Continuity/Elysa, Thorsten, and Borelean

There are details about Elysa Strathelar, Thorsten Cragstone, and Borelean Strathelar that have been somewhat inconsistent over the years. This article will address the following:

• The basic background of Elysa and Thorsten.
• The death of Thorsten, Elysa's pregnancy, Borelean's birth, and how these three elements relate to each other.
• Elysa moving off the mainland to live with Asheron.

Due the the nature of these elements, there will be some overlap between this article and the Olthoi Rebellion.

Overview

Beta / Release

The Microsoft Games article Asheron's Call Historical Archive went into great detail about the Olthoi Rebellion. A nearly identical copy of this appeared in the Asheron's Call: Sybex Official Strategies and Secrets book. The following is a summary of the portions of those texts that relate to this article:

Thorsten Cragstone was a tailor turned warrior. He had escaped the Olthoi prior to Elysa, and had become the leader of his band of nomads. He had no wishes to free the Aluvians, he just wanted to survive.

Elysa Strathelar was born a minor Aluvian noblewoman. She was a slave longer than Thorsten. She eventually escaped and was rescued by Thorsten's band. She was good at deciphering languages, and was able to translate an ancient manuscript which led her to Asheron. In Portal Year 9, on the anniversary of Thorsten's death, Elysa disappeared.

The Asheron's Call manual's The Story of Asheron's Call section and the Zone article Dereth: A Brief History for Travelers both contain the same brief summary of the Olthoi Rebellion:

For many years the humans lived as Olthoi slaves, but a band of rebels—led by the noblewoman Elysa Strathelar and the warrior Thorsten Cragstone—chose to fight. Aided by Asheron's Magic, they slew the Olthoi queen and won freedom, though the fight cost Thorsten his life. Now, ten years later, Elysa has vanished and Asheron's whereabouts are unknown.

The Asheron's Call manual's The Way of Steel section and the Zone article The Way of Steel: Strategy both contain the same information about Thorsten:

Even the legendary Thorsten Cragstone started out not knowing which end of a sword has the point. He learned quickly, however, or he would have met his death much sooner, and we might all still be thralls of the Olthoi.

The text The Underground City describes the discovery of the city in greater detail, as recounted by Elysa:

Olthoi had been tracking the scent of Elysa, Thorsen, and their band of escaped slaves for days. They crossed the river in hopes of confusing the Olthoi. Soon after crossing, Thorsten spotted a portal in the distance. After hours of backtracking to ensure the Olthoi could not follow their trail, all seven of them slipped through the portal, and found themselves on an island in the middle of Lake Blessed, then called Olthoi Lake.

They discovered the underground city, and to their relief it was free of Olthoi. Thorsten declared it to be a new capital for free humans, where they will plot to overthrow the Olthoi. Their numbers slowly grew as they went back to the mainland to search for other escaped slaves.

The text The Days of the Olthoi is authored by a freed slave, and contains many details about the lives of the slaves. After the Olthoi queen was killed, when the author finally made it to the surface, she was met with sunlight on an open, grassy field.

The Quick Reference Card tells us that Thorsten's funeral was held at Chapel Blackspire, a simple outdoor church.

The Zone article Writing Contest Results mentions that Elysa was merely the daughter of a scribe.

Dark Majesty

The AC:DM manual's Long Ago section contain the following summary of the Olthoi Rebellion:

For many years the humans lived as Olthoi slaves, but a band of rebels led by the commoner Elysa Strathelar and the nobleman Thorsten Cragstone rose up to fight. Aided by Asheron's Magic, they slew the Olthoi queen and won freedom, though the fight cost Thorsten his life.

The AC:DM manual's The Tale Thus Far section opens with the following statement:

Eleven years after the Isparians won their freedom from the Olthoi, the skies chilled and the snowline dipped from the peaks of the Lost Wish and Linvak mountain ranges, until the entire island of Dereth was coated in snow.

The AC:DM CD Lore's Ages of the Empyrean contains the following information related to the Olthoi Rebellion:

The year Isparians were delivered from bondage to the Olthoi was, by Yalaini reckoning, ME 579. In the common calendar, this is called Portal Year (P. Y.) 0.

Humans began arriving in Dereth in ME 564.

The One Queen of Dereth was slain by Thorsten Cragstone and Elysa Strathelar in 579. Borelean Strathelar, Prince of New Aluvia, was born the following year.

A month after AC:DM was released, the lore piece The Eyes of a Child was published. It contains the following information related to the Olthoi Rebellion:

Summer had melted into autumn, leaving the days shorter. The boy didn't care, he just wanted to chase the butterflies. Six years old and full of life. Seven years had passed since the Olthoi queen was killed, since Elysa had lost Thorsten, since Borelean had lost his unknown father.

Seven years was not that long after all, and this time of year always came too quickly and too quietly.

"When I knew. . . that I was carrying him, I should have told Thorsten. He should have known that he would have this child. . . but--"

Later Additions

The Thorsten Cragstone's Armor & Axe quest gives us some more information. Elysa Strathelar and Lania Cartoth were childhood friends from Ispar, and for a time they corresponded while on Dereth. The quest involves retrieving letters that Elysa had written to Lania.

