The Last Five Years

By Tormir Sorion, Archmage of Tellania

I feel it necessary to record the events of late, for I have learned by the example of previous civilizations. If one does not make a record of a nation’s history, it will most certainly be forgotten, as we can see from the society that occupied this continent before we did. As well, I record these events with some urgency, as once again, we are faced with a catastrophe that threatens to commit our society to said history.

Although the heroes succeeded in destroying the Black Citadel as it ravaged our Northeastern provinces, the damage was already done. The cities in the area were wiped from the face of the earth, and most of the soldiers sent in to stop the menace were killed. Most unfortunate, was the near loss of the Order of the Paladin, of which only a handful of holy warriors remained. Thus, to use a metaphor, our nation’s open wound was ripe for infection.

In the year 523, it was not more two weeks after our nations newest heroes destroyed Trancissus the Lich, and stopped his deadly scheme to ascend to godhood, that the call to arms was heard again. An army of the Theocracy of Feranos had landed on our soil, and was laying siege to Vakar and Tolikir, and had eradicated the surrounding villages. We were completely unprepared for this invasion. The wounded from the previous battles with the Trancissus’ Undead Legions were still in their infirmary beds, and those luck enough to emerge unscathed were on their way home to their families. Both cities fell within a year, and the invading army marched south and east.

The Ferani southern army consumed Koresh easily, but was held back at Volak for a time. However, their army was aided at Volak by a mighty fleet of siege ships, and soon that city fell. Their advance was finally halted at Harek, for now the King able to gather enough men to hold the city. The eastbound Ferani army had reached Zan, and was held back there, for Alexander himself had arrived at his hometown to defend it. Unfortunately, even the boost to our soldier’s morale that he provided and his presence on the battlefield was not enough to hold the hordes of Feranos back. On the eve of Tellan’s Day in 525, Zan fell, and Alexander, hero of the realm, was slain.

His sacrifice was not in vain, for he allowed for the escape of the hundreds of refugees that were seeking shelter from the war in Zan. His heroic companions, Simone and Raiya, led them to Doma, and safety. Eventually, Doma also fell under siege, but its defenses held. Sadly though, while defending the high walls, Raiya was struck by the shot of a Ferani catapult. Though the shot merely grazed her, she was thrown from atop the wall, and was crippled. After taking her to rest, Simone disappeared, and it is thought that he has returned to his Elven homelands.

For the present, the invasion has finally ground to a halt, though the cities of Doma and Harek are still under a light siege. Ferani troops patrol the plains, and pitched battles are common. However, there are still some disturbing unanswered questions. How did the Ferani know with such precision when to attack? Why, after so many centuries of uneasy peace, have they now attacked without provocation? But most importantly, who will now step forward and save our kingdom from its attackers?

The Transcendency Incident

By Tormir Sorion, Archmage of Tellania

There is no doubt in my mind that, if not for the actions of the three brave young people this document centers around, the world as we know it would have been completely destroyed.

Quite the attention getting sentence, eh? I’m rather proud of it.

I digress. I do that often.

Anyway, I first met the trio of up-and-coming heroes after they returned from a long journey that took them around the world. A member of the Order of the Paladin led them. His name was Alexander, thirdson of the current Baron of the village of Zan. Alexander was quite the devoted man, to both his God and to his friends. Then there was Simon, an elf from far away Palinost. He was acolyte of their deity, and a formidable magic-user to boot. Last but certainly not least was young Raiya from the village of Bakok. As a half-elf, she bridged the gap between the other two, and gave the group a fire of its own through her…”attitude”.

As I mentioned previously, these three had returned from a long journey. But why did they go? I’ll tell you. Before they departed, they helped Zan out with some minor problems, and most notably they solved a minor economic dispute in the northern mountains, discovering that our Ferani neighbours across the ocean were behind it. It was during this time that Alexander was chosen to join the ranks of the Order of the Paladin. They then traveled to find Alexander’s two older brothers. The warrior Olaf, the oldest, was rescued from death at the hands of marauding Bugbears, and Sven, the middle brother returned home to Zan after finishing a semester in his arcane studies at Welca.

