Colhador - my take
by Geoff GanderAs I mentioned yesterday, PC3 (The Sea People) mentions Colhador only once, where it is described as having been an elvish city built upon an island, that sank centuries ago.
X7 (War Rafts of Kron), on the other hand, says only that Colhador was inhabited by "air breathers", and the city sank several centuries ago. Also, Colhador is inhabited by Hadric the velya (an aquatic vampire), who, it is revealed, was in life a member of the royal family of the city. Generally speaking (though I could be wrong), most vampires were originally human. I say this from the adventures I've read, and so on. Now, before I come forth with my idea, let's go over one point:
Both descriptions mention that the city has been underwater for centuries, and not millennia. PC3 says that the Taymoran Empire was destroyed in the earthquakes of BC 2000 (tip of the hat to you, Andrew, you were right), which was 3000 years ago. IMO, an event that happened that far back did not happen "centuries ago". Given how long the Tritons, Merrow, Aquatic elves, and others have been living there, I can't see any way they could be that inaccurate.
With this in mind, I decided that it would be really neat to combine both accounts together, such that they would be both correct. My theory is this:
The original inhabitants of Colhador (which was built upon an island off the old coast of SE Brun, and was further isolated after BC 2000) were a branch of the Meditors, who were then eventually conquered by humans. It is this group of humans that gave rise to Hadric. Hoe would this shape up in a timeline? Read on!
Side note: The names given below all come from X7, where the royal succession of Colhador is given, I have only estimated the length of their reign, and the identity of one individual, who will be noted.
Suggested timeline for Colhador:
BC 2100: The Meditor and Verdier clans settle in southeastern Brun (HW boxed set), but one branch of the Meditor clan sails to a small, forested island just off the southern coast. There they build their home, which they name "Kal-Handir". The island is also given this name.
BC 2000: Great earthquakes shatter the southeastern coast of Brun, destroying much of the Taymoran Empire, which sinks beneath the sea. Several large land masses remain offshore, and Kal-Handir is miraculously untouched (modified PC3).
BC 1720: More earthquakes further fragment the offshore land masses, creating the Ierendi and Minrothad islands (PC3). Remnants of the Taymorans, devastated by the continued destruction of what remains of their homes, attempt to conquer Kal-Handir, which has weathered the geologic upheavals intact. They are driven off by the elves.
BC 1300: By this time a healthy trading relationship exists between Kal-Handir and the elves of Minrothad. Apart from this, the Kal-Handir elves shun contact with outsiders.
BC 1000: A Nithian exploratory force is destroyed after it voyages too close to the island. Elsewhere on the planet, the Alphatians make landfall (just about any source).
BC 515: On Belissaria, a tribe of Yanifey, led by Ythol, their chieftain, decide to flee for better lands as the Alphatians continue to advance. He has his clan build great sailing ships, and they set sail westwards. Within weeks, they come across Kal-Handir. The elves refuse to let them land on the island, so the Yanifey decide to take it by force. Luck is with Ythol as his people manage, against all odds, to defeat the slightly less numerous elves. Some elves manage to flee to the Minrothad isles, where they settle amongst their fellow Meditors. Ythol is made king. Unable to pronounce the elvish name properly, he calls it "Colhador".
BC 501: Ythim, eldest son of Ythol, is crowned after his father's death.
BC 472: Saloc assumes the throne.
BC 459: Hadlid begins his reign.
BC 410: Rikor assumes the throne.
BC 383: Gorlab becomes king.
BC 354: Hador is king. His reign is far more illustrious than those of his predecessors.
BC 339: Kordic takes power.
BC 329: Hadric, the first son of Kordic, is born.
BC 327: Meric, the second son of Kordic, is born (I have invented this name, as there is a person who wrote an ancient message that the PCs uncover, and the unknown writer refers to himself as the brother of Hadric).
BC 294: Through the practice of secret rites, Hadric becomes a velya.
BC 289: In a quake of tremendous power, Colhador sinks into the sea. A large section of the sunken city falls into a large crevasse (modified X7). Hadric, in hiding for several years underwater, moves into the sunken city and begins to build up an army of undead, and he alters the ruins to his liking.
AC 1000: Possible date for the staging of X7.
Notes:
First, the genealogy is partially of my own creation. Several individuals are described in X7 as being the son of a certain ruler. For example, no direct link between Ythim and Saloc - I extrapolated this to make a consistent line of succession.
Second, X7 contradicts itself. On
page 26, the note describes Hadric as the son of Kordic, yet page
28 says he is the son of Hador. I decided that the reference to
being the son of Hador might have been to confuse people - while
the reference in the note would have been correct - it was written
by his brother.