The first letter recovered was written only a few days after Thorsten and the Olthoi queen were killed. Elysa wrote that she would not be burying Thorsten's armor and axe with him.

Two letters are recovered next. The first was written some time in the fall or winter, when frost came to the Aluvian lands on Dereth. The other letter was written after Thorsten's tomb had been completed for some time, and the construction of Cragstone was progressing well. In this letter Elysa recalled that she recently had a dream where she saw the ghost of Thorsten standing on the shore of the lake. When she awoke, her feet were muddied.

The two teaser articles for Repercussions give more information. After the Olthoi Rebellion, Elysa was named queen by the freed people. Asheron came to Elysa after Thorsten's death. He provided assistance establishing the city of Cragstone, building Thorsten's tomb, and concealing Thorsten's armor and axe in their hidden resting place. Elysa had left her people to live with Asheron for a period of five years. At the time of the teaser (Leafdawning, 13 PY) Borelean is eleven years old.

An updated copy of A Brief History for Travelers reiterates some basic information: Isparians began arriving over 25 years ago, and were enslaved by the Olthoi. Led by Elysa and Thorsten, the humans fought back against the Olthoi and won. The final battle occurred over 10 years ago. In memory of that victory, the year in which these events occurred is called Portal Year 0.

The series of articles under The History of Auberean provide firm dates for events:

• -15 PY: The portals created by the Sundering appear on Ispar in the Aluvian lands and the first curious humans begin to arrive on Dereth. The Olthoi quickly enslave them.
• -6 PY: Thorsten Cragstone arrives on Dereth.
• -5 PY: Elysa Strathelar arrives on Dereth.
• -4 PY: Thorsten Cragstone escapes and forms a small band of resistance against the Olthoi. Six months later, Elysa escapes and is found by Cragstone and his men.
• -3 PY: Cragstone's forces, pursued by Olthoi, make their way to the Isle of Tears, where they discover the Underground City. This quickly becomes their home and base from which to launch attacks against the Olthoi.
• -1 PY: While exploring ruins near the Underground City, Elysa triggers an Empyrean artifact that brings her to Asheron's notice. Asheron, whose attention has been focused elsewhere, is shocked that intelligent beings have begun appearing on Dereth and transports Elysa into his presence. She tells him what has happened to her people under the dominion of the Olthoi. Asheron provides her with details about the Olthoi's weaknesses, explaining that the scent of the dead Queen will throw the other Olthoi into disarray and leave them mindless.
  
  To help her defeat the Queen, Asheron provides her with an alchemical potion based upon the work of his father. With this potion in hand, Thorsten and Elysa plan their assault on the One Queen.
• 0 PY: Disguising themselves with the scent of a Brood Noble, a small band of warriors led by Thorsten Cragstone and Elysa Strathelar infiltrate the Royal Hive of the One Queen and slay her. In the moments before the Olthoi Queen's death, Thorsten Cragstone is killed. Joyous Aluvians slay the confused Olthoi and declare the founding of a New Aluvia with Elysa Strathelar as their Queen. Construction begins on the town of Cragstone, followed by Holtburg.
• 0 PY: Borelean, son of Thorsten Cragstone and Elysa Strathelar, is born.
• 5 PY: Elysa Strathelar accepts Asheron's offer and lives in his castle off the coast of Eastham, disappearing from the daily life of most Isparians. She still maintains contact with the people of Dereth through her Council.
• 11 PY: (Thistledown) The Shadow forces strike out and destroy the Isparian towns of Tufa and Arwic, but the town of Cragstone is saved by the intervention of Asheron and Queen Elysa

In November 2004's On Bended Knee Letter to the Players, the following message was included:

As you may know, November marks five years of Asheron's Call. As the game started ten years after the defeat of the Olthoi Queen, this marks 15 years of Isparian freedom on Dereth.

The Asheron's Call: Throne of Destiny manual includes another brief summary of the Olthoi Rebellion and Elysa and Thorsten's roles:

This spell had an unintended side effect, however. The Empyreans' flight to safety accidentally summoned many other creatures to Dereth - among them humans. At first the Olthoi enslaved the humans, but a band of rebels, led by noblewoman Elysa Strathelar and the warrior Thorsten Cragstone, chose to fight. Aided by Asheron's magic, they slew the Olthoi queen and won freedom, though it cost Thorsten his life.

The last source of information is the Black Death Catacombs Quiddity Seed Quest. This quest recounts five specific events from the Olthoi Rebellion period:

1. Elysa being rescued by Thorsten and his men.
2. Elysa and Thorsten talking about seeking out Asheron, while they resided in the Underground City.
3. Elysa and Thorsten at Asheron's Castle.
4. Elysa speaking to an assembly of freed people, prior to the assault on the Olthoi Queen's hive.
5. The final battle with the Olthoi Queen.

Important details from this quest that related to this article are: Thorsten Cragstone is illiterate. Thorsten was fine staying in the safety of the Underground City, while Elysa was adamant that they must free their people.