The History of Willowdark

A timeline of key events in the history of the Territory of Willowdark, from founding until present.   Current as of August 609
 
Summer 601

• The Concordance of Avalon commissions Sir Teerik Willowdark to lead an expedition to a relatively unsettled valley linking northern and southern territories in Avalon. The valley lay to the west of Wolveria, south of Stonegate, east of Fengate and north of the Evendarrian Principality of Dreadmarch.

 
Winter 601

• The first Willowdark Expedition occurs. Sir Teerik Willowdark leads explorers and settlers into the Willowdark valley area. Initial maps and surveys are performed, and initial contact is made with natives of the area.  It is discovered that there is no central government in the region and that what little government exists is in the form of a few tiny elven hamlets, several relatively small dwarven settlements in the mountainous regions, and several gypsy and barbarian clan and tribal leaders ruling fairly small areas.  Significant areas are held by tribal humanoids such as orcs, trolls, goblins and kobolds.

 
Spring 602-Fall 604

• Later expeditions to Willowdark are undertaken and a small number of settlers come to settle in Willowdark.
• A series of small villages and settlements are built, and numerous scattered ruins of an ancient civilization are discovered, including a large ruined city in roughly the center of Willowdark.
• Friendly relations are established with local barbarian and gypsy clans, elven hamlets, and the Ackralaun Dwarves.  Relations with the emerald giants of the Wayside area are initially wary, but develop into being coolly neutral. Unfortunately the local population of orcs, trolls and kobolds refused peaceful relations and maintained a hostile stance toward the nascent Willowdark government, which was rapidly consolidating control of the region.  The Order of the Archmages generally remains neutral and apart from political affairs, but it tacitly accepts the nacent Willowdark government and several members of the Order become close allies of the new ruler.

 
December 604

• The Concordance of Avalon recognizes the Territory of Willowdark as a sovereign nation and member of the Concordance as Sir Teerik Willowdark signs the Accords of Avalon.   Following this Sir Teerik resigns as a Knight of Avalon to become the Sovereign of Willowdark, taking the title of Lord Regent to represent that he holds sovereignty in regency until Willowdark is established and developed fully as a Kingdom.
• A massive insurrection breaks out, with the four closest allies of the Lord Regent; Lannessa, Blevin, Tetherin and Lycor, turning against each him and each other. The four become warlords, each vying for power and sole rulership of Willowdark as the Willowdark Civil War erupts. 
• Lannessa turns her extreme skill with Earth Magic to the practice of Necromancy, quickly raising legions of undead and takes the ruined city in central Willowdark as her capitol, naming the new necropolis Oblitris.  Blevin uses his command of Celestial Magic to raise an army of Golems.  Lycor recruits a large number of thieves and bandits to his banner, empowering them with strange shadow magics.  Tetherin is revealed to have become a lycanthrope of remarkable power, and spreads lycanthropy and uses his command over lesser lycanthropes to amass hordes of werecreatures to his side.  The Lord Regent Teerik retains command of a small company of heavy cavalry known as the Elite Guard, the small militia forces of several small towns in northeastern Willowdark, and a small corps of woodsmen and that remained loyal to him known as the Rangers of Willowdark.  Lacking armies of the same scale as the warlords, but being the legitimate ruler of Willowdark, he puts out a call for assistance throughout Avalon.

 
May 605

• Answering a public call, adventurers begin to arrive in Willowdark. Gathering at Wayside Lodge they fight scattered forces from Lanessa’s undead during a massive flood.

 
September 605

• Assembling at the town of Hangman’s Pass, a group of adventurers uses a relic of the Plane of Light to seal the ability of Lycor’s men to shadow walk. Lycor first attempts to recruit adventurers to his service, then in an open field battle at night, his forces are sent into retreat from Hangman’s Pass.
• The Box of Enhancement is discovered in a treasure hoard of some monsters.

 
December 605

• Lord Ryric is temporarily corrupted by the Willowdark Taint, becoming a powerful and malevolent copy of himself. The taint is purged with the Box of Enhancement as the powers of the box begin to be understood.
• A tournament of arms is conducted at Wayside Lodge. Lord Icerider wins the tournament, defeating Deputy Sheriff Sanguine Burnflame.

