he existence of a fanzine like thonahexus is always
T questioned when you consider the environment in which
Editor: Lucas Magnusson
E-mail: lucas.magnusson@swipnet.se
Website: alterego.sverok.net/thonahexus
CONTENTS
The Swamp Queen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Wine in western Lythia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
The Morsina. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Saint Abræron’s Chalice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Khuzdul Legacy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3
© 2003, N. Robin Crossby & Columbia Games, Inc. (www.columbiagames.com). © 2003, the author/artist. The articles in Thonahexus are derivative works of copyrighted material
published by Columbia Games Inc. and released for free distribution and personal use without permission or endorsement by N. Robin Crossby or Columbia Games, Inc. Hârn,
HârnWorld, and HârnMaster are Trademarks of Columbia Games Inc. Use of these or other trademarks are not intended as a challenge to the status of said trademarks.
it exists. The Hârn community is full of people produc-
ing their own high-quality stu≠, publishing it on their own web
site: some write about inns, others about religion and a third one
draws maps. So where does thonahexus fit in all this? What’s its
raison d’être?
I have come to the conclusion that thonahexus should be the
Lonely Planet of Kethira — your guide to the back streets of Hârn;
the filling in the cracks; the basil in the stew… It opens the doors
no one else walks through, looks under the carpet for traces in the
dust, unlocks the small boxes in the attic and samples the strange-
looking mushrooms in the forest.
Hârn is full of this kind of small stories. Every village has its
share of forbidden love, every shire a very special inn, every forest
a magical grove, every town an exotic character and every castle a
conspiring jester. These stories are easy to write about, because
they don’t contradict the o∞cial Hârn material — but rather they
complement it.
When we’re talking about the rest of Lythia, it’s another matter,
because very little is written about the kingdoms of the east. Here
we can allow ourselves to be both bolder and greater. The stories
may have greater impact on society: instead of writing about the
village fool, we write about the mad prince; instead of telling you
about the dryad grove of the woods we uncover the secrets of the
Mountain People in the Cursed Mountain. But still the stories must
remain small, so they don’t clash with the Great Plan of Columbia
Games’ future releases.
— Lucas Magnusson, Editor
T H E S WA MP QUEEN 1 Common Knowledge

∞e Swamp Queen
A Common Knowledge story from the Anoth Delta.
Text: Lucas Magnusson

n the dark corners of the Anoth Delta rules

i the Swamp Queen. She’s a cursed witch from

the black hell of Durakhar. Her hatred for
mankind is endless and she will stop at nothing to
bring terror to the kind people of the Delta. The Queen
dresses in rotting plants and brown mud, shamelessly
displaying her unclean flesh. She carries a stench as that
from decaying corpses and unholy dæmons.
Everywhere she goes she’s followed by her evil serv-
ants, the Green Men. They obey her every whim and
crawl at her feet to get her appreciation. The Green Men
are born from snails and spiders and are hideous to look
upon. Even the bravest warriors have fled in terror
when their gaze has fallen upon the green monsters.
Once every month, when the moon is so small it’s
almost not there, the Queen and her servants leave their
precious swamp and venture into the villages of men.
There they walk in the shadows, in search of an un-
“… and because Liem was such a bad boy the Green Man took him !”
looked door or an open window, so that they can sneak
in and steal a human child. But they only take bad chil-
dren, those who don’t follow their parents wishes. Un- Wreaker of Chaos. This treachery drove the Swamp
seen they return to the swamp, and after sacrificing the Queen mad, but there was nothing she could but trying
child to her evil god she devours its flesh, and throws to please the Dark Lord, keeping him happy so he
the empty bones to the Green Men to fight over. wouldn’t throw her children into the Black Pole.
The Swamp Queen lives in a dark castle covered in Many brave men have tried to find and destroy the
ivy and thorn bush. The walls are dripping from moist Swamp Queen, but no one has ever succeeded. They all
and cold winds blow in the lonely halls. The Green wave their families good bye and walk into the marshes,
Men, and other creatures of the night, guard the Queen’s never to return. If they don’t succumb to the treacher-
chamber. In the courtyard stands an altar where she ous swamp, they will reach the dark castle only to face
worships her god under the full moon, surrounded by the horrible Green Men. And if they manage to survive
the white bones of her victims. this unearthly encounter, they enter the Queen’s cham-
If you travel through the marshes you sometimes ber. There they will be enchanted by the Queen’s magic
hear the cries of the Queen as she mourns her lost hu- power to perceive her as a beautiful woman with long
manity. For she was a beautiful woman once, with a black hair and golden skin. She will invite them to her
family of three healthy children. But the plague came to bed, and they will gladly obey her. As she embraces her
her village and to save her children from certain death would be nemesis, the Queen sucks the soul out of his
she made a pact with the Shadow of Bukrai. The chil- body and sacrifices it to the Shadow of Bukrai. Left in
dren were saved from the plague but were taken by the her arms is the empty skin of a once living man …

