Early History of Visimontium

A standalone, 8-volume ATU commemorative edition of Sage Miriel's Recent History of Visimontium, originally introduced in the city guide. Published in 2250 AAoP.

Vol. 1 THE FIRST DECADE

 "Much as I like having a group of folk named after me, it was never my intention. If anything we're Melonius's Mercs!
  It's just the way it happened that my name got used for the group, and it sort of stuck!"
 --Leopold Phefefhur, leader of Leo's Mercenary Group, 1st General Marshal of the Visimontium Sentinels

This volume spans the events following the Migration to Visimontium of 2150.

Finishing of the Building Works

(2150 - 2156)

By the time the migrants from M'Chek arrived in Visimontium, the east wing of the City (Trust, Academy and Temple districts) was still being built. The City consisted mainly of underground settlements, with few surface homes made of wood. In 2153, the City finally woke up in silence: The blasting and hammering of the gnomes in the east side had ceased. The work was finally finished. In time, the remaining portion of Visimontium was reworked to hold proud buildings of stone, paved streets, strong walls. By the end of 2156, this work too was completed.

Proclamation of Geritri Forest as a Nature Reserve

(2152)

The Geritri Forest, home for many rare animals and plant life, drew druids seeking to tend to the forest and adventurers seeking to challenge its inhabitants. As a result, the druids started treating with hostility anyone who would venture in the forest. The druidess Naer'maril is remembered as one violent defender of the Geritri Forest. In counterbalance, Belevren of Gorethar sought for a legal compromise on the statute of the forest.

"Geritri Forest is considered a nature reserve. Hunting animals or Treants there is forbidden. It is each visitor's responsibility to make sure they do not disturb the animals living there. Capture for profit or killing of animals will result in a fine or worse punishment depending on how severe is the action. Construction of buildings or housing will not be allowed in Geritri Forest." --Aerill Ailpera, 1st Speaker of the Visimontium City Council

Heatwave reaches Visimontium

(2152 - 2156)

The heat to sweep through Southern Negaria in the early 2150s did not miss Visimontium. For several years it lingered over the City, causing dangerous steam elementals to rise from the great valley lakes and numerous streams.

A Year of Mysteries

(2155)

Visimontium is a City of Magic, and this has many effects in everyday life. Flowers would sprout out of a seed within minutes, scarecrows will start walking. This first recorded in the autumn Harvest Festival of 2155, when the scarecrows did not limit themselves to simply walking around but also attacked farmhands. Another memorable occasion of the same year was the grievous end of a wedding anniversary. Morran Unuldur and Dame Grace Dane-Unuldur of M'Chek had received a small ship as a gift from their Kurathene friend, Lord Ayren Milen. As the couple ventured to the misty centre of the Lake Crescetoria, a storm rose and shattered the lovely "Trenium" vessel to pieces. The crew barely survived and the the story lived on, retold by Trinash, resident bard of The Plough & Scythe.

Drangonari Siege

(2155-2158)

The Beginning

The spring of 2154 brought small groups of Drangonari attacking the City outskirts. Little did the Visimontium residents know, that these were the first drops of a forthcoming flood.

The Drangonari arrived in greater numbers, attacking the City in groups of near half a thousand at a time. They had set camp in the surrounding mountains, under Psionic concealment. The Grantir government denied any relation to the situation. For the longest time, all that the City could do was to defend itself when attacked.

Behind the Scenes

In time, some realized that the threat came not only from Angadar's children, the Drangonari, but also from Angadar himself. Perhaps, Angadar saw Andrinor as a rival, after Andrinor outsmarted him to became the god of mortal magic on Avlis. The investigation by Andrinor's Trust against the Web of Angadar's faithful could perhaps fill a separate tome. Such may someday be written, should either side choose to reveal what now is considered confidential information. During the conflict, one of the moves of Angadar was to limit the ability of Andrinor's magi to scribe spells onto scrolls. In response, Andrinor Empowered all spells cast by His magi in His City. (These restrictions are non-existent at present).

