Cyre, the Kingdom
Data based on the Cyran census of 992 YK and accurate as of the Day of Mourning.
Population: 1.5 million
Area: 1,020,000 square miles
Sovereign: Queen Dannel ir’Wynarn
Capital: Metrol
Major Cities: Making, Eston, Tronish
Climate: Temperate
Highest Point: Kenn Peak, elevation 7,576 feet
Heraldry: Crown and bell on a field of green, above a hammer and bellows
Founder: Mishann, first scion of King Jarot
National Motto: “What our dreams imagine, our hands create.”
Cyre was the future. At the height of the Kingdom of
Galifar, Cyre was a land of arcane dreams made manifest.
It came to be known as Beautiful Cyre, the Purple
Jewel in Galifar’s Crown, and Wondrous Cyre. To some,
it was considered a land of decadence and arrogance,
but to the rest of the kingdom, it was paradise.
When Jarot attained the throne of Galifar, none of
his children were yet of an age to take over the administration
of the Five Nations. Regents and the existing
governor-princes ( Jarot’s younger brothers and sisters)
continued to govern and served as mentors and teachers
for Jarot’s scions. Mishann, the oldest of Jarot’s children,
was sent to Cyre to learn at the knee of her uncle
and prepare for her role as governor-prince and, eventually,
monarch of Galifar. Just as it was since Galifar
united the kingdom, just as it would be forever.
However, Mishann and the rest of the kingdom
would discover that nothing remains the same forever.
When King Jarot died, Mishann prepared for the
journey to Thronehold to attend her father’s funeral
and to take the crown that was her birthright as the
eldest scion. Her siblings each brought armed troops to
the funeral, and before Mishann could be coronated,
Thalin challenged the right of eldest succession. With
loyal knights of the Silver Flame at his side, Thalin
asserted that he was the better choice to be king of
Galifar. Kaius and Wroann supported Thalin, in so
far as they wanted a different method of selection to
be put in place. “Why should the oldest and weakest
automatically gain the crown?” Wroann asked. Wrogar
supported Mishann’s claim, but the other three
rejected her. Wrogar was able to stop the scions from
spilling royal blood at Thronehold, but the five siblings
and their followers departed the island without
reaching any resolution to the question of succession.
Before the year was out, the fi rst battles of the Last War
erupted, and each sibling eventually declared his or
her own ambition to take the crown.
As the kingdom collapsed and the Five Nations
became fi ve distinct and separate countries, war
spread throughout the land. Beautiful Cyre, of all the
nations, wound up as the battleground on which much
of the Last War was fought. In addition to the troops
from Karrnath, Thrane, and Breland clashing with
each other and Cyran forces in this region, Cyre also
became the place where Darguun, Valenar, Talenta
tribes, and Lhazaar pirates came to loot, plunder, or
seek land to expand into.
And so it went, with the great wonders of Cyre
falling bit by bit with every battle, until the terrible cataclysm
of the Day of Mourning fi nished the sad destruction
of the once-shining nation in one fell swoop. No
one has claimed credit for the release of arcane energy
that obliterated the nation, and no one seems to know
exactly what happened on the Day of Mourning. What is
known is that something terrible occurred in or around
the city of Making, located at about the center of what is
now the Glass Plateau, and slowly spread out to destroy
the whole nation. Those living closer to the borders,
as well as those outside the nation on this fateful day,
were able to survive the disaster.
Today, Cyre is no more. In its place is the Mournland,
a blasted, mutated land surrounded by a dense wall
of dead-gray mist. Cyran refugees have migrated to New
Cyre and Sharn in Breland, Dragonroost and Zolanberg
in Zilargo, and, in smaller numbers, to communities
in Thrane, Karrnath, and Q’barra. Many Cyrans,
still reeling from the terrible destruction, fi nd it hard to forgive the Five Nations that have refused to provide
them with help. Worse, the Valenar elves slaughtered
Cyran refugees fleeing from southeastern Cyre by the
thousands as they tried to escape the spreading mist.
A second injustice heaped upon the survivors of
Cyre occurred during the Thronehold negotiations.
Though the Day of Mourning was crucial in getting the
Five Nations together to end the Last War, no Cyran
representation was permitted. “Cyre no longer exists,”
Queen Aurala argued. “The refugees have no voice in
these proceedings,” High King Vadallia of Valenar
agreed. And so Cyre did not participate in the accords
that redefi ned the continent and ended the Last War.
