The Birth of Lyonesse
The early Lyonas were one of many savage, desperate human tribes of Arcana. They
were hemmed in by their rivals the Mersons, the Erthalmen, and the powerful Galts.
Their numbers were continually culled by raids from the other tribesmen or the Elf-lords,
when the mood struck them. Such hardships forged the Lyonas into a hard, vengeful
people who celebrated their greatest warriors as lovers of war, fearless and bloody
slayers of foeman and beast alike. Some ancient Lyonas warlords such as Lydvic Cruel
Hammer, Dennin Axe-born and Tromin Sure-Blade even had the courage to raid the lands
governed by the Elves.
The Lyonas profited greatly from the Elven civil war. The lords of the Lyonas grew
rich and battle-hardy, fighting at times for the Eldraani, or Dark Elves, and at
other times for the Tothrien or High Elves as they are known today. Regardless of
the faction they chose to support, each Lyonas warlord had loyalty only to his own
people and his own power. As the Elf lords began to lose their grip on their lands,
they allowed the Lyonas warlords to keep it as payment for military service. The
warlords in turn divided their new territory among their warriors so that each might
settle his people on it. The warriors in return pledged a life-long debt of fealty
to their lord. To the Lyonas, who measured wealth in horses, these green, flat pastures
were priceless. As their horses flourished, so did their mounted warriors, the knights.
Even today, the knight of Lyonesse is the standard against whom the prowess of all
other cavalrymen is measured; even the Elven nobility.
Though there was certainly no clear victor in the Elven war, in the lands surrounding
the Lyonas, the cities aligned to the High Elf cause had defeated their rivals.
The High Elves, in gratitude to the part played by the warriors of Lyonas, granted
the Dwarf-wrought Silver Keep to Duke Aldred the Lichslayer, foremost of the Lyonas
Barons. The Elf-maid Quenithel placed the Victor's Crown on his head, and named
him Andred, First King of Lyonesse. Perhaps the High Elves thought they had bought
themselves an ally, a bulwark against the wild lands beyond Lyonesse and a strong
arm to shield them from Eldraani vengeance. If so, they showed little understanding
of men. Even in his own reign Aldred was brought to war to keep his claim, by his
cousin Canadric who "would swear no loyalty to an Elf's puppet". The new king's
justice was swift and terrible. Within the year it was Canadric who hung from a
string, and the Aldrian kingdom of Lyonesse had taken root.
The Conquest >>>