the Nanford River Headwaters. The ancient hill fort chain is now in ruins, but once looked out over the vale to the west.
CY 2364 – The “Easterlings”: Several family matriarchs of old bloodlines from the Fallen East send some of their family far from the war being lost against the Orrish. Calorn takes these knights and families with him, they are engaged to settle some lands in the T’Yendi Hills and plains bordering it – the headwaters of the Nanford River. This enclave is called the Leslean Plains (later the small County of Leslea).
Grand Earldom of Dunstrand/”Earl of Nanford”:
CY 2383 The “Easterlings” have control of the northern fork of the headwaters of the Nanford River of the T’Yendi Hills and the northern reach going west called the Broken Feather Hills. They are the anchor that secures the northern border along the Beyne River against Pine Tribes and expanding Merchant River Culture that would be subsumed by the Sea-Kings. Many matriarchal families are ceded temporary fiefs around the base and hills of in this region and push the Pine Tribesmen there from their ancient lands.
The families of purest blood and station still fight at Six Spires Pass, in the hopes of regaining some of their fallen lands – but this is a vain hope and the last word from their ancestral lands will come in CY 2561.
Rare Knowledge / Very Hard Difficulty
CY 2294 TRUE Origins of the name “Dunstrand”: It is said by some that the two Dunstrand brothers of the original Wylder Wends, and their ally Reingol of Nurthland – a nobleman with connections to the nobility of most great houses of the east, and strange seer – knew the horrific fate of the Fallen East. To that end, the brothers were sent to plant the “seed of the east” in a new place – a place which would eventually become the Grand Duchy of Dunstrand after thousands of years. Haegovel Dunstrand vanished into the Nanford Vale in CY 2294, at the age of 57. Aelivel Dunstrand sought his spirit, and eventually found it, killed by the burgeoning Sea-King clans scouting its western boundaries. Aelivel mapped the entire Nanford Vale, and insisted through Reingold that it be renamed to honor his older brother.
KNOWN TIMELINE:
CY 7419 – The Deever line goes extinct from war and disease. The Family of Claytom is given the lands and title.
CY 7950 – The River Nanford starts to change course. The Mountains of Ozmandea sink even further and The Scar Flow is created. The last of the wyld elves are known to leave what they still call the Vale of Dunstrand – most leave through Bar-Innis and go south, to the Pale Plains and their kinsmen.
CY 7986 – The mouth of the Nanford breaks. A great swath of land to the north is drained – but still mostly flood land and boggy.
CY 8291 – The territory of Richfield is carved out of the lands of Bar-Innis north of the river mouth, and drying plains. It is mostly settled by citizens once of Bar-Innis who keep their lands, and some from West River Run, Tarmysia, and the Riverdans. In exchange, territory markers for Bar-Innis are moved west – to the new edge of the swamp which seems to be drying.
CY 8749 – Umbak attacks. Thinking the territory weak, having just lost a large base of population in a terrible disease, they ride straight up from the south. The residents are eventually driven back to the Lowlands, where the Umbakian cavalry is useless. It takes years, but the Umbakians are finally driven out – though the contest part of the area known as “The Saelish” even still today. The old Bronzemen families of The Saelish (near the border with Umbak) and the Claytom family bloodline is wiped out in the peace that followed. The Clayton family was said to have been butchered fleeing a burning villa. The Umbakian prince of the time claimed they had given shelter to brigands which had killed Umbakians – hence the peace did not apply to them.
CY 8750 – The Earldom has been granted to the Aelishan family. The fiefdom was bleeding for years, constantly raided by Umbak and her neighbors, finally the Duke of Dunstrand appointed his wife’s Aelishan branch – which was rumored to be rife with witches and wyldling blood from the Freelands. Instead of perishing and ridding himself of a political dead weight, the Aelishan’s thrived and flourished. They made alliances with the Halflings, and ancient Bronzemen of The Saelish, even the “mudmen” who dwelt in Tarmysia. They fought for hundreds of years against the nearby perils, tenaciously and without mercy in some cases. To the east they allied by marrying ancient Riverdan families and took on many of their customs. There are many red handed figures in their past, but now they govern with the respect of the populace, and brought back a strong presence of the Green Church to the area, replacing the light-bringers. The family was nearly wiped out by sickness and plague a dozen times, but always managed to barely survive. Like the Riverdans, they trace their bloodline matrilineally.
CY 8844 – Hedda, last of the Aelishan rulers, was forced to marry according to the Duke’s wishes. Sir Freyd (‘The Red’), was an adventurer from the north. Having fought for 20 years for the Duke against the Pine Tribes, Umbak, and lastly having defeated a plot by a darkling on the Duke’s own life, the Duke has the hand of one of his cousins in marriage.
History Timeline
The history of the land called Dunstrand is part of the larger history of the Steel Realms. The area between the T’Yendi Hills in the east and the Mountains of Ozmandea in the west is referred to as the Vale Of Dunstrand. It becomes a fiefdom called Ven-Bra-Yur under the Sea-Kings.
