| *The Great War in Year 237* Exactly what year the first settler stumbled upon Chyrne through the portal no one really knows. From that point on, many more people came through the portal, eventually branching out and exploring the whole of the land now known as Sharnyl. All was calm through the rein of King Lomyral Durass, and when he passed away, the throne was passed on to his son, Draynel. At first, King Draynel ruled the land just as his father did, until he met a dark mage by the name of Zand. Soon, the king became greedy, looking aside while bandits and raiders pillaged throughout the land. Of course, he received kickbacks for ‘looking away’ and since he was king, no one was challenging him on it. Lord Klarian Silversword was one of King Lomyral Durass’s royal knights and served him faithfully throughout his reign over the land. When he passed on, Klarian lost a dear friend and vowed to uphold all that Lomyral stood for in his reign and to help his son, Draynel, with his rulership of Sharnyl. Klarian was a noble man, honorable in all that he did and never wavering in his convictions. For this reason, it did not take him long to realize what Draynel was doing behind the backs of his servants and those loyal to the crown. Klarian approached him on several occasions though Draynel flatly denied the allegations each time. One night, while Klarian was asleep in the barracks, Draynel sent an assassin to dispose of the knight, hoping to once and for all silence the allegations against him. The god, Dolak, shined on Klarian that night, rewarding his service with a warning that someone was being sent to kill him. The vision came to Klarian about an hour before the assassin arrived in the barracks. By that time, the knight of Sharnyl was well prepared for the stalker and took no time in disposing of the man, sending his head to Draynel as somewhat of a warning that justice was coming. Klarian and joined by Bolavar Strongaxe and Mishael DuHart and the three of them departed the great city of Syrillon, arriving a short time later in Castle Zhareel where they made their plans on how to overthrow Draynel and restore Sharnyl to what it once was. Thus, the Knights of the North were born on the tenth day of Harvestmoon in the year 236. It was in Castle Zhareel that the knights trained those willing to help them in fighting back against the tyranical ruler and take back what was rightfully theirs…freedom. By the end of the year 236, the knights had grown into a large number of members, scattering throughout the land and securing those cities and towns that were not under a stiff enough control by Draynel. Still, despite their efforts, Draynel’s men continued to grow in numbers and a war was eminent…it was merely a matter of time before the altercation occured. In the meantime, Klarian’s wife had given birth to a son, their firstborn. The boy’s name was Levander and by the time that the ordeal started with Draynel, he had aged well into his sixth winter. Of course, with the ever growing danger from Draynel, the boy’s safety could never be unsured, especially since his father was away in Castle Zhareel with the rest of the Knights of the North. As a result, Levander was sent away from Syrillon to the island of Argas, just south of the port city of Daylen in the Azure Waters. It was here that Levander was raised by the old magicial Zhareel, for whom the Castle was named after. The old mage did well to raise the young lad, teaching him the ways of his father and of the other knights. On the first day of Sowmoon in the year 237, the Knights of the North and those who would stand for their freedom invaded the castle city of Syrillon, hoping to overthrow the present government and restore Sharnyl to what it was just a few years before. King Draynel was well-prepared for the attack, having made the necessary deals to get more than enough men to serve as a defense and the assault on the city, although brave, was stopped fairly easily. Though the attack was a failure, not many men were actually lost to the defenders, merely wounded and moved back. Those that were slain in battle were replaced twofold or threefold by the time the Knights returned to Castle Zhareel. Several months passed with the “resistance force” slowly regaining ground in their quest to overthrow Draynel until they finally managed to seize Syrillon, forcing King Draynel to leave the throne and flee to the Northern Marshes where he held up in Darkwell Keep. There, with the help of the magician, Zand, Draynel used different means to pillage the land, seeking the help of the orcs, ogres and trolls, among other denizens of the night to strike terror into the hearts of the Sharnylites in hopes of forcing them into servitude. Lord Silvershield and the rest of the Knights of the North continued to battle back, with the help of many a volunteer from the ranks of nobles to mere peasants. It was nearing the end of the year as the last days of Wintermoon were slipping away when the final battle between Draynel and Klarian took place. Overcome by the failures that plagued the greedy king, Draynel attacked Castle Zhareel with what was left of his minions, using their brute force to break through the walls and attempt to seige the stronghold for his own, once and for all crushing those that stood against him. Klarian Silvershield, along with Bolavar and Mishael were several miles from Zhareel when the initial attack commenced and hurried the aid of the Knights via gryphonback. They were greeted, rather uncordially, by a pair of black dragons, one of which ridden by Draynel himself. Several long moments went by as the group fought in the air, Klarian finally forcing Draynel to the ground. And so it would be, the battle for Sharnyl resting on the shoulders of these two warriors. To look at each of them, one easily knew which side each stood for as they were as different as night and day. Draynel was first to draw his blade, an obsidian bastard sword with a serrated edge. The pale moonlight that fell across the land seemed to be completely absorbed by his sword. Klarian soon drew his blade, a pure silver broad sword. A few words were spoken between the two before their blades sounded. Draynel was the first to attack, though the paladin easily blocked it, countering with his own slice towards Draynel’s chest. This would go on for what seemed like an eternity as the rest could do little but watch, all expectant as their leaders fought to what would be one of their deaths. The two continued to battle, moving from the solid ground to rockier, less stable grounds. Klarian struck out with his sword and was blocked by Draynel’s blade, though each lost their footing in the process, Klarian’s losing his sword as well. Draynel regained his footing soon after and had the paladin in prime position to dispose of the man. He kicked the silver sword away from his adversary, training his obsidian blade at Klarian’s neck. The blond-haired paladin looked upwards into the eyes of his opponent…he knew what was coming, what would befall him. Slowly, he stood up, having no way of defending himself. King Draynel wasted little time in disposing of the paladin, driving his sword into the man’s chest. The paladin’s eyes widened at the initial pain, but soon began to close as blood began to trickle down his normally gleaming armor. The Knight of the North slowly fell to his knees and Draynel kicked him over, placing his boot on Klarian’s abdomen as he withdrew the serrated blade, more blood gushing from the aggravated wound. Draynel grinned as the last breath of his opponent was finally snuffed out, and he looked around the area to the rest of the men nearby. “Knights of the North…your leader has been slain. As King of Sharnyl, I command you all to pay homage to me and give up your resistance against my will. If you do not, you shall surely d–” The King’s words were silenced as the tip of an arrow pierced his throat. Several yards away, Lord Mishael DuHart had been taking careful aim at the Dark Lord, finally loosing the arrow that ended King Draynel Durass’s reign over Sharnyl, a short-lived one at that. It took little more than the next two days of the year 237 for the Knights of the North to dispose of the rest of Draynel’s faithful, though the magician Zand was never to be seen again. |