History of the Ghelly Archipelago

A group of 750 Intressian citizens arrived in the uninhabited Ghelly Archipelago. This was long before they were the powerful egalitarian organization they are today. Safeguard was more concerned with surviving in a new land than saving the world or protecting innocents. Many members of the Safeguard would settle the archipelago, creating provinces and kingdoms. Every individual in Ghelly is descended from a member of Safeguard.

The bloodiest day in the history of the Ghelly Archipelago, the Shatter was an event in which the Ghelly Archipelago was split in two by an obscure monster going by the name Tipaina. What kind of creature Tipaina was is still unknown with various postulations by historical academics and conspiracy theories on online forums.    On this day, a strange blue creature, Tipaina, flew through the sky inciting violence and destruction, only to be met by the legendary Safeguard agent, Tyra McClain. The two fought, trading blows that launched each other across miles of terrain. The fight ended at Shattercrest in a location now known as Shatterpoint. Tyra mortally wounded Tipaina, but not before Tipaina could unleash the last of her power to send a beam of energy through the archipelago, taking hundreds of thousands of lives in the process.    This event also coincides with the drastic 99.99% reduction in the drow population across the world. How they are related is unknown, but it is unlikely to be a coincidence.

In between the frequent battles between Emane and the Oldrakes and civil unrest from the Dran Steppe, concessions were made between First Magister Alexandria and the Mystics of the Moons residing in the Arboran Gulf. The Arboran Gulf acquiesced to annexation with the Empire of Emane in exchange for regional autonomy. The Arboran Gulf would be under the laws of Emane, but the region itself had its own sets of rules and regulations as well and could request a revision of federal law. This method decreased Emane's need to micromanage the region and made the Arboran's much more accepting of Emane control, setting the precedent for future campaigns.

After decades of fighting with the nation of dragons, the flames of the Oldrakes were put out with mountains up mountains of lead and gunpowder. Again, the people of Emane's new territory were elated by their freedom from the Oldrakes and the lair cities of the craggy steppe were easily assimilated into the Emane infrastructure.   This period also marks one of the most famous legends in Emane history, that of the Rhyder, a legendary figure who slew the last Grand Oldraks, Olvyr the Unyielding, and brought about the beginning of the end for this heinous nation. It is said the mountain upon which they fought still shakes with the power of their ferocity.

Under the term of First Magister Cassandra Sebastionos the massive bridge of Gefyra was finally erected and the Trans Isle Highway connected the ten-mile wide Tipaina line that divides Quill Island in two. Apart from just the massive size of the bridge, more impressive is the stress under which the workers built it, with constant raids from the Southern nations roundabout supply routes. The purpose of the bridge would be to quickly and efficiently roll out personnel and weapons of war into the southern half of Quill Island.    Over time, the bridge would become a trade port and a city in and of itself, especially during the lifetime of Starria.

One of the more unusual conflicts in the history of Emane is the annexation of the region known as Berylka. The forests of Berylka are possibly a peek at what Quill Island looked like before the forests made way for progress. Expeditions into the forest were meant to be simple exercises to evaluate resources and establish relations with any inhabitants within. The forest was nearly completely uninhabited, but First Magister Mortus Albert still desired to notify them of their station in the nation of Emane.    Most troops who came back from Berylka came back shell-shocked and warped. They changed for the better and for the worse. The skirmishes started small, but gradually escalated in size and ferocity. Most records of the battles were left blank and the descriptions of the enemy were vague. The exact nature of the enemy the Emane soldiers faced is unknown, and few would ever talk of their experiences until they were on their deathbed. What reports there are seem to state the enemy was the forest itself, and the few inhabitants inside were harmless.  Suddenly, the fighting stopped and the Berylka was established as a nature preserve renamed the Magister's Arbor.

For over eighty years of relative stability as Emane reinforced rule in its provinces and closely monitored and participated in the switching of hands of the Oldrake Steppes. Rather than continue to sit on its laurels, Emane moved towards further expansion. With this came the new Emane National Navy that would come to represent the focus of Emane's expansion from this point forward.   Kinsla was too preoccupied with its own religious civil wars and Emane played each side against each other for the duration of the war, leading to something more akin to a detente than a conquest. Still, the two disparate halves of Kinsla were subsumed into Emane having wasted most of their resources instead of Emane. Emane recognized the two different halves of Kinsla, the indulgent North and utilitarian South, as separate provinces and allowed the free practice of their rival sects. Emane protected the two sides from persecution and did its best to avoid becoming seen as a common enemy.   North and South Kinsla now remain begrudging neighbors content under the rule of Emane and acts as the hub of high-class culture in the nation.

Emane moved back into the Oldrake Steppes from three sides and kicked Golas out. The inhabitants of the Oldrakes at this point were getting sick and tired of jumping around allegiances and barely listened to occupying forces as they strolled into town. Much of the populace saw Emane's presence as another shifting of hands had little faith in the new regime. The Oldrakes had no national identity and felt no allegiance to any power.

The back and forth continues as the Oldrakes are again reacquired. The fighting is becoming more frequent as Emane and Golas place themselves as increasingly equal rivals.   The one major accomplishment is the founding of Fellhall, a city built in the style of Golas out of a cliffside where the Long Arm Peninsula begins. The city still stands today and is common ground for negotiations between the two nations even today.

The final of the outlying island to be brought into the fold, Shattercrest also turned out to be the most troublesome. The well-established and veteran National Navy spent decades attempting to garner every single advantage they could against the elvish island, but lost as much as they gained. Scouts would return with incorrect information if they returned at all and even the Mystics of the Moon seemed unable to prevent the Tipaina Sea from becoming enraptured in perilous storms. Many lines of communication, especially those that used magical infrastructure, were blocked once they were within ten miles of the island. Numerous invasions were made onto the island's coast and some forts were established, but at terrible costs and rarely for long. Councillors back in the Capitol were mysteriously dropping dead. The native population was still using stone tools, but their magic and control over the rainforest they resided in made the entire island a dreadnought.   To pierce through the island's defense, a new vehicle of war was created, the dreadjammer. The Dreadjammer ES Calliope, was the first and only ship of its kind, a flying ship that was a fusion of magic, science, and psionics capable of tremendous speed, high altitude, and devastating firepower. The ES Calliope split through the army's of Shattercrest and provided cover for reinforcements from the National Navy while also facilitating numerous ground invasions. The elves of Shattercrest were easily pacified in the coming months.    Due to the increased danger that Shattercrest culture posed to the safety of Emane in general, Shattercrest magics and customs were outlawed on the island against the Arbora Precedent and a much stronger hold was taken on the province.

The First Magister of Emane, Albain Tenorly, assembled all of the Councillors of Emane for an emergency meeting, only to slaughter them all and level the Capitol. This would result in the breakup of Emane as the provincial governments took over. The Capitol was rendered uninhabitable.