This is the "official" game status for Hur'Mel. I will send (soon?) the determinant pages for whoever is going to be doing the updating... This is a "history" and summary of events to the start of the game. Kenny ===== The Lands of Hur'Mel have a long and ancient history. Unlike the upstart barons and self-styled kings in western Elyria, the lands of Hur'Mel and the ancient Order of Mel have an unbroken history from the times of the Calarrian Empire which at one time spanned much of western Elyria. The first hints of the Order came about with the meeting of the Tyrean and Calarrian cultures in the area that later became Melenakar. The trading post of Falach (est. 311) was a busy town which became one of the major points of contact between the two cultures. This place soon attracted many scholars from both empires (Tyrean and Calarrian) who soon realised the massive benefits to be gained from sharing their combined knowledge in the various crafts, sciences, and humanities. In 378, the Governor of Falach, Innhai, petitioned the King to sponsor a scholarly group devoted to assimilating this knowledge. The King, in his wisdom, accepted this petition, and donated the lands along the southern shore of the Inland Sea, as well as the currently unoccupied island of Teven to this group which was named the Order of Knowledge. The town of Falach was renamed to the Gateway of Knowledge (Hur'Mel in ancient Tyrean) This fledgling order was composed of about 50 scholars from Calarria and Tyrea. Grand Master Innhai used the influence of these scholars well, and with donations from various Calarrian nobles (hoping to impress the King) as well as from many Tyrean merchants hoping for inroads to Western Elyria, a grand project was started. Over the next 40 years, a grand library was built on the island of Teven. This vast structure, and it's fabulous contents, was finished while Innhai was in his deathbed. The library of Melpol was at the time the single largest repository of knowledge in Elyria. It contained copies (and many originals) of the most influential documents, histories, and scholarly writings in both the Tyrean and Calarrian empires. Innhai was buried in the main courtyard in front of the library, and an Oak (tree of knowledge in Calarrian mythology) was planted above his grave. A small grove of trees stands there today. After Innhai's death, it became more and more apparent that the lands of Hur'Mel, and the scholars who studied there, were at risk. Hur'Mel stood at the crossroads of two cultures that were not always friendly, and had many differences. As the Order of Mel (as they came to be known) was composed of people from both cultures, they were best equipped to understand the intricacies of both cultures, and so slowly became vital to the increasing trade between the empires. But these scholars were a scarce and valuable resource and so mercenaries were not always to be trusted. To this end, the Order expanded to include a military force. These soldiers were originally taken from locals, but it soon became useful for the various groups that used the Order's services to "donate" troops. These soldiers, over time, became permanently associated with the Order, and so the Knights of Mel were born. The Knights, and their oaths of loyalty, were a combination of the feudal traditions of the Calarrians, and the House- caste system of the Tyreans. The system that developed soon became common to all Order members, and was of a quasi- mystical nature. The Order slowly became devoted to serving the ideals of "Knowledge and Learning". All new members took an oath to follow the precepts of the Order - they devoted their lives to the defence of the "Light of Knowledge" and gave up all other worldly concerns. The Order members were celibate, gave up all their worldly possessions to the Order as a whole, and followed the commands of the Grand Master without question. The Order expanded their activities to include exploration of Elyria, and the study of new cultures encountered. The library of Melpol attracted Elyria's best and finest scholars, and successive nobles and merchants donated large sums of money and lands to have their sons educated there. At about this time (circa 560) expeditions funded by the Order discovered another empire to the south of the Great Desert, and trade routes were developed this this Empire of Gezor. During this time, there was a great unrest in the East, and many trade routes were abandoned. Hur'Mel became the sole source of much advanced information that had originally been Tyrean inventions (medicine, mathematics, natural sciences) A few generations later, all contact is lost with the Eastern Tyreans, and predictions and made of a coming age of cataclysms - which come to fruition with the fall of the Tyrean Empire (circa 700), the destruction of the Isle of thalar in the western Sea (circa 800) and the destruction of the Gezor Empire (circa 850) The Order starts to undergo a change, and becomes much more military minded, with the Knights being used as personal guards for many nobility, and large forces of Hur'mel soldiers hiring out as mercenaries as the Calarrians become more distrustful. At about 1300, The Calarrian King becomes aware of a new danger to the south - a "Demon-King" in Zoramar. The Knights are sent on a number of expeditions to destroy this threat. These military actions bring funding to the Order, and many recruits to their ranks. Although these expeditions were largely unsuccessful, this fact was kept hidden from the King, and after many years the reign of the Demon-King self destructs. The Calarrian rulers, unaware of the actual failure of the expeditions, attribute this end to the actions of the Order. By 2200, the Order had become an important institution in the Calarrian empire. The members were given responsibility for overseeing many of the lands of the nobility - and were able to facilitate communication and trade among many far provinces. The Knights were a semi-independent army devoted to maintaining the law of the lands, and had become the upholders of tradition and law. Many older members of the Order became powers in their own right. But still, the oaths of the Order still stood, and so while the individual members had no earthly possessions, the Order as a whole had become very wealthy indeed, with the various Calarrian nobles willing parts of their lands to the Order as a reward for years of service. But this was their highpoint, and now they were truly put to the test as the Southern invasions began. Hordes were coming north from the wastes, and Hur'Mel was one of the first to be assaulted in 2276. Over the next 30 years, the Knights fought along with the armies of the Calarrian nobles to fight back against these hordes. These hordes not only attack the southern Calarrian provinces, but also attack the western Tyreans (Melenakar etc) and bring widespread destruction. In 2315 the Calarrian armies were routed, and the Capital besieged. The Order and it's Knights are encircled and trapped in the lands about Hur'Mel. The Capital of Mythenir falls, and the Calarrian empire is destroyed. The Island of Teven, and the library