Changing Life in
the Four Lands
If the Races are ever to be brought together again, if we ever hope to better the lives of the people of the Four Lands, this war must first be ended. —Grianne Ohmsford, Ard Rhys of the Third Druid Order
n the years since the Federation–Free-born war began, the world known as the Four Lands has expanded into new areas. Explorers have made new discoveries far to the north, while engineers have made new strides in science and technology. Existing cultures have grown and changed. Most of the discoveries and changes were driven by the needs of the war on the Prekkendorran, each side constantly pushing for new weapons and better airships. Most of the battles were confined to the Prekkendorran, but the effects and demands of the war involved the whole of the Four Lands and beyond.
The seeds of the Federation–Free-born war were sown in the previous conflict, during the time of the Shadowen. The ambition of the Federation and the Coalition Council to control all of the Four Lands began with their dark influence. But even after the Shadowen were destroyed, the Federation sustained its determination to regain the lands it had lost.
The Federation–Free-born War
While it began as a simple desire to annex Callahorn to the Southland, the Federation–Free-born conflict became a war pitting unification against independence, and eventually pitted the Elves—as the most powerful and influential members of the Free-born alliance—against the Federation’s Coalition Council.
The Elven rulers would accept no less than victory, for a defeat would put the territory-hungry Federation at their doorstep. The war began under the rule of Allardon Elessedil. Allardon wanted an end to the conflict, but saw himself as a bulwark against the Federation tide. When he was killed, his son Kylen took over, determined to smash the Federation. After decades of fighting, the Druid Ard Rhys managed to convince Kylen to consider negotiation, but before this could begin Kylen was killed on the Prekkendorran. His son, the young Kellen Elessedil, blamed the Ard Rhys for his father’s death and refused to consider negotiation.
Pied Sanderling, hero of Elven Rock.
For Kellen, the war became a lifelong obsession to avenge his father. In his last battle, he insisted on taking his sons Kiris and Wencling—fifteen and thirteen—with him, unaware that the Federation had a new and deadly weapon and was luring him into a trap. Believing he had a tactical advantage, Kellen notified his allies of his plans only after his fleet was in the air. He took most of the Elven airfleet into an ambush, and it was decimated by the Federation’s new fire launcher.
The war would have ended in bloody defeat for the Free-born at that moment except that Pied Sanderling, former Captain of the Home Guard, managed to cripple the Dechtera, the flagship that carried the fire launcher. But the loss of the Elven fleet and much of the Elven royal line forced a retreat. It would have been a rout save for the leadership and courage of Pied Sanderling, who formed up the remains of the Elven line, making a stand in a draw between the twin plateaus of the Prekkendorran. He named the place Elven Rock and announced that there the Elven force would take a stand, becoming a rock against which all enemies would be smashed.
Using a combination of archers and the famed Elven triangle formation, Pied Sanderling’s plan worked. The approaching Federation army came through the defile to be ambushed first by archers, then by the battle triangles; finally it was trapped by a flanking movement of Pied’s reserve forces. The name Sanderling gave to the barren draw became synonymous with Elven perseverance in the face of adversity.
The Red Cloaks of Callahorn
Often considered the finest single cavalry unit in the Free-born coalition, the Red Cloaks of Callahorn, pride of the Borderlands, are named for their distinctive crimson battle dress. The heavily armored unit is famed for its ability to mow down opponents with lance and sword during a charge. The red of the warriors’ cloaks has become an icon that strikes terror into the hearts of any who stand against them.
Built on the heroic tradition of the fabled Border Legion, the Red Cloaks of Callahorn were formed after Callahorn declared its independence from the Federation. The Border Legion was disbanded when the Federation forced the dissolution of the monarchy, but its traditions inspired a new generation. The onset of the Federation–Free-born war provided the incentive to re-create the Legion’s old glory. Throughout the years, the Red Cloaks of Callahorn have proven themselves its worthy successor.
