# Echoes of Old Setting Guide -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Echoes of Old takes place in the Anathan nation of Thalrune. Thalrune is a key part of Anathan culture, and the nation is one of the biggest influencers in the Anathan way of life. It is made up of seven regions, called Keeps, each ruled by a Lord, except for the Capital Keep, which is ruled by the King, who also presides over all the other Keeps. ## **Summary of Keeps** The nation of Thalrune is a feudal country in [[Anatha]]. It is ruled by King [[Gofric Vaelen]] of [[Elderspire]]. Outside of Elderspire, there are 6 Lords that rule the remaining [[Keeps]] of Thalrune[^1]. Their names are: Lord [[Malan Gildhart]], Lord of [[Huldar's Reach]] Lord [[Arik Drakonhart]], Lord of [[Dragonskeep]] Lord [[Grian Molstra]], Lord of [[Ravenholt]] Lord [[Ostran Lunarbloom]], Lord of [[Dunholm]] Lady [[Freya Blackthorne]], Lady of [[Hearthfall]] Lord [[Seris Darrow]], Lord of [[Varghold]] ![[Pasted image 20250712130936.png]] [^1]: The name of a Keep, like Dunholm, can refer to both the region and the main city where the Lord lives. If you need to distinguish between them, you can call the city Dunholm Proper or the city of Dunholm, and the region just Dunholm. ## **Lifestyle in Thalrune** Life in Thalrune is often simple and quaint. Most commoners live in small towns for most of their lives, just traveling a few towns over throughout the majority of their life. Many never leave their Keep. Anathans are strong and hardy. Wizards and colleges aren't as common in Anatha, as studying and schooling aren't viewed as useful as more hands-on skills like farming and fishing. However, there are still some powerful wizards within Thalrune, like [[Alcyrus, the Once Wise]] and [[Wynna Tyvertrout]]. Anathans are stereotyped as stoic and straight-faced, but in reality they are often very joyous and adventurous. They love festivals, singing in taverns, and large community events with fellow townfolk. Examples of common Thalrunian Environments: ![[Pasted image 20250712151016.png|500]] ![[Pasted image 20250712151157.png|500]] ![[Pasted image 20250712151321.png|500]] ![[Pasted image 20250712151338.png|500]] ![[Pasted image 20250712150719.png|500]] ![[Pasted image 20250712150857.png|500]] # **Crises in Thalrune Currently** ## **The Hollow Crisis** Two years ago, out of nowhere, the dead began to come back to life. And not as undead corpses, but as living, breathing creatures. All sorts of villainous and evil people who had died centuries ago were suddenly alive and walking again. Those that came back to life were called “[[Hollows]]”, due to many believing that the resurrected have no souls. Despite this belief, they behave nearly identically to how they did in life. The only nonmagical way to distinguish them from normal humans is the fact they have black eyes instead of white eyes. Their eyes resemble this Nobody knows why the Hollows keep emerging across Thalrune (and other nations neighboring it), but it is quickly escalating out of control. Old hags, warlords, and other monsters from ages past are appearing, wreaking havoc on the Keeps of Thalrune. The King has offered 850,000 gp to anyone who can identify and stop the source of the Hollows, as well as many other rewards on top of the cash prize. ![[Pasted image 20250712152330.png|200]] ###### $-$ *Barnoclaufey the Three, a hag hollow living somewhere along the Ravenholt-Dunholm border* ## **The Sovereign Crisis** In the past seven months, Thalrune has experienced significant threats from the [[Mindrak Dynasty]]. Two years ago, the Dynasty declared a portion of the [[Dozal Federation]] to actually be a long-lost part of the Dynasty, and annexed it. The Dozal are a trade-focused nation with little military presence, and so they were forced to surrender the land to Mindrak without a fight. Recently, the Mindrak Dynasty has engaged in a border dispute with Thalrune as well, claiming that a swath of land actually belongs to Mindrak rather than to Thalrune. As tensions escalated, Mindrak began stationing larger and larger portions of his army along the Thalrunian border. Many people believe Mindrak plans on invading Thalrune and taking it over. Some believe he already has, and that his spies have infiltrated high up positions in the King’s court. With the Dynasty now bordering Thalrune, rumors have spread of Mindrakkian operatives sneaking into Thalrune's borders and leadership, in order to destroy Thalrune from the inside out. This has led to a mass scare of Mindrakkians and accusations of being loyal to Mindrak. Recently, many have begun trying to weed out the "traitors" amongst them and turn them over to the authorities. Accusations of being an [[Assimilists|Assimilist]] have begun dividing friends, neighbors, and even family. Many citizens have begun begging [[The League of All-Stars]] to defeat Mindrak and run the Dynasty themselves, but as of this point, the League has not addressed the situation. As both paranoia and political unrest increase, the nation has broken up into two factions, the [[Assimilists]] and the [[Unionists]]. ## **Factions of Thalrune:** [[Krusguard]] [[Verdant Covenant]] [[Cloaks of Maka]] [[Artisan's Guild]] [[Sisters of the Crow]] [[Ebony Gauntlet]] [[Cloudborn]] [[The Quills]] ## **Strongest Beings:** [[Storm Herald]] [[Acyrrikaas]] [[Mindrak]] [[Malvita Mourns]] [[Wynna Tyvertrout]] [[Zinfir]] [[Alcyrus, the Once Wise]] ## **The ideals of Anatha are:** Strength / Independence / Self-Sufficiency Trustworthiness / Loyalty "Your word is your bond" Bravery / Fearlessness "Death before dishonor" Anathans take their blades very seriously. An Anathan will name their blade and treat it as an extension of themself. If they ever get a new blade, it is common for them to melt down the old blade and use that metal to forge the handle and hilt, so that they can continue to wield their same blade their whole lives.