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]

500 ALD
500 years after the Long Dark the 7 members of the council had become corrupted by power and the desire for wealth, things that have corrupted the hearts of men since the beginning of time. The 7 members; Jeril, Utor, Bearanan, Leeto, Werik, Brela, and Gablan all had deals with both evil organizations such as Thoularc [Thieves/pirates] and most shockingly of all the Desert Kingdom; Tralon’s sworn enemy (Tralon being the name of the Human Kingdom). This betrayal of the people finally broke when a council worker overheard a secret meeting between council members Jeril and Leeto discussing how they were going to smuggle the Kingdom’s defense plans to the Desert Kingdom without being caught. When news of this reached the people there was an instant rebellion, the worst crime imaginable is the betrayal of ones kingdom to the enemy. Council members Jeril, Bearanan,Werik and Brela were all killed by mobs but Utor, Leeto and Gablan disappeared and were never seen again. Many suspect they fled to the Desert Kingdom.

With the council gone there was a power vacuum and chaos spread across the land as law and order fell apart. During this chaos two generals rose up to take control, General Ila leading the armies of the South and General Sovar leading the armies of the North. Both men raced from their garrison cities towards the Capital; Kio. General Ila reached the Capital first and proclaimed himself King of Tralon. General Sovar would not accept this and so a bloody civil war began that would last for 20 years.

501 ALD
The first battle of the civil war was General Sovar’s assault on Kio. It began eerily similarly to that of the Undead’s attack on the city during the Long Dark. With the first site of the enemy appearing atop Salvation Hill. However this time the attack was a surprise, and caught General Ila off guard. He scrambled his troops to defend the cities walls but by the time they were in position General Sovar’s troops he already reached the base of the cities walls. A desperate battle ensued as General Sovar’s troops scrambled up the walls and General Ila’s troops barely holding on. But the damage was done, General Sovar’s men over ran the walls and General Ila was forced to retreat from the city. Taking advantage of this retreat General Sovar chased after General Ila’s army and hounded it with his cavalry. General Sovar didn’t let up until General Ila’s army reached the city of Tami. There General Ila had but days before General Sovar would begin his assault. Realizing this General Ila retreated further south to the city of Elista giving him time to prepare.

521 ALD
For the next 20 years many men would die in the fields between Elista and Tami, with both cities changing hands only to be retaken. The war only ended when both sides, tired of battle, signed a treaty dividing the Kingdom of Tralon into two new kingdoms; the Southern Kingdom of Rarbam (with Elista as its capital) and the Northern Kingdom of Gelen (with Kio as its capital).

721 ALD
For the next 200 years there was an uneasy peace between the two kingdoms. Until once more war broke out between the two Kingdoms, however this war was caused by manipulation from the Desert Kingdom. Saboteurs and spies had infiltrated both the courts of the two kingdoms, spreading paranoia that Rarbam or Gelen were preparing to invade. The war only lasted one year before both kingdoms realized the deception, but by this time it was too late.

721 - 726 ALD
The Desert Kingdom had been planning to get both the kingdoms to fight so that they would be able to launch a surprise attack on the human lands, invading Gelen first. Their attack was a complete success, within three weeks they had managed to make it all the way to the city of Julac – only a few days travel from Kio. On their own both Rarbam and Gelen would fall to the Desert Kingdom’s armies, only fighting together under the one banner would they be able to repel The Desert Kingdom. On the fifth week of the First Desert War (as it would later be called) both the armies of Rarbam and Gelen linked up on the fields in front of Julac. Both were determined to destroy these invaders who had attacked their land. It would be a bloody fight that would last 5 years before the last soldier of the Desert Kingdom had been killed or had fled back to his homeland.

826 ALD
After the First Desert War the people of both Rarbam and Gelen realized how strong they were when united and many longed for the return of single united kingdom; the return of Tralon. It would not be so for 100 years, during which the kingdoms of Rarbam and Gelen become friends and a peace lasted between them. Tralon would at last be reborn following the death of King Pergan. King Pergan had ruled the Kingdom of Rarbam for 50 years but had not sired any offspring, leaving the Kingdom with no line of succession. Such an event can cause a civil war with rival relatives claiming the right of succession. Indeed it nearly did with two separate princes claiming the right to be king, both with the power to start a civil war. Upon hearing this King Wilkan of the Gelen Kingdom traveled to Elista, the capital of Rarbam. There he offered the people of Rarbam a deal that would avoid a civil war; to do away with the two separate kingdoms of Gelen and Rarbam and see the return of one united kingdom, Tralon. Amazingly the people accepted and the kingdom of Tralon was reborn. It was a bloodless coup, something that will probably never be seen again given humanities violent past.

