Great to hear, Arti! I look forward to finding out how the adventure will end.

I'm sorry that I haven't been around much in the last few weeks. Work and travel and studies keep intervening. Although I haven't posted, however, I have been visiting at least a few times most weeks, and I will stay in touch, even though the next two months look to be frantically busy again. Anyway, you can count on me when it comes to test playing Shoals Chapter 8.

A belated hurray for a beautiful update from me. I hadn't seen all of the pictures before, so I had some pleasant surprises waiting for me.

Thanks also for making a fymbel history table!

You're right; my mistake.

Hi Talia,

I like your new paragraph regarding the fymbels - except that the name 'fymbels' is now not mentioned, which will make the reference obscure for most readers. Also, according to your entry, Lysarian had summoned some fymbels for his buidling projects in 228, so he couldn't have come across them by chance in 280. Here is a suggestion:

Santhran Lysarian's last official appearance was - how could it be otherwise - devoted to women, a special kind of women though. The crumbling bridge in his young years still in memory, he had always had an interest in the improvement of architecture. He had always admired the work of a small guild of stonemasons, especially as they were all women , who belonged to all-female craft association called "the fymbels". Lysarian was so taken by the idea of female stonemasons (no comma) that he wished to sponsor them. As the women in question were mainly of low social rank, this was not an easy task. Finally he donated them a guild house in Santhala on the occasion of their 200 years anniversary. He was determined to say a few words at the opening ceremony. It was out of question to appear there as the former Santhran, so he visited the event incognito, disguised as lower ranked noble, (add comma)    and held a short encouraging speech. It is said (no comma)    that he went away smiling. (I take it he was smiling because he had made a little arrangement with a young apprentice stonemason to meet him in his quarters later that night?)

I found the perusal very edifying indeed! Simple suggested edits are marked in yellow (I think you've tended to go a bit too far with deletion of commas here and there ...), some mutterings in limegreen.

I have but one non-trivial change request: I am grateful for your fymbel references, but at the time of Lysarian, only one or two fymbel guilds existed; he could therefore not bestowed special honours on 17 different fymbel guilds in 280. See my detailed comment below!

Besides which: aura.

Biography


Childhood (197a.S. - 213a.S.)


197a.S. - 201 a.S. Bardavos

With a father who was not meant to ascend the throne and with a mother who was a famous dancer and singer, (add comma) Lysarian was born on the third day in the month of Awakening Earth in Bardavos and spent his first four years there until the tragic accident happened: His two uncles and his grandfather, the Santhran, died within two days and his father Calron found himself suddenly in charge of the kingdom. These first happy years had been the cause of his amiable personality and his love of the arts. Though only four, he took in the flair of the town, the music in the air, the colours changing with the sun, the easiness of life. Both parents had time to spend with him and his little sister Liorathsa.


201 a.S - 201 a.S.:  Mahood Castle

The family moved to Santhala but Lysarian and his sister spent most of their time in the royal estate Mahood Castle west of the capital, (add comma)  which was located about an hour long ride west of Santhala in the gentle foothills of the Rimmerins Ring. Built by Santhran Dagolth as a retreat from Santhala, (add comma)  it was more a big manor house than a castle, though there was a wall around the spacious garden. An attached farm and woods provided the inhabitants with all they required and a nearby village was eager to help with everything the Santhran might need, be it servants or fresh brewed beer. It was still an environment which was gentle to the young boy but now attendants looked after the child‘s manners, teachers tried to fill the young spirit with facts, ideas and visions, taught him to read and to write, geography, history and languages, swordplay and music. This was a major break in Lysarian‘s life. He missed Bardavos but was eager to learn at the same time. The new exiting life was no compensation though for what he missed most, his parents, who had rarely any time left for their children.


207 a.S. Introduction to the Court

When he had just turned ten, (add comma)  Lysarian was officially introduced to the court at a festival of songs and poetry his mother Majida had organised for her 30th birthday. He was enchanted by the various arts and that passion should stay with him his whole life. From then on he spent more time in Santhala, his studies became now more and more advanced.


