Thaelsh
A letter from Elad Dimmes that was posted in the Shadgard Town Commons regarding what is known of Thaelsh. (Fix this up into a proper lore page...)
Many have been asking the Church about Thaelsh lately, due to recent events. The truth of the matter is that we know very little, unfortunately. While signs and experience clearly show that the Church had a presence in Thaelsh before its fall, there have been very few discoveries among our own investigations of surviving Church records throughout the Lost Lands to shed any light on the subject.
Keep in mind that Thaelsh did not fall to the Plague, but to some other calamity that appears to have brought a mountain down on top of it, and there is no mention of Thaelsh that we know of in post-Plague records. Thaelsh was therefore probably a lost ruin even before the rest of Aetgard fell to the Plague, and likely a mystery even in the pre-Quarantine world. Hopefully this clarifies why the Church has not had anything substantial in the way of information to offer in answer to these inquiries.
Some recovered Church records do speak of the city of Thaelsh, however. There are various mundane notes on matters of trade and mining. Of particular interest are mentions of a Queen Nolvene, a name which has been floating around the past few weeks. This confirms that there indeed was such an individual ruling over Thaelsh. Do note that the title of "Queen" does not suggest this was the ruler over all of Aetgard. Later in Aetgard's history and up to the Plague, a High King or High Queen ruled over all the surrounding kingdoms, such as Vatnfjall and Thaelsh. All mentions of Nolvene's title of Queen lack the "High" designation.
Unfortunately, there are only mentions of this Queen amidst minimal and vague context, so we essentially know nothing of real substance about this woman. She was likely the sole ruler, as there have been no writings or records discovered thus far that mention an accompanying King. She was clearly at least supportive enough of the Church for there to be a temple in Thaelsh that adventurers continue to explore to this day.
Another point of interest is mention of the Hyra people. There is but one letter that has been discovered on the subject, which speaks of a struggle to maintain peace as some of the people of Thaelsh would occasionally trespass in the canyon. This suggests first that the Hyra were much the same then as they are now, and second that there was a route into Thaelsh that did not go through Stone Canyon - perhaps a mountain pass on the south side of the river, before whatever catastrophe buried the city struck and presumably removed such a route's existence.
While the mysteries of Thaelsh continue to be of great interest to the Church, revealing information is frustratingly lacking. We would be very happy to learn of any discoveries explorers make, and would be eager to collaborate in order to piece some of this puzzle of history back together. I am sorry that there isn't more to be shared. Please feel free to share this information with any that might be interested.
-Elad Dimmes
