[Ongoing Resource Thread] Banestorm Details

[Captain-Captain]

It occurs to me that Banestorm gets a bit of new material every few years, 'few' beign what 15 between Fantasy 2nd and Banestorm? So if we want details it's going to be up to us to produce them.

The purpose of this thread is to let folks post 'missed' details about the place. Nothing outright contradictory of published material mind you, though alternate and secret lore versions of what 'REALLY' happened are suitable.

This includes people of historical or current note and places yet to be described officially and anything else that suits the project.

To kick things off:

ALFSIGR, often spelled Aelfsigr or Elvsigir or Alfseeker, is a common last name among humans in the regions northwest of Dekamara, not quite halfway to what is now Hunt Tower. .

The source of the name stems from an Elvish translation of a term that was difficult for human tongues to deal with, so a literal translation of the term in the native tongue of those people was used.

In the wake of the Banestorm, a few Elven strongholds existed, most unaffiliated with the Dark Elf cult as most but not all of these were secondary participants in the spell that triggered the Banestorm. One important exception existed: Gwavkaryl*, a tower protecting the southern border of eastern elven holdings. It's commander was not officially a cultist, lacking high enough magery, but quite sympathetic to the cause. Her name was Sláine Esslt, and inevitably would be known to humans as Slay'n Esslt or Esslt the slayer. (Ironically, Sláine translates to "Health".)

At first, her policy was to drive off or slaughter the various 'pollutant' races that wandered her way. Slay'n Esslt indeed. Over time this reduced the number of warriors she had to defend her lands, as the filth bred like rabbits if not like cockroaches. By 1143 she could not throw away troops the way she had been regardless of the situation. A large band of Germanic tribesmen had suffered a near rout at the hands of the peoples who would soon form Megalos, mostly women, children and the elderly escaped, the last of the warriors obliterated in a holding action to keep the enemy from catching and enslaving the tribes.

Faced with magic throwing elves, who promised mercy, the humans surrendered (likely aided by charm and/or enslave spells on their leaders) and an experiment in serfdom was tried by the Slayer. The humans could farm and act as a buffer to keep other undesirables away from Gwavkaryl.

'Alfsigr' literally was 'Elf Victory', contextually meant 'Conquered by Elves', and was a designation of status. Any 'Elf conquest' was a serf owned by the land Esslt set aside for her farmers.

The project failed, within a generation, the humans were rebellions and by 1210, Simon Menelaus' troops arrived to crush Gwavkaryl. Esslt refused to submit to the rule of humans. She and her remaining forces fought to the death and the last holders of the tower called forth Demons and Elementals to destroy the place lest if fall into unworthy hands.

In practice over the course of a couple of generations, the common name 'Alfsigr' was ussed as a surname, it's owners losing the original meaning of the term.

*Cornish source Gwav = winter Kar = fort, yl = just 'cause I felt like adding it.