Lakeland History:

The Lord Protector and the Succession Wars

Note: All counts are reckoned in astral years, which are more stable than "local" (Akadazian) years. The new year starts on the anniversary of the Ancient's reign on Armaz-Daka. The information on this page is ICly somewhat obscure, and requires either a good Knowledge:history roll, or time spent researching the matter.


Out of the Dust Years (c. 1710-1730)

Dust drinks the dry land,
Sorrow slakes the skald's song.
O where are my people gone?
They plow grief in windblown barrows,
The yarl feasts in the halls of the sun.
His yemen faithful bravely fought
The spear forest, the fang storm.
The kindred weep iron-wrapped ---
I alone remain.

A lament from the Dust Years, by an anonymous Lakeland poet (c. 1720)

During this time, Lakeland itself is not far from barbarism. The humans live in clans, led by warlords called "yarls". Each yarl has a band of warriors called "yemen" (singular "yeman"). Most people lived in small crofts, raising a few crops and goats or sheep, while the yarls count their wealth in herds of cattle and horses (much as the tribes of the Storm Plains do even now). The priests of Pelor, centered at Goosetown, are the strongest civilizing influence.

Years of drought trigger mass migrations from the Storm Plains. Displaced tribes invaded their neighbors, who in turn mobilize. Eventually most of northern Akadazia is embroiled in constant warfare. Lightning raids (mostly humans, half-orcs, orcs, and gnolls) ride out of the north, stealing livestock and slaves, killing and burning anything they can't carry away. The Lakelanders tend to be more heavily armed, but they are outnumbered, and the hordes are more mobile. The border of Lakeland is pushed southwards, until in 1727, Goosetown is razed. (Burned to the ground by a coalition of orcish and half-orcish tribed).

During this time, Godsdoor and the eastern forest are also threatened. Elven rangers and their sylvan allies reluctantly join forces with the Baron of Godsdoor (Anjherizan II), who appeals to the Ancient for help. A contingent of the Sworn is sent in, including a few battle mages, exotic warbeasts, and undead troops.

Love's fugitives (c. 1722-1730)

Silver wings under silver skies,
Love's fugitives heed sorrow's cries.

from "Vivian's song" (c. 1745)

Dozens of songs tell of Vivian and Eskrai's meeting on a far-flung world, and their flight to the Silver Mountain, and of how they were driven from there to the Ark of Fools, and thence to Lakeland. Songs lie. But the gist of the story can be pieced together, drawing on first-hand accounts from that era, and from fragments of letters written by Vivian and kept by her descendants.

Eskrai, as is the custom among his people, came down from Nagel, the Silver Mountain, wandering on foot through the worlds in the guise of a human piper/beggar. Vivian played the guitar, and it was through music that they met. Met, and fell in love. He revealed his true nature to her, but her love did not diminish. She vowed to spend the rest of her life with him. Her family would have none of it. They were filthy rich, barons of the black gold. They had plans of their own to marry her into the political elite. But Vivian was by now carrying a child by Eskrai. Her parents demanded that she abort the child or give it up for adoption. She refused, and was disowned.

Eskrai took her to Nagel, his homeland. There she bore her first child, Nikolai. All was well at first, but when Nikolai was only months old, the long-latent mountain erupted again as an active volcano. The vortex at its heart opened portals to evil. Nagel was invaded by red dragons, evil fire elementals, and fiends. In one particularly ugly episode, Vivian is kidnapped by a red dragon. Some suggest that she was raped, before Eskrai managed to ransom her. After that, they flee with Nikolai to the Astral Plane.

They stumble onto the Ark. They live there for awhile, but they do not like it. Nikolai will never grow up, and they cannot have any other children. Some sources suggest Vivian quarrels with the Ancient, but she never tells anyone the details. It is known that they head dirtside (into Akadazia) shortly after Vivian's audience with the Ancient.

They leave Godsdoor (too close to the Ancient's influence?) and take over a burnt out croft in Lakeland. Michael is born there. His father was probably a red dragon, but Eskrai still treats him as kin. Because of Eskrai's powers to protect them, and Vivian's soft heart, they end up taking in refugees from the violence wracking Lakeland.

