The Continent of Nethys
World History:
0: Isle of Nethys Comes into being
-While the exact details are not known the continent of Nethys is created. During the next few centuries the races are at the mercy of the wild. If any nations formed during this period they were quickly gobbled up by the many monsters. The New Calender, thanks to Alchemical forensics, rightfully establishes this as year 0.
745: First Emperor of Grotten establishes first kingdom to fight back against the wild
-The First Emperor establishes a mighty nation that surpasses all those that came before it. Under his leadership and might the nation holds back the wild and a long procession of strong leadership allows the nation of Grotten to be the island of order in a sea of chaos. In the old Calender this is established as year 0 as it was considered that no history had come before it.
1667: The Great Taming of the Lands
-Human Nation Grotten grows and begins a campaign of taming the wilds, cutting down forests, and building settlements. Roving monsters and barbarians are squashed under Grotten's might. No longer are humans at the mercy of their surroundings, they now take the first steps into deciding their own destiny and that of all those who come afterwords.
2307: The Fight to the Surface, Creation of East March
-Dwarves a race born deep beneath the earth grow weary of the chaos deep below the earth and migrate to the surface. Requiring them to fight through several underground nations they eventually make it to the east ocean where their ingenuity allows them to establish the Kingdom of East March. While poor its dwarven populous migrated all across the continent.
2973: Birth of Nation of Nethys, Great magical boon
-Under the might of Grotten all other races are subject to their whim. The Elves prayed to Nethys to save them from prosecution and they were answered. Nethys gave all Elves everywhere great magical ability and knowledge allowing them to carve a nation named after their god from the now united elves. Giving them years of prosperity and protection from Grotten.
3743: Grand High Mage Leo Kitrani rules Nethys and ushers in new Regime
-Grand High Mage Leo Kitrani rises to power and takes the Nation of Nethys. A mage of unparalleled skill and cunning, he starts to turn Nethys into a militaristic nation using the tyranny of Grotten as the springboard for this change. Lesser known is Leo's initiative on magical research, the things the Nethys nation discovered in this time period were wonders to behold.
4458: Nethys rises to most powerful nation wielding unmatched magic. Dwarven Nations established.
-Under Leo, Nethys establishes itself as having uncontested might on the continent. Wielding near godlike magic that can devastate armies and shatter cities. Grotten armies can do nothing. Around this time the Dwarven Nations start to rise using their tunnel systems to stave off all attackers giving them appreciable power and carving their territory from Grotten through warfare.
5139: Nethys wages war on all races, Creation of Borehole, Grotten destroyed
-Nethys goes on a near genocidal conquest of the continent destroying both the nations of Grotten and the dwarven kingdoms. The Borehole is established as the last remaining members of the dwarven nations manage to stave off Nethys. East March recieves survivors of Grotten in large waves, displacing dwarven population.
5221: Nethys sends large portions of its population to a demiplane
-Nethys' war continued to wage but much of its population spoke out against it and started to form rallies and rebellions against it. Grand Mage Leo somehow manages to mark all dissenters and uses a device to transport them to a demiplane. History is unsure of the exact nature of this imprisonment or even if it wasn't an execution.
5273: East March has peasantry die in plague
-East March suffers a powerful plague that cripples its peasantry. The nobility and rich use medicines that stave off the disease and distribute it to their charges. East March becomes an elitist society because of it.
5330: Nethys completes its conquest and destroys all opposition
-Nethys finishes its war of conquest and takes total control of the continent. All remaining nations and cities exist only because Nethys allows them to exist. They begin to work on a great construction to commit the ultimate conquest.
5393: The Great disaster, the god Nethys destroys namesake nation and floods the west with demons
-In their next conquest Grand Mage Leo focuses the nation's attention to the stars and schemes to steal the might of their very god. Ripping a whole in the very sky, the god of magic calls down a powerful beam of light frying the capital and then destroys and curses the entire nation. Nethys is shattered with all its major cities destroyed and its entire people cursed.
-Along with this Nethys floods the world with Elderich Demons who seek out elves and slay them. Many went underground and span the continent but most of them live in the ruins of the old capital even today, making it suicidal for anyone to visit.
5466: Future Second Great Emporer of Grotten starts gathering people
-A Human slave and decendent of the First Emporer of Grotten starts to rally the humans from the now shattered Nethys nation.
5544: The shattered remains of Nethys break off and reform into Grotten, Dakama established
-While the Second Great Emporer wasn't around to see it, the new nation of Grotten was reformed, a campaign to remove all traces of Nethys begins. Dakama a town that barely managed to survive the disaster manages to establish strong relations with the remaining towns.
5628: The Kitrani School of Warmagic becomes known
-While no one knows exactly how long the school has been established for, it is during this year that its existence became well known. No longer would nations have to scrounge around for magical knowledge. Magic becomes common knowledge as every nation now has their own circle of powerful mages at their beck and call.
