The nightmare you refer to is only legend. Ask any Elf, both Moraquendi, Calaquendi, or Quentari about Valerian Clearbrook and you will only hear honor describing my noble house.
I explain these events, so EVERYONE might share and learn from Brisbane's past.
The events you describe are only a memory, a series of events that did occur during another lifetime. Originally, I was captured by the Lord of The Haunted Wood and became one of the Ramagra (Silvermyst Elves that believe they are superior to every race). The Lord of the Haunted Woods discovered the enormous taint of Chaos left upon my spirit; an elemental scar that would never heal. The Chaos Taint was the result of an elaborate ritual, one that was attempting to fix the flow of Earth and Celestial Magics.
Prior to discovering the Silvermyst Forest, I was Knight under Baron Calipso Sakalid. Our Queen, before the line of the Aran, had passed at the age of 350 years. A death of natural causes, so early in an Elves life alarmed the entire nation of Quentari. Baron Sakalid made and oath that he would repair the balance between Earth and Celestial Magic and equalize the life flows. The rituals Baron Sakalid cast became more dangerous with each passing day. The rituals were so difficult to control, Baron Sakalid required seven people to assist with the casting, including myself. At first our work was noble and allowed Quentari to discover many powerful secrets, ones that we do not mention to this day. However, Baron Sakalid became a man possessed, he still was not pleased with our progress. Baron Sakalid believed that Earth alone would not counter Celestial Magic, and began to flirt with the idea of invoking Chaotic Energy. At this point all of the Knights were loyal to Sakalid, but would had a feeling of horror that our fates would face a black end.
When the rituals started to brush the world of Necromancy I declared my intolerance, but Baron Sakalid would not remove my oaths. Again we were ordered to the ritual Circle, but Baron Sakalid made promises we would not be exposed to any Necromancy. We should not have listened... Baron Sakalid tore at the very fabric of Tyraa and invoked the very powers of creation. For a brief moment we were able to control the energy, a euphoria that was as delicious as it was overwhelming. Then it ended, a ritual backlash that transformed all six knights and Baron Sakalid into Chaotic Entities. I use the word entities, since nothing could explain the nightmare we had become. Six moons later and with the assistance of the Helevorn Institute of Knowledge and Learning, our spirits were repaired, but the taint would always remain.
After this horrific event, Baron Sakalid realized the powers of Earth, Celestial, and Elemental must create their own equilibrium. To our credit, we did reverse the pull of Celestial magic and return the Elven lifespan to its original length. However, the cost was too much... The line of the Aran began, the Age of Kings in Quentari and the Age of Queens was soon forgotten. It was at this time that the Song of Quentari had lost its beauty and a new melody, a gentle whisper called to me from the north. I knew the Silvermyst Forest existed before I ever gazed upon its wild beauty, the voice was a new song and I knew it was my destiny.
I put myself before the Charitable Judgment of the Aran, and he allowed me to revoke my oaths to Sakalid and leave Quentari. I gathered close to five hundred Quentari Elves and we made the journey to tne untamed borderlands. It was there I would find the Silvermyst Forest, and it was there I would make my permanent home. I thought the nighmare of Sakalid and the Chaos Taint were behind me, but another evil crept within the Silvermyst Forest... The Lord of the Haunted Woods.
During the early stages of the Silvermyst Forest, I was known as The Hunter, a man who had foresaken with oaths to nobility, turned away from the scholarly arts, and took up the simple lifestyle of a hunter. However, as the Forest expanded and our population grew, a council of elders could not rule a nation. Our people adopted a monarchy and I was named Ernil, or Prince of the Silvermyst. Again, I was thrust into the role of noble leader, but the crown did not weigh against my brow. However, as time pulled forward, the crown would become a weight I could not bare. It was shortly after I was named Ernil that the Silvermyst Forest met our first representative from the Kingdom of Brisbane.
