Continuity/Siege of Holtburg and Founding of Rithwic

There are some inconsistencies related to the seige of Holtburg, the rescue by Celcynd, and the founding of Rithwic.

Holtburg

Holtburg was founded in 2 PY<ref name=ACManualHoltburg>1999/11 Release - Asheron's Call Manual: Holtburg</ref><ref name=HoltburgTNSign>2010/06 Shifting Gears - Town Network: Holtburg (Town Network Sign) description</ref> In 6 PY, Tumeroks besieged the town.<ref name=HistoricalMarker>1999/11 Release - Worcer's Missing Heirlooms: Historical Marker description</ref><ref name=HoltburgRedoubtDirections>1999/11 Release - Worcer's Missing Heirlooms: Directions to the Holtburg Redoubt text</ref><ref name=CaveOfAlabreeDiretions>1999/11 Release - Brogord's Demise: Directions to the Cave of Alabree text</ref><ref name=HistoryOfAubereanVol5>2003/03 A Perfect Paradox - The History of Auberean: Volume V: New Arrivals (-540 to 13)</ref> Most of the population retreated to the Holtburg Redoubt, where they were slain by the Tumeroks.<ref name=HistoricalMarker /><ref name=HoltburgRedoubtDirections /><ref name=HistoryOfAubereanVol5 /> The children were rescued by the mage Celcynd.<ref name=HistoricalMarker /><ref name=HoltburgRedoubtDirections /><ref name=HistoryOfAubereanVol5 /><ref name=HardunnasRetiredDialog>1999/11 Release - Worcer's Missing Heirlooms: Hardunna's retired dialog</ref><ref name=WorcersRetiredDialog>1999/11 Release - Worcer's Missing Heirlooms: Worcer's retired dialog</ref><ref name=WorcersDialog>2004/12 The Calm - Worcer's Missing Heirlooms: Worcer's dialog</ref><ref name=ACrabbedNote>1999/11 Release - Water of Mount Lethe: A Crabbed Note text</ref><ref name=OfCelcyndTheDour>1999/11 Release - Water of Mount Lethe: Of Celcynd the Dour text</ref> The children escaped through a summoned portal to Rithwic.<ref name=HardunnasRetiredDialog /><ref name=WorcersRetiredDialog />

Children known to have been saved are:

• Flinrala Ryndmad
• Hardunna
• Worcer

Adults known to have been killed are:

• Brogord the Forester, father of Flinrala Ryndmad.<ref name=WorcersDialog />
• Mother of Worcer.<ref name=WorcersDialog /><ref name=WorcersRetiredDialog />
• Father of Worcer.<ref name=WorcersDialog /><ref name=WorcersRetiredDialog />

Adults assumed to have been killed are:

• Ryndya, mother of Flinrala Ryndmad.<ref name=LetterToRyndya>1999/11 Release - Brogord's Demise: Letter to Ryndya text</ref>
• Roland, father of Hardunna.<ref name=WorcersDialog /><ref name=HardunnasRetiredDialog />
• Hope, mother of Hardunna.<ref name=WorcersDialog /><ref name=HardunnasRetiredDialog />

Some sources say all the adults were killed.<ref name=HistoricalMarker /><ref name=HardunnasRetiredDialog /> Other sources say many (but not all) of the adults were killed,<ref name=HistoryOfAubereanVol5 /> or imply that some of the adults survived.<ref name=ACrabbedNote />

The age of the children is also somewhat unclear. Flinrala Ryndmad once said that, when her father was killed, she was just a babe in swaddling.<ref name=FlinralasRetiredDialog>1999/11 Release - Brogord's Demise: Flinrala Ryndmad's retired dialog</ref> Flinrala also said that her father was going to make her an axe of her own, as soon as she was big enough to hold one.<ref name=FlinralasDialog>1999/11 Release - Brogord's Demise: Flinrala Ryndmad's dialog</ref> Worcer and Hardunna referred to themselves as a "boy" and a "girl" at the time of the attacks.<ref name=WorcersDialog /><ref name=WorcersRetiredDialog /><ref name=HardunnasRetiredDialog />

Celcynd

Celcynd stated that, when he was younger, he found adventure in the area around Rithwic.<ref name=MindorlasLetterCelcyndsDialog>1999/11 Release - Mindorla's Letter: Celcynd dialog</ref>

Some years prior to 10 PY, Harlune lived in Arwic.<ref name=TheReclusiveMage>1999/11 Release - Water of Mount Lethe: The Reclusive Mage text</ref> Before he was known as Harlune the Misanthrope, he was Harlune of Arwic.<ref name=BarkeepRicetha>1999/11 Release - Barkeep Ricetha dialog</ref> Harlune was a famous mage, and many young mages came to hime seeking apprenticeship.<ref name=BarkeepRicetha /> The only pupil he took on was Celcynd.<ref name=TheReclusiveMage /><ref name=BarkeepRicetha />

