THE
AVENNORIAN
HERO
ANNILS
NORGERINTH |
Annils Norgerinth (236-212 b.S.) was a hero of the ancient Avennorians, respectively of the region of the current village of Nepris (Nehlan in former times) in the eastern Santharian province of Manthria. Norgerinth was a simple fisherman, who proved his courage in the last year of his young life when he led the inhabitants of the smaller fishing villages east of the Mithral Mountains against an advance guard of the orcish army during the Third Sarvonian War. With the means he could gather, Norgerinth successfully defended Crazy Woman Pass against the invaders till support from the 7th royal division of the Avennorians arrived to repel the orcs and to re-conquer already lost territory. Tough the battle at Crazy Woman Pass was only a minor one during SW III, it was crucial for the survival of the fishing villages near the Adanian coast. Therefore Norgerinth is still celebrated as a local hero. His remains rest in a tomb hewn in stone by the Mitharim dwarves of the Mithral, only a small distance away from Crazy Woman Pass and near the Toran Falls.
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Appearance.
Of the actual appearance of Annils Norgerinth little is known. This may mainly
be due to the fact that Norgerinth's fame also already meant his death, that his
sacrifice for the people and swift burial during the difficult times of war
didn't leave much time for poets to sing his praise or for artists to depict his
features in a painting. Nevertheless Norgerinth's spirit remained in the minds
of the people of Mossy Rocks Cove, though the descriptions local writers gave of
him centuries later are very unlikely to be close to Norgerinth's actual
appearance.
It can only be said with accuracy that Norgerinth was possibly born in a
Shan'Thai bloodline and therefore had a darker skin color than other typical
Avennorians. Like most
Avennorians he was possible small
in size and exceptionally muscular like many other people who have ancestors
from Shan'Thai. He is said to have been determined and in many cases stubborn as
well, but he always placed the needs of the many in front of his own.
Biography.
Annils Norgerinth's past is the object of much speculation. What seems clear is
that Norgerinth initially hailed from the southern settlement of Fang Julin
north of the port of Ciosa and decided to settle in Nehla (part of the current
fishing village of Nepris) at the beginning
of his twentieth cycle. Some say that Norgerinth's decision to move north was
motivated either by an unfulfilled love affair or by differences in his native
village. Some even claim that he was involved in criminal activities and that he
had to leave therefore in order to escape local justice, fleeing north and
starting a new life there. This version of course is often vehemently denied if
you ask people of Nepris about their hero.
The Neprisians mainly see the positive
aspects of Norgerinth and his importance for the region.
Nevertheless, Norgerinth gained fame and finally heroic status only during the
last year of his life, at the age of 24, when he organized local resistance
against an imminent orcish invasion in the
Mithral region during the Third
Sarvonian War. The orcs, who had conquered
Carmalad temporarily in 292 b.S., suspected
that their enemies might flee south as well toward the mainland when being
attacked and therefore intended to destroy all ships whenever found on their
march south. Norgerinth was one of the few people who took reports of the
Avennorian scouts seriously,
which suggested that orcs may be on the move
towards the south. The Avennorian
king still didn't want to officially confirm or deny this, though preparations
were made to defend the kingdom, if very late. Norgerinth on the other hand took
initiative himself and helped to equip and train the villages of
Mossy Rocks Cove with weapons and
ordered a guard of Crazy Woman Pass
to be ready should an assault occur.
Indeed, an advance party of orcs tried to cross
Crazy Woman Pass rapidly and
unexpectedly in the Month of the Turning Leaf in 212 b.S., but Norgerinth and
his people managed to intercept the rather small group and to fend off an attack
until the Avennorian 7th Royal
Division arrived. At the moment the pass seemed to have fallen, the 7th Royal
Division entered the scene repelling the attempted invasion. In this final
skirmish, Norgerinth was seriously wounded and died a few days later, his task
of defending the villages from the orcs
completed successfully.
Importance.
Aside from his merit of saving the villages east of the
Mithral from annihilation, Annils
Norgerinth and his deeds also played an important role in re-establishing
connections between the human fishing villages
and the dwarves of Kor Mithrid. Though such
connections had already existed, they had been abandoned when pearl trading with
the Thergerim had slowed down due to the lack
of the necessary resources. After Norgerinth's defense of
Crazy Woman Pass the
Mitharim dwarves showed not only
honor to his valor by hewing the hero's tomb into the mountain, but also by
renewing and expanding trade relations to the
Avennorians.
If you ask the villagers of Nepris you'll
hear that Norgerinth stands for many things: for the loyality to the king, for
the courage to defend his home without hestitation, for his excellent
leadership, but also for an example of beginning a new life and for the
determination to follow decisions once made with everything these decisions
entail. Norgerinth's way of life has become a credo to many people living in the
eastern Manthrian region, and whenever
times are hard you can see
Avennorians on pilgrimage not only to the
Baverian Shrine west of Nepris, but also
to the tomb of Norgerinth close by.
"Theme of Annils Norgerinth", composed and
performed by Vladeptus Format: MP3, Length: 3:01, Original Title: "We Travelled Far" from the album "What the Dragon Heard". Click here to download the song, use right-click and "Save as..." (2.77 MB) ![]() |
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