The town of Midveil sits in the mountain region of the Brindrift, with a large forest, locally called “the Glooming,” sprawling out beyond the town’s perimeter wall. The forest has a reputation; some say it is haunted by the spirits of those who once inhabited this region while others say that strange fey races of old wander the woods. The ruined remains of shattered fey ways deep within the Glooming and the skull of an ancient dragon tucked far into the woods certainly lends credence to these tales. Despite whatever folklore exists, all know for certain that a dangerous tribe of orlocks has settled here and that passage through the forest is dangerous to say the least.
salvaged and brought to new life here in the safety of the town. Fragments of ancient building were incorporated into new structures. Seeds from the long-lost Torrilyn realm were planted beyond the walls. In the heart of the town square was a library that contained numerous texts and scrolls, all salvaged from the Upfall or from the wreckage left behind in the aftermath of the Breaking of the Moon. Scholars hoping to rediscover secrets and magic of old were drawn to Midveil, finding here a place of solace amidst the chaos of the shattered outside world. An outdoor, open theatre was built, called the Idle Wind, and here performances were delivered to crowds depicting tales of Old Mythren as well as the hardships following the apocalypse.
Perhaps most notable was the tower constructed in the center of the town square. At the top of the tower, the elven founders placed an eternal flame called the “balefire,” which once burned bright in the Crescentwood Forest in a world now remembered only in story. This flame, said to have been brought to the world of Mythren from the realm of the divine race called the Ilianti, held powerful magic. Those of purity could not be harmed by the heat, but those who harbored evil would be cleansed by the divine fire. Ascending the stairs and touching the flame would offer proof that the individual was worthy of taking the seat of power in Midveil and naming themselves baron or baroness. Those who were not worthy would be consumed by the flame and their ashes scattered from the top of the Balefire Tower. Once the seat was claimed, it could not be rivaled until that person was dead. So stated the Right of Ascendancy, which Midveil lived by since its founding.
With such secrets of Old Mythren, it was only a matter of time before the Wheelhouse became aware of the magic tucked away and housed here. Between the ancient texts and the Balefire Tower itself with its enchanted flame, it was a wonder that the servants of the Wheelhouse hadn’t arrived before, but the time had come. At last, the elves of Midveil found a group of bandiar accompanied by two men bearing the sickle mark of the Branded upon the left cheek. The demands of the Wheelhouse were simple and to the point: surrender all manuscripts housed within the library as well as the balefire kept in the tower. Naturally, the Midveil elves refused. With godsteel drawn, the bandiar forced their way into the town and the Branded began their work of rooking those who stood to oppose them. The elves touched by the hands of the Branded felt their innate magic being drawn forcibly from them and their tie to the long legacy and elven bloodline severed. They were rendered barren of magic, never to know the kiss of arcane power again.
During the battle, seeing that the Midveil gates stood open and its defenders weakened, the Moonskull orlock tribe, who had long stalked the forest outside of town, took the opportunity to attack. Overwhelming numbers flooded into the town, killing any and all in their path. One by one the bandiar were taken down and their godsteel seized by the marauders. The clan leader, a physically strong and strategic orlock named Krale, stole the source stone pendant from the corpse of a fallen bandiar. Within this scarab-shaped object lay the secret magic of the Wheelhouse’s most prominent servant, the bandiar. Though it did not come naturally or easily, Krale unlocked the pendant’s power and rooked one the branded who lay wounded upon the market street. The process was violent and painful, nearly killing the orlock before it was over, but in the end, Krale was infused with the terrible and awesome abilities uniquely granted to the Branded.
With his newly-claimed power, Krale sought out the elven baron and impaled him with his spear. Before the elf could die, Krale placed his hand upon his chest and rooked him of his magic—stealing his innate power and all magic housed within his blood. And along with this came the elf’s Right to Ascendancy.
As the battle in the Midveil streets raged on, Krale climbed the stairs of the Balefire Tower and cast his hands into the flame. The fire was drawn into the orlock, burning through his veins, but it did not consume him. Left alive, Krale called down from the tower for the battle to cease. The marauding orlocks stopped their massacre and looked up to the tower where their chieftain stood with arms outspread. Naming himself the new Midveil Baron, Krale descended the tower and claimed the seat of power within the town.
Of the Wheelhouse minions, only two were left alive in the
wake of the battle—a sole bandiar and a sooth child. Wounded and left for dead,
the bandiar managed to catch Krale off guard, and unseen by anyone else, rooked
him of all his power. Shocked and defeated, Krale fell to his knees, devastated
by the loss of all that he had only recently seized. Retrieving his godsteel,
the bandiar placed the barrel of the weapon against the orlock’s head, but his
finger hesitated on the trigger.
Seeing the devastation around him, and feeling an unexpected weight of guilt for being partly responsible, the bandiar quietly vowed to abandon his Wheelhouse calling. Orlocks swarmed in the streets, burning buildings, while raping, pillaging, and killing without remorse. With so many either dead or depleted of their heritage and legacy, the elves of Midveil would never again be able to hold off the orlocks, or any other threat that came to their gates.
In the abandoned house of baron, with the body of the dead elven leader still impaled upon his throne, the bandiar made a secret deal with Krale: if the orlock would send the rest of the Moonskull clan back into the Glooming with the promise not to return, Krale would be allowed to remain in Midveil as baron and the bandiar would never reveal that his Right of Ascendancy was stolen. In this role as baron, Krale could mediate relations between Midveil’s survivors and the orlocks, who had long been a threat to the town and the passage through the forest.
Now, four decades on, Midveil has lost much of its own history as new “truths” are perpetuated by Triggor, the half-orlock son of Krale, and the current baron . Tales are told how the orlocks liberated the town from the cruel grip of the elves, all the while the population of Midveil is taxed by the corrupt leader who uses his authority to supply the Moonskull tribe whose power grows in the forest.
But not all is lost. Some of the townsfolk hear whispered stories from the hollow elves who still dwell in the run-down shanties. There are some who risk their lives to help those in need, or those oppressed by the greedy tyrants who hold sway. And an old chronicler has taken up residence in the rebuilt library. Some say the old man was once the very sooth child that came to the town so long ago, devoting his life now to re-writing the priceless tomes burned during the invasion.
Still, the balefire burns at the top of the tower and the residents of Midveil have become accustomed to the lean silhouette of the bandiar who maintains a constant vigil from the high vantage point.
Todd VanHooser
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