 211a.S. - 213a.S.  Stay in Ciosa

As many noble youths of his age he was sent to spend two years with another family, leaving parents  and his old teachers behind. Thus he spent the following two years in Ciosa where his aunt Liorathsa lived, the Duchess of Caeytharia. The port town fascinated him. Though it was much smaller than Santhala it breathed the air of freedom, of openness, of adventure, and at the same time that of ancient secrets. In his cousin Vildrim he found a true friend on whom he would often rely on in his later life. A poem full of melancholy written years later bears testament of the splendid time he had in these two years.



 213a.S. - 227a.S.  The Prince on Duty

The prince returned to Santhala to assist his father in the daily duties of a Santhran, (add comma)  be it the penning of letters to Thanes, receiving commoners, guild masters at audiences, or taking care of ceremonial preparations. This was partly a hard school, interesting at times, but boring just as often. What he enjoyed were journeys which often came with his tasks, the opportunity to get away from the court, and to mix with ordinary folk, to meet new people, (add comma)  be they of noble or common descent. Though Lysarian had discovered the opposite gender already in Ciosa, the following years were filled with the study of the female body, much to the dismay of his parents. Many red-haired children were born (Dear me. Is this the prince 'on duty' or 'off duty'?) but though several balls were held in the royal palace - at midwinter, at midsummer, to celebrate the beginning of spring or the harvest -  and though many young noblewomen were presented to him, Lysarian never fell in love with a special one. So his parents arranged a wedding.


219 a.S. Marriage with Veior Ithvinna Rigvildskan

Prince Lysarian was eventually married to Ithvinna Heirike Rigvildskan, only child of the Graven of the Pearl Coast, on the 27th day in the month of Sleeping Dreameress. Marrying in the month dedicated to the goddess Jeyriall was seen as favouring the future family, (add comma)  and it had the advantage that the cornucopia of the fields, orchards, and vineyards were ready to be harvested. The celebration is said to have been one of the most splendid in Santharian history. At the suggestion of Santhranna Majida musicians and poets from the whole of the united kingdom and even Nybelmar were invited, not only to perform before the royal couple, (add comma)  but to entertain the whole city of Santhala also. Painters were paid to portray the newly wed couple and to sketch the events all over the town and to document that way what was intended to be one of the greatest weddings of all time.



 220 - 228 a.S. : Births and Deaths

At the beginning of their marriage Jeyriall looked with favour upon the couple, (add comma)  and three daughters were born within four years: Princess Skavinna on the 15th day of Rising Sun in the year 220 a.S., Princess Udrike on the 21th day of Fallen Leaf in the year 221 a.S., the third, Princess Hjaveig two years later on the 1st day of Turning Star in the year 223 a.S.  It is said (no comma)  that Santhran Lysarian learned to love his wife and that they spent many glorious weeks in Mahood Castle.

It is not known what went wrong so that the marriage broke up in the end nevertheless. Was it that Ithvinna, worn out after three births, refused to live up to her conjugal duty for some time and her husband looked for relief elsewhere? Was it the death of their first son, prince Kijolf, who was born on the 11th day of Dead Tree 226 a.S., only to die three weeks later? We don‘t know. It might have been the pressure of duties, the turbulence, and lack of  time for each other which came with the enthronement of Lysarian as Santhran after the death of his father in the spring of 227 a.S.

 Unfortunately their second son Leifring (18th of Burning Heavens 226 a.S.) was born dead and Ithvinna suffered greatly without the emotional support of her often absent husband. So when she learned that a noblewoman from the fief of Thyslan claimed to have given birth to a son sired by the Santhran soon after her child had died, (add comma)  she retreated to her estates on the Pearl Coast, taking her three daughters with her. A year later, in autumn of the year 229 a.S., she divorced her husband.

 

 27. 6. 227 a.S. Lysarian Hammersfeld's Ascension to the Throne [/b]

Although his father had suffered a sudden death, (add comma) Prince Lysarian was well prepared to ascend the throne at the age of 30. Grown up at a time of plenitude, influenced by his art loving mother and with the attitude that everything he wishes to achieve will be possible to accomplish, the grandest enthronement Santharia had ever seen was prepared. The festivities lasted a whole month and everybody was invited. This would not have been possible without the wealth of his wife Ithvinna.

The new Santhran entered his reign with great energy and already in his first year set many things in motion which would bear fruits only much later.  Lysarian invited authorities of diverse fields of knowledge to move to Santhala and work there on different subjects but mainly with the goal to find out how the economy of the whole kingdom could be fostered, how trading expertise could be spread, and the arts stimulated. He was open to council but once he had formed his opinion about something he spent all his energy into pursuing his ideas.