2 thonahexus n º 3
GM Notes THE SWAMP QUEE N 2

The story Arianne

The Swamp Queen is a local story from the Anoth
Delta. It’s quite new, only ten to fifteen years old. It’s a
popular story among parents who want their children
to behave better. Young people tell it to each other as a
ghost story, and every time the story’s told the cruelty
of the Queen increases and the Green Men become
even more horrible.
The Truth
There’s much truth behind the story of the Swamp
Queen, but also much tragedy. The whole thing started
in 694 tr. Zaarli of Hulthard, the lord of Arone, raped
one of his Jarin slaves, Cacilia. Nine months later the
woman gave birth to a baby-girl who she named Ari-
anne. The prospect of having a bastard daughter wasn’t
very pleasing to Zaarli and so he decided to kill the
child. However, Cacilia managed to escape into the
Delta where she carved out a meagre existence for her-
self and her daughter. It was an endless struggle among
insects, marsh men and starvation.
When Arianne was seven years old (in 702 tr) her
mother died by the hands of an Aklash. The trauma of
her mother’s death triggered Arianne’s great gift — psi-
onics. With a mental bolt she executed her mother’s
killer, and then she took control over the rest of the
Aklash group. They became her servants and provided
her with food and shelter. They are the Green Men.
As the years went by and Arianne grew older and
wiser, her use of the Aklash became more elaborate and
sinister. She started to raid villages for food, clothes and
objects and sometimes the raids caused casualties
among the villagers. The injustice done to her mother
by Zaarli of Hulthard was a thorn in her heart and she
made plans for her revenge on the Hulthards. Now, in
720 tr, she’s ready to avenge her mother. Remember:
revenge is a dish best served cold, wet and choking …
What’s Not True
Arianne has never stolen any children. They are unre-
lated incidents but the Swamp Queen has been blamed
for many of them. Nor does she live in a dark castle but
in an old wooden hut claimed by her mother all those
years ago (the hut is located somewhere in the northern
marshes of the Anoth Delta). It’s filled with all the
goods Arianne has stolen from the villages but there’s
no gold or jewels.
Arianne is now 25 years old. She’s dressed in rags and
extremely dirty. Her entire body is covered in mud. Her
long dark hair is unwashed and tangled. Arianne has
not spoken to another human being since she was
seven and therefore her language skills are undevel-
oped. When she talks she sounds like a child but her
speak doesn’t reflect her intelligence. Arianne is more
used to communicate telepathically. She controls four
Aklashs. Although they feared her at first, they now see
her as the group’s legitimate leader.
Str 10 Agl 12 Hrg 15 Voi 14 Wil 15 Dge 60
End 11 Spd 13 Smt 12 Int 16 Mor 7 Init 63
Dex 12 Eye 15 Tch 13 Aur 18 Mob 65 FR 1
Height: 65"
Weight: 105 lbs
Frame: Scant
Weapons: Unarmed 30
Psionic talents: Mental bolt 90, Mind-control 95, Telepathy 95
Lead-In
1) Arianne launches her revenge on the Hulthards.
Members of the clan mysteriously disappears or are
found dead. The characters are given the job of in-
vestigating the murders and/or protecting Zaarli of
Hulthard. Will they realize the truth about Zaarli?
And what will they do if they eventually oppose
Arianne?
2) Relatives of Cacilia have strange but identical vi-
sions. It’s Arianne who unwillingly transmits her
memories to her bloodline. One of Arianne’s young
cousins can’t fight the visions and runs into the
Delta to free himself from the horrible scenes in his
head. The characters are hired by the Ivinian lord to
reclaim the valuable slave.
3) In search of Bognor’s tower the characters run into
Valdras and his minions (see hârnlore 11). In the
heat of battle they are saved by Arianne and her
Aklash servants. Arianne wants the characters to
help her carry out her revenge on Zaarli of Hult-
hard.
4) The character’s caravan is ambushed by the Aklashes
and a valuable item under their protection is stolen.
The characters have to reclaim the item and return it
to its rightful owner — Zaarli of Hulthard. m

thonahexus n º 3 3
W I N E I N WESTERN LYTHIA 1
Wine in Western Lythia
A look at the wine culture and wine business of western Lythia.
Text & Maps: Lucas Magnusson
he art of wine-making in western Lythia
T originated in the ancient Targan River Cul-
ture around 3000 bt when it expanded north
to the more fertile lands on the east coast of the Venar-
ian Sea, but it was the Venic Island Culture that spread
the knowledge of wine-making to the rest of western
Lythia. Since those early days, the growing of grapes
and the production of wine has developed di≠erently
in di≠erent regions. The result is a multitude of tastes
and qualities for the well-informed connoisseur to
choose from.
Wine-Making Regions
The climate of a region determines where it’s possible
to make drinkable wine. As a general rule grapes need
sun, but not necessarily a lot of warmth, to mature.
This makes it virtually impossible to grow grapes along
the coasts of northwest Lythia, since the maritime cli-
mate produces a lot of fog and clouds. If we move to the
southeast and inland the climate is more stable — the
The map shows the regions where wine is produced.
4 thonahexus n º 3
summers are warmer and the winters are colder (which
equals more sun) — and it’s possible to produce drink-
able to even excellent wine. Finally, in the south of
Trierzon and all around the Venarian Sea, the warm
climate is the natural environment for grapes, which
makes wine-production an easy task.
Most of the wine in western Lythia is actually quite
bad. The common poor judge wine by quantity rather
than by quality. Good quality wine requires a skilful
farmer above all. He or she must know what type of
grape is appropriate for this particular soil and climate,
how the vines should be pruned, when the grapes must
be picked in order to produce the best possible wine
and how the grape-juice should be handled after press-
ing. Since many wine-growers are simple serfs who
grow wine like they grow turnips, it’s no wonder the
result is disappointing.
Wine is a very sensitive product that’s drinkable
only for a short period of time (if it’s contained in bar-
rels). If it’s drunk too soon it gives you terrible pains in
the stomach; if the wine is consumed too late it has
turned into vinegar. As a rule wine should be con-
sumed between the age of one and two years. Some
very fine wines are ideal to drink after four years, while
others (especially Trierzi red wines) should mature for
two years before being drunk. Wines stored in bottles
or amphoras are not as sensitive to ageing.
Shorkyne
The wine-industry of Shorkyne is centered around the
malniri of Elavona, Hidelin, Kitalin, Montivel, Nistone
and Sabinia. Wine-growing would be impossible in
Shorkyne if it hadn’t been for the North Haonic Cur-
rent and the Shorkyni rivers. The rivers function as a
huge heat reservoir that protects the vines during the
frosty nights in the autumn. The rivers also reflect the
sunlight which gives the grapes more time to mature.