826 - 1707ALD
For the next 881 years the kingdom of Tralon grew and prospered. Many kings both great and weak saw the Kingdom through a peaceful time where its people were happy and able to live their lives in peace. This long period of peace was shattered with the Second Desert War some 293 years ago.

This post has been edited by dragon_lord: Sep 30 2004, 12:08 PM

[dragon_lord]

1707 - 2000 ALD (the present)
The Second Desert War began with the invasion at Hibla by the Desert Kingdom. The attack come without warning, however it was not to be unexpected as the Desert Kingdom has always wanted the rich gold fields near Julac. Hibla being the perfect place to stage an attack on Julac, with only one weeks travel separating the two. The Second Desert War would last 15 years with neither side able to gain any ground. However no peace treaty has ever been signed, an unofficial truce somewhat ended the war with both sides exhausted from 15 years of constant fighting. Hibla remains in the Desert Kingdom’s hands even to this very day, no campaign since the war started 293 years ago has ever managed to break the Desert Kingdom’s grasp on it. Every now and then a new campaign is started to try and get Hibla back, often when a new King is crowned and wants to prove himself to the people. Why there is even a call for soldiers right now by King Troe for the next campaign to get Hibla back.

This post has been edited by dragon_lord: Nov 13 2004, 02:23 PM

[dragon_lord]

The cities mentioned in the history as shown on the World Map:


*For the question mark city it hasnt been decided whether it is human or elf (since its on the border)


*Undefined is a city that is yet to be decided on, it may be left for later plugin Mods to create.


Human Cities:
Kio (Capital)
Elista
Tami
Julac
Nilarc
Hibla (in Azula hands - Desert Kingdom)

This post has been edited by Sir-Kill: Aug 30 2006, 01:39 PM

[Awake]

ELVEN HISTORY

2000 BLD
The elves of Terranor came to Mythera 2000 BLD (Before Long Dark) and were the first humanoid race to come to this New World, which the Elves named, and still refer to it by, Lengwe Seragon (New World). The elves spent the years before any contact with other races by ridding their lands of less desirable races such as gibberlings, spiders, carrion crawlers, and other such species. One race that they did leave alone was the wolf. The elves of Terranor had a tendency to bring the wolves into their homes and make them their own. The elves respected the wolves for their unity when in battles. They also considered them to be of a noble nature. This is why the highest-ranking officers in the elven army are named the Moon Wolves, or Lyalis Mitore in elf. The elven warriors of Terranor were of a rare nature. They would stand their ground in the face of any demon and laugh. They did not always win these battles with demons, but they never back down
from a fight.

1500 BLD
In 1500 BLD the next species came to Mythera. This species was the dwarf. At first the two races were very comfortable with each other and spent a lot of time with each other. The elves and dwarves would hunt with each other. Soon though, the dwarves and elves became started becoming less and less friendly with each other since they saw each other a lot less. This was the time that the dwarves decided to go underground. The elves were unsettled by this, but were of a more understanding nature back then and wished the dwarves good health. The dwarves still ventured to the city every now and then for supplies, but not nearly as much as they do now.

1258 BLD
In 1258 BLD another race came to this still new world. The elves considered these humans to be foolish. The humans at first violently refused any help from the elves, but a few weeks later they pleaded for forgiveness and help. The elves laughed, but kind in their nature, still helped the humans. The elves later saw that the humans were not as foolish as they had first judged. Once the elves helped the humans rid their area of creatures and demons the humans soon started to prosper greatly. The elves then took their leave of the humans and went back to their own business of battling demons and creatures. The elves and humans remained on somewhat short terms for a few hundred years, until the halflings came along. The humans did not know that the dwarves even existed for a few years, until a dwarf came to them asking for supplies.

