Few Parts of the davokar region are the subject of as many rumors and legends as the cliff of Karvosti. Yes, songs are sung of Symbar, Saroklaw and the mythical Dakovak. Yet, unlike these fabled places and others like them, Karvosti is very much alive – and what is more, it is the home of many renowned individuals.


Many people, clanfolk and Ambrians alike, fantasize about what life is like up there amongst the wrathguards, sun priests and witches; how it would feel to stand on the plateau and behold the mighty forest below. Very few ever get the opportunity to actually set foot on the cliff. Usually, such a visit would require a difficult and perilous journey through monster-infested woods, and a lengthy absence from one’s crops or whatever means of livelihood one might have.

Hence, apart from its small number of permanent residents and members of the delegations sporadically sent by the clans, Karvosti is visited almost exclusively by people with nothing to lose or live for. Sure, there are exceptions – meticulously organized expeditions made by ambrian explorers or fortune hunters who are using Karvosti as a base of operations, or have planned a brief stay on the cliff to rest and reprovision. These may be groups led by Ordo Magica, the Black Cloaks, or possibly some ambitious noble. Such visits tend to aggravate the already tense atmosphere on the cliff, for though the High Chieftain and the witches must accept the Ambrian presence, they do not look kindly on fortune hunters who violate the clanfolks well-founded taboos. All too often their fears are confirmed when the expeditions bring with them the darkness of the forest below – as a result of shameful intrusions into some abominable creature’s territory, or the theft of its treasures.

Those who have made their way up the cliff and reached the sturdy wall at the end of the slope are intercepted by a group of eleven wrathguards, who share little in common beyond the arms they carry and their red-tinted chainmail. Newcomers should not be surprised to be met by just a few guards, probably accompanied by Lumedo, the aged Ambrian who has been the wrathguards’ interpreter these last four years. The remaining wrathguards are likely to throw them quick glances before redirecting their attention to the forest, looking for any movement that might signal an approaching threat. After having answered questions about the nature of their visit, and having their packs searched, the travelers are given some time to let the impressions sink in – the High Chieftain’s mighty fortress looming on the eastern edge of the plateau; the fault scarp, a couple of hundred meters further away, with its entrance to the witches’ dwelling; the shiny copper dome of the sun temple perched on the upper ledge near the western precipice. Then there are the people. There seems to be only a few of them moving around, at the nearby marketplace and the pilgrim camp below the sun temple. More of them are posted along the edges of the plateau, on the walls and towers of the stronghold, and by the sun temple. They are all looking outwards, at the forest, that dark and waving sea of leaves. Or is it that they look for what is moving beneath the foliage? Karvosti may be an impressive cliff, but compared to Davokar it is both tiny and terribly exposed. It is imperative for people on the cliff – residents and visitors alike – to get along and assist one another.



Initially, this feeling of solidarity is the predominant one. On Karvosti, everyone stands united against the darkness of Davokar, despite various disagreements and historical animosity. This is taken for granted, more out of necessity than anything else, and all present on the plateau are expected to do whatever it takes to avoid open conflict. Of course, this is easier said than done – especially when situated on an isolated cliff deep within the forest, along with a colorful collection of rash and violent individuals with unwavering confidence in their convictions… One soon realizes that just about everyone on Karvosti must constantly bite their tongue with regards to the many perceived injustices – some more serious than others. Suppressed, destructive feelings such as jealousy, suspicion, dislike, and pure hatred can be recognized on most faces – in the exchange of glares between wrathguards and sun knights; in the hand reaching for the hilt of a sword when a merchant refuses to haggle; in the whispers behind the backs of newly arrived members of a successful expedition; even in the growing silence as a loving couple sneak into their tent. An inquisitive person may be told plenty of grisly stories about times when such feelings could not be subdued – often ending with the aggressive party being imprisoned, waiting to be judged by either the chieftain of his/her clan or the Queen’s legate.

Other blemishes on the peaceful surface are the individuals suffering from physical and mental afflictions; something particularly apparent in the pilgrim camp. At night, the silence is often broken by anguished moans, hysterical screams, or mindless babble – like a ghastly chorale; the spiritually diseased sometimes incite each other and the physically afflicted cry out their suffering, thinking their wails to be drowned out by the screams, laughs and chants of the insane. The recently deceased Master of the Order, Eulia Vearra, described the phenomenon as “the Karvosti Midnight Choir,” a phrase more or less deliberately misinterpreted in Yndaros and made synonymous with the wild feasts of the barbarian folk.



