Tavarian Empire

Once the mightiest of nations, the Tavarian Empire occupied the entire sub-continental peninsula of western Demana. The high elves of the empire are the forebears of the elves living in the Chivalric Lands today. History describes it as an advanced civilization filled with magical wonders, most of which are long forgotten.

The Early Empire

The oldest known written source is the Platinum Tablet that was kept in Tower of Remembrance in Imras. The tablet, that has been alchemically dated to be twelve millennia old, describes how the ancient elves came to these shores to fight a great evil under the guidance of the great god Loharneth Ashai. What this evil was is unclear, but surviving legends name several candidates, for example the monstrous Gorgorai with snakes for hair. There are also mentions of a great war against evil dragons, enemies of the great silver dragons that were allied to the Tavarian elves. Most account that describes conflicts however, speak of war against savage human tribes from beyond the empires border.

Culture

The Ethelien - the high elves of the Empire are often glorified as a wise people, civilized and in love with beauty and creation. Although there are credible sources that describe the genocidal cruelty they showed their human enemies before the Covenant.

Religion

The elves worshiped a pantheon of gods, most important among which were the shining dragon king Loharneth Ashai. No names of other gods survived the fall of the empire and among the meliai elves of the Chivalric lands, they are only known as the Court of Sorrow. Some say the survivors of the empire simply refuse to speak the names of their lost gods, others that the very names themselves were wiped from the world in the cataclysm.
According to the historian Selevandra Ashtarian, there were also seven monastic orders devoted to preserving a number of ideals that the empire was founded on.

Language

The ethelien spoke and wrote in Tav-Eleth. The later elvish dialects Melethi of the Meliai and Olanthiai, and Ravathi of the Nuala all originated from Tav-Eleth.

Warfare

The martial might of the Tavrian empire was legendary. The names of several of their armed forces live on to this day; the Grey Legion of the Ilfelin mountains, the Keepers of the Sun that watched over the capital and the dreaded Deathsworn, ranging in the outlands

Bladesingers

Among the wizards of the ethelien elves, there were those who channeled their magic into swordplay, unmatched in its deadly beauty. Some of this art survived the long years since the Fall, and you can still find some practitioners among the meliai Dragons A vast number of benevolent dragons were closely allied with the empire and even dwelt among them. Dragons with silver scales lived in temples of the cities and served as advisors and even mounts for the princes. Great bronze dragons, known as Guardians protected the borders and fought alongside the armies of the elves. It is even said that there dwelled dragons with scales of pure gold in the western parts of the Tavarian lands.

Wonders of the Empire

The magical wonders of the Tavarians elves are said to be without equals before or after. Ethelien elves viewed magic as a metaphysical “song” that bound and shaped the world.

Song Gems

Legend has it that Lorhaneth Ashai, the dragon god the Tavarian empire gifted his people an enchanted tree as a symbol of his devotion to the elves that served him. From this wondersome gift originated the Gemsong Trees - imbued with draconic powers and whose crystalline seeds were fashioned into magic marvels known as Song Gems. The Song Gems were said to be able to focus the flow of magic, to make ships and even cities fly in the air. To make fields and gardens grow lush and abundant and many more miraculous things. The gems were also said to be able to store memories and even living minds.

Song Ships

The windships Maelbonne pale in comparison with the flying ships of the Tavarian Empire. These were used to explore the world, to trade for war and to bind the empire together. Strange tales even suggest that these ships allowed the elves to visit the moons of Althea The Covenant After centuries of bloody border skirmishes betweens the empire and primitive humans tribes, the elves decided to once and for all root out the savage humans. A daring group of humans however managed to find their way into the heartlands of the empire, and managed to convince one their princes that peace was a possibility. This peace came to be known as the Covenant. In this new era humans were allowed to settle on the borders and create their own states - vassals to the powerful elven empire.

The Tempestari

The Guardians, the great bronze dragons, even took human warriors and formed knightly orders. These were given wyverns to ride and served as emissaries and enforcers of the empire’s will among the human vassal-states.

The Oathbreaker Wars

The peace between elves and humans lasted almost three hundred years. Then, gelgic tribesmen, tired of human subservience, rallied a great host of warriors and started raiding the empire and its newly formed vassal-states. This was known as the oathbreaker wars and came to a bloody end when the Guardians and their wyvern riders descended on the gathered tribes, in what was known as the Battle of the Bloodstorm.

The Fall

In the year 366 after the Covenant a horde of abominations came down from the dread mountainous plateau east of the empire known as Cinvar These were revealed not to be a mindless horde of monsters, but an army led by thirteen warlocks known as the Pale Lords. It was a merciless onslaught that caught the Tavarians off guard.

The Black Storm

After the initial shock, the empired rallied. The Guardians and their wyvern-riders, the Empire's war fleet of Songships and numerous armies were sent against the monstrous hordes. It seemed there were no force that could stand against such might, but the Pale Lords called forth a magical storm, a black tempest that tore the lives from the great bronze dragons. In the storm were winged horrors that tore the elven soldiers limb from limb. The surviving wyvern riders cut the hearts from their dragon masters to preserve their spirits from the dark magic of the Cinvarans and fled.

Empire's End

Even more nightmarish creatures descended from Cinvar, armies of undead, demons and other nameless creatures. The high elves were pushed back more and more. In the end they had retreated to the very heartland of the Empire. On the brink of destruction, the priests and mages called on their gods and ancient magics to save them. A great wall of mist welled forth over the lands, consuming large portions of the hordes and several of the Pale Lords. When the mist cleared only a great forest, sprung from nothing, remained. The forest came to be known as the Mistweld. What happened to the remnant of the Empire is unclear, some say they sacrificed their lives to destroy their enemies, some say they left this world altogether and others say they are still there in the deeps fogs and shadows of the Mistweld.

The Seven Great Cities

As listed by the historian Selevandra Ashtarian
Aerineya: The sky-city, the easternmost city of the empire and harbour to its fleet of song-ships
Amraeth: The golden city of the setting sun. The capital of the empire.
Lirandorel: The crystal city
Tanatris: The city of mists and shadows. Said to be lost, or hidden outside the empire's borders
Tol Elerandel: The city of billows, the great seaport of the empire
Tol Tinarath: The city of silver spires
Velorian: The city of delights

Type

Geopolitical, Empire