Legends and History of Duria

Forgotten Empires

Original article: Forgotten Empires on Duria

The history of Duria prior to the Third Age of Man is deeply obscured in the mists of history. Even the dwarves of the Kingdoms of Derlos and Gundag have few records from this period that are relevant to the surface world. Over the last century, however, some evidence has been unearthed to suggest that forgotten empires rose and fell across Duria during these periods.

It is generally believed that the first nation, the dwarven nation of Kalazar, was founded on the continent of Duria, though the dwarves themselves cannot pinpoint precisely where this ancient nation existed. Fragments of literary evidence suggests that it lay on the Divian Peninsula, though to date no ancient dwarven ruins have been found on the surface there.

If this is true, it would be along the Divian Peninsula that the War of Dark Sorrow took place, where the dwarves were overrun by hordes of orcish raiders for the first time and driven deep underground. Unfortunately, all six of the major dwarven kingdoms have records of their defeat and diaspora into the world below. The vast distances between dwarven kingdoms suggest that either some dwarves fled over the surface of the world or else these kingdoms were founded independently with some loose knowledge of the War of Dark Sorrow and its aftermath.

While most Imperial scholars suggest that mankind on Duria was composed of little more than savage tribes scraping by with primitive tools, at some point during the First Age of Man humans on Duria organized well enough to push back the orcish hordes and conquer the lands that the orcs had taken from the dwarves. What is known is that when the dwarves decided they were strong enough to retake the surface world, they found humans reigning instead of orcs. The War of the Sun between dwarves and humans began around four thousand years before the foundation of Neptaris and while all but one of the dwarven kingdoms participated in the war (the dwarves of Derlos refrained from joining in), it is generally believed that the humans of Duria were strong enough to push back the dwarven legions in barely a century of fighting. Eventually, peace was established between dwarves and humans at a place called Gundagor somewhere on the Divian Peninsula around 1400 years before the foundation of Neptaris, during the Second Age of Man.

The vast majority of stories about the rise of the Tuatha de Dannan in the First Age of Man and the great world-spanning wars during the Second Age of Man make no mention of the continent of Duria, though stories from late in the Third Age of Man suggest that Math Mathonwy had gone into exile near the Webwood on the northern shores of Duria, which suggests that Math may have had strong support on Duria, at least in the waning years of Second Age of Man.

There is some evidence that the foundations of the city of Paeldain, the capital of Koramia, are truly ancient. Some scholars suggest that a city has existed in some form or another on that spot since before the dawn of the First Age of Man. The only direct evidence to support these claims are strange pottery and statuary brought up from deep beneath the sewers of Paeldain by intrepid adventurers that scholars have, to this point, been unable to identify.

According to the Annals of Davalor, when he was searching for a hermitage to conduct his mystical research during the time of the Zetian Republic, he was drawn to already ancient ruins on what would come to be known as Sapphire Mount in eastern Duria. Even the knowledgeable demiurge could not decipher precisely what culture had left the ruins behind… or even if they were human, but he was able to decipher several mystical texts he discovered there. The demiurge would eventually build the Citadel on those ruins, around which rose the city that shares his name and, eventually, the nation of Lun Dorak.

There is curious mention in some elven histories of a human Empire just south of the Webwood forest around 4000 years ago (which would place it firmly in the period between the First and Second Ages of Man), but there is no evidence of any ancient ruins on the northern shore of the Sea of Blades to substantiate these legends.

If there were major human empires on Duria during the First and Second Ages of Man, they either were not aware of Aurea and Gallorea, did not possess the means to communicate with humans elsewhere or they chose not to involve themselves in the affairs of the other continents.

The Third Age of Man

Original article: The Third Age of Man on Duria

Most modern scholars agree that a little over a century prior to the foundation of Zeth on Aurea and the start of the Third Age of Man, Neptag (later Neptaris) was founded on the Inner Shore of Duria by an Aebasan adventurer known as Zarakos of Taranio. Early on, Neptaris was befriended by a group of elves known as Arisian elves, though it is not known for how long those elves inhabited southern Duria prior to Zarakos’ arrival. Unfortunately, a dispute with the humans of Neptaris eventually lead to the extermination of Arisian elves, so much of their (primarily oral) history is now lost. Early Neptaran records do report that there were some human tribes in the area, with the Kamaros being one of the most prominent.

