The Adventures of Zarakos

This is an article on the History of Feyworld

Years: 38 BF to 1 NC

Age: The Long Night

Continent: Duria

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The History of Neptaris

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The Foundation of Neptaris

The history of the Freecity of Neptaris begins in the city-state of Taranio in old Aebasa on Gallorea a hundred and fifty years before the founding of Zeth on Aurea and the dawn of the Third Age of Man. In that city, known more for its adventurers than its philosophers, Zarakos, future founder of Neptaris, was born to a moderately wealthy merchant family. At a young age, he left his family home to become an adventurer. Unfortunately, ill luck constantly dogged the young adventurer and he found himself to be the only surviving member of two consecutive groups. After being kicked out of his third group for theft, he joined one of the many mercenary companies of the region and finally met with some success. During the Battle of the Gareon Dales, he was promoted to the rank of captain at the age of twenty-six and charged with the plunder of Cheros, a city-state that had supported the defeated city of Myra. Unfortunately, Zarakos' legion was caught unawares by an army from the neighboring state of Zamarda, which had come to reinforce the Myran defense, and the mercenary captain found himself besieged in a foreign city. After nearly a month under siege, Zarakos was able to sneak past the Zamardan army with a small group of loyal men. When the rest of his army realized that their captain had deserted them, they surrendered, but the Zamardan army refused their surrender and chose instead to sack the city themselves, killing most of the mercenaries in the process.

Zarakos, claiming that his men had deserted him and attempted to surrender without his permission, founded a mercenary company of his own called the White Gryphon Company after his chosen insignia. The White Gryphon fought in several major battles, eventually coming under the patronage of the Tyrant of Thene (whom he had fought for in the Battle of the Gareon Dales a few years earlier). He met with much success defending Thene from foreign invasion and was rewarded heavily by the Tyrant. Eventually, Cheros and her allies were quelled (though not defeated, the wars between Thene and Cheros would continue for centuries) and the Tyrant found himself with a mercenary company on his permanent payroll and no enemies to fight. Zarakos, realizing that his life might be at risk, made a rather rash suggestion to his sponsor. He would go into retirement and found a colony in the name of Thene on the shores of present-day Feldosha. The Tyrant quickly agreed and supplied him with a fleet of five vessels. Unfortunately, the Tyrant did not supply Zarakos with able navigators or captains for these vessels, and the adventurer turned mercenary turned explorer quickly became lost in the turbulent Aebasan Ocean. After roaming for a month on the open sea, he and his soldiers finally came ashore near the ancient city of Kamartha in present-day Eeridia.

Zarakos ordered his men ashore and began to plunder the nearby townships for food and supplies. The armies of Kamartha quickly responded to what was believed to be an invasion and captured Zarakos. The explorer turned raider was brought to the Queen of Kamartha, Aemara, with the dignity and pomp of a captured foreign king. Believing him to be a powerful ruler, Aemara quickly became enraptured of her prisoner and soon Zarakos had the run of the royal palace. Through the magical assistance of the Royal Scribe, Anesthos the Younger (the two lovers did not speak the same language), Zarakos and Aemara began a brief but torrid affair that shocked the citizens of Kamartha. After Aemara gave birth to a son, named Zamari, the priesthood of Kamartha fomented a rebellion against the monarchy. The Queen was given an ultimatum: exile Zarakos or be removed from her blood-right. Zarakos volunteered to depart, despite her pleas to retire into obscurity. He gathered his remaining soldiers as well as Anesthos the Younger and again set sail on the open sea. As his ships departed, Kamartha took her son to the Temple of Aridnus, whose priests had led the rebellion against her crown, and set fire to herself and her child, killing both. It is said that Zarakos commented upon looking back to the city on how great a fire they had built to honor him.

For the next four months, Zarakos and his men roamed the Betshaban Ocean, searching for a home. Each time they found land, Zarakos found some reason to continue, most often suggesting that the place simply didn't "feel" right. Then, one night, as his men planned a mutiny in the hold below his quarters, he suddenly woke and began screaming orders to head northward. He told Anesthos that he had dreamed of a great gryphon sleeping on a hillock and that this was the sign he had been waiting for. The ships did, indeed, find a coast to the north heretofore unknown by his navigator. After following the coast for a week, they came upon a bay near the mouth of a great river. Zarakos set ashore and led a group of his men inland toward six hills. Upon the highest hill, the men found a sleeping gryphon, just as Zarakos had seen in his dream. The gryphon woke and departed his roost, but Zarakos ordered his men to begin the construction of a hall and homes; their journey was over. Many of the men resisted Zarakos' claim, but he burned his ships in the harbor to prevent any hope of returning to their homes. Zarakos named his settlement Neptag, after the Kamarthan word for "freedom." Zarakos was thirty-nine when the settlement was founded.