This is why almost all the vineyards in Shorkyne are
situated on slopes surrounding one of the major rivers.
White wine is more popular in Shorkyne than red
wine, which is considered to be of lesser quality. The
wine produced in Shorkyne is elegant, light, fruity and
has a high acid content that helps bring out the flavours.
This is a result of the northern climate.
Wine-making is big business in Shorkyne, and both
feudal lords and the churches of Peoni and Larani are
heavily involved in producing wine. The temples of
Peoni have a reputation for making the finest wines.
Through the centuries they have systematically refined
the growing of grapevines. They studied di≠erent
types of grapes and the e≠ects of soil and weather.
They selected the most promising plants for culti-
vation and experimented with pruning, grafting
and production processes.
The churches value the wine-trade to
such an extent, that wine-growing farm-
ers often are turned into freeholders.
Many villages have attained the status
of winaloren under the protection of the
churches. The inhabitants of a winaloren
are usually freeholders with a level of in-
dependence uncommon in feudal societies.
They have the right to bear arms and to sell
their produce at the market. A winaloren The Kingsblood bottle
looks like a small fortified town down by the from Trierzon.
river with its back to the vine-fields up on the
hillside. It’s being managed as a cooperation and pays
tithes to the local abbey. This system has proven to be
more profitable over the years and to produce wine of
much higher quality than that produced by subdued
serfs and incompetent lords.
Famous wines: From the Finora-Nure district of
Kitalin county comes the popular Lidirio wine. It’s a
dry, white wine renowned for its crisp aroma. Twenty
leagues upstream one can savour the wonderful Cha-
lapora — a dry white wine with a much heavier body
than the Lidirio.
The abbey of Mastyres and its surrounding naloren
in Nistone county produce what is said to be the finest
wines in Shorkyne. They are dry white wines with
excellent aroma and acid, and are referred to as The
Mastyre Sisters, because although they are all from the
same district each wine is very distinct. The Mastyre
Sisters are the result of centuries of research and devel-
opment, something that is reflected in the price.
A very special wine is the Druberene from the Sheval-
Verane district in Montivel county. It’s made from over-
ripe and rotting grapes that look like raisins. The result-
ing wine is intensely sweet and very rich in flavour.
thonahexus n º 3
WINE IN WESTERN LYTHI A 2
Trierzon
Trierzon is one of the great wine-producing regions of
Lythia. Trierzon is the origin of a wide range of good
wines: from the refreshing white wines of the northern
parts to the heavy, crimson-coloured beverages of the
south. Neither type of wine is considered superior to
the other — the preferred type usually comes down to
the situation in which it is to be consumed. As a ge-
nerela rule, red wine is often served with meat, while
white wine is served with fish, fruit and cheese, or as a
stand-alone drink.
The Areshomes district is the absolute centre of
the Trierzi wine-industry, thanks to the excellent
soil quality and fine weather, and a heavy concen-
tration of Laranian and Save K’norian monasteries
in the area. Wines from this area are among the
world’s finest.
Trierzon has basically the same in-
dustrial structure as Shorkyne since
both countries are feudal and are
strongly influenced by the churches of
Peoni and Larani. Wine-growing is
more widespread in Trierzon thanks to
the more benevolent climate. As a result the
competition is harder, the prices are lower and
the overall quality higher.
Famous wines: If a wine comes from the
Areshome district that alone is a seal of qual-
ity. But even among these fantastic wines there are
some that are more popular than others. This is often a
matter of fashion among the nobles and the wealthy
merchants. As of the year 720 tr the Quelymone of the
Quelymo Abbey is in high regard after it was served at
the royal spring banquet.
From the island of Ilona comes the Kingsblood, one of
the heaviest wines around. Its colour is dark red, almost
brown — hence its name. Poems have been written in
praise of the Kingsblood’s gastronomic virtues. The se-
cret behind this unique quality is the use of ceramic
bottles sealed with cork — a novelty that will revolu-
tionize the wine-industry in the years to come. This
allows the wine to mature for years and grow rich in
taste without turning into vinegar.
Azeryan
If the Trierzi wine culture seems diverse, then the Az-
eryani one is even more so. The international merchant
houses of Azeryan bring back influences from all over
the world, mixing them with their native traditions to
form new interesting hybrids.
5
W I N E I N WESTERN LYTHIA 3

Azeryani wines tend to be on the sweet side com- inspectors — highly skilled wine-makers — who visit
pared to western wines. The warm and sunny climate the Houses’ estates to insure that a suitable level of qual-
produces sweeter and juicier grapes. Raisins are also ity is maintained.
used for making very sweet wine with a high alcohol It should be noted that the Houses only operate on
content. the national and international wine markets, while
The Azeryani society is more dynamic than the lower quality wine is produced by farmers and sold lo-
feudal societies of Shorkyne and Trierzon. This is also cally. Independent wine-makers who produce high
evident in the wine-industry which is characterized by
numerous large Houses that own vineyards all over
Azeryan. The Houses (the House of Malvasi being the
greatest) are involved in the entire process, from
vine-growing to trade. They even have their own

