Concise History of the Republic

By: Eldrin, Master Bard of Arun-Dar

 

 

            The fair and just Republic of Ravenwood was not always a sovereign state. In fact just 50 years ago the Republic was not even dreamed of. What is now the republic began as an alliance of slaves, outlaws and a few sympathetic Knights-errant, who in coming into the realm became outlaws for their allegiance. They called their alliance the Alliance of Ravenwood due to the fact they had their hidden base in a great elven forest known as, 'The Forest of Ravens'. The wild elves that had lived there named it so because the lore said a Raven had led them to that sacred forest.

 

            "An alliance of slaves and outlaws", you might ask (and you'd be right to)? "How can you have a government out of these 'types' of folk?" Well, let me tell you all about it so you may understand better. First I'll tell you a little about the realm before the alliance came along.

 

            The realm was a generally peaceful place for many years and had no ruler. Dwarves lived under the mountains to the west of the realm and elves peacefully resided in the northern forests (Really no one cared what it was called but the elves back in those days). Barbarians lived west past the mountains and farther to the east many peoples and creatures lived and hunted the hilly eastern plains. The lands south of the northern forests were lush and fertile plains where many men lived and thrived.

 

            In the plains where the men lived was a minor fiefdom that no one really traded with much and none of the other great powers of the world  paid much mind(They were probably to busy warring with themselves as 'great nations' often tend to do). This land was called Baltri and the Sovereign Lord, Ignatius Baltri, was a kind and generous lord, much like most of his fathers who had ruled the land for hundreds of years before had been. Their banner was a white hawk upon a black field.

 

            There was general peace between the peoples of the forests, mountains and plains aside for the occasional, minor disagreement of course. And all was well. This peace was soon to be torn asunder in a most vicious way. Farther to the south than most had been, an evil and cruel man had just proclaimed himself emperor of his Kingdom in an underhanded and evil coup. He was only a third cousin of the royal family and far from the throne. One by one, however, he had the entire royal family murdered (later we may see how he accomplished this feat.). This man was called Valshun Veridis Tibret and he was a short man of dark complexion.

 

            Unfortunately, for most of the lands south of the Shadow Mountains, which are many miles north of the Forest of Ravens, Emperor Tibret wanted his land to be one of the great nations. As I said before, these 'great nations' often make war for their own gain. Sadly, this is what he set about doing.

 

            Every citizen of his land was a human and Tibret feared and distrusted any other sentient race. He often said they were inferior to man in all ways and needed to be cleansed from the lands that rightfully belonged to man. After conquering the realms and minor kingdoms to the south, east and west of his Empire he set his greedy eyes upon the untamed north. When he reached the borders of Baltri he sent a messenger to Lord Ignatius that presented this notice(More or less, you see I wasn't there and got a second hand account from a servant that was later rescued from Tibret's Dungeons.)

 

 

Lord of this land, have notice and give heed unto this notice from the most high Emperor, Valshun Veridis Tibret, Master of  Durrsi Castle, Knight of the order of Carra

 

(So on, so on. You know how most nobles are with their titles so I won't waste your time.)

 

            Emperor Tibret demands half of all men of fighting age as tribute and half again that many of the same for labor in the great works of his Highness. You will give your castle and all lands you rule over at once and step down from your position. You have one week to deliver an answer to Emperor Tibret, who is even now in the south of your fief with his magnificent armies.

 

            Being a beneficent ruler and not wanting his people to die needlessly to a greater army, Ignatius nearly decided to lay down his lands. He was no coward for thinking this. Most times a braver man does what he thinks is right not what his pride tells him. But he still decided to confer with his people on the matter. He called his herald and organized a moot for three days thereafter. This moot was for all the people of the land that could attend.

 

            The meeting did not go as Lord Baltri had thought, for all his people loved their freedom. They would rather die then become slaves. The brave people of Baltri decided to fight and they quickly sent all the women and children away from the country. These were commanded to appeal to the dwarves, elves or any other people that would give them refuge. Most of these people ended up in the northern forests with the kindly elves. A few however ended up with the dwarves. You might say that this is why today the Republic has more half-dwarves and half-elves than most other nations!

