Dar Azur

Dar Azur

Nicknames	Tavern of the East
Country	-
Founded	Founded in 85 by Thrar Whitebeard
Location	Arda,"Glade of Dragons" in the eastern mountains
Governing Body	-
Races	Denur before the collapse.
Languages	-

Dar Azur

Dar Azur at its peak, was a spectacular elegant fortress, one of the most famous establishments in the whole country, the Tavern of the East. Its multitude of mushrooms and cave-grown vegetation supported the entire High Kingdom, providing a life-sustaining lifeline. Nevertheless, it was Dar Azur's powerful army that was unique. The fortress was claimed by Kalan Whitebeard, whose command built the most powerful and toughest infantry in the whole of Eden. Legends also reach back through the ages stories of how entire Giant armies crashed against a wall of whitebeard's men, as if hitting an immovable wall.

Strategically situated to protect the legendary Giant's Passage, Dar Azur represented the Eden Wall against the incessant troops of Giants. This small passageway, cut through rocky overhangs and dangerous slopes, was the only way that the Giant armies could enter the valley of Eden. For many centuries, the castle remained the unyielding guarantor of the safety of the High Kingdom and its inhabitants. It's true that without Dar Azur, Eden's fall to the Giants' marauding would have sealed its doom long ago. However, the stronghold of now fails to resemble anything from its heyday. Demonic plants have taken over Dar Azur, choking its corridors and allowing the once-beautiful landscape to decay over time. What was at one time the jewel of the east is now just the ghost of decay and corruption. Eden no longer has its great defender and the stories of the Whitebeard's men are but echoes in the breeze.

Founding

The year was 80, and the Denur faced one of the harshest winters in their history. The biting cold marched across their country as a sadistic stalker, turning the rivers into ice and cutting off their resupply efforts. Starvation loomed as the Denur desperately sought a way to survive. In this bleak time, a group of brave adventurers, led by the cunning Thrar Whitebeard, ventured eastward into the unknown, driven by a last shred of hope. They found themselves lost in the howling snowstorm, far beyond where any Denur had ever dared to travel.

By chance or fate, they stumbled upon a cave nestled within a mountain range known as Eden's Tail. Inside, they encountered something miraculous. Towering fungi and unusual, glowing vegetation lit up the darkness all around in ways both curious and unnerving. Exhausted and half-mad with hunger, the Denur hesitated. However, desperation conquered disbelief and they experimented with the psychotropic plants. To their amazement, and their delight, the plants not only were un-defecating but also tasty, particularly when grilled over the flames. The savory, smoky scent that filled the cave was intoxicating, and the adventurers feasted like they hadn’t in weeks.

Thrar immediately recognized the potential of these cave plants, which grew even in the heart of winter, offering a vital lifeline in the harshest seasons. Catching the chance, she convened her brethren and Dar Azur thrived not only as a place of military preparation but also as a center of food provision. The rate of construction of the fortress, as the legend has it, was unbelievable - so rapid, that there is a suggestion some have exaggerated the stories. However, the existence of Dar Azur, prior to its "official" establishment, is conceivable, and its treasures lie buried in the rock.

There are whispers that beneath the layers at the end of Dar Azurs Mushroom Maze, a Monolith may still lie undiscovered, holding the true history of the Denur, waiting to tell its tale to those who dare to seek it.

Historic Events

Dar Azur entrance.

The knowledge of what truly transpired within Dar Azur is scarce, due to the fortress’s long-standing isolation and eventual downfall. Much of what we understand today comes from the efforts of Kalan Whitebeard and the many expeditions that ventured into its depths. Their discoveries form the foundation of our current knowledge, though many mysteries remain.

1400th anniversary of Dar Azur (1500)

In the year 1500, the grand celebration for the 1400th anniversary was a lavish affair. There was food as far as the eye could see and so much alcohol that entire lakes could have been filled with it. The Denur revelled, shouting their arrogant slogans across the hall, their joy wild and unrestrained. Yet in the midst of the boisterous crowd stood a figure whose presence would soon prove to be devastating for the fortress. They called him the Cutthroat, the Baron of Lies, or simply Thorgar (which meant "fool" in Denurûm).

Thorgar was a regular presence in Dar Azur, a desperate, masked merchant trying in vain to sell his wares, which the Denur considered inferior. At times, he even gave them away for free. He was always welcomed as a guest, not for his goods but because it provided an opportunity for the Denur to mock him or shove him around. No one ever questioned why this figure endured such treatment for years, a mistake that would soon come to haunt them all.

