History of Raiaera

Raiaera is an ancient nation and its inhabitation by the elven people spans back over fifteen thousand years to when they first crossed the ocean from their ancestral homeland to the far east. It has been marked by periods of war, first with the nomadic natives of the continent and later with the dark elves across the Mountains of Dusk, and many of their greatest conflicts have been with the undead hordes commanded by the Forgotten One Xem'Zund.

There have been many "eras" designated by the elven people, typically beginning and ending at major turning points in their civilization. The first era of recorded elven history is referred to as Minya Coronari (MC), the First Years.

Arrival of the Elves: M.C. 1 - M.C. 1367

Over fifteen thousand years ago, the high elves settled Raiaera in the region now known as Beinost, formerly Anebrilith. They expanded as much as their population and settled territory would allow, gradually slowing to a halt as the native Durklan population of humans became increasingly resistant to their westward expansion. The Durklans lived in the plains west of Anebrilith and throughout the forest known to the elves as Belegwain i Beleg, "Greatest of the Great," which would later become known as Lindequalmë.

The elves, historically a non-warlike people, had little interest in going to war with the Durklans--their expansion into Durklan territory had been brokered through trades and deals, though almost undoubtedly one-sided. However, the Durklans feared giving away more and more territory to the land-hungry elven population and, perhaps because of a perceived military superiority, declared war on the elven settlements without provocation and, as far as the elves were concerned, with no justification.

The initial stages of the war were disastrous for the elves, who had been taken completely by surprise. Most of their lands were overrun by the fearless Durklans who were masters of the horse and whose shock tactics proved difficult for the elven soldiers, who had not seen war in quite some time. However, the Durklans had no way to account for one thing: elven song magic, which was being perfected in the years of the war. These skills were originally known only to the oldest of the elves, those that had been born in their homeland, but it began to spread through the entire population, and their mastery of it for the purposes of war reached unprecedented levels.

The war quickly turned against the Durklans and the results were disastrous. It was at this time that the elves formed the Bladesingers, small bands of warriors armed with song-magic who could strike from many places at once. Because the Durklans excelled in head-to-head combat using their full numbers against their foes, this tactic turned the tables against them. But it was the song magic that really changed things: in one final battle on the plains to the west of Anebrilith, between Belegwain i Beleg and Timbrethinil in the north, the elves brought so much of their power to bear that the Durklans were almost entirely wiped out in a single battle, and almost the entire battlefield was scorched beyond all recognition. It was then that the Black Desert came into existence, a place that long served to shame the elven people for their power-lust and its effects on the land with which they purported to live in harmony.

Nevertheless, the elves celebrated their victory by beginning a new calendar, "Coronari Estella" (C.E.), the Years of Hope.

An Age of Magic

The earliest time spoken of by any race, even the oldest of elven kind, was a time of magic and mysticism unlike any other. The Thaynes were but a newly constructed religious belief, founded on the principles that underlined the basics for ancient times and the people that survived in this time day to day. Men and women of the ancient times were god-like compared to how they are perceived in modern times. The Eternal Tap was a singular piece, untouched by destructive or divisive means. Feats of wonder were not only prevalent, but also commonplace. It was a time of global change founded by the mere whim of humanity and society. Technology was nearly non-existent. In a time when the world was flooded by magic, the means to protect and provide a mere thought away, advancements in common society were all but put aside.

Though in these times a written record was scarce, and even rarer was a true historian, stories of the times have been passed down. Mostly word of mouth, each of these is more fantastic than the next. Tales of dragons reign supreme amongst current society, stories for the children. Their truth is for the listener to decide; one may see a weakness of the dragon as truth, whereas another would see it as just a storytelling device. There are stories of any number of fantastical races and creatures, many of which have not been seen in tens of thousands of years, if ever.

During this time the elven people spread across modern day Raiaera, warring with the native population called the Durklans, and eventually all but destroying them. Song Magic and the Bladesingers were introduced to Raiaera during this period, a staple even until modern Althanas. The human population of Corone, discovered by elven explorers, was little more than nomadic tribes without any form of centralized government. As with most civilized races, the oppressive nature of the elven people during these times got the best of them, and the demands for the fertile and resource-rich island became a place of conflict. Likewise, the dwarven population from the mainland preyed on the human population of Corone. They worked into the mountains and thrived on the ore-rich lands. It was not until Chief Fannos of the Burning River clan negotiated for the four major Corone tribes with a well noted half-elf Aranis Kaledin that the constant struggle was put aside for a long time. The dwarven capital of Teria was established at this time, as well as the trading city of Serenti. An uneasy peace lasted for centuries.