of Melpol escape harm, but the lands of Hur'mel, and indeed most of Western Elyria, fall into a dark age of ignorance and violence. The Order has been decimated, and only a few Knights wander the land trying to uphold the laws and traditions of old, but many are lost to violence. >From 2350 onwards, the Order withdraws from western Elyira. The continual violence and rising and falling kingdoms are no longer concerned with the Order's mission. They turn to the east and south and protect their borders from all who bring violence. The lands around Hur'mel remain for the most part safe from the upheavals of the rest of Western Elyria. The Knights and the scholars of the Order are still know in these new kingdoms, but are held in suspicion as they reveal little, and refuse to commit their swords or knowledge to the conquests of the new Kings. As the new kingdoms begin to stabilize, the Order begins to approach, offering learned advice and trade opportunities. But few listen to them, and the age of violence continues. The Order withdraws to the lands of Hur'Mel in an effort to protect what remains of their influence, and to protect the priceless treasures of Melpol (Knowledge that has been lost nearly everywhere else - even Tyrea has been ravaged by war). In 2700, plague and war sweep Elyria, and many of the new Kingdoms fall, and few are able to take their place. The Grand Master Alkiel has a vision of darkness engulfing the lands, and that the "Light of Knowledge" will be extinguished. He sees this as a prophesy that a time of testing will be coming in the future, and begins to prepares the Order to meet these tests. In 2800, the Order once again is ready to meet the world again, but over the many centuries, much of the contents of the library have become almost mythical. Knights are sent out to verify much of the knowledge that is contained therein, and contact is re-established with other societies. In 2817, the Sorcerer of the North begins his invasion of western Elyria, and the remaining Knights take the to the fields of war. By 2826, after nearly ten years of warfare, the Knights have been worn down to what amounts to a mere handful. But now Grand Master Alkiel's vision is seen as no mere metaphor as the Sorcerer releases his Darkness over the Eleven cities. Many of the Knights, who are fighting in small units with many armies present, are lost, and refugees swarm east and south. The darkness is defeated by the Adorgae (Battle of Light), and the Eleven cities (and western Elyria) has been greatly affected. The great devastation is beyond the experience of the Order, and the Grand Master steps down in favour of Lord Varis, a war hero who fought both in Northmarch and Gilbar. Since this time, Grand Master Varis has tried to bring the Order back to it's former glory and importance. With his many years in Keland, he became a member of the Calarrian Church, and learnt much from their tolerance of magic. Varis has created ties with the Fae to the west, as well as to some of the mages of Blackburg. >From the time of his rise, Varis has followed a path of integration, and expansion. With the entry requirements of the Order eased, and their activities greatly expanded. In an effort to remove the attitudes of isolation and passivity that currently hold true in the Order, they have accepted huge amounts of new recruits, and started new projects to break the Order out of its slow death. There have been a number of large projects that Varis has instigated, primarily the fortification and expansion of the Library of Melpol; the growth and training of the Order (both scholarly and militarily); and the increase of the Order's influence amongst other societies. Over the last 10 years these projects have had various levels of success: The Library of Melpol has indeed grown. Now officially known as the Fortress of Knowledge (Nieh'Mel), this is a huge citadel which contains the old library of Melpol, as well as a large city within it's walls. The rapid construction was due to the assistance of the Fae, and the its design is a mixture of Hurmelian functionality and Fae elegance. Nieh'Mel has a population of nearly 10000 souls, with many visitors and students now starting to arrive due to the word spread by the Knights Many skilled and experienced rulers were lost during the war, and Nieh'Mel is one of the few places that is able to teach these (and other) skills. Even so, Nieh'Mel is obviously still under construction, and many are still employed in the fabrication of new buildings, roads, and city walls. The fortifications planned for the rest of the Isle of teven remain just that, plans. The influence of the Order is much slower, and while some rulers have been willing to accept the Knights as guards and soldiers, the Order is still seen as too old-fashioned to be of much use. While Lord Varis is striving to change this, there are still too few people who have really seen the Order at work, and only the old stories from the time of the Calarrian empire remain as an example of the Order. Some of the only successes have been with the establishment of a unassuming Preceptory in Manaud, a treaty of cooperation with the Fae, and some delegations to Melenkar, Aunderli, and Adrian a'Olarian. The expansion of the Order has been successful, but not totally in the way planned by Lord Varis. With the huge influx of refugees from the war the Order has found many people willing and able to enter their monastic ways. This influx has increased the ability and energy of the Order, and their numbers have increased to nearly 10000, but this has been at the expense of the high quality of the Order, with many of the new recruits still not fully trained, and very few (less than 10%) fully versed in the traditions and legacy of the Order of Mel. One fact which has many existing members of the Order upset, is the (in their eyes) excessive amounts of military concentration, almost a third of the Order is now counted amongst the ranks of the Knights, and most of these are largely illiterate and uncultured (although trying to learn) Amongst the Hurmelians, the situation has also drastically changed, with the effect of the refugees being felt to a larger extent. Many of the citizen and refugees alike have turned to religion as a means of solace, and the Calarrian Church is seeing a renewed interest, and is close to becoming a majority faith. The refugees, many hundreds of thousands of them, have been either settling in the jurisdiction of Hur'Mel, or asking assistance. Many of these people have had to be settled further south, encroaching on the lands claimed by the Prince of Melenakar, although nothing has come of this yet. The Hurmelians, under the direction of both the Order and the Calarrian Church, have began the task of integrating the refugees, with new farms and towns beginning to grow along the roads towards Tentaram, Adrian a'Olaron and Melenkar, and new communities claiming lands along the coast of the Inland sea. There have been many minor conflicts, but the Knights or the Order have kept things ---------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send mail to celandra-off@phoenyx.net.
