FEF7 lorebits

FORMER EMPIRE OF DARCHALL (elsewhere known simply as 'Occupied Territories'):

A century ago, Darchall was a small kingdom, highly militant but not particularily powerful nation under the iron-fist of the Kottar dynasty.

It all changed when the mages of Darchall discovered the Black Ruby, a powerful gemstone that could focus and empower all kinds of magic. Under the auspices of King Kottar III, the Black Ruby was mounted upon a huge siege tower, creating the 'Spire of Doom'.

With help of the Spire of Doom, and highly trained army, Darchall began gobbling up nearby states; first to fall was their ancient rival, Kingdom of Gloria. Then, like pieces of domino, others followed: Argolian Monarchy, Sulia Alliance, Tribes of Ginath, Republic of Heleia and Tradian Republic. Only the Yssarians in far north-west and mountainous pegasus riders of Kappalachia were able to resist. Once the conflicts were resolved, and Darchall acquired total control of the central plains, the Darchall Empire was proclaimed.

But in the 33rd year of its existence, and rule of unusually cruel and inhumane (even for Kottaran standards) Emperor Kottar V, a group of vagrants, disilussioned soldiers, mercenaries and citizens of conquered lands gathered into a small band. That small band of 12 (originally 16) people later became known as 'The Heroes of Light'. Seeking aid within and outside the Empire, slowly, day by day, they toiled to bring down the Empire.

During the final chapter of their story, the Twelve, along with the Allied Army from occupied lands, have attacked the Capital City of Darch. The last stand of the Imperial Army was for naught, the Spire of Doom was destroyed, and Emperor Kottar V was slain; so was his wife, Hexmistress Torana along with the child-slaying son, Prince Roskan. Only the youngest of Kotarran Royal Family, Ardin, was spared, as the boy was only three years old and thus declared innocent of his family's crimes.

Since the Fall of Darch, the Darchall Empire was renamed 'Occupied Territories', administered by combined military and administrative force of the Alliance of Light. Eleven years passed since that moment.

The Territories are poor, their people hungry, abused and exploited. The nation-states of Alliance put heavy taxation under guise of 'war reparations' upon the once proud peoples of Darchall, with the Heroes of Light basking in their glory and having sworn to never let Darchall Empire threaten anyone again.

THE ALLIANCE OF LIGHT:

All members of the Alliance were once separate nations, each with their own government, culture and armies. Darchall's vast campaign brought them closer than before, and once Heroes of Light appeared on the scene, the oppressed nations joined forces with them. Soon, the Army of Light began pushing against the Darchall, ultimately leading to the fall of the Empire.

The Seven Nations of Alliance continued their union, and despite several disagreements that brought the number down to five, they keep an eye on the Darchall and its people - even if they still haven't decided who gets which part of the Empire for themselves.