Emergency Council meeting (1507)

A council meeting was convened to address the growing threat of the Rotting Plague. The disease seemed not only to afflict the Denur but also the vital cave plants upon which they depended. The plants had turned an unnatural red and were covered in foul-smelling blisters. In response to the announcement from Harrikum Uldrig Proudfist to seal off the fortresses, the Denur of Dar Azur, led by Bormlan Whitebeard, followed suit. They set fire to the infected plants in the mushroom maze and quarantined those already afflicted by the plague, hoping to simply outlast the disease through isolation and careful containment.

Mor-Hormung of Dar Azur (1508)

The Denur had successfully halted the spread of the disease among their brethren, but they failed to contain the infected plants. More and more sections of the mushroom maze were overrun, and thorny, foul-smelling tendrils sprouted uncontrollably throughout the fortress, growing at such an alarming rate that they swallowed entire sections of Dar Azur. The residents began to sense that something far more sinister was at play. Their suspicions were confirmed one fateful day when a thunderous roar echoed through the caverns.

Following desperate cries for help, hordes of mutated plague creatures marched through the corridors. Their bodies were riddled with slimy fungi and festering sores. Amidst the chaos, there he stood - the seemingly clueless Thorgar - laughing darkly as he pulled back his hood to reveal a grotesquely deformed face composed entirely of fused insects, their bodies writhing and shifting in a horrific display. In that moment, the true horror was revealed: the Demon Lord of Decay, Zarzareth, Creator of Pestilence, had shown his hand. He watched with cruel delight as the hated Denur were slaughtered by the abominations he had unleashed.

First expedition (1524)

The fortress of Dar Azur and its barren surrounding area were for long time a cursed site to which no one dared to go in. However, a determined band, led by Belegar Whitebeard, took it upon themselves to find out what had really gone wrong. Unconscious of the tragedies which awaited them, they crossed the threshold of the castle, and their spirits fell as they looked upon its ruined and wild chambers. However, the most dreadful sight was their own kin, the Denur, lying half-decayed in strange, lifeless states scattered throughout the ruins. What struck them most was the sight of Belegar’s dead uncle, Bormlan Whitebeard, slumped on the throne of Dar Azur. As the group approached his lifeless body, it began to tremble violently. With a sickening crack, the corpse split open like a walnut, revealing a grotesque, fleshy mass filled with endless mouths and teeth. As the mass convulsed, it coalesced into a swarm of insects that swirled around, taking on a humanoid form. The abomination introduced itself as Zarzareth, the Demon Lord of Decay.

Mocking the Denur, Zarzareth recounted the twisted fate that had befallen Dar Azur. With cruel glee, he offered the surviving Denur a choice: to join him as his servants. In a moment of defiance, Belegar raised his axe, swearing to bring Zarzareth down. Knowing they were not yet strong enough, the group fled, slashing their way through hordes of Zarzareth’s latest twisted creations. As they escaped, they could still hear the demon lord’s sinister laughter echoing in the distance. From afar, they watched in horror as black clouds of plague-ravens emerged from the cave, spreading out in all directions, a harbinger of further doom to come.

Wasp War

After numerous battles fought across the lands of Eden, the united forces of the realm finally succeeded in bringing down Zarzareth in the dark city of Zadh Nadrozz. But Dar Azur continued to be inhabited by his evil spawn, the corridors there still vibrating with the aftershocks of his plague. Because of Zarzareth's demise, the fort served as a call to other demons to bring its haunted chambers into their possession.

Sealing of the fortress (1539)

The lands surrounding Dar Azur, particularly the region of Mitrona, were plagued by relentless attacks from increasingly powerful wasps. These mutated, grotesque giants could pierce even steel armor with a single string. Almost in a panic to quell the increasingly dangerous problem, the entryway to Dar Azur was barricaded in ice.

Eldrion Aedaere, a skilled mage of the Enlightened Kingdom of Luminion, was sent to fight the threat. Through immense effort, Eldrion conjured a massive, seemingly impenetrable wall of ice, sealing the cursed fortress and its dangers within, in the hope of containing the horrors that had begun to spill out into the surrounding lands.

Second expedition (1540)

However, the plan to contain the threat failed disastrously. More and more of these monstrous wasps began to spread, their numbers growing rapidly. They killed everything in their way, animals, plants, nothing survived. The once-vibrant lands around Dar Azur have been desiccated, overtaken by the relentless swarm.

