Notes on the Five Loyal Retainers

The Ayleid Empire collapsed in the face of the Allesian Slave Revolt, its Sorcerer-Kings crushed by the rising power of the Nedic rebels. Not all the ancient Ayleid rulers were overthrown, however, and some city-states threw in with the former slaves, either out of self-preservation or because they felt the Nedic cause was just.

Nenalata was one of these states, under the rulership of King Laloriaran Dynar. As a result, his kingdom survived the fall of the White-Gold Tower and continued as a vassal state to the new Allesian rulership. Over time, these vassal states were absorbed into the Allesian Empire. Ultimately, Emperor Amiel issued an ultimatum to expulse the surviving Ayleids and take over their kingdoms. King Dynar fled before the Alleisan armies, and in the confusions the symbols of his office—Crown, Scepter, and Emblem—were lost.

Dynar had five loyal retainers in his service. He entrusted the Emblem to them, thereafter known as the Emblem of the Last King. The loyal retainers we know were:

Lor-Emero, a noble knight in the service of the king.
Parhaelia, also known as the Terrible Fist.
Ballepelin the Boisterous, a noted adventurer of great humor and girth.
Yondvarla, also known as the Oracle.

These four were all Ayleids. The last retainer, whose name has been lost to history was apparently Nedic, though his origin, along with his name, remain unknown. To those Five Loyal Retainers Dynar entrusted his Emblem, and they retreated to a haven that I believe is now called the ruins of Wendir. The ruins were also rumored to hold one of the Ten Ancestors—ancient statues from the Fall of the Empire, but I have yet to confirm this. This may be why this location was chosen.

The legends I (well, Elfbetta) tracked down indicated that the One Unnamed was the last to arrive, and this Nedic retainer sealed the doors to the underground crypts beneath Wendir, though whether physically or by magic is unclear. The One Unnamed may have been a great spellcaster, for the legends say that the Five Loyals protect the Emblem to the present day.