Despite the heavy losses, the Federation regrouped and moved to the west in an attempt to trap the remnants of the Elves while sending the main army to pin the Dwarves and Bordermen still holding the heights. Pied led his Elves to the east through rough and boggy terrain. He managed to reach the rear of the Federation lines and attempted to break through to rejoin the Dwarves and Bordermen. The timely arrival of the Red Cloaks, the horse units of Callahorn, tipped the balance and allowed the Elves to gain the heights, reuniting the Free-born forces once more.
But the combined forces could stand against the Federation only as long as the fire launcher was permanently disabled. Pied Sanderling’s last official act was to lead a contingent of his Home Guard behind enemy lines to attack the launcher while it was still grounded. They used tiny one-man flits to attack the shipyard. The attack was successful, if costly, ending the threat of the fire launcher and evening the balance of power on the battlefield once more.
While the Elves were unable to end the war, handing it off from generation to generation, it was the Federation that pushed to keep it going. During the last decades of fighting, the impetus to continue came largely from one man, Sen Dunsidan, and a series of mysterious allies who sought to control and use him.
A proponent of the war from his youth, Sen Dunsidan was an ambitious man, though he attempted to hide his desires. He rose to become Minister of Defense, a position he held for fifteen years, overseeing the war for the Coalition Council. His first secret alliance was formed with the Ilse Witch. His opponents often died of mysterious causes, though their deaths could never be linked to him. For many years he seemed content to await his chance to rise within the council, even giving the Ilse Witch his finest ship and Rover crew in exchange for her aid.
A short time later, Sen’s fortunes suddenly changed. Soon after the death of Allardon Elessedil, the Elf King, the Federation Prime Minister and his chosen successor also died. These events catapulted Sen Dunsidan into the office of Prime Minister.
Personal Aircraft, Single-Wings, and Flits
The increased use of airships during the war created a need for smaller personal aircraft. The first of these, a nonpowered folding glider called a single-wing, was designed as a lifeboat for airships. Resembling a large kite, the single-wing makes use of air currents, allowing the pilot to steer and adjust elevation through the use of a steering bar. The wings never saw wide usage because of the impracticality of storing enough for all aboard. The first wing-equipped ships discovered that their crews were usually too preoccupied trying to save the ship to make use of the wings.
Since they can be launched only from elevation, off either an airship or a cliff, they never caught on as pleasure craft, either, though some captains routinely keep a few single-wings folded in compartments in their pontoons—especially if they have family aboard.
A more popular personal craft is the flit, a powered, single-man airship. Unlike the single-wing, flits can be launched from the ground. Fast and maneuverable, they can reach speeds of up to sixty miles per hour, much faster than the fleetest airship. Flits are powered by a single diapson crystal fed by a short mast and one small square sail that can be partially reefed or let out to change direction and thrust. The crystal provides enough power for two hours of flight without the sail. Originally favored by Gnome raiders, they became popular with both sides during the Federation–Free-born war for quick personal transport and surprise raids on enemy installations.
The flit, a one-man airship.
Because of their weight limitations, the tiny ships have v
ery little armor and no attached weaponry, but they’re sturdy enough to withstand minor weapons fire. In airborne flit attacks against airships, Gnome raiders used long, edged weapons to damage their target by slicing lines and draws. Though it is not as fragile as a single-wing, the flit’s small size and reliance on its wings for additional lift and control make it susceptible to high winds and air currents.
The night after the tragic deaths, two hundred men disappeared from Federation prisons and twenty-four ships were stolen from Rovers working for the Federation. Sen Dunsidan was never quite the same. He became a haunted, ruthless man. He had betrayed the Ilse Witch to make a deal with her mentor, the Morgawr, and had seen that creature’s dark magic firsthand.
For the next year, Sen Dunsidan ruled the Coalition with an iron hand, pressing the engineers for new designs and the Rover shipwrights for better airships. He arranged to have only the best weapons brought down from the Troll forges in the north. But none of these things changed the stalemate on the Prekkendorran.
