Local Legends
The Handale Empire
The Handale Empire was conquered by what may have been the most powerful evil mage to ever walk the earth: Tallán Handale, for whom both the Handale Empire and contry of Tallán were named. It was during the dark times that he gained his great power, and the contacts that would see him to his fate. He put together the most feared army to ever walk the earth, and lead them with his troop of powerful mages known as the counsil of twelve (although it had thirteen members if you include Handale himself).
Their home county, whose name has been long forgoten, was easy to capture, but later ones were not as easy, and much of his army laid in ruin. The counsil then reportedly came up with a powerful level of spells that surpassed all others, but could only be cast if all the members were together. They tested one on the empire of Parcantile. They sent a messanger to warn them to give up their kingdom while they still could. He was ignored, and when the emperor was away, they used their first spell of power. He returned to find his capitol city frozen over, and everyone, even the most powerful mages and warriors, dead. He sent his elite army to fight the counsil, and not to let a single one escape. Tallán Handale marched on the empeor’s camp, with his the empeor’s own army, almost a week later, just to show how long his influance over the troops lasts. The empeor surrendered then and there.
Their reign of terror continued from there, including one incedent were an entire town was flatened, quite litterally. It was found by the last great hope of their current conquest. An army composed of the armies of four nieghboring contries. The town was turned into one large flat rock, with the people and resources imbedded within it. It decemated the army without even a single blow. There is even a report that they froze the Crebed Ocean to attack the island country of Zergoth. As their reputation spread, thier conquests became easier and easier. Soon it took only rumor and conjucture to make a contry surrender, but it was not to last.
Not long before the fall of evil, the counsil, not satisfid with what Handale gave them, began to plot against him. They planned to kill him and split up his entire empire between them. As he met with the powerful fighters that lead his army, they attacked, killing the fighters but thanks to the powerful robe Handale wore that provided him with a perminate antimagic shell, he was left un-harmed. The counsil, surprized and frighted that he still lived, soon realized that he had always expected them to turn on him. He then gave a command word, and with that all the magical items and equiptment that he had given them over the years used several differant means to kill the helpless mages. Only one of the mages, Kabenbach, the only truely non-evil mage among them, had wisely left his gifted items behind. Handale, realized that a fight with Kabenbach would be risky. With the robe on, he would be forced to fight physically, and he was not very good with the weapons that remaind in the area. On the other hand, if he took the robe off, he would be subject to Kabenbach’s remaining magical items. Handale decided to offer him just what he wanted in the first place: A country to call his own.
Without his mages, or fighters, Handale was forced to be content with what is and was the largest empire ever recorded. Over time, his decendants became less and less evil. It is now run by Samual Handale, who is no palidin, but is still a good and just empeor. Handale is arguably the most powerful empire in the world today. The spells used in its creation are still in the hands of its ruler, and a new counsil was created just in case there was ever any needs for them. So far there haven’t been.
The Legend of Tallán
Tallán is a place of many myths and legends. It is, as far as anyone knows, almost completely forest and swamp. Very little is actually known about the country of Tallán, for any time adventurers have gone to explore Tallán, they have usually been found several days later in an inn just outside the forest, completely unharmed. There are exceptions of coarse. From time to time a few group members, or even parties, haven’t come back at all. These are rarities fortunately. The Talláneze forest has only one area that lays within another country. No one is quite sure why this small patch in Haleston does not have the same effect as the rest of the forest, but most people agree that it is most likely another forest that is simply adjacent to the true forest, and not actually a part of the Talláneze forest. Haleston also reportedly has a small fortress just inside the border, but no one other then a few people in the Adventurer’s Guild know for sure.
History of Haleston
Haleston was founded long before the end of the major evils in Shartell. A few families, fleeing from a dragon sighted on the horizon, ended up lost. They traveled for days in what was soon found to be the wrong direction. They settled in an open place close to a forest were they could gather fruits and hunt, and began to plant crops with what remained of their food. As thing turned out, they were not alone in this place, and a troop of brownies began to help them with the daunting task of tending to the fields, and soon the families were thriving once more. But fate and the dragon were not done with them yet.
