Vrethan, the Novel Dawn

The earliest account of Vrethan occurs in KE 590, From the journal of Captain Arlest Hallow, an admiral of Tenet.

2305590: Three days into our return voyage from Ihir, we encountered a Tenetian ship wrecked upon the shoreline. We dropped anchors near it and sent out our tender to find any survivors. Only one man remained, a pale faced man of about thirty. Identified himself as 'Vrethan', and refused to give further information. We locked him in the holds until we return to Tenet.

2805590: Upon reaching Ekaton to resupply, the prisoner named Vrethan escaped. We were unable to figure out how, as his cell was still locked. Not worth the time to try tracking him down.

Although we have no first-hand accounts until two years later, in KE 592, it is known that Vrethan acquired a deep-sea vessel and set out directly south. He re-discovered the island of Shallorin, and returned with a few artifacts. After demonstrating their usefulness to Tin Kehnze, the court mage of King Allimon, he secured funding and a small military force to set up an outpost on Shallorin. Over the next two hundred or so years, Vrethan dedicated himself to the excavation and Delving of Shallorin.

A cult surrounding him is known to have been established no later than KE 607. They titled themselves the Coldsea Guard, a name with no Tenetian connections as far as our historians can find. It is known that Vrethan has a habit of keeping the best artifacts for himself, in defiance of the arguments he used with King Allimon.

The first conflict with royal authority came in KE 612. Ring Zero, as the outpost-turned-town on Shallorin had been named, had begun to reject the authority of the Crown. This culminated in the murder of Elrin Mossbreeze, an elf general given charge of the island. It is presumed that Vrethan ordered the murder, although that is unconfirmed. The retaliation from Tenet was swift and long-lasting, and for months Vrethan was pressured to surrender to royal authority. Eventually a cease-fire was called, and Vrethan negotiated substantially more freedom for Ring Zero. The Shallorin Truce was negotiated with Donin Mossbreeze, the brother of the murdered Elrin. Speculation abounds as to how Vrethan walked out alive. Once Donin Mossbreeze left, he became Vrethan's most ardent supporter in Tenet, to extreme surprise. Eventually he was discharged from military service, and one of the reasons given was his unceasing loyalty to Vrethan, even above royal interests. It is now commonly believed that some form of mind control was used on Mossbreeze, although that is unconfirmed.

History proceeded quietly for the next few decades. After tension cooled, a trade agreement was reached between Tenet and Shallorin in KE 655. Tenet would send their death-row prisoners to Shallorin, and in return would receive items and artifacts. This mutually beneficial deal was brought about by Thalgar Ironfist, courtier of King Allimon's son, King Arion. Since then, there has been minimal contact between Tenet and Shallorin. Both sides are content to leave the other alone, with almost all communication being restricted purely to trade.