Our diplomatic delegation that was sent to clear up the international mess was returned to us in pieces. A Ferani war fleet followed, sacking the city of Holbart. The three were instrumental in the retaking of the city, and Alexander volunteered to replace the old ambassadors and try to talk peace with the Ferani. I thought better of the idea, but chose not to interfere, thinking that if anyone a paladin would be able to talk some sense into those zealots. So off they went.

Their ship was captured as they neared the Ferani coast, and they were taken into custody. There was a conspiracy at work though, because after the companions were taken to a temple for a “meeting”, the treacherous Ferani priest there set his own temple aflame, and the companions were labeled as foreign terrorists, further fueling the isolationist sentiment that plagues the Ferani people. They managed to flee the city, with half of Feranos on their heels, and made for the elven lands, where Simon led them through the vast Elven Forest. There, the group rested, until they were promised help to return home in exchange for the return of a missing bauble, hidden in a haunted citadel in the mountains called the Crown of the Forest. It was here that the group first encountered the minions of the creature who was orchestrating the demise of civilization. The citadel was swarming with the undead. The group recovered a number of magical treasures, but more notably they discovered a hideous artifact they would come to know as the Icon of the Damned. It was found in the crypts beneath the citadel, in a particular tomb that was breached from the outside. The tunnel to the surface was sheer leagues long, and the scattering of bone led the group to believe that it was not dug out by living hands.

Wisely unwilling to begin the divinations, Simon decided to bring the artifact back to Palinost to allow the elders to study it in their temple. But while the group was in a meeting with the elven nobles, the Icon was inadvertently activated, and a third of the tree-city died. The Icon swallowed the souls of nearly everyone within a mile’s radius, turning them into mindless zombies and worse, like what happened in the haunted citadel in the Crown of the Forest so long ago. The group fought their way into the temple where the Icon sat, and saw a ghostly skull “feeding” from it. The creature was eventually destroyed, and the Icon as well, but the living city of the elves was devastated. They learned from a single enigmatic survivor of the disaster that the Icon was activated by the utterance of the beginning phrases of the identification spells that all wizards use to divine the nature of magical objects. A most devious trap, wouldn’t you agree?

Honoring their agreement, the elves sent the group down the southern river to our Frontier Outpost. Just in time too, as the outpost was under siege by an army of orcs and goblins. It was here that the group rescued the outpost from destruction, and Alexander was paired with Noble the Pegasus, through the unfortunate death of another of his order.

The group sailed in a long southern arc, to avoid Ferani waters, and on one of the islands they visited, they rescued a clan of bizarre “Crab-men” from death at the hands of a younger Black Dragon. Though I am not sure of which, a member of the group owns a statuette of platinum in the shape of one of those crab-people, in case you want to know what one looks like.

From the Crab-men’s island, the group sailed to other islands, until they were shipwrecked on a reef they determined to be close to the Isle of the Wastes, which (until recently) we thought was an huge uninhabited desert. Everyone was unharmed, and Alex and Noble flew up to take a look around. A few miles inland, over a huge seaside cliff, they spotted a city! They quickly came ashore, and made contact with some native fishermen. The people called their land Valogeshia, and told of two other cities across the desert and into the jungles to the east. After extending diplomatic pleasantries (communication was made possible through Sven’s magic), the group learned of the fate of the former capital of that land – a city called Kesh.

The group learned there, that centuries ago, Kesh was consumed by a plague of undead in similar fashion that the Elven City was consumed. The disaster happened, as the legends said, because the city’s wise men were studying a hideous idol given to them by a man whose “face was always shrouded, almost as if the shadows themselves desired to keep our eyes away” (to quote the manuscript the group brought back). The group traveled to the ruins of Kesh, and fought there way though the unholy beasts. They came upon a lich, the most horrible of them all, but they miraculously overcame him. But in the tallest tower in the ruins, they found another Icon of the Damned, which was destroyed in the battle against the restless spirits of the studious wizards.

