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Brief History

Started by Griznuq, February 23, 2005, 07:56:19 AM

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Griznuq

Elsenban History

Wildfire's Note: The history as detailed here is a brief overview of major events as they are known by the typical commoner. There are usually more vivid details surrounding historic events but these would have to be researched by the individual or passed on from a knowledgeable individual. Some events overlap but are mostly chronologically written. This is by no means a complete history but it is what most commoners know.

At the forging of the land The Valley of Mist was a hallowed ground some sages say was the soul of Mahiya. It was a valley with such beauty that even the gods wept at seeing it.  The four talismans;

 
    The Horn of Mahiya,
    * The Medallion of Paladine,
    * The Crystal of Sardior,
    * The Obelisk of Takhisis[/list]
    ...were kept here and were the most holy of divine objects.  Without explanation the talismans were suddenly gone (about 700 years before "The Great Rejuvenation"). The Valley fell into oblivion. It became a place of the darkest nightmares with morose beauty.

    The Kingdom of Vychia expanded as far south as the Dragonteeth Mountains, as far east as the Emerald Gulf, and as far north as present day Ghoul Swamp. The Empire of Xanthakos (Land of Shadows) grew in equal power. These two great cultures were in a constant, foul rivalry.

    Many centuries later the Talismans were found by "The Chosen" and, with much struggle, returned to the Valley of Mist. The Valley was transformed back to its' original beauty. This rejuvenation was the catalyst of the Shadow War. It was such a significant event that the Calendar is now measured by it. (Wildfire's Note: Many Scholars believe that it was the design of Takhisis clerics to steal the Obelisk and hide the Medallion, the Crystal, and the Horn, especially the Horn).

    The Shadow War, which was fought between the Kingdom of Vychia and the Empire of Xanthakos, was a harsh and bitter war that lasted for 20 years. It was eventually won by Vychia but at a terrible price on both sides. The Vychian royal line was severed, the borders shrunk and chaos was law. The Elven Land- Kaaryn'Zyth was the front for many battles and the elves became extremely reclusive from human contact believing that as a race they couldn't be trusted. (Wildfire's Note: The elves to this day are extremely xenophobic towards humans and carry an extremely racist attitude towards them. The people of the present day city-state of Kazbourne (which is very close to both the Kaaryn'Zyth and Xanthakos) also have a racial bias against the Elves and to a lesser degree any non-humans and many citizens have sworn a blood oath against any and all Xanthakians).

    Quickly after the war, Arcanists became the ruling power. (Wildfire's Note: The Arcanists during the Shadow War were building their power and influence knowing that they would be looked to for leadership. The arcanists became drunk with power and they sought to take control from each other. Thus igniting the Arcane Wars in Valley Year 35

    Over time, the Arcanists began to destroy each other. In one last stroke for power, opposing arcanists met in an attack obliterating each other in year 47. The Tortured Land is the result of that final battle. Much of what was known about magic was then lost. (Wildfire's Note: The Tortured Land is a place of great danger. Many go in The Tortured Land and few of them return from it. Those who do survive are mad with fear).

    The once great Kingdom of Vychia fell into severe decay. The usually quiet but watchful druids decided that this dark time was their chance to set the stage for the future by picking up the pieces of this broken land. They brought the magic arts back from the brink of extinction but did it with their influence. The "Elementalists" became a new revolution in magic. It was still magic but it was magic of the four divine elements. The Kingdom was reformed into three city-states and there was a new understanding and respect for the ways of nature. It was indeed a social revolution. The old Clans of the Wildlands reclaimed their sovereignty and returned back to the clan life that once was. Hope replaced despair and times were now on an upswing. (Wildfire's Note: Even now, magic (not divine magic) is greatly mistrusted and in some places Arcanists and Mages  (DM Note: 3.5 ed. 3.5 Sorcerers are Mages and 3.5 Wizards are Arcanists in my campaign) are actively "witch hunted". Many Elementalists view "old art" arcanists with suspicion but have a measure of respect for their magical endeavors. Mages- intuitive spell casters- are fairly recent. It seems that magic being redefined by Druids somehow tapped an intuitive magical reserve in some people. There is a theory that the Mages form of spell casting was the original foundation of studied spell casting it just happened that it was a for many years a dead art.

    During the recovery of the Kingdom, the Empire of Xanthakos was also in decay and took many years to recover- quiet all the while. (Wildfire's Note: Not much is known about the rebuilding effort of the Empire as not much information ever comes out of there).
    =]V[=

    Dray

    In my research to know more about Elsenban, I rediscovered this very important post on world history. It was very mangled from our switch to a new website provider. So I fixed all the formating and even added a bit of color.

    Enjoy!

    (Wildfire, you may want to review this post and update any revisions you have made these past three years.)

    Wildfire

    OOC: My thanks to Dray and Griz for asking some terrific questions causing this to be written and posted.

    The Shadow Wars

    At the start, The Shadow War was being waged in the area between what is now the City-State of Kazbourne and Xanthakos:

    West
    http://kulgar.org/threshold/threshdex/mahiya/mahiya02b.png
    East:
    http://kulgar.org/threshold/threshdex/mahiya/mahiya02c.png

    The forest to the south in these maps is the Elven Land of Kaaryn'Zyth.

    When Xanthakos initiated this war they sought to conquer The Kingdom of Vychia (the westerly lands that are now the City-States, The Wildlands, and the independent towns such as Threshold) as well as Kaaryn'Zyth.

    Vychia did not go to the elves aid with any haste. When it was determined that Xanthakos was marching west upon Vychia, Vychia rallied to the elves aid. The delay of Vychia's aid to the elves fostered terrible destruction on the elves. It is unknown as to why the King of Vychia was reluctant but some say he payed for it later in the war with his own life, the end of his bloodline, and the sundering of his kingdom.

    Vychia had taken a "victory at any cost" approach. So while they were allied with the elves, they were certainly not mindful of the chessboard they were playing on or the other pieces. For example, if an elven village was under close attack, the Vychians would fire their arrows and catapults into the village justifying it as "a regrettable but acceptable decision".

    The war was very bitter and extremely brutal (as demonstrated above). There was no mercy or forgiveness on any side...especially from the elves.

    Xanthakos was strong though and pushed deep into Vychian territory. But by this time the Elves were fully assembled and worse yet for Xanthakos, seeking vengeance. Given their vantage point, the elves were able to cut off the Xanthakian army from their supplies and any possible reinforcements.  

    Xanthakos lost the Shadow War but the damage done to everyone was epic and Vychia was now a broken kingdom despite the victory.

    In the aftermath of the war, the Elves of Kaaryn'Zyth were outraged at Vychia's initial apathy and their blatant carelessness later. The ties that were once held between the two were no longer on friendly terms. While the Elves were not mortally hostile to the Vychians they held them in contempt and still find no forgiveness. They retreated back into their forest to rebuild and now allow few, if any, outsiders to pass into their borders.

    The Shadow War was fully underway in VY (Valley Year) 3 and lasted for 20 years.
    Wildfire

    One should never underestimate the stimulation of eccentricity