Race Prehistories, Human, Elves, Dwarves, Azule, Drow, Ect. Options

[dragon_lord]

Human History, From 0 ALD - the Present

Preamble:
The human lands along with the other sentient races were a part of an empire that stretched across Mythera. The empire was ruled by Limnar and all the regions that it enclosed were held together as one by alliances that were strong enough to overcome racial tensions. During the war with the undead many alliances did not last, as some races that where out the side the area of light cast by the Lightbringers turned on others to escape the hordes of undead. What remained of the alliances would be put to the test when after 20 years the sun finally set and the Long Dark began. And the real assault by the Undead started. Some races stood as one for a time against the undead but many had to return to protect their own lands. All races regardless suffered as the Undead were unstoppable in the never ending darkness.


Nearing the end of the Long Dark all hope had been lost in the land of man. For the undead and Those That are Not Spoken of [read traitors/people who have joined that side of the undead] had spread across the entire world of Mythera. Few places remained free from their terrible destruction, one such place was the last human city; Kio.

In the 99th year of the Long Dark an army of the Dead was closing in on the meager forces that remained of the once noble armies of man. The army had been retreating from a heavy loss at Harra Pass when it arrived at the gates of the last human city, exhausted and broken. The people of the city watched as the wounded and tired soldiers trickled into the city, realizing that the end of their world was at hand. However one man had not given up, he had fought and sacrificed too much to only loose in the end. That man was General Rigat one of the last people alive able to stop the horde of the dead. He would have only days to prepare for the oncoming undead. The soldiers and the people of the city wallowed in despair as General Rigat planned the defense of the city. He would never surrender to the undead forces. As the general tirelessly worked at fortifying the city it sparked a sliver of hope in the soldiers and people of the city that maybe he would be their salvation.

The seemingly never ending dark continued to prevail across the land as the first soldiers of death appeared at the top of Salvation Hill at the front of the city. As people began to panic the general appeared in the centre of the city, ready to lead the people to victory or victory. There could be no other outcome. His speech to the people would provide them with the strength to face death.

The first wave of the undead poured towards the city, but they would not make it within 20 meters of the city's walls before being cut down by an unimaginable hail of arrows. But the hordes of the undead cared not, for they were but a few among thousands. As more and more undead came streaming over Salvation Hill the undead began firing their catapults at the city walls. The fate of man depended on the walls holding. The hordes of the undead were now at the base of the city's walls attempting to place ladders against them. They had to be stopped at all costs; fortunately the general already had a plan to do so.

The city had several secret exits on its sides. 500 hundred men rushed out of them flanking the undead as they bunched up against the city's walls. The undead at those walls would be slaughtered by hails of arrows and the swords of the general�s now veteran soldiers. But the undead still continued to pour over the hill, and now the Death Knights mounted on their steeds of jet black began their charge. The general quickly ordered his soldiers back inside the castle, wishing that his massacred cavalry were still alive. The soldiers knew that if the walls of the city broke they would not stand a chance against the Death Knights. As they watched them charge down the hill towards the city they heard a sound that shattered the heart of every man. It was the sound of a wall collapsing after a direct hit from a catapult. It all seemed over. But as the Death Knights drew closer to the city an event that lives in the memory of all the people of Mythera occurred. It was the Rising of the Sun. Yellow beams of light began stretching out across the land, stopping the charge of the Death Knights. Seizing the moment the general ordered all his troops to charge at the undead, gambling that they would flee now that the Sun had returned. It paid off. As the soldiers of Kio started engaging the undead, the sun reached high enough in the sky to bathe the entire land in warm sun light. The undead shrieked in terror and began retreating back to the shadows. Humanity and the people of Mythera were saved.


0 ALD (After Long Dark)
On the first new day in 100 years the people of Mythera celebrated their victory over the undead. The people of Kio rejoiced as they anointed their new king; General Rigat who had saved them from destruction. There was much work to be done for this new king, the lands that man once held lay in ruin. Their once grand and bustling cities lay silent and decaying. But the new kingdom of Tralon (founded following the victory over the undead) brought with it hope and a new beginning for the people that was sorely needed.

As the people returned to their home towns and cities to try and rebuild their lives they discovered that the alliances between their people and the other races of Mythera that existed before the Long Dark were not as they once were. When the remnants of each of the races of Mythera expanded back out in the lands they once held conflicts flared as the different races claimed ownership over the same land. This situation was not helped by the fact that many races had once fought under the one banner as part of the Limnar Empire but some had to withdraw to protect their own lands. Many saw this as a betrayal. But this betrayal was nothing compared to Those That are Not Spoken of, who joined with the Undead. It is lost to history who exactly these people were, such was their betrayal that all mention of their names was forbidden. However it is commonly thought that it was the Dark Elves that joined with the Undead and that is why they were forced underground. The real truth may never be known.

