Palancar Crisis

The Palancar Crisis was the name given to the conflict between the Human King Palancar and the Dragon Riders.

Origin

When the humans arrived in Alagaësia in 7203 A.C., they roamed far and wide, seeking a suitable place to live. They eventually settled in Palancar Valley, though it was not called such then. It was picked because it was one of the few defendable locations the Elves and the Dwarves had not claimed. There the King, Palancar, begin to build a mighty state.

In an attempt to expand his borders, King Palancar declared war against the elves, though they had offered no provocation. Three times King Palancar attacked and three times the elves proved themselves to be far superior to the human military. The elven strength frightened Palancar's arisocrats and they pleaded with their liege for peace, but he ignored their counsel. Then the lords of Palancar approached the elves with a treaty, which they signed without his knowledge. With the help of the elves and the Dragon Riders, the lords usurped and banished the demented Palancar, who was eventually murdered by a son who refused to wait for him to die.

The result

The Riders constructed a tower atop the mountain known as Edoc'sil in order to watch Palancar and ensure he never rose to domination again. After Vrael's death, the peasants named the mountain Utgard. However, the last of the Riders before the Fall called the mountain and the watching tower Ristvak'baen. The elves also adopted the name Ristvak'baen, as evidenced in the chapter "Arrow to the Heart" when Lifaen tells the story of the Crisis and its results to Eragon.

It was also this event that convinced the head Rider, Anurin, to allow humans to become Riders in order to prevent similar disputes. This led to an incident between Anurin and Queen Dellanir in which the Riders were banished from Du Weldenvarden, becoming an independent entity in their city of Doru Araeba on Vroengard.