 

            I would like to tell you that some of the men of Baltri survived, but alas, I cannot. They fought valiantly down to the last man. A man will fight harder for his home and family then anything else, I think. And though they inflicted heavy causalities to the Emperor's armies they had soon all passed into the gods' graces.

 

            I might tell you that the Valorous Lord Ignatius and his men, The White Hawks, charged an enemy that was a thousand to one better then his. I might also tell you that Ignatius came within three steps of Tibret before he succumbed to his wounds, for that was his plan in the charge. I might then tell you he fell upon a lonely, bloody field. I might, but I cannot bear to.

 

            The Alliance came along about a year later when the Emperor's armies had come to edge of the Northern forest and been turned back at its edges by the fierce wild elves. The Emperor was determined to destroy the elves and the forest so he began to cut it down. The original purpose of the Alliance of Ravenwood was to distract him from destroying the forest.

 

            Over the next ten years the Emperor had enslaved nearly the entire population of dwarves, elves, orcs, kobolds, goblins and every other sentient creature that was not a man  from north to south and east to west(His empire was expansive by this time).Tibret  also enslaved any human who was sympathetic to any of these races. He ransacked the mountain homes of the dwarves and burned the plains of the east. He captured all the elves that lived away from the northern forest. These were small tribes and communities so they were easy to capture.  He built great castles and forts, walls and citadels, and he had his army of slaves build an enormous statue of him.

 

            The Alliance despaired as the forest got smaller and the Empire got larger and more powerful. One day the general of the Alliance came up with a brilliant plan to harm the empire. The Lord General purposed to hit several large Imperial armories that had a large amount of weapons and armor. If the assault was successful they would take all the weapons and armors they could carry back to the forest. After this was complete, he meant to split the army of the Alliance into several groups and assault the slave camps by night. They would then arm all the freed slaves and bring them into the alliance.

 

            This plan worked better than he could have foreseen. The first camp that was freed and equipped turned into an angry wave that destroyed an Imperial fort not far off. All the peoples from the camps were great comrades as enslavement and daily torture will tend to do that to a people. And the oldest, bitterest enemies became friends. Dwarves, elves, orcs and all the other sentient creatures of our land were at peace with each other and at war with the Emperor and the injustices he had wrought. That's why Ravenwood is such a peaceful and brotherly place to this day.

 

            It didn't take long after for the allied peoples to set all their brother and sister slaves free. Once this happened, the Army of the realm was swelled beyond all the rebels' hopes. The General of the Alliance then proposed a risky venture; assault the Imperial Citadel and kill the Emperor, Tibret. All the army agreed, for truly, there was nothing else to do but die or run. And they made the preparations for the march on the north side of the northern forest where the Emperor had no soldiers and little influence.

 

            The assault against the citadel went well and the army breached the gates. The army was near the castle doors when something terrible happened. Demons assaulted the western flank of the army. The fiends began to slaughter the common soldiers at a terrible rate. Apparently, Tibret was a pawn of demons and had been their tool since his ascension to the throne in his own land.

 

            Seeing the demons, the general put another in charge of the army and took his personal guard against the demons. He beat them back so the rest of the army could continue its advance. The assault ended in the death of the emperor and the breaking of his army. Losing their leader, most of the loyalists of the empire returned to their native land or threw down there weapons in the following weeks.

 

            The general had died fighting the demons and many a goodly soul had departed to the afterlife. The price was high but peace was once again the power in the realm, not war. After some time had passed to grieve and clean up the damage the war had wrought, a few of the Alliance leaders decided that the realm should be ruled by the people through the power of noble and honorable elected officials. These forefathers wrote the constitution and set about upon the grand task of instating it in the realm. They are still doing it to this day. They are still sitting vigilant against any who would harm the citizens of The Republic of Ravenwood. 

