exceedingly rare for a young female noble to choose the harsh life in the training camps as opposed to the comforts of the Temple, and when it did come to pass, the female in question had a much tougher path ahead of her, as no one would teach her how to harness her powers, instead leaving her to learn by herself. These tulvaren women were dubbed Ivetis, and forced to live isolated and forgotten until they proved able to wield their power, thereby demonstrating that they had already developed some measure of military prowess. Only then could they access the training camps for archers, warriors, or knights.
After the King of Alceas and the High Priestess came the Supreme Necromancer, the Archons of the various Houses, and other nobles who were the Commanders of the Legions. The rest of the population was made up of resvas, or the commoners. They were the peasants, the craftspeople, and the merchants, and they, too, were trained in special military camps, forming the backbone of the army. The lowest caste constituted the uggars, or the slaves, which were tulvars quite different from the others. As this was a very rigid society, all those who showed unique characteristics at birth were locked up in what were called ranches. They were short in stature, puny with pinkish-pale skin; the normally red eyes of their race were rounder than usual, and completely black. Moreover, their foreheads were characterized by wrinkles. They were compelled to shave their hair and wear collars that underscored their condition. Raised as slaves, and indoctrinated into complete subjugation, they were given all the hardest tasks, and repaid only with scarce portions of food served in a large common dish on which they all threw themselves to snatch as much as possible. Obviously, mating between uggars was encouraged—their frequent deaths due to accidents, malnutrition and disease necessitated ever higher numbers of slaves.
The world the tulvars inhabited was arid and gloomy, and always under cloud cover. The few points of elevation had been eroded by the heavy sand-laden winds that, over thousands of years, shaped the mountains into spurs. The tulvars learned to live with the extreme climate of their world by building massive stone cities capable of withstanding sudden sandstorms, as well as the torrential rains, which washed over Alceas once per year for a whole week. They learned, too, how to take advantage of these rains by collecting the water in large tanks and using it in small doses to irrigate the fields. As the generations passed, they grew weary of needing to hunt for fresh meat, and managed to breed some animals suited for this purpose. Some of them, such as minor and major hedgots, also became valuable heavy forces in their army. Hedgots were a kind of lizard; the lesser ones were used for their leathery skin (which was a fundamental ingredient of excellent armor), and they also were employed as assault beasts during conflicts. The largest hedgots, much bigger and rarer, acted as mounts for the Commanders. Another species that was very significant was the harpy. Harpies were animals with four legs, similar to those of hawks—clawed, and as hairless as their heads. Their wings were equipped with sturdy feathers and their skeletally gaunt bodies were covered with bristly hair. Their beaks, reminiscent of eagles’, were curved, pointed, and hefty, and they were lined with small teeth. After the First Invasion, they also spread across Elantion. The prairie harpies were small in size, about as tall as a dwarf, while the mountain harpies were as big as horses and mounted as steeds, but they were later abandoned in favor of the hedgots because of their wild and untamable disposition.
The already considerable might of the tulvars was rendered even more formidable by the use of the crystals that they discovered in the subsoil Alceas, and watched over in countless mines. They came to know that if each of them carried a fragment with them, they could both bolster their physical capabilities and greatly enhance their magic. The mine tunnels were teeming with uggars that mined and transported heavy crates, always watched by strict guards armed with whips and rods.
The Priestesses were determined to find out how much power the crystals concealed. Soon, with their accumulation in the Temple on the Goddess’s Isle, the High Priestess noticed strange flashes that appeared on Th’ta’s grave and connected the three prongs of rock that marked it boundaries. She began to visit the place assiduously, and her Sight observed a luminous fissure floating in midair at the Grave’s exact center. Over time, more crystals were brought to the Temple, and the fissure expanded. When one of the seers apprised the High Priestess that the Veil had never been weaker, she once again took notice of the fissure, seeing a green plain on the other side, belonging to another world. The portal would allow them to avenge Th’ta’s death by conquering and pillaging. Thus began the preparations that led to the First Tulvaren Invasion of Elantion. Fortunately for the inhabitants of Elantion, elven magic was still so strong that the invaders were sent back to their world within a few hours. Th’ta’s wrath was irrepressible, and she conferred even more power upon her priestesses before she returned to her slumber.
A long time passed, during which the tulvars became increasingly powerful and resistant to elven magic. The Second Invasion’s impact on Elantion was devastating; the power of the High Priestess and the knowledge of the Necromancers opened secondary portals, one in the south of Vestur and two in Austur, which forced the elves, humans, and dwarves of all Elantion to unite against the invaders. They did unite, and after they neutralized the portals, only the cunning of the Monarchs of the time managed to close the main portal and defeat the invaders by means of a spell, driving the whole army back to Alceas. After the Second Invasion ended in yet another defeat, the Goddess chose a new High Priestess, consecrated via a spectacular and terrible ritual that made her much stronger than all her predecessors. Below is an excerpt from a manuscript which recounted the solemnity of the moment:
“…When the fissure closed, the Goddess’s Grave began to tremble. Never-before-seen symbols shone bright and red upon the three rocks, and the High Priestess came forward. When she crossed the edge of the grave, a spiral of black earth lifted her into the air, suspending her at the center of the three rocks amidst flashes of light all around. The Priestess passed out, and a violent wave of shadows came out of the Grave, entering her body. The priestess woke up, and her red eyes throbbed with a bright light, turning white and opaque. The same three symbols as on the rocks appeared on her back, enclosed in a cartouche. Her veins turned black. Her mind now swirled with the knowledge of all of Nemnairil. She gained untold power; no longer did she interpret the will of the Goddess. Instead, she was part Goddess herself, and represented her in all respects.”
From that point on, tulvaren society was transformed. The High Priestess crowned new Kings, and it was she who possessed the power to preside over all matters magical and spiritual.
I
Summer was at hand, bringing with it clear skies and the heat that had been yearned for all throughout the lengthy winter. The warm winds carried a thousand floral fragrances to every corner of Draelia, while the orchards of the Savorfruit Plains offered bountiful cherries and plums prime for the picking. The fields were plowed to be sown, and the wheat was growing hearty and strong, to reach full maturity at summer’s end, when it would be harvested.
The cattle were freed in their pastures, and in their daily lives; following a strangely cold spring, they were grazing with a vengeance. The woods and forests were filled with the cheerful chirping of birds, along with an abundance of rodents and other small creatures. In the highlands, ibexes and roe deer climbed up onto unbelievably precarious rocky walls in search of the tastiest sprout. Winter’s all too ample snowfall continued to adorn the tallest peaks, whipped by the winds that blew through the mountain valleys. These gales were still quite cold, owing precisely to that mantle of pure white.
Spur Valley, a mountain valley characteristic of the Rugged Range, was crossed by a stream, and by the road that followed the stream’s course. The spruce woods made the area a favorite destination of the lumberjacks residing in the villages scattered throughout the valley, as well as of those who hailed from nearby regions. The relatively light wood of those spruces dried easily, and released a great deal of heat when burned, making it ideal kindling for warming up houses.
At the bottom of the valley, the road that ran along the mountain wall forked, and that last tract led to a hidden plateau.
