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

[dragon_lord]

The History of Azula (Desert Kingdom).

0 – 50 ALD
After the Undead were beaten back at Kio in the year 0, Generl Rigat was crowned as the King. Many of the humans settled in their own land building the kingdom of Tralon.

A number of warlords, especially the nobility of the destroyed territories, unhappy about the general's election as the High King's, gathered their retinue and formed small groups of raiders.

The Desert of Azula, once a fertile land of fabled riches and magnificent cities turned barren by the Long Dark and the magic of the undead, became their hiding ground and the base of their operations.

2 ALD
During Rigat's madness, the able-bodied people elected to flee to the beys, as the warlords were styling themselves in Azula. Among these refugees came Venecca, a daughter of a significant noble, and the only survivor of her repressed family.

She was powerful in the ways of magic, and earned herself a place in the band of Bey Arman. Later she became his sand wife, sharing the bey with his advisor and lover, a drow man, named Istash'ya. The two plotted to make the Bey the Lord of the Desert, and for this purpose they bought and stole as many magic wielding slaves as they could, creating the greatest Sorcerer Posse since the Long Dark. By that magic they brought back the two mighty rivers - Al'Azula and Ul'Azula from under the sands, where they were driven by the undead, found the lost city of Mangush and, finally achieved their goal.

23 ALD
Bey Arman is pronounced the Bey of all Beys, the Padishah of Azule and since that time his line is ruling over this vast territory. Istash’ya becomes the Great Vizier, and Venecca – Esse’Padishah, the first wife.

487 ADL
The Great Vizier Istash'ya convinces Arman's descendent, Padishah Raul Al’Ahmat to make an alliance with the drow and build a flotilla of ships in their land, bring it to Azula’s southern shore and conquer the independent Isle of Gredan and build his capital and the Padishah's palace there. He creates the Crystal (also known as the Ghost) Bridge that connects the Gredan, now known as Seraglio, to the mainland. The act of creation takes Istash’ya’s life, and he is buried in a luxurious mausoleum on Seraglio.

By that time Azula is powerful enough to contest and threaten Tralion.

500-521 ALD
Civil war in Tralon. Azula annexes borderlands, while Tralon breaks into two Kingdoms.

721 - 726 ALD
The first Desert War (see human history).

1707 - 2000 ALD
The second Desert War. Azula annexes Hibla principality. (see human history).

2001 ALD
At present Azule is a vibrant land, full of opportunity for the strong and peril for the weak.

Anyone can be turned into a slave of the Padishah, if he breaks a law or owes money. The noblemen of the nation are the descendents of the raiders and bandits, yet any crime committed against a free citizen of Azul is punished swiftly and with cruelty. Torture and slow painful executions, such as boiling alive, or breaking every bone in a body are commonplace and viziers of various provinces and cities seemingly compete for the title of the most fierce.

The banks of Al'Azula and Ul'Azula are covered with gardens, and mansions of the nobility, who buy their ranks by unimaginable bribes, which they can only receive back through the taxation of the population.

Magic and sorcerers’ posses are as powerful as Azula’s warriors. The army is divided into two parts: the cavalry, called Spahis, which consists of the nobles and mercenaries who bought their way into the service, and Janissaries – the foot soldiers. Among them the especially praised are the corpses of the eunuch slaves trained from early childhood to be a perfect and completely obedient force.

The country is ruled from the Magnificent Seraglio – an Island-Stronghold dominated by the Padishah’s Palace and Harem. Some say that Seraglio is ruled by women, and indeed the politics is influenced heavily by the concubines close to Padishahs and the Esse’Padishah. No matter how beautiful a woman is, she won’t hold on to her influence if she is not highly skilled in the art of political intrigue and does not have support of the important Viziers.

Seraglio is connected to the mainland by the long bridge, shining like crystal and transparent, which is supported by a thousand arches, glittering in the sky. It is said, that Istash’ya gave the Padishahs of Azula the power to turn the bridge into light, thus severing the link and leaving any invading army to the task of building ships in the desert.

Azule exercise religious tolerance, but Serzon, the God of Sun and Magic is a prevalent deity, with all the other gods finding very little worship.

The main cities of Azule are Buhara, Sara’bach, Dujayura and Akkermen.

In Azule the drow are not only tolerated, but are respected and can be found occupying various important posts. However, the desert climate is adverse for them, and living in Azule shortens their lifespan by 100-150 years. Half-drow are not a rare occurrence in Azule, and they too have a shorter lifespan (100-120 years) than their half-elven counterparts elsewhere and are almost always infertile.

-penned by Domi