INTRODUCTION
  CHAPTER 1: FORMATION OF THE EMPIRE
  CHAPTER 2: HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE
  CHAPTER 3: BEYOND EMPIRE
 

Once, long ago as mortals reckon time, a great Empire united much of the then-known world.  Called the Empire of the Seven-Pointed Star after its main sigil and for symbolic reasons, the empire united much of what was the civilized world.
 
The symbolism resulted from the joining of the seven races in legal and moral equality, even extending to such matters as Imperial rule.

Formation of Empire

In the earliest known times of which we have record, there appeared the original Seven Mortal Races.  Elf, Human, Dwarf, Halfling, Elothean, S'Kra Mur and Gor'Tog upon this world.  Loremasters tell us the earliest appearance of the races was on a continent far-distant from the present inhabited one, but the direction and distance are lost in antiquity.  As each race was primitive, each deemed itself the master of the other races and endless combat and strife ensued.

For unrecorded ages, the races fought with each other, on land, on sea and even in the air, if certain tales be true.  No one race could gain the upper hand and no alliance lasted longer than the next treachery.

Civilizations rose and fell, science and knowledge were discovered and lost half a hundred times.  Chaos seemed fated to ever be the victor and Death the ever present shadow laughing at the pretensions of the foes.

In time, there grew a coterie of the Wise of each race.  Those who rose above the struggles of petty king and mud hut-dwelling barons.  Individually they began to conclude that no one race would ever win and that, in time, these endless struggles would sap the vitality and even the sentience of all
the races of the world.

Tentatively, secretly, they reached out to find others of their kind.  Full of danger was this, for their own people would burn them as traitors if found communicating with other races, and many fell victim to their own trust or to treachery from afar.

But in time, the Wise found ways to communicate safely among each other and to exchange ideas and knowledge.  Their powers grew though their numbers ever remained few.  Eventually, they reached a mutual conclusion amongst all their members.  They must assume power and take control of their respective peoples and end the eternal warring.

Thus began the rise of the Wizard-Kings.  Those who threw off the cloak of secrecy and took the reins of power from those who knew only blood and death and slaughter.  For centuries they battled both secretly and openly among their own peoples, (and alas with others, for not all were pure in heart). Until Wizard-Kings pledged to each other ruled all the surviving peoples.

Then, with peace finally assured, they met in conclave to determine the fate of their peoples.  For a time, they ruled jointly while they debated and planned and consulted the omens and studied the Moons.

Out of their discussions and studies came Empire.  They agreed that to best serve all the peoples and to preserve peace and equality, an Emperor must be chosen to rule over all.  But no one race could dominate the ruling Houseand yet keep the peace among such a diverse world.  Thus was born the Empire of the Seven-Starred Crown, or as some called it, the Seven Crowned Empire as well as other names of legend and lore.

History of Empire

There were seven ruling Houses, one of each race.  Each House ruled in its turn for seven years and then the scepter passed to the next House in peace and good order.

The great Throne City dwelt on along a mighty natural harbor and extended out into the bay on an island, part natural, part made.  The central Thrones and their secretariats, embassies and all the clap-trap of keeping that many Imperial families happy, and productive were built there.

The Empire ruled surprisingly well for many generations.  The peoples cooperated amongst each other, yet each maintained its own lore and languages and legends and culture.
 
In the ancient days, in the forging of the Empire, it had been an expansionist force, as all empires are, but in its mature days, it was content to rule the areas it held sway and acknowledged the tribute and
embassies of numerous smaller dominions that survived outside its dominion.

In due time, as all mortal things must, age and time and placidity ate at the roots of the empire.  Corruption crept in.  Each race became stirred up and began to feel it was being short-shrifted when the other races held the Throne.  Small civil wars broke out, then outlying provinces seceded or
were annexed by outside realms.
 
This goaded the Empire back into a semblance of unity as outside attack will oft unite a squabbling family yet not solve the inner problems.  There was a brief re-flowering of Empire and it took back and even expanded its borders somewhat.  But the rot remained.
 
In the final years, one great House took the Throne in its due course, but when the time had come to pass on the scepter, it refused and, with the collusion of two other houses, deemed the rest unworthy to hold the Throne.

This resulted in the Kin Strife that lasted for nearly 500 years as the massive Empire slowly tore itself apart.  The last known Emperor, a Gor'Tog not yet of adult years, is said by legend to have once been asked by his regent what he would really rather do than be Emperor.  The child replied he would prefer to be outside playing with his pet ducks.  He was dismissed to do so and the Regent assumed the title of King... but of a powerless and toothless corpse.  Within a generation, some 25 others had claimed the kingship, usually over the corpse of the predecessor until the pale remnants of power faded into the dust of history.

Beyond Empire

With the demise of the central authorities in even a semblance of form, there arose a group seeking power in its own right.  They claimed descent from the ancient Wizard-Kings and called themselves the Dragon Priests.  The story of their time and their wars is told elsewhere.

The Throne City was abandoned as those left had little time and less money to maintain the massive buildings and elaborate ceremonial squares.  Rumor also has it that the Empire had great powers of magic or technology that became shrouded and lost as time passed and many things ran amuck or became unstable in parts of the city, making it uninhabitable.
 
Only rumors now are left of this city and where it may be found.  And there are tales of debased beings inhabiting the city, faint recollections of the glory that was still flickering in their ruined minds.  Rumors even of one who yet claims to be the Emperor....and rumors of treasure beyond the greed
even of Dwarves to be found there.

Relics of that Empire are few and rare and usually valuable...they left  their mark, the seven-pointed star on outposts and ruins and other such places as bore their stamp and some may yet be found in out of the way places.  Carved stones or jewels of the same shape are rare prizes, oft hoarded for their value or their supposed mana and magic.  Legends speak of Imperial Treasuries unlooted and forgotten and Imperial Armories full of strange and deadly weapons, long buried and forgotten.
 
Scraps of Imperial records yet exist in places and such fragments can bring a tidy sum from Academies eager to increase their lore of those eras.