Troublesome Years

The City of Visimontium suffered much, giving many victims. The Drangonari were not the only attackers. The frost giants and bugbears living on the slopes of Mount Crest made use of the exhausted City defenses and organised raids down the valley. Still, most of the damage was dealt by the Drangonari. The eastern outskirts of the City (Eastern Wastes) became a wild magic zone as a result of their purposed rituals. From 2156 till the end of the struggle, the Ashen Order joined the Visimontium Sentinels in the City defenses. Following the reformation of the Gold Order, in 2157 a large group of orc magi also came to the defense. The remainder Orders of the Trust soon followed suit.

First Great Victory

By midwinter of 2156, Ialath Fentellon of the Ashen Order summoned the aid of a young Psion. That was Arania Moonshadow, head of the Academy of Bardic Arts. Arania revealed a large Drangonari camp hidden in the sewers near Lake Coldshadow, under the Northern Residential district. A large group of Sentinels, Ashen and Blue magi, joined by the 5th Ebony Archmage Micah Ormane, swept down to destroy the Drangonari base. The sewers were much damaged in the course of battle, to the point where this sector had to be reconstructed entirely.

The Last Battle & Negotiations with Grantir

After numerous pleas by the City Council and demands by Andrinor's Trust, a group of Grantir's officials arrived in Visimontium in the summer of 2518. The group was presided by Ambassador Pluvier Preaan. The day before their arrival was probably the darkest in the history of Andrinor's Holy City by then. The rogue Drangonari made a final onslaught, backed by members of the Web of Angadar. At the end of the attack, the City was in ruins. The Drangonari attackers, in turn, were nearly exterminated by the joint effort of Sentinels and the Trust magi who'd arrived to meet the Grantir delegation. Bridges were burning, houses were brought down, the City wall near the Western Passage Gate was completely destroyed. (I might be missing some details, seeing as I was buried under that wall. --Sage Miriel)

Some excerpts from the meeting with the Grantir Delegation are available to public. One is the revelation that a number of faithful of Andrinor and Angadar had dreams, in which both gods proclaimed peace with each other. The Drangonari who attacked Visimontium appeared to have been tricked into doing so by Drotid agents. After this was brought to light, the meeting attendees agreed that peace was needed not only in-between the gods, but also among their followers. Even so, a number of the Web's members were announced wanted for crimes against Visimontium.

 "The Wall Fell. The City Stood."
 --Memorial of the Western Passage Battle

The Visimontium Lifestone Uncovered

(2159)

"Long ago, a druid sorceress by the name of Sinaata lived in the forests of T'Nanshi. There she was a friend of many of the forest creatures, and well known to those whose hearts walked with Dru'El. After a time, she ventured North. Very little is known of how she lived out her days in the North, except that she was a mystic and could foresee the future. In her time, I believe she tended the Lifestone, deep below lake Crescetoria. However, at some point the stone was entombed and its force diverted. Sinaata in her wisdom foresaw a day when the stone would be reinvigorated, and used her druidic and arcane talent to guide and aid those in the future who would seek the Stone's revival." --Tralil Breck, 2nd Archmage of the reformed Ivory Order

Through dreams and visions, Sinaata guided a group of mages and druids of present times, to uncover the Lifestone and put it back into activity. This brought a much needed flow of vital energy to the valley, in the years after the Drangonari siege. Rumour has it, the High Mage Council Moderator, Miette Hartley, carries Sinaata's memory.

Vol. 2 THE SECOND DECADE

 "We all change with time, just make your choices wisely. You will regret some in the future, but you cannot change them.
  Some things are hard to learn except by making a mistake, but it is better to avoid the worst mistakes if you can."
 --Fealith Anifail, 2nd General Marshal of the Visimontium Sentinels

Reconstruction

(2160 - 2166)

In the aftermath of the Drangonari siege, many Visimontium residents were in need of food, clothing and a roof above their head. Cloth was donated by the Warrior Maidens of Dre'Ana and the faithful of Dra'Nar. The church of Visimontium hosted a kitchen for the poor, and the Healers of Cha'reth became a frequent sight in town. The City also required wood material. A great lot of it arrived from the AAAA, the ACE and the AKN. The building works were concluded over the course of a few summers. The rare plant gardens, however, took much longer to revive. Rika Vandor of Cha'reth and Archmage Namlig Sirhc of the Green Order took great effort to replant what was lost.

