OOG Note - Most of the information within this document is entirely out of game knowledge. This contains the mostly true account of the history of the E'gathin Peninsula. Much of this knowledge is only known by scholars, ministers, high lords, and other notables. Some of it is classified by the Empire and even knowledge of certain fact contained herein could lead to a nasty demise. Characters without a very specific skill in history or other knowledge will only know the broad outlines as described in the Core Rules. Those who wanted to understand more of what is going on, feel free to read on.
In the beginning, far underground, was the Hannarian Empire. We do not know how the elves and dwarves came to live together and found this empire, or why they chose to live most of their lives underground. Some believe that it was for religious reasons; others believe that it was easier to mine ores and minerals when living close by. We do know that they had some access to the above ground world in several of their cities that we have found in archaeological surveys, and that they plied the seas. We believe that their Empire stretched far from our own continent of Selan.
This empire lasted for thousands of years. This Empire did not have a very strong central government. Each underground city-state had its own leaders, beliefs, philosophies, and traditions. While united under a single Emperor, his council included representatives from each of the city states. Some believe that it was this weak central authority and widening split in philosophies that eventually killed the Hannarian Empire. Their empire had feats of enchantment and engineering that we still cannot duplicate, much less create. They used their longer lifespan to the utmost. They both began to use slave labor of other underground races to build their massive palaces, mines, and bridges. They built magnificent monuments to unknown leaders, priests, and poets. Eventually the city states began to drift apart. Their philosophies, technologies, self interests, and finally long term goals began to chafe and grind when they met. The Emperor of the time tried ineffectually to keep his people united: but he ultimately failed. That failure brought about a war that lasted longer than any we have ever seen since. Most of the knowledge from that age was lost to fires, earthquakes, flooding, and simple neglect. At the end of this civil war there was a truce between the primary two warring factions: the Hannarian Republic and the Warlon Empire. The mostly elven Warlon Empire would travel to the surface, while the Hannarian Republic would travel deeper into Selan. We have heard reports that a large population of dwarves live to the northeast of our peninsula. All attempts to investigate these rumors have been thwarted to date. We believe that there were more than just two warring factions. Each city state was in the beginning a separate faction, and while many joined one of the two groups we have seen evidence that suggests some of the others left my other means. Some traveled elsewhere in the world, others we believe traveled somehow outside our world. The documentary evidence is scant and often written in hyperbole and metaphor.
When the elves of the Warlon faction traveled to the surface they found many smaller kingdoms, clans, city states, and warring nations. They used their immense lifespan, remaining enchantments, and great skills in duplicity to gain control of most of Selan that interested them and beyond. We have heard that the bear-like Gruzzo of the continent of Ice and Claws were once beset by elves. From the stories we were told by tribal elders, the elves fought hard against the Gruzzo but were eventually pushed out of their homeland. We have heard similar stories of the elves or pale demons as they are sometimes considered by travelers from distant lands. It only took them another few thousand years on our Peninsula to conquer an area from the western swamps all the way to the tip of E'gath. Because of travelers reports we must consider the notion that they controlled, manipulated, or destroyed most of Selan.
I shall not list the crimes or perversions of the elven lords in this document. While their crimes are heinous and important to remember as a deterrent from ever dealing with them civilly, there are too many stories, too many instances, and too many gruesome details to list in a broad historical document. This cruelty was to be their undoing in Selan. The start of the Great Rebellion is also shrouded in mystery and folklore. Some say that Tahlin was a skilled gladiator, others say he was a simple laborer who just got lucky. Whatever the truth, Emperor Tahlin killed his elven Master, raised an army of slaves, and began his campaign to free his fellow slaves. He allied himself with thirteen brave and talented leaders of men. These thirteen would eventually become the first dukes of E'gath under his watchful Imperial eye. Several are known in folktales and may have been greatly exaggerated.
The most important of the thirteen was Mordread Hollack. He was an elven commander, and a cadet branch of the House Hollack, in charge of a garrison in what was to become the Town of Waterdown. He was a very skilled spell-sword who had two sons who joined with him in assisting the rebellion. From accounts of those who knew him he was said to be a very gentle man in peace, but a veritable demon when his people were threatened or slandered. His elven soldiers fought along side the slaves during the rebellion. Most of his elven soldiers were killed during the Great Rebellion, singled out by vengeful elven commanders and captains for their mutinous actions. Without those brave souls, the resources Duke Hollack brought into the war, and the tactical skills he taught Emperor Tahlin we would still be under elven rule to this day. He and one of his sons lived through the rebellion and their descendants have ruled the Duchy of Waterdown ever since. This fact is unknown to most of the people of E'gath and has remained a closely guarded secret for many, many centuries. It is commonly believed that the current Duke Hollack is a descendant of a previous servant of Mordread Hollack's who took the name in homage to their fallen lord.