We had watched for decades as the Gypsy caravans and Human settlers poured onto the fertile plains of Brisbane. As our southern neighbors we quickly became friendly trading partners with the Gypsy Clans and the Human settlers. Life remained simple throughout the early years, and we watched in awe as the Brisbane settlements evolved into enoromous cities. Soon Brisbane was called a Kingdom, and every nation from the Borderlands took notice. The Gypsy Kings and Queens were non-aggressive by nature and ruled over a kingdom that did not lust for imperialism and expansion. This was a peaceful period, and again mine was not yet a burden. That would come with the birth of Justin Brisbane...
King Justin the Terrible possessed the human lust of his mother, a desire to build Brisbane into something much grander. Justin's Gypsy father had passed away when Justin was just a boy, and it was probably a blessing that fate had spared him from his son's terror. Justin was a terror, but he was also ambitious, ruthless, cunning, intelligent to a fault, and a tremendous leader. With one wave of his hand, Justin transformed the Kingdom of Brisbane into a vast Empire, a domain that stretched beyond the sands of Rihad, to the highest peaks of Tarsa, and through the underworld of Nebulonde. All nations would kneel before the might of Emperor Justin, including the Silvermyst Forest. This is when the Crown first begins to appear an annoyance.
Like all human rulers, one would pass and a dozen others would emerge to be a replacement. The Line of Justin Brisbane would span centuries, and eventually cover close to two milleniums. During the early years of the Brisbane Empire we were able to hold off and pacify the imperical lust of the Brisbane Empire. However, gifts and military assistance were not enough for the Emperors of Brisbane, they required allegiance. They were wise, I could not fault their judgment, because by binding our nations in fealty we could never break apart. I swore allegiance to Emperor Brisbane and became a Royal Knight of the Brisbane Empire and Prince of the Silvermyst Forest. Absolute brilliance on the part of Brisbane, since all of the nations were soon noble houses within the Brisbane Emperical Hierarchy. All of the Borderland Nations swore allegiance to Justin Brisbane, with the exception of the Dwarven Warlords of Banictore.
The Dwarven Warlords could not defeat the combined might of the Brisbane Empire. However, the Brisbane Empire would never attempt to invade the Dwarven lands of Banictore, because the cost of resource and life would be too great. A war against Banictore would leave the Empire stripped of protection and resource, and possibly cause the Borderland nations to break apart. An uneasy peace settled upon the Borderlands, where Banictore was not conquered, but subjegated by the might of Brisbane.
I tell this lengthy tale since history is important, I have always been an adept historian. What occured next would change the landscape of Silvermyst and Brisbane forever...
Once I bent knee to a human ruler, in an attempt topreserve the peace and unity of the Silvermyst Forest, many of my Elven brothers were shocked and outraged. The "High Elves" considered themselves above all mortal races, and could not fathom the necessity to bow before Emperical Brisbane. I argued for decades, attempting to show the benefits of peace and prosperity, but I failed... The "High Elves," lead by my one of my oldest friends, Baron Nastel of Summerset, openly stated their distaste for the Empire. I quelled the anger between the Throne of Brisbane and the "High Elves," of Summerset. My pride lead me to believe that I could fix any barrier and make everyone share my views; again I was wrong. I thought the High Elves were only acting like the old aristocracy of Quentari, but their beliefs went much deeper.
The High Elves of Quentari would join with the Lord of Haunted Woods and attempt to overtake the Silvermyst Forest. The Barony of Summerset became the epicenter for treason, and soon branches of sedition touched every household and clan within the forest. Although peace reigned for centuries, hatred festered within the courts of Summerset and Goldstone. No one could be trusted, it was a darktime, mostly because I could not see the danger coming, until a group of adventurers made an impromtu introduction...
A group of adventurers stumbled out from a Fey Gateway, the passageway used to move between Silvermyst and the Fey Kingdom of Sorel. I was perplexed by the situation, since I was expecting the Embassador from Sorel with a gift of a hundred Treants. Instead I found three Elves, each wearing the noble colors of my household, along with the crest of the Crescent Moon and Raven. I did not know what to make of the clumsy intruders, but their voices spoke of treason, civil war, and murder. The claimed my best friends would betray me and bring the Silvermyst Forest under the rule of the Lord of the Haunted Woods. The High Elves would call themselves Moraquendi and rule the forest with the Lord of the Haunted Woods. My false sense of security was shattered, the messengers had done their part. I do not know if they acted with purpose or mistake, but the wheels of motion would be shifted along with my fate. Men control their fate, fate must not control men, and by honoring this philosophy I set out to change my future. According to the travelers, who I would someday know as my Court, I would change history...
