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Within these documents can be found fragments of the history of Arborell as recorded within the most ancient myths of the Oera'dim. Translated and compiled from the oral histories of the Horde they are a window into the long and brutal existence of the Hordim, and define the nature of their lives and beliefs. Remember that here is the record of a world whose traditions extend for hundreds of millenia into the past, and of which most still remains hidden from the knowledge of Men. As new myths are uncovered so shall they be recorded within these pages.
For those who are unfamiliar with the history of Arborell a short review is given here.
The Sorrows of Gedhru and Aume
Here resides the oldest story of Arborell, told by the Silvan Tree herself and translated from inscriptions found upon the walls of Traebor by the Maturi Hedj. Within this ancient tale lies the beginnings of the world of Arborell and the origins of EarthMagic, woven upon a dark tapestry of malice and betrayal.
Hamulkuk and the Moon Dragons
In the darkest hours of the War of Tree and Leaf the Trell'sara stand on the brink of destruction. Overwhelmed by the companions to the Silvan Tree they must look to a new weapon, one stronger and more lethal than themselves. Into this world is born Hamulkuk, First Hresh in the world and first of the Oera'dim, a Being built for war and with much to prove to his new Masters. In this tale Hamulkuk is sent into the mountains of Ul'ashma to remove the threat of the Moon Dragons. Within the setting of a land not yet despoiled by tyranny Hamulkuk must battle not only the deadly power of the Ell'adrim but also the forces of a world finding its way into a New Order.
The Hammer and the Darkness
In this tale of the Hammer and the Darkness can be found the origins of the Great Insurrection and the destruction of the Trell'sara. Told by the Living Book at Shalamai it is the story of Qirion'Delving and the fall of the Word of Command, and of the end of Aggeron, Utterer of the Word and Master of All. This story uncovers the nature of the Circle of Existence and tells how the Oera'dim found freedom at the height of the power of the Masters.
The Book of Scars
Here is the story of the True Witness, the only Oera'dim ever to return from the Underworld and tell the story of his crossing. From the Gates of Hallen'draal to his confrontation with the immortal Pain Shadows it is the chronicle of a Chosen Being and his long journey from the halls of the Dreya Tree back into the World Above.
Parable of the Unwary Traveller and the Maiden of Despair
Life in Arborell is never easy, and for one Chieftain's son an existence of hardship and frugality cannot be tolerated. With the Maiden of Despair the son of Braga finds that nothing comes easily and everything has its price.
Enkara - The Oera'dim Song of Regret
Here in its translated version is the Enkara - the Oera'dim Song of Regret. As a part of the culture of the Horde it is only a recent addition, having become a morning ritual for all Hresh since the end of the Fourth Horde War and the loss of their remaining southern lands to the settlement of Men.
Excerpt from a lecture given at the Academy of Histories at Landfall in the Year of Settlement 419
 If we are to understand the history of Arborell it is important to accept that little written evidence survives. What we know of the time before Men made landfall here is taken mostly from the oral traditions of the Hordim, and the scant texts that can be found carved into the many temples of this world. What is clear is that the story is a long one, and it stretches back into a prehistory that is difficult for Men to comprehend. It is a story however, that is compelling, one which explains the state of our world today, and gives an insight as to why the ancient works of this world lie in such ruination.
For all that will follow it is important to remember that the Hordim believe in a world where the supernatural and the unseen are as important, and as real, as their waking lives. The history I am about to unfold must be viewed from the perspective that for our mortal enemies the world is controlled by three great Powers, and everything that has happened, or will happen, is their doing. How these Powers came into being, and how they are bound into a single existence is the essence of Hordim mythology. It is also where we must start.
Long before the arrival of either Hordim or Men in the world there existed only the Shan'duil, the River of Life; and it alone wielded all power, creating all that breathed or grew in the world, intent on balancing the rhythm of its creation as it is expressed in the relentless cycle of the seasons. For time unrecorded it stood in solitary dominion of the world, a pulsing life-essence that bound the fate of all living things together.