The next notable general during the rebellion was Maureen Annatalia. She was a female pleasure slave that was rescued by Emperor Tahlin. She is thought to have been taught the arts of war by Mordread Hollack, and was an excellent student. Her agility, ability, and rage were able to ignite the passions for freedom in both women and men. She spread the knowledge she learned to other women and lead the largest female army in known history. From all the tales told, she had very few warm feelings towards men after her abused life but was able to put them aside for the good of the rebellion.
According to Imperial watchers, the Kuriel Nation has some citizens who are a strange and rare crossbreeding of elf and man. These Kuriels as they are called there are named after one such half-elf named Kythorin Kuriel. He escaped from captivity during a raid on his home village by Emperor Tahlin. He met others of his kind once freed, and he gathered them for revenge against those who enslaved, tortured, experimented, and ridiculed them. These Kuriels had some traits of both races, and the desire for vengeance burned cold within them. Many were targeted like Duke Hollack's elves, considered traitors and abominations to their neglectful and uncaring parents.
Ulther the wise began as a humble stage magician and entertainer in an elven court. He was taught simple sleight of hand and hedge wizardry by his elven lords to amuse and entertain them. Of all the generals he was the least abused by his elven masters, but the desire for freedom to learn and explore the world allied him with Emperor Tahlin. His meager skills in illusion were bolstered by the arts of fire and lightning as taught by Mordread Hollack. He was a quick pupil and began to study other magical tomes looted and plundered from the elven estates they liberated.
Emperor Tahlin was also able to enlist the aid to an ancient dragon named Ssalmoor to assist him in several key battles. Other stories abound about wandering craftsmen, magical weapons and armor, and help from Sullum. Some of these stories may be true; others must be considered simply flights of fancy. Much of the battles and personalities from that time must be considered tall tales at best and outright deception at worst. All that is known is that it was a grueling period that took fifteen years to bring to fruition. Emperor Tahlin learned well from the Secotah and struck the enemy at their weakest points. Hit and run attacks, ambushes, rat warfare, and other devious tactics finally won the Great Rebellion
The elven forces were lead by extremely skilled elven knights and spell-swords but the bulk of the Warlon troops were non-elven men at arms. As they began to lose, their elven masters began to become harsher and crueler to their loyal servants. This coupled with lingering racial loyalties began to sway more and more of the elven war host to Tahlin's banner. Desertion or mutiny became the order of the day during the final months of the Great Rebellion. The elves were pushed back beyond the Rhaun River, closer to their capital and the bulk of their resources.
The elves finally conceded defeat to their former slaves and offered to surrender if given a certain set of terms. Emperor Tahlin agreed and the peace treaty was signed Primus the sixth in the first year of the new E'gathin Calendar. Before all of the assembled generals on both sides, the elven Emperor Anisel Riven III swore an oath to Sullum. He swore that neither he nor any of his elven people would ever wage war against the Empire of E'gath or any of its people. At the time it was felt that this holy oath would protect the peoples of E'gath from invasion, but it only lead to plots and insidious machinations.
The generals assembled at the Diet of High Kharanul. The city state of High Kharanul was an elven city on a large island on the Rhaun River. They had the foresight or precognition to learn how the Great Rebellion was going to end. They freed all of their slaves at the time, changed the laws pertaining to citizenship, and declared their independence from Warlon. When the forces of Emperor Tahlin approached they found a free state that bluntly stated its neutrality in the war. Emperor Tahlin signed a non-aggression pact with the new state and continued his swath across Warlon. The Diet of High Kharanul was held to determine the peacetime logistics of the fledgling Empire. Each of his generals were given domain over a large area of land that they called a duchy. Each Duke would be mostly autonomous and had power over most decisions, but there were limits imposed by the new Emperor. No duchy shall ever war against any other. Any disputes would be judged by the Emperor himself. The Empire would regulate all inter-duchy trade disputes, imperial security, and diplomatic relations with other lands. Some soldiers and their loved ones stayed with the generals who lead them to freedom. Many peasants stayed on the lands that were their family homes for centuries and continued as they ever did. Others could not stand the sight of the land that marked their previous enslavement and traveled to the far end of the Empire. Years passed before things settled down and everyone had chosen their homeland. Long lines of settlers and pilgrims were a common sight as citizens moved to their new homes.