 227 a.S. The First Years

227 a.S. Frozen Rivers, The Crumbling Bridge

At the yearturn to 227 a.S. Santhran Lysarian was severely hurt on his way home from Milkengrad when a bridge collapsed while he was crossing over with his carriage. Apart from several bruises he broke his two legs and hurt his head badly.  An accompanying mage realised that failing magic had been the cause. The bridge had not only been constructed with the help of magicians in order to speed up the process, its supporting capacity had been fortified also via magical means instead of using only the proper craftsmanship of a stonemason. The Santhran was brought to a nearby castle owned by the Graven of Codáth Lake, (add comma)  which is situated directly at the most western of the Aurelian Lakes.  He stayed there for several weeks until his severe headache ceased and he was able to travel again. Bad weather added to the prolongation of his stay. At Codáth Lake Lysarian met the niece of the castle-owner, Mariama, the daughter of the Graven of Thyslan. While being bound to his bed for several weeks, angry and frustrated to not be able to pursue his goals, he decided that something had to be done to prevent such accidents, soon.


228 a.S. Awakening Earth, The Meeting of Mages

Only shortly returned from his involuntary stay in the North Santhran, (add comma)  Lysarian initiated a meeting of Thalambathian and Ximaxian authorities, several noblemen interested in magic, and representatives from the Fymbels    association, as well as the Mashdai Traders. He demanded that the practising mages who travel the land or are generally working outside of Ximax found a guild to prevent sluggish, irresponsible work like that which caused his accident. The guild was meant to control the work of their members, set standards, oversee the teaching, furthermore ensure that magical shops are properly equipped and artifacts like talismans or amulets are verified objectively.
 
The attending mages however strictly declined his wishes at first as they didn't see themselves on the same level as traders and craftsmen, (add comma)  which alienated the present representatives of the trades and crafts. After several weeks of discussion though an agreement was found about the founding of an 'Order of Magecraft'. The precise tasks of this order still had to be laid down yet, but its main goal should be to make the use of magic safer. One of the first steps was the standardisation of teaching a magical craft to guarantee a certain level, others followed.

(It is in fact quite amazing (no comma)  that the present mages found a solution this quickly, the cause may have been, that they were not allowed to leave until the problem was solved and that the meals which were served got less plentiful and tasteful with every day the meeting lasted.) I once worked at a place that followed a similar principle. Now I know who they got the idea from. Cursed be this Santhran!



228 a.S. Rising Sun, Founding of the ,Order of Magecraft‘

The ,Order of Magecraft‘ was founded on the tenth of the month under the presidency of the Santhran. The first members were ceremonially inducted, among them several high ranked Ximaxian mages, a Pryus of Thalambath and  three Thalam Wizards. The first ,house of magic‘ was opened, the first school of the order established. As first headmaster, a high-ranked wind mage of Ximax, Xaron Worthwhile, was installed. His task would be for now to organise the forming of the order, to recruit members, and to initiate dependencies in the other provinces and big cities of Santharia.


228 a.S. Fallen Leaf, Birth of Lysmarin of Thyslan

The forced stay in the estate of the Graven of Cothán had another outcome also. Nine months later the niece of his host, Baroness Mariama of Thyslan claimed, that the healthy, red-haired son she had given birth was sired by the Santhran. Not being a timid young lady, but a woman who had studied in Ximax holding three degrees of Wind Magic, she did not hesitate to voice who the father of her son was and demanded alimony from the Santhran. Forced by political reasons Lysarian acknowledged the child as his bastard son three months later.


228 a.S.:  Planning of a new Currency

One of the working groups Santhran Lysarian had initiated arrived at the conclusion (no comma)  that it would immensely further the economic strength of the kingdom (no comma) if there were a common currency. The Santhran soon decided to realize the idea. To convince the rulers of the provinces, he planned to visit every important town in Santharia.