The Fire Launcher
Desperate to gain a tactical advantage, Federation engineers focused their attention on finding ways to get more power from the diapson crystals that converted light to energy. One engineer, Etan Orek, discovered that a group of carefully balanced diapson crystals could be placed in a series, small to large, in a shielded box. If the balance was perfect, using a pyramid-shaped crystal as the initiating power supply, each group of crystals multiplied the power of the ones before it. The final result, when focused through a tight aperture, was a powerful beam of energy. The greater the light source, the more destructive the beam. Orek mounted the box on a swivel platform that allowed it to swing left and right ninety degrees, and equipped it with a sighting system and recoil springs. After fine-tuning a set of controls that allowed the operator to vary the amount of energy the fire launcher released, it was ready for use on a warship. Instead of finding a way to enhance airship speed, Orek had created a devastating weapon that could shoot a beam of fire over long distances.
Because of the individuality of diapson crystals, each weapon had to be separately crafted by hand. The container had to be built so that each crystal rested in its own shielded chamber. When in use, the shields between the crystals were lifted to allow energy to flow.
The fire launcher, lightning from the sky.
The fire launcher promised a quick end to the Federation–Free-born war. But the weapon was never mass-produced. The first prototype was destroyed in an Elven raid; the second, by the Druids. Etan Orek died in a mysterious fire in his lab, which also destroyed the remaining weapons and all his notes. Because of the secrecy of the project, no other engineers knew the secrets that made Orek’s fire launcher work.
After the war, the Druids outlawed the use of diapson crystals in weapons systems.
A little more than a year later, the Ilse Witch returned, claiming to be only Grianne Ohmsford. She sought out Sen—but not to punish him for his betrayal. She was Ard Rhys of the Druids, and she wanted his aid in ending the war. He no longer trusted anyone who held power, however. He was willing to talk, but he wanted her dead.
The means arrived in the hands of two more dangerous allies. The Druid Iridia Eleri offered him a way to remove the Ilse Witch, now Ard Rhys, for good. He soon allied with Shadea a’Ru, who promised him Druid support against the Free-born.
The Ard Rhys disappeared and Shadea took power, but the promised Druid support did not materialize. Before Sen could press the matter further, the engineer Etan Orek created a new weapon that rendered Druid support unnecessary. For the first time in many years, Sen Dunsidan saw the possibility for victory at hand. With several of Orek’s fire launchers, he could not only win the war for the Federation but also dominate the entirety of the Four Lands.
Yet Sen was not done with alliances. Iridia returned, to become his own personal Druid adviser. She was changed, but Sen was too blinded by his own ambition to pay close attention. He never realized that Iridia was dead, and that his alliance was in fact with the Moric, a demon in her skin.
Sen used the new weapon to decimate the Elven fleet. For the first time in more than thirty years, the Federation scored a major victory. The new weapon gave the Federation the ability to decisively burn airships out of the sky without coming within striking range of their weapons.
Unfortunately, Sen’s flagship was damaged in the battle, and his weapon was grounded. Iridia pressured him to forget the Prekkendorran and take the battle directly to Arborlon. But he tasted victory.
The day after his ship was repaired, a lightning raid by a dozen Elves on flits left the airfield, and his ship and weapon, a smoldering ruin. Sen immediately ordered replacements for the weapon and a better ship. Iridia pressed again for an attack on the Elven capital, but Sen was determined to win on the field. The Freeborn forces were advancing, and his position on the Council was in jeopardy.
He traveled to Arishaig the next day to meet with his engineer, but while Sen Dunsidan entered the workshop, something else came out wearing a human skin. A few days later the Free-born army managed to overrun the Federation defensive lines, sending the once-invincible Federation army on a retreat deep into the Southland. The Coalition Council recalled the Prime Minister, but Sen Dunsidan was no longer in the Southland to answer.