Celcynd was the first Isparian to master Empyrean planar magic.<ref name=OfCelcyndTheDour /><ref name=TheReclusiveMage /><ref name=HistoryOfAubereanVol5 /> Celcynd mastered planar magic after becoming Harlune's apprentice,<ref name=TheReclusiveMage /> but it is unclear if he learned planar magic during his apprenticeship, possibly with the help of Harlune, or after his apprenticeship. What is known is that he scibed these planar spells for Harlune, but Harlune considered them to be more trouble than they were worth, and he locked them away.<ref name=TheReclusiveMage /> Harlune later moved to the Mite Maze, to avoid any more would-be apprentices.<ref name=TheReclusiveMage />

Harlune once referred to Celcynd as "the planar mage from Rithwic," and that he had borrowed one of his history books a few years back from 10 PY.<ref name=WaterOfMountLetheHarlunesRetiredDialog>1999/11 Release - Water of Mount Lethe: Harlune retired dialog</ref> Harlune also stated that Celcynd was once the greatest of his generation.<ref name=WaterOfMountLetheHarlunesRetiredDialog />

Wylreda, the scribe of Rithwic, described Celcynd as "Celcynd the Dour, mage of Rithwic," in her text Of Celcynd the Dour written circa 10 PY.<ref name=OfCelcyndTheDour />

Tazal al-Ashfai, a planar mage near Al-Jalima, called Celcynd his old colleague.<ref name=TazalAlAshfai>1999/11 Release - Tazal al-Ashfai dialog</ref>

Hendac the Watcher wrote in The Golems: Chiseled Forms (AKA The Sleepless Stones) that Celcynd once told him that he managed to swim to the island off the coast of Eastham, and there he found a castle in the same style as Neydisa, guarded by Diamond Golems. Hendac wasn't certain on the truth of this tale, as Celcynd was inebriated at the time.<ref>1999-2000 (exact date unknown) Microsoft Zone Archive - Asheron's Lore: The Golems</ref> <ref><ref>2001/10 Dark Majesty - AC:DM CD Lore: The Sleepeless Stones</ref>

Rithwic

Rithwic was settled in 7 PY.<ref name=ACManualRithwic>1999/11 Release - Asheron's Call Manual: Rithwic</ref><ref name=RithwicTNSign>2010/06 Shifting Gears - Town Network: Rithwic (Town Network Sign) description</ref> It was originally a small stonemason's hamlet.<ref name=ACManualRithwic />

Brentsella and others used to live in the Old Warehouse.<ref name=OldWarehouseBrentsellaDialog>1999/11 Release - The Old Warehouse: Brentsella dialog</ref><ref name=WarehouseDirections>1999/11 Release - The Old Warehouse: Warehouse Directions text</ref> It is implied that Celcynd may have lived there as well.<ref name=WarehouseDirections />

Analysis

Holtburg

Holtburg's founding in 2 PY has no conflicts with other information, and makes sense in the larger picture, as Aluvians didn't settle outside of the Underground City until 0 PY, after the defeat of the Olthoi Queen.

Likewise, the seige of Holtburg occurring in 6 PY does not have any direct conflicts. We have multiple sources from release giving it that date, and it was reiterated later in The History of Auberean. The only potential conflict is that this was supposed to take place in the era before lifestones, so the deaths were permanent. But that is a topic for another article.

Our first conflict is with the death total. The historical marker states that the people of Holtburg were slaughtered in the redoubt, and only the children were spared. Hardunna's retired dialog also stated that all of the adults died in the redoubt. The text Of Celcynd the Dour also states the adults were unable to be saved.

However, the text Directions to the Holtburg Redoubt states that most of the population retreated into the redoubt, implying that some chose to hide elsewhere or flee. In the text A Crabbed Note, Harlune writes to Celcynd that he has heard the people of Holtburg praising Celcynd for saving their children. This again implies that some adults survived. And later on in The History of Auberean it states that many adults died, again implying some survived.

Finally, we have conflicts with the children themselves. Flinrala describes herself in 6 PY as an infant, and again describes herself as not big enough to wield an axe. Worcer calls himself a boy, Hardunna calls herself a girl, and in general, the survivors are referred to multiple times as children. The issue with this is that these are descriptions of these characters in 6 PY, and the game starts in 10 PY. When players were first able to interact with these NPCs, they have the appearance of adults, and their dialog does not indicate that they are still children.

References

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