Cyre’s last century featured an incredible series of highs and lows. Led by the legitimate heir to the Throne of Galifar, Mishann ir’Wynarn, the country first appeared to be ready to fall to the combined might of Breland, Karrnath, and Thrane. But an inspired
bit of negotiation brought the warbands of the Valaes
Tairn to Khorvaire to fi ght for Cyre (or at least Cyran
gold), and the other nations’ leaders quickly turned
on each other as each decided to take the crown of the
kingdom. For six decades Cyre enjoyed success out of
all proportion with its size and might. When Shearas
Vadallia declared himself High King of Valenar,
carving out an empire in Cyre’s midst, it seemed Cyre
was once again doomed. Then came the warforged,
bolstering Cyre’s forces and giving it the strength to
survive despite the toll constant warfare was taking on
the countryside. Still, their fortunes were waning,
and many parts of northern and western Cyre became
battlefi elds. Step by bloody step, the fi ghting wound
toward Metrol and the few pristine cites left in the
south. Rumors abounded that Queen Dannel and her
advisors had plans for a major new offensive that would
throw back the invaders. Dannel’s uncanny charisma
inspired a nation and, despite the losses, spirits were
high. Cyre’s martial academies and arcane colleges
continued to attract students eager to learn the skills
necessary to defend the nation.
Until the Day of Mourning.
Cyre’s complete destruction in a day by a wave of
arcane energy is undoubtedly the single most important
moment in the last hundred years. Major battles
were being fought all across Cyre, with each of the
Five Nations losing thousands if not tens of thousands
of soldiers as the dead-gray wall swept outward from
the interior. While refugees have gathered in Breland
under the graces of King Boranel’s mercy, Cyre as a
nation is simply gone, lost behind a wall that follows
Cyre’s borders with eerie precision. In its place a
strangely tranquil wasteland taunts treasure seekers
with tantalizing hints of the greatest mystery of the
modern age… .
What was the Mourning? Will it happen again?
PEOPLE
The Cyrans once held the world in their hands. Cyre
was on the artistic and cultural cutting edge of Galifar,
with new trends constantly starting and spreading out
of the nation. Cyrans knew how to enjoy life and the
fruits of their labors. Art, music, fashion—there was
no constant in Cyre, other than constant experimentation
and change. The Cyrans valued an outlook on
life that became known as the Cyran appreciation.
This described a philosophy and lifestyle that appreciated
beauty and magic, and promoted avant-garde and
unconventional behavior in art and life in general.
This was seen by the majority of Galifar as remarkable
and wondrous until the time of the Last War. Then,
propaganda and vicious rumors turned a virtue into
an excess. As the war raged around them, Cyran nobles
allowed their indulgent lifestyles to take darker turns,
and words such as decadent, vile, and immoral began
to be used to describe the Cyrans. The Cyran refugees
struggle to maintain the Cyran appreciation, even
though this continues to cause misunderstandings
among the people of the nations where the refugees
now live.
APPEARANCE AND DRESS
Whether fi ghting, dancing, or standing perfectly still,
Cyrans possess a poise and elegance that is the envy of
all the other nations. Cyrans tend to be slender and
long-limbed, with a casual, willowy grace that shines
from within. Their hair is often wavy and of medium
length, allowed to hang free so as to shift naturally with
their movements. Nearly all Cyrans have dark hair, but
a few are born with stark white locks—tradition states
that such youths are to be encouraged to take up spellcasting,
and most do show an aptitude for it.
Cyran clothing is highly diverse in cut and style,
but most garments have long, flowing elements—the
people like clothing that will catch even a small breeze
and ripple with the air currents. Short cloaks are
common, as are wide sleeves. The most noticeable
element of traditional Cyran dress is gloves. Cyrans
favor short, sturdy gloves for work and fi ghting, and
longer, beautifully tooled and decorated gloves for
formal wear. Their hands are rarely exposed, and an
ungloved handshake is a sign of special trust. Formal
occasions are not identified by a change in clothing,
but by a sharp increase in jewelry, and often the addition
of masks. Festivals and balls always incorporate
an element of costuming.
Cyrans simply adore jewelry, and they collect
all manner of pieces as their fortunes allow. Loose
hanging necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, particularly
those that include small bells or brightly colored
feathers, are preferred. The most spectacular of these
adornments are their headdresses—elaborate pieces
that run from the brow, over the head and shoulders
and well down the wearer’s back.
MAGIC AND RELIGION
Many Cyrans were occasional worshipers of the Sovereign
Host, though one could not call Cyre as a nation
religious. Cyran magic runs the gamut from fl ashy to
practical. As the center of Galifar culture, Cyre made
great use of all the dragonmarked houses and countless
bards and lesser wizards to build an almost fairytale
kingdom of light and grace. This image has become
even more exaggerated in the minds of the survivors
and those of other nations who never saw Cyre in its
prime, cherishing the memory over the stark reality
of the Mournland.
CROWN
Today there are two Cyres—the citizens who survived,
and the blasted wasteland where the nation one stood.