Aloéna’s claws (about 90 years ago)
The uncrowned queen of the southern edge – the towering, horned she-giant called Aloéna – is rarely seen by anyone. But every two or three years she wanders the plateau, and everything stops. For many moons, people talk of nothing but her – what she looked like, in what direction she was headed, whether she was carrying anything, and to whom (if anyone at all) she paid attention. The latter is a particularly hot topic, as it is said that a look from Aloéna will cause a person to either suffer the worst misfortune imaginable or be blessed with extraordinary luck. On one of Aloéna’s strolls across the plateau, something happened that will not soon be forgotten. A crowd of speechless and paralyzed spectators watched her stop next to three people and pierce their throats with her long, sharp claws. These people – a young Karitian woman and two men of clans Zarek and Baiaga – died instantly. There was nothing to suggest a connection between the victims or that they had even met each other before their executions. The witches have affirmed that they know nothing about Aloéna’s motives, and since the executioner has not spoken of it, the mysterious incident is as incomprehensible as it is terrifying. For without knowing why this happened, it is of course impossible to predict if, or when, Aloéna will choose her next target.

Tharaban’s coronation (17 years ago)
Due to the nature of the position, the election of a high chieftain is usually quite an orderly affair. Certainly, there are often two or more candidates nominated by different clans, and disagreements between clan chieftains will occasionally put the pretenders to the test with a varying degree of violence. But with few exceptions, the elections rarely threaten the peace between the clans.  A particularly notorious exception was when Gorema, the vain and hot-blooded daughter of clan Yedesa’s chieftain, lost the election in favor of Oroman. In an outburst of violent rage, Gorema slew her father and gathered her newly acquired warriors for an attack against their southern neighbors, the Baiaga (Oroman’s clan), before her own witch killed her with a spear-thrust in the back. Tharaban’s election also caused great commotion. The northern clans favored another candidate, the Saar Iaholas, and when the new high chieftain was nearly assassinated not long after his coronation, many blamed the northerners. As the chieftains Razameaman, Rabaíamon, and Karona denied any involvement whatsoever, and since there was no proof as to who had fired the poisoned arrow, the situation eventually calmed down. There are still suspicions floating around, but perhaps it is true as many people say – that the attack was entirely Iaholas’s doing.

The keeper’s demise
Thirteen years ago, four years after Tharaban’s coronation, the current Huldra, Yeleta, arrived on Karvosti under turbulent circumstances. It is widely known that Yeleta came to see Oryela, the Huldra at the time, and brought with her an artifact that had been found somewhere in Zarekian territory. People could hear screams and turmoil from the witches’ dwelling; a fight that ended with the death of Deadorna – one of Oryela’s Keepers and a very promising young witch. According to the shocked and wounded Huldra, Deadorna had turned into an abomination and been killed by Yeleta in self-defense. It was widely speculated that Yeleta, who was immediately chosen to succeed the popular keeper, had in fact planned it all as a way of getting close to the Huldra. These speculations gained further credence a few moons later when Oryela too was killed, battling a vile pack of spiders that had managed to enter Karvosti through the Underworld. Whatever the truth may be, the witches themselves pay these rumors little notice, as was made perfectly clear when they almost unanimously appointed Yeleta as the new Huldra. To be sure, Yeleta has done her part in silencing the skeptics; both the High Chieftain and most of his subjects consider her to be one of the most prominent Huldras in history.

The ambrians’ arrival
7 years ago the first Ambrian explorers arrived on Karvosti. Back then, the Ambrians had not had much contact with the clanfolk, apart from their conquest of Kadizar and obliteration of clan Jezora. They received a bloody welcome – all members of the ten expeditions that arrived were either executed or enslaved. Rumors of the stronghold on the cliff began to spread among the Ambrians and were finally confirmed when the Queen’s people formed an alliance with the Odavs. The first Ambrian to ascend the cliff and return with her life was an anonymous explorer calling herself Sunflower – most likely a descendent of one of the noble families that were disgraced during the war. With the assistance of a docile Odav named Morak, she smuggled herself onto Karvosti and examined the High Chieftain’s stronghold, the entrance to the witches’ dwelling, and especially the temple ruin. It was Sunflower who informed the Church of Prios of the sun symbols carved into the ruin, which sparked both the Queen’s and the First Father’s interest in the deeper parts of the forest. The missionaries who arrived in the early winter 5 years ago were spared. The reason for this is unknown – perhaps their wish to visit and pray at the ruin was considered harmless by the two leaders of Karvosti; perhaps said leaders were afraid to anger the god of the newcomers. Either way, as soon as the snow began to thaw, the ambrian Curia proclaimed that Karvosti was to be incorporated into the Lawbringer’s realm.