Hârnview/1st Edition/13

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HÂRNVIEW - History
 


Harnic history and the island soon came under the domination of the invading tribes. The Jarin were assimilated or driven into the mountains of north and northeast Harn. At length the _waves of barbarians reduced to a trickle. However, without the influence of the Sindarin and the Khuzdul, the overall level of Harn's civilization declined. By 500 BT the Lythians considered themselves Harnians and except for the Jarin, the Orbaalese, and a few tribal nations, all existing human cultures on the island are descended from them.

Melderyn[edit | edit source]

The origins and early history of the island kingdom are obscure. Melderyn was subjected to the same invasions as the rest of Harn but assimilated each wave of newcomers without bloodshed. Cherafir was first inhabited during the early Jarin migrations but there is evidence that the site is of Earthmaster origin.

Approximately one thousand years ago, five small kingdoms were known to exist on the island, coexistinR in a peaceful and loose alliance. This "five kingdoms' period came to an end 720 years ago, in the year from which all other Harnic dates are reckoned, when the whole island (peacefully) came under the rule of Erebir Pendragon.

Ever since its founding, Meldery:n has exerted very little obvious influence on the Harnic mainland. Its interference has been generally limited to occasional visits by individuals, many of whom have exhibited "strange ~owers". These figures have earned the island the title 'Wizards"' or "Mage's Isle" and a reputation for magic and strange happenings.

Lothrim the Foulspawner[edit | edit source]

The anarchy prevalent after the Lythian conquest presented opportunities for ambitious men; one who siezed great power was Lothrim, chieftain of a semi-civilized tribe inhabiting the Chelna Gap 600 years ago. Unlike most of his contemporaries, Lothrim was a man of learning; some have suggested that he was an - renegade Mage of Melderyn. Lothrim delved deeply into -....__,.the arcane arts and unleashed a campaign that gained him an empire stretching from the Thard to the Kald (excluding, of course, the Shava Forest). He chose Elkall-Anuz [hx1, an Earthmaster site, as his capital. Lothrim's subjects differed widely in cultural development. At one end of the spectrum were primitive, nomadic tribes who chaffed under any externa rule; at the other end were those who traced their lineage from the early Jarin and who had preserved their pastoral and agricultural skills. City-building was not a major pastime; other than the capital, only the eastern outpost of Kelapyn-Anuz had a .population in excess of 1,000.

Coming of the Foulspawn[edit | edit source]

Lothrim was obsessed by the mystique of the Earthmasters. Determined to rule all of Harn, Lothrim decided the Ancients had done so aided by a race of humanoid soldier-slaves. By means of arcane arts long forbidden by the Sindarin, he managed to create (or import?) a fast-breeding, short-lived race with very aggressive behaviour. These he called Gar gun [hx 1 • They proved violent, rebellious and quarrelsome; Lothrim was forced to govern them with an iron rod and to occupy them with constant wars. He undertook a reign of terror against the surrounding tribes whose horrors were recorded as the "Tyranny of the Foulspawner".

The Penultimate Tome[edit | edit source]

In his unending quest for artifacts of the Earthmasters, Lothrim heard tell of a book, owned by the Khuzan king of Kiraz [hx1, said to contain the great secrets of the Ancients. Never wholly sane, Lothrim became obsessed with the thought of obtaining the Penultimate Tome [hx 1 at any cost. Kiraz was also a major obstacle to expanding his empire throughout western Harn. Thus, Lothrim decided to lead an army of Gargun against the dwarven stronghold.

The Carnage of Kiraz[edit | edit source]

After a long and difficult march around Lake Benath, up the steep Deret River valley and across the Rayesha Mountains, Lothrim and his army arrived at the mountain fastness of Kiraz. The defeat of Lothrim's weary forces would have been likely but for a freak of fortune; it had been a bad crop year and most of the dwarves had departed down the Uthel River to hunt and gather food before the onset of winter. The tyrant's forces burst upon the lightly defended cavern-city and captured it with relative ease. The Gargun engaged in a terrible orgy of bloodlust, rape, and pillage. Every Khuzan male, female, and child in Kiraz was slain and feasted on by the Gar gun hordes. Lothrim was delirious when a very old tome was discovered, written in a script unknown to him. Lothrim might have wintered in Kiraz, bur supplies were short. So, confident that the power of Kiraz was destroyed, he began the long march home.

The Battle of Sirion[edit | edit source]

Meanwhile, the Khuzdul had patiently gathered an army and easily overpowered the small, disorderly garrison Loth rim had left to hold Kiraz. Outraged by the carnage they found, they undertook a furious pursuit • Lothrim and his army, completely unaware that such a force existed, were overtaken at their encampment near Sirion, where they may have been awaiting boats to carry them across Lake Benath. The dwarves fell upon Lothrim who found himself trapped between the De ret River, Lake Benath, and hordes of avenging Khuzdul. A great battle was fought, but the result was never in doubt. Lothrim was utterly routed and the Khuzdul, in no mood for mercy, slew all in reach. Lothrim was taken alive; a chamber was carved under a mountain near Iracu (?), and a screaming Lothrim was cast in. Stone and mortar was brought and the tyrant was entombed with his precious tome, his madness, and an "honour guard" of a dozen starving Gargun. The location and contents of "Lothrim's Tomb" remain a subject of speculation; the Khuzdul will not speak of the Foulspawner.

Aftermath at Kiraz[edit | edit source]

The "victorious" Khuzdul could no longer bear to dwell in the haunted halls of Kiraz. After removing and burning the rotting Gar gun corpses, they sealed the gates with enchantment and good stone, as a fitting tomb for its former inhabitants. Then they grimly marched to Azadmere where their kinfolk gave them refuge. To this day, the Khuzdul are convince<f that the Sindarin of Evael should have intervened to prevent the tyranny of Lothrim; the dwarves have yet to forgive this negligence.

Collapse of Lothrim's Federation[edit | edit source]

Without Lothrim's charisma and personal power, his "empire" lacked cohesion. When news of his death reached Elkall-Anuz, no successor could hope to overcome the tyrant's legacy of hatred and resentment; the · confederation disolved. Lothrim's former subjects slew or drove out the Foulspawn. The surviving Gar gun fled into the mountains where their numerous decendents still