Karameikos - Vaults of Pandius
Karameikos - Vaults of Pandius
Karameikos - Vaults of Pandius
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The History <strong>of</strong> <strong>Karameikos</strong>Heroes had pushed a significant number <strong>of</strong>orcs into western <strong>Karameikos</strong>; many <strong>of</strong> them- like the Blackstone and the Jagged Clawtribes - settled in the Cruth Lowlands andpresented a serious problem for all thewestern Traladaran clans. Still another wave<strong>of</strong> invasions and raids descended on theTraladarans in BC 491; hordes <strong>of</strong> bugbears,goblins, hobgoblins, kobolds, orcs, andogres, fleeing the onslaught suffered againstthe dwarves in the Battle <strong>of</strong> Sardal Pass (BC492), poured from the north into Traladara.Some <strong>of</strong> their tribes, like the Greyslayers orcsand numerous ogre families, settled in theCruth Mountains and Lowlands area in BC491, while the rest staged a mass invasion <strong>of</strong>central Traladara the following year, againbringing death and destruction. Althoughthey were initially attacking without a plan,the humanoids found a new and fierceleader in Leptar 29 , a brutal hobgoblin chief;they accomplished much devastation, themost infamous <strong>of</strong> which was the destruction<strong>of</strong> the cities <strong>of</strong> Krakatos and Lavv, lastlegacies <strong>of</strong> the old Traldar civilization inthese lands. The humanoid invasion alsobrought about a devastating plague whichravaged the whole country. The Traladarans,now strengthened by the Vandar warriortradition, managed to hold <strong>of</strong>f thehumanoids; the hordes <strong>of</strong> Leptar weredefeated in BC 488 and his humanoid armysplintered into a number <strong>of</strong> small hordes,but the war against them continued up untilBC 480. At the end <strong>of</strong> the war, many bands <strong>of</strong>these creatures had settled in the southwesternwoods, in the Dymrak Forest, in themountains, and in the wilds <strong>of</strong> Traladara,where many <strong>of</strong> them still live today. Thearrival <strong>of</strong> the humanoids also hit the more29The mortal story <strong>of</strong> Leptar has been devised by Marco Dalmontein Hircismus (at The <strong>Vaults</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Pandius</strong>) and further linked withTraladaran history by G. Agosta in his A <strong>Karameikos</strong> Companion.sparsely populated and isolated Callariisettlements which dotted the woodlands;many wood elves decided to retreat to thesecure depths <strong>of</strong> the Radlebb Woods or tothe western reaches <strong>of</strong> the Dymrak Forest(the rest had fallen into the hand <strong>of</strong> goblintribes), consolidating their hold on themand abandoning almost all their outlyingsettlements.THE REBIRTH AND THECULTURAL UNIFICATIONThe end <strong>of</strong> the humanoid invasions alsomarked the beginning <strong>of</strong> the late Dark Ages<strong>of</strong> Traladara. The fall <strong>of</strong> the Nithian Empire(BC 500) and the disappearance <strong>of</strong> itsculture from the Known World had norelevant consequences for Traladara. Afterthe slow recovery begun in the 9 th centuryBC had been halted by the events <strong>of</strong> the 6 thand 5 th centuries BC, the population begangrowing again, starting from the 4 th centuryBC. Settlements which had been on theverge <strong>of</strong> collapse began a stable recovery,while new settlements were built andprospered in coastal and riverside areas.The political landscape became morestable, as the main settlements became theseat <strong>of</strong> small principalities called “banates”.Toward the end <strong>of</strong> the first millennium BC,Marilenev arose to become the major city <strong>of</strong>Traladara, followed by Halavos (built nearthe site <strong>of</strong> old Lavv), Lugsid (a settlementborn <strong>of</strong> the shore <strong>of</strong> Lake Windrush), andother towns 30 .30Lugsid is a canonic settlement found in the Hail the Heroesadventure. The names <strong>of</strong> most other settlements are borrowedfrom the fan works <strong>of</strong> G. Agosta (A <strong>Karameikos</strong> Companion andLords <strong>of</strong> the Cruth Lowlands), F. Defferrari (History <strong>of</strong>Traladara), J. Guerra (Traladaran Clans), and J. Mishler(Thoughts on Darokin).51THRESHOLD: The Mystara Magazine Issue #1