Hrynjandi
First village constructed by my people:
It is a generally held belief among historians that the first contemporary Hrynjandi settlement in the Apocryphaen Wastes / Thrunur is the modest village of Dyr, followed closely by Skar and later Hrunbor. Though small, it is of great cultural and historic importance to not just local Dyrendi tribes but to all Hrynjandi.
Most important build/area to your religion:
Many locations within Thrunur are held to be sacred by the local tribes. What follows here is a list of the most significant of these.
The Flame of Velsr: Located in the walled city of Skar, this flame signifies both the unyielding strength of the White God and of the Skarendi that inhabit the region. Local legend has it that the flame never goes out but during times of great hardship. Official canon states that the flame has gone out twice. Once during the calamity of the Long Winter and more recently during the civil war following the Unraveling.
Cliffs of Anaudir: Towering above the village of Dyr are the sacred cliffs of Anaudir. This cold granite formation is said to resemble a twin forked spear. According to Dyrendi lore, this is where the legendary Stormsword proclaimed Thrunur to rightfully belong to his loyal followers. To this day it is a location of great religious importance as it is where the Skyspeaker of Dyr travels to receive divine guidance. Throughout history the punishment for stepping foot on this sacred ground has been drowning in the river Andel and so it remains even now.
Caves of Erendur(Tomb of Skyspeaker Merthe) In the wastes surrounding the farming community of Hrunbor lies the final resting place of one of the Hrynjandi's most influential historical figures. What may seem like a normal cave system on first glance is actually the site of pilgrimage for many Dyrendi and Alendi youths, though the practice has fallen out of favour with the Skarendi in recent years. The caves remain mostly untouched by human hands except for the unassuming tomb of Skyspeaker Merthe the Gaunt.
Sometimes it whispered that far below the explored tunnels of Erendur lies one of the few locations in the world where communing with Sodrungr is possible.
Most important international build/area in your land:
At first glance an outsider would guess that the village of Dyr is the most important place in the region. However, in the grand scheme of things the towns of Skar and Hrunbor share that honor. Skar is the center of international and regional commerce in Thrunur as well as a major supplier of supplies, equipment and arms to the other tribes. Hrunbor on the other hand supplies most of the region's food supply and provides access to the famed Ironwood.
Place where a great lore event/death happened in your land:
Erendur (Tomb of Skyspeaker Merthe): In the mile long winding tubes of Erendur lie the spirits of Skyspeaker Merthe and his five hundred companions that perished there during the Long Winter. The accounts that have survived to this day describe the Skyspeaker leading an exodus of a thousand men, women and children away from the traditionally inhabited lands of the Hrynjandi to the far north in an event reminiscent of the original migration to Thrunur.
The group had taken sanctuary from the uncaring elements in the relative safety of the cave. Unfortunately for them the entrance became blocked, possibly from heavy snowfall or a cave-in rendering them unable to escape. Thus they stayed until the tunnels became their tombs.
The Þingr artifact in Hrunbor: Truly a mystery for the ages. What was for centuries an unassuming centerpiece of the town of Hrunbor was unearthed to something far greater. During the legendary reign of Skyspeaker Vargon of the United Hrynjandi an excavation of the artifact was ordered. What was discovered beneath the fertile ground of Þingey shocked scholars. A vaguely walnut shaped structure of smooth stone bricks in the Þingr style had remained hidden from mortal eyes for untold ages.
Further study of the structure revealed a tubelike structure striking deep into the earth seemingly without end. Those at the scene remarked that a mysterious warmth emanated from the tube. However, the greatest question asked by scholars of the time was what was behind the solid "steel" door on the front of the artifact.
Multiple scholarly groups tried and failed to enter the structure until an expedition led by a group calling themselves the Acolytes of Sodrungr* caused a breakthrough. Far in the wastes they had discovered small Þingr artifact made of an unknown black material bearing the symbol of the Frozen Gods engraved into its surface. What follows is the beginning of the destabilization of the newly united Hrynjandi.