Throughout this era, expansion and growth were paramount. Magic was the key to everything, and the world was a place where anyone who wanted power needed just to reach out and take it. It was this mind set that triggered the global change, the true conflict that changed how the world worked and made it into how it is commonly known as today.

The War of the Tap: C.E. 2060 - C.E. 4020

At first the small band of rogue sorcerers were like any other, a minor inconvenience to be dealt with by the only world super-power, Raiaera. Stopping the challenge to their authority, the usurpers to civilized life, was merely a trivial dispute handled by the bards and bladesingers. As the small group grew, extended their claims and undermined cultures, the threat stopped being an underground movement and grew into an expansive dispute, which would later become a full-blown war. This war, between The Forgotten and the rest of the world, was the longest in known history--it spanned generations, with the immortal Forgotten sometimes leaving centuries between their activities, and vastly changing the face of the world over the course of two thousand years.

Denebriel pulled the winter cold out of Berevar and swept it across Salvar, but also created the “Cult of the Ethereal Sway”. She was remembered throughout the years to follow by the native population through religion. The Sway became a religion passed from native to future populations that came to Salvar, and the Forgotten was remembered as a savior, becoming St. Denebriel. Xem'Zund attempted to overtake Raiaera, the only super-power of the time, by creating hordes of undead to walk the world. The lasting reminder of his reign of terror was forever memorialized as the Obsidian Tower in Southern Raiaera, which would reappear throughout the centuries whenever Xem'Zund brought his power to bear against the elves. Podë was a sorceress who worked with nature, warping it into such a vile state that it became the enemy of all the natural world. Her tainted magic produced the world's oldest and longest curse, warping the forest the elves called "Greatest of the Great" into the Red Forest.

By the end of the war, many races had been created by both sides. The original civilized races (humans, elves, dwarves, and an assortment of the lesser prevalent) were no longer alone in the world. In order to truly destroy them, and in turn the true power of the Forgotten, the mightiest mages of the time took to the field for the final battle. The raging war was brought to an end when they sealed the five sorcerers in the Anti-firmament. However, before they were fully sealed, the Forgotten gathered their powers and fractured The Tap, forever severing it from the fabric of reality so that works of wonder and magic from the beginning of history would never be accessible to the common man again.

Victory over the Forgotten Ones is celebrated by the beginning of a new calendar, Coronari a Winyar Dacilea (CWD), the Years of New Victory.

The Era of Nation-Building

Once the power of the Eternal Tap was shattered, the world was left in a state of confusion. The way of life that had been prevalent for centuries was lost. Feats of magic were diminished greatly, and the powers that once belonged to anyone who had the gift for bending the fabric of the world to their whim was no more. The people of Raiaera were left with a question that tore their civilization in half. Would they continue with the study of magic use, feeding from the trickles of the Tap that still seeped into the world? Or was this blank slate to be taken advantage of by those that sought higher technological understanding? Both questions were at the hearts of the elven people, who split over the decision. What we know as Alerar currently came to being during these times. The elven people that willed to explore technology, and in turn use what little magic they could to advance it, were given little chance to influence the overwhelming majority of their magic-devoted kin. What came of the split in ideologies was known as The Elven Schism. The ancestors of the dark elves left the borders of their kin, faded into the west, taking residence beyond the Mountains of Dusk, in the province that is now known as Alerar. The ancestors of the high elves remained in the east, in modern Raiaera, dedicated to maintaining their relationship with the natural world and the study of magic. Since the Schism, the populations have feuded without rest.

The bards of Raiaera, having removed the influence of their unwanted brethren in Alerar, quickly started their course towards the study and understanding of the fractured Tap. It was in this time that they started a new calendar, and a newly developed system of study. Originally six schools of magic existed. The sixth school, Enarlin, was feared. This distrust and disgust became a war within the nation, and for fifteen years Enarlin and the other five schools of magic warred. In the end, Enarlin was destroyed as a school, the only ones allowed to continue practicing were very high ranking Turlin bards.

The Enarlin Rebellion: C.W.D. 4987 - C.W.D. 5002

From their earliest recorded history, the elves recognized six branches of song magic, which they had divided into six corresponding schools: Ostlin (defensive magic), Dagorlin (offensive magic), Lissilin (healing magic), Aglarlin (blessing magic), Turlin (holy magic), and Enarlin (entropic magic). The final school had always been considered particularly dangerous: it consisted of slow, deep, harsh songs that crushed the soul and instilled horror in the mind of those who heard it. It was difficult to control and dangerous even for its bards, who risked self-corruption through use of the art. In the wake of the severing of the Eternal Tap, it was felt that these dangers were too great for Enarlin to remain unchecked.