CY 2904 – The Sea-Kings finally conquer most of Dunstrand (The Vale of Dunstrand), ridding it of the Orrish and claim it for themselves. It takes hundreds
of years of warfare and slow steps. They are halted in the T’Yendi Hills by the East Lords. from the southeast comes the Dreadlords of Bronze – forced from their homelands by Umbak and her allies. Fell creatures prowl the lands, puppets of the powerful mystic forces on both sides. This begins centuries of war between the lords of Empire of the Sea-Kings, Umbak and The Dreadlords of Bronze. The Salvin Warlords (south of the Beyne River and north of the T’Yendi Hills) ally themselves with the Sea-Kings.
CY 2958 – The Dreadlords of Bronze cast out the Sea-king conquorers from the Vale of Dunstrand. The fertile Nanford valley is devasted and flooded by the retreating Sea-Kings. The East Lords spend nearly the last of their power and blood against the Salvin Warlords. Then, in 2966, the Verbuir clan of Ser-Caynth counter attacks – summoning hideous beasts from the sea who crawl out of the river Beyne, utterly destroy the Dreadlords, wiping out their noble blood lines. The clan are so weakened, they fall prey to their political rivals and are themselves destroyed from within their ’empire’. The shortly titled ‘Lands of Bronze’ become the scene of civil war. Again the sea floods the river valley, salting the land and making it a wasteland for a long time to come.
CY 4001; Umbakian Hegemony in the heartlands broken – Rise of Merchant Princes of the South. The fertile headwaters, hills and eastern plains beyond are held by the East Lords still. Their blood mingles with that of eastern nobility, Pine Tribes, Dreadlord and Sea-King – a conquered peoples but fiercely independent of all. The Vale’s current labels was its last – ‘The Lands of Bronze’, and the East Lords claim this nebulous, ruined land as their own. Umbak probes into the Vale – declared by the High King as “Beholden to the Crown”. The East Lords manages to deal with the probes Umbak sends.
CY
CY 5000 – The Sundering; The west of the Vale sinks below the sea in violent earth quakes – the Mountains of Ozmandea protect the worst, though the southern vale is flooded by the sea again. The High King declares the Vale of Dunstrand crown land, and begins the process of trying to recover and settle it.
CY 5622 – The ‘Lands of Bronze’ are surveyed and the High King’s rangers pronounces them clean and habitable. In the mean time, the lands had grown over, wild elves and remnants of old powers – fallen humans, Orrish, and others had laid claim to what they could. So begins the long climb towards becoming the civilized land of Dunstrand.
CY 6000 – The High king marches an army through the ancient Lands of Bronze, bent on removing most of the worst forces that are preventing the area from being settled. It is widely known that Umbak’s offer of assistance was passed over, for fear they would annex more territory. The army spends 4 years on campaign, rooting out Orrish and worse, throwing back the coastal settlements of the fallen Sea-Kings that remained after The Sundering in CY 5000 and its resultant devastation. The result is Tarmysia – a mix of Sea-King (now Gwinn) and local families, fiercely independent of any ruler and very secure in their position. Instead of destroying the people, the High King titles the remaining lords and secures the sea shores of the newly conquered lands. The High King appoints the knight John Forthright as Viscount of the The Vale.
CY 6200; [‘Sunset in the East’] Many of the noble houses of the east have their final holdings in Six Spires Pass (east of Oerdney) overrun and are forced to flee. The remainder of these familes flee to their distant cousins of the East Lords. They find new lord and home in the Nanford River Valley. They are given the task of clearing and settling the lands along the river to make it safe for trade and travel. In return, they will be ceded lands along the river to control that trade, and be the chosen of the Forthright family as protectors of Dunstrand. It will take hundreds of years, but the River Lords (as they are now called) begin to root out the old evils that dwell in the earth.
Early Details: The early history of Dunstrand is recorded by Harrian The Keeper – scribe to the last of the ‘Earl of Nanford’.
CY 6800 the first settlers began to farm the lower Nanford Valley; having discovered its rich supply of topsoil and mild weather… The land near what is now county Faer is given to Sir Innis Dunstrand – a loyal servant and knight to the High King in Oerdney. Originally holding a smaller grant than the current ducal lands, the lord administered the high kings justice from the legendary Chair of Innis – a stone throne like chair. Innis defends it against Umbakian incursions for a dozen years before famine and Umbakian forces drive his bloodline into extinction.
CY 6850, the upper valley had largely been cleared for farming, and the settlements at Sunwest (in the mountains to the west) and Dunstrand city were established. The Riverdan tracks are established and title of ‘Lord’ given to the loyal knights and their families who served.
In CY 6893, the High King names Eric Forthright the first Earl of Nanford. He rules from an old River lord fortress in Faer named High Cross. The Earl names Dane Dunstrand (of the older Dunstrand blood), his best friend and knight, as his first Baron. Together they start building a city for trade at the combined headwaters of the Nanford river. It is widely held that the lands of ‘The Nanford Vale’ were meant to stop the spread of the Umbakian kingdom.
