Bejíst

is located on, two s inland from the. A mysterious, foreboding place, its location is known only to a few. The site has buildings from three different periods in various states of repair. These include an structure, extensive ruins of an –era  prison, and a recent temple built and occupied by a renegade sect of  known as the. The surrounding terrain is unappealing at best, mostly windswept with numerous and treacherous bogs. The Navehan clerics suffer no interlopers; trespassers they catch are unlikely to have a pleasant memory of their visit. Bejíst is situated just outside the range of the tribal nation.

Although it is commonly believed that the Sindarin died of wounds he received at the  c.  683, he is actually “imprisoned” at Bejíst in a chamber hidden by great enchantment. For 12 centuries, Daélda has been engaged in a great struggle with the demon, his evil alter ego. The Navehan clerics seek the prison of Aedlad, but do not understand the significance of their quest.

The Earthmasters
The only visible structure built by is the domed building to the southwest. If they ever erected any other buildings here they have long since vanished. The purpose of the structure, as with most other Earthmaster remains, seems to have been to house the, albeit in a rather unusual manner. As with every other known Earthmaster site the builders abandoned it some 15,000 years ago.

The Codominium
As the waves of Lythian invaders heralded the beginning of the, , King of  ordered fortifications built at Bejíst. At that time (about 850 ) Bejíst was on the coast. Initially little more than a supply depot and one of a chain of minor coastal fortresses its importance grew as the wars continued. When Daélda ordered the abandonment of eastern Hârn, the fortifications were greatly strengthened and its garrison increased. At its peak there was a middle sized town at Bejíst and Caer Harmenel was one of the most formidable fortresses on Hârn. The population was primarily with a sizable minority of. The Sindar population is hard to ascertain. The settlement was primarily a garrison town consisting of the families of the Járin troops. The ruins from this period show unmistakeable evidence of Khuzan building techniques. During the Atáni Wars the Sindarin used the fortress as a prison, a practice that some believed did not cease with the Battle of Sorrows.

The Sindarin and their allies evacuated Bejíst soon, after the tragedy of the, leaving it to the ravens and the encroaching. The site was seldom visited over the next several centuries due partly to its remote location and in no small part to its having gained an unpleasant reputation among the few wanderers and tribesmen that crossed. Legends that the ruins and the heath itself were haunted grew and the credulous believed that the winds that howled over the heath were the voices of gods. Over the centuries the sea retreated southwards leaving the harbour, which had never been deep, a marshy salt flat. As the sea continued to withdraw, the old sea bed became virtually indistinguishable from the numerous marshes on the heath.

In 664 an internal schism in the  in  led to the formation of the, a group of Navehan clerics who for various reasons regarded Bejíst as an important site. Fleeing from Tashal the cult established a temple/farm complex at Bejíst, using the ruins of the old garrison town in its construction. Since that time the cult has prospered, increasing in numbers by the kidnapping of infants from the tribal nation, over whom they exert considerable influence. In the intervening years since their self-imposed exile from Tashal the cult has somewhat modified Navehan theology, although they retain their sacred rituals almost tota1ly unchanged.

The clerics have extensive croplands, orchards and gardens near their temple. They also raise some livestock. This is unique among n temples on, all other temples being located in urban areas and have other means of subsistence. The Navehans are also supplied by the Pagaelin tribes who trade, albeit unwittingly, with the priests at the augur lodges. The Navehans suffer no interlopers at Bejíst, and trespassers that they catch are unlikely to have a pleasant memory of their visit.



The Legend of Aedlad
If and how the legend is to be presented to players is entirely up to GMs. We present the following options.

The Sindarin
’s kinfolk suppressed all knowledge of Daélda’s fate, even from their own people, and let the belief prevail that the king had died from his wounds. In this they told no lie, simply reporting that he had suffered a mortal wound.