Though much of Duria was unaware of it at the time, the city of Zeth had begun its meteoric rise to power on Aurea, throwing off its tyrannical dictators and establishing itself as a Republic that was slowing growing in power and influence. One of the Republic’s most powerful wizards, however, was well aware of Duria. Frustrated with the restrictive guild structures among wizards in the Republic, Davalor went into a self-imposed hermitage, wandering the continent of Duria in search for what he called “the Seat of Power.” He eventually stopped in what would become Lun Dorak, founding a nation of wizards and sorcerers that would later help bring about the fall of the Third Age of Man.

By the fifth century of the Third Age of Man, King Larstat II of the Tracini tribe on the Divian Peninsula had requested aid from the growing power of Zeth to fight against a mysterious people called the Xaclos. The Republic legions, under the command of Marcus Argentis of House Zetar, not only defeated the Xaclos but began conquering the other neighbors of the Tracini, ostensibly to ensure that no other groups could threaten the Republic’s allies. Marcus Argentis would see the Tracini first become his clients, then the territory become a subject of Zeth itself. Less than a century after the death of Marcus Argentis, the Zetian Republic had become the Great Empire of Zeth.

At its greatest extent, the Great Empire controlled territory that included almost the entirety of the Inner Shore of Duria, including present-day Dakra, Illyria, Norlund, Ciritasnia, Koramia, Pelusia, Nagos, Enesia, Numentora, Kamara, Cambrecia, Daredonia, Auteria, Malvetia and even, for a short time, the city of Neptaris itself (one of the few times in its long history that city was subject to a foreign government).

About three centuries after the arrival of Zeth on Duria, a young boy named Garimund of Ryard discovered a flying ship, the Glorious Galleon, flying in the skies above the flock of sheep he was (poorly) tending in a rural pasturage now located in Koramia. After chasing after the drifting ship for several days, he finally found a hilltop high enough to allow him to board the vessel. He found the ship itself empty, though in a small room at the aft of the ship he discovered the rotting corpse of a man in strange, alien armor gripping an ancient tome. The tome, when it was finally translated by Imperial scholars, contained the stories and lessons of Vortumnus, god of chivalry. Most importantly, however, was the retelling of the Tale of the Last God, wherein Fides, god of oaths, and Meliboea, goddess of justice, were fleeing the wrath of Lord Ptharos for violating his prohibition against procreation. As in the Aebasan and Imperial traditions, the story faithfully told how Lord Ptharos found the two lovers just as Meliboea was giving birth to Vortumnus and, recognizing the nobility in the newest god, his wrath melted away and he forgave the sin. However, this new tome revealed that Lord Ptharos, shameful of the wrathful dictator he had become, was so impressed by the nobility and wisdom of Vortumnus that he turned over his scepter, crown and orb of rulership to Vortumnus, making him King of the Gods.

The response in Zeth was immediate… the teachings of this new book, called the Koram in some unknown tongue, were heresy and those repeating the stories found within would be put to death. Unfortunately for the Emperor, copies were made of the Koram and the original disappeared from the temple stores. Word spread like wildfire across the Divian Peninsula… and the god that Zeth had called Emperor of the Gods was no Emperor, perhaps the Emperor of Zeth himself was not their rightful ruler.

The rebellion against the Empire was initially small, with only a few skirmishes with the Imperial legions across northern Duria, usually when a local adherent to the Koramian Heresy was found by inquisitors and executed (or martyred, depending on the point of view). Eventually, however, the Great Empire found itself unable to sustain its Durian colonies and slowly began to withdraw its legions. Modern Koramian scholars suggest it is no coincidence that the Empire’s legions were first defeated by the Narbar on Aurea a mere ten years prior to the discovery of the Glorious Galleon by Saint Garimund of Ryard… the first real threat the Empire faced on Aurea in centuries. It was their war with the Narbar that resulted in the slow withdrawal of the Empire over the next four centuries. When the last two Imperial garrisons in present-day Koramia declared their independence around the eleventh century of the Third Age of Man, only the colony of Cambrecia remained loyal to the Emperor.

Cambrecia’s loyalty to the Great Empire made it something of a political anathema among those young nations that rose up in the wake of the Empire’s departure. Neptaris, in particular, became a rival of Cambrecia and the two states fought several wars with mixed results over the centuries. Unfortunately, the loyalty of the nobility of Cambrecia to the Empire (and to the Potentate of Zelos) resulted in the slow erosion of secular power in the nation. By the fifteenth century of the Third Age of Man, Cambrecia had become the Holy See of Cambrecia, dedicated to Zelos, god of the state, and ruled over with an iron fist by his Potentates.