The group moved across the desert, visiting the city of Achtar, and up through the jungles to the current capital – Valogesh. There, they instructed the locals on how to craft ships capable of travel on the open seas. The heroes finally returned home after a two-year sojourn. Unfortunately, the news that greeted them was not good, for word reached them that the Dwarves had unearthed an artifact that matched the description of an Icon of the Damned, and sent in to my Academy of Magic in Welca. The heroes raced north to the city to stop the inevitable. Fortunately, I was in Tellanos in council with the king at the time, but my unsuspecting subordinates activated the Icon, with the companions racing up the very stairs to their divining chamber. Sadly, Alexander’s brother Sven was taken by the device and the group was forced to destroy his tortured soul. They reached the divination chamber, and after dispatching the newly formed undead there, the Icon there was being fed upon by another ghostly skull. They attacked and destroyed it, but others took its place. One escaped after the feeding was done, and the companions were left wondering what the purpose of such an act was. They moved to the basement to clear out the rest of the undead, and found the library being ransacked by a living human male guarded by a group of skeletal warriors. Some were dressed in battle armor and others had multiple arms. The companions were forced to retreat in the face of such odds, but when they returned minutes later the man and his protectors – and most of the tomes - were gone without a trace.

They departed Welca for Zan, home of the three brothers, where I met the group after Sven’s funeral, where I learned of their travels and their discoveries. Olaf was unfortunately pressed into official military service, and the remaining companions departed from there to Trellheim, the Dwarven City, and down the new tunnel that opened up into the gallery where the Icon was found. It is well known that dwarven priests can divine rare metals, and in this gallery, gold had been beaten into the walls to attract their attention. When the heroes found the place, they were set upon by similar skeletal forms like those in the library at Welca, led by the same man. This time, however, the heroes prevailed, destroying the undead and capturing the miscreant, though they did not find any of the stolen books on him.

They brought “Lorne” back to my tower at Tellanos for questioning, and we discovered that he had been taking orders from an evil presence that commanded him through his dreams. He was also unable to give us information freely, as he experienced extreme pain from an unknown source when asked certain questions. After we were done, Lorne was taken to the jails, where he would await trial. However, in the morning, the guard was found as a zombie, the jail bars melted away and there was no trace of Lorne at all. I later attempted a scrying to find him, but all I saw was a wispy spirit. I then decided to consult my library for more information. I discovered an item of interest: since the happenings of late had obviously been set in motion centuries ago, I suggested that the Heroes explore the ruins on the west coast beyond Gorek’s swamp. At the same time, the Order of the Paladin “suggested” that, since the heroes were having to face powerful undead, Alex and company visit the Isle of Savages and recover the Sword of Sir Malore, a blade which was said to be very effective against the restless dead. Apparently Sir Malore was part of the exploring party that first found the island, but was killed by colossal carnivorous reptiles while allowing the rest of the explorers to escape.

The companions, after a lengthy argument, decided first to quest for the sword of Sir Malore. They were away for months, and during their hiatus Olaf deserted his post, leaving a hastily written note detailing his intention to track down the person or thing responsible for his brother’s death. When Alexander and company returned with the mighty blade, they learned this grim news; for Alexander’s oath to uphold the law made his brother into a sworn fugitive.

Not wasting any time, however, the party finally took my advice and set for the western ruins. Through aid of magic, they passed by a large group of bugbears that were blocking off Gorek’s pass (the same ones who nearly killed Olaf years ago), and explored what was left of the ruins. They discovered what I had long suspected – that our society was not the first to exist on this land. These ruins were built with a technology that is beyond our engineers, and the magic they used baffles even me. Most importantly, they found a passage in an ancient text, which told of experiments into transcendence – a path from mortality to immortality – a path to become a god. Also notable was the discovery of a small enchanted dagger that somehow is in possession of a benevolent intelligence.

