Stella Nova of Old
previous: Bloodlines
I shall first endeavor to explain how the events of the distant past still affect us today. Modern Stelia Nova is shaped by ancient deeds as surely as the land is carved by wind and water. When you understand how history molded the peoples of Stella Nova, you will better understand the way we live today.|
Contrary to popular belief, humans were not always the dominant race on Cerilia. The true natives of Cerilia are the elves and dwarves, the keepers of the forest and the guardians of the mountain. For centuries, they lived peacefully alongside each other, neither race intruding on the other. Both had precious little time to bother with the other, for each had its own enemies to fend off. Those enemies were the humanoids— creatures spawned deep in the earth. Gnolls, goblins, orogs, and trolls swarmed through Cerilia at will. These races still trouble the world even in my time.
These creatures of night and darkness chose to live in places that the elves and dwarves shunned. They raided continually, storming the dwarves mountains and the elven forests to steal treasures and lay siege to the demihuman civilizations. Matters continued in this vein for hundreds, even thousands of years; we cannot be sure, since the elves don't count the years as we do, and the dwarven calendars are indecipherable.
Civilization all but stagnated during this time. The elves built slender towers and the dwarves constructed their stonewrought wonders, but all these marvels eventually fell to one marauding tribe or another. In return, the elves slaughtered tribes of gnolls and goblins, while the dwarves drove the orogs deeper and deeper into the Recesses of the mountains. The resulting stalemate seemed as if it would continue forever, and all sides longed for a way to break it. Had they known what was in store for them, they might have realized that their situation was not as grave as they perceived.
In time, the humans arrived; actually, they not so much arrived as invaded. Five separate tribes, fleeing the domination of decadent empires and the wrath of an evil god. crossed into Cerilia via a land-bridge from the southern lands and began to settle here. A sixth tribe joined them from the lands far to the east beyond the Dragon Sea. The Kaluran wilderness was thus touched by the hand of man, and would never again be the same
Next: Tribes
Contrary to popular belief, humans were not always the dominant race on Cerilia. The true natives of Cerilia are the elves and dwarves, the keepers of the forest and the guardians of the mountain. For centuries, they lived peacefully alongside each other, neither race intruding on the other. Both had precious little time to bother with the other, for each had its own enemies to fend off. Those enemies were the humanoids— creatures spawned deep in the earth. Gnolls, goblins, orogs, and trolls swarmed through Cerilia at will. These races still trouble the world even in my time.
These creatures of night and darkness chose to live in places that the elves and dwarves shunned. They raided continually, storming the dwarves mountains and the elven forests to steal treasures and lay siege to the demihuman civilizations. Matters continued in this vein for hundreds, even thousands of years; we cannot be sure, since the elves don't count the years as we do, and the dwarven calendars are indecipherable.
Civilization all but stagnated during this time. The elves built slender towers and the dwarves constructed their stonewrought wonders, but all these marvels eventually fell to one marauding tribe or another. In return, the elves slaughtered tribes of gnolls and goblins, while the dwarves drove the orogs deeper and deeper into the Recesses of the mountains. The resulting stalemate seemed as if it would continue forever, and all sides longed for a way to break it. Had they known what was in store for them, they might have realized that their situation was not as grave as they perceived.
In time, the humans arrived; actually, they not so much arrived as invaded. Five separate tribes, fleeing the domination of decadent empires and the wrath of an evil god. crossed into Cerilia via a land-bridge from the southern lands and began to settle here. A sixth tribe joined them from the lands far to the east beyond the Dragon Sea. The Kaluran wilderness was thus touched by the hand of man, and would never again be the same
Next: Tribes