In the oral histories of the Hordim it is said that the dominion of the Shan'duil remained unchanged until the roots of a great Tree came into contact with the River of Life. Somewhere within the vastness of the Malleron forests a monstrous Oak delved deep into the bedrock of the world and touched the Shan'duil, turning it instantly to white stone . In that moment a new Power was born, a sentient, immortal Tree possessed of all the powers of the Shan'duil, that spread its dominion over all other trees. From that chance encounter arose the Silvan Tree, the Lord of all Trees, and under its stewardship the forests of Arborell flourished, spreading to all the corners of the world.
In this manner the balance of life was maintained; the Shan'duil continuing its dominion over the cycle of life, the Silvan Tree its lordship of all the great forests. Amongst this quiet existence the Two Powers grew in strength, and together found comfort in the verdancy of their world. It was a quiet dominion that lasted for untold millennia, until the coming of the Forgotten Ones.
It is not known who the Forgotten Ones were. There are no records of their origin, or carven images that might give hint to their nature. All that is known is that they lived in this world and then were gone, but their story is a turning point in the history of Arborell.
From a place beyond the borders of our world the Forgotten Ones arose, settling in Arborell and making a life for themselves amongst the great Trees. Theirs was an existence without material want, nomadic and simple in their desire to do no harm to the world they ventured in. In the course of their wanderings it was inevitable that they encountered the Silvan Tree, and not being creatures of greed or distrust gave their fealty to that Power. In return the Silvan Tree introduced them to the Shan'duil, and in that meeting the Forgotten Ones learned of the great energy that the First Power had woven into the world. This energy they called EarthMagic.
Time flowed on and the world, which had only known the quiet dominion of trees, became filled with the voices of the Forgotten Ones. Favoured by the Silvan Tree they flourished, and soon their multitude found homes wherever the trees of the forest spread their boughs. Of all things that found favour with the Second Power it was the voices of the Forgotten Ones that intrigued the Great Tree most. In all the long years of its existence it had never known the clarity of the spoken word, and given the opportunity learned the language of these peoples and bonded it with EarthMagic. The words of the Forgotten Ones became one with the life-force of the world, a key that could be used to manipulate EarthMagic. The Silvan Tree offered this power to the Forgotten Ones but they declined the offer, and left the control of such magic with the Two Powers. It was not for them, they said, to have such a boon for it would surely be their undoing.
In truth the Forgotten Ones knew the dangers of unrivalled power, and rather than wield it themselves built great Temples, and gave homage to the Silvan Tree in gratitude of her offer. Each of the Temples was built near a tributary of the River of Life, and each delved far into the earth, their builders' purpose to find solace with the pulse of the world. These dorum grew in all the corners of Arborell and so the world again continued for many more millennia.
As is the way of things there came a time when even a great Power can fall into folly. Without the care that should have been given the Silvan Tree created a race of Beings it called Trell'sara, or Guardians. The Guardians were to be custodians of the trees, as selfless and caring as the Forgotten Ones themselves, but instead their ambitions proved both treacherous and destructive. In secret the Trell'sara plotted a great war against the Forgotten Ones, their aim to destroy the followers of the Silvan Tree and then tear down the Tree itself. In their minds the world had room enough only for themselves, and in their plotting and scheming had no intention of doing the fighting themselves.
Out of the living earth the Trell'sara, who had been given the power to harness EarthMagic by the Silvan Tree, created the Hresh, vicious warriors designed as weapons of war. With a great host of these creatures they swept the Forgotten Ones from the world and brought down the Tree, breaking it up and throwing it into a deep abyss. In one violent act of betrayal the Trell'sara took the world for themselves.
But the Silvan Tree was not dead. In the depths of the earth the Tree struggled to survive, its tenuous grip on life growing stronger as it gained strength from its proximity to the Shan'duil. Far from the sight of the Trell'sara the Tree recovered its resolve and waited, mourning the loss of the Forgotten Ones and lamenting the folly of its actions.
In the light of day the Trell'sara knew nothing of the Silvan Tree's survival. Quickly they took dominion of the known world and began creating new creatures to meet their need for slaves. The Hresh were effective warriors but had no talent for the domestic, so the Guardians created the Jotun to serve as builders and engineers, the Morg as farm labourers and menial workers, and the Mutan to oversee them all. Only when all these creatures had been brought into the world did the Trell'sara create the Vardem, their personal servants for which little has been recorded.
