The Founding of Avalayle

The Avalayle Coast was first settled roughly 450 years ago by exiles and refugees fleeing a religious war on the distant mainland of Evaira. Led by their prophet Landar, these survivors marched until they found land untouched by man. They named the region Avalayle, meaning “The Land of Five Lights” in their native tongue, honoring the Kindred Gods for delivering them to safety.

The land was wild and monster-haunted when they arrived: dense forests, jagged cliffs, and rolling hills teeming with predators. The first settlers, following Landar’s instruction, scoured the land for places to build Temples to the Kindred Gods. The labor was long and arduous, but within 100 years of their arrival, the temples had been constructed. Even one to the Night Terror had been risen, in hopes that its anger and hatred could be quelled through offerings.

Of course, many of the exiles to reach Avalayle chose not to aid the prophet and his temple building. Hundreds instead turned to exploring the region and building their own settlements. Throughout time, four major houses rose to power, introducing a feudal system to the region. With it came trade, a taming of the wilds, and war.

200 years into Avalayle’s founding, the Four House’s constant feuding came to a head. War plagued the land on all sides, turning the once lush fields into bloody graveyards. Somehow still alive, the prophet convinced the lords of the coast to meet him on “sacred ground” in hopes of negotiating a truce between them. Reluctantly, they agreed. 

The prophet spoke to their hearts, calling upon the lessons, parables, and ethics that the Kindred Gods displayed. Moved, the Coastal Lords agreed to a truce, and vowed that their meeting site and all Temples of the Kindred Gods would forever be neutral ground. Pleased, the prophet thanked them, encouraged their presence at the temples, and was never seen again. Many faithful now believe they were the human embodiment of the Gods, and having accomplished their task, returned to the Divine Realm.

300 years into their founding, monster attacks rise in frequency. Citizens living on the outskirts or away from the protection of the Four Houses begin to suffer gruesome and violent attacks. Amidst this crisis, a charismatic and fiery cleric of the Sun Mother, Breyna the Bright, begins preaching that the Night Terror is a cancer weakening the coast, inviting divine displeasure, and the source of the monster uprising. In little time, Breyna gains a small but zealous following among pilgrims, lesser lords, and desperate citizens. In a surprise night raid, she marches on the Night Terror’s temple, razes it to the ground, smashes its altar, and burns every offering. Faithful of the Sun Mother claimed “The Night had never burned so brightly.” The cleric of the Night Terror is killed in the attack.

The assault shocks the coast, dividing the Four Houses. Two condemn the destruction as sacrilege, while the others quietly approve, seeing it as a necessary purge. Riots break out in several settlements between traditionalists and the New Light Purgers. For nearly a decade, war is fought between supporters of the Night Terror and those who wish to see it gone for good. In the end, the Four Houses declare the destroyed temple off limits, worship of the Night Terror outlawed, and forbid any attempts to rebuild it. The destruction of the Night Terror temple creates a lingering spiritual wound, leaving many to proselytize a coming day of reckoning. Breyna the Bright disappears shortly after, only fueling the rumors and doom speakers. 

For decades after the Purge, the five remaining temples of the Kindred Gods fall into a period known as The Long Silence. Pilgrimages decline rapidly as people fear assaults by Night Terror Cultists, scorn from their neighbors, and the dangers of monster infested wilds. Trade between the Four Houses grows more important than religion, and soon the houses negotiate The Concord, a formal agreement standardizing trade routes, taxes, and hunting rites throughout the coast. With it comes relative prosperity and reduced warfare, while solidifying the power of the Four Houses. Smaller settlements outside of the Four Houses’s domains grow resentful, feeling squeezed between noble taxes and merchant greed. Most citizens of these towns are forced to move to the larger domains. During this time the temples become even more isolated, with their clerics rarely venturing into populated areas.

400 years into their founding the Monster Crisis erupts across the coast. Beasts of all kinds begin coordinated attacks on outlying farms and trade caravans. Doomspeakers everywhere shout this reckoning has been brought on by the Night Terror. While the Four Houses are slow to act, a young humble woodsman named Cayde Cafferen takes action into his own hands. Over three brutal years he unites disparate bands of commoners, retired soldiers, and a few disillusioned Oathsworn into a ragtag defense force. His leadership and willingness to fight alongside everyone earns him widespread loyalty. With their help, Cayde Cafferen wins a major victory against The Ravenous Hunger, forcing it’s temporary retreat. 

Throughout the Monster Crisis, word from mainland Evaira beyond begins to reach the coast, “Agents of the Night Terror are waging war on the mainland, and winning!” The Four Houses of Avalayle abstain from the calls to aid, citing the distance, maintaining their own defenses, trade, and the cost of the Monster Crisis. Still, Cayde Cafferen fights tirelessly to rally support. “What good is your domain and all its riches? Will they keep you warm when the Night Terror devours Evaira, and its endless hunger turns its hateful eyes on Avalayle? Alone, we’ve no hope of killing a God. Without us, Evaira is falling… But together, we might make a difference.”

Even with his impassioned speeches, none joined his cause. With nowhere else to turn, Cayde Cafferen beseeched the clerics of the Kindred Gods in their lonely temples. Each tested him, and upon proving his worth, bestowed him with a divine gift. After meeting with each cleric, he brought them and their gifts to the holy site where the prophet first negotiated peace in Avalayle. Combining their powers, and calling upon a divine miracle, the Kindred Gods transformed the gifts into a sword of overwhelming power. The Laye’Etheran, the Miracle Blade that lights the way.

Again, Cayde Cafferen marched to the Lords of the Four Houses, Miracle Blade in hand, and this time, each agreed to aid Evaira. Some joined him directly, standing at his side in the thick of battle, while others sent their sons and daughters to fight in their stead. The battle was bloody, cruel and slaughtered thousands before their time, but ultimately, Evaira prevailed. 

Upon returning home, those who fought returned to their land and retired, content to spend the rest of their days in peace. In his final act, Cayde Cafferen climbed the highest peak in the coast, accompanied by the reclusive wizard Zarin the Knowing, and thrust Laye’Etheran into a mighty stone. “Should the coast ever need unite again, let whoever wields this blade prove worthy of leading them.”

The coast returned to relative prosperity, and enjoyed fifteen years of peace. During it, Cayde Cafferen died of old age and was given a glorious send off. Now many of the older heroes who fought to save Evaira are beginning to join him on the other side. 

Recently however, the Second Coming of the Monster Crisis has left the coast in a desperate way. Monsters of all manner have forced people to stay inside. The Four Houses rarely communicate, and focus only on protecting their own. With each passing day, the monsters conquer more land, leaving the once proud people of Avaylale trembling in fear. And worse yet, the infamous Ravenous Hunger has returned…