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History
Once Upon A Time...
Time before The Shattering is a mystery for the most part. People often speak of it as a lost paradise... a time of innocence and bliss when the gods walked the world like men and all creatures lived in harmony with each other. The stories tell of ancient cities built of shining marble and gold, temples that reached the sky and bountiful harvests for all. Most of these tales are little more than fanciful stories, told to children at night. In truth, nobody is left alive from before The Shattering, save the gods, and if they know, they do not tell...
The Shattering...
In the early days, Ellandor had two moons. Only one still remains today, but the second moon was said to be made of crystal. Legends speak of how the crystal moon orbited so low, that on its closest approach tides could be doubled and tripled, causing tremendous waves. There are still paintings in caves of the crystal moon above a great smoking mountain. But on the day now known as The Shattering, A great volcano known as Wound, which held the equivalent of an entire sea of lava, exploded in an enormous blast on the night of a triple eclipse.
The geyser of fire rose so high into the stratosphere it impacted with the small and fragile crystal moon, which lay uncommonly low in orbit that night. The resulting impact was akin to a meteor shower, and a great cloud of dust rose from Wound to cover the sky. The resulting darkness lasted a few hundred years, and the suffering of the races was harsh. Bitter winters, burning summers and severe tectonic activity continued for many years, reshaping several continents and killing hundreds of thousands. Those who survived were forced to endure marauding monsters and bands of outlaws. Several species changed and mutated, exposed as they were to wild magic of the moons, choked by dust and plagued by famine and disease. Goblins, trolls, orcs, and many maligned animals appeared at this time, twisted from their former beautiful shapes into creatures of hate and darkness. Some say the impact weakened the link between Ellandor and other planes of existence, bringing other powers into the world almost beyond mortal comprehension. Then the great, dark cloud of ash from The Shattering settled over Ellandor like a shroud, leaving the people of the land in darkness and despair.
Recorded history begins - 1 C.E. (Chaos Ended)
1 C.E. - 500 C.E. Age of Renewal
As the people of Ellandor suffered, the Gods watched in from afar, unable, even in their great power, to undo the damage that had been wrought by The Shattering. But as the centuries passes, some of the Gods, the most powerful, began to try and lift the darkness, guiding chosen people towards the light. Other, darker Gods, had different ambitions, and lent their power to the new races, the savage, predatory races that had arisen from the lifting dark. Still other Gods, abandoned by their suffering followers, simply faded away... forgotten.
As darkness covered the land, the Sylari people, a proud race that lived mostly in the forests of ancient Ellandor, were forced to flee their idyllic glens and scattered across the face of the world in a desperate search for food and shelter. The Sylars wandered by many different paths into many strange and devastated lands. Eventually, four separate peoples emerged, all vastly different, molded and changed by hardship, suffering, and constant exposure to wild magic. The Sul'Sylar, Quil'Sylar, and Alth'Sylar settled on the continents of Elethror and Nok, while the fourth tribe disappeared without a trace. These lost sylari would eventually become the dreaded L'shar.
150 C.E.
A small settlement of humans converges in the ruins of the former city of Devenon, which was destroyed by the Great Shattering. The settlement is referred to by the other races as Shanty-town.
500 C.E. - 846 C.E. Age of Darkness
Evil manifests itself around the globe, Necromancy is created by the arch-mage Xaquar Blackheart, the L'shar begin to attack the Sul'Sylar, and the Khazirs battle the humans of Adaria over border disputes in what becomes known as the Gemstone Wars. Many tales of good defeating evil, and evil defeating good, come from this time.
543 C.E.
Hordes of trolls and goblins begin appearing in ever-increasing numbers. It's told that a youth no more than 17 years of age rallied the morale of the Shanty-town populace and rebelled against the trolls. The ensuing battle cost the lives of over ten thousand humans, for they had no weapons, no training, and only rags for armor. They won by sheer numbers alone, throngs of them descending on the fearful troll warriors, no more than 200 of which were able to escape with their lives. The youth which had inspired the battle, an orphan who had lived in Shanty-town all his life, died in the fight, his name never known.
583 C.E.
The Great Mage Wars begin in the ancient, mystical country of Adaria, the capital of which was the great city of Aldar Sur. Xaquar Blackheart returns many years after killing his wife and disappearing, and he leads an army of undead to destroy and conquer Aldar Makoth, "The city of Hope", turning it into a dark city forevermore.
