Appendix: The Kings of Tranith Argan
Tranith Argan
Kal-Alorim The Golden 1 F.E. – 74 F.E.
Kal-Ara The Jewel 74 F.E. – 120 F.E.
Kal-Dalonur The Strong 120 F.E. – 171 F.E.
Kal-Oronur The Lesser 171 F.E. – 195 F.E.
Kal-Carunir The Weak 195 F.E. – 196 F.E.
Alanisir The Cunning 197 F.E. – 225 F.E.
Al-Dulomir The Powerful 225 F.E. – 295 F.E.
Al-Sapir The Wise 295 F.E. – 341 F.E.
Al-Carnitor The Builder 341 F.E. – 405 F.E.
Al-Supir The Indecisive 405 F.E. – 461 F.E.
The crowing of Kal-Alorim for the men was considered such a significant step by the elves, they decreed that a Fourth Era had begun, the era of men. Kal-Alorim had a significant partnership with the elves and his seventy-four-year reign was a time of peace and prosperity for his realm of Arenar, Delendor and Talenar. He was known as Kal-Alorim The Golden.
Kal-Ara, his son, became known as The Jewel for his forty-six-year reign was spent not in conquering new land or building new monuments, but in making beautiful what was already his father’s possession. Influenced by the queen mother, he called upon the elves to use their artistry to make the lands beautiful. The people of Arenar loved him for this and considered this to be an even greater golden age than during his father’s reign.
Kal-Dalonur, his son, reigned for fifty-one years, and though his reign saw little of his father’s love of beauty, he ruled in a way that made his subjects feel safe. He fought back an attack from southern men that inspired him to create an extra wall around Tranith Argan, the third such wall and one that still stands. He became known as The Strong for keeping the realm safe against enemies who were becoming bolder.
Kal-Oronur, his son, reigned only twenty-four years and showed little of his father’s military skill or his grandfather’s love of art. He became known as The Lesser in contrast to his father’s name as The Strong. During his reign feelings of rebellion among some in the Delendor region grew in the land. The Lesser was an honorable man, but his inability to stem this influence led to disaster.
When Kal-Oronur died young and unexpectedly, his son Kal-Carunir was forced to take power while still quite young. His inexperience led to his being assassinated by agents of Delendor who had infiltrated the palace in his father’s reign. Kal-Oronur, forever known as The Weak, reigned less than a year. Upon his death, the realm was thrust into chaos. Kal-Oronur had only one son, and he was but an infant upon his father’s death. Kal-Oronur did have a younger brother, and it was he who seized the throne at this time.
Alanisir, originally Kal-Alanisir but later stripped of that elven prefix meaning ‘king,’ ruled for twenty-eight years through the application of that skill that later caused him to be known as The Cunning. He strove to rid the palace of Delendor influence, though some say to this day that he was actually himself a spy for them and actually increased the palace intrigue. Whatever his true motive, his reign was cut short with a hunting accident and his nephew, the son of Kal-Carunir now grown to a young man, became king.
Al-Dulomir refused to take the ‘kal’ prefix for he felt that his predecessor had tainted the word, so he accepted the ‘al’ prefix that merely meant ‘one.’ He would let his deeds speak for themselves, and for the seventy years of his reign he did just that. Later known as The Powerful, he did what his uncle could not and threw into the dungeons all who showed loyalty to Delendor as a separate kingdom. He also held safe the kingdom from another military strike from the south, the final time this occurred in history, and the third wall of the city proved itself in battle. Tranith Argan began to believe that its strategic location meant it would never fall by external enemies. That meant only internal enemies could defeat it, and Al-Dulomir The Powerful made sure there were none of those. If the kingdom did not reach the glories of the reign of The Jewel or of The Strong, it was still considered a new golden era for Tranith Argan.
Al-Sapir, his son, became known as The Wise during his forty-six year reign. He consolidated all that his father had done, and he ruled in a way that made his people glad. He increased trade routes that brought steady prosperity for the land and showed skill in planning for the expansion of what the Tranith cities could be used for, though he did not live long enough to see his plans come to fruition. He also faced a threat from the west and through cunning military strategy defeated a western fleet that invaded the lands.
Al-Carnitor, his son, became known as The Builder, for he carried out his father’s plans during his sixty-four year reign. The Royal Highway was brought back into repair, the Tranith cities expanded and flourished. Irular Istan saw its greatest influence during this time as the key city of Talenar.
Al-Supir, the final king for more than a thousand years, became known as The Indecisive. It was during his fifty-six year reign that little occurred other than maintaining what his father, The Builder, had accomplished. But he was known as The Indecisive for what occurred during his last year of ruling. The guardian of Tranith Relon, Toramin, seeing that men lurched from strength to weakness, from wisdom to indecisiveness, thought he could rule better himself. Toramin sent agents loyal to him to Tranith Argan, had Al-Supir assassinated, and set himself up as king of all of the Tranith Cities.
The kingship of men ceased. Toramin battled any who resisted his attempt to solidify the kingship under his strong arm, and he caused the killing of the royal family. A period of war and bloodshed and darkness lasted for decades.
Though Tranith Argan never fell, the land of Shanaar was brought under Toramin’s complete control, and it was he who renamed Tranith Relon as Shaabak, saying that it fit the land better than a Tranith name that had been shown to be weak under the rule of men.
Fifty-four years after the death of Al-Supir and almost all of the royal family, Arim was asked to become the first regent of Tranith Argan, to hold the city for the king who should return some day. Arim had been a boy when Toramin rebelled, and his father had served the old king for many years. Arim saw as a boy all that went on in the palace, so when the dark years ended and an uneasy peace lay over the land, the people put the now older Arim in place as regent since he remembered more how the palace should run than anyone else still alive. His son succeeded him as regent upon Arim’s death, and thus a new line of rulers was set in place, but never with the glory of the old kings.
Toramin was now known as Vélakk, and he seized power in 461 F.E. The regency began in 515 F.E. with Arim. For over nine hundred years the regency passed from father to son until in the year 1420 F.E. Anarth took the role.
It was in the 80th year of Anarth’s regency, in the year 1500 F.E. that this tale takes place.