Ynarn of Githalc (Part 1)

Ellinirl historian and Chronicler who flourished during the third century after the close of the Final War.  The "Account of the history and the whole island of Eyliarenn from earliest times until after the Final War, from the remembrances of several learned minds", more commonly known as the Chronicles of Ynarn, covers many significant events in the history of Eastern Eyliarenn, particularly, though not exclusively, those that affected the Ellinirl peoples. 

Ynarn is considered to be the most reliable of the early Chroniclers, especially in regard to the history of north-eastern Eyliarenn.  While the Chronicles are attributed to several authors working in unison (or more likely over several decades), scholars of the massive work believe it to have been written by a single author, who probably interviewed extensively among the oldest and wisest of the Ellinirl elders.

Ynarn may have been born in 67 AO, in or near Githalc, a significant Errinirl city in the west of what is now Chelene.  He was certainly educated here and this is more likely why he is traditionally associated with the city.  His contemporary, the philosopher and politician Lianu, remembers him as a brilliant student, who was always too respectful to challenge or correct his teachers before class, but who along with Lianu and a handful of others, were invited to participate in private debates with a group of their elders and teachers, a practice that is still maintained in many of the Errinirl's teaching institutions, as well as some Holds of Knowledge.

As his talents came to be recognised, Ynarn eventually became the Chronicler of his school, a position of some prestige among the Errinirl. Early in his tenure in this position, Ynarn realised how little had been recorded for posterity of the events and people of the time between the arrival of the Great Ones and their tumultuous Final War.  After making some initial notes and developing a schema for a five volume historical account of Errinirl history, taking nearly three years, he approached the governing apparatus of the collegium with the request that he be excused one day in each week to pursue the endeavour.  The story goes that he hoped that the governing panel would see the merit in the project and grant his request. He did not expect them to offer him two assistants from among the recent completion students, two days a week to work on the project, and a stipend to travel for three months in the summer for the first two years.

   

An Account of the History of Eyliarenn (Chronicle of Ynarn)

This exhaustive work's full title is An Account of the History and the Whole Island of Eyliarenn from Earliest Times until After the Final War, from the Remembrances of Several Learned Minds, though commonly referred to the Chronicle of Ynarn. The Account is a general and particular history of Eyliarenn in six volumes, covering the period from the earliest interactions of the Ellinirl and Riaroen peoples with the Old Ones through to the first decades after the close of the Final War, the durinal point from which the Floramy Calendar is derived.


The Account is divided into six volumes. The first covers the prehistory of the Errinirl referencing the early creation myths from their nomadic period, through their establishment of agriculture, cities and writing, and the influence and friendship of the Old Ones, the earliest sentient race established on Eyliarenn.


The second volume covers the Errinirl's relationship with the other races who later established themselves on the Continent; the native-born Riaroen and the émigré Kin-folk and Cincoel. The third volume considers the coming of the Great Ones, their initial negotiations with the Errinirl and the latter's land concessions, the establishment of their colony and their contact with the Kin-folk and the Riaroen, and their eventual adopting of some kinfolk communities for special benefits and advances.


The Fourth volume covers the period from when the Old Ones began to leave Eyliarenn (considering in particular the evidnce of the influence by the Great Ones on their decision to leave) through to the event that is believed to mark the beginning of the Final War, the murder of Sasys Paitop, the first Great One to perish on Eyliarenn soil.


The Fifth volume (originally the final volume), of the Account covers the period from the initial investigation of the death of Sasys Paitop and the dissention among the Great Ones, through the breaking of the factions and the beginning of the fighting, and the civil war that culminated in the near annihilation of the Great Ones at their own hands, and the Truce of the Three that brought the Final War to close.


The Sixth volume was an afterthought, prepared by Ynarn's associates and students, under his guidance and carefully articulated in his written voice, covers the near century-long period that followed the Final War known alternatively as the Long Winter, the Hundred-Year Winter and the Darkness. The volume finishes with an essay, dictated by Ynarn himself but referencing more than twenty of his teachers and contemporaries, on what should be learnt from the experience of the fourteen hundred or so years of historical events considered though the six volumes of the "Account". 

