The History of the Children of Sathonys

Children of SathonysShrouded in the mists of history are the exact origins of the servants of Sathonys, the Lord of Death. It is only known that once the majority of humans left the shores of the lost continent in the attempt to escape the enslavement through Sathonys, a small group of faithful worshippers remained behind, not willing to betray their dark lord and creator. What happened to them is unknown, but it can be assumed that they survived the insect threat in their ancient homelands, because the next time worshippers of the Lord of Death appeared in recorded history they did so as powerful clerics who accompanied the insect races when they landed in Forostar.

All of the original clerics died during the wars that followed, but not before they converted and trained others for their cause. But the secret of the location of their homelands died with them and it can be only speculated what happened there after the human exodus. Are humans enslaved by the insect conquerors? Did mankind multiply again and created a theocracy of faithful Sathonys followers? Were those clerics the last human survivors in those lands? Noone knows. But maybe time will show….

The students of those foreign clerics, though, fled after defeat was obvious and inevitable. Some say most ran into the swamps and died, others say they went north into the eternal ice and created a powerful stronghold. Whatever the truth is, the Children of Sathonys walk the earth again and strike fear into the hearts of their enemies by commanding the dead and draining the life from their enemies. Strengthened by human sacrifices, Sathonys casts his shadow larger than ever on Forostar, and should the clerics ever get in contact with their western brethren – if they exist – it would mean certain war and maybe even the end of all which is good and just.


The History of the Clerics of Asral

Clerics of Asral

In the beginning there was light, darkness and twilight. While Lilith and Sathonys are children of the darkness, Taniel and Evren are the children of light. There is eternal struggle and war between these two sides. Our lord is along with Zhakrin and Gwen a child of the twilight and thus neutral concerning the conflict of light and darkness. But it might happen that sometimes our lord tells his followers to join one side if it is advantageous for the goals of our Lord.

During the great war of the humanoid races against the insect-like invaders, the enemy besieged the city of Arborea and its population was starving and without hope. Thus they prayed to the gods they were worshipping to send them help, but since the deities were busy with fighting their own wars, the prayers remained unheard. All prayers except the ones which were directed to Asral, the god of war. He saw the emergency of his followers and sent his Avatar to the town and spoke through him to his children. He offered them to give away some of his powers to his most faithful believers to assist them in fighting the enemy and this was the beginning of our brotherhood. Seven strong men were chosen to use Asral’s powers and they were given the holy symbols of our lord.

Then they were standing on the besieged walls of Arborea and threw lightnings and firestorms against the insects, driving them away in a chaos of death and destruction. After this battle was won, the people of Arborea fell down on her knees and worshipped our lord for rescuing their lives. In their thankfulness they swore to build a huge temple in the middle of the town which is nowadays the center of our religion and brotherhood. Also most of the citizens are now followers of Asral, who is the patron of Arborea and all humans. An attack on Arborea is an attack on our history, our brotherhood and our Lord.

Felron, Protector of the Temple.


The History of the Clerics of Taniel

Clerics of TanielWhen Taniel, the Lord of Order, created the elves, all of his children worshipped him all the same, praising Him in his glory, dancing and singing for His joy. But soon after, an argument broke out among the elvenkind, about how to properly show one’s faith towards their creator, and Taniel looked down on His children and decided to give them a spiritual leader who would be able to settle all disputes between them.

Thus, the first Archbishop of Taniel was proclaimed by Taniel himself and he was instructed in His ways. To strengthen the Archbishop’s authority among the elves, Taniel granted him the powers of healing and creation, and all was good – for some time.

Then one day a vast army of orcspawn streamed down the mountains of Giat and covered the land of the elves with war and death. Wounded and dying elves were brought to the capital and covered its streets with their bodies, shrouding the city in a cloak of agony and pain. The Archbishop of Taniel did his best to soothe the suffering, but it was a hopeless effort, for he was alone. So he kneeled down in his sorrow and prayed to his Lord to grant him help in his endeavor, and Taniel answered his request. A blinding light engulfed the kneeling Archbishop and a thundering voice spoke: “From now on you shall have the powers to grant others of my children a token of my might.”

The Archbishop rose, laid a hand on several other devout followers of Taniel and they were filled with Taniel’s power to heal and create. From that day on, when the new clerics walked the streets to heal the wounded, the Order of Taniel was born.


