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
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