Traldar and the Legend of the Eyes
by Steven B Wilson• Traldar and brother are lesser sons of Nithian Pharaoh
• Traldar is a natural leader of men
• Brother of Traldar is favoured by Pharaoh
• Neither is in line for the crown
• Arrival in Nithia of Hutaakan ambassadors
• Convincing of Pharaoh to start colonisation - including one near Hutaakan homeland to the southeast
• Pharaoh decides to send each of his "lesser" children as colony leaders and have them colonise in far separated areas
• Traldar sends brother to plead a case for them, their family, and friends to stay together
• Pharaoh grants request - instructs group to build colony together
• Pharaoh bestows the desirable land near the Hutaakans
• Group travels west to foot of "impassable" mountain range (near Parsa circa 1000 AD)
• Area is good and bountiful - they stay for 4 years
• Hutaakans arrive and instruct them on how to cross the mountains to an even better land
• Passage found under the mountains
• Need for light during long journey causes brother of Traldar to create 16 clear crystal stones
• Stones touched by an Immortal (should be a strong connection to Pharaoh) so they provide light (continual light spell)
• Dividing of the stones to the 8 major families - stones called "eyes" as they allow them to see in the darkness
• The journey underground begins
• Encounter with evil Immortal - Arik of the Thousand Eyes (possibly in female form - or both?)
• Arik covets the "eyes" of Traldar
• The temptation of Traldar (something severe enough to cause the banishment of Arik)
• Corruption of one "eye" - creation of the Black Opal Eye
• Traldar blinded
• Transformation of companion "eye" - creation of the Fire Opal Eye
• Other 14 "eyes" unaffected
• Escape from underground (cave collapse? agents of Arik? something else?)
• Entry into the new land
• Welcome from the Hutaakans
• Traldar able to use "eyes" to see dangers for his people
Black Opal Eye - Rumoured Powers
• Answer one question per month with 50% chance of being correct
• Magical Enhancement (i.e. increases magical ability)
• Telepathic Communication
Fire Opal Eye - Rumoured Powers
• Detect Magic/Evil 3x per day each
• Detect Invisible/ESP 2x per day each
• Locate Object (5 miles per level of user) 1x per day
• Additional Detection-type spells
People known to have been involved with, or in possession of, one or both Eyes:
• Traldar (both) - 1500 BC
- Both eyes lost at his death (or perhaps buried with his body?)
• Zirchev (both) - 1000 BC
- Discovered both eyes and used to foresee Beastman invasion
- set up position of Seer to watch over the Traladarans
- sets up "Watchers" (rangers) to act as helpers to the Seer ("eyes"..."watchers"...get it?)
• Trinkla (Black Opal) - 500 BC
- possible vampire or other undead
- stole Black Opal from current Seer
- why not Fire Opal?
- made ivory dragon claw pedestal
• Elyas (both) - 0 AC
- called as Seer
- recovered Black Opal from Trinkla
- Black Opal lost in the destruction at his death (mountains falling out of the sky and all...)
• Caymen of the Blight Swamp (Black Opal) - 800 AC
- how did it get here from Elias's tower under the Gray Mountain?
• Kerid Bey (Fire Opal) - 800 AC
- Seer during Thyatian invasion
- joined expedition to Blight Swamp - perhaps heard rumours of the Black Opal Eye being there?
- died in the swamp
• Rosentos (Black Opal) - 900 AC
- leader of Thyatian expedition to Blight Swamp
- became vampire - how?
- did he ever actually have possession of Black Opal or did caymen alone have it? Caymen and Rosentos not on friendly terms in 1000 AC
• Three Sidhe Priestesses (Fire Opal) - 900 AC
- only in possession until new Seer found
- possibly held it since death of Kerid Bey
• "Seer of the Lake of Lost Dreams" (Fire Opal) - 1000 AC
- Sidhe Priestesses give Fire Opal to him
- creation of red steel dragon claw pedestal
- later to be stolen by agents of the Black Eagle Baron - any connection?
- Black Opal still essentially "lost" (in possession of caymen)
Sources used
HWR2 - Kingdom of Nithia
AC2 - Treasure of the Hideous One
B3 - Palace of the Silver Princess
DDA3 - Eye of Traldar
B10 - Night's Dark Terror
GAZ1 - Grand Duchy of Karameikos
GAZ2 - Emirates of Ylaruam
WotI: Codex of the Immortals
---"Council of Mystara"
---"Pflarr"
---"Arik"
Hollow World: Dungeon Master's Sourcebook
---"Nithian Empire"
---"Hutaaka Valley"
---"Traldar Kingdoms"
Hollow World: Player's Guide
---"Nithians"
---"Hutaakans"
---"Traldar"
B7 - Rahasia
Seer of the Lake of Lost Dreams
Witches of Radlebb
Karameikan Timeline
Hutaakan Valley HWR