Lands of Tyranny
Day 1 of The Philosopher, Year 414
Human Conquest
Since their first appearance on Earth, Humans have been expanding and swelling in numbers, occupying the warm grasslands of the south, later expanding to the neighboring forests and hillsides, entering in contact with elves and dwarves. These older races welcomed them, mostly, at least at first, while other races and civilizations, were instead either hunted to extinction or subdued by the humans. Only few of the strongest and most ferocious or cunning survived, even if, with the much later flourishing of the human era, the era of Empires, even them were forced into the far edges of the world.
With centuries, thanks to mere physiological, evolutionary reasons and an incredible capacity of adaptation, what were small Human villages became towns and what were the small communities inside the elven and dwarven cities gradually grew to become the majority of the residents, starting to demand more and more from their hosts, creating tensions and inevitable violence.
One by one, all of the cities that first hosted these newly arrived creatures fell to the civil unrest and either were abandoned, or their original population removed from power and often isolated in their own neighbourhood or ghettos, the marvelous palaces and buildings erected in centuries and millennia, pinnacle of their civilization, abandoned, dismantled for parts, or adapted for Human purposes, or simply lost between or under the pressure of the expanding cities and the common buildings.
What remained of the dwarven and elven civilization were only the most isolated and conservative communities, often also residing in the thickest forests or tallest mountains.
This brought to the current situation where humans and non-humans often coexist and trade peacefully but under severe racial tensions and suspicions of one another.
As Human civilization progressed however, villages, towns and cities started banding together and subjugating one another, forming large empires, things never seen before in any non-human civilization. These empires were based on military prowess and on the oppression and destruction of their enemies, that is, most of the non-human races.
Their clashes were however inevitable, and one empire succeeded to the next, or conquered it.
In the present, almost all of the known world has been conquered by the Overlord and Emperor, or bowed pledging allegiance and surrendering their autonomy: the Karlstor Empire therefore controlling the whole continent. Only a few pockets of lands of the most remote and uninteresting areas remain outside of its domain, serving the purpose of a convenient and unifying enemy and scapegoat.
Part of these uninteresting, convenient lands is the Black Dome peninsula, where the colonies and small villages of humans battle against the local races and constantly beg for the attention of the Overlord and the Empire armies.
These pockets of civilization are forced to somehow coexist with their neighbours Dwarves and Elves against the ever present threat of the other races, who on the contrary fight for the survival of their own species and civilization.
A timeline of the World.
Between 200’000 and 500’000 years ago
-The ancient ancestor of the common day ‘Elves’, started to delve down the system of caves, starting what is now the Ilthir race.
Between 40’000 and 100’000 years ago
-Some ancient primate ancestors evolved into two separate lines: Humans and Orcs.
About 20’000 years ago
-The first Humans started being included in Elven cities.
About 10’000 years ago
-Humans started challenging the dominant races of the Continent, especially the Tlatlacah, who started their decline.
-The first Human organized societies and kingdoms started appearing
About 2’000-3’000 years ago
-Tlatlacah society collapsed entirely, with their population being hunted down by the Humans and starting to take refuge in the Underdark.
-Elven and Dwarven kingdoms started to lose terrain over the slow but inexorable expansion of the Human kingdoms, and booming population.
About 1’000 years ago.
-The Continent was fully under the dominion of the Humans, with the exception of a few sparse and small dwarven city-states, and the Elven City of Agapuria.
About 600-700 years ago.
-Agapuria, the last free City-State of the Elves collapsed, by now, there was no space in the inhabitable lands of the Continent that wasn’t controlled or colonized by the humans.
-The city of Annoria was founded, the new faith in Jehvoss, Minerva and Valthos starting to slowly take root in the city and its surroundings.
About 400 years ago.
-The Annorian Empire (or Karlstor Empire, or simply The Empire) was born in Annoria, with the City-State starting its expansion on the neighboring kingdoms and in the Highlands.
-Soon after, the first accounts of the miraculous appearance of the Light Demons appear.
-This year is counted as the year 0 in most modern calendaries on the surface. From this year, years are counted as “After the Founding of the Empire” or “AFE”
About 50 years AFE.
-The Light and Fire wars, between the Fire and Light demons, the latter winning decisive victories thanks to the superiority not their, but of the Empire’s Army.
About 75 years AFE.
-The war between the Northern Kingdoms and the Empire, resulting in the Empire victory.
About 100 years AFE.
-The Edict of Winter struck the North, signaling the end of any organized resistance even by the most remote and stubborn clans.
About 150 years AFE.
-The last of the kingdoms of the Highlands is defeated in battle, becoming a vassal state to the Empire and soon being annexed
About 225 years AFE.
-Empire’s occupation of Messalya
About 250 years AFE.
-The first written accounts of other types of Demons.
-The Edict of the Fertility, changing part of the valley of the Pymm river into a fertile lush land, altering Messalya forever.
About 300 years AFE (100y ago).
-The Empire’s invasion of Hymani and soon after the Yaintos archipelago, ending in a series of decisive and swift victories and with full occupation, as well as the population’s support.
About 325 years AFE (75y ago).
-Kheman decides on the annexation to the Empire
About 340 years AFE (60y ago).
-The abolition of slavery in Kheman
About 350 years AFE (50y ago).
-The combined Khemani and Empire navies defeat the Barynian pirates and put a small occupation force in the main town of the archipelago.
About 400 years AFE (4 months before the launch of the server - May 2021).
-The war for the Black Dome begins, with staunch, fierce resistance by Kressmor. Though only months later the Edict of Meridia struck, destroying the city-state as an example to those that still would dare oppose the Empire. Days after, upon learning what happened, the armies of the Black Dome surrender.
(Note: knowledge of this timeline is available to players, not characters! Learned characters might know history up to a few hundred years ago!)
Current Imperial Officials in the Black Dome
Current Imperial Officials in the Black Dome
The Tribunal
Tactus Apollonius Septus Senior Adjudicator
Solomon Eon Junior Adjudicator
The Imperial Army
Aurelius Marcus Antonius Legatus, Commander of Legio XXI. Aeternus
Lucius Decidius Saxa Tribunus Angusticlavius of Legio XXI. Aeternus
Ferox Barbatus Primus Pilus, First Cohort of Legio XXI. Aeternus
Pyrrhus Nasica Primus Princeps, First Cohort of Legio XXI. Aeternus
The Order of the Rose
Lucius Aureus Vesta Grandmaster
=== Map of the Empire and the Continent ===
(made by 50cal with Inkarnate)
Author: Rashan