History of

Highwall
It is therefore with the greatest of pride and true
faith in the future that I dedicate this holy place of learning,
in the glad hope and certain knowledge that its wisdom
and knowledge may be shared by all the good folk
of Eredane. Let this mighty institution stand as a symbol
of our unity, our learning, and above all else, of our love
of peace. May the Scholar’s Academy stand for ten thousand
years and more!
— King Sedrig the Sly at the dedication of the
Highwall Scholar’s Academy, 4975 FA
The great fortress of wisdom is gone. Not even
ghosts linger among its rotting bones. Hope is fled.
— Nalonan the Scribe, last known surviving
instructor at the Scholar’s Academy, 900 TA
More than any other city, Highwall embodies the
tragedy of Eredane. Once a gleaming metropolis devot4
Chapter One: History
ed to learning, trade and peace, Highwall is today a
corpse, and a cruelly violated corpse at that. The home
of the most distinguished institute of learning on the
continent is now the foul capital of the greatest evil in
the memory of the world. Where once the white walls of
the Scholar’s Academy rose gracefully from soaring
cliff tops, the black pinnacle called Theros Obsidia juts
into the stormy sky, an affront to the memory of the
ruined city that surrounds it. The crown of knowledge
and wisdom has been replaced by the yoke of ignorance
and slavery.
Highwall Through the
Ages
In the days before the Dornish invasion, the lands
of northern Eredane were but sparsely populated. Small
tribes of savage goblins and wild animals held sway, and
the rugged shore of the Ebon Sea remained unsettled.
Settlers came in the wake of the Dornish War—bold,
tough explorers, adventurers, hunters, and traders who
found the rugged Northlands entirely to their liking.
Several major settlements sprang up along the northern
shore of the Ebon Sea—later renamed the Sea of
Pelluria by the homesick Dorns. Chief among these
were Fallport, White Cliff, and Davindale. A settlement
grew on the cliffs of the central coastline—lacking a
true harbor, the settlement was never large or influential.
It was in this place, in the year 4975 FA that the patriarch
of his household, the Dornish King Sedrig the Sly,
founded the greatest institution of learning in Eredane’s
long history.
The monastery of Highwall was built upon the tall
granite cliffs, with a commanding view of the vast sea to
the south, and Sedrig the Sly decreed that scholars from
across the continent would be welcome there to study
and learn. The only requirement was that their knowledge
and wisdom be made available to all the free folk
of Eredane. To this end, Sedrig declared Highwall a free
city, independently ruled and not beholden to any other
king or master. All the same, House Sedrig remained the
true power in Highwall, managing the city’s affairs and
helping to transform it into a prosperous trading city, in
addition to its prominence as a place of learning
Given such prominence, Highwall quickly
became the crossroads of the Sea of Pelluria, where
stout Dorns rubbed shoulders with graceful Caransil
channelers, gnomish mariners, hard-working halfling
farmers, and even the rarely seen Erunsil and Danisil
elves, who sometimes ventured to the city in order to
share their wisdom with the scholars in residence.
House Sedrig continued its enlightened administration
of the city, though despite their basic nobility and
good-heartedness they made certain that nothing that
happened in Highwall damaged or undermined family
influence. In time, House Sedrig grew along with the
city, eventually becoming the most prominent and prosperous
trading house on the Sea of Pelluria. Dornish
kingdoms rose and fell, fought and made peace, traded
and bickered. Through it all, Highwall’s status remained
unchanged and it became almost a holy city to the
Dorns, where quarrels were suspended and violence was
unthinkable.
When the Fell arose, troubling the houses of the
mortal races, Highwall responded, and the order of the
Lightbearers was established. An elite fraternity of warrior-
scholars, the Lightbearers combined enlightened
wisdom and learning with martial excellence, aiding the
Dorns and other races in their struggle against the Fell.
These heroes proved instrumental in stopping the Fell’s
advance, and in the years to come their accumulated
knowledge was called upon again and again.
The coming of the Shadow heralded the close of
the First Age. Orcish hordes—slaves of the fallen god
Izrador—swept out of the far north and descended upon
Erethor to the west. A mighty force of orcs, goblins, and
ogres under the command of the demon Mirzellahn laid
siege to the city, eventually swarming over the walls and
forcing the Lightbearers to fight in the streets of the city
itself. As they held the enemy at bay, Dornish warriors
from several nearby kingdoms banded together and
relieved Highwall. The leader of the Lightbearer order,
the shield-maiden Tanitha, slew Mirzellahn in single
combat, and Izrador’s army was shattered.
Mirzellahn’s column was but a small part of the
great horde that had descended upon Erethor.
Recognizing the threat, the Dorns came to the aid of the
elves and in the epic Battle of Three Kingdoms, the
Lightbearers of Highwall fought bravely and won glory
and renown. Despite the free people’s victory, the cost
was enormous and the Lightbearers were all but
destroyed. All the same, the Shadow had been driven
back and Highwall endured, its wisdom and learning
intact. So ended the First Age of Eredane.
In the long years of peace that followed, Highwall
grew in prominence once more. When the Sarcosans
arrived, bringing war and conquest to Eredane,
Highwall remained a neutral city, where both Dornish
and Sarcosan combatants could meet for negotiation,
healing, and discussion. Even as Sarcosan armies
advanced in the south, Highwall’s strict policy of open
learning continued to be enforced, and soon Sarcosan
scholars, merchants, and diplomats were seen on its
streets and in its palaces. When peace finally came,
Highwall’s special status as a free city was retained, and
it was granted full independence from the colonial government
of the Old Empire.
When Sarcosans and Dorns stood side-by-side to
throw off the yoke of the Old Empire, Highwall was
once more granted a unique honor: As the two races
were united in the new Kingdom of Erenland, Highwall
remained independent, and for the remainder of the
Second Age, its fame and prosperity continued to grow.
At last, the Second Age drew to a close with the
return of the great enemy, Izrador. This time, Highwall