Tere-Velor

## The Kingdom of Tere-Velor

The Kingdom of Tere-Velor was once a part of the Khalyn Imperium, in ancient times that the world scarcely recalls. It began its life as the farthest outpost of that nation, and today, it is nothing short of the mightiest kingdom in the Northern Continent. Today, the realm is named for the city that became its capital, the former city-state that would eclipse all the territories of the Greystone Sea and beyond. Ruled by the Royal House of Dallano, it presides over the farthest corner of the Ascendanist world, the gateway to the east and the lands far beyond it. In its alliance with the nearby city-state of Liraxis, it has become an unshakeable monolith whose glory rivals even the Old Imperium, or so its scholars say. The Duchies that serve the King are often at loggerheads, but the Dukes, Counts, Barons and Lords that rule over this land are fiercely loyal to their nation; provided they are kept satisfied.

### Early History and Founding

Settled by the Khalyn Imperium in the times where its power was at its height, the Kingdom of Tere-Velor now spans from the jagged karsts of the Narrows to the glittering, peaceful waves of the Silverine Sea. It began as a settlement captured from the native inhabitants of the north, one that would grow to become a city under the Imperium's control. The Emperors considered it a jewel in their crowns for the trade opportunities the city offered to the north and east, to far Andhara and the stranger lands beyond it. It became a coveted posting for all nobles and officers of the Imperium, where they could grow their own fortunes far from the influence of the Emperors of old.

But when the Imperium fell to the Great Division, the city did not lose its prestige overnight. It maintained its loyalty to the old Imperium, though it no longer existed, with its Governor proclaiming himself Emperor mere days after the old government fractured. The Emperor, a man named Arlacan Grenn, passed on his title to his son, who was succeeded thereafter by *his* son, Vargan; known now to history as Vargan the Bloated.

Emperor Vargan proved quickly to be a tyrant who was as corrupt of mind as he was corpulent of stature. Under his leadership, trade thrived in unregulated dens along the docks, and the streets below the Imperial Ziggurat were a maze of simmering discontent for the Iron City's people. But his soldiers were strong, and their commanders loyal enough to the Emperor to enforce his hold on power. Mercenaries hired using the funds from the Emperor's bribes only strengthened his grip over the country, and the Tere-Velor became known as the City of Rust.

### The Emperor's Fall

But it was one young Lord's arrival in Tere-Velor that would spell doom for Emperor Vargan's tyranny. Argos Dalakhan came from noble blood, it is said, born to a family who were exiled from the city for speaking out against the Emperor. They travelled east, to the Salavan Cities and beyond, remaining ahead of the Imperial assassins that dogged their steps.

Argos Dalakhan, then only a boy, lost his father and mother both to the assassin's knives, and when he disappeared from the annals in 75 AR, it was assumed the young lord had followed suit.

It was a cold, dark winter's night when the common folk of Tere-Velor looked to the skies at the sound of a distant screech, and saw a shadow pass in front of the moon.

Archers rushed to the battlements as a screech echoed from the rooftops of the city, one that reverberated between the towers of the very halls of the Ziggurat from which Emperor Vargan ruled. The sight that met them is one immortalized a hundred times over in painting and song; the moment Lord Argos Dalakhan returned to his city.

He did not return alone. Above the battlements beat two mighty black wings, each feather upon them tipped with shadowed steel that seemed to meld with the creature the young lord rode. It was a Griffon, as ancient and arcane as the Dragons of old, and with a grave power to bear against their enemies. How the creature, whose name was Ordion, and Lord Dalakhan came to be linked to one another was never revealed by Dalakhan or his contemporaries, but the Griffon and its rider were a pair of warriors beyond peer.

Dalakhan unsheathed his sword before the assembled soldiers, its blade rippling with the folds of that same shadowed steel that tipped the wings of his mount, and bade them to throw down their weapons. He urged them to cast off the Emperor's tyranny and serve the people they were sworn to protect in truth, to forge a better nation by his side.

Some, indeed, were moved. But the fear that the tyrant Vargan inspired proved stronger for many, and the first battle of the Iron War began. A mob of commonfolk who had heard of the young Lord's return were joined by those who had tired of the Emperor's blatant corruption and largess, and stormed the gates of the Imperial Ziggurat atop the hill. Dalakhan and Ordion descended on the masses of enemy soldiers, each one roaring a battle cry, and the battle began in earnest.

Razor-sharp, midnight wings swept through flesh and steel, feathers sharp as knives were flung into the hordes of crossbowmen below, and Dalakhan's shadow-black sword clashed and sparked against the blades of his enemies. Many changed their cloaks to fight at the newcomer's side, fighting the Emperor's staunchest soldiers shield to shield, and more chose to flee the conflict entirely.