The group eradicated the bugbears inhibiting the mountain pass on their way back to civilization, and even led the captured females and infants to Tellanos to found a small colony. The priests are overseeing this experiment, devised by Alexander, which is meant to determine whether morality is an inborn characteristic or not. Unfortunately, as the bugbear cubs approach maturity, they become increasingly hostile to their teachers and caregivers, and have been invariably put down.

The intelligent dagger that calls itself ‘Galoran’ provided much insight into the society that preceded ours. However, it continuously referred to Tellan (our founding king, for the historically declined) as a barbarian and rebel, leading me to believe that our cultural beginnings were not as golden as the priests would have us believe. Useful, however, was the revelation that the seat of power of that extinct society stood where the city of Doma stands today. In an effort to find more of this hidden knowledge, the companions traveled underneath the great city, and accidentally discovered a portion of catacombs, which miraculously included a section called “covert arcana”. It was here that the companions found a working prototype of a device that was similar in form and function to the Icons of the Damned. It was created by the mages of old, and obviously it was never used before Tellan could overthrow their society and replace it with ours. However, other discoveries from that excursion cast a bad light on our empire’s beginnings. Fortunately Alexander made it through them. If I seem vague, I am being so for a purpose. I will not divulge any further information on the subject. Anyway, they gave this artifact to me to research, and it still sits in my strongroom.

The group then decided to split up for a time, as other obligations took over. Simon remained with me to study for a time, but they assembled two months later in Tellanos. I did not pry into the reasons for their actions. However, Alexander had grown sullen and withdrawn for a time, and I did hear rumors of his suspension from the Order of the Paladin. As the party left my tower after a visit to discover what little I had learned from studying the new artifact, the king’s messengers rode into the city, declaring a state of emergency. The disaster I had long awaited had come; the undead now swarmed across the northeastern lands, destroying all they came across. Further calls for conscription went out, but a detachment of the Order of the Paladin left immediately to counter the threat, and the companions went with them. Out in those lands they discovered a great black citadel, which floated on a cloud of life-leeching darkness. Inside, they found what was once Alexander’s eldest brother; Olaf had been ultimately corrupted, and fought with the undead against his former companions. The fiend was defeated, and the party discovered the meaning behind all the adventures they had been through. Lorne, now undead, but somehow free of his creator’s control, led the party to a manuscript that detailed the life and times of their enemy for whom they now had a name – Trancissus the Lich. I am not in possession of this manuscript, but I am sure that if your need is pressing enough, the companion that holds it now will show it to you.

They traveled back to Tellanos, where I believe they were to find clues to the whereabouts of their enemy. They solved mysteries, tracked down and killed a priest of the Death god Hurrsh, and discovered the location of the cult’s main temple. I now know that Trancissus assumed the position of High Priest of that cult, in order to array its forces against his enemies. They traveled to the northern mountains, and entered the maw of Death itself. They fought up through the temple, defeating the cultists arrayed against them. They entered a magical transporter, which brought them to a small cavern. Outside of this cavern, atop a great mountain, stood a great citadel, where Trancissus awaited them. What happened in that dark place is best left unsaid. What I will say, is that the companions won the day, defeating the enemy of all that live. However, two of the Lich-lord’s most powerful minions had escaped, and no traces of them were left, save a demonic creature that was encountered in one of their quarters. Hopefully they were destroyed in the citadel’s collapse, but life rarely works out that way. The companions departed, taking in some well-deserved rest. However, none can say when the darkness will rise again.

History of Tellania

As written by Korrvus of Doma, High Sage.

