History of Quaartheim

== Genesis of Quatheam ==
Quaartheim's roots lay in the lore of the Child of Light and the Pandimensional Pantheon, and is a constant reminder of the Child of Light's unbridled power. Often going unmentioned in the famous tale - likely due to its inconsequentiality in relation to the creation of the universes - Quaartheim is the result of unbalanced influence between members of the Pantheon on the Child of Light. 
It is said in the legend that when the pressures of responsibility threatened to drive the Child of Light to melancholia, Quadumor was created to lighten her heart and bring mirth to her life. What's often forgotten is that for an infinitely small period, Quadumor grew to have too much influence on the Child of Light. She forgot her responsibilities entirely for but a moment, forgot all of the lessons she had learnt from the other members of the pantheon, and during that moment her power was released in its entirety. 
Such power could have any effect on the universes; it could have fractured space-time or ripped holes in the fabric of reality, but Theama had foreseen this coming. Employing the help of other members of the pantheon, Theama managed to contain the anomaly, creating an entirely new universe. Unattached to the other more prominent universes, it was remarkably small, a sphere of a few hundred miles in diameter made entirely of land, ocean and sky, devoid of the ever-expanding vacuum of space and standing still, disconnected from time itself. 
Achrogony believed that this new universe, dubbed Quatheam - due to Quadumor's mistake and Theama's lack of forewarning - should be destroyed in its entirety, as it posed a threat to the other perfect universes. However, the others saw it as an opportunity for the Child of Light to experiment and play - to create without risk of damaging the rest of the universes. As such, the Child of Light was left to her own devices, overseen by the watchful eye of Theama.
For some unknown reason, the Child of Light created a world based on human history, folklore and myths, a land of fantasy and legend. Maybe her attention had been drawn to the creativeness of the strange species, or the conflict-ridden society they were known for - who knows? Whatever the reason, cultures from throughout human history were introduced to the land, alongside all sorts of mythical beasts of folklore. 
With the help of Phobocosm, the world was kept self-contained by creating bridges that connected the opposite edges of the universe, ensuring that nothing could find the edge, let alone make an escape attempt. Xem and Aurealis helped the Child of Light to shape the land, creating a collection of islands that broke many of the usual laws of nature. A volcanic wasteland existed miles from a healthy forest that bordered a snow-covered collection of glaciers, the climate changing accordingly between each. It was impossible, but interesting; beautiful, even.
But the Child of Light could not meddle in the affairs of this micro-universe forever, for it was so inconsequential in the scale of reality. As she matured, she grew distant from her creation, and by the time Sabyod was created she had forgotten all about it. Theama continued to watch over the volatile creation for a while, but eventually she too grew tired of its unchanging existence. In theory, it was dangerous, but in practice it wasn't doing anyone or anything any harm. As such, she delegated her role to a group of humans, and they became the watchers of Quatheam. 
However, with Theama's watchful eye no longer turned towards the creation, Achrogony saw their chance to erase the anomaly and restore security to existence itself. They knew they couldn't act personally, for their actions would surely draw attention from the rest of the pantheon, so they too delegated their role to a group of humans, who - now with unquestioning belief in a higher power - focused their time on finding a way to be rid of the anomaly. They worked in the shadows and remained nameless, fighting against the watchers in a silent war.
== Early Settlers ==
In the early days of Quatheam, dragons, syphians and all sorts of powerful creatures reigned supreme, forcing humans to form settlements in less-than-hospitable environments, the first of which being Svaggue, in the Northern Desert. Drakes often roamed the desert, but dragons were mostly unheard of, making it a perfect location for the adaptable people. However, it wasn't long before the volcanoes along the coastline - previously considered mere mounds of sand - erupted, causing innumerable casualties and coating the desert in a thick layer of ash. The Northern Desert became the Northern Firefields, and the vast majority of the remaining population set out to found new settlements in areas with less immediate danger.
The majority set out to cross the ocean to the south, but a small group travelled west, moving through the syphian-infested forest before finally arriving in a snow-covered tundra. Unprepared but with a newfound sense of discovery, they pushed on through the blizzards that ravaged the icy wasteland, eventually coming to a stop and setting up camp when they could push no further. From their base camp, they tried to explore in every direction, but ended up merely walking in circles, always returning to the same spot. Running low on supplies and with more and more dying from the cold, the survivors turned to a power above for salvation. For once, the Child of Light, now older and with more freedom from the Pantheon, cast her gaze back to her accidental creation and answered their call, bestowing upon them a fraction of her power, enough to allow them to heal their wounds and find their way out of the blizzard. 
