The Fate of Purmill and the Coltens Feodality |
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| Posted on Sun, April 21, 2002 by Toran |
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Taras writes "Since the time that Portillan sat upon the Malachite Throne and reigned as Overking, Aerdy was sundered, perhaps forever. The western dominions were placed outside of the grasp of all Overkings since then, even though they did not all join in the rebellion that swept through house Rax, for the traitorous land of Nyrond cut off all routes westward by land that the northern barbarians did not already control. One such territory, often overlooked, was the town of Purmill, located in the wastes of the north amid barbarians and fierce winters. Recovered from the archives of the last of the Overkings of the line of Rax comes this report on that forgotten town's fate...
Author: Taras Guarhoth
A Brief Report on the Fate of Purmill and the Coltens Feodality
CY 436
by Taras Guarhoth (montand@canonfire.com)
Used with Permission. Do not repost without obtaining prior permission from the author.
Of the barbarous Suel tribes of the North, the Schnai, Cruski, and Fruztii are relatively well known. There is a fourth tribe, the Turrii, whom are generally unknown to the scholars of our glorious empire. They inhabit the lands of the Coltens Feodality, located to the north of the Griff Mountains. Our empire was often troubled by raids from the Turrii, until the Imperial fortifications were completed at Calbut, blocking the southern end of Thunder Pass.
The Turrii have inhabited their tundra home since before the founding of the Aerdy Empire. However, until roughly 200 years ago, they were a simple, barbaric people, similar to their neighbors. The land was filled with petty lordlings and freeholders, with no true ruler. It was subject to raids from the Rovers and their cousins, the Fruztii and Cruski.
In the 249th year of our empire, this changed. The Fruztii raided the town of Kelten, killing the local lord. His son, Keijo Kekkonen, became the next Jarl of Kelten. However, unlike the previous leaders of that town, Keijo had worked as a mercenary for the Duke of Tenh. There, he saw the benefits of a strong, feudal government. He gathered up the local lordlings and, after much negotiation (and probably a bit of blackmail and threats of force), got them to swear fealty to him. This was the birth of the Keltens Feodality (which, due to a scribe’s error, is commonly called the Coltens Feodality).
Keijo quickly began to expand his fledgling nation, forcing other nobles to swear fealty to him, or conquering their lands and replacing them with leaders loyal to him. By the beginning of the 256th year of our empire, Keijo’s realm stretched to the banks of the Frozen River. In that same year, the Overking, in his infinite wisdom, founded the town of Purmill as a place to conduct trade with the Turrii. This was done to keep the barbarous Suel from passing the fortifications at Calbut (which may have led them to learn of it’s strengths and weaknesses).
The imperial garrison at Purmill was the northernmost outpost of our glorious empire in the eastern Flanaess. Within a few years of it’s founding, Purmill served to increase the flow of ivory, furs, and silver into the empire. In an effort to bring the Turrii further under our sway, a large cathedrals were built to Pholtus and Zilchus in the town. Within the cathedral of Pholtus, there was kept an ancient relic, dating back to the pre-Migration days. I have determined that this relic was the Flail of Arnd. Apparently, the flail on display in the cathedral in Rauxes is a fake, perpetuated by the clergy of Pholtus to hide their shame at losing the ancient weapon. But, I digress. The churches of Pholtus and Zilchus aggressively sought converts among the natives of the land. They were largely successful in the regions around Purmill and Kelten.
Keijo slowly conquered the lands between the Frozen river and White Fanged Bay. In the 259th year of our empire, he had taken the town of Bastro. It was upon this date (the 16th of Harvester) in the city of Kelten that Keijo was crowned King of the Keltens Feodality, Lord of the Northern Plains, and Guardian of the Hraak. Of course, at this time, King Keijo had no sway over the clans of the northern plains or the inhabitants of the Hraak (excepting the portion nearest the city of Kelten). But time would bring them within his grasp.
In the 261st year of our empire, the forces of the Feodality had crushed most opposition to their rule among the scattered villages and freesteads of the northern plains. Keijo then turned his attention to the olvanfolk of the Hraak forest. They proved to be more resilient than the barbarous inhabitants of the northern plains. In the end, the olvan forces were overcome at the Battle of Hraak Pass, in the 264th year of our empire, by, of all things, a Fruztii raiding party intent on plundering Kelten. I shall not go into the details of this conflict, for they can easily found in the treatise Die Keltens-Olvan Krieg und der Schlacht von der Hraak [The Kelten-Elven War and the Battle of the Hraak] by Lord General Konrad Torquann, written in the 276th year of our empire.
In the 269th year of our empire, Keijo died. His son, Einar became the next King of the Keltens Feodality. Einar continued to strengthen his hold over the nation throughout his reign. However, the history of the Feodality during this time is unimportant. It is only with the sundering of the house of Rax that anything in this northern realm becomes once again important.
In the 356th year of our empire, the treacherous nobles of the house of Rax-Nyrond rebelled against their rightful liege, the Overking. The lands of the Duchy of Tenh were quickly claimed by the rebellious “King” of Nyrond. However, the town of Purmill, the northernmost holding of our empire at this time, was overlooked by the Nyrondese. It remained an imperial fief (even though most Overkings ignored its existence) for many years afterwards. It was during this rebellious time that the clergy of Pholtus took the sacred Flail of Arnd to a secret fastness within the Griff Mountains to keep it out of the hands of the rebellious nobles.
The Church of Pholtus sent an expedition to the Griff Mountains in the 402nd year of our empire to retrieve the Flail. Upon their return, the Flail was placed on display in the Cathedral of Pholtus in Rauxes. However, after a careful examination of the Flail, I have determined that it is, in fact, a fake. It is my belief that the real Flail of Arnd is still located in the Griff Mountains. Of course, the clergy of Pholtus hotly deny this.
In the 407th year of our empire, the renegade nobles of Tenh mounted a raid upon the town of Purmill. The Tenhese succeeded in occupying the town, and proceeded to pillage it. The remnants of the Imperial Garrison of the town, however, with the aid of the Keltens, managed to retake the town later that year. The vile Tenhese, during their brief occupation of the town, had defiled the cathedrals of Pholtus and Zilchus. The Purmillese, being loyal subjects of the Aerdy Empire, knew the layout of the fortifications at Calbut. They gleefully aided the Turrii in raiding south, which resulted in the destruction of Calbut in the 408th year of our empire (although, these fortifications were re-built in the 426th year of our empire).
In the 430th year of our empire, a Flan bandit lord, going by the name Vlek Col Vlekzed, conquered one of the outlying villages of the Feodality. He fortified this village, and renamed it Vlekstaad. The King of the Feodality and his important advisors and nobles were lured into an ambush by the bandit lord. Among the leaders present at the ambush was Lord General Jakob Rax, the ruler of Purmill. After the ambush, the bandit lord and his forces sweep through the Feodality, conquering it. He also conquered the town of Purmill, and it is believed that a number of the residents of the town fled prior to its sack, and are currently living within the Griff Mountains.
Once the upcoming war with the traitorous nobles of Nyrond is over and we have brought them once more within the fold of the empire, it would be best if the town of Purmill were freed from the clutches of the bandit lord. It is not fitting that imperial territories should be so easily taken by Flan rabble. Then, our attention can be turned to the other rebellious provinces of the land."
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Average Score: 4
Votes: 11
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