Wesnoth

Kingdom of Wesnoth
The capital of Wesnoth, Weldyn, on a map of the Great Continent.
Races	Humans

The Kingdom of Wesnoth (also known as the Empire of Wesnoth or Wesnoth) was a human kingdom on the Great Continent. It was founded by King Haldric I on formerly elvish land. Soon after its founding, Wesnoth broke its treaty with the elves, only to renew it when the orcs laid siege to Tath. Despite its attempts to stop necromancy, the practice soon became a prominent threat. The Sceptre of Fire, its most invaluable artifact, was forged for King Haldric II, only to be lost in the tunnels of the Heart Mountains.

It grew especially strong in its second century, stretching all the way west to Elensefar. In the fourth century, however, the kingdom was plunged into a civil war with the death of King Haldric IV, and all the while, orcs and undead harassed its people.

King Garard I seized the throne in the fifth century, ending the civil war. He fortified the eastern region of Wesnoth before dying and passing on the crown to his successor, King Garard II. Though the new king successfully defeated a large orcish force in the north, his control over his own people was weak, resulting eventually in his murder by his son and crown prince, King Eldred. Though Eldred died in battle soon after, his mother and Garard II's wife, Queen Asheviere, took the crown. A brutal civil war followed, concluding with her death at the hands of her own daughter, who was crowned Queen Li'sar.

History

Founding

The word 'Wesfolk' is from your old tongue. It means 'People of the West'. The elves call us the people of the west-north. Under the same old tongue that would be 'Wes Noth'. So I suggest that the new kingdom be called 'Wesnoth', in honor of our old home.

—Lady Jessene suggests the name of the Kingdom of Wesnoth.

A statue of Wesnoth's founder, King Haldric I.

The Kingdom of Wesnoth consisted of plains to the north and south of the Great River, as well as the hills to the south of the Great River. The land originally belonged to the elves, but during negotations, it was given to Prince Haldric from the Green Isle for his refugees to settle in. After engaging in subterfuge against the elves, routing orcish and undead forces belonging to the Lich-Lord Jevyan, and scattering the orcish forces, Prince Haldric brought his most loyal followers together and discussed their new homeland. Realizing that now owning land, Prince Haldric became King Haldric I, and pondered over what to name his kingdom. Lady Jessene, his companion, suggested that they draw on the etymology of the words 'Wesfolk' and 'Wes Noth' to create the name 'Wesnoth'. It was thus that the kingdom was named, populated by Haldric's people and the Wesfolk.

After Haldric I and Jessene married, their miscegenation inspired their people to do likewise, resulting in their two ethnic groups merging. The subterfuge that Haldric I had engaged in meant that the orcs on the Green Isle believed that the elves now possessed the Ruby of Fire, a valuable and coveted artifact. Despite this, Wesnoth initially upheld its agreement with the elves by helping defeat the last of the orcs on the island. He also planned to build towns throughout the land, and to establish the capital itself inland. He also forbade the practice of necromancy throughout Wesnoth.

Early history

Friends, today we have won a great victory, though it lost us good men. Let this be the beginning of a new alliance between our people.

—King Haldric II congratulates the elves on their combined victory at Tath.

The first notable invasion of Wesnoth came when one of its earliest settlements, the coastal city of Elensefar, was attacked by a swarm of drakes from Morogor. The drakes killed and ate the people of Elensefar, but chose to migrate elsewhere and avoid further provoking the humans. In due course, Wesnoth later reclaimed the city.

When orcs began to harass the elves, Haldric I repudiated the Pact of Mutual Aid and sent back the elves' emissaries. This may have been in part due to his neglect of his military during this time. By breaking the pact, Haldric I soured relations between the humans and elves,

In 20YW, Haldric I passed away, and King Haldric II ascended to the throne. At this time, the human settlement of Tath was surrounded by the orcs, and Haldric II attempted to renew the treaty. A number of elves and mercenary dwarves hastened to the battlefield and prevented Tath from being overrun. Haldric II arrived shortly thereafter and signed a new treaty with the elves, although denied High Lord Kalenz's request to launch an offensive against the orcs. Kalenz's decision to form a treaty with Wesnoth was not supported by the Ka'lian.

Though the Isle of Alduin was not of the lands given by the elves, it was there that the Academy of Magic was built. During the tenure of headmaster Aimucasur, Ardonna escaped the academy to pursue the necromantic arts. She collaborated with the sorcerer Ras-Tabahn, combining their knowledge. After Ras-Tabahn raised the town of Carcyn and recruited followers, the two discovered the art of becoming a Lich, sought to share this knowledge with Wesnoth. Ras-Tabahn planned even to conquer Elensefar and turn it into an undead empire, although Ardonna wished to take a more diplomatic approach in Dan'Tonk and Weldyn. After crossing the Ford of Abez south into the lands of Wesnoth, however, they were confronted and found guilty of necromancy by paladins. A large battle ensued, and despite the paladins' defeat, Ardonna was still unable to persuade the people of Wesnoth to follow her necromantic ways.

