Famous Maryn People

The Maryn Consociation was a geographically extensive and powerful confederation of mortal kingdoms in the Dakhini peninsula south of ancient Hindia, ruled by the elvish Maryn dynasty from 32,000 to 26,000 years ago. Most odf the famous people were part of the Last Maryn Court. Significant elves included:

Calathiel Marya

High Queen and ruler of the Maryn Consociation between 32,200 and 29,700 years ago. Calathiel first emerges in contemporary accounts as ‘Sendracallus’. As a young woman she is said to have met some of the Drow Council. She is also said to have met the Nostariel High Lady, angered her, and made a narrow escape, before forging an alliance with the wizard Parvaliel, and in a series of campaigns, their joint army defeated Dhana, the Nostari ruler of Nishadha, and founded the Marya state. As she was preparing war against the prefects of the sorcerer Peithon, a huge wild elephant went to Sendracallus and took her on his back as if tame, and she became a remarkable fighter and war leader; it is in these battles that she earned the name Calathiel. High Queen Calathiel established a strong centralized state with a complex administration at Savira, and four provincial capitals. She was one of the first elvish nobility to embrace the Powers of Light. She became sick from a consumptive disease, and eventually fasted herself to death.

Bellethiel

High Queen and ruler of the Maryn Consociation between 29,700 and 28,300 years ago; daughter of Calathiel. Bellethiel extended the rule of the Consociation towards the south, although she stalled at the Kalinga border. She also had a Drow ambassador at court, until a particularly impolitic missive from Seleskias Nicator. It was her response to this missive that earned her the sobriquet of ‘Amitraghata’ (Slayer of Enemies). She was killed on the border of Kalinga while negotiating a truce.

Aistaraina the Great

High Queen and ruler of the Maryn Consociation between 28,300 and 25,920 years ago; daughter of Bellethiel. As a young princess, Aistaraina was a brilliant commander who crushed revolts in Gurjara and Panchala. As monarch she was ambitious and aggressive, re-asserting military superiority in southern and western Dakhini. But it was her conquest of Kalinga which proved to be the pivotal event of her life. Although Aistaraina’s army succeeded in defeating Kalinga hordes of orc soldiers and goblin skirmish units, an estimated 100,000 were killed in the furious warfare, including over 10,000 of Aistaraina’s own Rabari. Hundreds of thousands of people were adversely affected by the destruction of war and the resulting famine and pestilence. When she personally witnessed the devastation, Aistaraina felt great remorse, and once the annexation of Kalinga was completed, she embraced the teachings of Dharma, and renounced war and violence.

Seleskias Nicator

Seleskias Nicator was the Drow King and general who was the enemy, rival, and ally of both Calathiel and Bellethiel.

Nostariel Matriarchy

The Nostariel were the family who supervised the Dakhini peninsula for two millennia after the War of Tears, and before the rise of Calathiel. They were led by High Lady Dhana Nostariel, who personally oversaw the raising and initial civilising of many of the Dakhini races, including the Brahmin, Dawon, Rabari, and Dimasa. However, they gave the lesser races very little freedom, which eventually led to a series of uprisings, culminating in successful the coup led by Calathiel and Eleniel.

Katilya Eleniel

Katilya Eleniel wrote the Arthaś-āstra, one of the greatest treatises on economics, politics, foreign affairs, administration, military arts, war, and religion ever produced. She was also the spymaster, general, lover and chief minister of Calathiel Marya during the founding of the Consociation, before stepping aside so that Rakshasa could become Consort. The exact reasons behind this last decision are still unknown, but speak again of her greatness in setting her new nation before her own desires.

Later evidence indicates that the Arthaś-āstra was book II of a grand Quartet for improving mortal races. The books appear to have been:

• Engineering Sentience. This work records the lifting of many Hiin races from beasts to sentience, along with details of the successes and failures, and speculation on future and historic projects (including Humans, Dwarves, and Orcs - although not Halflings).
• The Science of Political Economy (ArthaÅ›-āstra). This work discusses the ethics of economics and the duties and obligations of a king. Its scope is, however, far wider than statecraft, and it offers an outline of the entire legal and bureaucratic framework for administering a kingdom, with a wealth of descriptive cultural detail on topics such as mineralogy, mining and metals, agriculture, animal husbandry, medicine and the use of wildlife. The ArthaÅ›-āstra also focuses on issues of welfare (for instance, redistribution of wealth during a famine) and the collective ethics that hold a society together.
• The Art of Immortality. A step-by-step guide to moving beyond the confines of Life and Death. The details focus around becoming a Greater Undead (in particular, an Umbral Shade, which can be thought of as a Shadow Lich), although other paths are also explored. The details include how to gain immortality without losing one's soul to evil, or suffering from the ennui and loss of perspective or humanity that immortals invariably suffer from. A disturbing but heart-felt work.
• The Architecture of Ascension. A series of 54 case studies of Ascension/Falling, including 49 of the Demons, 3 ArchAngels, 1 Outer Power and Katilya Eleniel's own plan to Ascend as the first human/mortal Power of Light, written in the future-perfect tense. It also has an excellent, if slightly biassed analysis of what differentiates the Fallen from the Ascended, primarily revolving around the nature of their motivations and sources of power.