The Erpheronian regent Thaelrin, son of Thaelmar and Cathya, was born in 976 b.S. and died in 900 b.S. He ascended to throne in 955 b.S., when he was 21 years old. The king was always jealous of the Stratanian’s fortune in establishing trade relations with Nybelmar, and though he attempted to find a way to establish an international trade partnership with people from the continent of Akdor, he failed. Thaelrin’s stubborn behaviour and competitiveness pushed him to win without regard to what cost it might take to complete the particularly dangerous task of finding a safe route to Akdor. His relentless pursuit ended in failure, as Erpheronia still did not have a relationship with the Akdorians prior to his death. However, in his "quest" to find a way to Akdor, he was able to establish the colony of Raevalem on the Peninsula of Aden in Northwestern Sarvonia.

Picture description. The Founder of the Raevalem outpost, the connection to Akdor - the Erpheronian Thaelrin the Relentless. Image by Seeker.

Appearance. Thaelrin typified Erpheronians in appearance. He was both lean and muscular, and maintained his robust build throughout his entire life. He kept his red hair shoulderlength and his face clean-shaven. He had blue eys set above a wide nose and square jaw, the only traits that he passed on to his son, Myracor. Unlike his son, who stood over 2 peds tall, Thaelrin was of average height. His complexion was ruddy and well-tanned from all the time he spent outdoors. Those who were alive to know Thaelrin and his grandson, Myrwodin, felt that these two more closely resembled one another. Thaelrin rarely wore finery except in court, and much preferred to wear functional clothing – leather tunics over cloth undergarments. He often wore full plate mail armour, as he spent much of his reign in exploration or in war.

Personality. Thaelrin had once been labelled Thaelrin “The Pigheaded” by an old tutor, who gave up on the boy after only a few weeks of trying to deal with his stubbornness. As a prince and then later when he ascended to the throne, Thaelrin refused to acknowledge defeat in anything he set his mind to, despite what the cost might be. As a result of his resolute attitude, Thaelrin was inclined to make sacrifices that his private council often felt outweighed the benefits of some of his endeavours, particularly his many attempts to establish the outpost of Raevalem.

He was also extremely competitive. As a prince, the Stratanian trade agreement with Nybelmar (in 956 b.S.) caused much debate and controversy in the Erpheronian court. Some members of the court criticised his father, who was then king, and claimed his father’s failure to act had cost Erpheronia dearly. The young Thaelrin did not take this criticism well, and vowed that if given the opportunity, he would bring even greater wealth and glory to Erpheronia. His staunch behaviour and competitiveness manifested themselves as dogged determination as he grew into adulthood, which was clearly evident in his quest to find and establish a trade relationship with the kingdom of Akdor.

Thaelrin was a jealous man – again a trait he showed in his early years. Jealous of the Stratanians for their success in signing an agreement with Nybelmar, and fuelled by the voracious rants of his father’s nemesis in the Erpheronian court, Myrron, the Duke of Narvoss, Thaelrin often downplayed the successes of or complained about Stratanians. The fact that another tribe, and one which he considered inferior, “beat him to the punch”, haunted Thaelrin for the remainder of his life. He spoke and complained often of it to his private counsel, and also made his son, Myracor, aware that trade with Akdor would be needed to elevate Erpheronia’s status.

Finally, Thaelrin rarely saw the value of worrying over minor details, and relied primarily on his inferiors to make decisions for Erpheronia’s well-being. This was true of everything except in war, where he simply gave commands and expected them to be followed. He made numerous small strategic mistakes during his many attempts to colonise the Peninsula of Aden and build the outpost at Raevalem.

Biography. Thaelrin’s Formative Years (976-958 b.S.). Thaelrin, second son of Thaelmar and Cathya was born. At the age of five, Thaelrin began his education, switching tutors several times. His teachers found it difficult to train the stubborn young boy, who saw only the “bigger picture”, and often disregarded significant details. Through the course of his formative years, Thaelrin spent much of his time travelling from city to city, and never stayed more than a few months with any one tutor.

