THE VELNAR BROTHERHOOD OF KNIGHTS

Named for Lord Velnar, the leader who brought the Arvans safely from Paláios, the old world in the west, the Order of the Velnar Knights was formed in the earliest days of the Ancient Civilization of Light. King Ayzar called them the High King’s Own and used them as ambassadors, justiciars, and messengers.

Over time, as the High King's representative in each sub-kingdom, the Velnar Knight had his family with him in the sub-kingdom where he served and his interests became tied to the sub-kingdom. The Velnar "ambassador" became more the sub-king's representative to the High King than the other way around. Thus the original loyalty to the High King became corrupted, and the sub-kingdoms began choosing their Kings' Champions instead of accepting the High King's appointments.

Now, the highest-ranking knight in each kingdom is de facto King’s Champion and commander of the king’s army. The knights meet at the Supreme Assembly every couple of years or so, and the best swordsman becomes the Knight of Light, the second best becomes Knight of Peace. These two, plus the national champions, sit beside the altar at the ceremonies of the Supreme Assembly of the Velnarn and are called the Knights of the Altar.

Other orders of knighthood exist in Casanarva. Every kingdom has an order of royal knights, and the Duke of Tayn maintains his own order of Black-sashed Knights. All knights, male or female, and regardless of their order, are entitled to wear a long sword, to own and ride a shahnar, and to train squires.

All Velnar Knights are considered to be warrior-priests and have the authority to conduct weddings and funerals and other simple religious rituals. This role dates back not only to King Ayzar’s time when they represented the Throne, but beyond that to the time when the Arvans first fled Paláios, the western lands, for Lord Velnar himself was a warrior-priest. Although there are evil men among them, most of the Velnar Knights have always endeavored to uphold the Ancient Virtues of honor and justice, courage and mercy, faith and loyalty, wisdom and kindness.

For more information: I have notebooks and boxes full of information about the world of Casanarva, but I thought these things might be the most important to know. If you have any questions about Casanarva, please let me know, and I will try to add the information here.

THE MAGIC

Touch telepathy is endemic among the population, but is rare and occurs randomly. Those who possess it are considered healers, but also witches and sorcerers, and the penalty for discovery is death, for the kings have learned to hold this power and to pass it on, and they are jealous of their power. They use it to heal and to truth-read, and fear that if the ability became widespread among the population, their own divine right to rule would be weakened. The telepathy requires both physical and mental strength and can quickly exhaust the user, but the kings wear magic Medallions, which they can draw on for additional strength. Some healers use similar talismans in which their power can be stored and then drawn upon, while others depend on their own natural abilities.

The magic of the Velnar Knights is different. Along with expert swordsmanship and other fighting skills, they have learned to conjure cold fire and to kindle hot fire, as well. The process is difficult, and they guard the secret of their mastery very closely. The knights themselves are ambivalent about their power, some viewing it as true magic, others as merely learned skills. The highest-ranking knights wear Medallions--like those of the kings. Most lower-ranking knights depend on their own strength, although talismans are not unknown. The general population regards all Velnar abilities as magical.

Although medallions are used as emblems of rank in Casanarva, not all of them are empowered with magic. In secret rituals the Velnar Knights use their magic to empower the Medallions that the highest-ranking knights wear. These Velnar Medallions are in turn used to empower the Velnar weapons and also the Medallions the kings wear and use to enhance their own telepathic power. Thus there is a symbiotic relationship between the Velnarn and the kings.

For more information: I have notebooks and boxes full of information about the world of Casanarva, but I thought these things might be the most important to know. If you have any questions about Casanarva, please let me know, and I will try to add the information here.