 


By: Eldrin, Master Bard of Arun-Dar

 

 

            The fair and just Republic of Ravenwood was not always a sovereign state. In fact just 50 years ago the Republic was not even dreamed of. What is now the republic began as an alliance of slaves, outlaws and a few sympathetic Knights-errant, who in coming into the realm became outlaws for their allegiance. They called their alliance the Alliance of Ravenwood due to the fact they had their hidden base in a great elven forest known as, 'The Forest of Ravens'. The wild elves that had lived there named it so because the lore said a Raven had led them to that sacred forest.

 

            "An alliance of slaves and outlaws", you might ask (and you'd be right to)? "How can you have a government out of these 'types' of folk?" Well, let me tell you all about it so you may understand better. First I'll tell you a little about the realm before the alliance came along.

 

            The realm was a generally peaceful place for many years and had no ruler. Dwarves lived under the mountains to the west of the realm and elves peacefully resided in the northern forests (Really no one cared what it was called but the elves back in those days). Barbarians lived west past the mountains and farther to the east many peoples and creatures lived and hunted the hilly eastern plains. The lands south of the northern forests were lush and fertile plains where many men lived and thrived.

 

            In the plains where the men lived was a minor fiefdom that no one really traded with much and none of the other great powers of the world  paid much mind(They were probably to busy warring with themselves as 'great nations' often tend to do). This land was called Baltri and the Sovereign Lord, Ignatius Baltri, was a kind and generous lord, much like most of his fathers who had ruled the land for hundreds of years before had been. Their banner was a white hawk upon a black field.

 

            There was general peace between the peoples of the forests, mountains and plains aside for the occasional, minor disagreement of course. And all was well. This peace was soon to be torn asunder in a most vicious way. Farther to the south than most had been, an evil and cruel man had just proclaimed himself emperor of his Kingdom in an underhanded and evil coup. He was only a third cousin of the royal family and far from the throne. One by one, however, he had the entire royal family murdered (later we may see how he accomplished this feat.). This man was called Valshun Veridis Tibret and he was a short man of dark complexion.

 

            Unfortunately, for most of the lands south of the Shadow Mountains, which are many miles north of the Forest of Ravens, Emperor Tibret wanted his land to be one of the great nations. As I said before, these 'great nations' often make war for their own gain. Sadly, this is what he set about doing.

 

            Every citizen of his land was a human and Tibret feared and distrusted any other sentient race. He often said they were inferior to man in all ways and needed to be cleansed from the lands that rightfully belonged to man. After conquering the realms and minor kingdoms to the south, east and west of his Empire he set his greedy eyes upon the untamed north. When he reached the borders of Baltri he sent a messenger to Lord Ignatius that presented this notice(More or less, you see I wasn't there and got a second hand account from a servant that was later rescued from Tibret's Dungeons.)

 

 

Lord of this land, have notice and give heed unto this notice from the most high Emperor, Valshun Veridis Tibret, Master of  Durrsi Castle, Knight of the order of Carra

 

(So on, so on. You know how most nobles are with their titles so I won't waste your time.)

 

            Emperor Tibret demands half of all men of fighting age as tribute and half again that many of the same for labor in the great works of his Highness. You will give your castle and all lands you rule over at once and step down from your position. You have one week to deliver an answer to Emperor Tibret, who is even now in the south of your fief with his magnificent armies.

 

            Being a beneficent ruler and not wanting his people to die needlessly to a greater army, Ignatius nearly decided to lay down his lands. He was no coward for thinking this. Most times a braver man does what he thinks is right not what his pride tells him. But he still decided to confer with his people on the matter. He called his herald and organized a moot for three days thereafter. This moot was for all the people of the land that could attend.

 

            The meeting did not go as Lord Baltri had thought, for all his people loved their freedom. They would rather die then become slaves. The brave people of Baltri decided to fight and they quickly sent all the women and children away from the country. These were commanded to appeal to the dwarves, elves or any other people that would give them refuge. Most of these people ended up in the northern forests with the kindly elves. A few however ended up with the dwarves. You might say that this is why today the Republic has more half-dwarves and half-elves than most other nations!