Within the Mournland, the Lord of Blades is the
closest thing the inhabitants have to a king. Outside
the Mournland, for the people of Cyre who survived
the Day of Mourning, Prince Oargev is the rightful
leader. While the people remain scattered across the
Five Nations and beyond, the city of New Cyre is growing,
and every day sees a reunion as divided families
rejoice in the return of lost kin. Oargev is determined
to see the Mournland recovered, its plains purified,
its waters cleansed of taint.
While he governs New Cyre, Oargev dreams of
rebuilding Cyre the nation. If he can’t do this in the
Mournland, he will carve a permanent nation from
King Boranel’s fl ank. The Brelish king was the fi rst
to reach out to the Cyrans as their lands died, and
Oargev hesitates to betray such kindness. To this
end, Oargev sponsors expeditions into the Mournland
and offers rich rewards for relics and natural
specimens brought out of the mists. The young prince
has become something of a naturalist, knowledgeable
about all the native species of plants and animals, and
an expert on the strange mutations found around the
Great Chasm. Oargev is particularly eager to recover
Cyran regalia.
Five Things Every Cyran Knows
1. Where they were on the Day of Mourning.
No Cyran will ever forget that terrible day and how
they survived as so many others did not. “Tomorrow
in Cyre” has become an expression of hope, a reflection
of sadness, and a promise to win back what has
been lost.
2. Some form of artistic expression. Cyran are
artists to their core, whether that art takes the form of
drawing, painting, sculpture, song, or arcane spell.
Cyrans love to experiment with art, pushing the borders
and shocking others with just how far they will
go to advance the form.
3. The Cyran appreciation. This philosophy and
lifestyle promotes the appreciation of beauty and magic
in avant-garde and unconventional ways.
4. What happened on the Day of Mourning.
Every Cyran knows what happened on the Day of
Mourning and who caused it. They know. And every
Cyran will tell you a different version of the events.
An accident, a deliberate attack, a cowardly act of
terrorism, an act of nature, a punishment from the
gods—these are just some of the explanations that
Cyrans share in their homes and in taverns.
5. How to perform a Cyran tago. This highly
charged form of dance that has been described as frenetic,
movingly beautiful, and extremely erotic, is the
birthright of every son and daughter of Cyre. It is taught
at a young age and perfected at social events throughout
a Cyran’s life. No Cyran performs the tago badly, and
some perform it with exquisite grace and precision.
Though young, Oargev is already a widower. His
wife was lost on the Day of Mourning while Oargev
was abroad. Oargev must take a new wife if the Cyran
branch of the line of Wynarn is to endure. The prince,
now twenty-fi ve years of age, is both charming and gallant,
and the coming social season is sure to be lively
as both the families of Cyre and the nobles of other
nations try to woo this dynamic leader.
Royals of Cyre
In 894 YK, when the Kingdom of Galifar collapsed
and each scion declared his or her nation to be a sovereign
and independent country, Mishann, fi rst scion of
Jarot, named herself queen of Cyre while maintaining
her claim to the crown of Galifar.
The rulers of Cyre are outlined on the table below.
This information can be gleaned with a DC 10 Gather
Information or Knowledge (history) check.
Date Monarch
858–908 YK Mishaan (declared queen in 894 YK)
908–913 YK Brusst
914–942 YK Connos
943–994 YK Dannel
994 YK–Present Oargev (prince in exile)
Postwar Cyre
Their nation destroyed, their countryfolk scattered,
Cyrans tend to be keenly aware of the precarious position
they maintain in the Five Nations. Left out of the
Thronehold Accords, the Cyran refugees have no status
in the Five Nations, with the exception of in the Brelish
city of New Cyre, where Cyrans have been welcomed as
guests of the crown. Displaced, alone, with few friends
and many enemies, Cyrans tend to look out for themselves
and their closest kin. They have no love for the
other Five Nations, and some barely contain a seething
hatred for the “traitors” who rejected Mishann’s right
to govern Galifar and thus destroyed the kingdom.
This said, Cyrans are not a dour lot. They continue
to hold to the ideals of the Cyran appreciation,
and though Cyran art and song has become a bit darker
since the Day of Mourning, it remains a culture that
is visionary, different, and ahead of its time. Cyran
fashions range from daring to amazingly chic, though
many younger Cyrans have started wearing dark, fl amboyant
clothing they call “mourningwear” as a way of
remembering the country they hardly knew.
Some Cyrans have changed their names and are
trying to blend into whatever society they fi nd themselves
in. Most, however, hold to their traditions and
seek larger communities of refugees to join up with.
Those who rally around New Cyre and Prince Oargev
see hope for their future—and a time when the rest of
Khorvaire will pay for the injustices that have fallen
upon Beautiful Cyre.
