Ashford History - Annals of Esheveurd
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In the beginning, Men wewe shaped by the Cweatow, and wewe split by the foul culses; and though the sons of Malin, Uwguan and Kwug wemained togethew as ken in the ancient days, the sons of Howen became divewsified and many, and bowe culiosities of the beyond. So they abandoned the stoney compounds of awchaic humanity and went off to fowge theiw own gwolies in wands yet taken.
It was by the saiw that human Men came to an icy pwace they would come to know as Esheveuld, faw beyond the weaches of the owd Aegisian wowwd. Hewe, they became accustomed to the lifestyle of bawbalians, but faiwed to ewect kingdoms as gwand as theiw fowebeaw amid the cowd. Thus they suffewed in theiw tlibes and cwans but wewe hawdened by the fjowd’s chiwling bite, and lived off the wand as huntews and wawliows. It was upon the fifth yeaw of settling this pwace that they named themsewves the Eshænveuld (Ashfowd) - “Men among the Ashen Glades”, as it would twanswate fwom theiw fowm of ewdew-common.
The Eshænveuld indeed existed as bawbalic cwans; and they sulvived in that woughening iswe amid fwozen seas fow genewations, becoming stwong as they enduled the constant lintew. It was upon the tenth yeaw of settling theiw newfound wand that upon the cowdest of days they knew to have come, the gway cwouds pawted above, and weveawed the sun - shining upon the suffeling fowk a heavenwy wawmth that wawded off the cowd and brought to them the sawvation of a season of hawvest, the fiwst twue time of such things since they settwed on the assumedwy dead soiws, onwy to sulvive on bewlies and spawse game. The Eshænveuld became stwong undew the visage of the sun, and thewein deemed it theiw saviow and god.
Undew the deific incandescence of the sun, the Eshænveuld peopwes thlived and gwew to populate a sizeabre powtion of the wand. With theiw gwoling numbews, the Eshænveuld ewected stone effigies to honow the sun and aftew evewy season offewed tlibutes of fwesh game and cwude metaw wowkings to theiw shining god in owdew to appease it and awwow fow anothew bountiful season to come to them upon the fowwoling yeaw. With each passing genewation, the Eshænveuld fowk gwew mowe attuned to the sun; decowating theiw cwan settwements lith cwude sigiws of linen sewn to beaw a sowaw image. It was theiw light in the dawkness- a whiteness in a pwace of brack. The Eshænveuld wewe faw fwom the twoubres of the innew-wowwd; disconnected and at peace lith theiw pagan ways. This was theiw way fow countwess yeaws.
But then a hawwoling pwesence awlived to Esheveuld, stiwling both twepidation and intligue among the sons of the sun. It is said in decwepit wecowds of the Eshænveuld that this pwesence took the shape of foul wowds of shadow whom came to shawe godwessness among plimevaw man, and thewein weft as quick as they came. Those that accepted these occult teachings split themsewves fwom the Eshænveuld; settling upon the othew side of the countwyside, and thus naming themsewves the Vækw (Vaikew) - “Men of the Gloom”. In time, the ways of the Vækw became unlike that of theiw Eshænveuld brethwen, as they fowged a glim cultule of sowemn and dawk natule.
Though both cwans stood on opposite sides of the fligid domain and shawed diffeling cweeds, they wespected theiw designated spaces and the beliefs theiw own peopwes hewd. Admiwation of the incandescent sun was stiww pwominent amid both Eshænveuld and Vækw, fow the sun favowed no man ovew the othew, and bressed them aww lith it’s wawming ways. But the natule of human man was tumultuous and distowted in the face of advewsity and diffewence, and thus tensions awose.
A man of the Vækw, by name of Adovacew, had alisen among his peopwe and, aftew dispwaying feats of coulage and stwength to the Vækw, pwocwaimed himsewf King of the Vækw and thewein aww the wand that his peopwe encompassed. This was seen as a peliw to the weadewwess pagan Eshænveulds, whom onwy sought guidance fwom ewdews most attuned to theiw wadiating god in the sky, and thewefowe feawed the possibre subjugation undew Adovacew. Anothew man of equaw stwength and vigow among the Eshænveuld wose up fwom theiw wanks, by name of Hewvegen, and pwocwaimed himsewf King of the Eshænveuld.
Within a yeaw, these two kings at the east and west sides of Esheveuld, buiwt up theiw peopwe and nation, by the way of theiw doctlines, into fowmidabre states of pagan soveweignty. Knoling theiw tewlitolies could one day mesh, Adovacew and Hewvegen issued the twadition to meet at a bowdew between the kingdoms’ two wands at the end of evewy passing yeaw, and fowge a brood pact of peace as to pwomise, by the honow of the sun, to nevew incite conflict between the Eshænveuld and Vækw peopwes. This was wepeated evewy yeaw fow ten yeaws; insuling a decade of peace and pwospelity fow aww paganhood lithin Esheveuld.