6 thonahexus n º 3

quality wine often have a contract with one or more of
the House, stipulating that the wine produced may
only be sold to the contracted House. Such agreements
usually run for five years when the contract may be re-
newed — or not. Independent wine-makers can be-
come very rich if they have a product that’s in great
demand by more than one of the Houses.
There are two wine centres in Azeryan: one in cen-
tral Azeryan and one around the city of Porosua in the
north. From these two regions large quantities of wine
is exported every year. Porosua covers the northern
parts of Lythia (Quarphor, Lankor, Gothmir, Reksyna,
Altland, the Umelrian League) while central Azeryan
exports to the rest of the continent. The trade is entirely
in the hands of the Houses: no one else has the logistic
or monetary resources.
Centuries ago the Azeryans used am-
phoras to store wine but as the wine
trade grew into an industry they
were replaced by the more eco-
nomic and sturdier barrels.
Amphoras are only used for
quality wines that are sold in
small volumes. The ampho-
ras will most likely be re-
placed by the new ceramic
bottles from Trierzon.
Famous wines: The Halean
primate of southern Azeryan has
favoured a local wine for over fif-
teen years called Frappina. It’s a red
wine with burned resin added which
gives the wine an intense tarry taste.
In the city of Shomiro a wine festival is held every
autumn when the grapes are harvested (the exact date
varies from year to year). Every vineyard donates a
small part of its harvest to the festival as an o≠ering to
Halea. All the grapes are then mixed together in huge
troughs in the main square and everyone is invited to
help press the grapes with their bare feet. The resulting
wine is called Shomirosa and is usually pink in colour
(because of the mix of white and red grapes). To drink
the Shomirosa is a surprise every time — no two barrels
are the same.
The Karejian Islands
The Karejian wine market is essentially a local one. The
lack of good arable land on the Karejian Islands keeps
wine-making to a minimum — most amphoras never
leave the island where the wine is produced. Thanks to
the low export amphoras are still the preferred con-
thonahexus n º 3
WINE IN WESTERN LYTHI A 4
tainer of Karejian wines, and as a result Karejian wine
is usually very good.
Karejian wine is sweet. The islands don’t have many
trees and the strong winds make it necessary to grow
vines close to the rocky ground where the grapes ma-
ture much more e∞ciently. The grapes are picked when
they are ripe and spread out on hay carpets for a week
so the sugar can really concentrate. The wine is almost
always diluted with sea water and for special occasions
di≠erent spices or aromatic substances are added.
Famous wines: The Prumnia, from the island of
Siminos, is one of the rarest of the Karejian wines.
When it is produced, only the very ripest grapes are
stapled in such high piles that their own weight forces
out thick drops of a kind of nectar — the grapes are
never pressed. The sugar content of the Prum-
nia is so high that it doesn’t ferment: it re-
mains a viscous honey-sweet liquid,
renowned for its ability to infuse
virility in both men and women.
Byria
In Byria wine-making is con-
troller by the state. Huge areas
are assigned to wine-making
under the control of a major
landholder. Hundreds or thou-
sands of male slaves work the
fields under female supervision.
The Byrian wine-makers (all women)
are very skilled and competent. They
regularly travel outside of Byria to expand
their knowledge and keep up to date with the latest pro-
gress. Often several di≠erent types of grapes are grown
on the same estate and picked at di≠erent times for
di≠erent products. The quality level is very high and
consistent from year to year.
Byrian wine is rare ouside of Byria. Only a small
number of licensed merchants (mostly Karejians) are
allowed to trade with Byria which limits the volume of
wine available on the international market. As a result
the prices are very high. Byrian wine is shrouded in
mystery something that’s encouraged by the merchants:
a wine rumoured to be pressed by specially trained,
young virgins who are then sacrificed to the Byrian
Goddess sells for twenty times the price compared to a
regular wine from Azeryan. All wine export is con-
ducted through the port of Inri in Byria.
Famous wines: The rarest, and most expensive, of
all the world’s wines is the Larathustra (or The Goddess’
Tears). It’s basically the same kind of wine as the Kare-
7
W I N E I N WESTERN LYTHIA 5

jian Prumnia but it’s available in much smaller volumes
and is a far stronger ’brand’. The myth tells us that the
Goddess blesses the wine with her own tears on the
night of the picking which gives the wine the power to
heal all wounds and cure all the diseases of the world.
The wine is always sold in small crystal bottles — each
containing approximately one glass of wine — for a
small fortune.
The Hârnic Wine Culture
Most of the wine drunk on Hârn is imported from
Shorkyne. Cherafir, Thay and Aleath are the three ma-
jor import markets. It’s the closest wine-producing re-
gion and the shorter the trade route the better — there’s
always a risk that the wine will turn into undrinkable
vinegar, and minimizing the distance between producer
and consumer minimizes that risk. Wine contained in
bottles or amphoras only get better over time but are on
the other hand much more expensive to make and
harder to transport (they take up more space and are
more fragile).
Hârnians are in general ignorant barbarians when it
comes to wine. They don’t care much for what they
drink as long as it gets them drunk. This uncompli-
cated relationship with wine is evident in the writings
of Lispen of Tashal (a merchant who travelled extensively
in western Lythia in the 670’s), who describes the Tri-
erzi people as a bunch of wine snobs:
“When they drink, they drink only little at a time. Time and again they
pause to scrutinize their wine, just as physicians do with a patient’s urine,
and they taste it endlessly, slowly chewing, until the last drop of wine.”
2) Livio of Maranu, a successful wine-maker in south-
ern Azeryan, has caught the interest of two power-
ful Houses. They are both very eager to buy Livio’s
vineyard, while Livio prefers to work under con-
tract. What starts out as a business negotiation for
Livio soon becomes a matter of life and death as the
Houses try to force him from the estate. The charac-
ters are either hired by Livio as bodyguards or work
for one of the Houses as ’problem-solvers’. It’s a
dangerous ocean of business deals, politics and vio-
lence which they have to learn how to navigate if
they want to survive.
3) A wealthy person on Hârn (perhaps king Miginath
of Kaldor) is dying from a strange disease. Every
possible cure has been tried, but nothing works.
Perhaps the legendary Larathustra wine from Byria
can do the trick? The characters are given the task of
finding a bottle of the Goddess’ Tears. Is there such a
bottle on Hârn or must they travel all the way to
forbidden Byria to find one?
4) Tadrus, a thriving winaloren in Shorkyne, has prob-
lems with this year’s harvest. The young grapes are
small and discoloured, and the prospect doesn’t look
good. But no one can understand why this is hap-
pening: the weather has been good and none of the
other winalorens have the same problem, which
would indicate some kind of plant disease. The well
has also dried out and all the food in the village has
a strange taste to it. The village elders suspect witch-
craft and hire the characters to free Tadrus from this
mystical curse. m

Most inn keepers have no idea where the wine they

serve comes from. They buy whatever their local mer-
chant has to o≠er. Better inns are more aware of the
objective quality of the wine but know next to nothing
about its origin. The true wine connoisseurs of Hârn
are often immigrants from mainland Lythia and they
are found in the best of inns and in the service of
wealthy nobles.

Adventures
1) The first shipments of wine from Shorkyne have
arrived in Cherafir, and the Trobridge Inn has or-
dered three wagons. The characters are hired to
protect the caravan on its way to Trobridge Inn, de-
fending it both from brigands and thieving coach-
men. Will they get to Trobridge Inn before the wine
turns into vinegar?