Rise of the Trolls of Kazan

(2160 - 2164)

"For a long time, this City has suffered from the attentions of the foul creature known as Kazan. This Troll, was a shaman of enormous power, with a particular gift for controlling the beings of the elemental planes. He was able to unite many of the troll clans from the mountains under his leadership. Together they raided the lands of Visimontium and took the lives of too many of our citizens and the Sentinels who protected them. Some died under the claws of trolls, while others were sacrificed in unspeakable rituals to further Kazan's powers. Kazan himself was not to be seen in the fighting, which he left to his minions." --Visimontium Sentinels, Public Announcement

The Sentinels finally managed to deal with Kazan, thanks to Senior Mage Ialath Fentellon and Archmage Robert Wallace of the Ashen Order. The two opened a portal and lured Kazan out the Demiplane he was hiding in. While attacks from goblins, trolls and giantkin were not uncommon for Visimontium, none had been so well organised. Kazan's powers also caused the eruption of Mount Crest in 2162. What could bring such an extraordinary influx of power to such a creature? The answer will come in time.

Curse lifted from the Treants of Gertitri Forest

(2163)

A curse long lingered at the depths of the Geritri Forest, causing the ancient Treants to attack without thought. The curse was lifted by followers of Dru'El, assisted by Archmage Fergus Goodmane of the White Order.

Reign of the Goblin King Ip

(2166 - 2170)

This incidence was reported by the Fauna and Flora Group, led by Robert Wallace. Following a Sentinel patrol, the group climbed Coldshadow Ridge only to face a group of snow goblins locked in a fight: The goblin king Ep was outsted by the goblin king Ip. The new goblin king appeared reasonable at first, concerned mainly with the well-being of his people, who held the caverns of Mt. Crescetoria.

Not long after this curious incident, a series of break-ins were reported, all of them involving snow goblins. Fear overtook the common people of Visimontium. A messenger of Ip soon appeared, announcing that the goblin king was annexing the City. A run-away goblin delivered a horrifying truth to the Sentinels: The goblin king Ip acted as if possessed by a great power, his mind lost to reason. Ip could teleport his minions at will, and kill them at will from a distance.

By the end of the year, the Sentinels arranged for dimensional seal of the Garrison and turned defense to full scale offence. The goblins had created golems similar to those patrolling Visimontium as a part of the City guard. To set these golems to motion, they used their living comrades, maddening them in the process. Still the Visimontium resistance battled the goblins to the bottom of their caverns, only to meet an impenetrable wall of ice. The wall was blocking the way to the Firefly Valley, where the Temple of Ra-Ghul stood. Thus the goblins were no longer a problem of Andrinor's Holy City alone, but also of the Fury of Ra-Ghul.

Imprisonment of the Ancient Evil Behind Kazan And Ip

(2170)

There had to be a greater force behind beings like the troll Kazan and the goblin Ip. General Marshal Anifail's guess was confirmed, after he sought the Geritri Treants for their wisdom and they in turn called forth an ancient being. The being presented itself in the form of a dragon, under the name Kalseru. Kalseru explained that Kazan and Ip were merely puppets for an old enemy of his. Kalseru instructed the City defenders to gather materials, amongst them Ip's heart, for a ritual to expel his old enemy. This was achieved through the joint effort of the Visimontium Sentinels, the Fury of Ra-Ghul, the Ashen Order, Vana the Blue and allies.

Kalseru built a prison for his old enemy atop Mountain Crescetoria. Once captured on the Prime Material Plane, the foe could be destroyed. The mortal group witnessed the summoning of the ancient evil from the Elemental Plane of Fire and saw it fall, its essence imprisoned on the mountain peak. Alas, as future records would attest, it was not for long.

Trial for Crimes Against the City: The Web of Angadar

(2166 - 2168)

A few members of the Web of Angadar involved in the Drangonari siege appeared before justice during this period.

"Kisri Aedia, who renounced Angadar, was found guilty of murder and treason and sentenced to labour work. A few years later Krator Blackfist, who too forswore his faith, was found guilty of the same. He was sentenced to labour work and a fine of 500 gold crowns. Fraudoc Loclac, whose trial was conducted at the same time was found to be insane. Unable to answer for his actions, he was neutralized by being turned into a rodent." --Visimontium City Council, Public Announcement