A History of Emrath

Engraved on the cover of this small tome is a stylized symbol of a silver dragon and the text "A History of the Holy Realm of Emrath, by Father Edan, Scribe of Eolas".
"For generations our people have rode across the steppe and fought amongst ourselves. Only in the last centuries have we settled down, adopted the written word and united into one nation. This will be the first text to chronicle the story of our people."
"Much of our land is a steppe called the Dragon Expanse, and is harsh in the winter and hot in the summer. It is watered by the great expanse of the Lantern sea, which separates us from Delmor to the East. To the West is the Myrewood, the Dragonspine Mountains, and the land of the vampiric Calabim, our most hated foes."
"For centuries, our people only knew conflict. A hundred clans fought each other, and power was measured in the size of our herds and the number of our horses. During this period, a vampire lord called Baron Darkhan enslaved a silver dragon and used it to attack us. The founder of our nation, Graham Ceancoir, died slaying this vampire and freed the dragon: Argynvost. In return, the dragon protected us from harm, and we came to worship it."
"Much to our dismay, the dragon eventually left to found a fortress-monastery in Delmor. But Graham's dynasty lived on. His kin founded a great city on the Lantern Sea called Anscath, and from his gold-thatched hall ruled all the horse lords under the banner of a silver dragon. They brought the order of the Oroborites into the royal fold, and founded the order of Argynvostagh and the scribes of Eolas."
"For many years, our nation prospered. But when a warlord called Strahd von Zarovich conquered Delmor and renamed it Barovia, our people came under assault by the Calabim. Though our cavalry were mighty, we could not stand against the unholy power of the vampires and their creatures of the night. Out of desperation, our King married off his eldest daughter Camille Ceancoir to Strahd's brother, hoping to negotiate an alliance. Not long after her arrival, Barovia fell under a shroud of darkness, and we await her tidings still."
The remainder of the tome is an account of the various villages and castles that make up the realm of Emrath, as well as an account of the gabled city of Anscath. There is also brief mention of the skirmishes leading up to the "present" war with the Calabim.

Type

Manuscript, Historical