A description of Whitewall from the Book of Heortling History

From: Jeff Richard <richaje_at_w9E8PZoBlZ2P3hXrZISrLrUmiN6D5BP6byTEq_XtPAAWW_1qymhYQqcLCys2IYwcDPJA>
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:38:47 -0000


In the interest of providing some cool stuff for this website, I thought I'd post a snippet from the upcoming "Book of Heortling History" along with my notes:

"I shall now describe Ililbervor [1], the sacred fortress of the Hendriki kings. According to the Hendrikings it was atop Ililbervor that Vingkot fought the monster called Wocha Rage and, though defeated, with his last breath he invoked Orlanth who came to defeat the Seas.

It is both a holy mountain and a fortress, built atop a solid rock of limestone that towers over the Northvale in Sen Senrenen. It is encompassed with chasms of such vast depth that the eye cannot reach their bottoms. The rock is steep and abrupt, and such that no animal could walk upon. The ascent is narrow and winding; for it is broken off at the prominent precipices of the rock, and returns frequently unto itself. On each side of this path there is a vastly deep chasm and precipice, sufficient to quell the courage of everybody just by the terror such a drop infuses into the mind.

When a man has gone along this way for thirty furlongs [2] he reaches the top of the hill. Upon this top of the hill the Heortling king Jan the Maker built a fortress in the First Age. Generations ago forgotten kings built a wall round the entire top of the hill - seven furlongs
[3] of gleaming white stone twelve great cubits [4] high and eight [5]
 in breadth. Within the walls are granaries, guardrooms, workshops, numerous shrines for the gods, goddesses and heroes of the Hendrikings, and many private houses.[6] The palace consists of a great stone meeting hall, the great throne room and also a courtyard with adjacent private quarters, storerooms, guard stations and other rooms.

It is in the throne room of Ililbervor that the leaders of the tribe acclaim their kings and confer upon them the sacred regalia of the Hendriki. These consist of a sword, the staff and the diadem given to them by the gods of old. The king rarely stays in Ililbervor for long, for the Hendriking kings spend most of their time traveling amongst the lands of that tribe, normally returning to it in Storm Season to offer sacrifices to the guardians of the tribe and preside over the Sacred Time rites."

[1] Ililbervor is the traditional Orlanthi name for Whitewall.
[2] approximately 3.75 miles
[3] approximately 7/8ths of a mile in circumference
[4] approximately 45 feet high
[5] approximately 30 feet in breadth
[6] as the center of both the Hendriking (and later Volsaxing) kingdom
and of the regional tribal Orlanth cult, Whitewall receives large amounts of food and other wealth in the form of sacrifices and tribute. Much of this tribute (both royal and divine) is stored in the granaries and storage engines within the walls.            

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