Thaelrin’s Curse – Stratania finds Nybelmar (956 b.S.). Three Stratanian Ships reached the Ferrath Islands. First contact was made with representatives of the Old Empire of Korweyn, and Strata established a trade relationship with Nybelmar. Though this event predated Thaelrin’s coronation – indeed, at this time he was not even heir to the throne of Erpheronia, since his elder brother was still alive – it had the greatest impact on what Thaelrin undertook throughout his entire reign. Thaelrin was always jealous of the Stratanians for discovering the Ferrath islands and then Nybelmar, particularly for the wealth and glory it brought the Stratanians. His jealousy was fuelled by the harsh criticism aimed at his father by the Duke of Narvoss, who felt that Thaelmar had missed out on an excellent opportunity for Erpheronia.

Thaelrin becomes Heir to the Erpheronian Throne (955 b.S.). Thaelrin’s elder brother, and at that time, the heir to the throne of Erpheronia, was killed during a hunting accident. Thaelmar, who until this point had little patience for his obstinate second son, and was well aware of Thaelrin’s oversight, reluctantly named Thaelrin his heir, since he had no other male children. Three months passed between the time his brother died, and the time that his father named Thaelrin heir to the throne of Erpheronia. Thaelrin’s father explained to the court that the lengthy delay was due to the grief the family was facing, particularly his wife, and that he was simply waiting to make the announcement after the family had some time to heal their emotional wounds. This speech dispelled the rumours that another member of the family was to be named heir to the Erpheronian throne, but Thaelrin’s reputation was tarnished, and a faction of the court of Voldar remained set against him ascending to the throne.

Thaelrin is crowned King of Erpheronia (955 b.S.). Thaelrin ascended to the throne of Erpheronia at 21 years of age, when his father passed away. There was much controversy around his father’s death, as Thaelmar was only 45 at the time and in perfect health. He was murdered in his sleep, along with his wife. Within two days of the murder, two men were charged, apprehended and executed for treason – the trial took less than a day and was adjudicated by Thaelrin himself. During the trial, the assassins named Duke Myrron of Narvoss, as a co-conspirator, with the obvious motive of taking the Erpheronian throne. Despite this condemnation, Thaelrin found the Duke of Narvoss innocent of those charges.

Thaelrin Marries (954 b.S.). Thaelrin took the hand of the youngest daughter of the Duke of Narvoss, Saenessa, in marriage. At the time, she was a young girl of 14 years of age from the remote town of Quentron. Thaelrin immediately turned the town into a base from which military operations to the north, and specifically to the cntinent of Akdor, could be co-ordinated. He stationed a small fleet of his ships in the waters west of Narvoss, and fortified Quentron. This fuelled many rumours among the neighbouring dukes, that Thaelrin’s motivations were politically calculated, as the joining of the royal seat and the Duchy of Narvoss expanded Thaelrin’s power and influence in the north. At the same time, many suggested this would allow Thaelrin to maintain a hidden ‘security’ force in the Duchy of Narvoss, which had always been a political enemy of the Erpheronian kings.

Thaelrin Begins his Northern Exploration (949 b.S.). Thaelrin sent expeditionary forces northward to discover a route to Akdor. Many ships were lost in this futile effort, and the king’s navy was unsuccessful in navigating the sea. Thaelrin began to rebuild his navy, a costly effort, and refocussed his efforts on a much closer target – namely, establishing a base of operations on the Peninsula of Aden. This was despite much debate and advice to the contrary from his military advisors, who were well aware of the dangers an Erpheronian army would face there.

Thaelrin sets his Sights on Caael’Heroth (943 b.S.). Thaelrin sent ships north to establish the colony on the Peninsula of Aden. For the following two years, the captains of these ships were commissioned to map the coastline of western Caael’Heroth.

