The Rings of RavensDale
Schooled in the ancient craft, the Five began the development of the realm as they had been taught in ages past.
Upon landing they founded First City based on an ancient Stone Circle.
Indeed as they developed each area the beginning was always drawing earth magic into the Stones, preparing a circle, and building outwards.
So did the Quays first become permanent, with safe harbour, steady waters, shelter from storms, and eternal watch from destruction.
The building of AutumnStone was also developed around the Stone Circle that dwelled in its central canyon.
In the Northern Marches they also built, drawing on the unusual energy already present, in hopes of harnessing it as a center for access to other worlds and other times. But this was not to be.
In the center of present day RavensDale they built a ring for the nursery of life within the new realm, erecting a walled enclosure they encompassed an area that later become the city walls familiar to all in this millenia.
Indeed of the original 5 rings, two cataclysms brought the work to unpleasant ends. And the hearts of each Ring had to be saved for transplant to other locations in an effort to maintain the balance of the world.
FirstCity when destroyed in an upbrupt battle between the Five (and far too much Ale) lost all but the Center Stone. Only sheer luck brought it to rest within the area now occupied by RavensDale. Now the BarrowsMire, only the shattered ring stands among the ruins, known as the Broken Teeth they harbour the souls of a lost race, and are the repository of restless spirits. The Centerstone was conveyed to the RavensClose.
At the same time the Northern Marches were triggered into a series of catastrophic events, that became increasingly more disruptive. Storms typical of the area became progressively longer, and more violent. Finally thunderstorms became predominant, the Dunn Ring acting as a loadstone for them. It is still thought the natural energy of the area rebelled and rejected the work of the Five. It's center stone, quarried along with the other 4 center stones was actually struck continously for 3 nights, while the remainder of the ring (composed of native stone) remained untouched the outlying stones became darker by degrees tranmuting from FangStone Granite, to a dark obsedian like substance.
Each appeared infinitely deep, and had a remote fire that could be glimpsed far within, like a lantern on a hilltop or the lights of a distant city, present but unreachable.
Upon removal, the storms resumed and ever after the nine remaining stones, now casting bizzarre; almost alive shadows in the lightnining became know as "The Dancers". The surroundings then remaining unsafe to passersby for years. Many foreigners travelled through the area, comings and goings in the fog of the groves seemed to be from places separate from the realm.
DunnRings stone was conveyed to a glade in the WildWood and became the heart of the forest. Its presence, promoting many seasons of growth and good harvest within the fields and meadows adjoining the WildWoods gave stabliity in the tormented realm at that time.
Ravensclose was original structured as a nursery for lifeforms within the realm, a simple 4 point ring was present to offer shelter and strength but was no further expanded. Its intent to be a primitive area for lifes beginning. When FirstCity fell its centerstone was transplanted. Here was already a centerstone present, this brought the strength (and dual forces) to extreme focus within RavenDale. In fact the excess was used to craft standing city structures; make for a temperate ronment, and bring the potential for diverse forces to exist without the disruption of the cities nature.
The original 5 point shape of the ring alignments added to the natural strength of the realm. The Disruption of the north and south points, and their subsuquent instability caused cyclic distortions that forced the Five to invoke the lottery. Simply put lots were drawn to see what 3 would become sleepers while 2 remained awake to repair the damage and tend the realm. All could not live together, and so the those chosen would lay with the realm, in sleeping crypts secreted within the realm.
So the Story of the Rings is told, by the hand of Lansyter 3rd of the Five, with annotations by the Awake.
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