Arylon Family/Gheric/Travels

From Eidulb to Darfix

Roleplay from Gheric Arylon

Aboard the Emerald King, personal ship of Duke Gheric Arylon, in the far north sea sailing west --- A cool breeze kissed Gheric's face as his ship sailed through the relatively calm waters of the Zenith Coast as the sun began to set. In the distance, he was able to make out an emerald green flag flying above a building in a fishing village on the coast of Zareth. There were many such settlements on the coast of both Ygg d'Razhuul and Zareth, and Gheric had memorized them all after serving such a long time as High King. This village was known to the locals as Winterport, owing to its cold temperature and importance as a trading hub in the local economy. Not a large village by any stretch of the imagination, but an important one, and full of a hearty and decent people. These were still Westardian subjects, of course, but the people of these outlining territories are still to this day known as Valkyrjans, owing to their great concentration around the stronghold of the same name to the east and surrounding territories. These people are accomplished sailors and boatmen. Through centuries of innovation in shipbuilding, the northern people have managed to build advanced vessels that can travel farther, faster and with larger cargo loads than any others in Dwilight. They had come to adopt the common tongue spoken by the Kingdom of Westgard, but their native language of Kyrjan -- an elegant sounding, smooth language -- is still the first language of most families, and the language of commerce in the north. Gheric had learned it with great difficulty as a boy. Long ago, before he was born, Gheric's father Fisc had conquered these people and united them under the banner of the now fallen Kingdom of Everguard. When that happened, the local title of Alaja Imjra, used for the King of the Valkyrjans, was taken up by Fisc as one of his stylings. Indeed, it was in the uniting of several peoples -- the Valkyrjans, the Gelen, the Aquiteurs, the Delesians of the south in what is today his Duchy surrounding Eidulb, and the Eddo of the Holy Island -- that the term "High King" originated. But in just a short time, Gheric's ship would be well past Winterport, and the borders of Westgard. Soon he would sail by Jorradith Bay, which caused a sense of sorrow to fill Gheric. For those were a people who just a month and a half ago were Westgardian subjects, protected by the High King as part of the great western defensive wall. They had since fallen to the plague of beasts that roamed the west with increased ferocity, and now they were alone in the wilderness, unprotected by the Shield of Humanity. He had been so prideful, so certain of Westgard's eternal domination of the west that it was a particularly acute pain to think about how he had failed these people. He had vowed to protect every Westgardian citizen, and never allow them to suffer without aid, and yet now they stood undefended, because he could not hold his Kingdom together enough to do so. Yes, there was internal division that came from a seditious group of malcontents, but in retrospect, was that not a reflection of his own failure in some way? Should he have conducted himself different? After wearing the Emerald Crown for so long, and doing so successfully while seeing the Kingdom rise to its greatest and most stable size, was it not incumbent upon him to ensure that legacy persisted well beyond him? He had been haunted by thoughts like this in days of late. The only saving grace, he supposed, was the fact that the crown now lay in the hands of his wife, Alessia. She was smarter than he was, more cunning, and more ruthless. She deserved the title of High Queen more than he deserved the title, and she would see to the restoration of Gheric's dream. His belief in that truth is the only reason he felt comfortable leaving the realm to tour the continent. Westgard was in good hands, and it no longer needed him. It would not be long now -- maybe a day, maybe two -- before Gheric arrived in the Dancing Tides of the far west, and set port in the great city of Darfix. Outside his work to see to the glory of Westgard, restoring human civilization to Dwilight's greatest city was the thing Gheric had cared the most about. It was the thing that filled him with the most pride, too, because it had the potential for such profound change on the continent, and would do so much for human civilization. Once he arrived, he was set to meet with High King Cregan Starck, an old friend of long standing. They would feast, celebrate, tell stories, and Gheric would begin his mission to see all he could see, and learn all he could learn of this treacherous continent he called home.

Gheric Arylon

The Lands of Avenor

My great journey across the landmass of Dwilight began in Darfix, in the realm of Avenor.