8 thonahexus n º 3

∞e Morsina
A close look at the Dark Elves of Hârn.
Text: Björn Höglund. Illustrations: Lina Söderberg.
iem created the Sindarin and many other
S elven people. Aided by Siem, they came to
Hârn and many other worlds circa 10000 bt
and lived in what was, to them, a paradise. Despite the
prevailing peace on Kethira in those days, the gods con-
tinued to fight among themselves as they always had
done. Siem’s ally, the then noble and brave god Mor-
gath, was lost after he had gazed into the Bukrai and
used it against his enemies. The battle between the re-
maining ten gods became more and more bitter, and the
darkness and the chaos grew stronger as Morgath star-
ted to spread his evil. More people were created: the
Gargun, the humans and many other beasts were
spread across many worlds, among them Kethira.
Siem grieved at what he saw: how his world and the
elves slowly were pushed away by all the new races.
Fighting and death was the last thing he wanted and he
saw what the future would bring. So, although the
Sindarin of Hârn were living in peace in 7000 bt, he
started to prepare for his departure. Finally Siem spoke:
“The Eald Forest awaits. My journey continues. Follow me to the western
edge of the world, or stay in these forests until you feel ready to join your
elven relatives. Choose, my children, and may Yael’s light guide you along
your way.”
Most elves followed Siem but it was at this moment the
division among the elves began. Many were afraid of
this change and feared they would forever lose the
paradise they’d lived in for so long. Some even felt be-
trayed by Siem and were angered by him for turning his
back on them, although they kept this to themselves.
Those who chose to stay on Hârn were ruled by the
wise elven king Daelda. Some time after Siem’s depar-
ture the Khuzdul came, a mountain people of dwarves
also created by Siem. They too stayed with the elves.
Gwydriel, a sorceress more powerful than Daelda
himself, was one of those who saw the immigrated
thonahexus n º 3
THE MORSIN A 1
Khuzdul as a threat, and she gathered many others who
frowned upon the mountain people. Many Sindarin
found friends among the Khuzdul and they created
great craft and buildings together. At the same time, the
big differences between the races and Gwydriel’s words
created suspicion and occasionally frosty relations be-
tween them.
The division among the elves continued and in-
creased when the Jarin came to Hârn circa 1300 bt. Af-
ter the humans swore fealty to the elven king Daelda
they lived in peace with the Sindarin, but Gwydriel and
her allies once again raised their voices, saying that this
was the beginning of the end as foreseen by Siem unless
they started to defend their land. Daelda would not
hear of this before 900 bt when a new human people,
who didn’t wish to swear fealty to the elves, invaded
Hârn from Lythia.
Daelda united the Sindarin, the Khuzdul and the
Jarin and defended — at first successfully — Hârn against
the invading humans who kept coming in ever greater
numbers.
Most of the elves grieved the fighting and the battles.
Others, like Gwydriel, were filled with anger and ha-
tred against all humans as more of the usually immortal
Sindarin were killed. In the summer of 638 bt the
Sindarin su≠ered their greatest casualties although they
won the battle. Two thirds of the elves and King Daelda
died on the battlefield.
The new king, Aranath, took the throne. After a long
deliberation in the blessed Shava Forest the remaining
sad elves decided to retreat from Hârn to Evael. Most of
the Sindarin accepted and honoured the decision, but
not everyone. The division among the elves had
reached its culmination. Gwydriel was the one who
once again spoke out and wished for battle instead of
retreat. Aranath didn’t succumb in the hard verbal bat-
tle but travelled to the humans’ negotiation table to
make peace.
9
T H E M O R SINA 2

Gwydriel left, together with her tribe the Sinan, her

kin once and for all. With eyes black from anger, rage
and hatred against the humans and their own people
who had decided to stay in the Shava Forest, they left
for the highlands of Shava. There they waited for Yael
to darken, because then a portal would open.
On the last night Aranath arrived, begging Gwydriel
to calm down and join him, so everything would go
back to the way it used to be. For a while it seemed as
if Gwydriel would accept with tears in her eyes, but the
rage and the division was too great. Instead she spoke
and said:

“Aranath, you are blind if you can’t see what we are about to lose. Can’t
you see that this is only the beginning? Siem has left us and betrayed us,
we are godless and the weak peoples of the other gods have come to defile
and ruin everything we live for. No, nothing will be as it was unless we
fight. If you are not with us, the Sinan, in this struggle, then never cross
our path because then you are as much against us as the humans we are
sworn to destroy.”

When the eclipse was total the portal in the elven ring
opened and Gwydriel left with the few remaining of
her tribe. This act shattered the last link to Siem and
they were no longer the Sindarin. They wandered for a
long time through darkness and cold and at last they
found a place to stay, on the border between Kethira
and Yashain. On the tree line in the valley between the
mountain peaks Ebon and Niphei they found an ice
cave that became their new home.
They were too few to fight the humans themselves
and as immortals they had time on their side. Gwydriel
and her closest took their time to extend their new
home and began to study di≠erent instruments of force
— made from both magic and steel — to drive the hu-
mans away.
After a couple of centuries, circa 100 bt, Gwydriel
made a terrible discovery: they had been wrong to
think that time was on their side. The people of the
Sinan tribe began to age faster than before and they
discovered that the shattered link to Siem had caused
their immortality to weaken. This did not only mani-
fest itself physically and a majority of the elves who
weren’t of the Sidhe — ’the old blood’ — began to show
di≠erent signs of madness.
In the following years, the insanity, the fear and the
despair spread among the Sinan tribe. Their link to
Siem was forever lost and Gwydriel, proud as she was,
didn’t attempt to reconcile with her old relatives and
god. As a sorceress Gwydriel tried everything to find a
solution by magical means. In desperation they began
to capture Jarin humans to use as laboratory animals for
all kinds of experiments, many of them disgusting,
painful and evil. The Sinan had not only lost their link
to Siem, they had also lost all the values to preserve life
which the elves stood for. The few humans who sur-
vived the experiments became slaves and were used for
breeding to create a humble but strong race to serve
Gwydriel.
Almost at the same time the first kingdom of Meld-
eryn was proclaimed on Hârn circa year 1. There wasn’t
much left of the Sinan’s earlier memories and way of
life. They were indeed a powerful people but lived in
darkness far away from civilisation and struggled to
find a way out. That’s when Sirrith, or Myrvia the Tempt-
ress as the humans call her, came before Gwydriel’s
throne. Sirrith is the lieutenant of Morgath’s demigod
Klyss and her task is to recruit souls by o≠ering them
“eternal life” and “the longings of the heart.”
Gwydriel was the only emigrant from Evael who
still had memories from when the Sindarin first came
to Hârn and their life with Siem. She understood in her
deepest heart how corrupted they had become and she

