The Tarantula Faction run a short newsletter that is released prior to events. The purpose of this newsletter is to provide a brief amount of recent information about the faction. To try and leave intrigue within the game, we limit it to major information – the sort of things you might pick up in your classic table-top tavern scenario. Major leadership changes, wars, notable deaths, etc. We also try and include some “fluff” or flavour pieces, nonsense items just designed to give the world a little more scope than just what happens at events.
You can downlaod the latest, and past issues here!
Issue 22 - Through A Mirror Darkly 1123
Issue 21 - Summer Moot 1123
Issue 20 - Great Erdrejan Fayre 1123
Issue 19 - Spring Moot 1123
Issue 18 - Moot 2 1121
Issue 17 - Great Erdrejan Fayre 1121
Issue 16 - Moot 1 1121
Issue 15 - Special Memorial 1120
Issue 14b - Gathering 1119
Issue 14 - Gathering 1119
Issue 13 - Summer Moot 1119
Issue 12 - Great Erdrejan Fayre 1119
Issue 11 - Resolutions 1119
Issue 10 - Gathering 1118
Issue 9 - Summer Moot 1118
Issue 8 - Great Erdrejan Fayre 1118
Issue 7 - Moot 1 1118
Issue 6 - Spring Moot 1117
Issue 5 - Gathering 1116
Issue 4 - Great Erdrejan Fayre 1116
Issue 3 - Spring Moot 1116
Issue 2 - Great Erdrejan Fayre 1115
Issue 1 - Spring Moot 1115
Welcome to the Tarantulas Faction Library
Sketch by Anders Willhelm
Please explore the library, the information has been compiled from the knowledge and wisdom of our most prominent members. We hope that the many nobles of this nation will help us continue to add more information and a collective knowledge to the Cave of Whispers. The Underdark library can be tough to navigate, its records date back to antiquity. The records found here record history of the Tarantula nation, allowing us to keep information more relevant and up to date.
Recent decisions by the command of the Val'Sharess have decreed that large sections of this resource be made available to the rest of Erdreja, so we hope you enjoy the resources made available within.
Subcategories
History
History of the Tarantulas
History of Erdreja
Before The Founding
The elder races lived long and peaceful lives on Erdreja. Elves, dwarves and fairy folk, all lived in relative peace for millennia. When the younger races came to the world this peace was shattered. Within a few centuries of their arrival, the Race Wars began and many thousands of lives were lost within just a few decades.
During the wars, the younger races developed a device that was powered by the magic of the elder races. Although normally long-lived, the elder races aged quickly and died while they continued to use their incantation magic.
The device was hidden from the elder races. In a desperate attempt to counter it, the elder races performed a mighty ritual, banishing the knowledge of incantation magic from all Erdreja. Only the dark elves were unaffected, shielded as they were by the miles of solid rock between their underground home and the surface. They guarded the knowledge of incantation magic against the time when it would be needed again on the surface of Erdreja.
The Founding
The banishing of incantation was one of the last, desperate acts of the elder races. The fairy folk had retreated to the unseen court, the dwarves and their kin had fallen back into the far south and only the elves were left to fight the younger races. Kingdom by kingdom, the elves were gradually overrun and pushed eastwards, where they made a final stand. Over a thousand years ago, the younger races defeated the last elven army and the few remaining elven lords took the last of their people into hiding.
The wars were finally over and the younger races stood victorious. Cities were built and a great civilisation was created. Tebron, who was the greatest warlord of the younger races, was declared Emperor and ruled from the great city of Tebronia, that bore his name. The empire of the younger races was founded on the day that Tebron first sat upon his imperial throne and the Calendar began anew with the first year AF (After Founding). After Tebron’s death the capital was renamed Malkarn and it remained so until its destruction.
The elemental colleges, as guardians of the empire’s knowledge, created a great library in the north, built on the ruins of an elven city once renowned for its learning. The city of Norhault grew up around this library, which became the greatest seat of learning in the known world. The library was formally opened one year to the day after Tebron was crowned; the first day of January in the year 1 AF. For several centuries the empire prospered, and peace returned to the lands.
