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Popular legends hold that Balazar had three sons who founded the three tribes. According to the Dykeneans, popular legend is wrong. Balazar had two sons and a daughter, Dykene. Raised by her hunter-nymph mother, Dykene was just as aggressive as her older and younger brothers, if not more so. After the quarrel that separated the tribcs forever, Trilus took as his inheritance the citadel which now bears his name, a fortress safely away from border of the Elder Wilds, leaving the eastmost citadel for his younger brother Eikoi. Dykene, left out of the male-dominated inheritance rights, took the eastern citadel by force before Elkoi could react, and refused to relinquish her control. A secretly relieved Elkoi then went west, eventualy discovering a way to force several giants to construct a third citadel for him near the Morande Rivcr.
Then Elkoi made up a song, and not long after, clever minstrels in Elkoi and Trilus contrived to reduce the embarassment of their heroic founders by changing popular legend. According to the new song's version, Balazar had three sons, not two and a daughter. Additionally the choosing of the citadels was supposedly by lot. The tricky balladeers could not change the gender of the new brother's name. The Dykeneans have taken this in stride and it is still a great joke to tell that Trilus and Elkoi no longer have a sister, but a female brother and then extend on the idea to make some vulgar comments about the sexual virility/preference of the other two Balazar-sons.
The descendants of Dykene weathered attacks by neighboring Trilus tribesmen, internal struggles, and a troll seige or two without suffering major harm to either the fortress or its inhabitants. However, around 1250 a trio of giants, seeking revenge for their former slavery when they had been forced to build Eikoi's citadel, discovered Dykene and confused it with Eikoi (giants can be a little slow at times). The giants destroyed the fortress, turning it to rubble not worth living in.
Not until the dynasty established by King Skilfil's great-grandfather was any attempt made to rebuild, for the Balazarings lacked the technology to construct massive fortifications. Through arrangements with the dwarves of the Rockwood Mountains, the fortress of Dykene was rebuilt in its present state. Still missing, however, is the great lower bailey that was once the pride of the citadel.
In spite of their small citadel, the Dykenens possess items that their brethren in the other tribes do not - numerous bronze weapons and armor. In his early wanderings Skilfil Heartpiercer had made friends with a young dwarf named Rokheart Veinseeker. This friendship later smoothed the expansion of a Dykene in relationship with the dwarves of Greatway. Each season, one or more groups of Dykencan hunters are taken to the dwarf region of the Rockwood Mountains, where they hunt the various game that the dwarves cherish but do not pursue due to lack of skill and racial agorophobia. In return, each hunter receives one or two bronze items of his choice. "One item" is usually a spear head, five arrowheads, a dagger, a short sword, or some minor piece of armor. The dwarves never reveal the secret of making and forging the weapons, being reluctant to give up their technological secrets.
This agreement is one of the reasons that the dwarfs may be in the citadel: Rockheart has come north to collect another group of hunters.
A rough estimate of the population of Dykene is about 830 total people. 550 are adults, of which one half are men. This is 138 hearths in and about the citadel. This includes: 30 warriors (chieftain and his retainers); 100 hunters; 8 Priests at the central temple; 32 slaves, assistants, and artisans; 100 pig tenders (low grade fighters); 5 foreigners (average at any given time). About a fifth of the citadel warriors are women.
King Skilfil Heartpiercer
First of fame among his noted weapons is his javelin, named Heart-Piercer. It is a Sureshot Rune magic matrix plus an automatic return to the hand of the caster on the following melee round. For hand-to-hand combat, he uses a magic long spear called Breaknot that will automatically repair itself unless completely shattered with one blow. He also owns a small golden shield that adds 20% to his defense against missiles.
He is an excellent bird trainer and has a unique flock of seven giant hawks. He has trained them to bear riders. He is rarely foolish enough to get them in arrow or spell range of his enemies, but his speed at delivering messages among his followers is famous.
Skilfil is a widower. His wife died ten years past while giving birth to his one legitimate son and heir, Karazar. Even before then he had kept concubines. Currently he has three, but pays attention only to the two younger ones, Praxenia and Chana Greeneyes. The third, Calamene, mothers young Karazar. Skilfil is much enamored of his newest concubine, Praxenia, a Lunar citizen, and often takes her advice, not knowing that she is actually a Lunar agent sent to eventually slay him. While he is occasionally aware of Chana Greeneyes' liasons with other men, he knows nothing of Calamene's amorous activities.
While Karazar is his only legitimate heir, Skilfil has several acknowledged illegitimate sons and daughters and uncountable unknown ones scattered among the clans. Of his acknowledged children, two are mentioned in this book. The first, Starnia Stormrender, is a Rune Lord of Yelmalio. The second, Eucleia Stormfollower, is an Orlanth initiate officially disavowed by her father at the urging of the Yelmalio priests. Skilfil loves his two adventuring daughters and will avenge them if they come to an ill end. Old Skilfil has various friends throughout Balazar and the Elder Wilds. Among them are the Dwarf Priest Rokheart Veinseeker; Ostakker Three-Scar, proprietor of the Stabbing Cat Lodging House in Dykene; and Razorbeak, a Griffin from Griffin Mountain.
