The History of ElanthiaThe Age of Chaos(20,000 - 5,000 years ago) 
The elven empire spanned the known world, and ruled for nearly
30,000 years. They believed none could threaten them. They believed
this until they heard the name Despana.
The Undead War
"Thousands of them! Ghouls, zombies, and worse, all blackened and half-
rotten. They poured into the valley, an endless horde of screams, blood
and stink. Now, we were all veterans of the orc wars, and we were ready
for them.. But nothing could have prepared us for the banshee."
-Rhak Toram
Warrior of the Dusk Mountain Clan
Survivor of Maelshyve
Nobody knows just who or what Despana was. Her contemporaries
believed that she came from the jungles said to lie beyond the Southron
Wastes. She searched the land for the old places of the Ur-Daemons.
Somewhere in what is now called Rhoska-Tor, her quest succeeded when she
found the Book of Tormtor. The book was lost during the events which
followed, so none can now be sure of its contents. It was said to be
written in the language of the Daemons.
Using this ancient work, Despana created the first of the Undead.
Their numbers grew rapidly, and she soon had a vast horde of them to serve
her. Their first task was to build the great keep of Maelshyve, where
Despana took residence. From this keep, countless hordes of the Undead
began their second task - the conquest of Elanthia. They were led by
the arch-lich Dharthiir, who was said to be more than simply Despana's
General.
Dharthiir commanded many of the living, as well. Entire tribes of
orcs, drawn by promises of conquest and plunder, swore fealty to him. They
brought with them their traditional allies, the trolls. Many humans, too
joined Darthiir's horde. Some came for silver, others to join any foe of
the elves.
The hordes struck first at the elven nations. Their progress was
lightning fast, easily destroying what little resistance they met in the
outlying provinces. The leaders of the elven houses were unable to
organize any real defense. This was not due to a lack of means, but a lack
of leadership. Each house wished the glory of vanquishing the Undead for
themselves, and none would consent to have their troops led by another.
And no house would commit troops to defend the territories of another.
Within a month, the Undead had cut a swathe to the heart of the
elven empire, threatening Ta'Vaalor itself. The Vaalor were led by
Taki Rassien, wielder of the legendary veil-iron sword Aramier, and the
greatest warrior of his time. He took the cream of the Vaalor armies to
make a stand at the fortress ShadowGuard. With him went the Sabrar, a
legion of elite knights that had never known defeat. Taki knew that, at
ShadowGuard, the Vaalor would stop the horde.
The battle of ShadowGuard lasted less than one day. The Undead
destroyed the entire garrison, leaving fewer than a score of survivors.
The elite Vaalor armies had been lost, along with Taki himself. At the
time, this was considered the greatest defeat in the history of the
elven empire.
Modern scholars, however, point to the battle of ShadowGuard as
the turning point of the Undead War. For several reasons, it marked the
high point of Despana's campaign. First, the leaders of the other houses
were shocked into cooperating. At last, the Faendryl were able to unify
the command of all the elven armies and mount an organized defense. Second,
Dharthiir himself was never seen after ShadowGuard. Tavern-tales hold that,
at the last, Taki led the Sabrar in a charge at the heart of the undead
army, and that he slew the lich. As none of the Sabrar survived the battle,
this confrontation remains more legend than history.
The battle of ShadowGuard also brought new allies. From Kalaza, the
dwarven overking sent legions of his heavy infantry. The Giantman
Warmaster ordered each of the tribes to support the elves. There were
even small bands of halflings and sylvankind. Lastly, humans came to fight
with the elves. Some were mercenaries, but others came for nobler reasons.
Thus were humans the only race to fight on both sides of this war.
The Undead advance slowed, then stopped. A stalemate was reached,
with neither side able to push the other back. Daily charges across the
lines of battle brought heavy casualties, but little progress. This state
of affairs lasted for years.
Finally, the Faendryl proposed a plan to end the war - a lightning
strike at Despana's keep. They claimed to have discovered a secret that
would destroy Maelshyve and its mistress forever. It was a new form of
magic, one they would not reveal to any.
The elven armies and their allies assaulted Maelshyve, and the attack
went well at first. Berserking giantmen warriors broke the front lines of
skeletons, zombies of ghouls, and a solid square of dwarven infantry
battled back the orcish hordes. Slowly, they pushed Despana's forces back
toward the keep.
Then, Despana released the banshees. Their screams decimated the
attacking forces, which fell back in disarray. For a moment, the battle
appeared to be lost.
The Faendryl chose that moment to reveal their secret, their new
magic. Inscribing circles upon the ground, they summoned a flight of lesser
demons to battle the undead hordes. Their foes fled back through the gates
of the keep. The Faendryl then cast their final spell, causing the keep
itself to implode, leaving nothing but smoke and rubble. Despana and her
armies are said to have been utterly destroyed.
Aftermath of the Undead War - the Age of Chaos
The elves had won the war, but at great cost. Much of their
empire had been sacked by the Undead. Their armies were nearly destroyed.
But the political results were even more devastating. All the elven houses
were appalled at the spells the Faendryl had unleashed. The summoning of
demons was thought to be a particularly heinous act. Illistim mages
pointed out the dangers of penetrating the veil. For all any knew, the
Ur-Daemon still existed somewhere beyond it. The Vaalor and the Nalfein
were also adamant on the subject, though some cynics have speculated that
their motivations were not entirely selfless.
The Faendryl argued that it was necessary, that Despana would have
won without these magics. The other houses did not agree. They expressed
their outrage by expelling the Faendryl from the empire. They were exiled
to Rhoska-Tor, the barren, blackened land where Maelshyve had stood.
Without the Faendryl to lead, the elven empire began to decay. The
houses began an internal struggle for power, as each thought themselves the
natural heir to the Faendryl's position. As they bickered, their empire
slowly disappeared. The outlying territories declared themselves
independent, or rebelled outright. To this day, the elves have not resolved
their internal politics.
The dwarven empire also fell as a result of the Undead War. Soldiers
returning to Kalaza from the final battle brought with them more than tales
of victory. They also brought plague, the sickness known as the Red
Rot. It swept through Kalaza like a firestorm, killing over half the
population. The dead included the Overking and his entire line. From
that time on, each clan has ruled itself. The clans have become staunch
isolationists, caring little for the politics of the outside world. Kalaza
itself was hidden, its great gates buried under an avalanche of concealing
stones. Only the dwarves now know its location.
Without the elven armies to keep order, the land fell into anarchy.
The next 20,000 years were known as the Age of Chaos. Orcs, trolls and
worse raided at will. Travel to many areas was dangerous, if not impossible.
Of the various wars, plagues and other disasters of the era, little is known.
The fragments of song and story which survive tell of a very dark time,
full of hunger, fear and little else. |
Back to Library