800 BLD
This was the time that the halflings and gnomes came to Mythera. Finally the elves and humans spoke to each other again. They would spend hours laughing at these two new races, yet always in good heart. The elves became much more comfortable with these races, more then they had been with the dwarves. The halflings were of such a happy race, always seeing the brighter side of things. Unfortunately, the gnomes did not seem to have this characteristic, and disliked the elves. The elves and the humans helped these two races clear out their country. The elves and halflings spent much time with each other.

250 BLD
The elves finally met a race that they could NOT get along with. The Yuanti. The Yuanti were despicable monsters that were entirely greedy and attempted to kill the elves or most other races on site. The only race they seemed to get along with was their own. The Yuanti vanished only weeks after they came. And that is all of the history that the Elves will speak of concerning them.

0-99 LD
The time of the Long Dark had started. Undead were sprouting all over the place. The elves were lucky, considering very few of them die. The elves were greatly angered by the fact that their dead would rise against them. This was a turning point for the elves, and lost much of their sense of lawfulness. They became much more chaotic then they had ever been before. They had little respect for anyone, the only thing on their minds were death. They spent almost all of their time hunting down the undead. The humans and the elves bonded with each other, and started hunting down all of the undead they could find. This was not difficult because the undead found them most of the time. The elves, humans, and dwarves joined together to battle this great menace. The gnomes and
halflings were also protected by a group of elves. Throughout the year�s humans, dwarves, and elves died side by side in battle. No one was dying of old age in this time. When the humans were down to one last city many of the elves (liking the humans at this time, having battled together) joined the humans in a battle against the undead. Most others were off defending their home city. An elven general, rank Lyalis Mitore, was leading the home battle. The undead had all types of ways they were attacking the city. They were attempting to dig into the city, some were trying to burn their way into the city, while a few were even flying into the city on the backs of wyverns and small dragons. The general, �rturis Gysse'Mitore, was standing atop the palace when a wyvern flew too close to him. �rturis ran and jumped on top of the wyvern, slaying the undead archers who were riding on it. The wyvern was not interested in following Arturo�s commands, and attempted to fling him off of it's back. �rturis had no fear of death though, and stabbed the wyvern over and over until it was dying. The wyvern started plummeting to the earth, but slowed down just in time at the end. The wyvern crashed into the ground in the middle of the undead army. �rturis grabbed up his sword from where it had landed and lopped off the wyvern's head before it could do the same to him. Immediately he started to battle with the surrounding undead. Somehow he managed to make it back to the cities walls and gained entrance by climbing up the wall in a way that only a skilled elf can do. The elves then continued fighting with a boosted morale, most of them having seen him crash into the ground and then come back. Arrows were flying continuously at the undead, slaying hundreds of them at a time. Still, the undead would not relent. Right when the undead were about to breach the well made gates (which were made by the dwarves), something happened. Something that was so great, that even the elves still speak of the time they saw it. The sun had started to rise. As soon as the rays hit the enemy army, screams that would haunt lesser people for all their lives went up. �rturis ordered an all out attack on the undead. The elves dropped their bows and jumped to the ground. The fields were strewn with the bodies of undead. The elves had won this battle. Later on that day the elves decided to crown �rturis as the rightful ruler of that city, and his descendents have been in control of the city ever since.

1-2 ALD
During this time the elves minded their own business and ignored the problems with the human kingdom, but accepted the human refugees.

3-2000 ALD
Throughout all these years the elves had very few notable events. There were a few epic battles with demons and the sort. Also, most of the humans had left the city. The humans tried going back to their own city, but they were denied because the humans were suspicious of the elves, who could not care less about what the humans were doing.

This post has been edited by Sir-Kill: Nov 21 2006, 10:14 AM

[Ragnar]

Dwarven History, From 1500 BLD - the Present
1500 BLD
The dwarven race had now appeared upon the face of Mythera. They were shortly greeted with open arms by the elven race and soon a friendship was formed. With the aid of the elves the dwarves claimed a piece of this world as their own and soon built settlements to live there and shortly after created a effective trading route with the elves to trade goods and supplies. It was not long until the Dwarves noticed minerals that lay underground and where dazzled by its beauty, metals that where woven through the walls as if it where some part of great tapestry of the earth, gems that glittered and created rays of brilliance from the sunlight. The Dwarves craved for this perfection and wished more, so slowly over time the Dwarves contacted the Elves less and less until only those with the trading caravans spoke with the Elves.

