The Kings of Tavia

Prologue

The Legend                                                                                               

            It is written upon the ancient scrolls stored in the vaults of Elassar, that the Isle of Tavia was created by the Mother of the moon, Danue, for her youngest daughter, Tav. The Goddess parted the dark churning waters of the Ael Tia Sea and beckoned a river of molten lava to rise from the very core of the world. The fiery liquid cooled in the icy waters to create an island off the western coast of Tarellis.  Danue then summoned her daughter and gifted her with the newly formed realm, instructing her to adorn the barren rocks with fertile soil.

Tav took great delight in transforming the desolate granite island into a paradise. Crystal blue waters flowed from snow covered peaks to form pristine lakes in the low lying valleys. The young Goddess filled the vast woodlands with white stag and black bear, the lakes with fish and fowl. Wild steer and horses roamed freely across the open plains, while dragons claimed the highest peaks of the mountains for their lairs. Gryffons nested in the rocky cliffs of the western coast and soared above the Ael Tia Sea in search of Greygills for their young.

The Goddess guarded the shores of her island with swift currents, jagged rocks and a host of krakens, so that none would find haven upon these shores. For centuries Tav remained alone in her kingdom, forsaking all save the creatures of her tiny realm. But as time passed the goddess grew bored with her own company and went in search of mortal beings to share the bounty of Tavia.

On the continent of Tarellis she found an Elven King named Giraloth. Tav tempted the elf with the promise of forests and valleys more beautiful than any he had known before; vowing to keep his kin safe from the ever encroaching cities of mankind. King Giraloth sailed his tall Nimro ships west across the treacherous waters of the Kraken straits and established a settlement in the eastern forests of Tavia. The elves built a marble temple upon the small barrier island of Elassar. Here the citizens of the new kingdom of Giraloth offered up poems of gratitude and songs of praise to the glory of the Goddess Tav. The music and poetry which the elves brought to Tavia pleased the Goddess and she was content.

It is written that the first Dwarf to set foot upon the shores of Tavia, did so after surviving the perilous journey across the Straits of the Kraken in a boat of his own making. Grim Silvermane was an outcast of the Azduum Mountain Hearths of Tarellis. Finding no Hearth to call his own, he built a small wooden vessel and set sail across the Kraken Straits.

Upon arriving on the island, Grim immediately found favor with Tav. The dwarf was possessed of such good humor and robust enjoyment of life that the Goddess gifted Grim Silvermane with the forest and mountains in the central lands of the island. Here the dwarf established the Hearth of Silvermane, in the valley of Grim. As the generations of Silvermane flourished, the long beards in their murmuring caves sang the praises of Tav.

            It came to pass that a young God of War, Athayr, came searching across the sea for new lands to conquer.  Athayr brought with him a horde of minions in the form of orcs, trolls and goblins, to plague the inhabitants of Tavia. The Goddess was powerless against Athayr. For, like all divine beings, he derived his strength from the energy of his followers. The war God, Athayr, rule over thousands of the most evil of all creatures. And the energy of such a host, with the sole purpose of serving their God, gave him power beyond measure.

The quiet and peaceful nature of Tav did not require the incessant devotion of those who shared her realm. Her power was like the morning mist before the dawn, touching the fern and grassed with dew but never blocking the sunlight. Soon the fragile Goddess was forced to withdraw to the shadows of the forests, her voice heard only in the whisper of wind in the leaves; her tears of sorrow the gentle spring rains.  

 Athayr used his power to surpress the guardians of the coasts and beckoned to the shores of Tavia three violent and greedy clans of man. Only with blood and violence could he sate his passion for war and increase his power. The Krigans were the first humans to find their way to Tavia through the divine guidance of Athayr. The war god chose the Krigans for their brutal nature and total lack of compassion for other beings. The barbaric tribe settled in the vast central valley of Tavia and named the region for their chieftain, Tordon.

            The Myrl began to colonize Tavia soon after the Krigans. Jor D’ Myrl was a merchant with a small fleet of ships out of the Tarellis port of Gulls Braken. Jor saw the uninhabited northlands of Tavia as a realm which he could rule as king. He arrived upon the shores of Tavia accompanied by a fleet of galleons which carried his family and hundreds of servants to the island. Jor D’Myrl built a fortress on the northern coast and lay claim to the rolling hills and vales of those territories. The Myrl were a highly civilized and intelligent clan, who greedily gathered all of the island’s rich resources for trade with the free port merchants of Tarellis.

            The third clan to migrate from the mainland to Tavia, were led by a warlord king, named Konal. Bred in the high cliffs and rocky vales of northern Tarellis, they were hardened warriors in search of new lands for their sons. The warlord of Konal built a stone fortress a hundred leagues east of the Myrl stronghold; also claiming the regions of the north. Much to the delight of the war god, Athayr, bloody battles soon erupted between the Myrl and the Konal armies over the Northern Territories.

            So it was, that in the centuries which followed, the once peaceful realm of the goddess Tav became a battleground for the amusement of Athayr. And the gentle Goddess was known only by those who kept her spirit in their hearts.