Surian ap'tel Minor (Surian of the line of Minar) was the twelfth and final king of the Mynian Kingdom of Northern Sarvonia. He lived from 1684 b.S. till 1649 b.S. He was king for sixteen years before the Year of Darkness (known as the Year of the Burning Night in the North) fell upon the world. During that time orcs from the North came southward and despite heroic efforts the kingdom fell. Though dead through treachery and the hordes of orcs, he lives on in the myths of the Kuglimz who revere him as Sur’tyan, the “All Father”.

Picture description: Sur'tyan, the God of the Kuglimz, the glorified Surian ap'tel Minar. Drawn by Faugar.

Appearance. Surian is said to have stood more than two peds in height, with broad shoulders and well muscled arms from a life of martial activity. Sharp cheekbones and a chiseled nose marked him of his noble line. Grey flecked hazel eyes spoke volumes about his mood, changing in color from green to blue to gray. His fine blonde hair was swept back and fell down his shoulders to about his shoulder blades. Hardened leather and steel were worn to protect his frame, swift steel was housed upon his left hip and his great wooden shield bearing a rearing horse was upon his well muscled forearm.

Biography. Surian's Birth (1684 b.S.). Born to King Ored the eleventh king of the Mynian Kingdom, Surian quickly distinguished himself from those of Minar’s blood. For it had been thought for some time that Minar’s courageous blood had thinned nearly to the point of exhaustion. Each king bearing a son later and later in life, and each king easily swayed from his own decision and from even making them. In Surian’s daring childhood exploits to visit his cousin Wyland ap’tel Nigore across the kingdom and the way he was not easily tamed were the people given some hope. For it seemed that his sense of adventure and wildness hearkened back to the glorious days of Minar II. and his son Riton.

The People's Rebellion (1669 b.S.). In his fifteenth year something would occur which would forever break Surian of the course he was unsuccessfully being bound too. In the spring of 1661 b.S. there was a terrible storm that ravaged the shoreline, killing hundreds and damaging or destroying dozens of small fishing communities. The need for money to rebuild the settlements caused the tax collectors to come very early that year and taxes to be increased enormously. In one small town some innocent fishermen and women were slaughtered for refusing to pay. This caused the wandering priest Dael to begin a march upon the capital. This is what would eventually lead to the brief, yet bloody “People’s Rebellion” that lasted for two years time.

Unable to fight Surian was forced to stay at the capital and listen to the news of each fresh battle; quietly he praised every peasant victory and cursed every defeat. After several months of time he went before his father and demanded that the war be ended, but his father would not hear of it (better say his councilors would not hear of it) for he would not have the kingdom ripped asunder. Surian sent secret aid to the rebellion by way of the priesthood. After a year of warfare, Surian’s mother Heira fell mysteriously ill. It is thought by Surian to be the work of the Warden of Luquador, Eogden ap’tel Jurgen. This blow causes King Ored to all but hand over his kingdom to the council of wardens and justicars. This was exactly what Eogden had desired and he manipulated that council into continuing the war for another year till every rebel was killed and examples were made of. Eogden used deceit to trick the common people in believing that he was against the whole of it, and thus gained popular support.

Wyland's Flight (1663 b.S.). A hard blow came to Surian in the form of his cousin Kurlick ap’tel Nigore, he was killed by several bandits. Blaming himself Kurlick’s brother Wyland ran into the forest to avenge his brother’s loss. So, not only had Surian lost his cousin, but more sadly he had lost his mentor and closest companion Wyland.

Surian's Crowntaking (1664 b.S.). Surian took the crown upon his twentieth birthday as was custom. He became king of a people weary of having the line of Minar for kings, Eogden had a lot of support from not only the council, but also the people for him to take over the kingship. Yet the other Warden, Sioned ap’tel Nigore was steadfastly loyal to the kingship, also a part of the population had hope that Surian would be the king needed to rectify the mistakes of the past few generations.

In an effort to not only allow all in his realm to see him, but also to see the state of his realm, Surian announced plans to tour the kingdom throughout the first year of his reign. At first Eogden saw this as a good way to get rid of the bothersome king so he could further advance his own schemes, yet after several months it came to his ears that the young king was winning the people to him. This was something that could not be allowed to continue. Thus, using several of his men that were in the king’s personal bodyguard, he had Surian kidnapped and then dressed a mutilated body in Surian’s clothes, leading the people to believe that he had died in a river crossing accident. Surian, his hands and feet bound, was taken out to sea and dropped in to sink to his death.

