Theran Empire

The heart of the Theran Empire is the city of Thera, which sits on an island in the centre of the Selestrean Sea to the south and west of Barsaive. Before the Scourge, Thera was the capital of a great empire that ruled all the known world. The First Theran Empire was a place of magic, power, and knowledge beyond that of other realms; it was also a place of arrogance and evil. Since the end of the Scourge, Thera has served as the capital of a second empire with all the same traits as the first. At one time, Theran influence extended across Barsaive and beyond. Indeed, many records indicate that the empire once covered a vast area radiating out from the island of Thera, uniting many lands through magical studies and trade. Despite their abominable practice of slavery, the Therans contributed some good to the world by creating a sense of world community. That little good, however, cannot outweigh the great evils they have wrought in our land. During the Scourge, Barsaive was completely cut off from Thera. For the first thirty years after the end of the Scourge, the dwarfs of Throal took advantage of the Therans’ unexpected absence and worked to re-unite Barsaive under the freedom and justice of Throalic law. Throal outlawed slavery, and greatly reformed the legal system to offer justice to all throughout the province. Almost fifty years ago the Therans returned to Barsaive, intending to become overlords once more and demanding that the denizens of Barsaive hand there lands and lives over to them. They had changed little, and none for the better. If anything, the time spent behind the magically protected walls of Thera seems to have made them even more vile and arrogant. As with the elves of Blood Wood, something seems to have twisted their souls during the Scourge.