Roleplay Kingdoms

The tournament grounds were a sight to see! As soon as the walls were torn down, what could be seen was a magnificent mixture of marketplaces, tourney areas and large wooden houses as well as stages. It was like a village had sprung in the grasslands. A large one at that. Enough place to house a city and then some! Many tribunes have been scattered over the place as well, and in the far north of the festival grounds was a huge mansion where a lot of people were gathering.

On the great balcony of said mansion stepped out a man in a long brown coat, a top hat and cotton black pants together with pointy brown shoes. His beard was neatly trimmed and his moustache was magnificently curly. With a small smile the man looked over the cheering audience as he spread his arms. Behind him stood a woman in a satin blue robe, reminiscent of that of a sorceress.

"My friends!" The man spoke. His voice echoed over the loud audience below as if speaking through speakers."I am Lord Angus Heidman, your host for the following few days! It is truly a pleasure to see you all here, together in unison! I see many a different race. Let it be known that all of us are equal here these coming few days! There is no discrimination, no war but only enjoyment! Take home the glory that is to be found here and most of all: Enjoy yourselves! I declare the Grand Tournament to be open!"

Once more the audience cheered and Angus walked back inside of his wooden mansion. The people dispersed to check out the many activities they could participate in.

There were market stalls to buy trinkets and food in, as well as clothing that would only be available for the festival. Besides that were were many taverns sold all sorts of various drinks from all sorts of regions. And finally there were a whole lot of fun festival games to play; ring toss, card games, gambling, it was all here to be found! Truly the Grand Tournament was an event for everyone!

Vos Valkear was all over the place. Many went ahead to get drunk at the bar while others tried their luck at cards. But a small part of Vos Valkear was not inside of the festival but at the camp. Those who ate the Kobolds. They were incredibly rowdy all of a sudden as well as agressive. They were constantly moving and in order to let their energy go they were constantly fighting one another. Leem ordered these people to stay put until they could calm down, but as of right now it seemed impossible for them to do so.

Her Grace Nariel Amaar, the Duchess-in-waiting of Amra, was wandering the festival grounds nibbling on some sweetmeats purchased from a stall not too far off as she made her way towards the sword-fighting arena to watched the Crown Prince in his bouts and cheer him on. She was engaged to be married to him after all, so she really should turn up to show her support and soothe his ego if he got beaten. She didn't mind the arranged marriage so much, even if her father hadn't mentioned the fact that she'd been promised to him since birth until relatively recently. She might have been a little peeved about it, but she genuinely cared for Nathaniel so she supposed it worked out in the end.

The Lady was being trailed by a gaggle of gossiping handmaidens, not a single one of them looked like she had a brain in her head or a thought more complex than the latest piece of gossip or the most exciting scandal. It was a façade of course, Nariel chose her companions carefully and the air-head act of her companions belied the keen intelligence each one possessed. She wouldn't tolerate any of her retainers being as vapid and dull as the average spoiled young noblewoman at court. She had rather exacting standards.

There were representatives from any races passing by and having a good time; carousing Vos Valkearians, haggling merchants from Ellamar and Alferheim, the occasional Terelain like herself who seemed to be revelling harder than almost anyone else except maybe the people from Coronet and Vos Valkear. Who said an Elder Race of ageless magic-users couldn't have a good time? They weren't quite as stuffy and boring as others might have thought...

But the race that caught her eye was a kind of strange, pale skin and deep black eyes, all of them seeming to be most uncomfortable, sweating as if it were the height of summer in the desert. The closest member of that race seemed to be suffering worse than most of her peers, since she was wearing a heavy robe and armour. Nariel frowned slightly and walked over to the strange being, gesturing for her handmaidens and retainers to follow at a discreet distance. It could be so troublesome being followed around everywhere by servants, perhaps she could get her handmaidens to distract them so she could slip away for a while after the sword-fighting.

Nariel gave a small bow in greeting to the pale woman, she herself dressed in a pale blue dress that flowed down her body like water, her long golden hair flowing down her back, prevented from falling in front of her eyes by a simple circlet of silver with a tiny emerald set into its centre, "Hello there, my name is Nariel, of the Terelains. I do not think I have seen one of your people in these lands before... I hope you're enjoying the festivities?" Her voice was soft and lilting, her Common tinged with a song-like accent. The Lady tilted her head a little, "Hm... you must be from the north, you do not seem suited to the warmer climes of the south. Here, I can fix that for you!"

Nariel made a twisting gesture with her hand and murmured something quietly in High Terelain. Instantly magic flared before her hand, coalescing into a glowing white glyph that floated in front of the Pale One. It flashed once and vanished, enveloping the woman in an aura of steadily cooling air.

Nariel smiled, "There, just tell me if it gets too cold so I can adjust the charm for you," she said with a nod, "I wouldn't want you to pass out from heatstroke or something after all. You wouldn't be able to enjoy the Grand Festival otherwise!"

Nariel smiled and nodded, "Tradition is very important," she said, "I know that better than most, as the eldest daughter of the second oldest noble family of my realm. Tradition was a large part of my upbringing... nevertheless there is wisdom in knowing when traditions should be followed and when they are mere hindrances. I am sure you would be forgiven for removing your mask and clothing when in an environment they were never intended for."