Tellanian written record (and thus the history that can be considered relatively factual) dates at its earliest to approximately 600 years ago. Campfire tales and folk stories were transferred from elder’s minds to paper, and by miracle some of these texts have survived to this day.
The earliest records describe the founding of our kingdom. Bronze weapons and armor were the technological wonders of the day. Tellan the Mighty established his tribe along the Cormaar River, and built Tellanos, the city that would become the centre of civilization for the western world. It is notable that our royal family has been a single, unbroken line that has descended from Tellan the Mighty. It is this year that we call the first, for it marks the true beginning of our kingdom. It is unclear how each of the other major powers of the day joined with him, but some did by treaty and others by the sword. Settlers moved across the continent, and were unopposed in the east, but orcs were encountered in the southwest. Fortunately, they were still at a stone-age level of technology, and were easily dealt with by Tellan’s armies. Towns and cities were spread over the entire continent, and by year 165, the first complete maps of the landmass known as Tellania were compiled.

The first affable meeting with another sentient species occurred in the 187th year. A race of shorter, stouter people who called themselves Trellhins was discovered in the mountains of the northwest. Relations were initially strained, but after some five years of non-aggression, the beings we call Dwarves opened their cities to our merchants, and they began to forage above ground. It is notable that these dwarves of Trellheim were far more advanced in technology than we were at the time. They had discovered how to smelt iron, and even create steel. Their warriors were well equipped with weapons and armor that would have destroyed any foe they came against in that day and age. Unfortunately for the Dwarves, their underground cities had little access to the surface, so resources such as grain and lumber were in very short supply. Both sides noticed the obvious trading possibilities, and quite soon, the Dwarven metallurgy secrets were common knowledge with our smiths, and caravans of our cheaply grown resources were arriving in Dwarven hands almost daily. This relationship would likely have grown further, if not for our discovery of the powers of magic.

Through this entire period, vague and sketchy reports of unnatural happenings were recorded. In the 114th year, these reports appear to have coalesced into a force called “magic”. Magic-users popped up all over the kingdom. The royalty was anxious about magic, for it appeared to be an untapped well of resources. Given the choice between outlawing the use of magic and fully embracing it, they chose the latter, reasoning that it could be a tool for them to use, if officially sanctioned and studied. Though rare, the sub-culture of magic-users brought themselves to the forefront, and institutions of magical learning were established in the major cities, most notably in Welca, where the most powerful of magic-users took on apprentices. The position of Archmage was created in the year 117, with the king selecting the headmaster at the academy in Welca for the post.

Despite the king’s attitude towards magic, two factions opposed its adoption into Tellanian society. From within, the Church of Tellanastrix viewed magic as a heresy, the archprelate threatening excommunication upon anyone using it. However, the politicians took over, and eventually a compromise was reached. It is believed that the origin of magical power was discovered. This origin is lost to us today, but it was something that alleviated the fears of our mother church. Second in opposition were the Dwarven peoples. By their very nature, they are opposed to magic, and the stance that we took on the use of magic was found by them to be less than desirable. Though contact was never lost, the dwarves distanced themselves, and the trading relationship that we have at present was reached by year 123.

Tellania then began to turn its attentions to the world beyond its shores. After all, the few Elves that were living with the people must have come from somewhere. Rumors of faraway lands began to circulate. Ships that were more or less capable of spending more than a day on open waters were invented in approximately 244, and the colony of Versu was established on the volcanic island in the Gulf of Tellanos. A new continent was discovered to the east of Tellania in 252, and was named Egroth, an ancient word for mystery. The western part of this continent was inhabited by a race of humans who called themselves Ferani, and their realm was called the Theocracy of Feranos. Obviously led by the servants of their gods, they did not take kindly to outsiders setting foot on their lands, and minimal contact was made. We did learn of their advanced naval technology, and they have since used it to maintain their isolation. Past the lands of the Ferani, a vast expanse of untamed land was discovered. Simply named “the wild lands”, it has yet to be fully explored by Tellanians. It was here, in 261, that we discovered the Elven homelands, which they call Palinost. Their cities were found high in the trees of an ancient forest. Our scouts were viewed suspiciously at first, but were able to establish an amicable relationship with the Palinesti elves. Further exploration revealed the Isle of Wastes in 259, a desolate isle featuring a vast desert, and the Isle of Savages in 268, where our explorers were set upon by primitive humans. Both islands have not been fully explored.