HISTORY

Many thousands of years ago, a group of people fled across the western desert seeking refuge. They came from a land called Paláios, where a pantheon of gods and goddesses were worshiped. Eight of these deities were demonic, requiring human and animal sacrifice. Many of the people became demon-possessed, and when the rulers began yielding themselves to the evil spirits, life became increasingly difficult for those who resisted them. The world began turning very dark. But a priest named Licas and his followers rejected the polytheistic religion, the eight demons, and their demonic master--the Spirit of Darkness--in favor of a belief in Arva, the Light, and Celendil, the Peace. The Paláiosan authorities reacted to this heresy (and loss of temple revenues) with great violence. Many of the Arvans were tortured and killed--sacrificed to the demons they hated. The rest of them fled into the desert. When the refugees reached the western shore of the Qwarneeya Sea, they settled down amongst the scattered Saráyn fishing villages and founded a kingdom they called Tir-Aza-Ci-Qwaya or Tazaqwaya, Home Place in the Desert.

The Tazaqwayn found they had neighbors in the Jorminil River Valley, but the Nalo--like the Saráyn--were a peaceable people, and Tazaqwayn religion and language soon influenced and dominated their cultures. Not so the nomadic Savársee, who periodically attacked the Saráyn and the Nalo. In time the Nalo and the Saráyn living in the Jorminil Delta joined and became one people. But the Saráyn along the Savársee coast were forced from their homes and sent fleeing across the Qwarneeya, where they settled the northern lands, taking with them bits of their own culture as well as that of the Tazaqwayn.

When King Ayzar of Goffeleccee came to power, he had a vision of uniting all the peoples to combat the threat of the Savársee. He married Glinara, the daughter of the King of Tazaqwaya, and with the combined wealth and power of the two great kingdoms, he conquered Eedo, Valtarmelsa, and finally Savárseeya and became the first High King of Casanarva. He established a new capital in North Goffeleccee, calling it Xahara-Xara, the Royal City, though now it is called Xahara-Xaravel, the City of the Ancient Kings, and he renamed North Goffeleccee, Azaranarva--Place of the Light.

For about five thousand years the High Kings ruled from the Royal City, and the Code of Light was the universal law of the Eight Kingdoms. Where there was famine or flood, the High King sent aid. Where there was civil unrest, the High King sent his Velnar Knights to reestablish peace. But the eight demons had followed the Arvans, luring some in every generation to serve them, and in the end, the Civilization of Light was destroyed from within by the jealousy and treason of the demon-possessed.

Aseenah ra Casanarva was the last High King of the Ancients. The night before he was executed, he had a vision of the return of the Light to Casanarva and he wrote a prophecy. He was able to smuggle out the tiny scroll and his own magic Medallion of power. He entrusted them to his brother-in-law, King Xidel of Savárseeya, knowing that the Savársee were yet the strongest people and would be the best able to survive the Fall of the Civilization of Light. The scroll of the Ancient Prophecy and the Medallion of the High King were hidden and lost for five thousand years, until they became more myth than history and--like the Bringer of the Light, the Prophecy foretold--were believed in by only a few people.

In the Casanarva Scrolls is found the story of the fulfillment of the Ancient Prophecy and of Etendil-ra’n-Arva, the Bringer of the Light. The Scrolls begin with A Lamp Shining in a Dark Place, in which the lost magic Medallion of the High King is found and the Prophecy is set in motion. The Scrolls are continued in The Darkest Hour in which Lord Saray learns the real meaning of honor and courage and Princess Catreena discovers the true price of freedom.

For more information: I have notebooks and boxes full of information about the world of Casanarva, but I thought these things might be the most important to know. If you have any questions about Casanarva, please let me know, and I will try to add the information here.

ETHNOGRAPHY

There are four ethnic groups in Casanarva. The black-haired, black-eyed Savársee are descendants of nomadic desert warriors. The blond, blue-eyed Tazaqwayn came from Paláios, a civilized world to the west, whence they were driven out because of their religious beliefs. The Tazaqwayan culture, language, and religion--a belief in Arva, the Light--now dominate all of Casanarva. The Saráyn were fisherfolk living on the coast of what is now Savárseeya, Valtarmelsa, and Tazaqwaya. The desert warriors drove them into the sea along Savárseeya's shore, where they settled the Island of Saráy and worshipped the Goddess of the Sea. In time the Savársee conquered the island, but many of the Saráyn escaped, fleeing northward across the Qwarneeya Sea to discover and settle Eedo and Goffeleccee. The dark-haired, brown-eyed Nalo lived in the Jorminil Valley and had a highly developed hydraulic civilization there. In time they joined with the Saráyn who lived in the Delta and became the Valtarmelsan people.

