Telurra revisted

The universe was still, black, and empty. Unmoving and unchanging, a great infinite nothing. This was chaos, the formless nonexistence that characterized the genesis of all things. Deep within the formless chaos, the darkness churned and pulsed, the great darkness rippled like water disturbed by skipping stones. The ripples became more and more intense, until a form burst from the darkness. This new being, the first creature to be birthed, was Anu. He was light, immense, and lonely. Anu looked upon the chaos and felt only isolation and the cold, crushing feeling of being truly alone. But Anu's power was absolute and he would create all things.

Through the sacrifice of his body, he forged the world that would be known as Telurra. With his tears he created the stars, with his flesh he created the planet of Telurra, with his heart he created the sun, his eyes became the moons of Telurra, Daemor and Aelor; his bones would become the mountains, with blood became water, his hair became the grass and trees. When all his body had been expended, only Anu's spirit remained. He looked upon Telurra and all he had created, but still felt alone. For all he had made, there was no one to share his creation with. This universe, though new and beautiful, was as empty to Anu as the chaos before.

His spirit wept, the ethereal tears turning into the first gods. First to form from Anu's tears was Elander, the King of the Gods and the God of Light. A wise, just king who took the most after his father. His sister, Asha, Goddess of Life and the Queen of the Gods, would be the second born of Anu. Asha would be kind and matronly, the protector of children and patron god of motherhood. Tyrion, the third child of Anu, would be the God of Battle and Valor, patron god of warriors. Finally, the last of the first gods would be Aris, the Goddess of Death. Aris guides souls of the deceased to the Well of Rebirth so that they may return to Telurra to inhabit new bodies.

When Anu's tears stopped he looked down and saw his children. Immediately, he felt elation and a deep happiness. He loved his new children and created a realm for him and his family. A great, sunlit kingdom of white stone and roaring waterfalls, a paradise where Anu and the first gods can watch Telurra.

From the Realm of Sunlight, the first gods bestowed gifts unto Telurra. Asha gave the world life so that its wonders could be experienced. Aris gave the world mortality so that things may die and their bodies could feed nature. Elander gave the life of Telurra souls so that they may know each other and themselves. Tyrion gave ambition and will to the living so that they may want and strive to have what they desire.

The first life to arise from Telurra were the giants. Reflections of the gods, they were huge, beautiful, and wise. They came from the mountains in the west, basking in the cold sunlight that mountains availed them. Their way of life was simple at first, as all societies are. Simple nomadic tribes of goat herders that wandered the hills, valleys, and peaks that characterized the west. This all changed, however, when a simple man received a vision from the gods. In his dreams, he saw Elander himself, instructing him to unify the tribes of giantkind and build a great city in the foothills of the Horned Mountains.

This man, known to history as Drakon the First King, would tell others of his dream and the word of the gods. Many would follow him until there were thousands of giants pledged to him. The first city of Norvae rose, becoming the jewel of the west. Under the rule of Drakon, the city would prosper and bloom like a flower in rich soil.

It would grow to great prominence, Drakon's line ensuring that Norvae would continue to grow and prosper. Giants became known as great builders throughout Telurra, the towering castles and spires standing testament to that. The giants were also faithful people, devout to the Faith of the Light. The pontiff of the faith was second only in power to the king among giantkind.

The elves from the east, dwelling in their forests of great trees that pierced the skies, would be guided by their wandering spirit to the west and find the great giant city. They would learn the giant's tongue and speak with them openly, learning their culture and their way of life. For the elves are a curious, thoughtful people, always open to new and intriguing ideas. Most intriguing to them was the giant's worship. Elves would learn of the religion of giantkind, and would come to share their faith. In return, they passed knowledge of their own unto the giants. They taught the giants the ways of magic.

The elves were naturally sensitive to the flow of energy known as magic, they felt it connect and bind all living things. Over generations, the elves would understand it and use magic to construct tree top cities of great beauty and architecture. The few outsiders who saw these cities would be awed by their construction, stating that looking upon an elvish city was like entering a realm of dreams.