5708: East March discovers vast wealth in mines
-East March discovers vast quantities of gold and silver. They suddenly start building armies, beautiful cities, and art. Turning them from a minor nation into one with sway.
5798: Grotten begins conquest to retake the continent, remaining elves are slaughtered
In previous years the elves were dying out, breeding with humans had actually causes the halfelf population to increase exponentially. As Grotten begins to retake the continent in full force the remaining elves either breed off or are killed as Grotten slaughters them.
5862: Grotten establishes itself as only remaining power
5866: Grotten Lineage dies off
-The Great Emporer bloodline dies off. A shattering revelation that puts Grotten into turmoil.
5871: Orient visits East March
-A mysterious nation from a land far from the continent visits East March and trades exotic wonders for gold and silver. Very powerful and with advances technology
5872: East March's sudden prosperity creates mass banditry completely uncontrolled
-Without any military large enough to halt the rise of banditry the Nation of East March is flooded with thieves, bandits, and brigands. Elderich demons start showing up in East March.
5874: Grotten claims ownership of the Borehole
-The Borehole which established itself as the barrier between the surface and underground is claimed to be Grotten territory. While officially the Borehole still exists to its residents the Grotten influence is felt and it is only a matter of time before Grotten establishes a firm control.
5880: Rumors that the Grotten War machine grows weak
-Rumor is that Grotten's military is weakening, its hundreds of years of constant war has left its vilages sparse and its military sparser.
5883: Grotten Appoints next Emperor who vows total dominance of continent
-With an iron fist the next Emporer of Grotten was decided when he defeated all the generals in a duel establishing himself as the greatest warrior in all of Grotten. Yet not satisfied his desire is to establish Grotten as the greatest nation in history and thus pushes his nation to establish total control of the entire continent.
Nations and factions:
Dakama:
Capital: Dakama
Important Towns and cities: Darmasa
Economy: Poor
Magic: Banned
A small nation carved from the ruins of the one before it. It is almost entirely disconnected from the main continent due to a large magical wall keeping the sparse nation safe from the demon hoards that plague the land beyond. Due to the lack of a governmental structure this nation tends to be mostly anarchistic, yet their willingness to work together in a crisis allows them to all fight under one banner.
-It exists purely on substance farming and while there are ruins brimming with treasure dotting the land, it is far to dangerous to explore.
East March:
Capital: Harthorn
Economy: Wealthy
Magic: Basic
The second largest nation and one of great sorrow and misery. The rich control a vast majority of the wealth and deprive their subjects of any proper recompense. East March has suddenly found itself in possession of many gold and silver mines and their sudden prosperity means that their military has not caught up to the forming of bandits, who have taken over most trade routes to the extent that only heavily armed carrivans can travel these roads, allowing hoards of roaming monsters to harass the country side. While the people tend to be poor miners and farmers the rich and nobility however are traders and as such there is no nation that can enjoy the level of exuberance that those of East March do. East March also has the only connection to the orient
-It should be noted that East March exists both above and below ground. While the surface of East March is almost unreachable by foot thanks to being built into the side of cliffs, the underground contain large series of mines.
Dieties:
-Gorzeh: The provider, the one whom the world does sit, the cradle. The god of nature and the protector of all living things, While Nethys is of the sky Gorzeh is of the earth itself.
-Nethys: The Black Curtain. Represented by the black upon which the stars sits, Nethys, the god of magic, paints the earth in magic in the same way she paints the sky. Nethys is known for great generosity and boons of power making Nethys the most popular deity of worship. Though help those who would betray or let down Nethys who will curse and destroy all who do so.
-The Stars of Destiny: Minor gods individually but together they outline the destiny of the world. Every aspect of existence is told in the stars and their movement. They are worshiped and studied. Occasionally a star will fall from the heavens, though few know why.
Races:
-Humans: composing over 99% of the surface world the Humans have completely taken the Continent of Nethys and in their pride consider themselves superior to all others. Their collective spirit and ability to adapt is the sword and shield at which they conquer the world.
-Halfelves: The children of humans and elves, they are all that is left of the once mighty elf nation.
-Elves: While true elves do not exist, rarely (1 in 100) the child of two halfelves will born a true Elf. Considered cursed by Nethys, elves are taboo and tend to be shunned in polite society and removed at worst. All Elves carry the mark of Nethys upon birth to give away their heritage. Elves unlike most races all carry the potential for magic.
-Dwarves: The second most dominant race, their ability to create battlements and dig underground has allowed them to remain defensible. As well they are the only non-human race that tends to carry little stigma.
Other information:
-Adamantine: This is a nearly indestructible metal falls from shooting stars.