New Aftershocks from the Stillness Wars
By Toodla Oblodt, Naldrin City News
Naldrin City, Kalkix 37, SP~5,017
The Stillness Wars between the Quay Empire and their allies1 against the Undead ended in SP~4,998, almost two decades ago. However, the aftershocks reverberate throughout the continent to this day. Recent information reveals three ghastly events (details below) that warrant the attention of the citizens of this city and all good people throughout Tamarra.
The Stillness Wars began in SP~4,981, when Qua Am Man2, the Emperor of Quay, battled a cohort of undead near his capital city of Qua Enna on the western coast of Tamarra. At that time the Quay Empire reached all the way from the western to the eastern shores of the continent, dividing our Continent quite neatly into two more or less equal halves. The Quay Empire was quite powerful at the time and controlled the bulk of trade between the northern kingdoms and those in the south.
By the end of the war the undead were defeated, and were confined to areas called the “Quiets.” However, the war extracted an enormous toll on the Quay Empire in terms of lives lost, and on cities and towns permanently saturated with the stillness energy of the Undead. The damage to the Quay Empire was so severe that it could no longer sustain itself as an empire, or even as a single political entity. Within a few years the once mighty Empire collapsed into a set of small cities and territories, many of which claimed the title of Quay Empire. These territories were scattered among a vast patchwork of “Quiets” that covered (and still cover) the middle of the Tamarran Continent. Each Quiet is bathed in stillness energy and serves as home to a large population of undead. It is not uncommon for undead from these Quiets to roam outside of their territories, making the lands around them quite perilous to travelers.
In light of this, the citizens of Tamarra would do well to pay heed to recent disturbing events:
The Naldrin City News has confirmed that last week a party of Elaynor (the elite group of kamari fighters) was ambushed along the Quay Road as they were traveling from their home in the Nethuel Enclave to the Region of Jowea. Several reports say that the entire group was brutally slain. Clearly, it would take a considerable fighting team to defeat these Elaynor. The kamari leadership of Nethuel has not yet responded to a request for comment.
In addition, it is now clear that the city of Martown, less than 60 miles north of the Region of Jowea, is under attack from an undead force. Estimates as to the size of this force vary, but there are somewhere between two and three hundred undead “shufflers” led by a sentient undead. Martown is, of course, very close to the prosperous and populous Region of Jowea, so this incident is a serious threat to the Jowean population.
Finally, some of the royalty of the former Quay Empire seem to be making a political move. There are strong rumors that Quee Esdel, the ruler of the city of Qua Ennel, has negotiated a large contract with the Mercenary’s Guild. This may forecast the beginnings of a new war in the region. Quee Esdel has petitioned the Council of Drawnwyn to recognize her as the legitimate ruler of the Quay Empire, and therefore the owner of all the lands once held by that kingdom. This is, as readers will agree, an outrageous claim. Each of the scattered cities and territories that remain of the fallen Quay Empire claim to be the one and true heir of the Quay Empire. A delicate peace exists, at least for now, and if the Council of Drawnwyn were to recognize any one of them as the true Quay Empire, it would undoubtedly throw the region into chaos, and perhaps war. Even so, Quee may have a deal with the Undead of this area for an allegiance against her enemies, which could provide her with sufficient power to make her aspirations a reality.
The NCN will stay on top of these stories so that you, the citizens of Naldrin City, will remain, as always, the best informed population on the Tamarran Continent.
1. There were over two dozen other nations and kingdoms that allied with the Quay Empire during this struggle. The most prominent were the Kingdom of the Szaskar Crawn, the Karrin Crawn Lands (more of a confederation of smaller crawn kingdoms, and the Twelve Wellyn Clans of the Kana Forest.
2. The race known as the Qua Enna were exterminated in SP~4,795 near the end of the Second Nulentian Invasion; however, it was customary for subsequent leaders to assume a traditional Qua Enna name as their ruling name.