229 a.S. The first of the Santhran‘s ,Long Voyages‘

Wanting to know his kingdom better and with the goal to campaign for his idea to standardise the currency of Santharia, (add comma) Lysarian started his first journey through his country. As he wanted to win the heart of his wife back, (add comma)  who was now living with their children at her home in the Manthrian Pearl Coast fief, (add comma)  his first journey started out South down the Thaehelvil river and and along the coast to the elven capital Elving where he had his first official meeting with many of the elven leaders in the region. Ravenport, Lorehaven, and Griffin‘s Marl followed until he came to Klinsor and the nearby estate of his wife Ithvinna. There he stayed for four weeks but the rift between them could not be closed anymore, Ithvinna didn‘t want to go back to Santhala and divorced him three months later, freeing him for another marriage and maybe a legitimate son.

The Santhran continued his journey visiting Marcogg and Chondra and then travelling up the long valley of the Mashdai past the Almatrar and Paelelon where he reassured himself of the support of the Ahrhim and even the Eophyrhim dark elves. Finally he reached Elsreth, the last step in his voyage for this year, (add comma)  and then turned around to get back to Santhala, via Tyr Thromgolin (with a visit to the dwarven town). Enjoying the marvellous view at the Anaios Gap he spent several days hunting until he returned to Santhala late in the year.


To be able to travel this far and fast, (add comma)  he abstained from the comfort he was used to as a Santhran and travelled by horse. When he was not visiting the nobles and important persons he wanted to see and talk to, (add comma)  he slept in a well maintained inn or even in a (comfortable) tent if it was necessary. The strict organisation of his travel plans and preparation of the places he wanted to rest in advance helped a lot to achieve his ambitious goal.


230 a.S. ,Unification of the Measurements‘

While travelling through mid-Santharia [color=yellow= - "like a vagabond", as some critical voices said -[/color] Lysarian had learned (no comma)  that one of the problems the traders and merchants had was that a handspan had not necessarily the same length in Marcogg as in Elsreth and a heb was not as heavy in Ciosa as in Santhala. Though the ped was defined  since King Thar (1), (add comma)  it did not work Santharia-wide.

So Santhran Lysarian ordered a ,standard ped and a standard heb‘ to be crafted which were then stored in the palace of Santhala. From there the measurement was taken to create several other ,standard‘  peds and hebs, one for each provincial capital, and one for each major town. The ped was made out of Uderza pottery which had been in a very hot fire so that its length did not change with the weather be it cold or hot. The heb was out of an alloy whose composition was not revealed so that forgery was not possible. The single ped and heb which were kept in Santhala were soon named the ,Santhran‘s Ped and Heb' or - short - the 'Hebped'.

The other reference peds and hebs had to be kept at the seat of the provincial government, later they were transferred to the new founded mints.


 232 a.S.:  The second of the Santhran‘s ,Long Voyages‘

This time the North was Lysarian's goal, (add comma)  so he left early in the year as soon as the roads were free to visit Naios, Caelum, and Ximax, (add comma)  where he stayed for two weeks enjoying the atmosphere of the magical city and spending a lot of time in the library. Salsair and Thyslan followed, (add comma)  where the Santhran declined the wish of Mariama of Thyslan to see his acknowledged son. Milkengrad followed, then Voldar, Nyermersys, Ishmarin, and Astran, Holm and Acht, Jernais, Veltin, Carmalad, and finally Cavthan - it had been a very long and tiring voyage. The hobbits of the Alianian Hills welcomed him so heartily that he decided to stay for another two weeks, resting, sleeping, eating.


232 a.S.: The Claim of Gravenness Mariama of Thyslan‘  

In time to ruin the midwinter festivities for the Santhran the mother of his son, Graveness Mariama of Thyslan, announced that the child she was carrying was again sired by the Santhran, conceived while he stayed near Thyslan. The court was as shocked as the Santhran who denied to have met the Gravenness in private.


233 a.S. Turning Star: The Birth of Myrissa of Thyslan  

In the first month of the year Gravenness Mariama of Thyslan‘ gave birth to a red-haired daughter with green eyes, Myrissa of Thyslan. Mariama‘s uncle Thyram, the Graven of Codáth Lake and Coram Duke of Salsair visited Santhala and spoke with the Santhran on behalf of their relative. It seemed (no comma)  that they had come in vain.