The faith saw magic as mortals playing god and had the arcane arts banned from Norvaen borders. Anyone caught practicing magic would be prosecuted and either imprisoned or executed by the newly formed militant arm of the faith, the Templar Order. Mages, both giant and elf, fled from the great western kingdom and wandered the lands of Telurra as exiles. Some faithful mages saw their exile as a test of faith from the gods, that this would make their faith more resolute. More secular minded mages saw the church's treatment as unjust and ignorant.

The exiled mages, regardless if they had faith or not, would create a great city far away from the mage hunting Templar Order in the north. The sorcerous kingdom of Oslaria would arise among the pine thickets and rushing rivers of the north. It would remain secret, shrouded with illusory magic. The people from Oslaria would wear special, magic rings to see the city through the magical barrier. Oslarians sought other mages to present them with rings, guiding them to the safe haven in the north.

Oslaria would be ruled, not by a king, but by a council of powerful that would call themselves the archmagi. The council would instate laws, act as judges, and work in the best interest of those beneath them.

In the north, however, dwelt another race of people. The humans, raised by the harsh northern tundra, were rugged and hardy people. Pale of skin, dark of hair and eyes, the humans took after Tyrion more than any other god in the pantheon. The clans of humanity frequently warred with one and other, fighting over territory and glory, honor, or for lordship. The giants and elves looked at humanity as little more than standing beasts with simple minds. And, for a time, they shut their doors to humanity.

A hundred years later, an elf mageseeker from Oslaria would become lost in the north and wander into a human camp. Initially, fear gripped the elf's heart, thinking that the humans would butcher him on the spot. But when the humans found him, they welcomed him into their home, giving him shelter and food and a horse so that he might return to his home. The elf would tell of his interaction with the humans, leading to a reconsideration of humanity from among the citizens of Oslaria.

Talk between elves and giants and the humans were trepidatious at first, the Oslarian elves and giants not fully considering the humans thoroughly intelligent and the humans being confused and afraid of these strangers who come uninvited to their camps, speaking a strange language that no human understands. But, things continued, a common tongue was formed, and communication was easier than it once was. The Oslarians taught the humans their culture and of the power of magic. The humans were enthralled by magic and the sheer power it held. Those who could wield it were highly revered among the educated clans and even more so by the ignorant who believed the humans mages to be demigods.

The humans mixed magic with martial ability, creating the first known battlemages (which would later become known as eldritch knights). The Oslarians were intrigued by this development, the giants more so than the elves. They would study with the battlemages, learning their techniques of mixing sword and spell. The Archmage Council saw promise with the battlemages, creating a standing army with the whole of it being made of the martial spellcasters. One member of the council, Archmage Elragard, had long had dreams of bringing Norvae to its knees for exiling him and his kin. He saw the clans of humans and their adoption of magic as a means of doing so. To have a great host of fearsome at the kingdom's beck and call, to rival Norvae's Templar Order, was all he ever wanted.

The others on the council tempered Elragard's warbent thoughts, forcing him to wait longer for his retribution. Though they too felt the need for revenge, his fellow councilors thought it best to focus on the growth of their kingdom and emerging vassal states. The giant kingdoms of Aldurton, Lyngdon, and Atharia; the human kingdoms of Starfall, Blackgate, and Hawklowe; these kingdoms would rise at the tail end of these ancient times. The end of savagery and the foundation of the great kingdoms of modern Telurra.

The lords of the vassal states would be given seats on the council, even those who weren't archmagi. Many on the council were initially uncomfortable, but saw the necessity of having their vassals be part of the governing body. Among the new members of the council, Lord Aron of Hawklowe made good friends with Archmage Elragard. The two shared an interest in war and battle, Lord Aron having the blood of one of the most fearsome war clans in the north, the Crimson Crows. Elragard's lust for revenge and battle appealed to the primal clansmen in Lord Aron, often standing by the elf mage when he proposed to strike at Norvae.


