Máelodor Ryllearnan

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Máelodor Ryllearnan, King of the Foxglove Court, was an ancient elven king who waged war with the Gol across Vasloria. He waged war against the invading Gol, so consumed by his fury towards humans that not even death nor the depths of the Abyssal Waste could stop him. From the Abyssal Waste, he served on the Court of Decay awaiting his vengeance.

History

War against the Gol

Long ago, when Vasloria was covered by forest primeval, Máelodor Ryllearnan ruled as King of the Foxglove Court. The land was populated only by elves, dwarves, and dragons. Humans, the ancient Gol, began to spread across the land, the fourth mortal race to appear on Orden. Their culture differed greatly from the other mortal races - they did not farm, build roads, or cut wood, and they worshipped many gods.

Máelodor and the elves took offense to these new mortals, who had previously waged war against the other mortal races, and even each other. He refused to share his kingdom with the humans, but as they were experienced in war, the staunch elven king did not scare them. This left Máelodor enraged by their defiance, who soon became obsessed with the Gol. He spoke incessantly about his never-ending war, and the Queen of the Foxglove Court urged him to seek a truce with the humans. He ignored her wisdom and the war raged on for years.[1]

The Solstice Hunt

The Queen watched Máelodor's endless, obsessive war against the Gol, ignoring her wisdom and leading to the deaths of her people. She gathered her guard and favored courtiers and slipped away in the night to establish the Orchid Court. After the Queen's departure, Máelodor claimed that the Gol had ensorcelled his wife and caused her to leave his side. He made a vow to his god, Val, who heard his cry, and bound Máelodor's Oath of the Hunt to his fury.

On the longest night of the year, he gathered his Solstice Dogs, devil-hound cavalry, and began the Solstice Hunt. The Solstice Dogs hunted the Gol for weeks atop their hounds and with their hawks and bows. Máelodor's fierce forces surprised the Gol and gave the King of the Foxglove Court the advantage in his war.[1]

Defeat

After weeks of being hunted by Máelodor's Solstice Dogs, a Gol leader summoned the demon Taamgul from the depths of the Abyssal Waste. The demon carved sorcerous tattoos into the skin of the Gol. They rode against the Solstice Dogs with Taamgul at the lead and cleaved the devilhounds from beneath the Solstice Dogs. Taamgul slew Máelodor, but his vow sustained his life beyond death. He fought on against Taamgul, who was forced to embrace the dead elven king and drag him to the depths of the Abyssal Waste. Sustained by his oath and fury, he served in the Court of Decay.[1]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Matthew Colville, et al. Kingdoms & Warfare. (MCDM Productions), pp. 155.