While many of the new Dukes shared a common heritage and believed in a common law, there were several notable exceptions. The first two were tribal leaders of Vartith and Legyre, who believed strongly in the old ways. They felt that these effete city dwellers could not possibly understand the freedom of their traditional migratory lives. They immediately left with their various clans to form the tribal lands to the north. They never signed the Treaty of E'gath nor do they enjoy the protection of it. Most of the Vartith and Legyre in the Empire traveled with them, spreading out amongst a vast track of land along the Vantun River.
Another Vartith general named Drachan settled north of the remnants of the Warlon Empire. While he saw the need to retain tribal heritages, he fully believed in commerce and trade. His more civilized Vartith followers founded the Duchy of Drachan. While much of this duchy is even now covered in beautiful forests, there are several large cities, trading ports, and walled towns.
General Annatalia founded her Duchy dedicated to and controlled by women warriors. Her great distrust for males was fueled while watching Emperor Tahlin learn and exquisitely execute the devious methods of the Secotah. While a few men moved there during the great upheaval, many more fools simply stayed there believing that equality would remain in such an environment. Not a single male was ever named as a noble in that Duchy, unless they gained it through marriage. Even then they were often considered consorts, not true husbands. As time progressed through the centuries this eventually became a form of slavery and oppression: far from what was desired by their founder. Our Imperial diplomats stationed in Annatalia are currently working to correct this grievous prejudice and bring them closer to our own benevolent social climate of equality.
General Kuriel returned to where he was born in the northernmost section of the Western Duchies. He was one of the most vicious and implacable generals of Emperor Tahlin's army. His soldiers and officers still burned with the desire to completely annihilate Warlon and every elf on Selan. This hatred and implacability was a beacon to those who still wanted war against the elves, and his population drew heavily from this number.
General Faistan was the Secotah who taught Emperor Tahlin how to be utterly devious and win with any means necessary. He collected the majority of his fellow Secotah and chose to build his Duchy on the southern coast near the Dragon-spine Mountains. Magister-general Ulther the wise as he was called at this time was determined to create an idyllic utopia for his people. A group of mostly dreamers, poets, philosophers, and wizards, he created the first form of large scale representational government. This concerned the Emperor at the time, but as long as the people were happy he was constrained not to interfere by his own treaty. The other generals included Rothgar, Kirodan, Pelini, Hollack, and Peirlyean. Each built similar Duchies in their domains, following an agreed system of common law and traditional cultures.
It wasn't very long, at most five to ten years, before the elves began their machinations anew. With the mysterious death of Emperor Riven III, they began to look for ways of expanding their influence without breaking their oath to Sullum. The leaders of the Western Duchies were exceptionally fearful of continued elven aggression, being extremely close to the situation. Emperor Tahlin refused to believe that Sullum would not protect him or his Empire. The Emperor continually denied additional troops to the fearful duchies and allocated funds away from military to inter-duchy trade and development. Kythorin Kuriel was the first to demand action on the part of the Emperor. The Emperor angrily refused and in a fit of rage Duke Kythorin ripped his copy of the treaty of E'gath in two pieces, throwing them to the ground. The Emperor stopped him from leaving the palace with armed guards, demanding that he calm himself and act rationally. The other western Dukes rallied in support for Duke Kuriel, but the Emperor would not be swayed. Eventually the gathering ended and the western Dukes returned home. They met again in the City State of Kharanul to draw up a new resolution that ended their ties with the Empire of E'gath. They retained their promise not to make war against each other, including E'gath, but they refused not to defend themselves against the Warlon Empire. With that resolution in hand, they began the constant spying, distrust, skirmishes, and border wars with the Warlon Empire. It should be noted that of all of the conflict between the duchies and the Warlon Empire, Ultheria never once struck out at Warlon in any meaningful or significant way. Ultheria seems to have taken the policies of the City State of Kharanul and remained neutral.