1258 BLD
The Dwarves soon began to prosper and built great halls from the stone that was mined from the ground. The Dwarves looked out from their own boarders and saw that a new race had come upon the world without them noticing. These were the Humans and they wished to learn more of them and so sent they a Dwarf to trade with them but unknown to the Humans this was a member of the Stonesmelter clan. This dwarf looked at the way the Humans made their walls and protected their city and saw that the humans wouldn’t be a threat.

1000 BLD
The mines that were inside Fort Unity had finally run out of their precious metals and gems, what had caused the Dwarves to begin mining had now disappeared so with heavy hearts those Dwarves still living there moved to the Dwarven kingdom and left Fort Unity abandoned.

800 BLD
Halflings and Gnomes arrived to Mythera but this time the Dwarves were alert to this, once more they sent out a dwarf of the Stonesmelter family to see if they would be hostile or not. They soon found the Halflings too optimistic for their liking but found the Gnomes much more agreeable. With the help of a Gnome, a member of the Earthbeard family created 'Tegnok's Triangle', which would soon be a well used trading route between Humans, Dwarves and Gnomes. The Elves had no need of goods from the other races as the forest provided what they needed and the Gnomes dealt with the supply of goods for both them and the Halflings.

250 BLD
A new race appeared on Mythera but this time the Dwarves were not caught unprepared and so they sent the Deathfist clan to see if these creatures would be a threat, this would be the first time that it would be true. When the clan arrived at the land the Yaunti had control over a battle quickly began, within one week an entire clan had been wiped out. Once the Dwarves found out about this they soon began a campaign to avenge their fallen brethren, but during this Kultan would deal them a cruel hand.....

0-99 LD
The Undead were swift in their attack and gave no quarter, the Dwarves were unprepared for such an assault and were pushed back into their halls but the undead would not stop there, for soon the Dwarves would have to flee from there also. The Dwarves soon found sanctuary in the Halflings homeland and repaid them by building their defences as the Dwarves had lost many of their clans from the campaign against the Yaunti and the undead assault. Those clans that could not make it joined with the Humans and the Elves against the Undead, they were lead by Thalkar Beamblade. The war lasted seemed to last an age and no Dwarf was spared it's wrath Thalkar led many charges against the Undead and never knew defeat but the Undead never tired and easily repelled all of their attacks, until Thalkar had to make the decision of making one last desperate attack upon the undead as his troops began to feel the fatigue of losing countless battles. This would turn out to be a mistake as the undead had prepared themselves for this and ambushed the army, the battle seemed hopeless and Thalkar fell to his knees and shouted a prayer to Sargana for victory. Perhaps she had heard this as once the prayer left his lips the sun rose in all its majesty and it created a shriek of pain from the undead, the Dwarves felt revitalised and charged the undead with the few soldiers that were left. Thalkar went into a battle frenzy as his heart beat quicker to the victory at hand and he chased the general of this army that had been sent to kill the Dwarves but it was a foolish move as this general and a part of the undead army retreated into the mines. None of the Dwarves know what the fate of Thalkar was, some saw that in the darkness Sargana had got her payment for the victory she handed Thalkar.

0-2 ALD
This was a trying time for the Dwarves, for they had much work to do with rebuilding their homes and making order with all the clans once more, the Stonesmelter clan formed the other clans into an efficient workforce. For 2 years the Dwarven clans worked together to rebuild their homes and their mines, which were rumoured to have some of the Undead army haunting them although there were no sightings of them.

3-500 ALD
During these times those few clans that still had a battle lust because of the war needed to fight again and saw a perfect opportunity. They soon began accusing the Half-elves that lived there of stealing their homes and that it was theirs by right, the Half-elves simply replied that the Dwarves abandoned it and so they lost rights to it years ago. The arguments soon got heated and war was almost declared until the Stonesmelter clan (who had become the leading clan due to their work) put a stop to it. Those Dwarves that were eager for a fight were very bitter and ended up leaving the Dwarven Kingdom, saying they would get their ancient fort back.

501-2000 ALD
There was very little activity during this time for the Dwarves, they rebuilt the roads (with help from the Gnomes again) so trade could begin anew and returned to their mining, also the leading clan would change as it always has.