Three major modern languages are spoken in Casanarva. Casanarvan is the common language everywhere. It was formed by a combination of Tazaqwayn and Saráyn. Savársee is still spoken in Savárseeya, and pure Saráyn in Saráy. Dialects of Saráyn exist in remote areas of Eedo and even Goffeleccee, just as Tazaqwayn is still found in a few mountain villages and isolated oases in Tazaqwaya. The Valtarmelsan language, Nalo, is a dead language of ancient scrolls and rituals. Ancient High Casanarvan was the ritual language of the Ancients, just as High Casanarvan is the ritual language today.

The dominant religion in Casanarva is Arvana or Davora’n Arva, a belief in Yorsayara, the Creator; in Arva, the Light; and in Celendil, the Peace.

In earliest times before the Tazaqwayn fled Paláios, their homeland to the west, a priest named Licas, while witnessing a thunderstorm, saw lightning ignite a dead tree. He decided that fire and lightning must be the same and began to believe that the God of Fire and the God of Storms and Winds was one in the same--a God of Light. Although most of the gods and goddesses of Paláios were benign, eight of them were demons, and Licas had become disgusted with the human and animal sacrifices required by them.

Licas thought the God of Light, as he called him, must be good and basically kind, because lightning brought needed rain to the desert and the farmlands, and fire gave warmth and allowed the cooking of food, and light in the darkness, which last especially seemed a magical thing to him. He believed also that this God of Light had great power and could bring destruction and death like lightning and fire, but must be merciful for he rarely did so. Licas declared that the central facet of worship should be praise and gratitude for light and warmth and the cooking fire.

The symbol of the God of Fire was crossed sticks, that of the God of Storms and Winds was a cross indicating the four cardinal directions. Chancing to see a navigational compass pointing at the eight primary directions: N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, & NW, Licas saw that this octactinal cross or star combined both symbols and thus he claimed the eight-rayed octaray for Arva, the God of Light. In contrast to the round shrines of the God of Fire and the square shrines of the God of Storm and Winds, Licas built an octagonal shrine to Arva with an octagonal altar and soon gathered others who believed as he did in a god who was both powerful and merciful.

Candlelighting was the central act of worship, and one dark day while lighting a candle, Licas came to understand that light itself is a created thing, and he decided that there was an invisible Creator God who was manifested as Light. In contrasting the conditions of fire and non-fire, of light and dark, of storm and peace, Licas began to believe that there was a second manifestation--that of peace.

As his group grew in size, Licas' followers no longer paid tribute to the old gods and began intervening in the animal and human sacrifices. In turn the authorities began rounding them up and killing them. Rioting and finally pitched battles occurred, and hundreds were killed, including Licas. They fled eastward across the desert and the mountains to what became Tazaqwaya. In the centuries that followed, the Arvans developed more fully their religion of Light, Peace, and of gratitude to the Creator for his enduring goodness and mercy.

Other religions exist in Casanarva as well. Some Saráyn worship Saráy, the Goddess of the Sea and her son, Qwar, the Spirit of Fish. Many Eedoans, and some Goffelecceeans as well, worship Clarona, the Goddess of the Moon. Actually, as evidenced by similar rituals and their beliefs in tidal phenomena, most scholars believe that Saráy and Clarona are probably the same goddess. At some times and in some places these religions have been tolerated, while in others the adherents have been persecuted relentlessly.

In very ancient times, the Savársee worshiped Atkah, the winged white shahnar, who brought rain; and Jadruk, the black dragon, who led them in battle. The Nalo of the Jorminil Valley worshiped many gods--primarily Hanunu, God of the River.

For more information: I have notebooks and boxes full of information about the world of Casanarva, but I thought these things might be the most important to know. If you have any questions about Casanarva, please let me know, and I will try to add the information here.

FOR A WORLD THAT NEVER WAS

I draw the lines--I shade the mountains in.
I pick the blue and trace a river’s course.
I sketch the roads and trails to desert springs.
I place wide valleys and virgin forests.
I name walled cities for the ancient kings--
I map the world that they lived in.

