Oepitorus

Bust of Oepitorus found in Pria

**Oepitorus** was an ancient Hellastian prince who is often recognized as the first historian and among the first adopters of the written language, using a standardized Old Elvish to write his twenty-four volumes of *The Histories*.

He is widely considered to have been the first writer to have treated historical subjects using a method of systematic investigation—specifically, by collecting his materials and then critically arranging them into a historiographic narrative. On account of this, he is often referred to as "The Father of History," though some historians who disagree with his narratives refer to Oepitorus as the "Father of Lies" for his oft-exaggerated claims, or seemingly overly detailed dialogues and some accounts that go against tangible evidence.

Despite his historical significance, little is known about his personal life. His *Histories* primarily deals with the lives of humans and the high elves, and the rise of notable empires in the Bronze Era and into the First and Second Era; however, his many cultural, ethnographical, geographical, historiographical, and other digressions form a defining and essential part of the *Histories* and contain a wealth of information.

Oepitorus was a mentor for Roman, the author of *The Madelian*, and the two often accompanied one another in their travels around Prace and even the Tomyrian Sea. He was also among the first of the high elves born after the Sehanine.

## Biography

### Early life

Oepitorus wrote very little of himself, only writing that he had indeed been in line to succeed the city of Atlannis. The city was formed after the capture of Lannis by Ludor, with the king Priam evading capture and forming a new city in the nearby Ionic islands.

The city reached new heights under King Priam in terms of culture and technology, but was invaded and razed by the Ionians, and the city was destroyed. Oepitorus survived while his father, King Priam, did not. He joined the group of elves as they lived a nomadic life in Ludor.

### Early travels

Oepitorus did not settle down in one place, and was fascinated with collecting stories from the aging eladrin and the ever-changing landscape of Prace throughout the Late Bronze Era. Oepitorus at first developed an oral history, but after time spent in Ludor, he learned to write in Old Elvish and wrote a comprehensive history of Prace and the surrounding regions.

His first two volumes of *The Histories* were given to the King of Ludor, Martinitus, as a gift to immortalize the glory of the elves. From that point forward, King Martinitus and his successor King Laritus would both give Oepitorus citizenship of Ludor and a stipend to travel throughout Prace (and much later, the Tomyrian Sea) in order to collect a comprehensive history of the elves.

### Mentorship of Roman

Oepitorus met Roman at some point around CE 500, and their travels mainly involved traveling to Espios and Tyrrhos. For the next fifty years, the two would travel and gather histories from locals in Tyrrhos and even some parts of Arborea and Bastria as they attempted to create a comprehensive history of the elves and eladrin. As a consequence, they also gathered a swath of information regarding the history of humans and Espios.

While Oepitorus was a very staunch proponent of Hellastian supremacy, his student Roman was more enamored with humans and would go on to write his epic *The Madelian* as his love letter to the emerging race. Oepitorus discontinued his travels after recording his twenty-fourth volume, detailing the fall of the Muzdash Empire, when he finally returned to Valen, in Ludor, and retired, knowing his time was near. He would die sometime in the next few years, while Roman wrote his poetic epic at his bedside.