This age of prosperity and learning lasted until the year 320, when a conjurer only remembered as the Hellbringer brought the legions of the dark realms to our world. They came out of the east, from the mountains, devastating the lands and cities as they came. The ‘Army of Light’ was gathered to combat this plague, and within its ranks were the first members of the Order of the Paladin, holy warriors of virtue. Tellanos itself came under siege in 321, and as the unending legions of devils threw themselves at our walls, the king evacuated the populace to Doma. It was then that a group of the kingdoms legendary heroes, led by a magic-user named Corel took on the task of stopping the invasion at its source. It is unknown to us what they did, but two months later, at the height of an attack that surely would have taken the city; the army of devils shrieked and vanished as a whole! Over the next several decades, the capital was rebuilt, and the lands that were blighted by the invasion gradually returned to life over the next several years, with the help of the clerics of Tellanastrix. The kingdom was finally rebuilt in 370’s, though virtually an entire generation was killed in the war. Major famine ensued due to the depopulation and the blight, and the kingdom fell into a dark age. Much of the learning and discovery of the last several centuries was lost, and several cities seceded from the kingdom. Tellania gradually regained its lands and peoples, but much of the magical research at the academy in Welca was irreplaceable. This slow recovery is still in progress today.

History of the Elves

As recalled by Aeresda of the Wolf Clan, Councilor of Palinost

Perhaps the greatest benefit of our lifespan is the extensive “racial memory” that is available to us. Indeed, our elders clearly recall events that took place many centuries ago. This is indeed fortunate, as we have little besides these records to aid me in this account of our history. Previous to the point where our elders’ memories begin, I relied on legend, and the scant divination that is applicable to the task. Keeping a relevant timeline is impossible. Without further delay…

The creation of this world occurred many eons ago. All the Gods gathered and created it out of nothingness. Relkeston created the rocky lands. Fersolamar created the seas. Nature created the plants and animals. Anostelarsa separated the night from the day. For millennia, this globe of matter hung where the gods had placed it, and eventually they grew restless and bored with their creation. Though all were impressed by the creation, and decided to make further additions. Larethian gathered his Followers and descended to the new world. He bade them to remain, to watch over the rest of creation, for he revealed that some of the other Gods also had created sentient life as it pleased them. Larethian returned to the heavens, and the Followers settled in a vast land they named Egroth, and settled beneath the giant trees that were created to shelter them. They flourished and multiplied in the forest, which then stretched from the Western Mountains to the ash coasts of the east. They named their city Palinost, and that is the day that our calendar begins. Though they had no specific name for themselves, the other creatures simply called them the Elves.

After this time of creation, the beginnings of sentient life attracted the attention of other powerful beings. Opportunistic in nature, these creatures sought to pervert that which was created to their own diabolical ends. Indeed, without Larethian to guide us, the subtle lures of Lloth the Spider Queen were seductive enough to entice many to follow her. Thus, in the year 898, the great Division in our glorious race occurred. Lloth felt empowered by the number of Drow, as she called her followers, to make an attack on the loyal followers of Larethian. They stole into our city at night, and many were murdered as they slept. Fortunately the alarm was sounded, and our warriors responded. Those of the Bear Tribe repelled the traitors, until the horrible form of Lloth herself appeared before us. The tide of battle turned, and all seemed lost, but Larethian arrived in time to save us. Lloth and her host of traitors were routed, and stole to the underground where Lloth had laid her foul lair. And forevermore, Elves and the perverted Drow will be enemies. It was after this horrible event that we took to the trees and built our homes there, for it proved to be much safer.

Lloth was not the first or only dark one who sought our undoing. The evil god Gruumsh had created a being that is similar to humans in most respects, save for even uglier features and a lust for destruction and chaos. These Orcs spread to all corners of the globe, bred like insects, and attacked any they came across. Even to our beautiful forests they came, and sometimes in such numbers that they had to be driven back with incredible effort. To this day the Orcs seek our deaths, but victory will always be denied to them.