I set stone castles in the hidden glens.
I plan the seasons and the merchants’ fairs.
I wed brave women to their gallant men.
I choose the weather and the clothes they wear.
I field great armies and watch wars begin--
I dream the songs the minstrels sing.

I say who loses and who gets to win.
I plot the futures for my characters.
I make their enemies and seek their friends.
I raze whole nations and free murderers.
I kill the villains and see justice done--
I am the one who writes "The End."
~~By D.C. Ice

MAP OF CASANARVA & GEOGRAPHY

This is a map of Casanarva, with all of the places on it which are named in A Lamp Shining in a Dark Place, Book One of the Casanarva Scrolls. {Please click on the map to enlarge it. For best results, if you want to print the map, print it landscape style with half-inch margins all around. (Enlarge the map, click on File, Print Preview, then Page Setup ((Alt+U)). Choose Landscape and change the margins to .5". Then Print.)}

GEOGRAPHY

Eedo is the island kingdom in the northeast. The word "eedo" means "mountains," and Eedo is well-named. Noted for fine Corayn wool and finer wines, Eedo is a kingdom of shining mountains, vast forests, and fjorded coasts where misty waterfalls cloak tall cliffs. The Eedoan capital is Veena Esqelamar, which means "Crystal Springs." The city is often called Sqelamar. The Duchy of Tayn is in the eastern corner of Eedo. A "tay" in Casanarvan is a dagger, especially a small stiletto, worn concealed; and the symbol of Tayn is the jeweled dagger.

To the west is the heavily populated Kingdom of Goffeleccee. Although the name translates as "Bitter Winds," Goffeleccee is known for fertile open plains, where beef cattle are raised, and prosperous farms. Wide rivers provide excellent transport routes, snowcapped mountain ranges assure a plentiful supply of water and timber, and deep blue lakes teem with fish. Goffeleccee's capital is Draselnor, the "City of the Sunrise."

The Duchy of Goffeleccee Cahn (or North Goffeleccee) is the former Kingdom of Azaranarva. Azaranarva is the word for "temple," literally "aza ra'n Arva" or "place of the Light." The Azaranarvans do not hesitate to point out that, in addition to meaning "north," "cahn" also carries the meanings of "high" and "the one and only." Their ducal capital is Xahara-Xaravel, the "City of the Ancient Kings," and during the Ancient Civilization of Light, this was the High King's capital. The nickname for the city is Xavél, but only the foolish call it that within the hearing of the city's residents. North of Goffeleccee Cahn lies the Northern Range and The Barren Lands.

To the west of the Qwarneeya Sea lies the desert Kingdom of Tazaqwaya. Qwarneeya means "sea" in Casanarvan, from the Saráyn word for "many fish." Famed for her magnificent tapestries, "Tazaqwaya" means "home place in the desert," with "qwaya" being the Casanarvan word for "desert." Tazaqwaya's winter capital is Chevrona Parameena, on the sea; and her summer capital, in the mountains, is Ardesheer, which means "Beautiful." The Duchy of Plananta occupies the northern part of the country.

The Kingdom of Valtarmelsa lies across the Qwaya Desert beyond the Daw-Neem Range and Edora-Sumsum. (Edora means "mountain of.") Valtarmelsa is bisected by the Jorminil River, which enters the Qwarneeya through the Cahau Delta, where the villages of Eshurren and Dordrasee lie among the reedy channels. The capital of Valtarmelsa is Mo-Nachus, which is on the west bank of the Jorminil. The other major cities of the valley are Kakiloa, Kaloa, and Jo-Gar. The Halay River flows through the Halay Chasm, passes under High Bridge (the rope bridge at Castle Ina-Lui), goes past Castle Pa'oa, and finally enters the Jorminil at Kaloa. Kaloa is where the caravan trail crosses the Jorminil on its way to Tazaqwaya. Northeast of Pa'oa is the oasis of Calalo Wells, and northeast of Ina-Lui is Laqanapa oasis, but Valtarmelsa's heartland is the irrigated valley of the Jorminil River where sugarcane, citrus fruit, and cotton are grown.