233 a.S.: The Guild Laws

In the same year that the Santhran‘s ,Hebpeds‘ were introduced, (add comma)  Lysarian initiated a meeting of guild masters of all crafts which had a decent guild-system. Many followed his call to be his guest, even from towns as far away as Strata and Nyermersys. Around five hundred joined to be part of an exchange about how guild laws should be handled as well as guild standards and questions concerning the apprenticeship, a broad discussion was initiated and finally decided that all guilds of a province should have its unified rules. It was not possible though to reach that goal for the whole of the kingdom as the territory was too large to make complete standardisation in all aspects a practicable feat. It took however only three years until the principal unification was accomplished.


233 a.S. Frozen River: The Announcement of the Santhran  

At the midwinter festival Lysarian announced that he would marry Mariama of Thyslan and acknowledge her daughter as his child. That surprised the whole kingdom and rumours arose quickly that the Santhran accepted his new wife in exchange for the support of the North of his planned introduction of the new currency.


234 a.S. Changing Winds: Marriage with Gravenness Mariama of Thyslan

The marriage was not a very happy one, as was to be expected.  The two settled in eventually but no other children were born. Lysarian got to know and like his two offsprings though, (add comma)  which turned out to be a good thing, (add comma)  for his heir Lysmarin was a great help for him in pursuing his aims, once he had grown up. Myrissa was a sweet girl who soon twisted her father, who had a weak spot for the female gender anyway,  around her little finger.


243 a.S.: The 'Order of Magecraft' Celebrates its Tenth Anniversary

To support the case of the progressing unification of Santharian magic the Santhran hosted a gathering on the occasion of the tenth jubilee, inviting the most deserved of the new members. This was a milestone, (add comma)  for there the members of the new order, up to now still not too self-assured, gained new confidence. From then on the order grew rapidly. Soon every major town had a ,mage-tower‘ and teaching magic outside of Ximax was precisely regulated. (I always thought that Santharian humans studied magic almost exclusively at Ximax. Maybe I have missed a discussion?)


236 a.S. The third of the Santhran‘s ,Long voyages‘

To get to know the Southern part of his kingdom better Santhran Lysarian left Santhala already early in Awakening Earth for Chylikis visiting the huge harbour run by Varcopas‘ merchants. Varcopas itself had donned its prettiest dress: the spring flowers were in full bloom and added to the attractiveness of the anyway ever present climbers. The inhabitants greeted the Santhran cheerfully, the H‘rul and most of the Council of the Eleven welcomed him kindly. He was so impressed that he decided to come back more often, and in fact, he would retreat later on several times to Varcopas whenever his time allowed him to, especially in winter.

Uderza and Bardavos were Lysarian's next stops. In Bardavos he stayed in the house of the Thane for two weeks to rest and to enjoy the art of the town. As this was his native town he felt very attached to it. What followed was a long sea voyage to Thalambath. His stay was short there as the town and the volcano depressed him. The Royal Viseur and the Presidium, though welcoming him as their Santhran, were very reserved in contrast to the leaders of Varcopas. To see a Southern part of the famous Ráhaz-Dáth he ventured out into the oasis of Na'la Na'tifa, located at the edge of the great saltpan. His fascination must have been deep, (add comma)  for it was here that he is said to have mentioned that he sometimes wished the burden of being Santhran would not lie upon his shoulders.

If Thalambath had been depressing, (add comma)  Strata was tiresome. Lysarian enjoyed the beautiful town, its location at the edge of the continent, its sunny harbour, (add comma)  but  the activity and hustle annoyed him, as did the the dust in the air (no comma)  when desert winds swept through the streets and most of all, the wish of their leaders to help them to regain the ruling power in the Kingdom of Stratania again which then was located in Thalambath for the last 800 years. They granted him their acceptance of the new currency in exchange.


247 a.S.:  Majida of Bardavos dies

In 247 the former Santhranna and Santhran Lysarian's mother died of old age.



248 a.S.:  Introduction of the new Currency

With a big event the new currency was presented, a fortune of sans, the new smallest coin, distributed throughout the town. From then on in each provincial capital a new mint had to be built and basically only the Thanes had the right to mint, all others had to be closed. However, many of those who had acquired the authorization to mint before like Dukes, Gravens, and major towns threatened to revolt would this new regulation come into effect. Widespread bloodshed was looming over the country. The Santhran gave in and allowed all the dukes and gravens to run their mints until their death. The cities and towns however had to give up their right immediately but they received special trading rights as compensation. An infringement of the new law was persecuted and punished severely, when repeated even with the death penalty.