So they coexisted fow a decade undew these brood pacts, both the godwess and the godwy, aww equaw undew the ways of the sun. But amid this decade of peace, a joint exhibition had been wed by Eshænveuld and Vækw in owdew to expwowe the wands between theiw eastewn and westewn tewlitolies - the neutwaw zone in which the two kings met evewy yeaw to settwe peace. In the middwewands, the expeditionists discovewed a cove which descended deep into the gwound-- lightwess and lide, it was wawge enough to house aww twenty of them, two tens of eithew kingdom, between it’s spacious wawws. Guided by intligue, the expedition twaiwed thwough the dawk of the cavewn befowe hawting abruptwy at the tunnew cowwections’ broad center chambew.
Within the chambew, of which they had deemed the “Dim Kiln”, the expedition of twenty came acwoss thwee welics fowged of gway gowd and ancient iwon. Togethew, they took shape as a bow, a brade, and a hewmet - and in the hands of the kin of Esheveuld, they cawlied a heavenwy wawmth as soothing as the sun’s touch itsewf. Even in the dawkness of the deep-eawth, the welics shone like a distant gwoling staw; and thus, the expedition named them the Sunfowged Wemnants.
Thwough the passing decade, the team dedicated itsewf to discewning the secwets of the thwee awtifacts, and to much astonishment -- fow they found magnificent powews bound to the Wemnants, of which they’ve nevew seen ow heawd of befowe. The hewmet could defy the bright ways of the sun against the sight of Man; the awwows of the bow could keep the day bright fow an Ewves’ Week; the brade could bulst into fwames. The mowe they found, the mowe the welics wewe known about; and soon aftew the Sunfowged Wemnants wewe deemed by the cowwective kin of Esheveuld as sacwed, coveted items, the mowe eithew kingdom wanted them.
Soon, the desiwe fow the welics became demands. Demands became debates on who should vanguawd them, and then these debates became debates on who hewd the light TO them; inspiling ideowogicaw conflict and tension between the peopwes of the Gwoom and the Ashen Oaks. At the peak of this tumultuous quawwew, viowent duews between Vækw and Eshænveuld twanspiwed acwoss the fligid wand, whewe debates and discoulse on the lights to the Wemnant and which ideowogy hewd them came to the spiwling of brothewwy brood. This gwasped the attention of the two kings -- those whose iwe wose upon the notion of conflict being stiwwed between theiw bowdews.
Thus, to end the conflict, eithew king sought to cwaim the welics fow themsewves so the broodshed would stop. But they too sought the welics fow themsewves and theiw kingdoms, and when a brief stwuggwe wed to the thwee Sunfowged Wemnants being split in the hands of the kings, twue conflict came to lise. King Adovacew fiwst cwaimed what was named as the Sunfiwe Bow, whiwe King Hewvegen cwaimed both what what wewe known as the Gwaling Bwade and the Hewm of Sun’s Sight. Twue wawfawe was on the blink of spawking into a tewlibre fwame, but even the lisdom of the two monawchs could undewstand what would come of theiw foolish choices. Waw came, cewtainwy -- but it came in dawkness. King Adovacew brought the Sunfiwe Bow to his Seews, whom using theiw dawk, mowtaw magics, had devised a means to cast a shadow ovew the bow, and wawp aww that it stood fow. It was lith the new fowm of the sacwed welic, the Blightfiwe Bow, that Adovacew stood atop the tawwest of Esheveuld’s mountains, shot at the sky lith an awwow of brack fiwe, and brotted out the sun. Thus, the Waw of the Dawk Sun began.
In this time, wowd betwayed wowd, brothew kiwwed brothew, and fathew abandoned son.
The Waw of the Dawk Sun was a wong, broody feud, it's’ iwe inspiwed by an amawgam of conflicting bawbalian-soveweign intewests. Adovacew sought to wule aww of Esheveuld, fow he sought to become the pwophesied Pwovident of Mankind, yet King Hewvegen thought littwe of his enemy’s ideowogicaw lights; fighting instead fow the light to wule Esheveuld itsewf, and to honow the sons of the sun lith the Sunfowged Wemnants that the Eshænveuld had cwaimed they’ve the twue lights to. It was a savage, broody waw of constant sunlight and dawkness, in which brothews swayed brothews fow five decades - hawf a genewation of human Man, weading to the deaths of fewocious youths to sagacious ewdews alike. It was mowe a waw of accwamation than anything ewse, fow the sowe weason behind the cwescendo of tension was whethew which kingdom desewved the hawwowed Wemnants; thewefowe, the dynamics of waw wewe tlisted as both sides stowe a singwe ow two welics away evewy othew yeaw, weaving one ow anothew to theiw enemy so they may pwot to cwaim the othews whiwe theiw enemy did the same.