The Blue Mountains lie south of Valtarmelsa and Savárseeya, and south of both the "new" caravan trail and the Ancient Caravan Trail. The oases on the "new" caravan trail between Ina-Lui and Castle Noorabue in Savárseeya are Kaliksuk (which means "Red Rock"), Kitzewon, Shakla, Altookon, Kolakalik, and Kayuk. From Noorabue the King's Highway takes the traveler to Savárseeya's capital, Ravelacca, which is situated in the caldera of a dormant volcano. The Ancient Caravan Trail reaches Savárseeya at the mud-walled village of Kalibuk. Nadaraq, where the gold mines are located, is the westernmost duchy. The great Velnar monastery at Shunglavuk is in the mountains of Atlakuk, the easternmost Savársee duchy. The Savársee Spice Islands are off the coast of Atlakuk. The royal Duchy of Rareeya, where the finest shahnarn are raised, is in the central portion of the country.

Off the northern coast of Savárseeya is the island Barony of Saráy, which is dominated by the volcanic Edora-Xah, the "Mountain of the King." Saráy has a moderate, rainy climate, and is known for fine silk, spiced tea, pearls, and exquisite beadwork. The Saráyn capital, Bjerra Mis, is in the northeast corner of the island. Castle Tando-Val is on the southwestern tip of the island, and the village of Orning is on the southeast coast. The word "Savárseeya" is from the Saráyn word meaning "many barbarians," which gives you an idea of the relationship between the Savársee and the Saráyn.

Most plants and animals in Casanarva are familiar to us. The two most important exceptions are the carma and the shahnar.

With a wingspread of up to twenty feet in mature males, the carma is native to the Jorminil River Valley and is the symbol of Valtarmelsa and the Alora-Carma dynasty. ("Alo ra carma" means "flight of the carma.") This huge bird of prey has plumage of iridescent turquoise, emerald green, and sapphire blue and a massive golden beak--nearly as long as the head. The bird has bright turquoise eyes and a crest of iridescent aqua and turquoise plumes accented with red spots. A long tail and powerful, broad wings allow the raptor to hover, riding the air currents while searching for its favorite prey of fish and eels, which it seizes with the sharp black talons on its amber feet. It can be tamed and is used by Delta Folk to spot schools of fish. Its call varies from a shrill scream or whistle to a soft twittering.

With its single spiral horn and cloven hooves, the shahnar is a very fast, graceful mammal indigenous to Savárseeya. Now raised all over Casanarva, it is used primarily as a mount by knights and noblemen. The karkadan, which is a large breed of shahnar, is raised for and used as a pack animal, for most shahnarn refuse to carry heavy loads or are fussy about it. They are native to the desert and can go long distances on little water, subsisting on dew and such native cacti, spiny shrubs, and sparse grasses as may be found. Their colors vary from black, bay, chestnut, and sorrel to golden, cream, ivory, and white, with red and blue roans, buckskins and paints, grays and dapple-grays, grullas and steel-dusts, pieds, piebalds, and calicos not uncommon. The preferred color for the horns is white, golden, or black, and shahnarn with multicolored horns are usually cheaper to purchase. Owners often inlay the horns with gold, silver, or copper. Although some have blue eyes, most have brown. The colors of their cloven hooves are gold, brown, or black, and often they are feathered or shaggy. All shahnarn have well-developed long manes and tails, and as they age, males acquire a shaggy beard under the chin. They can jump fences twice the height of a man, and the war-shahnarn are trained to fight and to go through fire without flinching. Their call varies from sweet and delicate, like the ringing of a small silver bell, to hoarse bellows and sad-sounding wails.

For more information: I have notebooks and boxes full of information about the world of Casanarva, but I thought these things might be the most important to know. If you have any questions about Casanarva, please let me know, and I will try to add the information here.

Yorsay ara miroa! I am here!

Narom ara'n Arva! There is Light! Well, not really at this hour. I suppose I should still be saying, "Narom ara Celendil!" There is Peace.