Dear Herald,

I hope this missive finds you alive and well? I have heard disturbing news from Sanction about the sieges of good and evil there, and I fervently hope that the Scriptorium has not been fouled. After all, it would be a sheer waste of time were these letters to join a burnt library. I might end up having to send my materials to the Aesthetics at Palanthas, and that would be a crying shame, for the way they bury things deep in the library with no public access is anti-ethical. But on to other business. I was told by one of my more cosmopolitan colleagues that the colloquial name for our group, the Iconochronthinai Paradwalis, is Keepers of the Word. While I prefer the direct translation mentioned earlier, it helps to be consistent for the sake of common folks. But this all can be saved for another letter, for today I wish to speak of a subject near and dear to me- the township of Lantern, in the district of Tarsis.

Lantern, as everyone should know, is Due East of Tarsis Lordcity, and is located in the scenic Plains of Dust, along the Eastern Path that once lead from Tarsis to Silvanesti. In fact, it is quite a bit prettier than the name would lead the casual observer to believe. After all, Reorx’s Fistfall (as the aftermath of the Dwarfgate wars is known around here) took place over 200 years ago. Since that time, we’ve had a major climactic change with the fall of Chaos, and our area thrived as a result. Temperatures have leveled out and the fields have started blooming. Of course, with our mountainous tundra, level temperatures are still very cold for those not acclimated to it, as some of the northern recruits in our local Legion post have noticed!

We are near the southern border of the Kharolis Mountains and are in rather hilly terrain, and at a rather high elevation. Nonetheless, our population is considerably larger than one would expect, rather like the size of Haven township to the north. Our town has some 5,000 hardy souls as permanent residents and a good 250 merchants and stragglers, and those few types who would call themselves adventurers. We are a cosmopolitan lot, with people of all races mingling freely, especially given our location as a trade stop between Thorbardin, Tarsis, and Silvanesti. That accounts for the Humans, Elves, and Dwarves, but what about the other races, you ask? Well, long before the first Cataclysm, a Minotaur slave ship carrying Gnomes crashed into our port (which was, interestingly enough, located some twenty miles south of us). The clerics of Sirrion took such care of these folk that they integrated into our community soundly. There is also an enlightened family of Ogres living in town, though they like to call themselves Nzunta. Centaurs often visit from the Duntoll Run, and Kender are everywhere, of course.

A bit of history, though I will keep it short, as this is but an overview, and my detailed look at the districts will come with my next sets of mailings.

Lantern, or Al’Loyosh Ud Mefil as it is known in the local Kharolian dialect, was first settled very early on in human civilization, by descendents of a nomadic tribe led by the great warrior goddess Karada, who some locals call the daughter of Chislev (Karas, in local dialect) herself. Karada’s tribe had a few warriors who were sensitive to the ebb and flow of the Gods, and those people found a location where it was said that Fire was first birthed on Ansalon. These poor nomads had wandered far south of the fields near the first town of Yaltenes. (Records are unsure of the true name of this first town, as much of this history is oral tradition. In fact the only reason we know this much at all is due to the Sirrionites who have a tradition of burning the history of their order into the plateau.)

History records that one of these nomads was touched by a blazing energy in the midst of this bitter cold tundra, and was given to know a way to save the 20-30 other nomads who followed him. This nomad became known as Ag’Lagii, the fire bringer, due to the loss of his true name to the sands of time. He built a sanctuary dedicated to this force and called it Al’Loyosh Ud Mefil de Sur, The Lantern in the Southern Sea of Snow, and for almost 2000 years this temple stood guard in the far south, dedicated to warming the lost souls who wandered there.

My Dear herald, I must apologize for cutting myself short, but my paper is only so long, and mayoral duties await.

’til my next missive,

Fulbright the mayor
33 SC