Summerstones

Overview

Long before the settlement of the lower continent by the earliest Altimerians, a civilization rose and fell into ruin and memory. Little is known about the pre-settlement peoples of Talamh, who they were, what they held dear, and how they made sense of their world. It was, at times, a world more hostile than the present day. Despite modern challenges with the fae and ever-more volatile Mists, the prehistoric world of Talamh would give even the most hardened cutter pause.
The ancient inhabitants of the continent, who are known today as the Habonites, left behind precious few clues to their society and its values. What they did leave behind persisted due to their resilient nature; standing stones, dotted across modern-day Selgris and Peruq Tril, hint at their system of metaphysical belief. These stones, whose names still persist and which are collectively known as Summerstones, have references in surviving Old Altimerian writings — most of these being found in ruins as part of carven epitaphs and memorials. In this way, scholars have been able to make educated guesses regarding the purpose and function of the stones (which is to say nothing about the way they are used today).
Notably, the Summerstones appear in writings found within chambers of deceased mystics. Long-dead sorcerers of exceptional power seem to have been connected to the stones. Historians speculate that this connection was key to the sorcerers’ authority in some way, and this theory is supported by a finding made at the Stone of Promise in Peruq Tril. When it was discovered, a tomb was found at the site that has since been linked to the mythic figure, Ivuld.

Campaign Information

Wagat, Stone of Word

Little can be said for certain regarding the fate of the Stone of Word, as it has not been seen in at least a generation. The Altimerian inhabitants of Selgris, who have been pushed from their ancestral homes and into the forest of Ywyr, avoid seeking the stone out of superstition. Some make the claim, which is echoed in regards to the rest of the Summerstones, that Wagat is a kind of ancient prison built to keep something from escaping into the world. As a result, little is known about Wagat, other than it once stood in a sacred site dedicated to the preservation of oral histories.

Radhd, Stone of Law

The Stone of Law is the central component of Altimerian folk tradition in the area, and has been likened to a shrine by scholars. Its significance is derived primarily from its use in oath-swearing and pact-making ceremonies, of which the act of betrothal is the most common. Older, more esoteric practices dedicate oaths to ancient forest-dwelling entities, and some have hinted — much in the same way that folk whisper about the Stone of Word — that Radhd is a prison for some ancient being. There are also rumors that the stone changed color and composition sometime in the last five years, prompting a small amount of suspicion from Selgran villagers.

Vraldta, Stone of Promise

It is accepted by most that Vraldta is the resting place of Ivuld, a fabled mage-hero from the Antetheonian Age. Beyond this, the significance of Vraldta has faded from memory and it remains a minor wonder of a past age.

Type

Monument, Large