642 C.E.
Fearing an imminent attack by Xaquar Blackheart, who grew vastly in power as he ruled in Aldar Makoth, many citizens of Aldar Sur migrate to Shanty-town and help the settlers there to construct a new kingdom far from Blackheart and the manipulative force of magic. The construction of New Devenon begins. The Templar Knights, a chivalric Order of valorous knights from the swamps of Dalrikon, leave their Castle to vanquish the evils arisen in Aldar Makoth and save Ellandor.
670 C.E.
New Devenon's massive outer walls are completed, and the high steel gates of the greatest city ever built are swung open for the first time. The construction had one peculiar aspect about it though. The ruins of Old Devenon lay -inside- the walls of New Devenon, for the architects had the idea of restoring the Old Palace to its fabled glory. For reasons unknown, however, the plan was never carried out, and Old Devenon lay forgotten in the southeast quarter of the city.
687 C.E.
Forced out of hiding by the increasingly destructive war and the armies of Xaquar Blackheart, the Sul'Sylar unite themselves with the newly minted kingdom of Devenon in a battle of good and evil. The Khazir even forget their hatred of the Adarians from the Gemstone War long enough to join Devenon in the Battle of Aldar Sur, where Xaquar Blackheart was seeking to exact his revenge upon the council. The Templar Champion Girdan leads the heroic Templar Knights into the plains of Adaria, fighting and crusading against the evil army. The battle for Elethror is fierce, and Aldar Sur is destroyed before a young sorcerer named Gladius finally defeats Xaquar Blackheart. In the battle, the Templars defeated the army of undead, but at a great cost -- not one Templar survives from the battle. A Light shines upon the blood-soaked battlefield, and Ellandor is cleansed of the great Evils.
Age of Rebirth
1 D.B. (Darkness Broken)
In the year 846 C.E., most of the darkness had been pushed back and beaten, and life was returning to normal, but the official date for the "Darkness being Broken" was set at the end of the Battle of Aldar Sur, when Xaquar Blackheart and his hordes of undead were vanquished. The evil magic that flowed forth from the Necropolis of Aldar Makoth was then sealed by the world's most powerful wizards, creating a shield of energy known as the Great Flux. The Alth'Sylar of nearby Dalroth Sundal then volunteered to keep soldiers posted near the Bloodroot Woods, to watch for anything that emerged from the Necropolis. With Aldar Sur destroyed and Aldar Makoth dead and sealed off, the country of Adaria, once renowned for its advances in magic and scholarly progress, ceases to be, leaving the kingdom of New Devenon as the single greatest power on Elethror.
. . . As time goes on . . .
Circa 1220 D.B.
Ancient scrolls were discovered by adventurers underneath the ruins of Castle Dundrannon, an ancient keep amid the swamps of Dalrikon. Around the same time, the young and powerful bulbar warrior Orghund, a former slave of Nok, meets with the young, genious halgan Ulandos, Squire Errant of Phirezal, and the two friends meet with companions Valsharn, a small trundlar monk and Suibrox, an aged half-elf, to speak about the Dream of Orghund's that they all share about a new Evil arising. Unknown to them, these ancient Templaric scrolls speak of a 'giant child' that shall band together with his friends to lead Ellandor against the returning forces of Evil. They all swear an Oath of three perpetual vows in front of King Angus, King of Devenon, and revive the Ancient Order of the Templar Knights. Within five years, the Ancient Gods give them their Rule, that gives them their divine right, and ordains them as the holy order of Ellandor.
1231 D.B.
The Templar Knights begin and finish construction of their new, massive Temple within the Kingdom of Devenon. Within the massive engraved bronze doors rests their new, colossal Fellowship Hall, and to the top a grand Dome, crafted of a magical, translucent glowing crystal with many majestic murals, frescos, engravings and paintings about the dome, marking the apogee of the Templaric art period. The architecture and furniture all pronounce a pious, divine and yet practical design in construction. Also, the Grand Library, reared by the Librarian Darminikin, is finished, a great circular and spacious chamber of wall-to-wall bookcases and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves amid iron-tracked ladders, with the cozy desk of the Librarian resting in the back of the Library. Full of many other Halls and chambers, some still being constructed, this Temple towers in Devenon, quickly becoming a new center of attention within the great gates.
1232 D.B.
During an expedition to Castle Dundrannon and the swamps of Aldar Makoth to excavate for artifacts, Grand Master Orghund, Seneschal Master Ulandos, Master Valsharn and Librarian Darminikin recover a number of relic Templar weapons, items and armor. Among the ones identified and preserved are a Great Helm, the Spear of Girdan ("Bluetooth"), a massive ancient two-handed sword and the old Greatsword Oathkeeper.
