The Lessons of the Crown War, and Isle Ymph by Ilyra Iliathor

[BrittanyPanthas]

The Lessons of the Crown Wars: Its history, and its connection to Isle Ymph

Written by: Ilyra Iliathor

Foreword: An Introduction.

If you speak to any of the Tel’Quessir, the mere mention of the Crown Wars will evoke a variety of different reactions.  Many consider this long and terrible epoch of conflict amongst the People to be a taboo subject that should not be discussed.  Some would seek to forget the lessons which were learned through titanic Art, and torrents of blood shed by steel.  To others, this period of history should never be forgotten, and need be shared with all; in light of the discovery of the Ilythiiri ruins upon Isle Ymph.

[BrittanyPanthas]

Chapter 1: A Brief History of the Crown Wars

    Once, twelve millenia ago, the empires of the People covered the majority of Faerun.  The greatest of which, was Aryvandaar in the North.  This kingdom was ruled by an elite class of Ar’Tel’Quessir, known as the Vyshaanti.  Over time, they became convinced that they were given the divine mandate of the Seldarine to rule over the ‘lesser’ empires, and began centuries of condescending diplomacy towards the Ilythiiri in an attempt to annex them.

   It may surprise many readers to learn that the Ilythiiri, Dark Elves, were originally a noble race of the People, as worthy of respect as any of the Tel’Quessir.  However, like the Ar‘Tel‘Quess, they were an incredibly proud and individualistic race.  Their own empires of Ilythiir, and Miyeritar would rival those of the Vyshaanti if they allied, and it seemed inevitable that they would come into conflict with mighty Aryvandaar.  Miyeritar and Ilythiir differed on how to respond.  Ilythiir was by far the more imperialistic of the two nations, whereas Miyeritar desired only peace and prosperity for all of the People.

   The Vyshaanti struck first, invading Miyeritar to begin the first of the Crown Wars.  Their goal  was not only to break the strength of the Dark Elven empires, but to put pressure upon the lesser empire, Shantel Othreir to willingly submit to their rule.  Within two hundred years, Miyeritar became an occupied state under the rule of Aryvandaar, albeit a rebellious one.  Thus did the first crown war end.

   The Second Crown War was the result of the response of the kingdom of Ilythiir.  The Dark Elves began to viciously persecute all allies of Aryvandaar.  Their methods of warfare were far more brutal than those of Aryvandaar at first, as they quickly razed the smaller kingdoms of Orishaar and Syorpiir, both allies of Aryvandaar to the ground.  It is unknown why they turned to these savage and brutal methods of warfare, but it is presumed that some had already turned to the Elemental Evil, Ghaunadaur and the then Tanar’ri, Lolth for power.  Various smaller wars occurred as other  kingdoms of the people banded together to combat the Ilythiir, but nearly all efforts to stop the coming tide were met with disaster as the Ilythiiri employed increasingly corrupt magic in their expansion.

   The Third Crown War marked the end of all diplomacy between Shantel Othreir and Aryvandaar, as Aryvandaar invaded the smaller, border kingdom. The bloody battles that followed marked the height of the crown war, but Shantel Othreir did not capitulate until its Coronal, Ynloeth, was mysteriously assassinated.  Some consider this to be the end of the third Crown Wars, but others mark it as a mere footnote in history given what occurred next.

   Long had Miyeritar been considered the most rebellious of Aryvandaar’s vassals, and not long after the disastrous war with Shantel Othreir ended, did Miyeritar meet its doom.  Killing storms of magic descended upon the nation, reducing it into a barren, uninhabitable wasteland within three months.  The Empire of Aryvandaar was blamed for this event known as the ‘Dark Disaster’, but no evidence was ever found to definitively link them to it.

   In response, the Ilythiiri turned entirely to the influence of the Spider Queen, now a newly reborn deity, and began a seething counter-attack.  Their own storm of corrupt magic upon Shantel-Othreir destroyed the kingdom utterly, as the sky rained down fire, and the land literally broiled, killing all within the kingdom.  This horrific campaign began the Fourth Crown War, and marked the point in history where the Dark Elves lost everything that made them Tel’Quessir.

   The Seldarine, could no longer ignore the wanton aggression and corruption of the Ilythiiri, and thus did the Father, Corellon Larethian, curse the Ilythiiri.  From thenceforth they were to be known as Dhaerow, which means ‘vile traitor’ in the language of the People and were to be banished from the surface of Faerun.  The curse caused their skin to darken further, and their eyes became intolerant of the sunlight.  Within a relatively short period of time, all of the Dhaerow descend into the Underdark to reestablish themselves.

   The Fifth Crown War marked the end of Aryvandaar, as all nations of the People revolted against them.  The Vyshaan were judged to be wholly corrupt by the Seldarine, and the leadership was either executed or banished.

   After reading this brief history, many readers may wonder why in fact, Aryvandaar holds any significance at all in relation to Isle Ymph at all?  Only the Ilythiiri have been shown to have any presence upon the Isle, so why then should the Vyshaanti be discussed at all?  The answer to such questions are complicated.  In the early stages of the Netherese Empire, the Netherese learned of responsible, patient use of the Art from the Earlanni Elves, but abandoned their practices once the Nether Scrolls were discovered.

   The discovery of the Nether Scrolls changed everything.  The Nether Scrolls were originally written by the mages of Aryvandaar, and discovered by human scavengers within the ruins of the corrupt Elven Nation.  These scrolls led to unprecedented power and growth of the Netherese Empire within a relatively short period of time, but it also led to unprecedented corruption amongst many of their so-called Archwizards.  The Tel’Quessir became alarmed by the Netherese making use of the corrupt Art of the Vyshaanti, and soon cut off all contact with Netheril, leading to bitter relations between the empires of the Tel’Quessir and the Netherese.