Surian miraculously freed himself from his bonds and stayed afloat on a piece of driftwood. Eventually he fell unconscious and washed up onto shore in the far North of the kingdom. There he was found by a Justicar’s daughter who had been bathing in the sea. This woman was named Leiana and nursed Surian back to health. While watching him in his days of fever he had talked incoherently about Wyland. Upon Surian’s recovery she said she had heard him talk about Wyland. Thinking he was just talking about the tragic event whom all the people in the province felt she began to tell him some of the rumors about Wyland’s whereabouts.

Knowing that he needed all of the help that he could get to regain his kingdom Surian left in search of Wyland. After some time of search he found him in a desolate part of the forest half mad with grief and solitude. Leiana once again showed her powers of healing and brought him back to his old self, and the three of them went to see Warden Sioned, Wylands’s father. When Wyland returned, Sioned was filled with joy and pledged all that he had to see the king restored to his rightful place. Word spread throughout the land that Surian had returned, that the Creator himself had willed it, and not only was that but also at his right hand was Wyland the Merciful. This rallied the people to his cause, and with all of this behind him Surian marched upon the city of Weil, Eogden’s capital.

The Kingship Battles (1666 b.S.). A great series of battles ensued and Surian came out the victor. Eogden and his eldest son fled, leaving behind the younger Norlick ap’tel Jurgen. Surian placed Norlick as the warden with a trustworthy Justicar to lead him due to Norlick’s young age. With Eogden’s flight and Surian’s strong rule the people prospered for many years. Surian married Leiana and Wyland took his father’s place as warden of Liben. A new golden age had come to the Mynian Kingdom.

The Year of the Burning Night (1649 b.S.). While Eogden had fled, he had not been lax. He had wheedled his way into the greedy ambitions of an orc shaman. Together they had convinced a host of orcs to turn southward. At first only rumors of these long forgotten creatures reached the capital Weavermoth as strange attacks began to take place in the province of Liben. Then, without warning the day turned into darkness and old horrors, the Shadow Elves were released out of their fetid marshes. The Shadow Elves expanded into the orc homeland giving them no place to run except South. They came in droves, not just for plunder but for a new homeland. Surian came to the frontier of Liben and first handedly saw the hordes attacking and pillaging.

Battle of Goiyar's Gap (1649 b.S.). Surian rallied the men of Liben and sent to the other provinces for reinforcements. He did not hold Liben for long and it was there that brave Wyland fell to the foeman. Grieving his cousin’s death and that of his people, Surian drew back to the mighty fortress of Goiyar’s Gap. There the troops from the other provinces met up with them. Time and time again Surian and his men threw back the enemy, but they were simply too many. They streamed over the hills and skirted the coast all but entrapping the king. Only a valiant effort broke Surian and the last of his men free of the encircling enemy.

The Fall of Weavermoth (1649 b.S.). A final stand was made at the capital and heart of the kingdom, Weavermoth the many towered. No more men could come; the orcs came like a plague, their fires burning brightly against the black days and nights. An ocean of fire swept the plains around the capital. All that could be evacuated were sent south in the hopes of surviving any way possible. Battle after battle whittled down Surian’s men until they could no longer hold the foe at bay. Surian was more than just a man as he waded into the heat of every encounter and threw himself into every breach. Every man of his fought as if they were a hundred, but it availed them not. For in the end the gates were shattered and the streets ran with blood. Surian was slain guarding the body of his dead wife Leiana.

Importance. The remaining people who escaped the hunting orcs at the Fall of Weavermoth fled south to the Celeste Lowlands where they escaped the marauding bands. Centuries would pass and they would become the Kuglimz, forgetting or distorting all that they once knew of their past. The man who saved them from all dying at the hands of the invading orcs, Surian, later became known as Sur’tyan the “All Father”, he who sent them to where they are now. Only do the priests of Sur’tyan name him Surian, and only in their sacred songs of worship. Even with that name though do they still see him as a God.