Praxenia
Praxenia is the newest and youngest of the king's three concubines. She is extremely
charismatic and beautiful, using her charm as weapon and shield. Born in the Lunar Empire,
Praxenia brought her ways with her to Dykene. Skilfil is enamored of her and often listens
to and takes her advice, not knowing that she does not have the interests of the
Balazaring people at heart. In fact she is an enemy in their midst, an agent of the Lunar
Empire, acting under the directions of Marusa, the Priestess of Jalakeel the Witch at
Elkoi.
Calamene
She was Skilfil's first concubine, and has stayed on because she has accepted the duties
of surrogate mother to the king's heir. Although no longer a young girl, she is still
extremely attractive just older). She has been ignored by her lord for the last ten years.
Chana Greeneyes
While no longer Skilfil's favorite, she is still active. She is also very attractive, but
not extremely bright. In tense situations she often giggles. Skilfil keeps her around just
for that: many dangerous situations in the throne room have been broken up by Chana's
inappropriate laughter. She also tends to fail in love (for at least a week) with the most
charismatic male member of any adventuring party she encounters. Skilfil tolerates her
waywardness and occasionally has a good laugh by bursting in on her while she is with her
latest beau, making blustery threats to the hapless lad.
Karazar
This is Skilfil's young heir. He is approximately 10 years old. He is the king's only
legitimate child, born to the Skilfil's late wife who died in childbirth. Since then he
has been raised by Calamene and considers her his mother. Karazar is a quiet lad and
prefers to study rather than fight.
Ostakker Three-Scar
Ostakker is a jovial man well past his prime, but still in excellent shape for an
innkeeper. He runs the Stabbing Cat Lodging House and Tavem. He is a former Esrolian
mercenary, and served under King Skilfil's father in the war against Trilus (the
Nobody-Won-War). When the battle came to an inconclusive end the mercenary company moved
on. However, Ostakker had become a companion of Skilfil and they spent a great of time
together seeking out adventure.
Sylvanthi Brighteyes
He is a Priest of the Founder god, Balazar, and also of Tharkantus [Yelmalio]. He
is a middle-aged, physically attractive and somewhat charismatic man. He has an air of
mystery about him. He is the Dykenean Rune Lord-Priest of Yelmalio and Balazar.
Sylvanthi appears to be in his mid-thirties, but is actually 73 years old, a fact he will not reveal. No great note of this has been taken, since Sylvanthi tends to move around and has only been Dykene for less than five years. An air of mystery hangs about him. The women of Dykene find him both physically attractive and extremely charismatic. Unmarried, Sylvanthi has relations with King Skilfil's oldest concubine, Calamene.
He is the Chief Priest of the Dykene temple, but not the High Priest, deferring that title to Taklong Woodheart of Elkoi, seat of the Yelmalio religion in Balazar. He prefers Balazar to pure Yelmalio.
Sylvanthi's origin is a mystery. Obviously a Balazaring, he is not a member of any of the three tribes - at least he has never registered on a Detect Enemy spell cast by any Balazaring, regardless of tribe. Some think that he is a member of a lost clan reputed to be dwelling in the Elder Wilds. Others say that he is Balazar reincarnated and encourage Sylvanthi to unite Balazar under his rule and crush the invading foreigners.
However, only Sylvanthi knows his true origin. As a small child, he was found wandering in the wilderness and was raised by a loving hearth of a Dykenean hunter clan. He has no prior memories, except that of a blue-grey sabre tooth cat who protected and fed him. He never mentioned this and later learned that legend holds that the great shaman, Blue Face, supposedly stalks the plains of Balazar in the guise of a smilodon. Putting one and one together, Sylvanthi suspects that Blue Face is his father.
It is possible that the vigor of Blue Face has been passed on to the son. The possibility is increased by the fact that Blue Face, like Sylvanthi, appears to be of no specific tribe.
Although interest in the woman Calamene is a factor that keeps him in Dykene, Sylvanthi is anxious to move on. If an adventuring group is interested in exploring the Elder Wilds, he may offer to join them. He seeks his father and wishes to become a shaman under him.
Starnia Stormrender
Starnia is a Rune Lord of Tharkantus [Yelmalio] and an initiate of the Balazar
religion. She is a daughter of King Skilfil. She will always be accompanied by three cult
initiates.
Bodoni Boldface
Bodoni commands the citadel warriors. He is intensely loyal to both his king and his
Priest. Bodoni is an initiate of the Balazar cult and also of Yelmalio. He is nearing the
qualifications for Rune Lord. He is currently having relations of a sort with Calamene,
King Skilfil's first concubine. To mention this would bring him great disgrace and earn
his undying hatred.
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