Feeling that only the bards of Turlin, masters of the purification magic that was the counterstroke to the taint, could safely learn the songs previously attributed to Enarlin, the High Bard Council decided that the School of Enarlin should be dismantled, and its core teachings incorporated into Turlin. This decision was ill received by its only dissenter, Enar'Lindstra Ereber Ondolindë, who gathered his closest supporters and the members of his school at the Enarlin compound in Raiaera's northwestern highlands and waged outright war on the other five schools.

Of all the six schools of magic, Enarlin proved to have the greatest effects in the conflict. Though Dagorlin was more suited for war, Enarlin's effect cut deeper: it bore into the souls of all its listeners, who had no chance to avoid its spells as could be done with Dagorlin's more conventional attacks. For a time, it seemed that Ereber would be able to extract his desires from the High Bard Council; the conflict was slowly tilting in their favour, and they could not afford a protracted civil war in the face of Aleran aggression.

It was then that a hero of Turlin appeared, Atanamir Eluriand, master of a skill that would turn the war on its head: Atanamir had discovered that by applying melodies of Turlin in harmony with those of Enarlin just so, the entropic magic of their foes could be nullified entirely. With this primary--and only--advantage stolen from them, Ereber and his mages found themselves quickly outnumbered and outmatched, assailed from all sides and pressed against the Dagger Peaks. The war accelerated quickly, with the five schools pressing an attack on the Enarlin compound. Atanamir and Ereber battled to a near stalemate: Atanamir was able to nullify all of Ereber's masterful spells, but lacked the magic necessary to subdue his foe for long. In the end, both elves fell to exhaustion as much as each other. The final battle ended shortly thereafter, with the surviving Enarlin mages rounded up and executed for high treason.

Though Atanamir perished before his victory could be realized, the new elven capital under construction at the time would be named Eluriand in his honour. The elves begin another new calendar, Coronari a Lindale (CL), the Years of Music.

The Demon Wars: C.L. 3047 - C.L. 3247

The second greatest war of Althanas occurred approximately two millennia ago. It was an age of darkness, where infighting amidst races was pushed aside in favor of survival. The Demon Wars raged, and humanity was powerless to stop it. Where the demons suddenly arrived from is a mystery. The only guess as to their appearance is by way of the portals to Haidia created by the Forgotten, nearly forgotten after millennia. The demons struck first at Teria, crushing the heart of the dwarven nation in Corone as well as many of its human and elven inhabitants. They spread outward from there, covering the whole of Althanas like a plague.

The elven lands of Raiaera and Alerar fared much better, having established their domains and lands much sooner than any other nations. The first inclination of firearms being established by the Alerar nation is spoken of during these times, rudimentary and crude versions of the muskets the nation is well known for in current times. The first time the term “dark elf” was coined was during the demon wars, when the study of technology caused the tint of the Alerar elves to darken. Raiaera’s famed bards and bladesingers fought furiously against the invasion, seeking shelter in their fortified cities, striking in large armies when fully prepared. It is from Raiaera and Alerar that the savior of these trying times emerged.

He was known to the elves as Radasanth Gilgalad, Radasanth the Starlight; to the dwarves, Radasanth Gromzulâkh, Radasanth the Braveheart; and to the humans, simply Radasanth the Savior. To all, he was an elf clad in mythril armor forged by the master smiths of Alerar, carrying a massive claymore of Salvaran make, wielding the song-magic of Raiaeran glory. Radasanth brought news of the demons' defeat on the mainland, as well as soldiers, food, and hope. Under his banners, elves, men, and dwarves joined as one, and after two hundred years of war they pushed the demons back into the dark places of the world. Teria was re-conquered, and in honor of their Savior, the humans rebuilt and named it Radasanth. He went on to serve as the First Steward of Corone, the first solitary authority figure in the history of the country.

So began the fourth of the elven calendars, the Coronari Poldora, the Years of Strength.

"Coronari Poldora" (The Years of Strength): C.P. 1 – C.P. 1709

The Coronari Poldora was the first calendar formally established and accepted by all the nations of Althanas. Though the world’s nations were still developing and only Raiaera and Alerar were firmly established, the influence of the high elven people easily spread the new naming system for the years that would follow. Even the dark elves eventually adopted their rivals' timeline and from that point on the calendar in its modern form became about.