CY 6900, fortifications at the cities of Sunwest (near the coast) and Dunstrand were commissioned by the high king in Oerdney in order to protect the coastal trade routes. Thus Prowbourne Castle (west) and Dunstrand Keep (east) were constructed. At this time the twin elm trees were planted in Dunstrand and Sunwest as a symbol of the solidarity of the Nanford Valley. A single elm sapling was split, blessed and planted in the two towns by the Vale Evander’s chief priest of Darupet. It is said that the spirits of the trees protects the house of Forthright, Dunstrand and the inhabitants of the Vale, and that the fates of the trees are forever entwined: should harm befall one tree, so shall the other suffer.
CY 6950, the castle at Sunwest (Prowbourne) and the military outpost at Dunstrand (Dunstrand Keep) were completed and occupied by the Forthright family, the ruling house of the territory – Now the Earl of Nanford Vale.
CY 6991 – War in the west with the Sea Barons – the ‘Lords’ of Tarmysia banded together with some Merchant City house to try and wrest control of the coastal lands. CY 6995, the Forthright family and Dunstrand family merge in marriage, the Forthright line has no male descendants. Peace is brokered by the River Lords.
CY 7050 the Valley of the Nanford River (now known as Nanford Vale or the Vale of Dunstrand) had become an exporting agricultural area and port of call on the coastal trade routes.
CY 7089 – War with Umbak – the High King’s peace and Ducal titles; The first Duke of Umbak is proclaimed.
CY 7095 – the Guild of Solars arrives to aid the ducal line; They become the official ducal magi of the Duchy of dunstrand.
CY 7175, a mage dressed in black and gold, and riding a great winged beast came out of the North. He arrived at Sunwest by night, alighting in the court of Prowbourne Castle, intent on seizing it. His motives remain unknown, but it is widely speculated that he was a minion of the Lich Lords of the North, sent to disrupt the trade routes and cause terror. The people of Sunwest, the militia, and the Duke and his family where driven off the hills and islands of Sunwest. In a week, a detachment from the overking arrived, consisting of a magus, priests and a unit of elite guardsman. The battle of the forces lasted nearly eight hours. Finally, as both sides were nearly destroyed, the Dark Mage began to lay a curse on Sunwest and Prowbourne. Through a combined effort of wills which, in the end, destroyed them; the priests of the high king instilled such protections as they could – but the damage was done.
Dwindor Swamp/Scar Flow (CY 7192) Still, in the years since, the mouth of the Nanford River has sunk into a dark and dangerous swamp, known locally as Dwindor. The mountains of West March sink below the rising waters. It is a terrifying place where swamp meets ocean current – salt water and fresh water mingle in
treacherous tides, foul windows and strange vegetation grows – said to be from residual mystic effects of the Lords of Bronze and Sea-Kings. Prowbourne falls. The west is abandoned. Meanwhile, the creature ridden by the mage ambushed and destroyed the guard unit. The lone guardsman who survived, for a while, described a huge, black, cat-like beast. The creature occasionally hunted in the valley, but eventually passed into a kind of legend.
CY 7195; The small territory of Bysola (what would become Bar-Innis) is enlarged into an fief under the title of ‘Earl’. Its charge is to guard against the perils of the growing Dwindor Swamp (Orrish) and to serve as a satellite state with Loamwold and watch the forntiers of Umbak.
CY 7197, the creature awakened and began marauding the vale again. Finally, a party of adventurers who were attending the wedding of Sir Rufus’ second son Michael took it upon themselves to bring an end to the curse and the creature of Dwindor Swamp. They succeeded, and in the intervening years, the swamp has begun to dry; although in the process, many of its darker denizens have begun fleeing their dying home and are loosed upon the countryside. This same party of adventurers also became involved with the Halflings of the Loamwold, eventually siding with them to drive out a contingent of Umbakian troops that were occupying the traditionally free region. This party headed down Loamwold Loch aboard their ship, but disappeared into a thick fog, never to be heard from again.
CY 7950; Nanford River Course Change: Storm Times in Dunstrand –
Mostly the coastal regions are affected, however Dwindor swamp is made bigger and from 7950-7986 the Nanford River changes course and straightens out. The ancient
Riverdan territories once controling the river and crossings are devastated. It is the beginning of their decline, and the river ends up in a much more straight path.
Cerran’s Grant is given as a shared resource to the Riverdan familes, but the river continues to change, Eventually West and East River Run counties take over the river lands and begin their economic monopoly of Dunstrand.
CY 8200; The Guild of Solars charter runs out and they are driven from Dunstrand by House Malor. House Malor found they were not working in the interests of the ducal line – several embarrassing political gaffes were revealed and even a pair of magic duels were fought. In the end, House Malor allied itself with the duke’s family and a pact that has lasted to current times, over a thousand years.
CY 8591; The Guild of Solars gets some revenge for their ousting; in political battles of land and territorial rights their is a forced Ducal proclamation prohibiting any magic brotherhoods from setting up more organized guild houses in Dunstrand. The Tarmysian Lords accept the proclamation in return for
outrageously favorable trade agreements; the remaining Riverdan Lords refuse to promulgate it in their lands in a show of solidarity.