The legends of Creation, Lloth and her dissent, and the depredations of the Orcs are the main items of folklore that are handed down to all. Other tales of our past have faded into oblivion, but here begins the accounting of our past from the memories of our elders.

Thasien Kerilasa of the Wolf Clan recalls the fall of the Crown Citadel. In the year 2155, we lost contact with our northern outpost. The Citadel in the Crown of the Forest was home to some 150 Elves, who apparently vanished. Scouts that were sent reported that the walls were not breached; yet the citadel had become infested with the undead! As horrible as this was, there was little that could be done. Thus, the Cursed Citadel became a proving ground for our younger hopefuls, though we never discovered the reason for its foul corruption.

Sieron Hanavie of the Eagle Clan recalls our long-awaited first contact with the humans who call themselves “Ferani” in the year 2274. They built their cities on the other side of the Western Mountains. The cities were beautiful, but our envoys were driven away. Meetings on neutral ground were finally agreed to, and we learned a few things about their culture. Everything they do is driven by a profound devotion to their religion. Even their society is a theocracy, dedicated to the gods Fersolamar and Anostelarsa. They claimed to have a vast knowledge of the seas and vessels for crossing over it, and this tendency was confirmed later. They also are bent towards isolation, and beyond limited trade, the Ferani have no interest in forming any sort of relationship, diplomatic or otherwise. To this end, they built networks of fortifications in the three passes through the mountains.

In the year 2301, more humans appeared, this time from the south. Solaren Valrasla of the Bear Clan was in the party that met them. Much different in appearance from the Ferani, these called themselves Tellanians. They were much more interested in being social than the previous race, and official relations were established in weeks. They revealed that they had established a colony on the southern shores of the continent at the delta of the Great River, and that they originated from a second large continent far to the west, across the seas from the lands of the Ferani. Some young adventurous types, eager for exploration, traveled with them. Years later, they brought back tales of human cities and castles, and another race of small, misshapen beings that called themselves Trellhins after their cavernous city. Our Tellanian contacts called these folk “Dwarves”, and so that is the name we adapted for them.

The last several hundred years have been without major incident, aside from the occasional skirmish with the Orcish armies that maraud around on the Wild Lands. What is cause for concern is our forest itself. Our elders all agree that it was much larger than it is today when they were young and we have not discovered a reason for its decline. Whatever the cause, it is a grave threat to our people.

Exerpt from "Book One - the Reunion"

I say unto thee that ages ago, each great deity had their own land and peoples. Mighty Fersolamar (may his seas swallow our enemies) had dominion over this land, which was then named Fersolia. His people wrought a life out of the seas, and made great fleets of wood. Far across Fersolamar’s seas lay the domain of Anostelarsa (may her stars shine forever), which was then named Anostelarnia. There, her peoples worked contented, for through her dread priesthood she watched over them.

Sadly, there were a blasphemous few who sought to undo the divine workings of Dread Anostelarsa. Led by the trickster Tellan, a brutal barbarian, they cast down our mighty cities, slew the righteous, and claimed our lands for themselves. Mighty fleets set sail from the lands of Fersolamar, but upon their arrival on the shores of Anostelarnia they were met by not a rag-tag group of savage barbarians, but a host of warriors clad in the profane powers of a new pretentious god, whom they called Tellanastrix. Our glorious sailors were not prepared for such unholy magic, but miraculously managed to escape and at the same time rescue several of Anostelarsa’s priestesses from certain defilement.

After the fleet’s return, the loss truly was felt by the people. A great nation, lost to the hands of the blasphemous. However, hope was soon to arrive. After the priestesses entered Fersolamar’s Cathedral to take refuge, a great blue light shone upon the structure, from a location not perceived by mortal eyes. The blue light was joined by a great beam of red, and the Cathedral was transformed before the people into the Great Cathedral of the Seas and the Stars. Fersolamar and Anostelarsa, brother and sister, side by side once again. May the peoples of Tellanastrix tremble in fear!

