History of House Urbaal

Urbaal

Urbaal was a powerful aeromancer of pure Alphatian ancestry and a veteran of the Forty Years War. Originally, he hailed from the Kingdom of Randel in Alphatia.

In the civil war between the Alphatians in the Highlands, Urbaal was loyal to Mariadna and her claim to the throne of Silverston, and saw Mariadna as more purely Alphatian than her rival, the Count Ambrosion of Silverston. He was also the leader of the Red River Falcons, a band of battlemages specializing in aerial combat and precursor to the Secret Craft of Air Elementalism.

Urbaal had two sons and a daughter, who joined the Falcons too. However, they did not become the new leaders at Urbaal's death, as he chose the more powerful Vitalin Aendyr, son of Mariadna and Prince of Blackhill, to be his successor.

Larath

Larath was the second son and last child of Urbaal. A modest mage, he nevertheless joined the Falcons. After his father's death and subsequent reorganization of the Red River Falcons, he was unable to keep a high standards within the reformed Craft. Larath moved to Silverston, where he lived at the Prince's court.

Shabas Urbaal

The only son of Larath, he took the name of his famous grandfather as his surname, because he greatly admired the great aeromancer from Alphatia. Shabas himself was a powerful wizard and Air Elementalist, but he was murdered in his bed in AC 915, while he was campaigning for the position of Baron of Egorn.

Musa Urbaal

Musa was not as skilled as his father at magic, and was too young at the time of his death to take his place in the Alphatian court of Silverston. When he did graduate from the Great School of Magic ten years later, it took him another four decades to rebuild Shabas' network of political alliances. He did however obtain the noble title of Baron of Egorn, although he was too old to become an effective ruler. Egorn experienced an uneventful time under his short rule—which probably was the best the people of Egorn can hope from their highly transient Barons.

Emeth Urbaal

Emeth Urbaal, son of Musa, was an exceptional, albeit unruly, wizard, who succeeded his father as the Baron of Egorn. Nevertheless, he honored the allegiance of his family to House Silverston and was a staunch ally of the Prince of Blackhill. In return, Lord Emeth rose the ranks of nobility, becoming Viscount of Redstone in AC 987, then Count of Wylon in AC 997—all the while focusing his energy more on his magical studies and inventions rather than politics.His greatest achievement was the invention of a flying craft, propelled by air elementals and giant rocs. Unfortunately, he and all of Glantri would not benefit from his invention during his lifetime, since he, his crafts, and entire of Wylon and Blackhill was destroyed by the Great Meteor Crash in AC 1006.

The Surviving Urbaals

Two of Count Emeth's sons survived the destruction of the Great Meteor to carry on the Urbaal name.

Yarov Urbaal, the elder of Emeth's sons, was born from his reckless days before nobility, allegedly with a Boldavian wizardess from the Great School of Magic. Yarov, with his ruddy coloration and stocky build, was never quite accepted by the Urbaals or the other racist pale-skinned Alphatians. Yarov grew up the prodigal son and had a difficult time fitting in at the Great School of Magic. After graduation, when it became clear that he would never be acknowledged as a legitimate son and heir to the Urbaal legacy, he set out on his own for Aalban, making a life for himself among the Aalbanese-Alphatians—who with their own mixed heritage, made him feel he belonged.

Until recently, it was not known that Yarov had actually stolen several magical treasures and papers from his father's vaults, particularly, the Count's secret plans for a new kind of skyship. This fact was revealed after the Ethengar invasion in AC 1016, where this new skyship was crucial in the defeat of the Ethengarian horde. Together with another Glantrian inventor, Jean-Louis Montgolfière, Yarov established a manufactory of this new brand of skyship, using a mix of technology and magic. Montgolfière & Urbaal, Ltd. has acquired considerable fame and fortune—so much so that it has become a target of the Free Anachronic Society of Aalban.

Quanil Urbaal, the younger son of Count Emeth was at Great School of Magic for his last year when Wylon was destroyed by the Great Meteor. Quanil was destined to be the Count's legitimate heir, but he he not much of a politician and has not the guts for grabbing a noble title on his own, only a passable mage. Grand Master Harald Haaskinz shows some sympathy for the young Urbaal, and lets him stay at the Great School for now, even though Quanil has not managed to deserve a teaching position. Quanil is currently trying to get a position in the government, but with his lack of political savvy, and the current unrest among Glantri's upper class, he is having a difficult time.

He spends most of his spare time trying to persuade adventurers to search the ruins of Wylon, in the hope of finding some more heirlooms and relics of his father. However, Wylon was known for its trap builders and troubleshooters, and most ruins are still heavily trapped, so Quanil's heroes rarely manage to return with something useful.

The Noble Line of Urbaal

Urbaal b. ? d. 863

Larath, son of Urbaal. b. 836 d. 902

Shabas Urbaal, son of Larath. b. 874 d. 915

Musa Urbaal, son of Shabas. b. 905 d. 976

Emeth Urbaal, son of Musa. b. 946 d. 1006

Yarov Urbaal b. 974 -

Quanil Urbaal b. 988 -

Author: Giampaolo Agosta