1 - 2 ALD
What is known is that King Rigat in the years following the Long Dark would ruthlessly hunt down Those That are Not Spoken of. As time went by the hunt for these betrayers would begin to dominate the King�s waking hours as he slowly descended into madness. He terrorized the people as he became paranoid about being surrounded by betrayers. 100s of people were randomly executed. Riots sprung up across the land as the people chanted for the downfall of the King, fueling the King�s paranoia.

When the rioters reached Kio (now the capital) the situation reached boiling point; the King ordered his army to kill all of the rioters. The army commanders refused and the King swung into a blind rage. The rioters stormed the King�s keep and searched for the King, now seeking his head. As the King�s royal guards held the rioters at bay the King committed suicide. He pulled out as his long sword that had cut down many evils of the world; it had one last evil to slay for its master, and drove it through his chest. When the rioters found the King he was laying on his side in a pool of blood. The war against the Undead had taken its last victim, for it was the years spent fighting the Undead that had pushed a once great man over the edge into insanity.

Following the King�s suicide the people appointed a Council of Elders to govern the land. They would be chosen by the people every 15 years. For the next 500 years there was a peace throughout the land, and the people were able to move on and forget about the horrors of the Long Dark. That was until the inevitable happened, the Council became corrupted.

This post has been edited by Sir-Kill: Nov 21 2006, 10:13 AM

[Domi]

On the Gnomes and Halflings of WTP, Hillocky Tract

While writing for Laofeng, a Halfling character, i had to come up with some information on the Halflings of WTP, and since they live in a union with Gnomes, I did a small preliminary write-up on both nations. Obviously, this is very generic, and a developper that decides to create the adventures in that part of the WTP Realm will put his or her own twists on these later on.

0-2001 ALD

Hillocky Tract – a hummocky territory loosely held by Gnome and Halflings clans (the Small folk).

The Isle of Yber - an island off the Northen Coast of the Gnomes and Halflings land, colonized by humans as per their treaty with the Gnomes and Halflings of the Tract in exchange for the military support.

After the clashes with Undead during the Long Dark, Halflings and Gnomes had somewhat separated themselves from the alliance with the dwarves and migrated from the Mountains in the West to the foothills, settling in the territory now called the Hillocky Tract.

The landscape of the land, that had given it its name is undulating to hummocky, with deep river cuts forming the sandy badlands, ending up in the sand dunes by the sea shore. In the summer the inland territory is very hot, in the winters it is frozen solid. The rains form the temporary washes and streams, cutting the formerly stable slopes. The lands were considered unfertile and wasteful, but the two clever nations had found ingenious ways to grow sturdy vegetables, grains, cacti and a few varieties of sheep and goats, even small varieties of cattle.

The sparse forest covers some of the hills, making it a preferable habitat for the Gnomes, while all the hills are perfect for the burrows and complex holes of the Halfling-kind. Due to the climatic conditions and the imminent threat of the attack from all sides the Halflings and Gnomes developed an ingenious defense system that roots in Halflings stealth and Gnome’s illusionary magic.

In the Hillocky Tract anything and anyone can be real or illusory and the only permanent thing is the change.

There are mirage vegetable gardens and fields, dwellings and creatures that would scream and burn and die on the orcish swords, but only a few hills away, the real settlement is hidden under the illusionary coverlet. All these elaborate smoke-screens are erected once the scouts (mostly Halflings) bring the news of the impending raid. The settlements also move often and sometimes a long way away, both to find a new stream and land, and to fool the foes. So, while the raids are common and cruel, the Gnomes and Halflings survive and even strive in the Hillocky Tract.

The Halflings of the WTP are small, fragile and usually have long curly hair, both males and female; The Gnomes have rounded features, with the tell-tale noses starting mid-forehead, above their brow line and culminating in a bulbous ending. Gnomish females do not grow beards or mustaches.

Gnomes and Halflings’ art is mostly embroidery, small wooden and soapstone carvings and oral tradition, the endless tales of the tricksters and smart small folk that defeat monsters by cleverness. Halfling folklore is centered around the characters like Lois, the Foxfoot and Doberra the Smiley, whose mischief was au par only with their heroism. Gnomes’ tales are incredibly complex and windy; the protagonists are never what they seem and have the seven true names each – and a countless amount of shapes, occupations and aliases.

The large parcels of the shore territory is on lease to the humans who had build a few trading colonies there, which serve as an out for Dwarven, Gnomish and Halflings’ goods. The biggest human holding in the Gnomes and Halflings land are on the Isle of Yber, which is predominantly human, since neither Gnomes nor Halflings have love for the sea and sea craft. In exchange for the lands and trade, humans station two Foreign Legions in the city-colonies, that come to the aid of the small folk when the ogres or undead raids become too severe for the magic and stealth to handle.

Halflings and Gnomes rarely intermarry, for such unions are infertile, and both nations have a great love for their families, close and removed. Very few of the small folk leave the Tract, mostly the ones that were uprooted too harshly or had lost nearly everyone they loved.

This post has been edited by Sir-Kill: Aug 30 2006, 01:33 PM