 
April 606

• The Warlord Blevin, fleeing from being overthrown by the Elemental Warlord, passes through Wayside Lodge with a small company of Golems. His golem army suffers massive losses in an encounter with local adventurers.  Blevin himself, encased in a Mithril Golem, is slain in the battle.

 
July 606

• Adventurers again gather at Wayside Lodge. After several crimes occur, the need for law and order inspires the Lord Regent to begin to name officials from the adventuring population to uphold public order.
  

August 606

• In a massive magical explosion at Hangman’s Pass, a massive shell of magical darkness envelops the entire Hangman’s Pass area, trapping all inside on a specially created pocket plane. This effectively takes the Lord Regent, as well as his Elite Guard, prisoner.
• The Council of Willowdark takes temporary rulership of Willowdark until the Lord Regent can be rescued. Lord Icerider begins to establish diplomatic ties with other nations, while Lord Ebonwyrm begins the construction of Elmrisen as a military base.

 
October 606

• Tethrin’s shapeshifting forces attempt to exploit the weakness of Willowdark during the absence of the Lord Regent, but resourceful use of magic and the Box of Enhancement allows a temporary truce to be arranged until the rescue of the Lord Regent.
• A rescue of the Lord Regent is attempted, but fails due to the magical protections surrounding him and the pocket plane.

November 606

• The Guilds of Willowdark are chartered and the first guildhouse is built in Elmrisen.
• The location of Elmrisen is publicly revealed. Elmrisen is expanded from a militia base into an armed town.
• Lord Icerider gathers a massive force at Elmrisen to mount a rescue attempt of the Lord Regent and shatter the sphere of darkness around Hangman’s Pass. The attempt is successful and a grand banquet is held the following night to celebrate the return of the Sovereign.
• Several trade and military agreements are negotiated between Willowdark and foreign governments and mercenary companies to aid the trade and defense of Willowdark.
• Lannessa leads a personal assault on Elmrisen, causing significant casualties, but is repulsed.

 
December 606

• Fort Vanguard at Hangman’s Pass is reconstructed to act as the personal keep of the Lord Regent. Hangman’s Pass becomes the de facto capital city of Willowdark.

 
February 607

• Construction begins on Willowdark Academy at a major crossroads in Fallwin, between Hangman’s Pass and Wayside Lodge, and Blackbeach and Elmrisen.

 
March 607

• In a massive two-pronged assault, Willowdark forces engage in a massive campaign to liberate Mintergaus. Lycor’s forces suffer catastrophic losses and thanks the use of Dragon Magic and the Box of Enhancement, Lycor is stripped of most of his shadow-related powers.

April 607

• The last remnants of Lycor’s armies are defeated. Willowdark forces liberate the region of Mintergaus. While Lycor remains at large, he is stripped of most of his powers and no longer commands an army.  His forces are reduced to simply a few scattered bands of brigands.

November 607

• Onslaughts of Void Elementals attempt to destroy the Box of Enhancement, although a counterattack lead by Lord Ebonwyrm repulses the attackers.
• The Box of Enhancement is used to purify the land, purging the taint from most of Fallwin.  The Box physically melds with the land in the process, although much of its power is imbued into Lord Icerider in the process.
• A bounty of two hundred gold pieces is placed on the head of Lycor, as he is now officially treated as a brigand and not a warlord.  Without army or fortune, Lycor unsuccessfully attempts to steal the bounty money on his own head to fund a new army, and substantially adds to his list of crimes in the process.

May 608

• After over a year of construction, Willowdark Academy opens providing a center of learning and arts.

