History Corone

[Slavegirl]

Corone mythos

Of creation of the Corone island there is no coherent information. The only trace that even resembles a tale of the creation is a mere fable, speaking of the Dragon God that formed and shaped the most beautiful land of all to appease the so called Sky Goddess. But the Goddess was frivolous and wild and untamed, refusing to show her fondness of the new lands and its master. Pondering for an eon on what to do with this new island, the Dragon God finally came to a decision to destroy what he created. But the Sky Goddess steadied his hand and asked him not to do so. She told him that she could never be tamed, never bound to a piece of earth, but that if she ever decided to do so, she would choose his island. So the land remained and thought the two deities parted once again after a palaver, life was allowed to thrive in the new lands.

Opposed to the common belief (inspired mostly by the current racial diversity), Corone was originally inhabited exclusively by the human race. However, that is the only fact that is widely accepted amongst the modern day historians, because all other information of the early ages of the Corone continent and its inhabitants is sketchy at best. During the ages when the elves of the north already thrived and warred for thousands of years, Corone history comes only in means of stories that were passed down from one generation to the next, getting distorted every time the storyteller was changed. This comes as no surprise given the fact that the humans that inhabited the continent during those times were nomadic barbarians, gathered in clans and factions that waged meaningless wars amidst themselves.

However, even within such rustic society, there was a firm patriarch governing structure within every clan and though written word was unknown to the Coronians, they abided to a strict set of laws. Harsh and unyielding, these laws were first recorded by an elven merchant that had the misfortune of crashing his ship on the shores of the north Corone. While his name and origin is as of yet unknown, an inscription in the Malani Cave (in which he was most likely imprisoned) speaks of his pending execution for trespassing on what he could only translate as the Holy Grounds. There is also mention of what seemed like a ranking structure within the armed forces and a strict code of both dressing and behavior.

Where exactly these barbarians came from is as of yet unknown, but one of the tales speaks of a creature called a Nomad. Supposed to be a restless sea leviathan, this creature punctured his side at the jagged shores of the north Corone and from its entrails the first Coronians were born. In other stories, the Nomad is actually the Dragon God. Modern history supposes that the Nomad was actually a ship that carried the slaves from one of the western islands that were to be sold in the civilized lands of that time, but the lack of evidence leaves this probable theory at just that; a theory. The Clerics of Draconus agree, but adding that it was Draconus himself that caused the storm and welcomed the first settlers in his human form because his lands seemed empty without intelligent life. Needless to say, telltales and religious factoids are the only evidence of the creation and the early times.

[Slavegirl]

The Age of Commencement

The first written evidence (save for the Malani Cave inscription) comes as a mere side note in one of the Raiaeran scouting reports some four thousand years ago. Eraniel the Farseer noted Corone as a lush untamed land inhabited by barbarians volatile and rather introverted in nature. The strict structure of the society was once again noted, enriched by the first mention of the Corone women and the worship of draconic figures. However, at the time, the females were treated as mere slaves and did everything from taking care of the livestock to chopping wood. Eraniel compared the society to that of wild lions and designated this new continent as unworthy of further inspection, for though the barbarians were segregated in clans, they would for certain unite against the outside invasion. And given their nature, even a friendly visit could be considered an invasion.

However, despite the report, after the official discovery of the island, an inflow of outsiders was inevitable. The rich landscape was greatly underused which was a perfect bait for the landowners, the mountains were the only piece of the information that the dwarves needed, and the vast forest became a second home to the elves. Needless to say, the barbarians responded in violence, but their rigid ways were soon reasoned with by the golden tongue of the negotiators. Chieftain Fannos of the Burning River clan was the representative of the six factions that negotiated (or were goaded into) the peace with the outworlders, led by a great adventurer of the time, Aranis Kaledin. Coy and friendly at first, the outsiders managed to make peace with the locals, staying away from their nomadic settlements and paying no heed to the constant movement of the barbaric folk. In return for the hospitality, the outsiders offered bits of civilization, teaching the locals how to write, read, farm, erect stone buildings, and with their joint forces the first Corone town was formed; Serenti, a coastal town that was monument to the times of tranquility and unity amongst the natives and the outsiders.

