CISLUNAR DHASANT: THE CITY OF GARGOYLES
A BRIEF HISTORY OF PERSIFAL
Nobody knows where Persifal came from, or what she did before she arrived in Cislunar, or even whether or not she ever had another name. She was a regal-looking human woman, about six feet tall, with long black hair caught back in complex braids bound with talismans and carved jewels. Not beautiful in the traditional sense of the word, she was instead striking, with strong features and a muscular build. She favored the clothing of Spir, loose black pants stuffed into soft leather boots, a black tunic of a mannish cut tucked into her pants and heavily embroidered with gold thread in arcane symbols, and a long black kaffiyeh wound loosely around her neck and shoulders. Her statue stands in several places in the city, erected long after her disappearance ÷ the most famous statue is that which stands in the Great Atrium of Stonepaen Castle.
Persifal was one of the first colonists to settle Galicie, and Cislunar is largely acknowledged to be the result of her personal vision ÷ a powerful wizard even then, she was instrumental in raising the walls, shaping the buildings and carving out the city's foundations around the base of Cislunar Peak. The first incarnation of the city, almost entirely created by her sorcery, was finished in DR 476.
Whether Persifal knew when she came to Galicie that an enclave of ancient evil dwelt in a cold stone city to the north, or whether she discovered it after founding Cislunar, it is clear that Persifal soon became obsessed by the Sacrament Sanguis. Despite her taste for the dark and gothic, Persifal was a devout follower of Bel, Sword of the Sun, Shadow Bane. She led several raids into Oporphyr, the Sacrament Sanguis' stronghold, and succeeded in destoying much of their power. Among her lasting triumphs was the liberation of the gargoyles who had been created as the Sacrament's minions, gargoyles who eventually came to Cislunar to live free.
Persifal continued to strengthen Cislunar, establishing many of the customs still observed in the city today ÷ such as keeping the city gates closed during all hours of darkness, requiring a Vigil whenever a person dies, and hanging a mirror next to the front and back doors of a house or other establishment. It was she who shaped the Guardians, great gargoyle statues that animate to protect the city whenever it is under attack, and it is rumored that she built even more magical defenses into the city, that lie hidden and dormant until needed.
Persifal also built a refuge beneath the city for those darkspawn who fled from the Sacrament Sanguis and sought protection in Cislunar. This work began to fascinate her, and she constructed many other underground strongholds, places where she imagined Cislunarites could retreat should they ever come under attack, or places where they could store food and supplies in case of seige. Finally, she began her greatest project, the creation of The School of Redeemers, warrior-mages devoted to killing or redeeming the undead and their minions.
Alas, her project was not yet complete when she vanished in DR 501. Many of the deeper parts of Cislunar's labyrinthine foundation have become inaccessible, and most citizens have forgotten they ever existed. Despite attempts to locate her, Persifal was never found again, and most historians assume she was eventually captured and destroyed by the Sacrament Sanguis.
Read Cedric's Journal about Persifal's "death"
Read Gule's Notes about Persifal's magical project
Read a guard's letter about the destruction of Persifal's tower
