ORLD   FFECTING  VENTS

:: The Ancient History of Aradath ::
:: The Chronicles of Pel ::
:: The Tale of the Octogon ::
:: The Burning of Treehaven, Secian View ::
:: The Burning of Treehaven, Frontacian View ::

HISTORY

The Ancient History of Aradath ...

The Age of Darkness - the first Sa-Taath Epoch (from the beginning of time until 4100 BC)

The time before 4100 BC is largely unrecorded or has faded into myth. What references do exist describe a wild time of strife and war. Dragon-kind seemed to be Aradath's most prominent race, one who spent much of their time fighting an unknown "ancient being" of immense power and malevolence. The war with this "being" slowly eroded the number of dragons throughout the lands.

 

As the story goes, the major races of the time, those being Dragons, Frontacians, Psycians, Humans and Lhumonir, rallied together for the first time in history to battle this ancient being. At some point during this conflict, the race known as Lhuminor mysteriously vanished. What little we know of their existence today is that they seem to have been created by the heads of the Human tribes to protect themselves from the Dragons. They were generally peaceful beings, though extremely long-lived (in a range of thousands of years). What remains of the Lhuminor is rumored to be the race Muatana-al. Several ancient records suggest a bane was cast upon them by the "being," forever making them the polar opposite of that which they once were.

 

The Age of Mourning - the Sa-Odarous Epoch ( 4100 BC to 3100 BC )

As the Age of Mourning began, the tide of the conflict quickly turned as the ancient being lost ground. With growing strength the opposition continued to gain more and more of the world's power. Around the year 3600, the Frontacian race ingeniously devised a means to ensnare and imprison the ancient being, and with the help of their allies, all of whom took extremely heavy losses in the final battle, the foe was defeated. From that point on, a select group of Frontacians, known as The Keepers, would keep watch over the being's prison to ensure it never escaped again. By this act, the Great Conflict came to an end.

 

Having played so central a role in the final defeat of the ancient being, the prestige and ambition of the Frontacians grew. The completion of the trap marks for most historians the start of the Frontacian Empire, which would rule much of the world for the following 2600 odd years. The Frontacians and their Psycian allies, quickly rose to power as Dragons retreated far beneath the earth to lick their wounds, Humans scattered to the four winds to return to their nomadic tribes, and other races slunk into seclusion.

 

During the next 500 years, the Frontacians expanded and enhanced their rule over much of the world and its races. However, the Penthania-Secia civil war also broke out during this time period. The fighting continued for quite some time until, unwittingly, the Arachnians of Arachnia got involved on the Secia side of the conflict. This war continued until the Penthanians released the unmagick, which essentially ended the war and changed many things forever.

 

The Age of Lessons (3100 BC to 1000 BC)

The great change of Unmagick drastically modified the physical as well as the political world. With unmagick came the creation of the Penthanian and Secian races, apart and radically different from the Frontacians they formally were. It also saw a drastic change in the make-up of the Arachnian race, which began to transform from a powerful magic-wielding one, to a hate?filled vile race of vengeful creatures bent on destroying those who took their magic away. The staging process of dragons evolves, with the new need of a Bondmate to survive the feat.

 

During this time, the Frontacian Empire continued to grow in size and power, especially with the vacuum left by the withdrawal of Dragon-kind. The Psycians retained their independence in their hidden Isle, dealing still as the only equals to the Frontacians within their mighty empire. Remnants of several chaotic races in the Dark Marches, Arachnians and others in the Great Waste, and some Elven Clans and Flerian Burrows maintained a quiet existence, apart from, but generally at peace with the burgeoning empire.

 

The Epoch of Sa-Rinanni ( 3000 BC to 1700 BC )

The next 1300 years were a time of general peace. Although minor conflicts existed during this period of time, little occurred that affected the general world situation. The Frontacian Empire continued its hold on the majority of the world, while the fringe nations and clans continued their own development.

 

The Epoch of Sa-Set ( 1700 BC to 1000 BC )

The peace of the prior 1300 years was shattered with the outbreak of the Frontacian-Psycian war. This conflict ended with the destruction of the Psycian homeland, and the ensuing damage caused both races to suddenly become dependent upon magickal potions to survive. Both races quickly discovered that the only way to get a large amount of the magick source is was through the exploitation of Dragons. It is was found that Dragons produced a substance within their bodies known as "essence," a substance which soon became the main ingredient of these necessary magickal potions.

 

Weakened by the War, obsessed with the very survival of their own race, the Frontacian grip upon power faltered as they turned inward. The Empire began a slow decline that lasted some 700 odd years. A series of conflicts during this time, The Hithual Rebellion, The Leuian Independence, The Flight of the Anthians, and the growing boldness of raiders from the Dark Marches and Great Wastes brought the empire to a whimpering end.

 

The Age of Revelation - the Epoch of Sa-Taath ( 1000 BC to 100 BC

Few agree on what brought the Age of Lessons to a close, and began the Age of Revelation, but some say the turning point was the great dragon hunt of 1000. After 700 years of eking by on rare and meager sources of dragon essence that ensured their survival, the Frontacians and Psycians were contemplating the end of both their races. In the year 1000, An Arachnian alchemist in seeking the potential wealth the sale of dragon essence would bring him, as well as a supply for his own use, managed the largest killing of dragons in recorded history.