June 608

• A corrupted artifact that appears to be a dark analogue of the Box of Enhancement is revealed to be in use by joined forces of Lannessa’s undead and Tetherins shapeshifters in an attempt to taint Fallwin once again. 
• An artifact known as Nature’s Key and the power of the Box of Enhancement imbued into Lord Icerider is used to drive off the corrupted box.  In the process the corrupted box melds with Lord Ryric, attempting to corrupt him, although his renowned willpower lets him resist the temptation.
• To preserve the fragile balance of power in Willowdark, a non-alignment pact is forged between the Lord Regent Teerik Willowdark and the Warlords Tetherin and Lannessa where all three agree to not enter into pacts with each other or the Elemental Warlord or former Warlord Lycor.
• A slaver ring is uncovered operating in the Southern Sea.  While not thwarted immediately, the government of Willowdark places a bounty on the heads of all Slavers and Pirates operating in Willowdark.

July 608

• A half-orc archmage known as “The Creator”, a renegade member of the Order of Archmages attacks the Wayside Lodge area.  Wielding corrupted Nature Magic and commanding a pack of abominations of various creatures melded together, he inflicted significant casualties before he was defeated. 
• In gratitude for defeating a renegade of their order, the Order of Archmages gives a gift of a significant Formal Magic library to the people of Willowdark, which provides resources to allow the Guilds of Willowdark to open a Formal Magic library at Willowdark Academy.

April 609

• Tetherin is slain by Lannessa in a battle between the two.  Tetherin is transformed into an undead abomination in service to Lannessa and it begins to ravage the countryside.  Chaos and death begin to spread through Tetherin’s armies and the region of Halvanok.  The act shatters the fragile non-alignment pact, leading to an alliance of the Lord Regent Teerik Willowdark and the Elemental Warlord against Lannessa’s forces.  The Willowdark Civil War becomes a conflict between two sides: forces allied with the Lord Regent and those forces under the dominion of Lannessa.
• Lycor hires a small band several dozen mercenaries to harass local trade caravans.  The brigands are defeated by the Rangers of Willowdark working with local adventurers from the Elmrisen area, although Lycor escapes capture.
• An unknown liche opens a massive portal on the outskirts of Elmrisen to an unknown plane filled with phase spiders that can infect victims and transform them into phase driders. The portal is destroyed and the body of the lich is crumbled, although his spirit bottle is not found.

June 609

• A small company of bandits loyal to Lycor raid the Wayside Lodge area.  They feign defection to the Crown before they reveal their true colors.  When defeated, some of their number permanently dies, marking one of the larger substantial defeats of the bandits loyal to Lycor.
• A mysterious stone archway is unearthed several miles from Wayside Lodge.  The archway serves as a connection to a larger network of portals throughout Avalon, including the distant realm of Narignal.  The portal is determined to not be created by the same civilization that created the ruins found through the rest of Willowdark, and is suspected to be of very ancient Elven origin.  The method of reliably operating and controlling the portal is not discovered at the time, although a small number of monsters come through the portal.
• Ranger Captain Seth, a senior member of the Rangers of Willowdark, is discovered to have been transformed into a Wereboar by Tetherin before the Warlord’s demise.  Attempts to cure his lycanthropy using Archmage magic fail.  Ranger Captain Seth inflicts significant casualties before he is slain to save Wayside Lodge.

July 609

• The Lord Regent fights a duel to the death with Lycor at Elmrisen.  Lycor dishonorably taunts the Lord Regent to demoralize him, leading to the defeat of the Lord Regent.  It is believed at the time that the Lord Regent permanently died, as he failed to resurrect at an Earth Circle.  Without his leadership and with no clear heir, Willowdark teeters on the brink of collapse while the Council of Willowdark agrees to temporarily assume leadership until a rightful ruler is found.  The assembled Council members agree that none of them has a rightful claim to the throne. 

August 609

• It is discovered that the Lord Regents’ powerful ties to the spirits of the land meant that he was not completely beyond revival, as long as immediate action could be taken before Lycor could consume the Lord Regents spirit and assume his mantle of power.  A means to successfully resurrect him, albeit extremely difficult, was discovered.  The Lord Regent was successfully resurrected by the shore of Lake Bahb in Elmrisen during the midst of a raid by Lycor and his minions attempting to interrupt the resurrection.  Upon his resurrection, the Lord Regent rallies the people to drive off Lycor and inspires a new unity and hope among the people of Willowdark.