10 thonahexus n º 3

also realised how she had betrayed Siem when Myrvia
stood in front of her. But how could she turn back now,
after all she had done? She could only continue into the
cold arms of Morgath because it was the only place left
for them.
Gwydriel chose to listen to Sirrith, who explained
that they had a common goal to free the world from the
humans. Morgath had the power to make the Sinan
tribe immortal once again, and to grant them beauty,
senses and esoteric powers which they had never had
before. The price was not that they would become un-
dead. Instead they would stay alive until the day the
stone was destroyed or they were slain. Then they’d
become exalted servants of Morgath in the battle of
Yashain and other worlds where the gods’ forces fight
each other. The Sinan saw no other choice — in fact no
one but Gwydriel hesitated when they voted in favour
of Myrvia the Temptress’ proposition.
On a night when Yael darkened, Myrvia came with
the Black Stone. The Sinan gathered and put their
hands on the stone and swore an unholy oath:
“To own my form and life, when I draw my last breath,
I give you my soul.”
In a last cry for help the elven king Aranath saw this
unholy act in a nightmare and in tears he realised that
Gwydriel and the Sinan were forever lost. They had
become the Morsina — ’the Lost.’
The Morsina’s Home and Lifestyle
What little was left of morals and goodness in the Sinan
disappeared when they embraced the Bukrai and what
remained was what is commonly called dark elves. Few
people know that the Morsina live in Morgath’s shadow
but the peoples of Hârn have legends about them. A
recurring theme in these legends is that the Morsina
plot and bide their time to reclaim the power over
Hârn. No storyteller can claim to know if these stories
are true, or if the Morsina exist and where they live.
Those few who have met the Morsina don’t even know
that they have or lost their lives in the meeting.
As a matter of fact, the legends have a lot of truth in
them. Gwydriel and her twenty-six remaining Morsina
are the cause of many of the disasters that have hit the
people of Hârn. Through intrigues and machinations
they have created wars, plagues and religious hysteria to
make the humans fight among themselves. Without any
real hope of a final victory the Morsina still rejoice at the
damage they can a±ict the humans for all eternity.
thonahexus n º 3
THE MORSIN A 3
In the past years it’s not only the Sinan and Gwy-
driel who have been lost in the division that started
such a long time ago. Sometimes madness has infected
others who have chosen — or worse: have been ban-
ished by their relatives — to become the ’Wandering
Lost’, the so called Morsindari. These elves shouldn’t be
confused with the Morsina, because they will never
bond with the Bukrai stone. Most people don’t know
that the Morsindari exist.
The Morsina have created their home in an aban-
doned Earthmaster site now in the shape of a gigantic
rock and ice cave in the valley between the steep, high
mountains Ebon and Niphei in the Rayesha Mountains.
It’s a strong Barasi point that gives the Morsina the abil-
ity to travel fast through the existing Godstone to differ-
ent locations on Hârn and also on other worlds like
Yashain.
All the Morsina have their homes in the caves near
the tree line. Outside, a small society of bred change-
lings and slaves has developed, where they grow crops
and keep animals.
For centuries the Morsina have lived relatively un-
disturbed in the high Rayesha Mountains. The ice
dragon that lived in the cave was enslaved by Gwydriel
and serve her to this very day. Many of the surrounding
Gargun tribes seem to avoid the valley (understandable
when you think about the dragon) and those few
groups who venture there — and other creatures like
the Ivashu — soon meet with their fate. Because of the
dangerous surroundings none of the enslaved humans
has managed to escape (to the Morsina’s knowledge).
The Morsina have regained there immortality as
promised and their beauty, although it isn’t character-
ised by the youthfulness that’s otherwise so common
among the Sindarin. Almost all of the Morsina also
have strong esoteric talents like psionic skills and great
prowess in one or several convocations of the Shek-
11
T H E M O R SINA 4
Pvar. Added to this is the power to call for divine inter-
vention from Morgath.
At the same time they’re not diligent worshipers
even if they feel that their strength increases when they
sacrifice to the Bukrai stone. They have no clear clergy
and it’s still, at least for as long as they live, the powerful
sorceress Gwydriel who’s highest in the hierarchy. She
is the one who is worshiped like a goddess. Morgath
doesn’t disapprove for as long as she is running his er-
rands and the dark god knows that she will have to
bow to him one day anyhow.
Most of the Morsina don’t remember how they left
the Shava Forest and their former way of life. Instead
they have recreated their own distorted history about
how they once were supreme among all the creatures
created by the gods. Gwydriel who’s of the old blood
and a Sidhe, still remembers the occasional image and
memory from her former life and she’s often
tormented by these meetings with her past.
The Morsina live for power and the
seduction of mankind, while at the same
time there is nothing they are more
afraid of than losing their own immor-
tality. They train and prepare to survive
the hardest battles and trials, but at the
same time they don’t hesitate to run away
when the resistance is too hard and the
risks too high — time is still on their side.
The Dark Plans
In the past years, the Morsina have intrigued and made
a number of di≠erent plans to extend their power and
torment mankind. Their small numbers and fear of los-
ing their immortality makes it hard for them to succeed
— despite being a powerful, dangerous and strong peo-
ple. They rarely take part in direct attacks where their
own lives can be threatened.
As the years have gone by many intrigues have been
executed with mixed results. One way of gaining pres-
tige and respect among the Morsina is to carry through
and succeed with di≠erent activities that bring the
Morsina closer to their goal to remove the humans from
Hârn or at least enslave them under the Morsina’s rule.
Gwydriel supports most plans even though she
rarely participates herself. Instead she’s searching for
means to reach her goals by trying to understand the
Earthmasters, finding allies in other worlds and collect-
ing powerful objects.
In 720 tr the evil deeds of the Morsina are culminat-
ing. Several plans are at work to achieve their goal.
Among the dominating activities are attempts to create
12
and spread very lethal plagues. Some of the Morsina
have managed to find a place for themselves in the hu-
mans’ halls of power where they work to create bloody
wars. Others try to use spells to enslave people or other
creatures and animals that can battle those who the
Morsina wishes. Some of the Morsina who are the most
skilful in religious rituals are trying to recreate the
prophet Balsha’s plans to enslave mankind under Mor-
