Few words about…

Few words about… is a series of sketches and texts I posted during early 2018 on my instagram account. These are stories, events and characters from world of Erenn, created to build fundation and background for Circles of Magic story.

Questing era

Questing Era took place many years after crucial events, which is Falling star of Undar and division of continents, and it is a moment in history when people placed a seed for new Erenn, presented in Circles of Magic storyline. All previous events from creation of Erenn to vanishing of elders is considered ancient times.

Three hundred years after the division of the continents, courageous adventurers set out on sea travels to the east. The plague that once caused the catastrophe and destroyed the kingdom of Undar has passed. Countless treasures and old secrets were waiting to be found. Questing Era has begun.

When the plague in Kingdom of Undar appeared, people had to left their homes and run to the west within weeks or even days. There was no time to pack goods and property. Whoever did not manage to escape, fall victim to a terrible curse.

The Questing Era belonged to fast and brave. Ones who ventured further east, came back with more loot. Treasure hunters soon realized that they could achieve more in larger groups. Creation of guilds was only a matter of time.

Pergallor the Swimmer was the first to decide not to return to the west. Instead, he sent his men for bigger ships, while he remained on the shore of the East, together with fellowship of the most treacherous treasure hunters.

They have built a house from old boats, where they lived and from where they set out on quests – north along the river and east, to the borders of wild forest. House of Boats was the first building of a big city, which was later named Fargdad – city of fireflies, capital of Brawia.

Pergallor was greedy, arrogant but he had the qualities of a true leader and a talent for getting rich. Instead of taking the spoils west of the sea, he started trading on the Lost Shore. He traded with other treasure hunters and their guilds. He traded with sea merchants. He traded with the elves from the Golden City, who paid well for the artifacts of past times, thus, he gained a bad reputation and soon had to leave Lost Shore.

Pergallor the Swimmer was lost during the quest north – to the other side of the river, although his tomb was never found.

When it became clear that the Lost Shore would turn into the first settlement east of the sea, the leaders of the seven largest guilds met at House of Boats to discuss the creation of rights and duties in the new society. At the estuary nearby, they decided to build a big city and call it Fargdad. They had to seal their decisions on a document called The Constitution of Adventurers.

During the Questing Era, the treasure hunters landed mainly on the shores of today’s Brawia. The northern coasts were dangerous due to the labyrinth of rocks remaining after division of continents. The daredevils, who managed to reach the beaches in one piece, soon discovered that the lands north of the river were a home of very unfriendly forest spirits and, even more scary, the undead – the old inhabitants of Erenn, who did not manage to escape the curse.

Long before Questing Era, a great curse appeared with the falling star. Beside the village of Lotaka in Undar, in the place of the crater, a tree grew. It had beautiful thick bough and branches majestically writhing among the thicket of leaves. Villagers delighted in his view until one after another fell into a strange disease that took them away after few nights. The panic broke out in Undar, and people started to flee through the mountains and beyond. The winds from Undar followed them west. No one then expected that merchants, blacksmiths and guards would arise hundreds of years later to sow terror on the reclaimed continent.

It’s hard to say who exactly are the wood spirits that guarded the forests and lakes north of the river. The wisest said that they were elders or beings even older, from the time when Erenn was not yet inhabited by people. They forbid entrance to their territories and those who ignored the bans returned home without their senses or memories.

For many years the Land of Lakes was only a part of the stories told in Brawia to goodnight children – a fairytales about spiteful ghosts, undead and forest spirits who fought with them. Lakes, home for mysterious nymphs, were the last bastion that resisted the evil powers that began to invade these lands more and more, approaching the end of the Questing Era…

The undead long harrased the Land of Lakes and all spirits living there. In spite of the fierce battle, new groups of plauge walkers consantly appeared, spreading the old curse among copses and poisoning water in rivers. For treemen, woodwraiths, nymphs and other beings, it became increasingly clear that they would not win this battle alone.

Not seen or heard by anyone, he was called a Silent King. Such a name was given too him by the forest spirits when it was said that he haunt old ruins of Undar fortress, laying between lakes and high mountains. It is from there that evil power and undead harrased the Land of Lakes during Questing Era. The spirit of Undar lord looking for his queen, as he was descripted in kids tales. There was no choice for forest spirits other than seek for help, and their eyes were looking south for it..

Forest spirits were magical beings, they took care of trees and lakes, wanting at all costs to keep them pure and peaceful. But hosts of the Silent King could not be overcome by sending them dreams, oblivion or other spells. Axes and hexes could no longer be ignored, but the spirits did not have many warriors among themselves. At that time, the greatest of spirits inhabiting the lake waters decided to ask for help from people of Brawia. But they were supposed to be men of pure souls and truly courageous hearts. Only such would have an opportunity to enter the Lakes and only them would face the terror of Silent King.

It just so happens that such a person lived nearby…

Young Elleor had a very unique virtue of curiosity about the world and a great passion for everything that lives. He spent the days running through fields and expeditions to the borders of Brawian forests. His grandfather came to the Lost Shore as a treasure hunter and soon joined one of guilds. Elleor’s father briefly continued his profession and became a carpenter as soon as Elleor has been born. He saw, however, that in his son’s veins flew grandfather’s blood, and he would not wait long for Elleor to embark on his first quest.

Elleor soon became famous treasure hunter and along with his company he reached the lost city of Grundibar, far to the east, where he brought from his sword he named Tusk of Eternity, because after so many years there was no trace of time on it. In spite of glory his mindset has not changed and the young seeker was constantly looking for further challanges. Despite the warnings coming from everywhere, he was tempted to quest across the river – to the land of forest spirits.

Many more will come…