Flight from Shadow
Previous:Tribes
Where the waters of the Straits of Aerele now flow, a barren land-bridge once linked Maja to Cerilia. This isthmus marked the path of the tribes' exodus. The journey was arduous—many people fell to disease, goblin raids, natural hazards, and sometimes, stupidity. Despite the perils of the journey, the pilgrims at last reached Cerilia and found a land ripe for conquest.
They also found the Basarji. The Basarji were a dark-skinned people from beyond the Sea of Dragons. We now believe that they descended from the same stock as the five tribes, for their gods were the same as (or at least remarkably similar to) those venerated by our ancestors; the Basarji worshiped the goddess Basaia. Independently, the six tribes of newcomers set to dominating Cerilia with a fervor never before seen on the continent.
Cerilia's dwarves, meanwhile busy holding back orog forces in the mountains, had little time or inclination to investigate or negotiate with the humans. The invaders, likewise busy, had more important things to do than brave the mountain passes the dwarves called home. The two races eventually developed an unspoken agreement with each other, namely that humans were welcome in the mountains as long as they caused no trouble and would somehow contribute to soci- ety. Otherwise, they would be driven out by the dwarves.
The elves, on the other hand, found themselves suddenly competing with the humans for the most beautiful land in Cerilia. At first, the elves thought they could all live in mutual enjoyment of the forest, with the humans respecting elven lands and the elves carefully avoiding the humans. This arrangement worked for a time. The humans soon drew the attention of the humanoids that continually raided the forests. Despite the ferocity of the humanoids, our forebears proved resourceful enough to stand fast, and eventually the humanoids were beaten back. It was not long before the humans began looking toward elven lands as places for expansion.
The elves fiercely resisted conquest, for they had fought long and hard against the humanoids to keep their lands. When we began to force the elves from their ancestral homes, the elven leaders devised the gheallie Sidhe, or Hunt of the Elves. Elven knights were commissioned to roam the lands held by the elves, slaying whatever humans they found trespassing in their borders. Simple peasants and woodcutters gathering firewood were slain as brutally as the highest ranking human warriors. An all-out war erupted between the two races.
Still, the elves were pushed back year after year because of an element they had never encountered—priestly magic. The elves could easily call upon the forces inherent in wood and water, field and air, but had never worshiped deities—and thus, could not even begin to understand this new source of power. The human priests were the deciding force against the elves' expertise in magic and combat; the old gods favored humans to such an extent that the elves found themselves practically powerless.
The fair folk eventually conceded the plains, the hills, and the coasts to the upstart humans, and withdrew to the sanctity of the forests, concentrat- ing their efforts on destroying any humans foolish enough to venture there. The only humans who dared penetrate the woodlands were those desiring elven knowledge or seeking revenge on the elves for their atrocities. Such violators never returned from the woods.
Next: Shadow's Arrival
Where the waters of the Straits of Aerele now flow, a barren land-bridge once linked Maja to Cerilia. This isthmus marked the path of the tribes' exodus. The journey was arduous—many people fell to disease, goblin raids, natural hazards, and sometimes, stupidity. Despite the perils of the journey, the pilgrims at last reached Cerilia and found a land ripe for conquest.
They also found the Basarji. The Basarji were a dark-skinned people from beyond the Sea of Dragons. We now believe that they descended from the same stock as the five tribes, for their gods were the same as (or at least remarkably similar to) those venerated by our ancestors; the Basarji worshiped the goddess Basaia. Independently, the six tribes of newcomers set to dominating Cerilia with a fervor never before seen on the continent.
Cerilia's dwarves, meanwhile busy holding back orog forces in the mountains, had little time or inclination to investigate or negotiate with the humans. The invaders, likewise busy, had more important things to do than brave the mountain passes the dwarves called home. The two races eventually developed an unspoken agreement with each other, namely that humans were welcome in the mountains as long as they caused no trouble and would somehow contribute to soci- ety. Otherwise, they would be driven out by the dwarves.
The elves, on the other hand, found themselves suddenly competing with the humans for the most beautiful land in Cerilia. At first, the elves thought they could all live in mutual enjoyment of the forest, with the humans respecting elven lands and the elves carefully avoiding the humans. This arrangement worked for a time. The humans soon drew the attention of the humanoids that continually raided the forests. Despite the ferocity of the humanoids, our forebears proved resourceful enough to stand fast, and eventually the humanoids were beaten back. It was not long before the humans began looking toward elven lands as places for expansion.
The elves fiercely resisted conquest, for they had fought long and hard against the humanoids to keep their lands. When we began to force the elves from their ancestral homes, the elven leaders devised the gheallie Sidhe, or Hunt of the Elves. Elven knights were commissioned to roam the lands held by the elves, slaying whatever humans they found trespassing in their borders. Simple peasants and woodcutters gathering firewood were slain as brutally as the highest ranking human warriors. An all-out war erupted between the two races.
Still, the elves were pushed back year after year because of an element they had never encountered—priestly magic. The elves could easily call upon the forces inherent in wood and water, field and air, but had never worshiped deities—and thus, could not even begin to understand this new source of power. The human priests were the deciding force against the elves' expertise in magic and combat; the old gods favored humans to such an extent that the elves found themselves practically powerless.
The fair folk eventually conceded the plains, the hills, and the coasts to the upstart humans, and withdrew to the sanctity of the forests, concentrat- ing their efforts on destroying any humans foolish enough to venture there. The only humans who dared penetrate the woodlands were those desiring elven knowledge or seeking revenge on the elves for their atrocities. Such violators never returned from the woods.
Next: Shadow's Arrival