Again the millennia passed as a flowing ocean of time. The slaves of the Trell'sara laboured hard at the behest of their masters, and no threat came to bother their dominion until the Silvan Tree had grown strong enough to act.
Such was the need for slaves required to meet the indolence and excess of the Trell'sara, that it came to pass that the balance of life and death in Arborell began to falter. All of the creatures created by the Guardians carried within them a small glimmering of the River of Life, and with that spark came sentience and a will to find a better existence. The Trell'sara were cruel masters and thought nothing of the loss of multitudes of slaves in the building of their great citadels and pleasure palaces. Such losses released these sparks of existence into the world, but they had nowhere to go, and soon the burden of such unrestrained energy began to weigh heavily upon the Shan'duil.
In the dark recesses of the abyss within which it had been thrown the Silvan Tree came to an agreement with the River of Life. The cycle of Life and Death had to be restored, and it could only be done one way. In that deep abode the Silvan Tree created a mirror-image of itself, a third Power of the world concerned only with Death, and the force by which the sparks of existence now roaming freely in the world could be gathered up and returned properly to the Living World.
Such a tree was given the name Dreya, and its dominion became known as Hallen'draal. In its domain the sparks of Life were gathered and scourged, to be reborn as new Beings into the world of light above. The Dreya Tree took to its task with great energy and in doing so scourged the memories of those it brought into its Underworld. It was through the Dreya Tree that the Silvan Tree found its opportunity.
It must be understood that the Trell'sara were indolent but they were not stupid. They knew the nature of their creations and placed upon them all a Word of Command, a spell that kept their slaves submissive and controllable. Without it they knew they would fall prey to the unrestrained hatred of their charges, and ensured diligently that the Word would never falter.
In the darkness of the Dreya's domain the Word of Command was scourged from all creatures memory only to be reasserted when a Being returned to the world above. On a few select Jotun the Silvan Tree assured that the Word of Command would have no effect upon them once they were reborn, and as was the wish of the Great Tree they laboured in secret to throw down their Masters.
Although it is unclear how the Great Insurrection started it has been recorded that the rebellion grew quickly, the Trell'sara caught unawares as they pursued their interests in sloth and excess. In a wave of violence and death the Trell'sara were themselves destroyed, their vast cities and palaces torn down stone by stone. When the slaves of the Trell'sara had finished, their masters had been scourged from the world and their empire laid waste; their memory lost to a world that did not wish to remember them.
In a world where there was no longer control the slaves found themselves without purpose and soon spiralled into violence. Within this great upheaval the old overseers of the Trell'sara, the Ahmutani, or Mutan as they are known to Men, took the Word of Command for themselves and Uttered it again into the world. It was a cruel irony that Arborell now belonged to the slaves of the Trell'sara, and it was the Mutan that now ruled them all.
Eight long millennia saw no change to the power of the Mutan. The Oera'dim, as the creatures now called themselves, divided into a series of tribal allegiances that spread into all the corners of the world, and such was the power of the Mutans' Word of Command that no challenge was made against them. Then came the arrival of Men.
Out of the great eastern ocean a ragged fleet of ships arose into Arborell. Settling first on the island of Dromannion the Nations of Men then made landfall upon the shores of Arborell itself. Neither Man nor Hordim, as we have come to know the Oera'dim, understood each other's nature and misunderstanding and mistrust soon turned to open warfare. The result has been centuries of war, and the untold losses that have been endured in those great conflicts.
And now this tale is almost done. Our part in the history of this world began with our arrival upon the shores of Dromannion, but the history of this world stretches far beyond the borders of our understanding. We can only wonder at what the future holds for all of us.
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This site, and associated books and other documents are the intellectual property of the author, Wayne F Densley, and all rights are reserved by him. Unless otherwise stated all books in this series should be viewed at 1024 x 768 resolution. Any questions regarding the Chronicles of Arborell can be answered by emailing the author at densleyw@shoal.net.au
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JOTUN OF THE WEST
Shards of Moonlight
A Murder of Crows
The Horns of Gorgoroth
Slaves of Creation
The Book of Scars
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CHRONICLES COMPANION SERIES
The Inquisitor's Lament
Honour Amongst Thieves
Kal Murda
The Last Stone King
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