The new currency was, despite those troubles and constraints, a great success. With the simplification of trade and business the growing wealth of most of the population in the whole kingdom finally convinced the majority and the new coins were accepted widely.


249 a.S.: Divorce from Santhranna Mariama

The Santhranna was caught red-handed with the captain of the guard Dyrath Jorus. It turned out that the relation had already lasted for two years. Lysarian divorced Mariama and sent her to a monastery, Dyrath Jorus was dishonourably discharged. Mariama fled from the monastery though and joined, so rumours go, a wandering circus.


250 - 287 Waiting for the ,Harvest to Ripen‘

Had the first twenty years of Santhran Lysarian‘s reign been very turbulent, due to the three great voyages and the economic improvements he set into motion, the second half were in this respect less demanding, but nonetheless tiring. Patience was now a virtue the Santhran needed and it came not easy to him to have to wait till the ,Order of Magecraft‘ was widely accepted or the new currency made its way. It is said that he ordered a bottle of Winter Ice, one of the most expensive wines, when he got the message that the last graven who had the privilege to mint his own coins had died.

Lysarian had a woman at his side though who surely dulcified his time: On one of his frequent voyages to Varcopas he met San‘jana filja Ca‘tara filja Shen‘Hafa, a member of the Council of the Eleven of Varcopas and fell immediately in love with her. After a long time without a partner at his side with whom he could not only share the bed but engage into a stimulating conversation also Lysarian was overjoyed to have found somebody who suited him.  The only drop of bitterness was that, though she returned his love, she refused to marry him. San'jana did not want to be Santhranna and take all the responsibilities on her shoulders as would be expected from her, did not want to give up her freedom. So she became his mistress instead. Fifteen years of love came to an end as San‘jana got ill and died in 266, in the presence of Lysarian, of a minor illness. Lysarian was devastated.

It may well be that her death brought forward the idea to resign. On his 70th birthday, the 3rd in the month of Awakening Earth in the year 267 a.S. Santhran Lysarian abdicated after forty years of reign. His son Lysmarin followed on the throne, being 39 years of age, ready and eager to take the responsibilities of his father.

Lysarian would not have been himself  if he had spent the rest of his life without a woman at his side.  Though already 75 years old, he married Asriyah Altara, a young woman of dubious parentage, said to be a noblewoman of Aeruillin. He met her in Bardavos and many said she strongly resembled his mother Maijda. Asruyah was only 25 when he married her, but the relation between the two seemed to have been a good one.

The Santhran did not abstain from politics in his retirement. As his son had supported him during his reign, he now helped Lysmarin with ,royal duties‘ like giving speeches before a group of mages or the dedication of a new temple to Foiros.

Always fond of women, Lysarian paid homage to the Fymbel Association by giving his last official appearance  in 280 a.S. in honour of their 200 year anniversary. The Fymbel Association existed by now of seventeen guilds, each of which oversaw a different craft. (Sorry, change needed! In 280, at most the fymbel stonemasons and the woodwrights can have existed, but no other guild. The fymbels entry says: “... a second guild, the Fymbel Woodwrights, was founded sometime during the 3rd or 4th century a.S. Yet after an initial rapid expansion, both the stonemason and woodwright guilds seem to have stagnated for many centuries. Besides, I'm not sure it fits with the low social status of the fymbels that they got royal recognition so early in their history. The fymbels in their early days were, I imagine, still a rather raggle-taggle group, not well organized, not widely known, and not very numerous. I'm grateful for your reference to the fymbels, but maybe you could tone down the grandness of the occasion a bit? Maybe Lysarian just gave a medal or three to some outstanding fymbel stonemasons, marking the first time a craftswoman is recorded to have received royal recognition?  In recognition of their value to the kingdom the Santhran donated an array of houses in Santhala to the guild. He led the festivities and held his last speech in admiration of an association consisting mostly of women.

287 a.S.: Death of the Santhran Lysarian Hammersfeld

Santhran Lysarian Hammersfeld, though still in good health, died at the age of ninety from a heart attack in his bed in the arms of his wife.