 

            I would like to tell you that some of the men of Baltri survived, but alas, I cannot. They fought valiantly down to the last man. A man will fight harder for his home and family then anything else, I think. And though they inflicted heavy causalities to the Emperor's armies they had soon all passed into the gods' graces.

 

            I might tell you that the Valorous Lord Ignatius and his men, The White Hawks, charged an enemy that was a thousand to one better then his. I might also tell you that Ignatius came within three steps of Tibret before he succumbed to his wounds, for that was his plan in the charge. I might then tell you he fell upon a lonely, bloody field. I might, but I cannot bear to.

 

            The Alliance came along about a year later when the Emperor's armies had come to edge of the Northern forest and been turned back at its edges by the fierce wild elves. The Emperor was determined to destroy the elves and the forest so he began to cut it down. The original purpose of the Alliance of Ravenwood was to distract him from destroying the forest.

 

            Over the next ten years the Emperor had enslaved nearly the entire population of dwarves, elves, orcs, kobolds, goblins and every other sentient creature that was not a man  from north to south and east to west(His empire was expansive by this time).Tibret  also enslaved any human who was sympathetic to any of these races. He ransacked the mountain homes of the dwarves and burned the plains of the east. He captured all the elves that lived away from the northern forest. These were small tribes and communities so they were easy to capture.  He built great castles and forts, walls and citadels, and he had his army of slaves build an enormous statue of him.

 

            The Alliance despaired as the forest got smaller and the Empire got larger and more powerful. One day the general of the Alliance came up with a brilliant plan to harm the empire. The Lord General purposed to hit several large Imperial armories that had a large amount of weapons and armor. If the assault was successful they would take all the weapons and armors they could carry back to the forest. After this was complete, he meant to split the army of the Alliance into several groups and assault the slave camps by night. They would then arm all the freed slaves and bring them into the alliance.

 

            This plan worked better than he could have foreseen. The first camp that was freed and equipped turned into an angry wave that destroyed an Imperial fort not far off. All the peoples from the camps were great comrades as enslavement and daily torture will tend to do that to a people. And the oldest, bitterest enemies became friends. Dwarves, elves, orcs and all the other sentient creatures of our land were at peace with each other and at war with the Emperor and the injustices he had wrought. That's why Ravenwood is such a peaceful and brotherly place to this day.

 

            It didn't take long after for the allied peoples to set all their brother and sister slaves free. Once this happened, the Army of the realm was swelled beyond all the rebels' hopes. The General of the Alliance then proposed a risky venture; assault the Imperial Citadel and kill the Emperor, Tibret. All the army agreed, for truly, there was nothing else to do but die or run. And they made the preparations for the march on the north side of the northern forest where the Emperor had no soldiers and little influence.

 

            The assault against the citadel went well and the army breached the gates. The army was near the castle doors when something terrible happened. Demons assaulted the western flank of the army. The fiends began to slaughter the common soldiers at a terrible rate. Apparently, Tibret was a pawn of demons and had been their tool since his ascension to the throne in his own land.

 

            Seeing the demons, the general put another in charge of the army and took his personal guard against the demons. He beat them back so the rest of the army could continue its advance. The assault ended in the death of the emperor and the breaking of his army. Losing their leader, most of the loyalists of the empire returned to their native land or threw down there weapons in the following weeks.

 

            The general had died fighting the demons and many a goodly soul had departed to the afterlife. The price was high but peace was once again the power in the realm, not war. After some time had passed to grieve and clean up the damage the war had wrought, a few of the Alliance leaders decided that the realm should be ruled by the people through the power of noble and honorable elected officials. These forefathers wrote the constitution and set about upon the grand task of instating it in the realm. They are still doing it to this day. They are still sitting vigilant against any who would harm the citizens of The Republic of Ravenwood.