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

[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

[Sir-Kill]

Drow History

circa 1500 BLD

It is not known whether the Drow arose as a separate offshoot of the Elven peoples or if they arrived to Mythera independently. Drow histories are a closely guarded secret of each separate Clan and a Clan will kill before allowing an outsider to view these. That being said from 1500 BLD onwards Drow have been noted in the literature of the other races of Mythera. Living primarily underground they had little contact with other races and seemed content to keep it that way.

800 BLD

Drow Clans first set about creating outposts above ground in the South West of the main continental mass. Owing to their ability and preference for living underground quite successfully, it is at this time that Drow culture flourishes beneath the surface of most nations of Mythera. The only exception being the Elven Forests which will suffer no enclave beneath its magical roots. This might be the beginning of the long standing rivalry between the Drow and Elven cultures. Despite this the Drow trade openly above ground with most of the peoples of Mythera and are accepted as part of the Empire if not strictly under its rule. It is learned that Drow culture is primarily Matriarchal.

100 BLD

Drow trade stops abruptly for apparently no reason. Attempts by merchants to contact previously eager Drow traders results in severe ejection from underground meeting places. All forays by the curious or well meaning into known Drow entrances do not reappear, their fate unknown.

0-99 LD

It is unknown for certain if the Drow were in league with the Undead forces that overran much of Mythera during the Long Dark. What is known is that few, if any Drow joined forces with those opposing the Undead. It is at this time that all Drow become feared and hated as all surface races turn their backs and forcibly eject any Drow appearing within their borders. It can be surmised however from current Drow activity that the race must have suffered heavy casualties over the course of the Long Dark due to their current operational zone and limited sphere of influence in the South East of the main continent. Drow culture begins to move away from a Matriarchal footing, possibly as a side effect of large loss of numbers during the Long Dark.

100 ALD

Drow denizens preferring to live on the surface or outside of the control of individual Clans become increasingly numerous in the Desert Kingdoms to the west of Drow occupied territory.

200 - 300 ALD

Drow interbreeding with other races (primarily humans) becomes more frequent in the Desert Kingdoms and is almost unheard of elsewhere.

487 ALD

The Drow form an alliance with Padishah Raul Al’Ahmat to take the Desert Kingdom for the Padishah, allowing him to build an invasion fleet on their shores. Politically motivated the Drow seek to secure their western border. Drow surface outposts develop into proper towns in Drow occupied territory. All nations recognise the Drow nation and advise their peoples not to travel openly there.

500 - 700 ALD

Drow influence in the Desert Kingdom grows. Drow are openly welcomed and respected in Desert communities. In the Drow nation, the newly developing surface cities are controlled equally by Clan Matricarch or Patriarchs. Succesive leaders are chosen by ability as much as inheritance.

700 - 800 ALD

Massive Drow incursions into the Elven Forests on their Eastern border are repulsed
by Elven forces. The Elven King sends word that his borders are sacrosanct and that any and all trespassers not requesting entry will be met with deadly force. Drow forces begin raiding human farming communities on their Northern border which exist well outside the safety of Elven patrols.

1000 - 1500 ALD

Drow raiding party's begin to meet organised resistance in the North. It is at this time that Drow seamen set out to expand their borders and outposts of Drow culture are noted on most large island groups, primarily underground. Size, strength and number of enclaves unknown.

1650 ALD

A large Drow force is raised to quell the resistance of the previously weak farming communities to the North. Drow forces are pushed back with heavy losses by human soldiers wearing black and red colours, supported by Elven knights out of the Kings Forest.

1700 ALD

Drow raids on the North cease as the border is fortified and manned seasonally by the standing army of the new independant city state of Amerlaine.

1700 - 2000 ALD

Drow raids on Amerlaine become infrequent, as if they seek only to test the border's integrity. Recently, activity along the border has become more pronounced and aggresive confrontation grows more likely with each month. Drow pirates and trading vessels begin to appear on the oceans of Mythera with more frequency. Strangely Drow pirates will prey on their own traders as often as on trading vessels of other races. Drow traders are accepted at most ports even if not completely trusted.

This post has been edited by Sir-Kill: Aug 30 2006, 01:35 PM