Importance

Santhran Lysarian the Great was without doubt one of the most important rulers the kingdom of Santharia has seen in its history. Where Santhros the Wise had been the genitor and midwife of the Santharian kingdom, Lysarian was the father who raised it.  His sedulous commitment towards the unification in many fields, be it the guilds or the monetary system, (add comma) pushed the economy of the country immensely and brought not only wealth and affluence to many but enabled the common folk also to lead a good life. Lysarian's voyages made him one of the most popular rulers, (add comma) as many people loved to actually see their Santhran, be it from afar and for a short time only, or once in their life. Lore soon grew around his visits and not few grandparents told their grandchildren of the time when ,our Lysarian‘ had visited the town or came through the village. Without him and the foundation of economic wealth for the next two centuries, Santhran Sanaerrin the Magnificent  (497 a. S. - 547 a.S.) would not have been able to build his grand monuments, be it the Great Library of Santhala, the Summer Palace, or any other of his worldwide famous buildings. Where those did crumble when the disaster fell upon Santhala and the whole country in 547a.S., the guilds still had their organisation, the currency was still valid, and the ,order of Magecraft‘ tried to fight the impending chaos. Santhros the Wise is surely the greatest and most loved ruler the Santharian Kingdom has seen, but Lysarian the Great follows close behind.

I notice that this thread has a blue arrow. So I take it that no more comments are needed? I was going to go through it this weekend, but if I don't need to, that's fine!

I'll read the entry anyway, for my edification!

Congratulations, Eldor! 

By "influential persons", do you mean "mentors"? Or maybe 'significant friendships'?

Anyway, I always worked on the assumption that if an entry (any entry, Person or otherwise) benefits from an extra, non-standard section, that such a section is not only allowed, but welcome.

Seconded! 

Looks great so far, Eldor! Some lovely language in the descriptions there; good work!

Are you planning to explain further why the Grove is held in such special regard? I don't know what "the fateful meeting between the Helcrani and the Milken" was, for example... This may be contained in another entry somewhere, but a (short) explanation may not go amiss. Maybe that's what you're planning for the 'Myth' section? In that case, don't mind me... 

I second that, Seeker.

And special congratulations to Brynjar for her first compendium entry!

If you go on like that, I may actually learn a thing or two about Santharian history. 

Hi Talia,

I had a close-ish look at the first few sections, up to and including 'Personality'. It's a lovely description throughout, creating a subtle and colourful portrait of the man. I hope my comments are helpful. Yellow is for corrections (necessary in my opinion), orange is for suggestions. I have used the version in the post immediately above this one.

Edit: 2013-02-07 10:00 MEZ



Santhran Lysarian Thaelron Dagolth the Great



Overview

Santhran Lysarian the Great (197 a.S. - 287 a.S.) was  one of the most influential Santhrans in the time which is now called ,The Golden Age of Kings‘. He was born as first child of Santhran Calron the Weak and his wife Majida of Bardavos. At the age of thirty he ascended the throne and immediately started to initiate several projects, which would establish him as one of the key figures of the still young united kingdom. The standardisation of measurements and currency, the founding of the ,Order of Magecraft' and the strengthening of the guilds were the basis on which the economy could flourish and wealth spread to many people.

Many saw his affection towards women as a weakness, but it brought him within reach of the more ordinary people. (That’s a splendidly brazen rationalization for sleeping your way through the beds of Santharia!) He was well loved, especially by the common folk (Cough, cough!), although his hard decisions though often caused trouble (… although his uncompromising stance often caused controversy among the aristocracy …) and many nobles hated him till they died.

He is as well known (famous) as one of the best players of the resonance organ.



 Appearance

If there had ever arisen the need to hide Santhran Lysarian, this would have been a very difficult (formidable) task indeed. With his Erpheronian bright red hair, the green eyes of his mother and an expressive face he was recognised from afar, his tall build adding to his appearance. His hair gave him trouble all his life, as it never could be tamed to look in any way ,royal‘, be it short or long. So most of the time he is known to have worn it long, either open or in one braid on the back. Mischievous minds said (no comma) that the braid was his ,warrior‘ style, the open hair his ,lover‘ style, but as Lysarian had it open on official occasions also, this is a mere guess.

The green of his eyes was clear and deep, and many of his adversaries had to lower their eyes, when (as) they could not stand the stare in his gaze, should they have dared to diverge in opinion. His face was not as handsome as many would expect, rather it was long and angular, though some swear it had a feminine touch. It must have been the expression of this face, its constant movement which made him so charming, not only in the eyes of women, but men also. He was tall with fairly broad shoulders, but not overly muscular. Lysarian could swing his sword and had been a good fighter in his youth, but with age he neglected training. His duties as ruler never allowed him to put too much effort in it, and so a certain softness was communicated to his admirers too.  All in all, despite his shortcomings, he was a royal appearance and many of his followers had to measure up with him. (I think you mean: “… and many of his heirs on the throne had to suffer being unfavourably compared to him.”, or something like that?)