Soon after the discovery of the "key" Skyspeaker Vargon ventured personally to the artifact in Hrunbor, entered the structure, shut the door behind him and never returned.
The Deepwatch: A place shrouded by dread and myth, located in the heart of Skar. The Deepwatch is perhaps the most famous and best preserved Þingr structure in Thrunur. Best described as a seemingly unending staircase leading from the summit of the Mt. Skaftind to the deepest depths of the world. The purpose of this place has never been discovered and only a few tantalizing facts regarding it exist in popular memory.
What is sometimes referred to as the Unspoken Law of the Deepwatch is to never bear any sources of light into its shadowy maw. It is fact that those that do never see the light of day again. However, several successful expeditions into the Deepwatch have been conducted without the aid of light. Why this is so has not been confirmed as of yet, but local Skarendi say that unseen creatures lurk inbetween the shadows of the Deepwatch and are attracted by light.
Many years past a local hero descended into the Deepwatch with three companions in search of a Þingr artifact to aid in defeating a siege on the walls of Skar conducted by the Dyrendi. It is said that when the hero, and only him emerged from the depths that returned with tales of such horrendous events that the Skarendi warriors fought twice as hard against the invading Dyrendi, just to be able to flee their "cursed" city.
The Walls of Skar: Described by some as being decrepit or falling to pieces, the Walls have stood since the settlement of Skar defending it from invaders and the elements alike. At least four sieges have been attempted with only the most recent one during the civil war resulting in a Skarendi defeat. These ancient stones mark the burial ground of thousands of warriors, standing strong to this day in the face of adversity.
The Walls and the underground city of Skar have sometimes marked it as the de-facto sanctuary for Skarendi and Dyrendi alike during great storms and other natural disasters alike. During the Long Winter the city sustained more than four times its normal population. These people would later be the majority of those who survived the calamity of the Long Winter. Thus it is said that these old, crumbling stones saved the fledgling Hrynjandi civilization from being smothered in its earlier years.
Greatest structure in your land:
Old Slayer's Guild Headquarters: Once the proud home of the Slayer's Guild and perhaps one of the larger purely Hrynjandi structures in Thrunur, now it lies disused in a deserted region of the Wastes. Shortly after the Unraveling the Dyrendi leadership staged a coup here during peace talks between the tribes, ultimately making it the gravestone of the United Hrynjandi dream.
Recent rumours suggest that the site may not lay undisturbed for much longer as congregations of persecuted minor tribes have been spotted moving towards the area.
The Spires of Skar: These towering structures serve a simple purpose, yet they are the largest structures constructed by the Hrynjandi. The three Spires surround the town of Skar and are each topped with a guiding flame to aide travelers in locating the city. In addition they display the superiority of Skarendi culture over their Dyrendi cousins in a typical fashion.
Sites of major wars in your land:
First, Second, Third and Fourth Siege of Skar: All took place at differing time periods around the walls of Skar with only the Fourth resulting in a Skarendi defeat.
The Plains of Skar: Between the towering Mt. Skaftind and the Andel River Valley lie the vast plains separating the Dyrendi and Skarendi. It is mostly in these relative flatlands that the Dyrendi-Skarendi Skirmishes took place.
Andel River Valley: A long valley stretching along the river Andel and the home of dozens of minor Hrynjandi tribes, though until recently most answered to the call of the Dyrendi. It is here that some of the greatest crimes in Hrynjandi history were committed by the Dyrendi in the form of indiscriminate killing of the local populace preceding Skyspeaker Vargon's coup d'état.
In more recent times the region has become a battleground between the resurgent Skarendi rallying up the locals against their historical oppressors, the Dyrendi.
Skar: Until very recently the city of Skar had seen almost no real fighting inside its walls. When the city was briefly captured by the Dyrendi following the Fourth Siege it was promptly recaptured by Skarendi and mercenary forces.
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*Authors note: This is now known to be a pseudonym used by the contemporary group known as the "House of the Lonely One".
More information may be added to this chronicle once access to the library is restored.
_________________ The Hierophant of the Disciples || Halad adho Dakdakrok -Count of the Isle -Champion of the Games
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