The Luminated Alliance
For thousands of years, the lands bordering the western and northern coasts of the Great Sea have been settled by a number of city-states with predominantly elven populations. These city-states were known to constantly bicker and argue over land, resources, and access to the sea. When the Starless Nights struck three thousand years ago, many of them were swallowed whole—great capitals disappearing in a single night.
But when kinfire was gifted to the world by their benevolent goddess Ziva (according to Temple texts), it brought more than just protection from the Darkness. It brought unity. The flame was shared among the city-states and even beyond to the neighboring lands and kingdoms. Past grievances were forgotten and the peoples of Atios became united.
With this sharing of kinfire, people of all kinds were brought together in a desire to survive and for life to continue. In this way, the years of Darkness passed relatively peacefully with the world banded together in a common goal.
And then, the Starless Nights receded. The unity of Atios continued on for a short time. But without the shared struggle of the Darkness, wariness and suspicion eventually infected the lands until differences became a reason for distrust. Kinfire took on a different meaning for different peoples.
For Dwar Fell, it was something to be studied, but for the mostly-elven city-states who worshipped Ziva, it was sacred and holy. This religious devotion, along with the belief in the sanctity of kinfire, united the city-states. Their alliance held strong, made stronger still by their shared contempt for the scholars of Dwar Fell and the desire to end the desecration of kinfire. Thus, the seeds of the Great War were planted.
The united city-states, which became known as the Luminated Alliance, remained united in their fight for most of the war. Despite their massive numbers, the cities fell one-by-one, overpowered by the heavily-armed forces of Dwar Fell. After nearly a thousand years of fighting, only a small number of Luminated Alliance city-states remained, including the great city of Din'Lux and Aes'Tos, also known as the gem of Atios. On the night that Dwar Fell lay siege to both these cities, the Darkness returned once more. And just as it had three thousand years before, everything the world knew changed in a single night.
For more, see The Great War.
Includes
Din'Lux: The City of Light
Aes'Tos
Olander
Related Articles
The Great War
Dwar Fell
The Temple of Ziva
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