The History of Palanthas

It began as a pirate cove and was built into the sprawling jewel of Solamnia. Let’s learn more about the history of Palanthas. Buy Palanthas: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/219097/Palanthas-SAGA?affiliate_id=50797

Transcript

Cold Open

It was at the end of the Time of Light in the Age of Dreams, that the seeds of palanthas were sown.

Intro

Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today we are going to talk about the history of Palanthas. I would like to take a moment and thank the members of this channel, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate link. I am referencing the Palanthas Dramatic Supplement for this episode. If I leave anything out or misspeak, please leave a comment below.

Discussion

For over a hundred years, the human empire of Ergoth fought over the borders and mineral rights with the new dwarven city of Thorbardin. This would come to be known as the War of the Mountain. These skirmishes affected the peaceful citizens in the surrounding lands, forcing them to seek safety elsewhere, and in 2085 Prae Cataclius, Captain Agril Stargazer had heard tales of the legendary Dragon Isles, and in an effort to flee the constant war and relocate himself and many other refugees, he sailed out from Tarsis on the Bright Horizon, seeking those wondrous isles. Fate however seemed to have intervened and after two days of following the coast of Ansalon north, they hit a storm out of the history books. The Bright Horizon was manned with veteran seamen, but this storm had the marks of the gods on its back. It tossed the Bright Horizon around like a child’s plaything with its waves, hundreds of feet in height.

The storm raged for days. It was a miracle the Bright Horizon wasn’t swallowed whole by the tempest of the sea. Nearly half of the crew has been thrown overboard. As the hold slowly filled with water, the crew resigned themselves to their impending doom. But then, in the midst of the violent storm, the lookout who had lashed himself to the mast witnessed land on the horizon. He saw between the rising and falling waves a stark rocky shoreline, and realized that the Bright Horizon was being pushed directly towards it. It took the Captain and three other men to attempt steering the ship through a small gap in the rocky coastline. Twenty feet of the keel was torn free by the storm, and shallow, rocky shoreline. Wave after wave crashed on top of the seamen as water flooded into the hold. But miraculously, the sinking Bright Horizons wedged herself between large rocks and the towering cliff face not three hundred yards from a rocky beach.

Inside the gap, the waters were calm, though the storm raged outside its perimeter. The crew and passengers transferred all salvageable goods to the shore, for fear the low tide would pull the wreckage back out to the open sea. Once ashore, they were stunned at their surroundings. They had landed in a stark, grassy plain, surrounded on all sides by towering mountains. This strange land featured a single tall tower, surrounded by a forest. As Captain Stargazer approached the tower, he walked into a grove and he was struck with waves of fear that rivaled the hopelessness they felt for days in the storm. He abandoned his attempt at approaching the tower and declared to his crew and passengers that their quest was complete. They had reached the Dragon Isles!

After days of reading his sextant and consulting his charts he realized his error. They were in truth in a lonely inlet along the northern Vingaard Mountains. With no way of leaving, and no actual threats in the area, the residents of the tower were not interested in the survivors of the Bright Horizon, they tore apart the ship to build houses and fishing boats. Those passengers who were farmers, took to the acres at the base of the mountains, and discovered an easily domesticated species of goat. Life was not only possible, but it was as if this land was created just for the castaways. The biggest looming problem was that only three of the survivors were female. It seemed the future of their new home was doomed to fail.

The survivors would come to prepare their one-year anniversary of the founding of their new colony, with the dismal future in their mind. On the morning of the Vernal Equinox, they noticed a ship anchored less than a hundred miles offshore. This ship was captained by the infamous pirate Firebrand. This half-elf woman demanded to know why these people were in their hideout. This location has historically been used by pirates to evade the Ergothina Navy. Agril Stargazer asked Firebrand to deliver them to another civilization after the storm passed, and in truth feared she would put them all to the sword. He was not ready for her counter-proposal. Her crew had already grown so well known across the coasts of Ansalon, that they could no longer come to port in any town without fear of the law, so when they arrived here, they met with the wizards of the tower who wanted nothing from them but provisions, and they were allowed to stay. Now with these colonists squatting, Firebrand proposed bringing the colony resources to build a proper town where the pirates would be welcome.

This was the only real option available to the colonists. Not only did it mean more men and women to visit and stay in the colony, which ensured their future, but it also meant the pirates wouldn’t kill them all. So the colonists with only one real choice built out a respectable hamlet, then a town which they named Bright Horizon. The pirates would regularly return to carouse and drink to excess bringing with them slaves and captives. Even the Wizards of the Tower would frequent the town. One return visit from Firebrand saw Agril demanding a fair price for their indulgences, and as she was impressed with his tenacity and courage, she declared all rates for services would be equal to those found in Daltigoth. Firebrand pulled Agril in tight and planted a passionate kiss on his lips. Soon they were a couple and Firebrand the first political leader of Bright Horizon.

After a decade, Bright Horizon became a refuge from the imperial presence of Istar and Ergoth. After two hundred years, its size and reputation grew and came to the attention of Vinas Solamnus. After the Rose Rebellion in 1791 Prae Cataclius, Vinas Solamnus was given a vision by Paladine himself. This was the catalyst for the order to be known as the Knights of Solamnia, but within that vision also contained information about the future capital of Solamnia. Paladine first stepped foot on Krynn in the exact spot as the heretical and rogue haven of Bright Horizon. This realization spurred Vinas to action. He addressed the Solamnic nobles, calling them to action in the name of the father of good, to reclaim this once sacred ground and transform it into the jewel of Solamnia.

Together with the nobles of Solamnia, the dwarves of Thorbardin and even the elves of Silvanesti and Qualinesti, they all set to work in turning Palanthas into a city worthy of Paladine himself. The city that we know in part today. Though the city was created in the name of Paladine with the leadership of the Knights of Solamnia, it always had its own tone of welcoming all who desire to dwell within its walls. The mountains separate it from other Solamnic politics, as the city is more connected to the sea itself than greater Solamnia. Because of this, Palanthas saw its own government form around the city’s lord, Kinnath Homestead. Though the lord was appointed by Vinas Solamnus, his ancestry can be traced back to Firebrand and Stargazer. Kinnath founded a city state with the senate composed of the great merchant families, giving due respect to the origins of this bustling city.

Outro

But that is all I have to say about the history of Palanthas. I hope you enjoyed the information. What do you think about the largest city on Ansalon? Have you ever run a game that stopped in Palanthas? And finally, would you ever try approaching the Tower of High Sorcery? Leave a comment below.

I would like to take a moment and remind you to subscribe to this YouTube channel, ring the bell to get notified about upcoming videos and click the like button. This all goes to help other Dragonlance fans learn about this channel and its content. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time, remember:

The vibrant colors shimmered on the pure white buildings of Palanthas…. Laurana had never imagined such beauty could exist in the world of humans.