From A Dance in the Dust
Pages Scrawled in an Unknown Hand
You weren’t there, on the water that day, when the sky went black and a demon possessed the moon. No one on the ship believed me when I said it was a demon, but what else could it have been? You weren’t there, so you couldn’t possibly understand my motivations. If I don’t learn the history, now, as it is, before the Lovasi conquer us, it will be forever changed. I must do it quickly, and I will leave much detail out, but if I don’t get it down now… I fear the worst—it is in my nature to fear the worst.
You weren’t there, but please, try to understand the importance of this, try to understand why I must get the truth down. How else will it survive? In just one generation the children will be sick of hearing from their parents about how they were conquered. In two, they’ll flat out ignore their grandparents. In three generations, the children will have forgotten we were ever free. They will grow up thinking that this was always the way it was.
I’m wasting time. Just, if you’re reading this, try to understand my motivations.
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1300 years ago… Year 1 After Starfall.
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In the Wake of Starfall:
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Daggland survived—fell to classical age—their past knowledge is the one thing that kept them ahead. They stayed mostly on their islands, fighting each other over space. They still sold their stockpiles of Daggland steel to the growing Lovasi Empire. A few attempts on the behalf of Daggland to conquer Mal Hallow failed.
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The Ailaryan Order emergeed from the dust of Yehven, moved south and started a new settlement. They called it Lovas, which means dominance in Yehvenki.
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The Draku emerged in Esher and flourished, assimilating with the local population. They established a temple at Lysess.
Mal Hallow, The Fells, Ryne, Ayeland, and northern Rhosanti fell to a dark age. Human existence in the north of Ardura was primitive.
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Year 1000 After Starfall.
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Lovas Conquers Edura:
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The rise of Lovas from a settlement to a massive, powerful, and influential City State, and eventually, and Empire.
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Lovas’s children—Lovas conquered the other cities of Southern Edura, trade routes and roads, castles/strongholds. They enslaved the people to work and serve the military. They indoctrinated the people with the Words of Karaat and forced them to pray, all with the intent to increase the power of Karaat.
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Lovas allied with Daggland—the Empire purchased Daggland steel for slaves, and other lavish items.
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Through conquest, Lovas took over all emerging civilizations in Edura.
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The Lovasi found lizard folk, mongrels, cannibal apes, and all sorts of monsters in the wild caused by mutations from the starfall or maybe Insa’s creations or both. They captured them and forced them to fight in the fighting pits.
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Last Year… Year 1300 After Starfall.
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Lovasi and Draku War:
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Eralis, a prominent member of the Ailaryan Order, exiled himself from Lovas, claiming that the High Archon was abusing his power and going against what the Ailaryan Order stands for. He began walking, barefoot, through the lands of Edura, spreading his doctrine and committing miracles. All in the hope of weakening Karaat.
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The Lovasi, desperate to overcome the setback caused by Eralis, begin to show ambitions of expanding their Empire across the Old Sea, to Ardura. They began in the south, in Esher.
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The Draku ruled the south of Ardura from their capital in Esher, Sareen. They resisted the encroaching Lovasi. Soon, the Lovasi started to send waves of armies to Esher. The conflict developed into a war.
After seven years of war on Arduran soil, the Draku turned the tides and sailed to Edura to assault the capital of the Empire, Lovas. They brought dragons with them.
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The Draku fought hard, they managed to annex all of Old Yehven and The Fields of Larian. The Bone Fleet completely destroyed Lovas’ ships in the water and claimed the sea for the Draku. Then, the Draku managed to cut off supply lines and surround the city of Lovas in a siege.
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The Ul Vosh Aris woke Illkura, the great dragon.
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Kassius the Deceiver, in the end, was deceived by his own people. Captains of the Esheri Army conspired together in a coup to kill Kassius. The Esheri Army retreated. The UI Vosh Aris, and many of the soldiers in the Esheri Army who refused to retreat fought an army of one hundred thousand Lovasi. The dragons were killed by eldritch magics wielded by the High Archon.
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The High Archon of the Ailaryan Order conjured a powerful spell that allowed him to capture, and use the power caused from the celestial alignment of the eclipse. As a result, the Ailaryan Order committed outright genocide on the Draku race, and caused the possible extinction of dragons. He killed his own people, too, a hundred thousand and more were taken that day when the demon moon blocked the sun
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Bazal and His Hundred broke away from the Order at this time, as well as many other Warlocks, claiming that the High Archon had “gone too far”. The Ailaryan Order fractured into pieces.
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In the Dust left behind from the High Archon’s eldritch spell, wandering spirits, and deformed creatures still roam. And there are cursed storms with black acid rain. No magic works there. I know because I have gone back. I saw it with my own eyes. I should have died there with them—my people. It would have been better than whatever is to come next.