Great Voyage

The Great Voyage was a journey undertaken in MS 3433 by the Sommlending of Tay Solobo to the continent of Northern Magnamund, at the urging of Kai and Ishir, to fight the Darklords. The Voyage was an arduous one, with many fights against nature and evil, but the Sommlending succeeded, eventually establishing the country of Sommerlund, and driving the Darklords back beyond the Durncrag Mountains.

Background

The Sommlending were a race of people who lived on the archipelago of Tay Solobo, far away from Northern and Southern Magnamund. The Sommlending were not a united people, with many rivalries between the chieftains, although they had one common foe in the Grûma, who lived on the Grûma Eÿin (Shadow Isles) of Tay Solobo.

Kai and Ishir had plans for the Sommlending. Kai appeared to Hetmarn Skarn, a veteran of the battles of Tay Solobo, and bestowed wisdom and charisma upon him, instructing him to unite all the tribes, in anticipation of a great voyage to fight a great evil. In MS 3281, Hetmarn Skarn did so, becoming the first King of the Sommlending of Tay Solobo.

In Northern Magnamund, the Darklands were in the ascendancy, undefeated in battle. Blessed by Naar and immune to normal weapons (and indeed, most magical weapons), the Darklords of the Darklands, together with their Drakkarim allies, conquered swathes of Northern Magnamund, and eventually turned their eyes to what would later become Sommerlund. Between MS 3100 and MS 3400, the Darklords, led by Archlord Vashna, destroyed the Nebora and Dwarven settlements in the Durncrag Mountains, causing the extinction of the former. The Darklands continued east, corrupting the land, and constructing the fortress of Dejgazad (slightly west of the future location of Holmgard). Vashna called this land Dejadar, the latest province of the Darklands. Vashna's goal was to eventually summon a dark ritual that would cause a huge earthquake in the Durncrag Range, parallel to the Maakengorge, creating another scar in the land that the Nengud-kor-Adez could flow through, turning the land into an extension of the Darklands.

Sailing to Northern Magnamund

Hetman Skarn brought his people together, and he was an uncontested king. The Sommlending became stronger over time, including during the reigns of his successors, Kings Tor I and Tor II. During the reign of Tor II's successor, King Kian, Ishir appeared before the Sommlending and blessed them with health and intelligence. This allowed the Sommlending to improve the construction of their ships, building the Sommerships, made of oak from Ekin Islöifr. These ships were extremely sturdy, built for long journeys by sea but also navigate shallow waters as required.

In MS 3433, Kai and Ishir compelled the Sommlending to embark on their journey, the Great Voyage across the Northern Void, a journey none had completed before, and one purely taken on the basis of their faith to their gods. The voyage, however, was far from smooth. They came under attack by the Grûma and ancient leviathans, and Naar conjured up supernatural storms to prevent their attack, fearing their potential. Some Sommlending wished to return, but chose not to as it would have been disrespectful to the gods. Ishir blessed the Sommlending further during the Great Voyage, giving them further fortitude and intelligence, and giving them the basic knowledge of Left-Handed Magic, and whose early practitioners became the basis of the future Brotherhood of the Crystal Star. Kai also blessed the Sommlending, bestowing the Sommerswerd upon King Kian, one of the few weapons that could kill a Darklord. He also gave several warriors extraordinary skills of mind and body, which would later form the basis of the Kai Disciplines.

In the end, all the Sommlending survived the journey. In MS 3434, they landed in Anskaven Bay, and formed their first settlement, Anskaven, meaning "Our Harbour" in Old Sommlending. They soon encountered an army of Giaks and Doomwolves, inflicting the first defeat upon the Darklords.

Legacy

The Sommlending went on to reconquer Dejadar for the forces of Light, driving the Darklords and their allies back beyond the Durncrag Mountains, sparking a hated rivalry between the two. The Sommlending eventually constituted their reconquered lands as the country of Sommerlund, becoming one of the strongest countries in Northern Magnamund, and a key ally in the fight against the forces of Darkness. The blessings of Ishir and Kai later formed the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star and the Order of the Kai, bolstering the power of Light even further.

Archlord Vashna swore vengeance for the defeat, later inflicting the Helghast Wars upon Sommerlund, causing chaos. In MS 3785, he declared the War of the Black Muster upon Sommerlund, attempting to destroy it once and for all, but was defeated in the Battles of Moytura Pass and Maakengorge, where his body and spirit were cast into the Maakengorge, but unbroken, allowing for attempts by his cult to bring him back.

"A New Age of War has begun."
This section contains spoilers for Light of the Kai.

The Grûma did not follow the Sommlending to Northern Magnamund, initially. In MS 5103, during the New Age of War, they invaded and conquered the Lakuri Islands on the side of Darkness, and fought various battles against the forces of Sommerlund, Durenor, Cloeasia, and Vassagonia, as well as Kasland on the western side of Southern Magnamund.

Sources

• Dever, Joe [2017]. The Realm of Sommerlund. Cubicle 7, pp. 10–11.