The two would continue to push for war against Norvae, but none of the other councillors would bite. They would have to find a reason to attack Norvae beyond simple revenge and retribution. Norvae would have to attack Oslarian territory before the council could consider going to war. Lord Aron and Councillor Elragard hatched a devious plan. They would have men-at-arms dressed in Norvae colors and fly Norvaen banners burn countryside villages and farms. With the public convinced of a Norvae attack, the council would have to go to war to retaliate.


Their plan worked, and the Oslarian military was mobilized. They would march to the south, a great host of three hundred thousand men and women. Lord Aron would act as warmaster of the host, leading it through the passage through the Horned Mountains, putting Norvaen villages and towns to the sword as they passed. Reports of a foreign army piled on the desk of the King of Norvae, a host of immense size hellbent for war. King Nikandros IV had his templars bolster the walls, setting up massive ballistae and greatbow archers along the wall, patrolling the great wall that protected the bed of civilization. He had mammoth mounted soldiers patrol the Horned Mountains in an attempt to slow down the Oslarians' march.


The Oslarians were slowed, buying the giant kingdom precious days to bolster their defenses against the invading force. When the Oslarian military came to the walls of Norvae, the host stared at a fortified position. A true bulwark worth the might of the Norvaen. The war was long and brutal, the Oslarian army slamming against the seemingly impregnable walls of Norvae. Spells of great power were hurled, but could only crack the thick fortifications. Archers on the walls and siege weapons kept the war host away from the city. Months would pass, and a bitter winter came. Food became scarce and shelter was inadequate in the mountains, either sticking to damp caves or canvas tents warmed by camp fire. The Council was on the verge of issuing peace talks with Norvae, thinking the war futile. That was, until, the soldiers found something in the caverns of the Horned Mountains. They found the dragons.


Over the winter, the Oslarians would attempt to tame the dragons. Their plan was to use them as great beasts of war, using their ability to breathe flame and fly to their advantage. Dragons were slightly more intelligent than normal beasts, but not as smart as a giant or a human. Certainly not intelligent enough to speak in common, but just enough to understand. Knights offered tokens of companionship to gain the dragons' trust, such as meat and gold. Over the winter, several knights would bond with their dragons, though at the price of many. Those less fortunate would be eaten by those they'd try to tame.

Lord Aron had the dragon riding knights attack Norvae in the dead of winter, during one of the worst snowfalls of that year. The knights would fly from their encampment to Norvae, their dragons darkening the sky over the city. They bathed the giant city in flame, a hellish firestorm that blackened Norvae's great towers and burned the people within to ash. The resulting fire could be seen from the mountains, and Councillor Elragard would watch as the city burned. According to the journal of Lord Aron, the Councillor smiled for the first time he had known him.


The king of Norvae, King Nereus VI, had survived however. His personal guard managed to escort him from the royal palace and into secret tunnels that run beneath the city. Oslarian forces would catch him fleeing from the outskirts of the city. They would capture King Nereus and hold him as prisoner until the war host returned to their homeland.


Once in Oslaria, the former king of Norvae was executed by guillotine, all the while proclaiming his innocence and the unjust slaughter of his kingdom. The one to pull the lever was Councillor Elragard, who whispered the truth to Nereus just before dropping the blade, severing the head of the last king of Norvae.


Oslaria would continue to raise and train dragons, becoming famed for its dragon-mounted knights. The first dragon knights and their scaled companions would be immortalized in the Hall of Heroes. The dragons of Oslaria would become larger and stronger than wild dragons, with larger and more prominent horns. Dragons would be such a cornerstone of Oslarian culture, that draconic iconography would be ever prevalent. Dragons would decorate the sigils of noble houses, painted on the shields of knights, songs and stories about valiant dragons would become popular among children. A dragon would even decorate the Oslarian flag.