The Cataclysm
Just before 500 AF, a great cataclysm took place. A ritual was being performed in the capital’s great ritual circle to bring rain to the drought stricken southern farms. It is still not known how this ritual was disrupted, or by whom, but it seems that the unexpected disturbance released all the magic within the circle.
This uncontrolled power flowed to every other known ritual circle, shattering many and killing hundreds of people. Violent earthquakes rocked the land, mountains were smashed and the capital Malkarn itself was dragged beneath the waves, as the whole of the Imperial Heartlands sank. The
waters of the great seas rushed in to separate forever the northern and southern continents. Albion, Cymria, Erin and Western Norsca (now Orkneyjar) became islands as the land around them disappeared and the seas flooded in. Whole communities died, including the emperor, his family and most of the ruling lords of the empire.
The end of the empire began a period of almost six hundred years of war between the remaining nobles, over who would rule the new lands. It soon became apparent that none of them could achieve total victory. The empire was gone forever and instead the Heartland countries became
small independent nations. They were ruled over by lord generals, who warred continuously with each other over the borders of the disputed lands.
The Gathering Treaty.
In 1091 AF, the last true battle for the city of Norhault was fought and the lord general of Caledonia took back control. This was also the year of the formation of the grand council, an alliance composed of representatives from all the factions. After much discussion amongst the people of the Heartlands, most agreed that they had fought the last war and looked forward to a new age of peace.
During the discussions of the grand council, the Gathering Treaty was drawn up and signed by all the lord generals of the Heartlands. The treaty stated... and still states... that the grand council would discuss disputes between the factions in a civilised manner. Should a dispute not be resolved by diplomacy then, at an annual Gathering, representative forces of the disputing factions would fight a battle under a magical ritual of peace. This ritual would allow combatants to subdue, but not to kill, each other. The victory conditions for these battles would be determined before the combat took place.
The Present
In 1095 a brave group of people found and destroyed the Mordred device, that the younger races had created so long ago to hide the knowledge of incantation magic from Erdreja. The courage and dedication of these adventurers allowed incantation to return to the surface of the world.
To this day, the factions of the Heartlands still hold to the principles of the Gathering Treaty. The original document has undergone revision, leaders have come and gone, nations have fallen and new kingdoms have risen from the ashes. Yet still the principles and agreement of peace remain.
History of The Tarantulas
The library appears to be missing information about this subject.
History of The Tarantulas
The Tarantulas are one of ten factions that attend the Gathering of nations. In 1092, following the collapse of the last Drow empire and an extended period of isolation from the surface world, various Drow Houses elected to return to the Heartlands with the gathered tribes of Teutonia, known as the Vipers.
In 1093 AF, the Houses of the Underdark unified in purpose and formed a new nation called the Tarantulas under the leadership of Valsharess Shinane Moor'Den'Aar.
For the next few years, the Tarantulas were beset by in fighting as the major houses, Naxos D'Fey. Moor'Den'Aar and Gereshen fought for control of the faction. This tradition of in fighting spread amongst the other emerging houses and allied groups. In the end, Gereshen emerged as leaders, before Valsharess Saravay Gereshen was taken to become a handmaiden of Llolth.
The rise to power of Valsharess Inzil Talos marked a change in the Tarantulas. The infighting of before began gradually to subside as the identity of the faction began to solidify. However, this did not establish itself until the rise to power of Valsharess Al'De'ath Karrash Morr and her advisors Lord Lastarius Cruentatus and Lord Hellbron Karrash-Morr. Together, this powerful set of leaders finally forged a faction from its disparate parts. Evidence of this was the Tarantulas showing on the Gathering battlefield of 1101 and the faction's victory at the Heartland Games of 1102.
The Dark Alliance
It was during the reign of Valsharess Al'De'ath Karrash Morr that the Dark Alliance between the Vipers, Bears and Tarantulas was formed. This agreement, that also included elements of the Wolf Faction at times, created a strong accord that came to dominate the political arena of the Heartlands.
