Eulogies of the Outlanders

A collection of the Eulogies dedicated to the Outlanders written by their final living member, Tila Fiannon.

"The war is over, and what a price we paid. The High Sorcerer of Kantazar Keep is dead, along with all his legions of the unliving and what men had the ill judgement to join him. At great cost to our forces, the siege of his Fortress has ended in victory, and Soren Locke's corruption expunged from the Vale at last. Janna Davar, Dragor Ironhand, Arun Greenwood and I besieged the ancient city of Dahl Siran, as our kinsmen Danton and Malik fought the Sorcerer himself.

That was our first mistake. Splitting up, after so many years spent building our nation together, so many years fighting at each others' side. And now, Malik and Danton are dead, along with almost all of their soldiers. The man who lead us from Kheran'vher, almost twenty years past, dead. The King of our burgeoning little city beneath the Araven Mountains, a figure almost legendary to those beneath our banner, dead. With scarcely a body left behind. His heir, Danton Dyre, perished alongside him. Ours is a young kingdom, but the laws of succession are clear in this case. His son, Malik the Younger, will rule, and through him our own roles become clear. We are no longer the Outlanders we once were, indomitable heroes who killed beasts and bandits in their thousands. In this time of turmoil, we must become something more. Anharak alone survived the battle of Kantazar Keep, leading a small column of survivors back to our siege camp in the valley. He is wracked with guilt, understandably, for it was his battle plan that Malik used. A victory more pyrrhic than any we have faced before.

It is typical of me to mask my grief with logic. Arun would call it avoidance, and I do not wish to shy from the severity of my loss, of our people's loss. Let these words mark the passage of my companions from this realm. To Danton, for your courage, skill, and loyalty. We disagreed more times than I can count, but it is in you I found a companion worthier than any I faced before. And to Malik. The first Outlander, the one who lifted us from slaves toiling in a silver mine to the leaders of this Kingdom. The one who lead us through sand and storm and scourge-beast, steadfast in your leadership even when our own courage seemed as though it would fail. You have built our people a sanctuary that will last forever, and it is fitting that your final act be one to safeguard our haven. We hold the Vale of Nine Peaks now, with room for all our people to thrive, a realm guarded at both ends by our cities. I only wish the price had not been so dear.

So Danton, Malik. You were important in so many ways, men whose actions have shaped the face of this new Epoch at its beginning. The first time I saw you both, I was a scared young woman toiling beneath the whip of a slavemaster, waking up every day with less hope than the last. But when the ground shuddered, and you cast your axes through the skulls of our captors, I felt hope blossom again at last. The two of you are gone now, only your deeds left to mark your departure from this plane. If I take any solace, it is in that, for there were no worthier men that ever graced Andura."

- A speech given by Tila Fiannon, during the twin funerals of Malik the Outlander and Danton Dyre I, 7 AR.

"Janna Davar was loyal to a fault and equally as trusting. Though her recklessness and occasional bouts of ferocity managed to drive us into difficult situations time and time again, the content of her character could never have been called into question. She was a woman who loved as hard as she fought, and she made certain to display that love to her dearest friends as often as possible. Her tragic loss, still unexplained to this day, was a blow to myself and our kingdom in equal measure. Her strength that once filled the world is gone from it now, and we are all the lesser for it."

- Read by Tila Fiannon during the State Funeral of Janna Davar, 15 AR.

"Dragor and I did not have the best of relations, especially considering the time we spent together. With my upbringing as a wizard's apprentice before my imprisonment, and his rather more common origins in the mines of Kheran'vher, we were not a pair made to get along easily. Though as many times as we found ourselves at odds, I did eventually come to trust the fiery, often inebriated young dwarf. Over time, I came to appreciate his skill at arms, and he saved the lives of myself and the others on dozens of occasions throughout the Exodus. He liberated Dalasira at my side during the War of Shadow, leading a company of his dwarves. I'll never forget him leaping atop the white walls, there, his then snow-white beard flapping in the wind. He fell amongst the undead like Siran's Fury given form, and I loved him then as much as I had ever loved any of us. He left a mark on this world unlike any other, and I hope that he is drinking his fill in Illanyia with the greatest heroes of our time."

- From Tila Fiannon's speech at the funeral of Dragor Ironhand, circa 45 AR.

"Anharak was a mercurial fellow, often withdrawn as though he were concerned with matters beyond our understanding. There were moments, though, where the darkness would fall from his eyes and he would smile with us. I cherished those times, in truth. We did not manage to laugh enough during those days, before we settled the city. The man had a spark of mischief in him, too, one that was never quite extinguished by time and trial. There was one occasion in particular where I recall him setting the end of Dragor's beard afire at Jannas behest. The way the dwarf roared...well, it does not bear saying. We never found out what befell him in the end, not truly, though it was only Arun and I left by the time he disappeared. He had often seemed distant in those last few years. Perhaps he finally realized what it was he was missing."

- From the writings of Tila Fiannon, circa 301 AR

"Of the seven of us, I was closest to Arun. His wisdom saw us through many dark times, his skill with druidic spells many more. It was he who struck our alliance with the wood elves of Blackmoon forest , without which we never could have reached the shores of Tel'eran lake with our people. He shepherded the dawn of our new realm alongside me, guiding Malik, Danton and Aurora to the greatness they each achieved. Though his wisdom could often be confusing, and his sage advice occasionally erred on the side of nonsense, he was a fine friend. I do not know what befell Arun, in the end. He left Dal Evar in disgrace, hounded by the King's new advisors, in the days where our time within the city had begun to reach its end. I pray that wherever he is, he has found peace. The last of my companions has passed from this plane, and I begin to fear that I never experience that sanctuary again."

- From the writings of Tila Fiannon, circa 302 AR