The Icelost Years refer to an invasion of the continent of Tal'Dorei by Errevon the Rimelord, an elemental behemoth of the Frostfell. During a celestial solstice, as the borders between planes weakened, the white dragon Skysunder helped Errevon to pass through the rift and conquer the continent of Tal'Dorei.[2]
The Council of Tal'Dorei convinced Syngorn and Kraghammer to join in an alliance against Errevon, and together their forces battled Errevon back through the rift, which the Ashari druids sealed shut. The victory was later celebrated annually as the Winter's Crest festival.[3]
Background[]
Official art of Skysunder, by Olivia Samson from Vox Machina Origins III 3.[art 2]
Following the long and devastating Scattered War, Tal'Dorei was significantly weakened. The white dragon Skysunder, acting as Errevon's scout to find the weakest points between the planes,[2] used an existing tear between planes located in the forest that would later be named the Frostweald. She saw the battered and divided realm, and notified Errevon that it would be advantageous to strike. During a celestial solstice (or the next winter solstice, or both), the forces of the Frostfell did so, further opening the rift and invading the Material Plane with the Algid Legion, Errevon's army of living blizzards and frost giants.[3][4]
Known events[]
Initially, the denizens of Tal'Dorei in the path of Errevon's storms quickly fell, unprepared as they were for this conquest. The unending ice storm created by the Frostfell armies grew over several years to encompass a large section of the continent, and those trapped within it were forced to acquiesce to the Rimelord's demands or perish.[3] At Foramere Basin, a confluence of several rivers, Errevon constructed a titanic a fortress of ice from which he ruled his new realm.[5]
During these years Fort Daxio was built with the dual purpose of guarding against raids by the giant clans of the Cliffkeep Mountains and as a hidden reserve of military strength against Errevon.[6] Forces of the Rimelord and a red dragon caused at least some of the residents of the Bramblewood Forest to flee their homes.[7][8]
After several years, the Tal'Dorei Council was finally able to convince both Syngorn and Kraghammer - who had been on opposing sides in the Scattered War - to ally with them and fight back the invasion. Together, the peoples of Tal'Dorei along with Ashari druids of Zephrah were able to push Errevon and his servants back into the Frostfell. The Ashari permanently closed the rift between planes, and the storm then quickly subsided.[3]
Conclusion[]
The victory that ended the Icelost Years is celebrated on the winter solstice in Tal'Dorei, as Winter's Crest.[3][9]
The geological and social changes wrought by this magical ice age remain. Errevon's ice fortress melted into the Foramere Basin, creating an important source of fresh water for central Tal'Dorei. Some dwarves and elves who fought in the alliance against the Frostfell armies settled near this lake not long after the war, and even many years later their descendants still live there. Because of the memory of that alliance, Foramere is known as a place where dwarves and elves get along well, in contrast to much of the rest of Tal'Dorei, and to this day elves and half-elves frustrated with Syngorn's prejudice often settle in the villages by the basin.[5]
Skysunder was defeated and sealed beneath the Frostweald by the Arcana Pansophical,[10] imprisoned within a giant crystaline egg.[11][2] Because of this, the Frostweald remains in permanent magical winter, even despite Skysunder's release and defeat at the hands of Vox Machina centuries later.[12]
As of 836 PD cold snap spirits are some of the few remaining members of the elemental army in Exandria, although animalistic and isolated, since they lack their elemental commanders.[13]
References[]
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 8. The start dates were estimated via counting backwards from the approximate year of the founding of Tal'Dorei; the start time is given as 'not two years into Sovereign Zan's Reign.'
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 See Vox Machina Origins Series III, Issue #3.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 10.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 20.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 53.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 62.
- ↑ Chetney Pock O'Pea said his family fled from their home when Errevon was rampaging across the Dividing Plains and that this contributed to his fear of dragons. See "To Hurt Is to Heal" (3x79) at 2:54:00. Chetney clarified in "The Eve of the Red Moon" (3x81) at 0:17:56 that his family would have been running from a roving red dragon, which as a creature of fire was not typical of the ice titan's known servants.
- ↑ Travis Willingham noted this was well before Thordak arrived on Tal'Dorei. See "4-Sided Dive: Feat Fetishes" (4SDx21) at 1:12:29.
- ↑ See "Winter's Crest in Whitestone" (1x36) at 2:13:29.
- ↑ See Vox Machina Origins Series III, Issue #5.
- ↑ See "Desperate Measures" (1x40) at 2:34:22.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, pp. 110–111. The Frostweald is still frozen in 836 PD, 27 years after Skysunder's death in 809 PD.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 234.
Art:
- ↑ Official art of Errevon, by Olivia Samson from Vox Machina Origins III 1. Used with permission.
- ↑ Official art of Skysunder, by Olivia Samson from Vox Machina Origins III 3. Used with permission.