Editing Dead City of Ep
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==History== | ==History== | ||
− | + | According to the fractions of written lore and mutable oral history of orc and human tribes native to the region, Ep was first discovered by the Aghenti humans that once ranged from the north-western shores at the mouth of the Inlet Sea in the west to the Thermal Sea in the East. None know exactly when this discovery took place but most scholars estimate that it was somewhere between -3,000 CA and -1,200 CA. | |
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− | According to the fractions of written lore and mutable oral history of orc and human tribes native to the region, Ep was first discovered by the Aghenti humans that once ranged from the north-western shores at the mouth of the Inlet Sea in the west to the Thermal Sea in the | ||
They largely stayed clear of the place, and it has haunted their legends as a place of dark beings, ancient beyond comprehension that preyed on the warriors that got too close, taking flesh, blood, and souls for unknowable purposes. Later shamans, however, began dangerous pilgrimages into the city's depths when the Aghenti began encountering larger and larger numbers of enemy human and orc tribes that migrated into their lands and drove them away from their resources. To combat the more advanced weaponry of their foes, the shamans sought new power among the ruins, trading their souls and far too many of their people for strange powers. Despite these gains however, the combination of the sacrifices necessary and the amount of time needed to make any meaningful progress, the Aghenti were largely reduced in numbers and by the time of the Lattaneran Expeditionary forces led by the legendary General Solenus Remelius they were largely absorbed by other tribes or slaughtered, their way of life and the secrets they had gleaned from the City lost to history. | They largely stayed clear of the place, and it has haunted their legends as a place of dark beings, ancient beyond comprehension that preyed on the warriors that got too close, taking flesh, blood, and souls for unknowable purposes. Later shamans, however, began dangerous pilgrimages into the city's depths when the Aghenti began encountering larger and larger numbers of enemy human and orc tribes that migrated into their lands and drove them away from their resources. To combat the more advanced weaponry of their foes, the shamans sought new power among the ruins, trading their souls and far too many of their people for strange powers. Despite these gains however, the combination of the sacrifices necessary and the amount of time needed to make any meaningful progress, the Aghenti were largely reduced in numbers and by the time of the Lattaneran Expeditionary forces led by the legendary General Solenus Remelius they were largely absorbed by other tribes or slaughtered, their way of life and the secrets they had gleaned from the City lost to history. | ||
Though the Aghenti were the main people to have contact with the City they were by no means the only ones in recorded history to set foot in the place. Countless stories exist of human, dwarven, elven, and orc heroes who braved the strange City, most ending in utter tragedy but also a precious few of people making their way out with their lives and even great artifacts and treasure. These small victories, however, were more often than not poisoned by later tragedies as the treasures were largely to the detriment of whoever owned them, bringing misery and madness to any in their vicinity and most were disposed of or sealed away. | Though the Aghenti were the main people to have contact with the City they were by no means the only ones in recorded history to set foot in the place. Countless stories exist of human, dwarven, elven, and orc heroes who braved the strange City, most ending in utter tragedy but also a precious few of people making their way out with their lives and even great artifacts and treasure. These small victories, however, were more often than not poisoned by later tragedies as the treasures were largely to the detriment of whoever owned them, bringing misery and madness to any in their vicinity and most were disposed of or sealed away. | ||
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For most of its recorded existence Ep remained an ominous curiosity, always, inescapably there but never really inhabited save by the occasional cultists or arcane researchers who sought to tap into its legendary power for numerous reasons, none of them good, and none of them coming to fruition. None that is until 1021 CA and the coming of the monster known to the world as Rhone the Reaper. | For most of its recorded existence Ep remained an ominous curiosity, always, inescapably there but never really inhabited save by the occasional cultists or arcane researchers who sought to tap into its legendary power for numerous reasons, none of them good, and none of them coming to fruition. None that is until 1021 CA and the coming of the monster known to the world as Rhone the Reaper. | ||
− | Rhone the Reaper, or Rhone Tavier was a drow vampire, and a sorcerer of incredible power. No one knew anything of him save the name that he gave those before he offered them the choice of dying quickly or slowly. Even the drow had no knowledge of his origins as the House of Tavier had been lost for uncounted years, meaning he was either some long lost scion of that ancient family, incredibly old, or lying (though given the amount of power he seemed to possess this last hypothesis seems | + | Rhone the Reaper, or Rhone Tavier was a drow vampire, and a sorcerer of incredible power. No one knew anything of him save the name that he gave those before he offered them the choice of dying quickly or slowly. Even the drow had no knowledge of his origins as the House of Tavier had been lost for uncounted years, meaning he was either some long lost scion of that ancient family, incredibly old, or lying (though given the amount of power he seemed to possess this last hypothesis seems unlikely). |
By 1022 CA Rhone had blackened the skies above Ep for miles and raised a considerable sized army of undead to fight for him. Spreading south and west he took the young kingdom of Avandor and the Freedlands by surprise and gained territory very quickly. The very ground that they walked on became blighted so that the grass withered and animals died and rose as abominations. The dead became restless in this plagued ground as well, adding even more soldiers to Rhone's inscrutable cause. | By 1022 CA Rhone had blackened the skies above Ep for miles and raised a considerable sized army of undead to fight for him. Spreading south and west he took the young kingdom of Avandor and the Freedlands by surprise and gained territory very quickly. The very ground that they walked on became blighted so that the grass withered and animals died and rose as abominations. The dead became restless in this plagued ground as well, adding even more soldiers to Rhone's inscrutable cause. | ||
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These events led to the start of the Black Crusade in which paladins and priests of Erabis started fighting back against the restless dead. Later years saw the crusade expanding to warriors of all faiths and nations, even as far south as Lattanera, whose priests and nobles knew that if the battle was lost in Avandor, then the whole of the North would likely follow and then who knew how far it might spread. | These events led to the start of the Black Crusade in which paladins and priests of Erabis started fighting back against the restless dead. Later years saw the crusade expanding to warriors of all faiths and nations, even as far south as Lattanera, whose priests and nobles knew that if the battle was lost in Avandor, then the whole of the North would likely follow and then who knew how far it might spread. | ||
− | + | Near the peak of the Crusade all the major southern nations in Antanides were represented in the conflict, as well as countless faiths, mercenary companies, and nobles from thousands of families great and small as well as their retainers. Tens of thousands were slain. | |
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