Northward, the former colony of Cimmeria along the Divian Peninsula became fractured, with several petty Kings and Barons rising up to claim power over this region or that. These conflicts continued for centuries until, in the last half-century of the Third Age of Man, the Divian Peninsula (with the notable exception of Illyria) is unified under the divinely inspired King William I “the Greysword” of the newly founded nation of Koramia. The heady time of the Conquest would prove to be the last flickering light of greatness of the Third Age of Man in Duria… and, in some ways, would lead to the fall of mankind on the continent.

Four decades after the reunification of Koramia, the Imperial Fleet again took sail eastward, bringing its legions to reconquer Duria. The Empire had finally settled its northern border, allying with the nation of Ywys and defeating an orcish horde that threatened the Empire’s territory. With the frontier safe, the Empire could again focus its energies on retaking Duria. Unbeknownst to many at the time, the Empire’s new aggression was the result of the machinations of a talented young Koramian sorcerer named Lucas Chamberville who had been kidnapped by the mages of Lun Dorak and trained as one of their own.

Under the guise of Lucius, Chamberville was instrumental in engineering the peace between the Empire and Ywys, a feat for which he was recognized and rewarded by the Emperor Publius Antonius of House Zetar. Lucius quickly became one of the Emperor’s closest advisors and, upon the death of the Imperial heir, adopted Lucius into House Zetar.

As Lucius Augustus of House Zetar, Chamberville was granted leadership of the Imperial Legion in Koramia. Under Chamberville, the flower of Koramian chivalry was driven back by the relentless march of the legions. The Imperial legions made their way quickly to Paeldain, the capital of Koramia, and set siege to the great city. King William I, who had promised to return when Koramia most needed him, organized the defenses of the city, but few expected a Koramian victory. At the height of the siege, however, the recently reformed Dragonknights arrived in the midst of the battle with a Koramian knight at the helm of the legendary flying ship, the Glorious Galleon. The Imperial legion was decimated and, for a time, Paeldain was saved. Chamberville was not so easily dissuaded from his plans, however. Soon after the First Battle of Paeldain, Chamberville obtained the legendary sword of Davalor himself, the Magesword. He reformed the legion within a year, this time with mysterious foreign wizards to provide tactical support. He again attacked Paeldain and, in the Second Battle of Paeldain, the Empire finally took the city. The Greysword and much of his family were slain. As the Koramian forces retreated to the mountains, a nephew of the Greysword, Gawyn Asheva, was crowned King of what remained of Koramia.

By the end of the second year of the war, Publius Antonius lay dead from a mysterious disease and Chamberville was raised to the Purple as Emperor Lucius Augustus of House Zetar. It was only after his coronation that he revealed that he was truly called Lucasa, the Mage-King of Lun Dorak. His plans revealed, Lucasa formally moved the capital of the Empire from Zeth to Davalor and directed the armies of both nations to conquer Duria once and for all.

The free people of Duria proved unwilling to lay down as slaves to the Mage-King. Under the leadership of the Dragonknights, the humans of Koramia and Illyria allied with the dwarves of Gundag and Derlos, the elves of the Webwood Forest and even the orcs of Vor Midal, who were unified under the strong hand of their first Great Khan in centuries, Gar’dun. The combined allied force fought its way to the gates of Davalor itself. In the titanic battle that followed, the city was laid to waste and many on both sides lost their lives. When the dust finally settled, the Mage-King Lucasa was defeated… not, it is said, from any military genius of the allied forces, but from a mystical disease, perhaps a curse placed on him by Abaris herself for his hubris in her name.

With the Mage-King defeated, the Alliance quickly tore itself apart. The Dragonknights receded from Duria. The Great Empire, now without a clear heir to the Purple, fell into its Fourth Succession War. Those legions remaining in Divia quickly coalesce around a charismatic commander in Koramia, occupying an area they call Ciritasnia. Seeking to keep the Great Horde unified, Gar’dun turned against his former allies, first slaughtering the elves of the Webwood forest (and burning much of the forest to the ground) before moving through Illyria, Koramia and the newly founded Ciritasnia before finally settling on the western shores of the Divian Peninsula, founding the nation of Vor Scheral. Meanwhile, people across Duria rose up against the wizards and sorcerers that had oppressed them, burning every Dorakian mage they could find at the stake, murdering more than a few mages who were not involved in the Dorakian Empire. Even those arcane spellcasters who had fought against the Dorakian occupation were subject to the backlash against mages.

