Brief Synopsis: A Dras named Sutoryus gathers a band to travel to the ancestral lands of Elyn Rizi where the “Il’ghanri Senteri” reside. The campaign takes place starting in Chronicles of Elyria Year 692 of the 4th Age.
Backstory: About six hundred years ago, a Drasean traveler named Elyn Rizi discovered a towering oak tree in the grasslands. She had traveled far North-East of her homelands in the swamps, beckoned by some unknown force that seemed to pull at her very soul. When she discovered the great tree, it is said she had a vision of how it came to Elyria, a story so wonderful and inspiring, it drove her to tell it. She began to spread the tale of the Bloodoak, and people flocked to her side to hear the stories.
From Elyn Rizi’s inspiration, others wishing to spread the stories came. The Oakenroot were born: a mystical faction seeking to tell of the magnificent Bloodoak. Military minded individuals formed the Thornbrud, clans who under this banner allied themselves with the Oakenheart. The Brud vowed to protect the Oakenroot as they studied the ways of spirit, culture, pacifism, and lore-keeping.
Overtime, the Oakenroot claimed a great deal of the territory near the Bloodoak, and established a great library in the North-West of the kingdom’s territory. Here, all the knowledge of the tribes, religions, politics, lore, and culture were collected, along with many renditions of the Bloodoak story. Elyn Rizi’s bloodline became known as the Sharizi, and they were almost always in the position of “Oakheart,” leader of the Oakenroot.
Unfortunately, this oasis of knowledge, culture, and peace would not last. In the late late 650s, the First Warden (King) of Bloodoak formed an alliance with the nearby kingdom of Xeilias by agreeing to marry the Oakheart heir, Imreys, to the foreign king’s daughter, Dierdrin. Marrying for any reason other than love was completely against Sharizi culture, but First Warden Ektsil pushed, stating it was for the good of the kingdom.
It was not. Almost 10 years after the forced wedding, a Xeilias-Bloodoak heir was finally born: Sutoryus.
On the babe’s first birthday, a grand festival was held. Xeilias, however, did not arrive for the festivities, but rather for bloodshed. As they attacked, the first wave was a decisive blow against the Sharizi bloodline, wiping out their nearby town of Vali before sweeping in to destroy the Oakenroot Library: the Athenaeum.
As the fires began and the first killing blow landed upon Imreys’s father, Imreys panicked. Gathering his things - the divining deck passed down through his family for generations, his journal, and a favored book of stories, Imreys grabbed his son, and attempted to flee. Confronted by Xelian warriors, he was certain he would die, until a familiar face appeared. Ta’Ah’Lah, the lover he’d been forced not to wed, saved him but was lost in the conflict. Dierdren, too, was killed.
Although the Thornbrud came to the rescue as soon as word reached them, it was too late. They were able to drive back or kill the remaining Xeilians, but only few associated with the Oakenroot and the Sharizi survived.
His homelands on fire, his future destroyed, Imreys did what he thought he must. He fled to the woodland savannah to the south with his son and his bound sereadae (a Sharizi ‘servant’ akin to a lifelong submissive). Together with sereadae Azesax, Imreys spent the last of his years in hiding, teaching Sutoryus the ways of the Sharizi in the hopes that one day, their old traditions might come alive once again.
Although Bloodoak is currently in the midst of an ongoing war against Xeilias, word has it that Sutoryus has come out of hiding. After his father’s death, he steps forward seeking those wishing to return to Elyn Rizi’s original heartlands. He is not entirely sure where it is, but he has some ancient records and maps. Not only that, but he possesses a will to reclaim his heritage, as well as an intense drive to reinstate a seat from which the old Sharizi culture can be reborn. Supposedly, these home lands are where the “Senteri” are from, legendary spirits of the acorns that fell from the Bloodoak according to Elyn.
For some reason, your character has decided to seek out Sutoryus and travel with him to found “Sha’harizi” - the seat of ritual. What will that reason be?
- Did he hire you for a particular task?
- Are you drawn to the Sharizi culture, having heard of it from your parents?
- Do you want to live among the spirits of the Senteri?
- Were you, perhaps, one of the few from the original town of Vali where the Sharizi lived that survived?
- How will you convince Sutoryus to agree to have you be one of the founding members of a new culture?
- What do you bring to this land of old?
This story will take place over the course of about a year, starting in 692 and ending in 693. It will chronicle the tale of how this unlikely band travels through the woodland savanah and into the swamps of Andalus to reclaim Elyn Rizi’s ancestral homelands. There will be dangers along the way, plenty of room for character growth, and chances to spin stories, develop culture, and bring Sha’harizi lore alive!
Characters Ideas:
- A cartographer or guide to read the maps (one character allowed)
- Someone fascinated with the Sharizi culture, mysticism, or the stories of the “Seven Sentinels” (as many as wanted)
- One of the remaining Dras who may have lived in Vali (as many as wanted)
- Trades people wanting to help establish the town (carpenter/architect, blacksmith, etc)
These are just a few ideas. You can come up with your own reason for why you would be coming with us.
Hosted and narrated by:
Safi Oakheart (Kitlandria)
Started 08/04/19.
Scenes played: 3
License: Host License
18+