But with the creation of Serenti, Corone borders were now wide open. Merchant ships bearing settlers arrived more and more frequently and the ones bearing local goods were shipping out even faster. Corone was marked a vast unexplored land and there was plenty room for all interested and gradually the freedom that the natives enjoyed for thousands of years started to dwindle. Mining towns, farming complexes, sawmills slowly started to turn a paradise into a bee hive and the Coronians started to realize that they should have never given in to the first settlers. The first great Corone war was inevitable.

Though superior in number and with the advantage of the well known terrain, the barbarians were evenly matched by the foreign warriors that excelled in skill and armaments. For hundreds of years elves kept to their forest, dwarves to their mountains in the north and the local men controlled the flat lands, all three factions constantly bickering and fighting against each other. It was a stalemate though, since neither of the sides wanted to come out of their territory. Elves dominated amidst the lush trees that they named the Concordia Forest where they created the town of Underwood, the dwarves and their defenses couldn’t be breached in the Jagged Mountains where they constructed the city of Teria around the strange ziggurat structure later known as the Citadel, and none could oppose the barbarian light cavalry that roamed the flatlands like a wind, arrogating the town of Serenti as their own.

During these times of turmoil Y’edda, the Sky Queen, is mentioned for the first time, mostly in the chronicles of the elves that dwelt in Concordia. They mentioned signing a pact with the so called Protectors of the Forest, which modern history recognizes as the predecessors of the Y’edda Druids. The druids are a secretive society and even in the present little is known of them and few even encountered them.

Needless to say, Corone became a segregated land, torn by the turmoil of the three parties that could no longer find the mutual language. And then the demons came.

[Slavegirl]

The Age of Darkness

They knew well where to strike first. The city of Teria was a supposedly impregnable bastion of the dwarves high in the north, nestled in the valley of river Niema. But regardless of the high walls and the intrepidity of the dwarves, the great city of Teira fell in a single day. The demons overwhelmed the walls like a swarm of locusts and the largest city in Corone fell with a whisper. The dwarves retracted to their caves, finding safety in the maze of passages they created during the ages.

The demons couldn’t afford to lose time on flushing the vermin out of their holes, because even as they razed Teria to the ground (save for the indestructible Citadel), the elves and the men in the south started to negotiate a peace treaty and an alliance against the invasion. The demon army rushed over the Comb mountains, invading the Concordia forest first, but by this time, the natives and the elves already forged a pact and they were a force to be reckoned with. Aroen the Lightforger and Gerth of the Crying Wolves clan led an army of men and elves against the darkness that threatened to overtake all Corone. On the Gisela Fields they fought for seven days, but in the end the demons were too many and their brute strength won the strife, claiming Corone as their own.

The defeated forces fled back to the Concordia forest, but the demons were merciless as they set the entire forest ablaze. Thousands of years of history written on the tree barks died in the flames that burned so vividly, they managed to enlighten the night sky and turn it into mere dusk. Luckily, the dwarves that burrowed through most of the mountains of the north, opened up their secret passages and accepted the defeated forces into their caves. And there for over a hundred and fifty years the three nations lived in peace, waiting for a right time to counterstrike the demons. Despite the fact that the dwarves received shipments through their hidden passage in the fjords in the west, it was a hundred years of famine and agony for the Coronians. Information of demon army advancement against the elven lands in the north was scarce but dreadful for soon it was known that even Raiaera fell under the demon’s advancement. All hope seemed lost and Coronians, caged like beasts in their caves, feared that the caves were to be their graves.

