city for military purposes. Despite voices of opposition decrying this wasteful venture, the decree stood, and was followed in earnest. With word of the rise of Darklord Vashna in MS 3192, a later ruler ordered the construction of the Great Kaltersee Wall of Lof. Using the ruins of an abandoned Herbalish temple near the village of Romvar, Romvar Quarry was created and had the added benefi t of providing a source of iron ore, copper and superb quality limestone. By MS 3350 the great wall surrounded the city and extending impressively into the Kaltersee giving a safe harbour for commercial and military ship alike. Near the end of the century, the merchant and public outcry against the taxes of the clan lords reached a crescendo. All were silenced in MS3,400 when a patrol of never-before- seen winged beasts fl ew over much of Durenor and bizarre, enormous fanged wolves began appearing in the forests, later identifi ed as scouting Kraan and Doomwolves from the Darklands. A panic ensued in Durenor for which the disjointed clan lords had no answers. All believed the Darklords would eventually extend their claws to the peninsula of Durenor; their scouts were already making the initial reconnaissance. In this time of uncertainty, the divided clans of Durenor ceased calling themselves Ulnarians. A sense of unity and mutual defence was fostered. Henceforth, they called themselves after their adopted land; they no longer referred to their Ulnarian blood clans; they now called themselves by one common name: Durenese.
In MS 3434 a fi sherman noticed an unusual fl eet of ships further out in the Kaltersee and signalled them. These people clearly were not of Ulnarian blood, but were sociable and spoke a similar language. The ships made landfall near the city of Lof, and Clan Lord Anslem Lof greeted them eagerly. The newcomers called themselves ‘Sommlending,’ and after staying ashore for a short while, virtually all left for lands further west. Despite the warnings of the dangers, the Sommlending seemed to be on a holy calling. Other tales detail the legends of how the Darklords were driven to the commercial interests of Lof. The now
aging clan chief ordered the City of Lof rebuilt, with ‘accommodations any sailor of the seas would envy,’ and so in 2839 the port city was rededicated. The temperate weather and sheltered docks assisted in making Lof a competitive port on the western shores of Durenor. Roads initially built for conquest proved equally valuable for mercantile interests, guaranteeing control of the major overland traffi c and trade to the Northlands. The region of Lof fl ourished for well over a century.
The infl uence and power of Lof grew until MS 3004 when the weather and Kaltersee suddenly and inexplicably grew colder and windier, and snow covered the City of Lof in the winter months. Some sages suggest this is when the Shianti departed and took the Moonstone with them. Regardless of the reason, Lof and the northlands suffered a tremendous population decline and a weakened economy. Over several decades a signifi cant exodus occurred as sea trade shifted predominantly to the warmer Ports of Bax and Ryme. For the next half-century, Lof struggled to fi nd a purpose as a city. In MS 3072 the Darklords appeared in the far west and ushered in the Age of the Black Moon with their War of Desecration. Partially from foresight and partly from whim, Lof found a new purpose when clan Chief Onesimus Lof declared in MS 3079 that the city was to establish a formal naval force and allotted a portion of the order, the clan chief muttered, ‘My dearest
cousin, you mean the world to me, but until now, I never realised just how much the world was worth…’ and beheaded him with a single stroke. After wrapping the head and switching uniforms, Margaux Lof parlayed to end the confl ict and offered the head as proof of the change in leadership. In disguise, Margaux offered his ‘own’ head in exchange for a peaceable settlement and an end to the fi ghting. Deception is a game in which few Durenese excel – Margaux Lof was a notable exception.
The head of Alban Lof still sits in the battle posts of Tak as a trophy and bears the name of Margaux. Some claim to hear his death scream and see an apparition of him on full moon nights on the anniversary of his demise.
Two years later, Margaux Lof came out of hiding in the Northlands and led an assault in MS 2836 to reclaim the City of Lof and nearby Sentry Island from Trelsk occupation. Common folk said the ghost of Margaux Lof had arisen to reclaim all that had been lost. The jaws of the other clan chiefs dropped when the ‘ghost’ appeared at the MS 2837 Treaty of the Rymerift, which fi xed clan boundaries and fi nally brought peace.
With military expansion now beyond his capabilities, Margaux Lof focused on economic expansion with gusto. Port Bax was established in MS 2837 and was a threat