The war finally ended, not through battle, but through negotiation. The Druid Ard Rhys negotiated an end to the war with the new Prime Minister.
The Expanding Frontier
The expanded use of airships over the last several decades has created unprecedented access to remote areas. Air travel has resulted in new exploration and expanded trade among formerly isolated groups and the rest of the Four Lands. This change has brought increased prosperity to Races such as the Trolls, who can now trade more easily with the Southland, while creating new work for Rovers.
Many Rovers, disillusioned with the war on the Prekkendorran, left it to use their ships to transport passengers and goods. The newest ships, now capable of both air and water travel, allow their captains to take passengers on expeditions into rugged terrain in much the same way that sea captains once took passengers on ocean excursions. While this work is somewhat safer than fighting in the war, these Rovers still face danger from Gnome raiders, dangerous weather, and creatures that lurk in the remote wilderness.
Some, like Bek and Rue Ohmsford, specialize in transporting expeditions into the Eastland. Others choose a more dangerous path, smuggling contraband and secretive passengers for the high fees such runs demand. Those who make these secret runs prefer a new breed of ship, called sloops, which are designed for speed rather than carrying cargo. These sloops make use of a design that is ancient among sailing vessels, but very new for airships.
Rue Meridian Ohmsford, Little Red.
Unlike most airships, sloops have no pontoons and a very low, flat profile. Carrying only a single mast and spars rigged for a mainsail, foresail, and flying jib, the sail configuration allows the billowing jib to catch a wider swath of ambient light for conversion by the diapson crystals.
One of the fastest of these new sloops, the Skatelow, was owned and operated by the Rover captain Gar Hatch. The Skatelow had been modified even beyond the basic sloop design, with everything including the pilot box trimmed or recessed into the hull to cut back on drag. Though she was only seventy-two feet long, she was powered by eight diapson crystals, instead of the usual six or seven. The combination of the lack of stabilizing pontoons and the extreme thrust from so many crystals made her difficult for any but an expert pilot to handle.
Based out of Syioned on the banks of the Innisbore, Gar Hatch made his reputation by catering to passengers who needed to travel very fast and very quietly. He was famous for his ability to sail through places no one else dared go, and trusted because he understood how to keep secrets—for the right price. His own secret weapon was his daughter, Cinnaminson, who served as his navigator. The girl was blind from birth, but had the ability to see more clearly with he
r mind than any sighted person.
Bek and Rue Ohmsford
After surviving the expedition to Parkasia, Bek Ohmsford and Rue Meridian married and opened an airship business based in Patch Run. With a fleet of two expedition-size airships, Swift Sure and Steady Right, they specialized in transporting expeditions throughout the Eastland. Rue Meridian, also known as Little Red, received much of her training while flying with her older brother, Redden Alt Mer, as a mercenary in the Federation–Free-born war. Those skills were further honed during their expedition to Parkasia. Rue and Redden trained Bek Ohmsford to sail. Together Bek and Rue were responsible for helping to overthrow the renegades within the Druid order and end the threat of the demon invasion.
But it was their son, Penderrin, who used his fledgling sailing skills and magic to journey deep into the wilderness. His skills helped him save his aunt and, ultimately, the world.
Cinnaminson
Though blind from birth, the Rover girl Cinnaminson could see things mortal eyes could not. Her gift allowed her to see beyond the horizon and through deepest darkness, as well as to sense things that could not be seen. As the secret navigator aboard her father’s airship, the Skatelow, Cinnaminson used her gift to guide the ship through fog banks, darkness, and storms, enabling him to make runs that no other captain would dare. Her father intended that she serve with him for the rest of her life, but she fell in love with Penderrin Ohmsford during his voyage to the Charnals.
Her ship was attacked by the assassin Aphasia Wye. Cinnaminson alone survived, kept alive and forced to use her gift against her love. Despite Wye’s abuse, she found the courage to lead the assassin astray. She was willing to sacrifice herself for Penderrin’s safety.