Alas, then their savior came. He snuck through the remaining demon forces, bringing the news of the great defeat of the demons at the hand of Alerar forces, and inspiring the beaten Corone folk to arise and aid in the final defeat of the demons. He was an elf, clad in mytrhil armor so bright, it seemed that it was made out of starlight itself. He was Radasanth, Radasanth the Starlight by the elves, Radasanth the Braveheart by the dwarves and Radasanth the Savior by the men, and he led the cave dwellers out in one final charge. The attack was carefully planned though, in sync with the elven forces that invaded from the northeast and together they crushed the last foothold of the demons in Corone, the razed town of Teria. With the aid of the Raiaeran wizards from the Turlin Schools, the demons were banished through a portal deep within Concordia forest that was sealed, disallowing the invaders from ever committing such atrocities ever again.

And with the banishment of the demons, the Age of Darkness ended.

[Slavegirl]

The Age of Dawn

Swearing never to succumb to dispute that could tarnish their unity, the Corone and its colorful inhabitants started to flourish. They rebuilt the city of Teria and named it Radasanth after the hero that brought salvation when all hope had faded. With the grace of the elves, the skill of the dwarves and the domestic influence of the men, the city of Radasanth was built into one of the greatest cities on the face of known Althanas. Radasanth, though Raiaeran by birth and lineage, was moved by the honor bestowed upon him and accepted to become the first Steward of Corone. Despite the fact that he was offered kingship, Radasanth knew well about the greed and envy which a position of monarch inspires, so he instead made a republic out of the free land of Corone.

With Radasanth at their helm and the bickering nothing but a thing of the past, Corone started its rapid growth. Concordia forest was replanted and named New Concordia, but the prefix was lost during the time because nobody liked to bring back memories of what happened to the old Concordia. Cities destroyed by the savagery of the demons were rebuilt and slowly but surely Corone was sailing towards the gentle waters. Their merchant ships dominated the waters, the quality wood from the forest that now grew on the ashes of the old forest became their main export, the renewed farmlands were lush enough to feed thrice the population and the ages of war were soon forgotten.

However, after some fifty years of righteous ruling of the land, Radasanth abdicated from his place as a Steward for his heart longed for his home. He named Theras Amuranis as his successor, a local man that climbed to the spot of one of his ministers during his ruling. But soon it was proven that while Theras lacked no benevolence and good intentions (for which Radasanth chose him), he didn’t have the strictness of the elven Steward. Under excuse of creating a firmer trading bond with Salvar, the remaining ministers (supported by the merchants that grew in power with every day) extorted a decision to invade the frozen land subtly. Though the first attempt failed, the second one was supported with a much larger force and Corone managed to establish a colony on the foreign soil, called the New Corone.

By this time four years passed and the power of the Steward diminished to a mere puppet figure under the influence of his ministers. A mandate time was established for all positions within the government whose members were chosen by the “people”, people being the most influential individuals in the region. All of this resulted in politicking and unrest within the society in which the rich kept getting richer and the poor were left to themselves. Stewards came and went unnoticed, the royalty fighting for the spot in the ministry of the government, and for almost five hundred years Corone is torn from within, dying a bit with each day. These times were also known by the commoners as the Age of Decay, though none of the history books has it noted.

[Slavegirl]

The Age of Resurrection

The separation of the New Corone (now known as Salvar) shook the foundations of the Corone government and resulted in a forced abdication of the entire government. Seeing that by this they were given a clean slate, a new constitution was formed, written by the hand of Ferien Selamen. Rumors were that none other then Radasanth the Savior taught Ferien of politics but rumor was as far as the confirmation went. In the new constitution the ministries were abridged of most of its powers, and the reign was separated between five figures, each representing the people in their own way. The Steward, The Grand Marshal, The Master General, The High Baron and The Revered Congressman all had a single vote in every decision with only the Steward having the power to veto any decision that wasn’t unanimous with the other four.

