The Plains of Llyrian (Part 1)

The Plains of Llyrian sit betwixt the eastern most ridge of the Dragon's Spine and the south-western end of the Dragon's Teeth. Now a barren place, it has been named as cursed for the past seven generations. Once, it had been verdant and lush grasslands. That was long before it was named for the ill fated sons of Llyrian.

I suppose the place to begin this story is at the beginning. Long ago, when they were known not as the Plains of Llyrian but as the High Reaches or the Marches of Elspar and Corinth, the plains were a windswept grassland. There, lived a proud people of heroic stature. Masters of the horse and fearsome warriors, these people were known as the Kordid.

In the language of the men of Elspar, Kordid means simply 'Riders'. The Kordid were frequently a people of commerce. When the seasons turned harsh, those who hadn't trade agreements with the Kordid found themselves the object of raiding parties. Bands of the Kordid would offer their services as mercenaries, frequently battling others of their people during the bitter winters.

Among the Kordid was a line of impressive warriors. These warriors and their kin rose to power within their people. Ambition was in their blood, as was fire. This was wedded to cunning intelligence to produce the flower of that lineage, Llyrian of the Golden Hair.

Llyrian was different from several of his kinsmen. For he was an excellent strategist and gained a reputation for brining home more warriors alive then others had. So it happened that Llyrian came to be a King among his people. It was shortly after this that trouble came among the Kordid that not even his strong hand could turn away.

One night, Llyrian's hall rang with the sound of celebration deep into the night. Llyrian's wife, Unnr, had borne him twin sons. This was the cause of great joy for Queen and both Princes were hale. It was also taken as a sign that the Gods smiled on Llyrian. Thus, mead flowed freely and the Prince of Shield-Breakers called for song far later then usual that Summer's night.

Their revelry, however, angered one who lived in the near by marsh. To this day, it is not known if it were a Deamon Princess or a powerful, ill spirited enchantress who came to his door. Hooded and dressed in a cat skin robe of white, she walked in to the hall from a storm that seemed to bear the wrath of Gods within it.

*Edited for spelling and grammar.

Setting & Other Details

The works on this blog are a digital version of a series of writings that I am doing for a dear friend of mine. All work here is my intellectual property. Quotation and references made to it can be done for educational or personal use with proper credit given.

The setting of these stories is the world of Evandar. This is not only the setting of these stories but the name of the kingdom wherein a great deal of the action of my novels take place. Excerpts from the novels will be placed up here from time to time. I will give updates as to how I am progressing in my efforts for publication on these. This is a fantasy world and has many elements in common with the works of other authors in the genre.

It is not my intent to copy another's style or plagiarize their ideas. Any resembelances you find to another author's work is purely coincidental. The world, the characters that people it, and their stories are all the result of over 15 years of world building. This includes an almost obscene amount of research into various things that range from herbalism to medieval fabric making techniques. I will occasionally give commentary on these details, look for the tag 'Notes' or 'Commentary' attached to those posts.

All of this said, I'd like to dedicate this on going work to my friend Jerry and his wife, Jaime. They're two wonderful people who are working thru some significant difficulties right now. I hope that my stories serve as a plesant escape from their problems.

To all others who are reading this, enjoy and welcome to my little world.