Dragon cultists find Eskrai. They persuade Eskrai and Vivian to help them. An army grows up around the banner of the Silver Mountain. Eskrai turns out to be a gifted military strategist in addition to his draconic powers, and they manage to oust the barbarian hordes and unify Lakeland. A few native yarls rebel, but they, too, are defeated. Eskrai starts construction of the Lakeland Wall in 1733. (Finishes around 1742.) Lakeland is more or less at peace by then.

Vivian has many more children. Other dragons from Nagel visit, some for many years. Eskrai is Lord Protector, an enlightened despot. Slavery is outlawed in Lakeland. The Temple of Pelor is honored and held in high regard (and generously funded). The population of Lakeland increases. Settlements across the lakes and rivers are built. A number of halflings emigrate to Lakeland.

Mortality finally catches up with Vivian, who dies of old age in 1793. Eskrai goes into a funk, and starts muttering about leaving, but he remains as Lord Protector for many more years. Their children are grown up and have children and grandchildren of their own.

The Succession Wars

Dragon, dragon, blood and bone,
Who will take the High Lord's throne?
Count your horses, count your men:
One, two, three...

Children's jump rope chant from Lakeland (from c. 1930 to current day)

In 1878 (85 years after Vivian's death), Eskrai vanishes. Angharad (#5) flies off in search of Eskrai and is never heard from again. Nikolai takes the throne of Lord Protector, to the overt approval of almost everyone. But only two years later, in 1880, Nikolai dies in a "freak portal accident": while he is riding back from a diplomatic mission to the dwarves, a vortex swallows him and half his party. According to the witnesses, they are incinerated in the elemental plane of fire.

Michael (#2) takes over as Lord Protector. Not everyone is happy about that, especially when he marries Nikolai's widow (Nikolai's second wife) and adopts the two children (Fleur, 10, and Emma, 8). Nikolai's two older daughters, Jehana (now a sorcerer) and Ruth (now a nun of Pelor) object. They suspect foul play in Nikolai's death. (They were already suspicious when their brother Terry died in a "hunting accident", but lacked proof.) This time, they find evidence, and accuse Michael. Michael denies all. They declare blood feud on him.

Peace is not to be. Instead, Michael's descendants and Nikolai's descendants start killing each other. At first, there are formal duels, then raids, then assassinations. After Jehana and Ruth are killed, Sophie and Stefan declare war on Michael. They claim to be the rightful Lords Protector. Outright war begins. Michael calls on everyone to take a side: you are with us or against us, there is no such thing as neutrality.

The war worsens. Michael is killed. Some sources suggest that he was betrayed by Ottar, who made a deal with Joshua. Joshua steps in as "Regent" for Michael's surviving heir (a grandson) and takes over that whole faction. He manages to get Stefan killed. Meanwhile, Sigmund senses weakness, and he invades Lakeland with his Storm Plains berserkers. He also seems to have a secret base on another plane.

Sigmund takes the opportunity to kidnap Karoli's wife. He always fancied her, and hated his twin (resented him for being born a few minutes earlier). Karoli's wife refuses to have anything to do with Sigmund, so he rapes her and impregnates her with an experimental monster (which kills her as it is born). Karoli comes in too late to save her, but he and his children devote themselves to bringing down Sigmund. Karoli gets killed.

Sophie and Joshua join forces to defeat Sigmund. At the last moment, Ottar assassinates Joshua and tries (but fails) to kill Sophie. Ottar is presumed dead but shows up again a dozen years later.

Treaty of 1899: Nikolai (descendant of Michael's eldest (bastard) offspring) is legitimized (as Fitz Eskrai) and given a title (Earl of Overlake), money, and estate, as a sop to Michael's faction. However, as the earls are forbidden from having any armed forces beyond a personal guard, the title turns out to be empty of real substance. The earl just gets to be a landlord and get rental income. Even the taxes go to Goosetown.

1901: Stefan the Younger (Sophie's son) born (earlier children dead in the wars)

1912: Ottar, previously believed to be dead, ambushes Sophie on the road to Godsdoor. Sophie manages to kill Ottar before she dies. Stefan the Younger takes over as High Lord, under a council of Regents (led by a descendant of Karoli, but includes Nikolai Fitz Eskrai, who continually tries to undermine the High Lord's power base.)

1998: now (so Stefan the Younger is 97: appears about 50 for a human)



Copyright © February 2002, Celeste Chang --- Revised --- February 21, 2002

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