KINGDOM OF GLORIA: A pious and ancient kingdom, and the only one possessing border with pre-conquest Darchall. First to fall and experiencing the brunt of Darchall cruelty, the Glorians were first to back up Heroes of Light; with six of these brave warriors hailing from this proud land.
ARGOLIAN MONARCHY: Founded by cadet branch of Glorian dynasty, these stout warriors of the forests fell quickly to Darchall; Argolians had few settlements and only three cities to speak of, as they were nature-minded and used the thick Argolian forests to their advantage, that advantage nullified by the earth-scorching tactics of Darchall Army and Spire of Doom. Beorg Tauvalis the Archer and Samin the Fighter hail from Argolia.
SULIA ALLIANCE: An alliance of city-states in the south, they controlled numerous iron and gold mines, which led to their prosperity, and which put them in sights of Darchallian conquest. The city-states since then became the foremost economic supplier of the Army of Light, and four Heroes were raised in the streets of the wealthy city-states.
TRIBES OF GINATH: Eleven Ginath tribes occupied the vast Greensea Plains, the horse-riders usually swing back and forth between providing mercenary forces to their neighbours or raiding their border settlements. Lack of central government and little in terms of military or fortifications made them an easy target for Darchall Empire. Mistress of Thunder, Eliana Irrek, was born here. Since the end of Anti-Darchall War, the tribes withdrawn from the alliance and resumed their previous style of life, with emphasis on less raiding and more mercenary work this time.
KINGDOM OF HELEIA: A theocratic monarchy in the southwest, it enjoyed centuries of prosperity and peace thanks to its non-involvement policy. Unfortunately that left them ripe for being conquered by Darchall. Helians provided most of magical support for Army of Light, and the Hermit Priest, Aolim (sometimes unfairly called 'The Coward'), once lived in Heleia before his disappearance in the final weeks of the Anti-Darchall War.
TRADIAN REPUBLIC: A small republican state lying at the steps of the Erotharon Mountains, it nonetheless didn't escape the bloodthristy conquest by Darchall. A token member of the Alliance, it nonetheless produced the famous Swordmaster Ian Atalian, who personally delivered the blow that ended the life of Emperor Kattar V.
KAPPALACHIA: Small nation of peoples, living in Kappalachian Valley, in the heart of Erotharon Mountains. They're mostly known for breeding and raising the beautiful Pegasi. Their remote location allowed them to escape the Empire's hands, although many sons of Kappalachia died in numerous skirmishes. Kappalachians provided the Alliance with Pegasi, and the late Olia, Pegasus Lady, was a Kappalachian. Since end of war, numerous disagreements over treatment of Darchall peoples resulted in Kappalachian expulsion from the Alliance and embargo on its trade routes by the Alliance, causing widespread poverty and famine amongst the mountainfolk.

KINGDOM OF YSSARIA:

These people of the dry Plains of Yss managed to be the only ones to defeat Darchall Empire in battle during its existence. Many times did Darchall armies try to invade Yssaria, only to be beaten back by the combined might of their fearsome Wyvern riders and shamanistic Cult of Sharr. Dwelling in massive 'block-cities', Yssarians developed a culture different than the central lands, and they're the only nation to follow the Cult of Sharr rather than Heleian Pantheon.

During Anti-Darchall War, the Alliance of course asked Yssarians for help, but the northerners bluntly refused to get involved, and therefore weren't part of the Alliance of Light, although there are documents mentioning several hundred Yssarian mercenaries serving in the ranks of Army of Light out of their own interest.

Two years after the Fall of Darchall Empire, the more war-oriented politicians decided that Yssaria should be punished for not joining the Alliance and therefore Yssarian soil was 'invaded' - said invasion lasting only six weeks and ending after the bloody Battle of Hiserlim Fort, which ended in total rout of Alliance Army.

Nowadays Yssarians continue to keep to their own matters, although there's rumors that their master, King Ysdar the Great, has vowed once to punish the Alliance for assaulting his domain. Due to increased spy activity and military presence at Yssarian-Alliance border, some believe that Yssaria might, actually, finally get 'involved' and attack the nations of central plains.

HELEIAN PANTHEON, CULT OF SHARR:

Heleian Pantheon originated in Kingdom of Heleia; worshipping thirty different deities, each governing one aspect of the world, with Thunder King Olmar on top, the Heleian religion quickly spread from south to the central plains, being adopted even by the Kappalachians and the Darchall. During the Anti-Darchall War, the Heleian Pantheon decided to support the Alliance, which resulted in persecutions of Heleian faithful and murders of prominent Heleian clergy in the Empire.

Cult of Sharr is a native religion of the Kingdom of Yssaria. It's highly ritualistic cult that worships Sharr, the Dark Dragon, the Creator of the World. Unlike Heleian Pantheon, the Cult employs animal sacrifice and worship of Sharr is mandatory to all Yssarian citizens. In contrast to the anima and light magic of Pantheon and central nations, Cult of Sharr relies heavily on dark magic, best represented by the long-lived Druids or eccentric Summoners.