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

The Way of Steel:

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.

Writing Contest Results:

Elysa Strathelar, the expatriate ruler of the Aluvians in Dereth and slayer of the One Queen, was merely the daughter of a scribe.

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