Legacy of Taurin Halfhand
Only the unanticipted survival of one of the clerics who had summoned forth allowed the legend to survive at all. Taurin Halfhand was left for dead by the avenging. He followed them to Bejíst and watched them carry the body of Daélda, which he took for that if the demon, within the citadel. Believing Aedlad invulnerable, he assumed that Daélda’s kin imprisoned the evil one. Bejíst was evacuated, and the Sindarin collapsed the citadel. All the while Taurin lurked nearby, observing events. When the last of his enemies had departed, Taurin searched in vain for Aedlad’s prison. At the end of 681 he concluded that he had done all he could do alone. He wandered onto the heath and spent several months in a drug-ordeal in search of divine guidance. In the course of his wandering, he was occasionally encountered by bands of tribesmen who perceived him as a wrathful and mysterious figure. It is these episodes that led to the first accounts of the “Walker on the Heath”. When he emerged from his ordeal, he was at least partly mad. Nevertheless, he managed to return to his order on where he reported his experiences, which were ignored and forgotten. However, he told his story to some brothers met on, and one of these later committed it to parchment. The author of the scroll wrote as if it were the work of Taurin himself. The motive for writing the legend at all is somewhat obscure; he may simply have been practicing his calligraphy. No great importance was ever attached to the legend within the, but generations of s were pleased to practice their linguistic abilities by translating it.

By 660, most versions had been lost. Only a single copy buried in the archives bore any resemblance to the original. This was the year that an acolyte by the name of Ryiku discovered the scroll. He told his master, who, knowing the number of times it had been recopied, gave it little credence. Ryiku was a competent priest and, in 663, he murdered and succeeded the Master of Archives and Treasures, whom he subsequently discovered to be his father, by reading his victim’s private journals. At that time, the was at its height in the west. Ryiku took his blood relationship to his predecessor and events in the west as the sign promised by the legend and sought support for a holy quest to release Aedlad.

The other masters of the Tashal temple were skeptical and bade him be silent. He defied the order, and sent a copy of the scroll to the Coranan temple. It never arrived. For his disobedience, Ryiku was relieved of his office and was placed under the Herth-Akan. He survived the ordeal. Now Ryiku worked in secret to build a following. Those who survive the Herth-Akan are few and are respected. His plans were mature by the autumn of 664. He and a score of followers stole what they needed and fled Tashal, killing three of the temple’s masters in the process.

By skillful manipulation, the renegades won the respect of the and made their way to Bejíst where they began construction of their temple. As soon as they were established, they undertook excavations to find the prison of Aedlad. Ryiku died in 676. The practical necessities of survival, especially in the years Iollowing Ryiku’s death, seemed to lessen the urgency of the sect’s mission. By 715, all of the original clerics had died and the new, larger order had a more earthly attitude. The legend is not forgotten, and excavation projects are still undertaken from time to time, but they have taken on the aspect of a symbolic ritual.

The Lost Scroll
If players are to have a reason to sample the unique experience of visiting Bejíst, a copy of the lost scroll should come into their possession. The may handle this in any number of ways. The scroll was presumably sent by courier (probably a an on other business) along the. Perhaps he was ambushed in the wilderness by brigands or tribesmen, or waylaid in the midst of the after he reached. In any event, the scroll disappeared for a time. Perhaps it cluttered an attic for a few years, perhaps it is/was hanging on the wall at or some similar establishment. Possibly, some scholar acquired it, or a copy, and it is likely this individual who will approach some players.

Such an individual may desire to investigate the truth of the matter himself, sell it, or send it to some other persons because he lacks the will or vigour to pursue the matter himself. To whom he would send the scroll depends on his personality. The reactions of any recipients would also vary. If players were to hired to convey the scroll and the recipient lent it any credence, he might wish to mount an expedition, or suppress the information. The latter might involve the murder of the messengers. If an expedition is to be mounted, the players will quite likely be invited to participate, since this would minimize the number of people privy to the secret. If players decline such an invitation, pressure may well be brought to bear. If they still refuse, an unscrupulous recipient might take drastic action

The Scroll of Taurin Halfhand
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