The Harrowing of the Thirsting Queen

The early Weryn fractured following their expulsion from the Blessed Lands to the north. The largest faction held firm to their belief in the Dark Lady that had so damaged the tribe's standing in the Blessed Lands and continued to practice her dark rituals. Fearing an end to all things, several tribes of Daoine united and crossed the mountains to pursue them. Following their divine prophetess, the proto-Myrranethi made for the volcanic coast. There, they built for themselves a city on the slopes of the largest and most active Volcano.
Though all of Almyrria's Aspects were venerated in Rhaidd, the Dark Lady continued to command the largest following. The Queens of Rhaidd took for themselves the position of high priestess of her temple, and they devoted many of their resources to the capture of slaves and sacrifices to fill her many appetites. The volcanic rock below the city was found to be rich in both rare minerals and fine gems, and the soil in its surrounds proved fertile beyond all imagining. A formalized school of smith-mages dedicated themselves to the study and manipulation of the volcano's power to fuel wonders the likes of which the world had never seen. Within a century, the power and splendor of Rhaidd had grown to eclipse that of all its neighbors.
After centuries of slave-takings and exploitation by the Rhaiddwn, the peoples of Lërann at last set aside their conflicts and united to destroy Rhaidd once and for all. A united force of Southron men, Weryn, Daoine, and Grýmoran marched on Rhaidd. The Rhaiddwn, seeing the size of the host arrayed before the city's mighty walls, marshaled every magic user in the city to harness the power beneath the mountain to smite the impudent intruders. As the earth itself began to rumble and shake, great chasms opened beneath the invaders' feet to belch forth noxious smoke, and ash began to rain down from the mountain's crown. The ragged remnants of the proud alliance splintered and fled -- decimated by the volcano's fury -- and still the ash rained down upon the city.
The mages quickly realized that they lacked the power to stop the eruption once begun. A great outpouring of emotion was heard then as news spread of the city's imminent destruction and its residents made hasty preparations to flee. Bann Arryn alone accepted the city's fate with grace. She walked through the desolate masses, offering help wherever it was most needed and organizing the city's magic users to ward off the flow long enough to evacuate the city. Through her efforts, a city-wide network of wizards managed to cooperate in the creation of a ward on a scale never before seen. As the first ashen waves rolled over the city, its citizens were kept safe and protected beneath it. Eventually there came a respite, though the sky over the city had long since been replaced with a ceiling of compressed ash and cooling lava. Working again in concert, the Rhaiddwn wizards hollowed out paths of escape and the citizenry fled to the safety of a nearby rise.
Bann Eryn looked to the crown of the mountain and