Eyliarenn (a teaser)

Eyliaren is a continent in the northern hemisphere of the world known to the locals as Wau. The climate of the continent runs from sub-arctic in the north ( with artic conditions at its northern-most extremities) to sub tropical in the south. From its extremities, the continent measures approximately 2490 miles (north to south) by 2670 miles (west to east). The contintent is split in to two distinct regions by a near-continuous series of mountain ranges known collectively as the Spine, running from the northern coast to the Chettarn Foothills in the south, about 140 miles short of the southerrn coast.

Eyliarenn is home to several sentient races and rich in wildlife. If also has many strange and unique geographical features, some natural, and some built by extraordinary forces. An intangible substance infuses the whole continent; this is called nevena, and it allows both the naturally talented and the the practiced to "maniplate" it to perform otherwise acts or adjust the physical world to a greater or lesser degree to their own ends. One discipline of manipulation allows the adept to enter into a meta-world reflective of the tangible world, referred to as the Barren Landscape.

Humble beginnings

The idea for a new campaign setting has been germinating for a long time. I probably first began to think about what would become Eyliarenn around mid-2006, and it was prompted by a frustration with fantasy fiction. I was annoyed by the reliance on magic as a tool for making a central character or characters "special" before they've even done anything. I came to think of it as the "Potter Effect", until I realised that a whole bunch of other folk have their own take on what "Harry Potter Effect" means. Personally I don't think a coming-of-age novel is best served with the protagonist being declared bettert than everyone else he's ever known before the action really starts.

As you may have gathered, I began thinking about this new world in terms of a backdrop for fantasy stories - novels or short stories, the kind of stories I wanted to read.  About the same time I began my first tentative steps into the world of role-playing games after a protracted break of over twenty years; I started to buy some old rules sets off eBay and . It took more than six months from the time I began making notes on Eyliarenn, but eventually I came to the conclusion that writing it up as a campaign setting would help to give the whole thing a coherent structure, and then I might have something publishable at the end of it.

In September of 2007 I played my first session with the "Inappropriately Named Tuesday Night Pizza and Gaming" group; innappropriately named because they moved it to Wednesday nights (from Thursdays) to accomodate me, and they ate at a local pub first instead of ordering pizza.  I've been with the group since then, GM'd a handful of games and played a lot more.

So the last three years I've been concentrating more on creating a game-world than a ficton setting.  I do have a novel that I pull out, work frantically on for three or four nights, then put aside again while I work on some detail about Eyliarenn that I realise I haven't covered yet in the notes.  So each supports the other, although I'd like to be at a playtesting stage in a year or eighteen months.

I set out intending Eyliarenn to be a systemless setting.  I'm now coming around to making it some ways system-specific, simply because some things really need mechanics for them to work.  I'm trying to make it as open as possible; if people like it enough they can no doubt trick it up to fit their favourite rules-set.  Another option would be to release it in two or three versions for different rules-sets.  This has its own appeal, but I want to get the first version out before I think too hard about that!

Anyway, this post is just by way of introduction to me and to the idea of another fantasy setting coming onto the market (yes, if I'm putting this much work into it, I want to try to sell the damn thing).  I'm hoping I can mix this up enough to make even the the most recalcitrant, unreconstructed OSRIC player at least a little curious.

I'll be posting two kinds of article; material about the Eyliarenn setting, which will make up the bulk of the content, and short, "designer's notes"-style pieces as appropriate. I invite anyone who thinks what I post here to tell me how bad you think it is, but you better have a good reason it sucks or a good sugestion on how to make it un-suck (make it blow?!), otherwise your just wasting my time and chewing through your own bandwidth. Compliments and messages of support will be greeted with suspicion, but ultimately welcomed.