History of Valogeshia

The earliest historical records of the realm paint a picture of a realm, then named Keshia, with several sprawling cities, with a large agriculturally based economy. Specific events from this era were lost in the cataclysm that we now call the Drying. It is unknown what happened, but its effects were profound. The small desert of the Mantis Warriors advanced within two years to cover three quarters of the continent, and the realm was divided into two symbiotic halves. The western cities, Valogesh and Achtar, which were still surrounded by the Jungles of Achtar, still had readily available food supplies. However, the economic base of the realm was the eastern cities, Al-Gori and Kesh, the capital. These eastern cities had access to the silver and iron mines. Fortunately, due to the wisdom of the Sultan (Rashir Bin Dallah), the realm was kept together through the forced trade of these valuable commodities. This is the year where our current calendar begins.

In the year 34, our beloved capital city was destroyed. At the time, it was unclear how exactly it happened, but the single Survivor that made the journey to Al-Gori reported hordes of the walking dead. The people seemed to be instantly corrupted, as the Survivor reported that people he was standing beside one instant attacked him in their corrupted form the next. The area surrounding the city for several leagues was blighted, and no living thing was found there. All this remained a mystery for the next one hundred and sixty-eight years, until a group of foreigners, in an unprecedented event, landed on our shores, and subsequently solved the mystery, as well as other problems plaguing the realm. These foreigners shall be discussed below. After this disaster, the capital was moved to Valogesh, and even the name of the realm was changed to Valogeshia from that point on in a futile effort to erase the disaster.
It was soon after the destruction of our capital that the Mantis Warriors began to expand beyond their traditional boundaries. Obviously they believed that all across the sands belonged to them, and since our power in a lull, they set out to take control of the desert, killed any human being they came across, and cut off the caravan route that kept the realm alive. This was the first major military endeavor our realm had undertaken, and lack of experience was to blame for the early losses we took in the war. However, after five years, we prevailed, and the Mantis Warriors were forced back into the corner of the desert that they came from. Normal trading activities fully resumed by the 123rd year.

It was in the year 203 that a group led by Alexander Alfredson of Zan landed on our shores, near Al-Gori. They had strange equipment with them, and their leader rode a white winged animal. They were of mixed species, which was even more amazing. Communication was made possible through magic. With Alexander were his two brothers, Olaf and Sven, a strange one named Simon, who called his people the Palinesti (elves to the rest of the group), and Raiya, who was obviously of mixed parentage. These strangers were in need of our help, and though we had many questions, by the law they had to first prove themselves by obtaining a scale of a Blue Dragon. After three weeks in the desert, they returned, with Alexander holding the prize aloft.
For several weeks the strangers explored Al-Gori, learning of us, and we of them. We learned of the humans’ homeland to the north, a vast continent they call Tellania. We learned of the homeland of the Palinesti on another huge continent called Egroth, which they share with a civilization of religious zealots called the Ferani, with whom the Tellanians were at war. The strangers seemed most concerned when they learned of the fate of our capital, and interviewed the descendant of the Survivor. They told us that similar catastrophes had occurred in the lands of the Elves many years before Kesh was corrupted. Alexander and Simon were intent on traveling to the ruins to solve the mystery for us, and the group traveled there in short order. They returned twice, the first time to recover from injuries sustained that only hours of ritual by our priests could heal. The second time, they returned in victory but still with questions. It was apparent that Kesh was destroyed for a purpose, but what that sinister purpose could be, no one could guess.

The group, eager to return home, traveled across the vast desert and through the jungle to Valogesh, where the three brothers instructed our craftsmen on the ways they knew to create seafaring vessels that could spend a significant time on the open water. However, instead of a sail, they used Alexander’s flying beast to pull the craft! They departed our lands after a mere four months. Since that time, our realm has been in an uproar about the new facts about the world, for we had assumed that we were alone for a great many years. Ships similar in design to the one that the foreigners departed in were crafted, and preparations are being made to open trade routes with the Kingdom of Tellania.