The strengths of the Tarantulas were gainfully employed in the pursuit of the Alliance's aims. This period saw the return of Satuun and the rise in use of demonic magic. The powers of necromancy became more widespread in their use and vampires walked in the night.
The alliance ended in 1104 with the cessation of the Bears Faction from the agreements. This brought war between the Bears and Tarantulas, each supported by their allies. Both factions suffered terrible casualties, most notably for the Tarantulas, the destruction of Lord Helbron Karrash-Morr.
The Northern Alliance
From the wreckage of the Dark Alliance, the charismatic leader of the Vipers, Lord Ordos, constructed a second pact; the Northern Alliance. This treaty, between the Vipers, Wolves and Tarantulas continued the polices of the previous accord, allowing its members to labour in the interests of their common good.
The Northern Alliance began to fall apart when, in 1107 led by Lord Gabriel, the Tarantulas massacred the Unicorn Faction. This forged a unified opposition against them and an alliance of the Lions, Dragons and Bears rose up in the years of 1108 and 1109 to culminate in the sacking of the Tarantula faction camp in 1109.
Since their inception, the Tarantulas have experienced periods of both persecution and aggression. The Tarantulas learnt from their tormentors well and struck back very successfully against those nations that threatened or harmed them.
The Viper Betrayal
The once strong alliance between the Vipers and the Tarantulas fell apart when a large number of Tarantulas from House Mlezzir and House Cruentatus were killed whilst visiting the Vipers camp. There are many stories of what really happened that night, all that is really known is that many of the oldest and most respected of the faction were killed by our strongest and oldest allies. Over the course of a weekend the violence escalated, with the Vipers and Jackals attacking the Tarantula camp directly. There was no way we could hold up against such numbers and the camp fell. Many of the lighter factions saw this brutal attack and rallied behind us as we took our fight to the Vipers.
Wolves, Unicorns, Bears and others all rallied behind us. Even the Jackals would not directly stand with the Vipers and they fell quickly. Our retaliation was brutal, many of those responsible for the deaths of our fallen were executed on that field. A truce was called between the two nations, both were uneasy but officially the fighting stopped for a while. That was until 1112, whilst forming up for an honour battle the Vipers switched sides and found themselves lined up in front of the Tarantula lines. The Tarantulas naturally wary held back to avoid any confusion. Once the main line had moved forward the vipers turned and drove straight into the side of the Tarantula lines. Here they then executed J'bri'thk, Advisor to the Valsharess. Once again a retaliation was swift. Led by an Avatar of Lolth, the light factions once again rallied behind us as we took the fight to the Vipers. Their queen escaped into saftey, her people fell. The Avatar of Lolth stood amongst a pile of Viper bodies, she had claimed them as her own and nobody would be taking them from her.
The Vipers offered up the person responsible for the death of J'bri'thk and another uneasy peace was drawn. Regent Tepesh of the Vipers has since left the throne and new leadership rules the Vipers, time will tell how long this peace can last.
Recent History
Recent history (The Daemon fey)
With the arrival of Valsharess Al'tath and Her more openminded policies concerning the surface dwelling nations the Tarantulas have begun to open up new avenues of understanding with the heartlands, which has allowed new alliances to blossum and old wounds caused by years of conflict to begin to heal, however deep below the surface a new conflict has begun
In late 1115 the Daemon fey an ancient foe of the Tarantula nation began a covert war against our empire, which errupted into a full scale conflict by mid 1116, Armies have clashed and some of our home cities have been destroyed, tens of thousands have been slaine or worse "converted" to serve our enemies cause... the eradication of our way of life.
However this war is far from lost for we have faced these foes before and triumphed even though the cost was great, and so we shall defeat them again with Faith, cunning & steel
Research
This section is an assortment of the gathered documents that have been researched within the Lorien Trust over the years. Only research that has become widely known will be included as we do not wish to take away the experience for anyone that wishes to roleplay disseminating new information.
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