Dalakhan pushed on into the fortress itself, as Ordion fought in the yard, throwing back wave after wave of enemy soldiers. The duel between the Emperor Vargan and Tere-Velor's first King, fighting blade to blade on the steps of the very throne each man sought to claim is well storied at this juncture, and does not bear repeating, but suffice it to say that the young hero was victorious.

As the courtiers crowded around to witness the aftermath of the battle, and the last of the Emperor's soldiers turned tail and ran, everyone assembled to watch what the young Lord would do next, whether he would claim control over the city, and therefore the Empire, for himself. But Dalakhan cast aside the old ways, shattering the Emperor's crown beneath his boot, and the people begged him to rule them instead. He accepted, grudgingly, and allowed them to bestow upon him the title of "Prince". He and the council of Lords he assembled would rule with an even hand and a steely determination for the remainder of Dalakhan's years, defeating Emperor Vargan's old allies until the realm was reunited once more.

### From Princes to Kings

When Prince Dalakhan (later referred to as "King" to match his contemporaries) disappeared over the Silverine Sea in 112 AR, his son named himself Prince of the City in turn. He and his descendants would gradually conquer the surrounding lands until Tere-Velor grew from a Kingdom that clung to the southern coast of the Greystone Sea, to one that dominated the entirety of its coastline. Through all of this, Ordion the Griffon remained a constant shadow in the halls of the Ironmont, but never took another rider. The Griffon died in 250 AR, mourned by all the realm he had helped to forge.

Since then, the Kingdom of Tere-Velor has steadily grown, claiming all the territory around the Greystone Sea, and conquering its own territories overseas in the land of Petragon (though the island of savage warriors would resist occupation and throw off the Veloran yoke time and time again). It has since become one of the brightest jewels of all the world; the Iron City's Canal forming the bridge that joins East to West.

The descendants of King Dalakhan would branch off and form their own noble houses, and many of the most illustrious names in the Kingdom today descend from it's very first King. Houses Dallin, Dallano and Daxos number amongst the foremost of these ancient and noble families.

House Var Dallano rules the Kingdom today, having been elected by the Council of Lords in 544 AR.

### In the Present Day

Today, the Kingdom is allied firmly with the nearby City-State of Liraxis, one of the wealthiest of Arahna'dar's old Colonies along the Jekulan Sea. The so-named Tere-Lir Concord was signed in 692 AR, and ratified by both the Amir of Liraxis and the King and Council of Lords in Tere-Velor. The arrangement serves a key purpose for each party; Liraxis has less cause to fear the more militaristic Velorans encroaching upon their territories to the east, and Tere-Velor has a staunch ally that lies between themselves and the other cities of the Jekulan League.

To the East, the Isle of Petragon remains the home of the Velorans' bitterest foes. The Stoneborn often cross the strait between the two nations in their longships, to raid the Veloran coastline. Fortresses dot the Ebonsong Coast, built from the same sinister black basalt as the cliffs themselves, to guard against any stoneborn intrusions. At present, the warring clans of the Grey Isle seem content to war amongst themselves, having been repulsed by the Velorans in 749 AR at the battle of Ostenalm.

The Five Duchies that make up the Tere-Velor have been at peace for half a century, under the firm leadership of the Kings of House Dallano. Houses Makriz, Daxos, Ryker and Palizan each keep to their own corners of the Kingdom, paying their tribute and swearing fealty to the Royal House. Often times, their simmering rivalries will boil over into open conflict, but the Royal House often keeps the remainder in line, with the support of the Council of Lords.

From the farmlands of the southern reaches, to the mines beneath the mountains of the Ebonsong Coast, to the trade that travels between the Narrows and down the Halceron River into the Greystone Sea and beyond, Tere-Velor is a land vast and varied, and its people doubly so.

The arms of House Var Dallano, the Kings of Tere-Velor.The arms of House Var Daxos, the Dukes of Moncalle and Defenders of the NarrowsThe Arms of House Var Palizan, the Dukes of Ostenalm and the Lords of Darkstone Fortress.The arms of Tere-Velor itself, depicting King Dalakhan's sword balancing the scales of justice.The Arms of House Var Makriz, Dukes of Makarin.The Kingdom of Tere-Velor, circa. 754 AR (7th Epoch)The Five Duchies of Tere-Velor, along with adjacent territories and rival kingdoms.The arms of House Var Dallin, an ancient family whose lineage descends from the first King Dalakhan. They are the Lords of Dalakhan Bridge.The arms of House Terion, the Lords of Vyrtas.The arms of House Kharras, the Lords of Talist.