Cyre

“What our dreams imagine, our hands create”

-Cyran National Motto


Once considered the most beautiful of the Five Nations, Cyre was wiped off the map—destroyed by a blast of arcane power—on the Day of the Mourning in 994YK. The cataclysm of unknown origin wiped out its people and ravaged the cities and countryside, creating the Mournland. Now it is a barren land haunted by the ghosts of war. No one knows what caused the great cataclysm that destroyed an entire nation, but there is no shortage of theories. Some say it was an enemy nation. Others believe it was a Cyran doomsday device detonated by accident. No convincing evidence has been found, so speculation runs rampant. The land is now shrouded in a dead-gray mist. The arcane catastrophe produced some peculiar terrain.

Life and Society

For a millennium since its founding, Cyran culture blended the traditions of other nations. However, the Last War built walls between Cyre and the other nations, and each evolved in this century of relative isolation. Cyrans know the old add-a-verse songs beloved by Aundairians, but few know the Epic of Valiant and Vigilant, a tale of martial bravery close to the heart of every modern Aundairian. Nor do they know the maxims of Beggar Dane that now serve as a cornerstone of Brelish culture.

Even so, Cyrans see their culture as being founded on the best principles of Galifar, and can still find some common ground with people of any nation. A Cyran can play Conqueror with a Karrn, sing an add-a-verse song with an Aundairian, and debate religion with a Thrane. This reflects the founding principles of Cyre—to gather the best aspects of Galifar and to build upon them. Cyrans believe there's no single perfect path; diversity is a source of strength, but there’s always room for improvement. Cyran culture is thus a strange chimera—a blend of familiar elements from across Khorvaire combined with a steady, ongoing evolution. A Cyran musician might play Karrnathi funeral dirges in the style of a Thrane devotional; it’s a puzzle where the pieces are known, but they’re constantly being arranged in new ways. Some citizens of the other nations believe this is appropriation—that the Cyrans are carrion crawlers who steal from others while arrogantly believing they can do better. But the Cyrans themselves assert that this approach is rooted in love, not arrogance, and call it the “Cyran appreciation."

Fashion

Cyran fashion blends practicality with endless diversity. Cyran clothing begins with a simple foundation—this base layer may be colorful, but it’s first and foremost practical and durable. Whether breeches, skirts, shirts, or gowns, a Cyran starts with whatever the wearer finds most comfortable. Again, this base level is well made, but it’s more functional than decorative.

After starting with simplicity, the Cyran adds flair. Cloaks and gloves are both integral parts of Cyran fashion. Gloves can be short and sturdy for work or war, or long and decorative for more formal occasions. Cloaks likewise vary between the practical and decorative: a heavy cloak for traveling, a short cape for casual socializing, and a long, light cloak with a glamerweave lining for an evening at the Grand Stage. In addition to clothing like gloves, boots, and cloaks, jewelry and other accessories are important parts of Cyran fashion. Often made from copper, leather, wood, or glass, Cyran jewelry is not a display of wealth, but rather a way to express individuality. Feathers and bells are also common accessories; there is a Cyran dance that involves belled bracelets and anklets. Finally, masks are often worn at formal or festive occasions. Cyran masks aren’t intended to conceal identity or intent; rather, they are a way of enhancing identity and expressing a mood.

Traditionally, Cyran fashion is filled with color (often accentuated with glamerweave). In the wake of the Last War, many Cyrans have adopted Mourningwear—clothing cut in the Cyran style, but entirely in black. Others celebrate their nation by preserving its styles. Because of the emphasis on durability, your Cyran character may still have the clothes they were wearing on the Day of Mourning.

Cuisine

Cyran cuisine reflects the Cyran principles of working with the best of all traditions while continuing to explore. In many ways, this is similar to the Sharn fusion found in the City of Towers, and a number of Cyran refugees are rising stars in Sharn’s culinary scene. Cyrans blend the thrakel spices of Thrane with traditional Karrn stews, and add the heat of southern Breland to the delicate pastries of Aundair. While many refugees cling to family recipes as a way to remember the fallen nation, others continue the tradition of Cyran appreciation—adopting new favorites from the place they’ve found shelter and looking for ways to improve them.

Magic

Traditionally, Cyrans viewed Arcane Magic as an art form as well as a practical tool. This lent itself to a wider study of illusion and enchantment than found in other nations. But it’s also about the presentation of magic, regardless of its school. Whether magewright, bard, or wizard, Cyrans often put more show into the performance of magic than even the Aundairians. For a wizard who’s studied at the University of Wynarn, somatic components are almost a dance, while verbal components have the cadence of song or poetry. This echoes the Cyran love of flowing capes and cloaks.