The powerful dragon, with it’s green scales hiding it from detection, began to take the girls that came to gather the fruits. One at a time they disappeared, and as they did, the people became more and more worried. Their hunters gathered together into a small army, and entered the forest. The dragon was amused by the attempt, and jumped from the trees in front of them and laughed as they ran, having the time of his life. When Samuel Haleston heard that the dragon had flowed them he knew what he had to do. He was a retired adventurer, though he was not that old or experienced, he had come too close to death too many times, and decided to settle down with a barmaid he had fallen for. He married her later, and had fathered a son with her.
He knew that the dragon would not rest until they were all slain. He had to risk his life once more, to save those of his family. But he had spent too much time on the farm, and his skill with the sword had dimishid. But for every loss there is a gain. His strength was greater then before, and he had become skilled with a new weapon: the sickle. He had the local blacksmith forge armor for him. The smith had never done so before, but the end product was more than good enough. With a sigh, and a long goodbye, he picked up two sickles and took off toward his second home: the forest, never really expecting to return home alive, but hoping that the dragon wouldn’t either.
The dragon watched all this, and prepared for the lone fighter. He hid in the trees and came from behind. Samuel had seen the dragon however, without the dragon knowing, and got the first attack. The battle was long and fierce. The beast’s strong hide deflected most of his attacks, but the armor he wore did the same. However, the dragon was stronger, and was winning. Just when hope seemed to be all but gone, the Brownies began to appear. Only a few at first, but they just kept appearing. The dragon noticed them almost right away, and everytime he committed to an attack, more would appear and he would have to change strategies. Just as he got frustrated and prepared to just use his breath weapon and just kill them all at once, Samuel’s two sickles closed around the dragon’s throat. He had mounted it in its confusion. It was enraged by this, and took off in flight. With every beat of its wings it slit it’s own throat more and more, but it was too angry to realize this. It died in mid-air as the whole town watched. Samuel fell a great distance, barely escaping with his life.
One leg broken, and barely able to move he made it to a nearby cave. As it turned out it was the lair of the dragon. Using the scrolls inside he quickly healed himself up. But it was not the gold or the items of magic that was the most helpful thing within the cave. It was the map that was scralled on the wall. The dragon had lived there for decades, and had a nearly complete map, including the location of the nearby cities. Within the year Haleston castle was being built, using the money from the hoard, and when the country was formed it was made the center. Many of the items from the hoard are still use in the castle to this day, and the green dragon was made its symbol, for it was more responsible for the creation and founding of the city, and country for that matter, than any other factor.
The story of the Peir of Sorrow
The peir of Sorrow has no major creation myth. It was just an easy access to the ocean. However, its name came about much later.
About the time that the guild was formed, there was an explorer that lived in the area. He mapped much of the area, and back home he had a woman that loved him. One day however he did not come back. His love waited for him day after day, but he never returned. Days turned to months, months to years, years to decades, but still no sign. Eventually her body could wait no longer, and she passed from this world, but every night you can still see her sitting on the cliff, staring out to sea, waiting for her love to return so they can be married at last.
The history of Golemrock
Golemrock has been around longer then any other city in the region. It’s exact origans are unknown, but like the peir of sorrow, it’s name was added at a later date. When Pristorious, the Evil one, god of darkness and destroyer of worlds, appeared he sent a powerful creature to attack the city. It was formed from pure rock, and was powered by the forces of darkness, making it almost unstopable. The army of the town, adventures all, attacked the creature, but it struck them down one by one. It kept coming closer and closer, no matter what was done. Then the legendary archmage Licthor appeared. He cast a spell that made the creature begin to slow. He then began to cast another spell. The cloads in the sky chruned, the sun dissappeared in an eclipse, the air itself could be seen as it spun around the creature, binding it. It roared in anger, then grew silent. The great mage departed, and the townspeople placed the creature in the catacombs under the city, where it remains to this day.