Such composition of the Corone government exists until this day, and it was threatened only once during more then a thousand of years. Some six hundred years ago, an extremist merchant syndicate joined forces with the underground organizations that desired the return of anarchy. The merchants didn’t really care for the reasoning of the criminal organization as long as it could provide them with a strife that would overthrow the current government so they could put their people back on the main positions in the republic. The insurrection was only partially successful. The Royal Army and the Corone Rangers drowned the revolt in blood, and though the perpetrators were executed, the harshness of their actions shook the belief of the commoners in the Five and their ruling.

It is rumored that the merchant syndicate still exists within the threads of the society, under the fabled name of the Coalition, but regardless of how many investigations the Rangers and the Guards execute, no trace of this organization was found. During the following years, most of the insurrections and minor rebellions were blamed on this secret organization, but their agents always seem to evade the public eye. The most known of these rebellions was the one on the ships of prisoners that were on their way to Antioch. Supposedly, Coalition agents released the prisoners and helped them in the foundation of the new realm that became the nemesis and the thorn in the side of Corone government.

Regardless, Corone is currently at an ascending path, though the foundations might be more perforated then it seems at the first sight. Some say that at all times, the Coalition hold at least one vote within the Five...

[Slavegirl]

Recent History – The Age of Strife

Fires of war have consumed the land of Corone. It is now clear that the spark that started that fire was the assassination of the two members of The Assembly – The Steward Arno Erriades and the Grand Marshal Aidan Johnston. The fact that they were murdered in their own homes despite heavy security was reason enough for the surviving members of The Assembly to believe it was done by domestic culprits. However, their retaliation was misdirected, and intentionally so as it would turn out. A country-wide witch-hunt ensued; thousands were arrested and brought in before the Inquisitors of the newly established Tribunals. But what was supposed to be an interrogation of suspects turned into a massacre as all were found guilty and executed. Needless to say, the word spread across the land with lightning speed and people started to rebel against such senseless prosecution. And that was exactly what the surviving members of The Assembly expected.

Seeing these outbursts of violence as a direct assault at the stability of Corone, the remaining three members of the Assembly decreed that the current democratic government was too weak to fight the domestic enemies. The current system was abolished to make way for the uprising of the new power; The Corone Empire. What soon became clear was the newly established Empire was backed by none other than the clandestine organization only known as the Coalition, which masterminded the downfall of the Republic that would make room for their own rise to power. But there were some who resisted.

At the very heart of the arboreal expanse of Concordia Forest, Corone Rangers made a stand against the tyranny in the city of Underwood. The numbers of these freedom fighters were scarce, their rebellion trapped by the newly established Empire from all sides, but the woodlands were their home. In it, they seemed untouchable. A campaign was started almost immediately after the treachery of the Empire, to fortify the four borders of the Concordia forest. Four Companies were formed and dispatched north, south, east and west. But the Empire reacted accordingly. Defeating all but one company of Rangers with the aid of the secretive Scarlet Brigade, they not only stopped the rebels, but struck back at their very heart. Once a great City of Wood, Underwood was turned into charred rubble in a single afternoon by the Empire’s magicks. But that wasn't the end of the Rangers.

Concordia offered shelter to these freedom fighters and they soon struck again from their base at Cathedral Hill. Taking control over a small fleet of Empire's ships that were being retrofitted with cannons in the river harbors of Yarborough region, they descended downstream and overtook Gisela. This proved to be a turning point in the war. After seizing Gisela, the Rangers soon spread their dominion over the fields of Yarborough which were the main source of food for the entire Corone island. On top of that, they started filling their ranks with the rebellious common folk that refused to acknowledge the Empire as an official governing body.

With half of the land rising against them, with the famous ‘Red Marshal’ leading the rebellion of the free folk that still believed in the Republic, the Empire started to score more losses than victories. The conflict between these two sides now lies at a precarious balance, and the victor is far from decided. The Empire still has a greater number of trained soldiers at their side together with the majority of the most powerful navy in the known world, but tactical advantage and an almost fanatic zest of the Rangers and the gathered militia are obstacles that would not be easily overcome.