The Tome of Lore:  Table of Contents

Palemoor Isle

Palemoor is one of the largest, and easily the most infamous of the scattered "step islands" that rise out of the middle of one of the widest parts of the River Trynd to be found just south of Trithik.

Over three hundread years ago, the rocky island was home to a small wooden keep that housed a large enough company of Tysian soldiers to discourage river pirates from plying their trade against merchant vessels leaving Trithik.

On a warm autumn evening, three centuries ago, however, a horde of ogres, on crudely-built barges of rough timber, traversed the river from its western bank and landed on Palemoor. The brave soldiers, both outnumbered and outmatched by their savage foes, were all, save for one, slain defending the wooden keep that the ogres soon razed to the ground.

Though outmatched, and ultimately defeated, the soldiers pitched a valiant stand, and managed to take down many of their beastly enemies in a battle that is said to have raged for hours. By dawn's light, every last soldier (save one) was dead -- the keep was destroyed -- and there was no sign of the ogres or their barges.

It is from the lone survivor of the attack, a young soldier, who escaped death by being rendered unconscious and left for dead, that history now bears an accurate account of the events that took place on Palemoor Isle, on that warm autumn evening, so very long ago.

It has long been assumed by many that one of the more ruthless river priates, a murderous brigand who went by the name of Eelcarver, was behind the ogre attack -- having paid a considerable fortune to the fearsome beasts to ensure that the soldiery of Palemoor Isle would no longer interfere with his operation in the waters south of Trithik.

Eelcarver, and nearly two dozen other river pirate captains, were captured and hanged following the attack on Palmoor Isle, though none ever admitted to being in league with the ogres.

Palemoor island, out of respect for those who had fallen there, was declared to be forsaken land, where no one would be permitted to tread. Ever since the fateful events of that evening, long ago, all river traffic moving south from Trithik has respectfully (and even fearfully) given the rocky step island of Palemoor a wide berth.