The Crusaders

CrusadersThe Crusaders act as the judges and executioners of our Lord and Lady, Taniel and Evren. The Crusaders fight the Evil that seeks to blot out the Light from the World. We are comprised of the –most– holy and devout men and women of all races who have sworn to dedicate their lives to the commandments handed down by the Lord and Lady. When I say dedicate, it is not a word that is to be taken lightly by any means. When you accept your vows and become a Crusader, you swear to follow the path of the Light for life. The path of a Crusader is righteous and rewarding, but by no means is it easy, and it should only be considered after much time has been spent thinking whether or not this is truly the right path for you. You’ll learn much about the World, about other people’s habits, and about yourself when you walk the path of the Light. You will constantly seek out just causes and take action against the wicked. As a Crusader, it is important to keep in mind at all times that you bring the justice of Taniel, bringer of Light and Order, bulwark against chaos and destruction, and of Evren, giver of life and adversary of death, disease, and decay, to the innocent and the good and the weak.

Luminier, of the Crusaders of Lord Taniel and Lady Evren.


History of “The Legion(destroyed)

The LegionIt was during the dark time, when insects fought the humanoid races, that Magnus Woundweaver founded the Legion of Forostar. He was a genious strategist and commanded an human outpost, where he served as field marshal of the scattered remains of the Arborean armies. Weakened by the war against the elves, these once proud and glorious legions of fierce men were barely able to make a stand against the hordes of berserk insect-warriors, and they paid a high toll in blood for every step they were forced to retreat. Legend tells us that during a cold early spring day, Magnus inspected a battle-field after a long and hard fight, knowing that when the temperature rose again in the summer, mankind and probably all other civilized races were doomed without a miracle. Magnus received word from the new Asral clerics in the city of Arborea that they could hold the city against the enemy for some more time, which gave him a bit of time to plan his and his troops next steps. It was at this moment, when he looked across the scattered and broken bodies, that he decided to found a new army. An army with excellent discipline and tactical expertise, which would be open for all races. An army with no other goal than to protect Forostar and its cities from the threat of annihilation. So he gathered around him all of the scattered and decimated troops which would heed his call, no matter if they were elves, dwarves, halflings or humans, and forged them into one army, to the Legion of Magnus Woundweaver. Soon these soldiers became known simply as ‘The Legion’. From the beginning, the cohorts of the Legion fought only where the battles raged wildest and most terrible. When the united armies retreated, the Legion made a stand with their shield walls and enabled the regular soldiers to flee, making the enemy pay a terrible price. When the united armies charged, the Legion was always in the front row, and broke first through the enemy lines. Finally, after a long and hard war, the insects retreated and left Forostar; but knowing that they would one day return, Magnus Woundweaver ordered a fortress built, and signed contracts with all major nations to guarantee the continued existance of the Legion. Since this day, generations of Legionnaires wait for the time when the insects return. Then they will fight the last and final battle, a war in which they will either wipe out the insects forever or be completely annihilated. Until that happens, the Legion takes up arms against every threat which endangers the cities and races of Forostar.

Hail, Legate! Morituri te salutant!

Stratepho


The Order

The OrderNot much is known about this dark order, and only blurry legends still tell of the old days when this group first emerged. The tales speak of a group of isolated warriors that roamed the lands and spread terror shortly after the Insect Wars. It was said they were a dark cult of powerful fighters who referred to themselves as “The Order”. The Order was proud and arrogant towards outsiders, and they kept much of their business to themselves, leaving the people of Forostar ignorant about their goals and origin. But all of a sudden they vanished and for a many many years all has been silent… But now this Order has arisen again, and the world trembles in fear.


Origin of the Rangers

The Rangers’ history starts many years ago with a noble woodsman named Expilu. He mastered many forms of combat and taught himself to live off of the wild. For some reason unknown, he disappeared into the forest never to return, but not before he had passed his extensive knowledge to his son Rand. As time went on, Rand gathered many other warriors and woodsmen around him and formed a group called the Children of the Wild. This group patrols the woods and the borderlands of known civilization, protecting those in need. The Rangers live their lives according to a strict regimen of combat training, exploration, and learning the ways of nature. They are extremely loyal to each other, and refer to themselves as a pack. Three packmasters are in charge of the guild, and elections are held regularly to elect new ones. Recently, the Queen Gwenlanea of Elvandar began offering a bounty to rangers for the scalps of evil doers. The rangers bring her scalps to show their allegiance to the great elven city and to make the continent of Forostar safe.