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"...[name] stood in the [name2] Hall, a hundred
peers watching from the galleys above. She called her Provider's
name, and all could feel the power she commanded. [name3] summoned
his wards, but all that watched knew his efforts were in vain.
The next name she offered was his, and the misery of [name3]
was legend."
translated from Dekàlan
fragment
found in ruined Ildûn
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Calsàdor
| Calsàdor
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Capital: Adàdor
Population: 1493
Cities: Firre (416), Adàdor (288), Iláyan (212),
Solàre (170), Anòriléa (63),
Cuilarulyr (0)
Government: ...
Ruler: Priestess Ina Orgya
Religions: Ancestral
Imports: None
Exports: None
References: Calsàdoran
Neighbors: Ezmir, Oth, Taldàna
Alignment: LG, LN, NG, N, CG, CN
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Nestled deep within the high
Tor'n Evàlshat lies a group of mountain
valleys that are joined by a single wagon road. The road has been used for
centuries, but the wagon wheels that travel it have never managed to wear ruts
in the frozen ground. In each of the valleys of Calsàdor rest small
villages and hamlets, blessedly unaware of an outside world. In this way
the people of Calsàdor have lived for centuries, their lifestyles and traditions
protected by a single guardian whose legend grows with each passing generation.
The houses of Calsàdor
are small fitted-stone structures with bulbous chimneys topped
with blue-gray caps. Most of the buildings are single-story
cottages though a few roofs stand much higher.
The roofs are bundled-thatch covered with
layers of faded wool rugs. Small roads weave inbetween
the buildings and their small fenced gardens.
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Landmarks
Temple
of Calsàdor. The Temple of Calsàdor
rests above the Village of Adàdor where two cascading
streams issue forth from the mountainside. Surrounded
by goat pastures dotted with worn flat markers, the round
stone temple is draped with long narrow rugs. Though
faded, the rugs were once colorfully embroidered.
Through the squat stone door is a wide room of benches
with three slow-burning fireplaces.
Priestess Ina Orgya is a bent old wrinkled
woman with bad eyesight who offers all visitors a wooden
cup
of strong wine before she begins to talk. She will
not address those unwilling to drink with her. The
berry wine is made from berries found in the valleys
below Firre and is imbibed liberally at all temple meetings
and services. Traditionally, the temple priestess wears
a layered white robe with gold-stitched sigils and a silver
necklace
(mythrul)
mounted with one large pale green stone, a light blue stone,
and a small dark violet one. The weight of the necklace
seems to keep Ina Orgya hunched.
The Temple of Calsàdor
has many purposes including place for meeting and
place of worship. The
people of Calsàdor practice ancestral worship. The
pastures surrounding the temple are marked with hundreds
of small weather-worn
stones, markers for the dead.
Dorin's Grist Mill: ...
The
Gray Inn: The only place
available for visitors in Adàdor is the Gray Inn. The
Gray Inn has two rooms suitable for one (maybe two people
if one sleeps on the floor by the fire). The main floor
has a short bar and three tables for people to meet and drink. Two
drinks (berry wine and ale) are served, as well as goat,
rabbit, and bear stew. The innkeepers are Rorn Garadur
and his wife Syla. A room at the Gray Inn is three
silver.
The
White Tower: The tallest
building of all Calsàdor is the White Tower of Adàdor. A
narrow three-story building recognizable not only for its
height, but for a wooden beam that sticks out near its top,
from where a lantern burns during the night. The resident
of the tower is Eril Klirvane, a wizard and "scholar" of
Calsàdor. Klirvane has many duties in the village
including Keeper of the Flame. He also serves as teacher
for the village children and mentor for those wishing to
develop their "knots". Eril Klirvane is the
most recent of a long succession of wizards who have held
the position. Two villagers have been studying furiously
under his direction to succeed him as Keeper of the Flame. |
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People
Situated high in the Evàlshat mountains,
Calsàdor stands outside the claimed territory of
surrounding kingdoms. Furthermore, the villages have
existed much as they have for many centuries. All
of the residents of Calsàdor are related (their
lineages for the last thousand years are outlined in the
Temple, see below). They are
a fair people with light colored eyes and some variation
of blond, red, or gray hair. Their features are narrow
and their frames lithe.
All residents are descendants of an ancient
race of Elve that lived in
this area many years before the coming of the Dekàlans.
Descendants of the Culyru,
the people of Calsàdor are products of one of the
most ancient cultures of the region. Only three members
of the village know of this connection (the priestess,
the defender and
the wizard. Though many Calsàdoran hunters know
of the ancient
"sky-city", few guess that of its significance
to them and their people. Over
the ages, defenders of Calsàdor
have been primarily Uren,
which accounts for the slow dilution of the Elve blood-line
among the residents.
Due to their Elve heritage, most residents
of Calsàdor are accustomed to the Chaos and can generally
employ it to aid with household chores and other minor
uses.
These cantrip-like spell-effects are called "knots".
It is not uncommon to see a Calsàdoran
woman casting a "spice"
over a cooking pot or a "burn" to summon fire
from damp wood in the fireplace. A simple spell that
can be cast by elders of a village is called "talk"
where the villager will touch a stranger's lips to understand
the words he says. The use of the Chaos is so common
that the villagers do these things without thinking.
Calsàdorans are hospitable but distrusting
of strangers that might bring bad influences into their
homes.
They know of wars (which they take no part) and rely
heavily upon their defender (the only member of the villages
that bears arms).
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History
(Calsàdor)
There is not much to tell about the history
of Calsàdor except that the people of the village
believe they've always been here and that they are likely
to remain.
Some may whisper of the Time of Reunion (a secret of
Calsàdor) that is to come, but no one knows when
that will
be. The
belief is that the village is part of an ancient kingdom
and that
during
the Time of Reunion
the great king will return to claim his crown. The
crown is believe to be buried in the mountain with the last
king. When the king is returned, the people of
Calsàdor
will be thanked for keeping the lands safe and whole.
Who is buried in the mountain? It is
hard to say. The Temple of Calsàdor was constructed
around an old shaft-tomb that extends back into the mountainside.
At the end of the shaft is a heavy stone door marked
with arcane carvings. The stone does not look like
it has ever been moved. Some doubt that it is a door
at all. Supposedly
the returning king will be able to touch the stone and it
will open for him.
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Firre,
Village of
...
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Adàdor,
Hamlet of
...
Areas:
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Iláyan,
Hamlet of
...
Areas:
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Solàre,
Hamlet of
...
Areas:
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Anòriléa,
Thorp of
...
Areas:
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Cuilarulyr,
City of
Cradled between three mountain peaks and the
turning sky lies the ancient City
of Cuilarulyr. The residents of these stone houses
and paved streets have not lived here for untold centuries,
abandoning the city at some unknown time in the past for reasons
their own. Today the city stands empty except for the
moaning winds and the chatter of rock wrens.
Areas:
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