 

Rhangkhorre, as he was called, mounted a hunting expedition and led, some say, a virtual army of hunters. It consisted of all sorts of races, including Anthians, Sanene, Go-blin-als, Thugians, and Oog-ras. The force fell upon a gathering of Dragons in the High Mountains, and with means still unknown, massacred them all. Though none were Dragons of great age, many were quite mature. The resultant supply of Dragon essence was so immense it maintained the Frontacians and Psycians up until just a short time ago, when the hunts revived in earnest. Some say the Dragons were betrayed to Rhrangkhorre, some say the traitor was a Dragon. But then, some will say most anything.

 

In the vacuum of power left by the fall of the Frontacian empire, the various temples rose in influence. The peoples of the world, lacking the guidance and structure that the empire provided, organized themselves into smaller communities, states, and nations. These often had at their center one or more of the temples. Though some were clearly theocracies, others were not. Whatever the case, the priesthoods greatly increased their power and influence. When armies marched, they marched under the banners of the Orders of the Sword. When the needs of a community were met, they were most often provided under the auspices of an Order of the Heart. And, when strange things happened, most attributed it to the quiet and subtle instruction of some Order of the Hand.

 

In the century 700, a caravan discovered the remains of an ancient city, centrally located in the continent of Aradath, which in turn is centrally located among the known lands of the world. The site was ideal to be reclaimed as a settlement. Being near a navigable river, and very defensible, the town quickly became a major trading center, and soon a center of commerce and manufacturing. This settlement, as it grew from outpost to village to town and eventually to city, became known as The Spur. In the century 600, after those accomplished in making magicks organized themselves into the Artificers Guild, they set up the first guildhouse in the Spur further enhancing the city's importance. With the founding of the Artificer's Guild, the Guild System, as it is known today, began. It developed as other guilds were created around professionalism and other related interests.

 

The century 400 began what is called the War of the Temples. A series of conflicts over the next 400 years involving, predominantly, the Temple of Odarous and the Order faction of the Temple of Sa against the Temple of Taath and the Chaos faction of Sa. The Temple of Rinanni sought peace, of course, , but was often forced to defend itself and its followers against attacks from Taath-Sa/Chaos. Rinannians were frequently aided by the Temple of Elindale, as well as the Odarous-Sa/Order on occasion. Sa/Entropy was not seen during this entire period, while the temple of the Nameless One, as usual, quite visibly preached in the streets and fields and wherever a willing audience could be found. In the last century of the Age of Revelation, the Temple of Rinanni began to find some success in bringing the long War of Temples to a close.

 

From 600-0, the now renowned City of Spur experienced what some would call its "golden age." Throughout the War of the Temples, Spur remained an open and neutral center of trade and manufacturing. It benefited greatly from a series of just and enlightened Governors and Mayors. The Temple of Rinanni, along with the Governor and Mayor of Spur, and the Guilds, was able to arrange a truce of the temples, and convene The Great Conference at Spur, marked for what is now the year 0. The purpose of the conference was to bring an end to the War, and to integrate the clerical orders into the guild system. The Priest's guildhall was constructed within Spur to serve as an anchor. Though the Spur had maintained no sites of worship before this time, the Temples were all soon demanding that temples be constructed for their emissaries, and each made this a condition for attending the conference. Once the temples were completed, the conference was convened. The festival grounds were plotted and raised, beginning a month of celebration. On the eve of the conference, a grand procession marched from the grounds into the city and north to the Guild Square. In the new council chambers, an opening ceremony was to take place. But, before the Governor could finish her opening remarks…something unprecedented happened.

 

To this day, none can say what set off the conflagration, but the simmering rivalries of those gathered Temples exploded into a battle, which spread throughout the city. Suddenly, the Council Chambers became a maelstrom of runes and a clash of weapons. The Governor and the Mayor fell, as did many of the High Priests and their entourages. The battle waged furiously. Some say the Gods themselves grappled with each other in the blackened skies above the Spur, though few give credence to this. But, what all agreed upon is the one moment when the battle paused throughout the city....

 

From the northeast section (now the Arts District), walled off since soon after the first settlers arrived in the Spur, came a sound few could describe save for the horror of it. This sound was followed by a glow, then a rumble, and an explosion as a glowing bolt shot into the sky. A ball of flame hovered above the city, then sped south, disappearing into the distance. As citizens rushed to where a meeting of the head priest of each temple was taking place, they found themselves just beneath where the ball of fire had exploded into the sky. They found the guild door sealed shut by an amazing amount of heat. It took days of work before the doors, seemingly sealed by a fire more powerful than even the mightiest of Dragons could create, could be penetrated. They finally forced open the door to the chamber where the heads of each religion had been meeting only to find an empty room; all of them had vanished without a trace.

Following the Conflagration, Spur retained its status as one of the major cities of the world, but it has ever since been a far less tranquil place. The truce of the temples has held to a point, but is constantly violated and every day looks as if it will completely collapse. The Cleric's Guide dissolved, and the temples have moved once again in their separate directions, with little trust between any of them.