The Weeping Queen

On the shores of the Glassmere in a far-off corner of Bael Bradach there stands the titanic stone figure of a weeping elven woman, wearing a crown of leaves, and standing with her face buried in her hands. From between her fingers cascades an endless torrent of fresh water, which has transformed the valley beneath it into a crystal-clear lake, at the bottom of which is a perfectly preserved village which defies attempts at exploration.

Summary

In the early days of the Reclamation, Prince Calenar of Irganost⁽¹⁾ suggested an exploratory mission to seek for Fey Roads across the Jorgmungandr mountains. His sister Queen Shalae'hae happily indulged him, outfitting his venture in highest quality and staffing it with only his personal bodyguard and closest companions.⁽²⁾ When all was ready, she bid the company farewell and favourable fortunes, then sent them to their explorations.
She never saw any of them alive again.
Hundreds of leagues away, in a hidden corner of Bael Bradach, there stands a titanic stone statue of her likeness at the mouth of the valley where her brother died. Face buried in hands, from between stone fingers stream neverending torrents of elemental Water; these have transformed the former forest into the lake called the Glassmere, at the bottom of which stands a perfectly preserved --but empty!-- town which defies exploration, thanks to a subtle and potent curse.

Historical Basis

Amrunni historians record the departure of Prince Calenar's doomed expedition into the Jorgmungandr range well enough that the event must be considered historical fact. Owing to a lack of survivors and the insidious curse which permeates the entire lake valley, however, exact events must remain the province of educated speculation.

Spread

The Weeping Queen is a well-known landmark and functions much as a lighthouse does, allowing navigators to maintain a safe distance from the cursed valley by land and sky. The story even reached the relatively-distant Imperial Dominion of Doberlund, where the famous Dobrish polymath Jerotoden of Gleyds fashioned a famous painting of the story.

Variations & Mutation

The Republic of Bael Bradach's version presents events as a campaign of Amrunni aggression which resulted in the lost of great abundance in a time of great need. It serves as the basis for bigotries harboured by certain fringe elements within Bradachan culture, but en large it is seen as a cautionary tale when dealing with the undying Elves of Tol Amrun, and a lesson in the value of frugality.

In Art

The Tragedy of Prince Calenar is an Amrunni opera in four parts, performed one per season, which describes in detail the childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and death of Prince Calenar. It presents events at Glassmere as the heroic struggle of an Elf prince against the depredations of Dwarf colonists, who are depicted as immoral, land-grubbing degenerates with an unholy thirst for gold in the work.

The Ballad of Bael Bruenor is a Bradachan epic poem detailing the Republican People's loss of a valley ripe with natural resources to Amrunni madness, presented in the style of a dirge. While it is performed over a much shorter period of time, it is no lesser a work in length. Both opuses take about three days to get through.

Calenar's End is an oil painting by Reclamation-era Imperial polymath Jerotoden of Gleyds. It depicts the elven version of events, with the Queen kneeling on the bed of Royal Posies that surround her brother's dying form. She cradles his head in her lap with one hand, and hold his hand with the other. Both expressions are the beatific blankness popular at the time. It is considered notable for the thaumoillusory qualities of the oil-paint, and the animation of the rising statue in the background, and is considered a forerunner of modern Hologlyphic thaumoreel technology.

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1.) In modern Tol Amrun

2.) Given the extraordinarily long period of time covered by 'living memory' as applied to Elvenkind, eyewitnesses to the event yet live. It has been opined by such individuals that, knowing what she knew of her dilletante brother, she expected his privilege to return him home within the season and so had focused more on his comfort than his survivability. Notably, this sentiment seems more popular with the Queen's political opponents.

Date of First Recording

254 IR

Date of Setting

250 IR

Related Organizations

• Bael Bradach