[BrittanyPanthas]

Chapter 2: The Ilythiiri presence within the Archipelago.

   There is little that is known about the brief presence of the Ilythiiri upon Isle Ymph.  The Stargazers claim that the Dhaerow came to the Isle to briefly settle as they built a way to the Underdark, then vanished into the depths.  Since the Shining Sea would have held little of strategic importance for the Ilythiiri, it can be presumed that their rough timeline is correct.

   The empire of Ilythiir was situated geographically along the location of the Shaar in the present day which is geographically close to the Shining Sea.  It should be noted that there are extremely few ruins of the Ilythiiri left upon the mainland proper, as they were razed after the Dhaerow were exiled, by the Tel’Quessir in an effort to wipe away their influence.  It was presumed that all of the Dhaerow of Ilythiir had descended into the Underdark within a relatively short time frame, but I hypothesize that it in fact, took far longer.

   The Ilythiiri, for all of their brutality had a strong sense of strategy, and an all out panic at the onset of the curse of the Seldarine does not fit their nature.  It is my theory that a portion of the Dhaerow made a strategic withdrawal to the Archipelago, away from the eyes of any mainland civilization of the Tel’Quessir, where they quietly set up a small outpost.  Over the years, the Dhaerow bitterly cut off all contact with the outside world as they built a path to the Underdark.

   By interviewing various citizens of the Underdark city of ‘Sanctuary’ that came up this path, several details stand out.  ‘The Way’ as they dubbed it, is fraught with many guardians and structures which attack those who traverse it, but it is most decidedly a two-way road.  It was not built only for descent, but for future ascent as well.  Those who were interviewed for this essay claim that the tablets marking the Way state that any of Dhaerow blood can pass through the Way safely and unscathed.

   The very nature of ‘The Way’ indicates that the Dhaerow intended to return to the surface once they overcame the difficulties that the curse presented to them.  It may have been intended for easy access to the surface for trade, or for access to a ready supply of slaves, as the presence of the Dhaerow involvement in the slave trade of Old Port indicates.  Since the Dhaerow are unlikely to have any actual ships for transport back and forth from Old Port to Ymph, such indicates the likely presence of another ‘Way’ to the Underdark within the Archipelago.

   Since ‘The Way’ upon Isle Ymph seems to have fallen into relative disuse, it is another theory of the author that the Dhaerow only make use of it on modern day Ymph for the rare small scale surface raids, or to maintain a token force in the Ilythiiri ruins upon Isle Ymph.  Only the deepest portions of the Lower Ruins seem to have any habitation by the living Dhaerow for the obvious reason of attempting to remain as far as possible from the debilitating effects of daylight upon them; whereas the Upper Ruins are only haunted by the disquiet spirits of the past. The exact reasons behind the presence of both the living and dead within the ruins is unknown at this point in time, but as we become more enlightened, in time all may become clear.

[BrittanyPanthas]

Chapter 3: Ethical Conduct in Archaeological Studies of the Ilythiiri Ruins.

   It is said that those who do not remember the lessons of the past are doomed to repeat them, and all studies of the Ilythiiri upon Isle Ymph should allow this statement to guide them.  

   All expeditions within the Ilythiiri ruins should be handled with care.  The ruins have generally been looted of anything of value, but some artifacts of the Ilythiiri may still exist. These relics are sacred to the Spider Queen, Lolth, and bring dire consequences to any who are not Dhaerow who attempt to make use of them.  The presence of the large shrine consecrated to her may be an enticement to any adventurer or Archaeologist, but within this shrine, a large number of fiends have been sealed away.  Disturbing this shrine may cause a premature release which could bring untold devastation to the Isle Ymph.

   Some spirits within the Ilythiiri ruins will at times manifest themselves in a manner that is relatively peaceful.  Do not be deceived, as all spirits will have an ulterior motivation for making peaceful contact with any explorer.  The spirits have nothing to loose by attacking those they wish to ward away, and have nothing but contempt for any who are not Dhaerow.  Some spirits, in an attempt to lure explorers into making such deals with them will claim that they do not serve the Spider Queen in an attempt to mask their corruption.  One should never trust a living Dhaerow, and this holds doubly true with their dead.  Do not trust them under any circumstances, as you will always come out on the losing end of the bargain.  These spirits can rarely be trusted as credible sources of information, and any texts from the ruins should never cite direct testimony from these disquiet, wholly corrupt spirits as factual history.

   In regards to the living Dhaerow upon Isle Ymph, this author recommends that any explorers avoid all contact.  The living Dhaerow may not yet know of the extent of our presence on Isle Ymph, and any inadvertent contact may lead to their Underdark settlements learning of our settlement upon the Isle.  This could lead to a great number of slave raids, which would be expedited by the use of ‘The Way.’

[BrittanyPanthas]

Conclusion: The Lessons of the Crown Wars.

   The pursuit of knowledge is a noble endeavour, but many scholars, mages, and Archaeologists often become corrupted by the pursuit of it.  The Ilythiiri were once like many of us, but a search for knowledge can be easily transformed into an unchecked pursuit for power.  While our colleagues might have the noblest of intentions when it comes to learning more of the history of the Ilythiiri, one should never forget what the Ilythiiri were, and what they had become by the time they established themselves upon Isle Ymph.  Let us always keep this in mind, lest we draw the eye of the Spider Queen upon us, and find ourselves facing their endless hordes from the Underdark.