The Peninsula of Aden – First Encounters (941 b.S.). Thaelrin’s naval scouts determined the most suitable location to establish a colony was on the western shore of the Peninsula of Aden, just north of the Donchar Mountains. Three shiploads of troops landed on the peninsula and engineers etc. began to build and fortify a fort large enough to accommodate 300 soldiers and their families. The king offered free housing to any soldier who volunteered to take on this mission, and additional wealth to bring their families with them.

The Peninsula of Aden – Struggles with the Khrosh'uag-Oc (941. b.S.). Orc tribes forced out Thaelrin’s initial army after less than a month – the fort was unfinished and the materials destroyed or pillaged by the orcs, after the king underestimated the orcs’ organisation and ability to mobilise forces so quickly. Thaelrin dedicated the next eight years to building up naval capacity and increased military funding – taxes were raised in the country to offset the strain on Erpheronia’s coffers.

The Peninsula of Aden – Raevalem is built (932 b.S.). Eight years later, Thaelrin sent a second, more concerted effort to establish a colony on the Peninsula of Aden. Raevalem was built and fortified, but unable to grow beyond the boundaries of those fortifications. Orcs attempted to invade the fort, but were unable to force out the Erpheronians who had the advantage of a naval fleet able to bring supplies and fresh troops to Raevalem.

Myracor’s Birth (922 b.S.). Thaelrin and Saenessa announced the birth of their son, Myracor. The pair were rumoured to have had a turbulent relationship, and spent much of their lives apart from one another. Except for court occasions of importance, Saenessa remained in Quentron. They did not have any more children.

The Siege of Raevalem (920 b.S.). After a night raid that decimated the guard along the fort’s south wall, the Khrosh'uag-Oc pressed their advantage and breached the walls. One corner of Raevalem – the Old Merchant Quarter – was destroyed by the orcs, who managed to set up a temporary base camp just outside the walls. After losing more than a third of the force in Raevalem, Thaelrin sent in a massive force that quickly won the battle.

The Battle for Raevalem (912 b.S.). The Erpheronian army at Raevalem was caught unaware during another night raid, and a significant portion of the walls and keep were destroyed. Up to this point, Thaelrin’s forces had faced only orcs, but during this battle, dark elves were involved, who ensured that the orc forces were more organised and better supplied with food, water and weapons. For the first time in Raevalem’s history, fighting occurred within its walls. Once the fighting was finished, some of the residents returned to mainland Erpheronia, though a few stalwart families remained behind.

Rebuilding Raevalem (912-905 b.S.). Thaelrin sent more money, soldiers, water, food and other supplies to Raevalem. A stone wall was built around the colony and fortified with engines designed to defend against a siege, such as catapults and trebuchets. This massive period of rebuilding came with a heavy price, once again depleting Erpheronia’s coffers.

Thaelrin’s Death (900 b.S.). The circumstances around the death of Thaelrin’s father became an issue for him during the final year of his reign. Someone claiming that Thaelrin killed his own father and brother, attempted to blackmail him to keep this hidden. Thaelrin strenuously and openly refuted this claim, and did not pay the bribe. He passed away quietly with little regret except that he did not find a route to Akdor. Myracor ascended to the Erpheronian throne.

Importance. Thaelrin was important for a few reasons. He was not the firstborn son of a king, yet through the early demise of his brother and father, Thaelrin was quickly installed as king of Erpheronia in 955 b.S. He spent much of his early reign attempting to find passage to Akdor, and lost many ships, captains and soldiers during these attempts. He was however successful in establishing the colony of Raevalem on the Peninsula of Aden, with the intent of making this his base of operations to find the ocean passage to Akdor. His determination was rewarded in 932 b.S., when Raevalem was built, though he had depleted much of the royal coffers by offering financial incentives to any Erpheronian who moved to the colonial town. He was also forced to raise taxes to help him rebuild his navy, which had been devastated by travel into the frigid, northern waters.

6th Passing Clouds 1667 a.S. Information provided by Trelstahl