Personality  

In retrospect many believe, be it the historians or the common folk, that Santhran Lysarian was a king par excellence. He was a friendly, amiable and often charming man who cared for his people, be they of noble or common parentage. He had a cheerful temper and often his spontaneous humour lightened up the atmosphere during negotiations, when everybody else thought the talks had come to a dead end.

Lysarian would not have been a good ruler, if there had not been a different side to him also. His father had become Santhran when he was just four, so he knew from childhood on, that once he would follow in the footsteps of his father and become the Santhran himself. This prospect provided him with a tremendous lot of self assurance and he was used to get, within reason, all that he wanted. His charming way helped him, so that his maids, servants and teachers never had the opportunity (… teachers could never brings themselves …) to really chide him, if at all, they just admonished him mildly. (… at most they would ruffle his hair and say ‘tut, tut’, while smiling at the enchanting boy.) His quick mind obviated that he carried out stupid adventures In any case, even as a child he was too intelligent to go on silly adventures, )and his genuine friendliness allowed him an easy way out of every unfortunate situation.

That changed of course, when he got older and had to take over political responsibilities, led negotiations and had to enforce royal decisions - and not everything turned out according to his liking. Suddenly the agreeable young man could be determined and resolute. That trait strengthened when he ascended the throne. Now he was a very strong-willed man at the height of his power and expected that due to his position as the Santhran everybody would fulfil (or: “bow to”) his will without any opposition, be it justified or not. Especially in the beginning of his reign it seemed that he did not want to accept others to disagree with him, rather he expected support against their own conviction due to his position as the Santhran.

Lysarian's big goal from the first day of his reign was to lead the Santharian kingdom to wealth and prosperity. He had set himself a tight schedule what he wanted to achieve and at which point in his rule, yet when nobles revolted and made his plans impossible he tried to enforce his ideas by taking away long owned rights. This should not remain the only case. (I don’t understand the last sentence.) Whenever inconveniences arose, he became often impatient and aggressive. Nevertheless it is reported that Lysarian never raised his voice, but many of those men who had to deal with him reported that they would have preferred him shouting at them rather than having to endure that  piercing sharp stare from (of) his green eyes. A member of the council once told his wife:

„Then he became upset, in a quiet way though: his brows knitted together, his full lips became small as a line and his green eyes blazed with an inner fire, he looked as dangerous as a  volcano shortly before an explosion, you saw him nearly smoking - just that he never exploded. He just stood up and left the room. The negotiations were postponed for some days and after a few days a much more even-tempered Santhran returned, hiding his determination behind a charming smile.“

In his later years Lysarian was even more tempered. While as a matter of fact he stayed as strong-willed as ever, he by now he had learned to use his charm and talent for persuasion to achieve what he wanted. Even when he seemed to become impatient and cold, those who knew him well were aware, that it was only acting on behalf of his aims.


What might have helped the Santhran to tame his temper and find back to his friendly self was his music. He played the resonance organ and when he was incensed about anything, he poured his soul into the instrument and after several hours of playing he emerged calm and friendly.

A description of his personality would not be complete, if it did not mention his only ,weakness‘ : women. With his friendliness, natural kindness and charm he attracted them from childhood on and as he found pleasure in being with them, he failed to see (no comma)  why he should not accept their offers.  When accused by his first wife of being disloyal he always argued (no comma)  that his heart was big enough for all to live in and that he never would share a bed with any other woman in the presence of his wife, so she would miss nothing. (Well, at least he’s honest. Is there any evidence concerning what he would have done had his wife claimed the same privilege?) And his charm worked often and mollified her.

Splendid work all around, Seeker! Thanks for doing all those revisions.

Splendid! We have a new "Aspiring Member"! Congratulations, Brynjar!

(A newcomer becomes an aspiring member when her or his first entry is included in the compendium.)

EDIT: Oh, and I look forward to reading about that water creature someday. Is it similar to a platypus, I wonder?