Anestor

Anestor is a small country located at the northernmost point of the known world. For many ages, Anestor ruled in its own right, and in the past, the people of that country worshiped their own gods, mostly dealing with natural law, but that time of peace ended when foreign invaders moved in to take advantage of Anestor's rich resources. First, the barbarian tribes to the east, the Utgardians, raided the shores from their dragon boats, disappearing before the Anestians had time to react. The people of Anestor had to band together, and organize to defend themselves, which they began to do, but before they could, another threat arose. Marceaux, the empire to the south, home to powerful mages and deadly armies made of stone, invaded. The Marcisian made short work of taking the small country. They enslaved the people, and forcibly civilized them in their own likeness. Only the gnomes and a few old druids were able to escape into Astreia's Forest, home to the country's mother goddess. The gnomes closed up their borders, and wielded powerful magic of their own to defend themselves. Astreia's forest was thick and full of dangers, so the Marcisians accepted that the gnomes were lost to them. Capturing them was not worth the effort.   The Macisian were not done though. They continued to conquer the north, next travelling to the east, taking Utgard and, more importantly, the crystal mines of the dwarves. The crystals were not merely gemstones, as the dwarves had previously thought, but also stones of power, making the Marcisians' magic all the more potent. For generations both Utgard and Anestor were shaped in the image of Marceaux. Inquisitors enforced religion, and local lords and law makers were Marcisians. Utgardians were more resilient in their cultural fortitude, clinging on to their own beliefs throughout the occupation, but Anestor's culture was largely lost.   Marcisians see magic as the greatest power in the world, and they don't want anyone else having it. Children with magical abilities in Anestor were taken away, whereas adults with magic were executed. The common folk were forced to work only in menial labor. Weapons were confiscated, and while basic needs were provided to Anestians by the empire, they were not free.   After two generations of occupation, something miraculous happened. Another country far to the south, called Gosun, home to the dark elves attacked Marceaux. They, like Marcisians, were led by powerful mages. They believed that their divine destiny was to assimilate all of the world's diverse people into their collective. The world was chaotic, and they represented order. This surprising war took much of the Marcisians' energy. They had no choice but to focus on the defense of their own lands.   It was at this time that Golaran, an ancient wizard revealed the descendants of four old kingdoms, an Utgardian Prince, a dwarven prince, an elven prince who was the rightful ruler of western Anestor and the human prince, who was the rightful ruler of eastern Anestor. Golaran rallied the people behind the young royals, who made an alliance. They vowed peace between them, and together entered a bloody war, to push the Marcisians out, once and for all.   The Marcisianshad not expected the revolution, and had no time to deal with it. They were in the middle of a much more important war with the Gosunni. After the revolution was won, Marceaux reluctantly acknowledged that Anestor and Utgard were free, though it never officially dropped its claim over those countries.   In the aftermath of the war, Anestor was broken up and in need of unity, so the children of the elven king and the human king married, bringing peace and unity to a broken land. While it is true, that they were finally free, most of the Anestian traditions were lost in time. The majority of people have adopted the Marcisian religions and have come to be suspicious of magic users, though not outright hostile. The old gods and the art of reading the runes of old has been lost in time.   Anestor is currently led by the elven queen and the human king. Golaran still claims the title of Arcane adviser, but he is rarely seen these days. He will probably return, should the need for him arise, but until the need is great, he roams the land alone.