In its unprotected state, the Ruby of Fire could have averse effects on those who wielded it, as happened to Haldric I. In 25YW, Haldric II brought the ruby to Rugnur, paying him ten thousand pieces of silver to forge it into a sceptre, thus containing its power. Haldric II's bodyguard Alanin remained with the dwarves for ten years, then was sent back to Haldric II to report the status of the Sceptre of Fire. The sceptre was lost in the Heart Mountains during an erruption, which Alanin saw from a distance. After Alanin eventually reported back to Haldric II in 40YW, the king decided that searching for the sceptre was hopeless, but its existence was written down in the history books.

Power struggles

This sentinel of the western plains stood watch as Wesnoth prospered for many centuries under its protection. No war has overcome it, and its walls have never been overrun. The blood of invaders stains its parapets and the bones of the defeated crumble at the base of Halstead’s frozen waves of stone.

—Lore describes Wesnoth's Stronghold of Halstead.

Prior to 161YW, Elensefar and the coastal settlements had since gained a certain level of independence from Wesnoth. In 161YW, a new King of Wesnoth was crowned. He sought to cleanse the wildlands separating their lands of enemies. After rallying an army, led by the High Council of Archmagi, he scoured the land and united the two areas into a single kingdom under his rule. With this finished, the Stronghold of Halstead was constructed to safeguard Wesnoth's western plains. In the years to come, many settlements were established across the area.

Arvith leads his mercenaries across Wesnoth.

In 350YW, King Haldric IV died, triggering what came to be known as the First Dark Age. In the years that came, a Wesnothian civil war took place, all the while amongst the regular bombardment of orcs along the eastern borders of Wesnoth. To make matters worse, in 363YW, an terrorist undead presence made its way into the western plains of Wesnoth. This problem was short lived, however, and was followed by peace in the west.

From 389YW to 390YW, an aspiring necromancer, Malin, attempted to resist orcish invasions on his hometown of Parthyn. He met with another necromancer, Darken Volk, and together they retaliated against the orcs. When Malin attempted to pass through Parthyn in pursuit of the orcs, he was accused of being allied with the orcs by the captain of the guard, suspicious of necromancy in general. Malin killed the captain, but quickly found himself at odds with the rest of the town. Resentful of Wesnoth at large, he helped Darken Volk steal a valuable artifact from a wizard in Tath. After killing Darken Volk in a dispute, he transformed himself into a lich, terrorizing the orcs until he was slain some years after.

Era of Turmoil

You will never successfully oppose Asheviere. Her power is too great... This small victory today is but a reprieve from the unimaginable pain you will suffer when the full force of her wrath descends upon you.

—General Dommel's dying words at Halstead.

In 417YW, King Garard I took control of Wesnoth, drawing the civil war to a close. Shorly thereafter, he built up the eastern frontier, specifically in the town of Parthyn. In the final year of his reign, he built two strong-points on the eastern bank of the River Weldyn. In later years, however, human expansion to the east rendered these outposts redundant.

Garard I eventually died in 470YW, and was subsequently succeeded by King Garard II. That year,^[a] orcs massed on the north shore of the Great River, separating Wesnoth from Knalga. Garard II was unable to make an alliance with elves, but hastened to meet the orcs in combat. Meanwhile, a necromancer opened a portal, allowing undead to return from the Land of the Dead. After Garard II defeated the orcish threat, the mage Delfador told him of the portal. He underestimated the danger the undead would pose, and the Wesnoth army was destroyed. In a change of plans, Delfador closed the portal with the help of the dwarves, and successfully slew the necromancer.

In the years that came, however, Garard II began to lose control of certain parts of his kingdom. In part due to these conflicts, Garard II neglected the protection of the province of Annuvin, which fell prey to the orcs and saurians. In response, the people of Annuvin formed their own militia to control their borders, as well as trade relations and treaties. Garard II also fell under the influence of his wife, Queen Asheviere, whom he married in 478YW. She was ambitious, willful, and exercised power behind her husband's back. As a result, Garard II's generals shifted their alliegance, one even being sent on an unsuccesful mission to retrieve the Sceptre of Fire, which would have made Asheviere his successor to the throne.

Prince Edren crowns himself King of Wesnoth.

In approximately 497YW, war broke out with yet another invasion of Wesnoth by the orcs. By 501YW, battle was met between the two sides, during which the crown prince, Prince Eldred, was entrusted with half of Garard II's army. Eldred turned on his father, however, killing him and various others in the royal family, much to the approval of his mother, Asheviere. Though a truce was made with the orcs, Delfador managed to rally loyalist forces and seek revenge for Garard II's murder. Although Delfador slew King Eldred in battle near Tath, the loyalists were defeated. Asheviere had the remaining members of the royal family killed, then proclaimed herself Queen of Wesnoth.