gath’s rule. Even among the humans there are many
who are prepared to pay dearly for immortality or eter-
nal youth.
‘The Shadow of Yael’
This campaign would revolve around the truth behind
the legends of the Lost Elves. Few storytellers realise
who much truth there is in the legend ’The Heart that
Broods.’ The Morsina have bided their time in
dark remote places on Hârn and between
the worlds to realise their distorted plan
to reconquer Hârn.
In the campaign, the characters will
cross the Morsina’s attempts to enslave
or kill the humans in order to regain
their former power. At first in the form
of minor conspiracies that later expand
in scope.
The campaign finale is when the charac-
ters arrive to the real elves in Evael to find more
information about the Morsina. The elves in the Shava
Forest prefer to forget and deny the existence of the
Lost and do everything to avoid getting involved in
bloodshed with their former relatives. At the same time
they can’t close their eyes to the fact that the Morsina
threaten the balance on Hârn to such an extent that
even the gods take notice and interfere with what’s hap-
pening.
Finally, when the characters have succeeded to gain
the trust of the people of the Shava Forest they are as-
sisted by the elven king Aranath himself and Prince
Nimfalas of Ulfshafen. The characters are guided to the
same Barasi point — in the shape of a sacred grove (the
’Taur-im Aina’) in the Shava highlands — as the sorceress
Gwydriel and her company used when they left their
people. For a brief moment a shortcut opens, leading to
the home of the Morsina on the snow-covered slopes of
the high mountain Niphei in the Rayesha Mountains.
When the Bukrai stone — given to Gwydriel by Mor-
gath’s servant Myrvia — is destroyed, the Morsina lose
their false prolonged lives and become shadows forced
to live in Morgath’s vicinity. The threat against Hârn is
gone, at least temporarily. m
thonahexus n º 3
Adventure Seed
Saint Abræron’s Chalice
Text: Lucas Magnusson
his is an adventure seed involving the abbey
T
 of Bromeleon in Kaldor. Suggested reading is
the k aldor kingdom module and the arti-
cles on Peoni and Larani in gods of hârn. The abbey
of Bromeleon is near Jedes in southwestern Kaldor.
The Chalice
Abræron of Misha lived alone as a Pelnala of the Peonian
church in the abbey of Bromeleon already in the first
century tr. He lived a quiet life until the battle of Lareb
Hill in 187 tr. When King Torbet died after several days
of fighting against the Kath a group of Laranian knights
fled to the — at the time — small abbey of Bromeleon,
followed by the blood-thirsty Kath. The knights fought
off the barbarians attempt to destroy the abbey for three
days, before they realised that the situation was hope-
less and decided to try to break through the siege.
Abræron blessed the remaining fourteen knights,
who were filled with a divine calmness and all their
wounds healed miraculously. The knights burst out
through the temple gates to face the hundred barbari-
ans. The battle waged back and forth from “the golden
dawn” to “the crimson sunset.” By then only one knight
was alive: the hundred barbarians was slain to the last
man, as was thirteen warriors. Abræron was killed
while protecting a severely wounded knight with only
his body.
The surviving knight buried Abræron together with
the thirteen knights and took the chalice with him.
Abræron was later canonized by a joint decision from
the two churches, and the chalice was returned to the
abbey as a holy relic. It is said that the chalice has the
power to heal anyone who drinks from it.
Today the chalice is a relic to both churches, and it’s
always part of the celebration of Saint Ambrathas on
the seventeenth of Larane at the abbey of Ledyne. The
chalice is a tin cup adorned with a single small ruby.
thonahexus n º 3
SAINT ABRÆRON’S CHALIC E 1
The Theft
Saint Abræron’s chalice has been stolen! The theft was
discovered when the chalice was taken out to be trans-
ported to the abbey of Ledyne for the celebration of
Saint Ambrathas. The chalice was stored in a locked
chest in the Avasana’s room. Since there was no sign of
force on the co∞n the Avasana — Mydiel of Husere — is
the prime suspect of the theft, because he is the only
one who has a key to the co∞n.
The Plot
The real thief is actually a young boy called Mouser, who
stayed in the abbey’s shelter two nights ago. Mouser is
an extraordinarily skilled kleptomaniac who can enter
most rooms unnoticed and open most locks without a
key. He is a member of a group of thespians travelling
from Tharda to Qualdris, where they are to perform
during the festivities of the Feast of Saint Ambrathas.
Mouser keeps the chalice in a bag with the rest of his
personal belongings.
Other guests still staying at the shelter have also lost
some of their possessions — even some that were left in
locked chests. This would indicate that there’s a thief
running around. One guest recalls Mouser’s ability to
climb trees and enter a room without making a noise. It
happened more than once that Mouser used this skill to
scare people half to death, just for fun.
By the time the characters think that Mouser is the
culprit, the thespians have reached Qualdris. The col-
ourful and noisy group will not be hard to find, but
Mouser always stays in the background and the rest of
the thespians will do almost anything to protect him.
Mouser has no intention to sell the chalice.
The abbey is satisfied with the return of the chalice.
As forgiving Peonians they have no need to punish the
young boy for his crime. m
13
K H U Z D U L LEG ACY 1
Khuzdul Legacy
A guided tour of the Khuzdul statues in the Ulmirien River valley.
By Justin Howe (text) and Eun Jin Lee (illustrations).
here are few relics of the time commonly
T referred to as the Codominium. Present day
inhabitants of Hârn think of this period in
mythical terms, having little to no contact with the
Elder folk. However, in a few areas on the Island their
work may still be seen. Wherever these relics are en-
countered they enter into the mythology of the com-
mon folk.
One place where their touch may still be seen is in
the Ulmirien River valley. The remnants of this age
stand in the form of spirit guardians; stone statues
carved by the Khuzdul. Largely ignored by the gentry,
the statues have entered into the mythology of the rural
population.
There are eight carved statues in Chybisa. Almost all
are free standing and about four feet in height. They are
Ruhtrin
14
carved from granite originally mined in the Anadel
highlands. Others may exist in the Highlands away
from civilization.
Names
The names are primarily a tradition, and no one can
quite recall who named them first. It’s commonly be-
lieved that Genin named them. Whatever names they
may have had originally, if any, remains unknown.
Ruthrin [1]
This statue is located near the center of the village of
Genilden along the Genin trail. Genilden is the first or
last settlement encountered in Chybisa along the Genin
trail. Ruthrin stands three and a half feet tall, and is the
Ulmer
thonahexus n º 3