At that point, the troops of the Woodland Realm of Mitrona, commanded by Jolie Elaine Lovell, arrived. They saw with a heavy horror the break of the ice wall. The once-imposing barrier now stood broken, and the wasps flew freely in and out of Dar Azur. Seeing the sheer size of the monsters tearing through the land caused the fighters to shudder, and it occurred to them that the nightmare had barely begun.

The great battle of plagues hell (1542)

Despite initial difficulties in organizing caused by Luminion, swiftly an impressive army assembled. The force was a diverse coalition of races and skills, with elves, Denur, and many others standing united against the growing threat. Together, they marched to confront a new enemy - a demon later known as the Rot Lord, who was likely a former servant of Zarzareth.

The allied forces of elves, Denur, and other brave warriors clashed with the Rot Lord and his horrific minions on a chaotic battlefield. The demon loomed large, commanding the fight alongside his agile “wasp children,” grotesque hybrids that wielded deadly magic and fearsome stingers.

In a pivotal moment, a powerful mage struck the Rot Lord with a devastating magical blast, staggering the demon. Seeing her chance, Henna, a Denur inexperienced in battle, rushed forward, fueled by her iron will. With agility and fierce resolve, she jumped on the back of the Rot Lord and with all her might plunged her axe into the back of his skull.

With a deafening roar, the demon fell, his body dissolving into decay. As the magic sustaining the wasp children faltered, they too collapsed, defeated. This foul creature, the Blood Ooze, had festered in the depths of the fortress, its power growing unchecked. To ensure the world was truly safe, the Council of Elders entrusted the task to four of the greatest magicians of the age

Grand purification (1442)

After the great battle, a final evil still lurked in the shadows. an ultimate evil remained hidden in the dark. Hidden deep within the cursed fortress of Dar Azur, the Blood Ooze - a monstrous, corrupt entity created by the dark sorcery of Sangris - continued to fester, growing stronger in the darkness. Four of the greatest mages of the time - Eldrion, Aldarian, Maple, and Yelran - volunteered to fight the final great evil. As they ventured through the decayed halls of Dar Azur, the air thick with foul magic, they finally came face to face with the grotesque mass of the Blood Ooze, its form writhing and shifting, exuding a sinister energy. A fierce elemental battle erupted. Eldrion summoned crashing waves to batter the creature, while Aldarian unleashed searing flames. Maple froze its tendrils with piercing ice, and Yelran commanded the stone beneath their feet, trapping the ooze within crumbling pillars of rock.

Despite its regenerative abilities, the magicians worked together to overpower it. At the center of the ooze, they discovered a mysterious core, the source of its strength. With their combined power, they extracted and destroyed the core, finally putting an end to the creature’s reign. Once the Blood Ooze was defeated, they sealed a dark portal that had been sustaining the corruption, freeing Dar Azur from its last remnant of evil.

Notable buildings

Great Hall

The Great Hall was once the heart of Dar Azur, a symbol of splendor and community. It houses a magnificent throne, masterfully crafted from blacksteel and gemstones, and can seat hundreds of guests on intricately carved benches and tables. It was here that the grandest celebrations were held, filling the stone walls with music, laughter, and song. Denuran ballads still recount the legendary feasts and drinking bouts that took place in this hall—festivities so wild they lasted for days, leaving even the hardiest Denur slumped under the tables. Today, the hall lies silent, its once-vibrant furnishings rotting away, and shadows haunting the memories of a bygone era.

Endless Armoury

A place that was once every blacksmith’s dream. The armory of Dar Azur was renowned for its unparalleled collection of the thickest armor and the sharpest swords ever forged. It is said that the armory housed plate mail so durable that it could withstand even the mightiest blows, and blades so keen that they never dulled. It was these arms that made the infantry of Dar Azur so fearsome. Today, however, the entrance to the armoury is buried under huge amounts of rock. Legends speak of hidden passages or magical keys that could reopen this treasure trove, but for now, it remains sealed away, its wonders lost to time.

Mushroom Maze

The subterranean world beneath Dar Azur is made up of a large underground cave system of closely interlaced passageways, which once fed the fortress's supply lines. Such chambers were filled with an incredible diversity of plants and fungi grown in the meticulous manner and ingenuity of denuran craftsmanship. The yield from these caves sustained not only Dar Azur but entire nations, earning the fortress its reputation as the Tavern of the East. It is rumoured that in the deepest depths of the labyrinth lies a Monolith, an ancient relic said to emit a soft, otherworldly glow, telling tales from long before the founding of Arduan. Today, this vital heart has been corrupted. Void-infested vines now constrict the chambers, morphing the once-versatile former agricultural plant into grotesque shadows of their former selves.