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Gyrfal

Description

Gyrfal is a human dominated nation that draws its northern border from the Caanas Mountain. Its western border is Gaidoth Forest, but it is attempting to encroach on this forest as quickly as it can. Its eastern border is roughly drawn by The Great Wood and its southern border is the Kiebur Mountains. The kingdom extends a short distance south of the mountains on its eastern-most edge.

The capital city of Gyrfal is Tilnoth. Tilnoth is situated on the northern shore of Lake Gyrfal and is split by the Caanas River. The current king of Gyrfal is Aldhelm. He has ruled Gyrfal for since his father's disappearance over fifteen years ago. His rule has been somewhat quiet and peaceful with the exception of the near-war state between the western forces of Gyrfal's military and the elves of Gaidoth Forest.

History

Gyrfal was founded by Haeric in the year 912. King Haeric began gathering roaming nomads of humans together in an attempt to make his realm a safer place to live. The nomads were in a constant state of war with one another, goblins, dragons, elves, dwarves, gnomes and everyone else that lived in the area. King Haeric held the belief that if the humans were united as one and demanded peace in the area that none would have the power to oppose their will. He was right. It took most of his lifetime and his son's life to accomplish this goal. King Haeric died a wisened old man at the age of 73 and left his 28 year old son in charge.

King Maelor did a wonderful job of continuing his father's dream of peace in Gyrfal. Haeric had established a permanent camp in what is now known as Tilnoth, but King Maelor transformed it into a true city. King Maelor took the campgrounds of Tilnoth and turned it into the formidible walled city that exists today. While Tilnoth was growing in size and power, so was Gyrfal. Somehow, Maelor managed to do great things at the heart of his Kingdom and at the borders. When he passed away at the age of 63, his second-born son, Melnir ascended to the throne. Maelor's first-born son, Uhlric had been killed in battle shortly before Maelor's death. Many believe that Maelor's grief for Uhlric's death led to his own death.

When King Melnir took the throne of Gryfal, the nation was already established and peace with the civilized races in the area had been gained. However, the monstrous creatures that romaed the countryside of Gyrfal had yet to be tamed. Melnir, an adventurer at heart, was content to let his fellow adventurers control the population of monsters within Gyrfal. Shortly after the birth of his first, and only, child, Aldhelm, Queen Silma's retinue was attacked while returning from Freeport on a diplomatic mission. Their son was too young for such a long journey and was kept in Tilnoth where he was safe. Unfortunately, Silma, and everyone else with her, was slaughtered during the attack. After a thourough investigation, it was determined that goblin raiders and their worgs had led the attack on the caravan of wagons.

After the slaughter of Queen Silma, King Melnir ordered across all of Gyrfal that the life of every goblinoid was void within the kingdom. Anyone caught voluntarily giving shelter, food or other aid to any goblinoid was a traitor to the country and all it stood for. These traitors were all given short trials and hung, drawn and quartered the next day. After a long year of execution of traitors , the penalty for aiding a goblinoid was reduced to five years in a labor camp. However, the slaughter of goblins, bugbears and hobgoblins expanded to encompass gnolls, trolls, worgs, wolves and many other creatures that were considered to be monsters. This harsh era known to goblinoids as "The Slaughter" ended warfare in Gyrfal at last. The Slaughter lost its fire and ebbed into history after almost seven years of bloody dungeon delving.

This peacefulness of Gyrfal would last for several decades. During these peacetimes, people continued to move to Tilnoth and the other communities. As the small villages would become too crowded entire families would move several miles away and start a new village. It is because of this expansion that numerous small villages and towns dot the countryside of Tilnoth.

The only event that upset this peace was the sudden disappearance of King Melnir in the year 1036. He left a simple note behind stating that he had a very important errand to run and would most likely not return from that errand. His note fortold the truth for he was never seen again. A year after his disappearance, his son, Aldhelm, was officially crowned King of Gyrfal. King Aldhelm has ruled well over the past 15 years. He has continued to enforce his father's prohibition against goblinoids and has done his best to maintain the steady growth of wealth, prosperity, health and populace in his kingdom. However, while focusing on the good of his kingdom, he has let his home city of Tilnoth fall into a state of neglect. If something is not done soon, the city will become a cesspool of crime, murder and evil within 10 years.

The peace in Gyrfal and increased prosperity has also brought with it additional people and more mouths in the kingdom to feed. With these extra mouths to feed, the need for extra farmland was needed. In the western hills of Gyrfal, the farmers began to chop down trees in order to claim more fertile ground for their plants. The elven community of Gaidoth attempted to discourage the farmers from their "destruction of Laenwold" by talking to them and other peaceful methods. The farmers did not heed the words of the elves and have continued to claim forest lands for farmlands.

Recently, the elves of Gaidoth have started using more aggressive tactics to drive the humans out of their forest. This has brought a military response from King Aldhelm in an effort to keep a war from erupting. Unfortunately, Aldhelm's peaceful life has led to an ignorance of warfare. By expanding Fort Thon and establishing a strong military presence in the area, he is guaranteeing that when war happens, it will be a large one. At the moment, the fighting between the humans and elves has been limited to skirmishes and raids, but if the escalation continues at the rate that it has been, open warfare it just a few short years away.