The Museum Portraits
At first the D’ni museum, located in Ae’gura, may seem like a misnomer. Explorers will note that there are actually very few exhibits within the museum itself. However, as the lower level can not yet be accessed it is very possible that there are many items contained within that we have not yet seen.Instead, the main interest to Explorers will be the four Linking Books to the Age of Reziksehv, which literally translates to “Pod Age.” I’ll discuss this further in a future entry.
For now, our interest lies in the three portraits that can be seen upon the museum walls. Originally there were four paintings, however one has been destroyed either during The Fall or over time. While we can not be certain, it seems reasonable to assume that this, too, was a portrait.
The three that remain depict various different D’ni rulers of importance to D’ni history (one assumed this is why the portraits appear in the museum rather than the Hall of Kings).
King Kerath
The first painting depicts King Kerath, the last of the D’ni kings. He took the throne in 6721 DE (926 BC). It was Kerath that the arch which presides over the entrance to the entrance to Ae’gura harbor was later renamed (previously, it had been known as the Arch of Kings).
Kerath’s biggest impact on D’ni culture was his decision to disassemble the D’ni monarchy in favor of the Guild system. Rather than a King deciding the fate of D’ni and her people the Five Lords would decide on D’ni’s future. The Lords were chosen from the twenty five Guild Masters.
Kerath abdicated from the D’ni throne in 6997 DE (660 BC), handing power over completely to the Five Lords. He passed away eight years later.
Queen Lalen
In the year of 2255 DE (5402 BC) the King of the time, Hemelin, became incredibly ill due to a plague that had been ravaging the D’ni from 2014 DE (5643 BC) to 2268 DE (5389 BC). Many thought he would die and although the Guild of Healers continued to try and cure him his prospects did not looks good.
During this time Hemelin was nursed by a woman named Lalen. It was not long before the two fell in love, with Hemelin saying Lalen gave him a new will to live and defeat the plague he had.
It was two years after this that Lalen played a major role helping to find a cure for the plague. While only rumor survives as to exactly how Lalen found a cure, it is said that due to her relationship with Hemelin she was able to gain access to certain Books that other D’ni were not able to, in particular the “Old Books” as the D’ni referred to them, or the Books of Birenni.
Little is known about the Books or the Ages they grant access to, but it seems that a plant from one of these Ages was used in creating a cure.
In the year 2262 DE (5395 BC) the plague was declared officially cured by the Guild of Healers and Lalen and Hemelin were married on that same day.
King Ahlsendar
King Ahlsendar is something of a controversial figure in the history of the D’ni, moreso after his reign than during it. He came to be King of D’ni during the Pento War.
A group of religious extremists known as the Judges of Yahvo began writing illegal Ages in order to find a people who would be willing to serve as their army in order to take control of D’ni. This they succeeded in 1320 DC (6337 BC) with the writing of the Pento Age. Three years later, the Judges along with their Pento army attacked the D’ni palace, easily taking it under their control and thus beginning the Pento War.
At this time Ahlesendar was living on a private Age owned by his family and was so far from the conflict in D’ni. His parents, however, were both in the city when the Pento invaded and both were killed. Rather than return to the city, an uncle urged Ahlsendar to remain in the private Age and together they began to formulate a plan to stop the Pento.
Once the D’ni capital was taken, the Judges of Yahvo began to move into other Ages to slaughter the D’ni there, taking control of the Ages themselves. Reports started to come back to Ahlsendar that the Judges had started to fear that the leader of the Pento was becoming too powerful and thus had had him killed.
The Pento leader had not declared a successor and this lead to a civil war among the Pento, each side lead by one of the ex-leader’s sons. This lead to the Pento focusing on their own issues and not the purposes that the Judges had recruited them for. Their forces spread thinly among D’ni and various Ages, the Judges and the Pento were now at their weakest.
Seizing this opportunity, Ahlesendar returned to D’ni, sailing into the City through the Great Arch with a small force of warriors. This action seemed to the D’ni people to fulfill an ancient prophecy and thus they began to view Ahlesendar as The Great King.
Ahlesendar and his men were able to take back the Palace without too much fighting and Ahlesendar offered to one of the Pento warriors, Mekarr, to help defeat his brother if the Pento returned to their home Age in peace. Mekarr agreed with the caveat that a new Pento Age would be written for his people.
In 1376 DE (6281 BC) Ahlesendar lead an attack on the Pento home Age. Mekarr’s brother was defeated and members of the Judges were also captured. It was a complete victory for the D’ni forces. Upon returning the D’ni three more Judges members were found and all five were sentenced to lifelong exile in Prison Ages. A few weeks later, Ahlesendar was crowned King.
However, years after his coronation, unbeknownst to the public, Ahlesendar began working with the Writing and Healing Guilds on creating a biological weapon in the form of a plague. The intention was to have a weapon to use against enemies should anything like the Pento War again occur.
In 1466 DC (6169 BC) Mekarr returned to D’ni via one of the Linking Books given to him by the Judges of Yahvo and for unknown reasons killed Ahlesendar’s wife and two sons. In retaliation, Ahlesendar killed Mekarr and ordered the newly created plague be unleashed on the Pento Age. Although his counselors strongly advised against this, Ahlesendar demanded that his order be carried out. Once the plague had been released upon the Age, all the people of Pento succumbed within three days. Unfortunately, many of the Pento people tried to escape the plague by linking to other Ages (presumably via Books left by the Judges) and carried the plague with them, killing all in those Ages as well.
While the plague did become public knowledge, the truth of how it came to be was initially covered up and the general D’ni populace believed that the fault lay entirely with the Pento. However, in 1500 DE (6157 BC) Ahlesendar gave public speech admitting his involvement in the creation of the plague. At the end of his speech he ordered that he be sealed inside the Temple of the Great King along with any Books that may have still held the plague-filled Ages as well as any that directly connected the D’ni to their past, for he believed for D’ni to thrive the past must be let go.
The D’ni believed that Ahlesendar would return, however after six months of the Temple being sealed there was no sign of the Great King. Solath, who had been serving as King during Ahlesendar’s absence, found his predecessor’s final wishes. They read that Ahlesendar never intended to return and that the Temple should never be re-opened. Thus, in 1502 DE (6155 BC) Solath was crowned King of D’ni and the Temple was re-named the Tomb of the Great King.
Originally posted December 3, 2018