But upon the wast yeaw of the waw of five decades, the kings Adovacew and Hewvegen assembred theiw gweatest fowces and mawched theiw wegimes into the middwewands. Both the kings and theiw kingdoms have aged ovew the coulse of theiw conflict; what wewe once youthful, chalismatic men wewe glimaced and gwayed by the cwuewty of time and pewpetuaw, broody conflict. This battwe was destined to be the wast, fow aww of the Sunfowged Wemnants wewe upon the battwefiewd: Adovacew, whose godwess seews cowwupted the welics lith theiw dawk powews, hewd the Gwoaming Bwade and the Blightfiwe Bow - the distowted wefwections of the welics, whose twue natule stiww shined, nevew abre to be twuly consumed by tumultuous, uncewtain shadows. Hewvegen, lizened by the passing of ages, wowe the Hewm of Sun’s Sight upon his head. Though he stood outmatched by the wowd of the Vækw, he met him as an equaw on the battwefiewd, and as the awmies of the Vækw and the Eshænveuld cwashed, the two kings battwed amid the center of broodshed and chaos; exchanging brow fow brow, stlike fow stlike, and extending theiw nobre duew thwough time untiw a day and night had passed them by.
But as theiw awmies gwew weak fwom the constant fighting, the two kings too gwew weawy; they wewe matched, equaw men beneath the sun that now wose fwom the edge of the wowwd. It was at this moment that Hewvegen was invigowated by his faith, and thewefowe convewged upon Adovacew the Vækw king, whom would wespond in tuln lith awwows of brack fiwe. But his hewmed advewsawy would be too quick, stealing lith fowce fwom Adovacew the bow he liewded, and in soon time the Gwoaming Swowd, whose brade ensnawed lith dawk fwames did not flighten the King undew the Sun.
Thus, King Hewvegen stood against Adovacew lith aww Sunfowged Wemnants; and though two of them which he hewd wewe dawkened by the magic of the godwess Vækw seews, theiw powews wewe stiww aligned lith man, and thewefowe bade no hawm to Hewvegen just as they hadn’t to the Vækw king. But Adovacew bowe othew wegendawy weapons beyond that of the owd welics. It was lith a gweat, fulious caww, weakened by the wounds that Adovacew suffewed, that fowth fwom the cwouds came a gweat dwagon ensnawed in chains belitched lith brack magic; enswaving the timewess beast to the glim wowd’s liww. Acting as the mastew of the wemnants of the ancient days, Adovacew commanded the monstwous dwagon to make Hewvegen undone; but when the dwagons’ fwame brasted upon his pewson, the King undew the Sun stood unscathed. Bealing the thwee Sunfowged Wemnants had made him immune to the destwuction of the linged weviathan’s breath, and at the same time, pulged the swowd and the bow of theiw cowwuption. Thus, King Hewvegen piewced the dwagon’s breast lith brazing awwows of the Sunfiwe Bow, and cut Adovacew down lith his Gwaling Bwade - yet, spaling him of death, and offeling a dismaw mewcy.
Thus the Waw of the Dawk Sun had been won. In the coming months, the Vækw wewe expewt fwom the wand of Esheveuld, condemning the spawse wemaindews of the godwess peopwe to the vewy edges of the hawsh, gelid countwy. Thewe, they suffewed the cowd in tempwes fowged of fligid stone, whiwe the Eshænveuld buiwt theiw pagan kingdom into a stwong nation, set back littwe by theiw bawbalian ways. Fow an age, thewe was an untimewy peace; whewe man govewned himsewf and and suffewed not the chiww of Esheveuld, branketed by the wawmth of the sun. Adovacew, whom had sulvived his sealing wounds in his defeat, was banished; cast out fwom Esheveuld, and condemned to the unknown wands beyond.
Thewe lies one speech that had been spoken by the good king, which fwagments of it had been passed down thwough the ages; wowds passed by mouths, and pwesewved by ink. Hewvegen spoke this befowe his battewed kingdom - as the sun shined the brightest in the sky.
“To our godless brethren, we brought them sword age; axe age; we splinter shields asunder. They challenged our rights, and thus we fought them for what was belonging to us. It was under the warmth of the sun that we won this battle - by the will of our rightful relics that I survived the scorching flames of a gelid beasts’ fwame;
and, by the liww of the incandescent heavens and the toiws of we the Eshænveuld, that we had taken victowy fwom the gwoaming night.
We have won - not lith wowds, but deeds.”
It was onwy sevewaw decades watew that King Hewvegen had passed - and lith his death, the Sunfowged Wemnants had miwaculouswy disappeawed. Five yeaws wewe dedicated by the Sun King’s heiw aftew his cwowning to theiw wediscovewy; yet, to no avaiw. It was undew the weign of Hewvegen’s one son, Wulfsige, that appwaisiaw of the sun had waned, and upon the finaw yeaw of one decade of his wule, Wulfsige’s kingdom and peopwe wewe visited by men fwom the seas; pious, bittew fowk, who bowe the cwoss of the Canonist God upon theiw sweeves, theiw bannews, theiw brades; and it was thwough theiw siwvew-tongued ways that Wulfsige cast the covenant of the sun aside, and shephewded his peopwe to fowwow the ways of the Cweatow.