The year was the decade before the great upheaval in Brisbane. The world erupted into flames, the Silvermyst rebellion that was once a surprise, was greeted by a well-armed force and a paranoid leader. Because of the message from the future, I abandoned the role of the Hunter, and once again I adopted the archane arts of dragon magic. The way of the sword and the hunter is a pure existence, but it will not provide the raw power necessary to put down a rebellion. I was prepared to protect my lands at all costs, and sacrifice my life.
Although I was ready for the betrayal, the treason has run too deep, and the High Elves controlled the Baronies of Goldstone and Summerset. One of my oldest friends, Baron Nastel of Summerset took the name, The Black Ram, and commanded the armies of the Moraquendi and the dreaded Ramagra. The War became known as the War of the High Lords, reflecting the High Elven philosophy for succession. The war ground to a bloody halt, and claimed many of the noble knights and chiefs of both sides. I had changed the fate of the Silvermyst, but I could achieve a bloody stalemate that left the Silvermyst weakened and fractured with hate.
However, my tampering with the Time Continuum drew the attention of the Dragon Council and the Time Knights. I was brought before the Dragon Council, and they were not gentle... I was stripped of my powers, my rights, and branded with a medallion for my disobedience. The Dragon Council then handed me to the Time Knights, who made the Dragon Council seem civil in both manner and touch. I smiled throughout my penance, sometimes weeping openly with a dry smile. The Time Knights thought I was insane, and at many points I thought I was. However, my sanity clung to one constant: I had cheated Fate and molded my people's fate. The Silvermyst had survived, I was not cursed to walk the land as the murdering Hunter, and I would not have to live with the nightmare of killing my own citizens. I had won, and no matter what the Time Knights and Dragon Council could do, it was a small sacrifice compared to the terror the Silvermyst would have experience.
The Emperors of Brisbane had ruled with a strength that rivaled the constancy of the stars, but their days were at an end. The entire Empire would soon see it's final sunset; the Borderlands would burn with war for close a century, and leave Brisbane a fractured wasteland. Legends claim the Curse of Brisbane initiated the decline and eventual ruin of the Empire, but I believe men shape fate, not fate shaping men. Whatever the reason may be,the Empire had finally failed, and like angry children the nations turned agains their father. With Nebulonde and Silvermyst entrenched in bitter Civil Wars, Rihad, Tarsa, the Ice Nation, and The Giant League of Maul all removed their Emperical collars and reclaimed their independence. For Banictore, it was time for revenge. Utilizing the anger of the Ice Nation, the Dwarves of Banictore convinced the Ice Nation to not just revolt, but to take revenge. With all her allies in rebellion or crippled with Civil War, The Crown of Brisbane was losing its luster. Although the Kingdom of Brisbane and the Capitol City were tremendously powerul and controlled enormous legions, they could not survive alone.
Centuries would move as quickly as the seasons, and Brisbane would see the first Evendarr expedition from Lady Katherine. This expedition would fail, doomed by the power of Karveki, the Colanta, and the Curse of Brisbane. They disappeared more quickly than a gentle sun shower. Finally, a leader would arrive that would understand the balance of the Borderlands and bring repair to the ruined face of this nation. Queen Niomi, my liege lord and ruler, would be the first person to unite Brisbane, Silvermyst, and Nebulonde in 500 years...
She is the one, she is my compass, she could only be my leader. Again I take the role of Royal Knight and protector of the Silvermyst Forest, but this time we face the added difficulty of unraveling the supersition of The Curse of Brisbane and pacifying the ancient fear of Brisbane Imperialism...
In summary, I avoided the fate of the Hunter by sacrificing my own household, and preserving half of the Silvermyst in the process. I did not murder the people of Silvermyst, as myth suggests, but I did take every step to protect the Forest and my people. This is my goal, and will be to my final day... Which is why I am bound to the land and chosen by Queen Niomi to be both her knight and legal administrator.
Safe Travels,
Valerian Clearbrook