Amidst this chaos, the Crimson Plague, a mystical disease that began on the continent of Gallorea, first struck in Neptaris. The Plague spread slowly at first, but soon priests across Duria (and across the world) discovered that they were abruptly without their powers. What would come to be called the Recession of the Gods had begun. The Third Age of Man came to a close in an apocalypse of disease, bloodshed and fear.

The Dark Times

Original article: The Dark Times on Duria

Without divine healing, the Crimson Plague raged across the continent unchecked during the Dark Times, reducing some cities to as little as a tenth of their population in the course of a decade. Trade slowed to a standstill and the continent was cut off from Aurea and Gallorea. Several nations, including Koramia, were ravaged by civil war as inheritance was questioned and conquered peoples took advantage of weak crowns to claim independence.

Despite the chaos of the end of the Third Age of Man, Duria fared better than the other continents. During these dark times, the druids of the Calmerian Marches decided to go forth into the world from their seclusion and attempt to help humanity recover in the absence of the Elder Gods. They slowly spread across Duria, replacing the failing priesthoods in many places as judges and advisers as well as helping to curb the tide of the Crimson Plague. Many of the elves of the Webwood, no longer secure in their remote and well-defended forests, spread throughout human lands, often establishing small enclaves near major human cities. The dwarves of Gundag and Derlos also came forth from their hermitage, openly trading and settling in human nations.

Humanity on Duria endured the Dark Times and prepared for a long period of darkness and fear. And then only four decades after the Recession of the Gods, the Elder Gods abruptly returned.

The Fourth Age of Man had begun.

The Fourth Age of Man on Duria

Original article: The Fourth Age of Man on Duria

Upon the return of the Elder Gods, humanity across Duria began to work towards rebuilding almost overnight. The civil war in Koramia came to a close and the newly reunified kingdom allied with their old enemies, the legions of Ciritasnia, to fight against the orcs that occupied the western shores of the Divian Peninsula. The Holy See of Cambrecia, long a supporter of Imperial power on Duria and an oppressor to its subjects recognized not only the legitimacy of the people who had fought against the Potentate during the Dark Times, but also proclaimed its neutrality in the internal affairs of Duria’s nations, even in areas of religious differences. Rebels in Lun Dorak founded the nation of Stenoa, establishing a democratic republic out of escaped slaves and former brigands. More than a few nations on Duria, their hereditary nobility dead from war and disease, chose to establish republics rather than continue to fight over who had the right to reign.

Despite the return of the Elder Gods, the druids continued to expand across Duria. In some regions they were scorned by the newly re-empowered priests, but in most human nations druids and priests found ways to work side-by-side to provide their services to the populace, even if relations were often somewhat strained between the two groups.

Meanwhile, the great Mage Guilds of Gallorea and Aurea began to spread to the human nations of Duria (barring Lun Dorak, where they are still prohibited). The Mage Guilds provided a certain stability and accountability to the wizards of Duria, promising to help secular authorities police their numbers to ensure that a new Mage-King would not rise to wreak havoc across the continent again. Distrust of mages continued, of course, but that the Mage Guilds were more than willing to assist in capturing and executing those mages they considered Renegade (i.e. those not belonging to one of the Great Guilds) convinced most people of their sincerity.

In some regions, particularly in the south and among the nations of the western Sea of Blades, nobles and wealthy merchants have begun investing in science as a means to prevent another magically-induced Interrannum. The idea of being able to accomplish great deeds without the need for divine or arcane magic is appealing to many people. The movement is particularly popular in the Freecity of Neptaris, where some local craftsman have begun to build seemingly magical wonders out of little more than boiling water and a few spinning gears.

More importantly, however, there seems a pervasive hope across Duria that the Fourth Age of Man will bring even greater wonders than the Third. Because the Interannum was only four decades long, much of the knowledge and social structures of the Third Age of Man remained intact. For certain, some of the villains of the Third Age: the mages of Lun Dorak continue to lick their wounds in the east, the orcs of the north remain a threat should they be unified again and the Imperial legions in the west could again threaten the free peoples of Duria should a strong Emperor reassemble the shattered Zetian Empire. But despite these threats, humanity has rebuilt much of what was lost in only three score years and, in some cases, even moved beyond what was known into entirely new realms of knowledge.