Overdain is a town in the country of Nareikk. It features briefly, and is mentioned several times thereafter, in the book Violet Sword Blade.
Pronunciation[]
Overdain is, according to Violet Sword Blade's pronunciation guide, pronounced either oʊbərdeɪn or oʊvərdeɪn, claiming the former being a "regional" pronunciation. It is possible that locals of Overdain call it oʊbərdeɪn and the rest of the populace call it oʊvərdeɪn, but it is never expanded upon further in the book.
Layout[]
Perhaps surprisingly for a town in its position, Overdain is a hive of activity. It is the largest town west of the River Sormaros, a fast-flowing and deep river which separates Western Nareikk from the densely populated central section of the country. Visitors from all around the sparse countryside of the west frequent Overdain, which is particularly notable for its market and district of shops and stores. Trade links with Overdain are open from a wide spectrum, such as the trading-triangle of Hanasae, Toriba and Marann, the hamlet of Sornbridge, which trades its valuable ores with Overdain for supplies, Brimsail, whose exotic imports are greatly desired in the bleak western country, and even Jadina, home to the Kazdriel, who frequently trade in raw materials and weaponry.
Features[]
Overdain is a large town which supports a population of around three thousand. Its residential area, while not even coming close to the size of the town's commercial sectors, are spacious, and the town has a surplus of inns and hotels often used by commuters who come to Overdain from outlying villages to work or for pleasure.
In Violet Sword Blade[]
During the first book of the Untaer Archives, the protagonist, Mazzek Rettensauth, visits Overdain in Chapter II of the book, which is called "Overdain" itself. He is led there by scouts of the Army of Nareikk from his village, Hanasae, destroyed by Danethan and Cantharan forces in late 1245 (AoW). Mazzek stayed in the town for two nights, where he slept rough in an alley on the first night, and on the second evening, found his way to an unnamed tavern and met Racen, Derrassa and Oscrael of the Kazdriel, who led him then to Jadina where he joined the Kazdriel and took part in the Battle of Brimsail, Battle of Jadina, and went on to become part of and eventually lead the Xianorus Campaign.
Occupation[]
On the 17th of December 1245, Overdain was attacked by the Danethan Military, following the sacking of the trading triangle in the west of the country. The attack, launched from the Narzama Mountains, was extremely unanticipated by the forces of Nareikk, and this was thanks, in part, to Mazzek Rettensauth who, when he survived the raid on Hanasae, was picked up by several scouts who were returning to Overdain from a mission, hoping to warn the town of the impending attack. However, with Mazzek, a wounded, unarmed civilian with them, they were slowed significantly, and it is thought that this may have been a factor in Overdain's falling prey to the Danethans. On the other hand, some believe that an extra day or two of warning would have had little, if any, effect, and that the town would have fallen anyway.
After the Liberation of Brimsail on the 6th of January 1246, the Kazdriel, who seemed the most likely of saviours for the town, emptied from Jadina to join Captain Xianorus on his campaign into Danetha, and the Occupation of Overdain went on for nearly eight months. In August of that year, however, Councillor Rathéra, head of the Council of Avaritum, organised a counter attack and liberated the town, the Danethans fleeing without too much of a fight.