Sistona

Sistona is the shining city of Tellaria. Temples to Raea and other gods of light seem to hold up the very city. It is also the headquarters of the Order of Iludin.

Sistona has traditionally purchased land from families in Central Tellaria to build Iludin bases around the country, such as Fort Sartisorn.

## Helestor

Sistona began as Helestor, a human merchant city in the late Age of Veradorianis. It began small, but as humans developed over time, the city slowly drew in more wanderers and grew exponentially.

Many of the first settlers were religious folk, and they built many churches devoted to Raea. Eventually the city attracted the attention of the Order of Iludin, and soon the city was a bustling center of trade.

In Year 5208 AoV, a plague wracked Helestor. The Iludin rushed to cleanse their new favored city, and though they managed to purge the worst of the sickness, there remained a degeneration in the general health of the citizens for many generations. In the wake, the Grandmaster of the Iludin claimed protection over the city, and declared that the Order would have a centralized home of operations, and that it would be Helestor. The Iludin had fully established themselves in the city by 5211 AoV.

## Rise of Sistona

In 5308 AoV, a cult called the Ebon Noose attempted to overturn Helestor for its myriad treasures and resources. The figurehead of the cult, the dragon Bloodscale, intended to consume its riches in a bid for immortality, while its true leader Szarduk Karmigian wished to rule the city and end the Iludin's unofficial regime. He had a bargaining chip in case he were to be defeated: a magic rod that had imprisoned within the celestial Elyzier.

The cult successfully ransacked the city. The cultists fought beside strange new twisted demons called taalz and overran the Iludin. In a valiant battle against Bloodscale, High Inquisitor Celestos and his troll friend Bragg were killed. During the battle, Karmigian transported himself to Raea's Scar and attempted to fully open the rift at its bottom. He was stopped by three young initiates: Noella Misrael, Jasper, and Nick, who cut him apart and kicked him into the Abyss. The Great Dance occurred that night and signified restored balance.

After the battle, another young noble named Barton Misrael freely gave his life to free Elyzier from his prison. He was anointed a saint in death. The Table of Elyzier was re-consecrated by the Iludin and he placed his protection over the city. As her last action before abdicating her position as Grandmaster, Tristania Gazaan renamed the city Sistona and declared their path was to push ever onward and upward, not dwell on their wounds.

## The Weladi Uprising

In 5328 AoV, some of Karmigian's old demonic creations came to the Kell lands and corrupted their traditions. They were promised dominion over all the lands claimed by the builders of cities and power beyond that granted by the Divine Hunt. Many tribes listened, splitting themselves off from the Kell, and took to calling themselves "The Weladi," which is the Kell name for locusts. The human tribes began self-mutilating and, using vile magics and procedures, began to turn themselves into demonic entities as well: the kraaven.

Through a powerful ritual in 5331 AoV, the taalz and Weladi shaman brought Karmigian back from the Abyss as a fiend who called himself the Horned Duke. The Weladi fell to his worship, and he declared them part of his new people, called the tocarn.

The Weladi Uprising began that week. The Horned Duke led the tocarn on raids around Sistona until the city began rioting in fear. The Horned Duke disguised himself as former Grandmaster Tristania Gazaan and declared no faith in her sister Grandmaster Vishania Gazaan's leadership. He led the Iludin away from critical strategic areas, which were soon taken. The Iludin were pushed into the north sector. Tristania, Vishania, and Jasper rode out with the remaining Iludin in Sistona and were decimated. With his powerful magics, the Horned Duke possessed Jasper’s body and with it killed the Gazaan sisters.

In an unprecedented and mysterious set of circumstances, Sistona was retaken in 5332 AoV by the son of Vishania and Jasper Gazaan, Connor and his friends, along with the threatened Strongfletch Tribe of trolls from the Forest of Darrog, and Grand Dagger Vandiir Ashcroft. The Horned Duke was not executed and sent back to Hell. Instead, he was imprisoned in stone form and sealed in Fort Sartisorn with a silver ward placed over him by Elyzier so that he could never escape.

The Iludin rebuilt Sistona again and Donan Warbeard became Grandmaster of the Iludin.