She inclined her head, "But in any case, it is a pleasure to meet you Minerva, Vanguard of Vothyl Syl. I confess that I have never heard of our people nor your nation before this day. I do not think any of my people have ventured so far north in a very long time... certainly I do not recall of any legends mentioning people like yours from the days of the Scattering... hm... but then I am no Loremaster, and my knowledge of such ancient days is far from complete."

She gestured to herself, "I am a Terelain, the Children of Terel as we call ourselves, First and Last of the Elder Races, or at least so we claim. I do not doubt the old legends of my ancestors and their place in the world but the 'Last of the Elder Races' title is a little premature. The Fae may be withdrawn and lost and the Dragons may be dwindling and their powers lessened than they were of old... but they are not quite extinct yet."

(EDIT: Never mind, you're right!)

Nariel nodded, "I would gladly teach you whatever you like to know... in fact how about we trade? I tell you about the Dragons and the Fae and the like and you can tell me of your own lands and people?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment, "There are five Elder Races, the Terelains were created first and the Fae were created third. After the Great Rebellion began, when the original Elder Races declared war upon the Old Gods, a fifth race was made to hunt down and destroy the others. These were the dragons," she explained, "The Fae were always very close to nature and deeply tied to the magic of the land. They came in many forms and varieties, some were tiny sprites, luminous little humanoid creatures with black eyes and iridescent gossamer wings, others were tall and fair and wreathed in plant and vine and others still were weavers of water and air and held forms both wondrous and strange. There were two branches of the Fae Race, the northern branch resided in the primeval Ridaena Forest that once stretched across much of the north and west, and has since withered and perished. My people consider all forests to be descendant of that one ancient wood...

The Northern Fae were mischievous and flighty, their actions beyond the understanding of the other races since they had embraced the inherent connection to magic to the fullest of their ability. These creatures were nearly beings of pure magic itself given form and will and the wonders of their cities nestled deep in the forest's heart are sung of still.

In the East, in the jungles and rainforests that, though lesser in this modern age, still endure to this day, the Eastern Fae made their home. Much more secretive and insular than their northern cousins, these creatures embraced their affinity to nature, and some suggest that the Nymphaic races are descended from them. We don't really know much of them, these days.

In any case, the Northern Fae were decimated when the Ridaena Forest withered, and the Eastern Fae were eventually driven deeper into hiding by the changes in the lands outside their homes. From these two original branches came the two kinds of Fae that exist now - the cruel, malicious Unseelie Court and the alien, strange but mostly-benevolent Seelie Court, both born from mergings between different groups of Northern and Eastern Fae."

Nariel paused and giggled, "You probably won't need to worry about them. They don't interact much with anyone else, and it is almost impossible to understand their actions even when they do decide to reveal themselves to you. The dragons are much easier to understand. The dragons, as I said, were created to hunt down and destroy the other Elder Races, but eventually the father of their kind, whom my people know as Faraclaw the Terrible, was convinced to switch sides by Terel, the father of my own race. They are giant reptiles, born of air and fire and masters of the skies. An Elder Dragon can lay low entire armies and shatter kingdoms in its fury, born aloft on wings that blot out the sun, breathing fire strong enough to melt steel and stone. There are many lesser types of dragons, wyrms and wyverns and such beasts. Some are intelligent, some are little more than animals. All ultimately descend from the Elder Dragons of old. There are very few Elder Dragons left in the world, and most of those sleep in centuries-long hibernation. Faraclaw the Terrible himself is said to slumber beneath a mountain called Dragonholme somewhere far, far to the north, a place said to be the ancestral home of all dragons."

She sighed softly, "As terrible as they can be, dragons are noble creatures and many are beings of ancient wisdom and honour. My people remember our alliance of old with fondness, and mourn the diminishing of their kind most keenly. When the last of the Elder Dragons breaths his last then my people will mourn... for then only we and the Fae shall remain of the Gloru Salai, the Grand Alliance that once stood against the Elder Gods in the name of freedom and hope for all things, free of suffering and Corruption."

Nariel listened closely, her expression fascinated as the other woman told of lands and customs and people unknown to her before now, "Fascinating... to think that a people could thrive so far west, in the lands of ever-winter. I would like to visit your cities some day, I imagine they must be very beautiful."

She frowned a little in thought, "My people have a very clear separation of religion and state. The Ecumenical Council presides over the various temples and cults of the Younger Gods, at its head is the Conclave of the High Priesthood. These holy men and women are the heads of each cult dedicated to one of the Younger Gods. The Monarchy very rarely interferes in the matters of the gods, and so the priests keep out of political affairs for the most part. It is safer this way, I think. If the Younger Gods, too, fall to the Corruption... it would be very difficult if our people were ruled by priests, as yours seem to be. Killing the gods when you are lead by those chosen as their voices and hands in the world is... awkward. We hope that the Younger Gods will not fall, of course. They have been kind to us since their ascension to replace the gods of our birth... but the Elder Gods were kind and loving parents too before they feel to madness."

She shook her head, "Though whether we could stage a second Great Rebellion is an issue I hope never to find out. The Elder Races are dwindling, worn away slowly year by year. The Third Era has been a time of dominion for the Younger Races it seems... perhaps the doom-sayers are right, and even Terel'Liren will fade away as the others have... perhaps the ending of the Fourth Age of this Era may yet herald a resurgence of our power and glory of old. Time will tell, I think. I hope to live long enough to see which side is right, if indications from Silisim are right the Fourth Age will end soon, perhaps within the next century or two."