Hopp
only statue that appears bearded. The beard is braided
in Khuzdul fashion winding down from the chin and
around the body once. The eyes are large and bulbous.
It also appears to be wearing a helmet or skull cap of
some kind. Local crafts people normally arrange them-
selves around the statue, selling their wares to passing
caravans.
Doliver [2]
This statue stands in the fields south of Dynain Manor.
It is the most weather-worn of the group, with almost
smooth features. Doliver stands four feet tall and ap-
pears to be wearing a robe and crown of some kind.
Serfs normally meet beside Doliver to assign tasks and
gossip during the day. In the summer, villagers garland
the statue with flowers.
Ulmer [3]
Ulmer stands beside the barge dock of Feryce in a stand
of trees. It has prominent eyes and a wide grinning
mouth, facing away from the river and looking inland.
Weathering has smoothed most of the features and
blurred their contours. Ulmer is the tallest of the stat-
ues, measuring just over four feet in height. An old
beggar woman makes her home beside Ulmer, and is
known as Ulmer’s Wife. She mostly survives on the
charity of the community. During the day she sits be-
neath the trees, talking to herself and her ‘husband.’
thonahexus n º 3
KHUZDUL LEG AC Y 2
Thuvin
Hopp |4]
Hopp forms the cornerstone of a wall along the trail
between Wynere and Brigmer. It might possibly be the
ugliest of the statues. The eyes appear to roll in their
socket, and the lower lip protrudes giving it an expres-
sion both menacing and comical. Also over the years
the statue has begun to lean forward. The statue stands
three feet tall. Last winter a man was found stabbed to
death beneath Hopp. It was later discovered that he
was a missing cottar from Docialon. The man’s death
remains unsolved and his killer at large.
Nain [5]
Just outside of Brigasel is a small roadside shrine dedi-
cated to Peoni. It is little more than a three walled shack
around a stone altar and the statue of Nain. Carved in a
di≠erent style than the others, this statue is smooth
featured and smiling. It is only two feet tall. Bowls of
vegetables and small gifts are normally left before the
statue after the harvest. It is common for villagers to
pray to Nain in times of sickness. An itinerant priest
visits the shrine twice a month, doing her best to main-
tain the structure.
Kettle [6]
Located in the fields north of Onden, on a back trail to
Andgan manor. This grotesque statue stands two feet
high. It has a broad face with large eyes, bulbous nose,
and frowning mouth. A peaked cap sits atop its head,
15
K H U Z D U L LEG ACY 3

Jero [8]
Jero
Jero stands at the entrance to Gallar, one of the ruined
manors west of Lerenil. Over the years the statue has
become almost entirely submerged beneath creeping ivy.
It stands three feet tall, and has a look of curious surprise
on its face. The statue is located in what was once the
wall of the manor orchard. Serfs from Leriel and Jerg-
rayn occasionally scavenge around Gallar, searching for
building materials.

lopsided from weathering. Locals say Kettle has the
unpleasant habit of laughing at lone travelers that pass
in the night. The fact that these travelers are normally
to some degree inebriated only goes to show the fine
caliber of Kettle’s humor.
Thuvin [7]
Thuvin stands beneath an oak tree at the crossroads of
the Ilaon-Fifen, Babray-Onden trails. Like most things
associated with crossroads, the statue has a bad reputa-
tion. It is just over three feet tall, with the bulbous eyes
and nose common to the others The mouth however is
more subdued, spreading into a slight grin. Thuvin has
weathered the least of the statues, and this life like qual-
ity makes most people uneasy. It is whispered that some
nights it is not safe to stray to close to the statue.
Some Truth
During the Codominium the area which was to become
Chybisa was largely uninhabited. However, the Khuzdul
maintained several mining operations to the east in the
Anadel Highlands. Caravans regularly traveled between
the mines and the homes of the Elder races along the same
route which was to become the Genin trail. Like all good
crafts people, the Khuzdul often mixed their work and
their recreation. It became common for the miners that
wintered in the valley to set themselves some task to pass
the time. The statues are the remains of one such task.
Sculpted by a mason of Clan Orinain, the statues
show a dazzling display of craftsmanship and wit. Some
of the figures are caricatures of people long dead (Do-
liver is a caricature of Daelda; Ruthrin a self-portrait).
Others are little more than flights of fancy. All have a
haunting presence, which may account for some of the
reverence the rural population gives to these idols.
Members of Clan Orinain remember the work of
their ancestor. They try to see the statues once in their
life, though few actually make the trip. Hazmaral, the
Khuzdul mason which built Burzyn Castle, did not do
much to advertise the kingdom to his kin. It is possible
that he was the last clan member to see the statues. Two
hundred years have passed since then, and a new gen-
eration of masons may be curious enough to see what
time has changed. m

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the statues: [1] Ruthrin; [2] Doliver;
THE ULMERIEN RIVER VALLEY [3] Ulmer; [4] Hopp; [5] Nain;
KINGDOM OF CHYBISA �
[6] Kettle; [7] Thuvin; and [8] Jero.

16 thonahexus n º 3