Karameikos - Vaults of Pandius

Karameikos - The Hidden Yearsinherit land in Thyatis, Stefan married intothe prominent Traladaran family of Marilenevand set about restoring the ancestral estate.It was during the emperor’s first official visitto Specularum in 901 AC that Stefan wasformally invested as Duke of Marilenev,renewing a historic Traladaran fiefdom.According to Karameikos: Kingdom ofAdventure, Jan Vandevic, leader of a band ofmercenaries during the conquest, was alsorewarded for his loyal service to the Empirewith a fief.Duke Stefan controlled a strong militarypresence and constantly sought to expand histerritory. Soon after consolidating his holdon the Duchy of Marilenev, a ColonelRosentos was sent to explore and lay claim tothe unknown lands to the west, as describedin AC2: The Treasure of the Hideous One.Only a single soldier, Captain Fondalus,returned from this expedition, laterrecounting his tale of the doomed mission toa Thyatian scribe. Meanwhile, the provincialgovernor of Traladara oversaw constructionof the fortress of Krakatos to the north ofSpecularum as a bulwark against invasionfrom the humanoid tribes who wererumoured to dwell within the interior.The Duchy of Marilenev soon had cause forcelebration, with the birth to the Duke andhis wife of a son. However, back in the Duchyof Machetos, Stefan’s older brother diedsuddenly, and his fief passed to a daughter.Her lands did not remain as a dowry for long,and she was soon married to a scion of theKorrigan family. Then, for reasons thatremain unclear, Stefan chose to abdicate in931 AC. He retired to a monastic community,earning him the epithet of Duke Stefan "theHermit". Fortunately, his son Boris was wellregarded, and his claim to the Duchy wassoon approved by the Thyatian Emperor.DUKE BORISKARAMEIKOS AND THEHOUSE OF VONHENDRIKSDuke Boris increased ties with Thyatis byarranging for a strategic marriage withAmelia von Hendriks of Hattias. Thistriggered a new wave of Thyatian immigrantsto the Traladara region, most notably fromHattias but also from throughout theEmpire. One of Amelia’s relatives wasgranted the fief of Halag to the west, andbegan constructing a fortress to safeguardthe populace. Others, such as members ofthe prominent Rodemus family of ThyatisCity, settled in and around the town of Luln.Boris and Amelia had two sons, namingthem Stefan and Victor. The boys grew upspeaking both Traladaran and Thyatian, andwere equally at ease in both cultures. Theywere weaned on Traladaran folk tales bytheir grandmother, but were also educatedby the finest tutors from the Thyatian capital.Both underwent the Traladaran custom ofshearing, which greatly contributed topopularizing its uptake among the earlyThyatian settlers.Stefan, the eldest, was widely anticipated tobecome Duke after his father , and spent hisyouth adventuring throughout theuncharted wilderness of Traladara. That hecould pass as a native Traladaran allowedhim to gain a familiarity with the commonfolk, and he often traveled between remotevillages and homesteads, becoming afamous and much-loved adventurer.71THRESHOLD: The Mystara Magazine Issue #1