At the beginning of the C.P. years, Raiaera established the Tel’Quessir. This organization's establishment was a collective of elves, men, and dwarves set apart from governmental affairs and placed in charge of watching the demon’s activity once they had been forced back into the underworld of Haidia. Whether they were to keep watch through guarding the locked portals to the mainland, or by living on the edge of Haidia to keep personal tabs on the demonic forces, the Tel’Quessir firmly believed in their mission and their purpose.

Clash of the Elven Empires: C.P 200 – C.P. 1709

Since The Elven Schism, Alerar became a more isolationist society and the elves knew little of them but their aggression. The dark elves' love of technology, and their desire for continual development of their interests, had created a taboo against dealings with outsiders. Both Alerar and Raiaera continued developing, quickly taking in any imports they could and continuing to build their lands. Almost as soon as the demonic invasions were thwarted, the age-old bad blood between the two countries erupted. Skirmishes across the Twilight Peaks between the two countries were bloody, but neither side went so far as to officially declare war, nor did they gain any sort of supremacy over the other; as such, these on-and-off conflicts continued for centuries, and continue to this day. The situation escalated at the end of the 17th century CP.

At this time, new leaders and new ideas were emerging within Alerar. The military came under the control of General Sindareth Vordutin, a liberal thinker who successfully convinced the king to declare war on Raiaera for the first time. At this time, Thoracis Rakarth, a former drifter, quickly rose through the ranks of The Grand Army and became General Vordutin's personal assistant. Confident in the new general’s leadership, strategies, and prowess in battle, the king sent his forces towards the Mountains of Dusk, under the command of Thoracis. Their march was spotted before reaching the mountains by a familiar belonging to Devon dan Sabriel; the bird returned to report the incursion to him and to the renowned bard Findelfin ap Fingolfin.

The two armies clashed at Valinatal. During the battle, Devon and Thoracis duelled, and Thoracis suffered a serious--perhaps mortal--wound at the Starslayer's hand. Now leaderless and shattered, the United Army called for a tactical retreat as Tel Aglarim harried them back to the Mountains of Dawn.

Rise of the Forgotten and the Corpse War: C.P. 1705 – C.P. 1709

Following the First Twilight War, Raiaera was struck by a resurgence of the undead, marked by the reappearance of the dreaded Minas Teradryn, the Obsidian Tower, which has appeared throughout history to herald the arrival of Xem'Zund and his Corpse Horde. Bringing forth the largest horde yet, and catching the nation with its army still occupied in the west, the Corpse Horde marched forth with unprecedented success, razing the watch-city of Carnelost at the mouth of Lindequalmë and surging north.

For more information, please see Corpse War.

First Aleran Invasion: C.P. 1709 - Present

During the final stages of the Corpse War, a relatively unscathed United Army of Alerar began to press once more through Niadath Pass into Raiaera from the west, taking advantage of their foes' moment of weakness. This time they met with no resistance: Valinatal had already been reduced to rubble by the Corpse Horde through some unknown means, and as the UAA gave the ruins a wide birth, they took their furthest steps into high elven territory since their ancestors banished them to the west almost ten thousand years prior, marking their first true invasion of Raiaera.

From there, their expansion proceeded nearly unchecked. The armies of Raiaera had already been dealt heavy blows by the Corpse Horde, and what remained of them had retreated to the north and east, leaving vast swaths of the southern heartland ripe for the picking. Dark elven efforts were frustrated only by two things: the first was resistance by the Corpse Horde itself, which made no distinction between dark skin or light as long as it was living; and the second was a lack of territory to actually conquer, as all the cities and settlements this far south had been completely abandoned and many were almost totally in ruin--or worse. Though the Corpse Horde had not actually razed or damaged much of the countryside beyond the cities and villages themselves, those cities and villages would have been critical to a healthy invasion. This has proven the biggest obstacle to the dark elven expansion: the lack of usable waypoints caused their supply lines to stretch perilously thin as they have pressed on.

With Xem'Zund's death, much of the Corpse Horde shattered and those who did not simply fall dead with the defeat of their controller retreated south. Damage to the United Army was minimal at this point as the Horde lacked control and was in a panic, but their sheer numbers have helped to quarantine the dark elves in the south and hamper their efforts to take any sort of control over the plains near Lindequalmë and the Red Forest itself. The elven armies are still reeling from the severe blows dealt to them by the Corpse Horde, but with only one enemy to face instead of two, they are now regrouping and preparing themselves to drive their ancient nemeses out of their homeland once and for all.