Prince Cassian

> "Rumors abound from beyond the failing woods of a new growth of forest that is dark, uncontrolled and dangerous. At night, weeping can be heard from its very center, reverberating around the valley in which the darkness spreads." -- *Aizendore's Vault of Tragic Treasure*
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Cassian Harst, the last Prince of Harstland, is a figure worthy of both pity and scorn, for he followed his heart to the detriment of his people. Harstland sat within the borders of the old Shanri Empire, before Mawlek’s rampage across the continent. In those days, relations between elf and human were not so strained. This was particularly true in Harstland, where the thick woods surrounding the kingdom offered a vast resource that its people – in conjunction with the elves carefully managed.

The first pebble in the avalanche of fate occurred when Cassian fled his father’s castle, deep in his cups. His marriage to Lady Silvar, the heir to a large estate in the north of the kingdom, was not how he’d planned his life.

With his shattered dreams very much on his mind, Cassian stumbled into the darkening wood, still clutching a jug of his father’s table wine. When he eventually succumbed to exhaustion, he had no idea where he was. The Harstland woods were thick, cold and as full of danger as they were riches. Cassian would almost certainly have died were it not for Illyria. A potent elven mage, and a soft-hearted cultivator of life, Illyria took pity on Cassian and brought him to her woodland home.

Perhaps she could see the romantic nature of Cassian’s soul, or perhaps she sensed the latent mage-spark inside him. Either way, while she tended his wounds, their fondness grew, and they found themselves inseparable.

When the king learned of this, he flew into a rage. Besides the loss of Lady Silvar’s coin, Cassian was his only heir, and the thought that his son might abdicate to live as a pauper in the forest was beyond his imagining. When Cassian refused to come home, the king led a great host into the woods, hacking and burning and carving their way to Illyria’s clearing.

For almost a month Illyria barred their path with branch and root and earth, pouring her life-energy into a mysterious green orb atop a plinth. Cassian watched as she wasted away, becoming frailer with every passing day. Eventually, with his host decimated, King Harstland won through to Illyria’s clearing, where she slumped upon the orb which helped the forest to grow and prosper. In desperation, Cassian reached for his lover’s arm, brushing his hand against the orb as he did so. His latent mage-spark burst to life, and he took the only chance of escape he could see. A bright green flash filled the clearing, and in an instant Cassian and Illyria disappeared, along with half the surrounding trees, the orb, and most of the King’s remaining host.

Since that day, Harstland wood has suffered greatly. Without the influence of the orb to encourage growth, managing the forest has become an almost impossible task. The creatures there run wild, and without the stabilizing influence of their king, the local lords take from nature without any return. Since the withdrawal of the Shanri Empire, there has been little to halt the tide of deforestation and exploitation.