Vaelith the Hollow was head of the Darkmane Family and de facto ruler of the Darkmane Realm from 896 to 938 ACC. He is Sael’s grandfather.
Rise to Power
Vaelith rose to leadership of the family in 896 through a combination of political maneuvering and the particular kind of persuasion that only functions when the people being persuaded want to believe. He was charismatic. He was intelligent. He was, by all accounts of those who knew him before, genuinely capable of leading. He was also, beneath all of it, primarily interested in money — and the Darkmane Realm, with its ancient ruins, its unstable Golem runes, and its impenetrable forest cover, had become increasingly attractive to parties willing to pay for access and discretion.
Over his years of rule, Vaelith allowed various criminal organizations to conduct experiments in the forest, accepting payment in exchange for territory access and silence. These arrangements were kept from other branches of the family. They were profitable, and for a time, contained.
The Betrayal (937 ACC)
In 937 ACC, the Goldhelm Kingdom’s head scientist approached Vaelith with a specific request: access to one of the ancient ruins inside the realm for a particular experiment — and a Darkmane Elf to serve as a subject. The payment offered was significant. Vaelith accepted.
He ordered his men to kidnap Thalrith the Wise — his own brother — and hand him over. They did. Thalrith was taken to the scientist without warning, without explanation, and without any word reaching the rest of the family.
The next night, a scream was heard from inside the Hidden Royal Palace. It came from Luthyrra the Silent, Thalrith’s wife — a woman known for exactly what her name suggests. Before dawn, Thalrith and Luthyrra left their room together. Both of their eyes held a strange purple glow. Neither spoke. They walked into the deep forest and were never seen again. They were the first of the Fallen.
Removal and Aftermath (938–940 ACC)
When the other branches of the Darkmane Family learned what Vaelith had done, they removed him from leadership immediately and with a completeness that left no room for appeal. The family did not survive the fracture that followed. In the years between 938 and 940, the branches turned on each other in a cascading series of recriminations and counter-accusations, each side convinced the others had known or benefited or enabled. By 940 ACC, the unified Darkmane Realm was over. What remained were the scattered warring tribes.
Vaelith survived his removal. Where he went and how he died — or whether he died — is not recorded.