History of The Ashen Lands

With the rise of the new material Starrite, came the rise of magic users - and its devastational effects. In the hands of a novice, a firebolt could become a fireball, a chromatic orb would become an orb of annihilation.   It became quickly obvious within the Ashen kingdoms to regulate the substance, and thus the Magisterium Magicum was borne.

King Eltius, monarch of the elf civilization of Ilians, folded the Trilean paper in 325 AR. This cemented his place in the annals of Ashen Lands. By utilizing the Starrite to manipulate the artifact, he was able to fold and release its powers unto himself, and ascended. However, he could not handle the influx of magic, and would be corrupted over the course of the next two centuries, until he embraced his final form - archlichdom.

Sir Ilya, born near the apex of the Grand Age, would become a reknown knight and hero among the people, continuing into mythology even to the Barren Age.   The knight slew dragons, saved villages, and most importantly fought against the invading gnomes that would come to be the downfall of the Cleopheh kingdom.     As a reward of his heroism, the elder dragon Ember was said to have given him two artifacts, only known as the Eye of the World's Soul and the Shroud of Num's Passage. It has never been discovered what these artifacts truly were, only that they protected Sir Ilya until they were stolen in the dead of night by an unknwown thief. They have never been recovered.   Sir Ilya would die in battle against a Gnomish captain years later, sacrificing his life to provide the Four Oath Sages time to escape an ambush.

Sir Grant, a paladin of the Dwarven mountain duchies, was a dwarf of nobility that rivaled the heart of Sir Ilya. Known for felling the Wydean Tyrant beasts, forging an alliance between the dwarves and orcs, and his ability to wield the Markand blade, he was as strong as he was virtuous.   Yet, as dusk began to fall on the Grand age, so too did his heart. Arriving too late to his mountain home, he watched in horror as fires consumed all he loved - the result of a raiding band of nighthumans. As he listened to the screams of his kinsmen, his heart grew cold and hungered for veangance. Within a week, the river Theb ran red with the blood of his enemies. However, it was not without cost. It is said that the blade of Markand fed off the energy of the slain, and torn his soul asunder. Legend has it that he still roams the Dwarven mountains as an undead, his dry bones creaking and rattling with thirst for blood. The blade of Markand for the taking to those brave enough to fight him.

In the spring of 781, Thios, the god of light, chose a vessel to assist in the onslaught of the nighthumans. Brandt, a farmer outside the crater of Din, ascended into semi-godhood. Wielding a blue-flamed light blade, now named the Blade of Eternal Flame, he sliced through nighthumans as though they were water in the palm of his hand. However the ascension was not without cost. The glorification consumed his mortal body, and 20 years later, standing at the precipice of the city of Polare onlooking the hordes of nighthuman and gnomes, he burnt from the inside out. It was at this time the Cracking began.   The sword has since been lost to legend and ruin.

In the early days of the Barren Age, the Ashen paladins assisted the four trade kings, Tulip, Juren, Wacha, and Beret, in forming a caravan network. This was instrumental in beginning to provide support to each village and town, providing stability essential to prolonging the current age.