Geography

The borders of what was Cyre, now called the Mournland, are easily distinguished by the Dead-gray Mist that forms a dome around the entire area. To the north, the Mournland touches against the Cyre River coming off of Scions Sound and emptying into Lake Cyre on the Mournland's eastern border. The Brey River marks part of its northwest boundary while its border with Breland is defined by the hanging mist. Similarly in the goblin nation of Darguun the dead-gray mist is a constant reminder of the border of the Mournland. To the south lies Kraken Bay and to the east the Blade Desert of Valenar, the Talenta Plains, and the nation of Karrnath.

Structure

Under Galifar's system of succession, Cyre was ruled by one of the children of the current king. Over the centuries, a tradition formed that the governor-prince of Cyre was the child that would become the next king or queen of Galifar.

Queen Dannel ir'Wynarn, who was crowned in 943 YK, was the last ruler of Cyre and was slain in the Mourning in 994 YK.The only surviving scion of Cyre's monarchy is her son, Prince Oargev ir'Wynarn, who was ambassador to Breland at the time of the Mourning. By default, he is now the king-in-exile, though the kingdom is no more, and governs the survivors at New Cyre.

History

Cyre was the future. At the height of the Kingdom of Galifar, Cyre was a land of arcane dreams made manifest. It came to be known as Beautiful Cyre, the Purple Jewel in Galifar’s Crown, and Wondrous Cyre. To some, it was considered a land of decadence and arrogance, but to the rest of the kingdom, it was paradise.

When Jarot ir'Wynarn attained the throne of Galifar, none of his children were yet of an age to take over the administration of the Five Nations. Regents and the existing governor-princes (Jarot’s younger brothers and sisters) continued to govern and served as mentors and teachers for Jarot’s scions. Mishann, the oldest of Jarot’s children, was sent to Cyre to learn at the knee of her uncle and prepare for her role as governor-prince and, eventually, monarch of Galifar. Just as it was since Galifar united the kingdom, just as it would be forever. However, Mishann and the rest of the kingdom would discover that nothing remains the same forever.

When King Jarot died, Mishann prepared for the journey to Thronehold to attend her father’s funeral and to take the crown that was her birthright as the eldest scion. Her siblings each brought armed troops to the funeral, and before Mishann could be coronated, Thalin challenged the right of eldest succession. With loyal knights of the Silver Flame at his side, Thalin asserted that he was the better choice to be king of Galifar. Kaius and Wroann supported Thalin, in so far as they wanted a different method of selection to be put in place. “Why should the oldest and weakest automatically gain the crown?” Wroann asked. Wrogar supported Mishann’s claim, but the other three rejected her. Wrogar was able to stop the scions from spilling royal blood at Thronehold, but the five siblings and their followers departed the island without reaching any resolution to the question of succession.

Before the year was out, the first battles of the Last War erupted, and each sibling eventually declared his or her own ambition to take the crown. As the kingdom collapsed and the Five Nations became five distinct and separate countries, war spread throughout the land. Beautiful Cyre, of all the nations, wound up as the battleground on which much of the Last War was fought. In addition to the troops from Karrnath, Thrane, and Breland clashing with each other and Cyran forces in this region, Cyre also became the place where Darguun, Valenar, Talenta tribes, and Lhazaar pirates came to loot, plunder, or seek land to expand into.

And so, it went, with the great wonders of Cyre falling bit by bit with every battle, until the terrible cataclysm of the Day of Mourning fi nished the sad destruction of the once-shining nation in one fell swoop. No one has claimed credit for the release of arcane energy that obliterated the nation, and no one seems to know exactly what happened on the Day of Mourning. What is known is that something terrible occurred in or around the city of Making, located at about the center of what is now the Glass Plateau, and slowly spread out to destroy the whole nation. Those living closer to the borders, as well as those outside the nation on this fateful day, were able to survive the disaster.

Postwar Cyre

Today, Cyre is no more. In its place is the Mournland, a blasted, mutated land surrounded by a dense wall of dead-gray mist. Cyran refugees have migrated to New Cyre and Sharn in Breland, Dragonroost and Zolanberg in Zilargo, and, in smaller numbers, to communities in Thrane, Karrnath, and Q’barra. Many Cyrans, still reeling from the terrible destruction, find it hard to forgive the Five Nations that have refused to provide them with help. Worse, the Valenar elves slaughtered Cyran refugees fleeing from southeastern Cyre by the thousands as they tried to escape the spreading mist.