Soon after Asheviere seized the throne, she sent armies across Wesnoth to assert her dominance. Some of her forces traveled to Elensefar and threatened the nearby village elders with execution if they did not pledge their alleigance to her. Elensefar itself, however, remained in a state of passivity, its leader seeing it fit to avoid conflict. Asheviere also hired orcs to harass the western villages. When several of her patrols were routed by rebels, she sent a branch of her main field army to destroy the villages in the west. Before they arrived, the rebels demolished Hasltead, causing Asheviere's troops to withdraw back to their traditional borders.

In 517YW, Asheviere sent orcish mercenaries to the Aethenwood, where Delfador had hidden. During that time, Delfador had raised a young orphan boy, Konrad, to believe that he had been a royal nephew and saved by Delfador from Asheviere's slaughter. Upon escaping to the Isle of Alduin, they discovered that Asheviere was expanding her control once more to the western coast, successfully capturing the Bay of Pearls and enslaving its merfolk. While Konrad liberated the merfolk, Delfador discovered that Elensefar had at last been attacked by Wesnoth. Though the city fell to the orcs, Konrad reclaimed it once more.

Now joined by Kalenz, Delfador decided that Konrad needed to first find the Sceptre of Fire before further action against Asheviere could be taken. During their journey, they fought their way through more of Asheviere's orcs, one of whom reported Delfador's plans back to the queen. Asheviere sent her daughter and successor, Princess Li'sar, to stop the rebels, but her forces were defeated twice. Eventually, Li'sar pursued the rebels into the tunnels of Knalga, hoping to find the Sceptre of Fire herself. Their hostilities were swiftly put aside, however, when forced to make a truce against an ambush consisting of various cave-dwelling orcs and trolls. Together, they found the Sceptre of Fire, then exited the tunnels, agreeing to remain allies so long as orcs continued to threaten them.

The group made their way to the Elven Council of the Northern Elves, where Li'sar learned of her mother's execution of the royal family. The elves also cautioned Delfador against Konrad becoming king instead of Li'sar, advising the princess to overthrow her mother herself. The rebels then made their way back to Wesnoth, fighting their way past various Wesnothian forces. On the way, they defeated the Knights of the Clans in battle, who subsequently pledged their alliegance to the rebels. Their forces finally arrived at Weldyn, where Delfador explained Konrad's true identity. As dawn broke, the rebels launched their attack against Asheviere, and eventually slew her. Li'sar, the heir, became the Queen of Wesnoth.

Restoring Wesnoth

As quickly as it had begun, it was over. Konrad reached the entrance to the tunnels and ushered his men through. Then he turned one last time to face the peasants. Raising his sword in salute and farewell, he called out to them: "Hold fast your hope, for one day you shall be free!" Then he was gone.

—Lore describes Konrad's inspiration to the northern slaves.

A Wesnothian fortress in the summer.

Delfador became Queen Li'sar's High Counselor, receiving a royal funeral upon his death. Konrad married Li'sar, becoming the king consort of Wesnoth, and the two had three children. Li'sar's reign lasted for a long time, during which she sought to undo the damage that had been caused by her mother. Konrad was also involved with driving off the orcs from the north, bringing peace to the kingdom.

During the reign of King Haldric VII, the seer Galdren foresaw a great evil that would befall Wesnoth, and urged Haldric VII to appoint a capable mage as his advisor. Dacyn was selected for the position over a rival, Ravan. As a result, Ravan sought to learn the necromantic arts, later turning upon Dacyn in revenge, but was slain in battle. Despite this, his body teleported away, and he was later reincarnated as a lich.

This period of time was peaceful, and allowed Wesnoth to expand into the south with new settlements. In approximately 598YW,^[b] the South Guard was dispatched to the Kerlath Province in their defence, and encountered nothing stronger than the occasional bandit for eight years. In 607YW, however, the bandits organized raids on the province, killing the South Guard's leader, Sir Loris. After weeks without reports, Haldric VII sent the young knight Deoran to investigate. Upon arriving at Westin, Deoran discovered that the bandits occupied the city, and were even capable of raising undead soldiers. He liberated the city and learned that the elves of the Aethenwood could have knowledge regarding the undead threat.

Elvish shyde Ethiliel offered to help Deoran by leading him to Mebrin, a sage who knew the secrets of the undead. Upon arriving at the Vale of Blossoming Trees, they realized that Mebrin had been kidnapped. They followed the kidnappers' tracks to the Southwood, where the bandit leader Urza Afalas revealed that Mebrin now commanded the undead himself, though Ethiliel did not believe him.