A second injustice heaped upon the survivors of Cyre occurred during the Thronehold negotiations. Though the Day of Mourning was crucial in getting the Five Nations together to end the Last War, no Cyran representation was permitted. “Cyre no longer exists,” Queen Aurala argued. “The refugees have no voice in these proceedings,” High King Vadallia of Valenar agreed. And so Cyre did not participate in the accords that redefined the continent and ended the Last War.

Cyre’s last century featured an incredible series of highs and lows. Led by the legitimate heir to the Throne of Galifar, Mishann ir’Wynarn, the country first appeared to be ready to fall to the combined might of Breland, Karrnath, and Thrane. But an inspired bit of negotiation brought the warbands of the Valaes Tairn to Khorvaire to fight for Cyre (or at least Cyran gold), and the other nations’ leaders quickly turned on each other as each decided to take the crown of the kingdom. For six decades Cyre enjoyed success out of all proportion with its size and might. When Shearas Vadallia declared himself High King of Valenar, carving out an empire in Cyre’s midst, it seemed Cyre was once again doomed. Then came the warforged, bolstering Cyre’s forces and giving it the strength to survive despite the toll constant warfare was taking on the countryside. Still, their fortunes were waning, and many parts of northern and western Cyre became battlefields. Step by bloody step, the fighting wound toward Metrol and the few pristine cites left in the south. Rumors abounded that Queen Dannel and her advisors had plans for a major new offensive that would throw back the invaders. Dannel’s uncanny charisma inspired a nation and, despite the losses, spirits were high. Cyre’s martial academies and arcane colleges continued to attract students eager to learn the skills necessary to defend the nation. Until the Day of Mourning.

Cyre’s complete destruction in a day by a wave of arcane energy is undoubtedly the single most important moment in the last hundred years. Major battles were being fought all across Cyre, with each of the Five Nations losing thousands if not tens of thousands of soldiers as the dead-gray wall swept outward from the interior. While refugees have gathered in Breland under the graces of King Boranel’s mercy, Cyre as a nation is simply gone, lost behind a wall that follows Cyre’s borders with eerie precision. In its place a strangely tranquil wasteland taunts treasure seekers with tantalizing hints of the greatest mystery of the modern age…. What was the Mourning? Will it happen again?

Cities and Settlements

Eston - Kalazart - Making - Metrol - Tronish - Eastwood Springs - Seaside - Barren Keep - Fort Bright - Totens - Clifftop - Whitehearth

32 YK - Day of the Mourning

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Capital

Metrol

Alternative Names

Beautiful Cyre, Purple Jewel in Galifar’s Crown, Wondrous Cyre

Demonym

Cyrans

Leader

Oargev ir'Wynarn

Government System

Monarchy, Constitutional

Official State Religion

Sovereign Host

Location

Khorvaire

Official Languages

• Common

Years	Monarch
894 - 908 YK	Mishann
908 - 913 YK	Brusst
914 - 942 YK	Connos
943 - 994 YK	Dannel
994 - Present	Oargev

Five Things Every Cyran Knows 

1.) Where they were on the Day of Mourning. No Cyran will ever forget that terrible day and how they survived as so many others did not. “Tomorrow in Cyre” has become an expression of hope, a reflection of sadness, and a promise to win back what has been lost.

2.) Some form of artistic expression. Cyran are artists to their core, whether that art takes the form of drawing, painting, sculpture, song, or arcane spell. Cyrans love to experiment with art, pushing the borders and shocking others with just how far they will go to advance the form.

3.) The Cyran appreciation. This philosophy and lifestyle promote the appreciation of beauty and magic in avant-garde and unconventional ways.

4.) What happened on the Day of Mourning. Every Cyran knows what happened on the Day of Mourning and who caused it. They know. And every Cyran will tell you a different version of the events. An accident, a deliberate attack, a cowardly act of terrorism, an act of nature, a punishment from the gods—these are just some of the explanations that Cyrans share in their homes and in taverns.

5.) How to perform a Cyran tango. This highly charged form of dance that has been described as frenetic, movingly beautiful, and extremely erotic, is the birthright of every son and daughter of Cyre. It is taught at a young age and perfected at social events throughout a Cyran’s life. No Cyran performs the tango badly, and some perform it with exquisite grace and precision.