Plot branch : Deoran spared Urza Afalas' life.
To Ethiliel's fury, Deoran chose to ally with the bandits against the undead. Though the Aethenwood elves refused to provide further aid to Deoran, the combined human forces prevailed against a nearby undead presence. They hurried northeast to Westin, pursued by more undead. Upon reaching Westin, with Mebrin's forces at their heels, they were able to receive reinforcements. The two sides attacked each other and Mebrin was killed. With the battle won, Westin's defences were repaired and Deoran was summoned back to Weldyn in order to discuss other events elsewhere.
Plot branch : Deoran killed Urza Afalas.
As punishment for Urza Afalas' crimes, Deoran had the bandit executed, before proceeding to destroy the immediate undead threat. Ethiliel advised them to travel underground, believing it to be the source of the undead. While Deoran's companion, Sir Gerrick, returned to warn Westin of the undead threat, the elves and Deoran's forces descended underground, where they found and slew Mebrin. Upon journeying back to Westin, however, they found that it had been attacked by a faction of Aethenwood elves unaware of Mebrin's fall, believing that the people of Wesnoth had murdered him. Ethiliel reached their leader and parleyed with him, ending the conflict peaceably. Some weeks later, Deoran was summoned back to Weldyn in order to discuss other events elsewhere.

In 612YW, Konrad II was crowned King of Wesnoth. In the thirteenth year of his reign, the undead began to harass Wesnoth's eastern border, forcing Konrad II to re-man the neglected River Guard outposts. To the northern outpost he sent Owaec, while to the south he sent Gweddry and Dacyn. After the undead overran the southern outpost, Gweddry's forces escaped to the Estmarks. They made their way to the northern outpost and Dacyn persuaded Owaec to prepare the surrounding villages for evacuation.

After adding Northland ogres to their army, they made their way to a school of magic on an island in Lake Vrug, wherein Dacyn learned how to defeat the undead's leader, Mal-Ravanal, formerly Ravan. only to be immediately captured by trolls, and brought before the orcish king. After escaping, they obtained the Null Stone, then hastened to Weldyn to speak with Konrad II. Dacyn advised Konrad II to arrange a duel between himself and Mal-Ravanal, while Owaec advised Konrad II to use all their forces against the undead. The humans held out in Weldyn for the night before Gweddry decided on a course of action.

Plot branch : Gweddry arranged for a duel against Mal-Ravanal.
Despite Owaec's fears for an unsuccessful duel, Gweddry challenged Mal-Ravanal to a duel. Though they both agreed only to bring five additional warriors, Mal-Ravanal exploited the rules by raising the dead already present at their place of battle. In spite of this, Mal-Ravanal was critically injured, and unable to teleport due to the presence of the Null Stone, he was defeated.
Plot branch : Gweddry met Mal-Ravanal's forces in battle.
Against Dacyn's advice, Gweddry chose to engage in battle with Mal-Ravanal's forces. Mal-Ravanal hid himself amongst a number of liches, and was eventually revealed to the humans. Rendered vulnerable, Gweddry's men slew Mal-Ravanal within the presence of the Null Stone, preventing the lich from teleporting.

Mal-Ravanal's death was followed by the dissipation of his army. Konrad II brought his surviving commanders before him, knighting Owaec and promoting Gweddry to the position of Earl. The period that followed became known to historians as the Silver Age of Wesnoth, also as the Reconstruction.

The Great Fall

But a great evil befell them that day; their power failed and the mountain crashed down onto the humans' capital, crushing all within it. In an instant the center of the Empire of Wesnoth was utterly destroyed.

—Melusand describes the fall of Wesnoth.

Wesnoth enjoyed a period of peace with the elves and dwarves, its king using the land's cumulative knowledge of magic to raise a second sun into the sky, formed out of a mountain. In doing so, they lengthened the daytime, such that only a few hours of nighttime remained each day. With time, however, the people of Wesnoth became arrogant and the king's descendant decreed that yet another sun be raised into the sky. The remaining mages of Wesnoth were fewer than before and futilely insisted that it could not be done. When the king ignored them, their attempts were unsuccessful, and the second mountain fell down over Weldyn, crushing its populace.

With the royal family all dead, various powers sought control of the kingdom. The two remaining suns came to dessicate the land, and the second sun shifted in the sky, such that the nights became longer once more. Many of the mages of Wesnoth who survived the cataclysm came to exert control over various regions, while others sought refuge at Zocthanol Isle. Wesnoth, however, no longer existed as a sovereign nation.

Notes

1. ^{^} Delfador dealt with the insurgent threat before the end of 470YW, though it emerged after the start of Garard II's reign.
2. ^{^} The South Guard was first dispatched nine years before Deoran was sent to Parthyn in 607.