Upon escaping from their near-death experience, the survivors moved south in an attempt to meet up with the rest of the settlers, crossing the ocean - which turned out to be more of a river - and making their way across the largest southern island. After a few days of travel to the east, they were met with the familiar sight of a camp, where the larger group had begun building wooden huts. The survivors shared their story with the settlement, demonstrating their powers and becoming quickly known as godlike healers. However, over time they started to realise the true extent of their powers - not only did they have restorative abilities, but also destructive ones. It wasn't long before they accidentally unleashed the full power bestowed upon them, a blinding light that didn't heal, but burned. 
No matter what they tested it on, it burned through everything, making even full suits of armour obsolete against their power. This gave them an idea; one that would shape their existence more than any other. They decided to challenge the dragons.
Armed with the finest weapons and armour the smiths could craft, as well as the power given to them, they hunted the dragons across the land, killing as many as possible and driving the remainder underground or out to sea. Their hunt ended back where everything started, in the tundra where their god smiled upon them. As soon as the final dragon was finished, they searched for what remained of the base camp they set up. It took a while, but upon finding it they got to work on founding a new settlement, which in time became Fendreic. The survivors soon became known as the Holy Knights of Fendreic, and for a while humanity flourished peacefully as the dominant, unchallenged species.
== Rise of the Quaartheinian Empire ==
Over time, as new settlements emerged and new factions were founded, the land's name was transformed by word of mouth, eventually settling on its modern title: Quaartheim. Svaggue, which had been all but destroyed by volcanic eruptions, was rebuilt by those who had refused to leave, who began to develop strange powers of their own. Some developed the ability to hold back the fires of their volcanic neighbour, while others found they were able to return life to the ash-covered soil, reinvigorating it and enabling them to grow crops once more. As stranger and more varied abilities began to crop up among the population, the term 'mancy' was created to describe the latent power every Quaartheinian had - with those who discovered their powers becoming 'mancers' of their element. 
Pyromancy became the most common among the populace, allowing them to easily shield themselves from the fires that previously ravished the city, but also creating an entirely new problem. People were having a little too much fun setting things on fire, causing damage to property and the occasional life-threatening injury. This epidemic of sorts, combined with the ever-rising number of bandits roaming the forest and wastelands, lead to laws being put into place, and where there's law, there's lawmakers. Thus, the Quaartheinian Empire was established - a hierarchy of the most influential people in Quaartheim who now governed anything and everything that went on. Not everyone agreed with the idea, but it was hard to refuse.
== Emergence of Lycanthropy ==
Gradually, the Empire moved west, establishing their authority in the larger cities along the way, eventually ending up in Fendreic, which they announced as their capital. Overall, crime rates dropped significantly with the Empire watching mancers' every move, and bandits had a hard time attacking settlements with trained guardsmen manning the walls. For a while, the Empire was revered for its peacekeeping ability, but that all changed when lycanthropy began to crop up amongst its population.
While the first person to be afflicted with lycanthropy can't be pinpointed, it is known that the outbreak began in Faarthreak, a city bordering the forest that dominates the mainland, before spreading east and west to Manjjear and Bontienne, respectively. Widespread panic ensued as the populace began to realise that not even the Empire could protect them from the bloodthirsty beasts created by the disease - especially when half of their infantry was already infected. After a hopeless two years of attempting to combat the disease themselves, the Empire conceded their defeat, bringing in help from the Venator Coterie.
The Venator Coterie were efficient and ruthless, clearing out hoards of lycanthropes who were living secretly amongst the populace and sending teams to hunt down the stray few who escaped. Within six months lycanthropy was nearly unheard of, and by the end of the year the majority of the populace had forgotten the epidemic entirely. However, many people had lost family members to the group of hunters; the lucky ones had found that their partners had disappeared during the night, but a few had seen the hunters at work dragging their family kicking and screaming from their homes. They turned to the Empire looking for answers, who were quick to put the blame on the Venator Coterie, causing the population to turn against them entirely. The Venator Coterie were driven into hiding, and the Empire's role in the culling was soon forgotten entirely.
== The Royal Family of Daemonmaw ==
While the Empire was taking control of the majority of Quaartheim, they missed a fairly large settlement on the southern coast of the mainland. Over time, the town grew into a sprawling city, home not only to thousands of citizens but a governing family of its own. The Daemonmaw family - named after the scarred face of their first king - ruled over the city of Daemonmaw (often thought of as Daemonmoor, due to the abundance of dangerous wildlife outside its walls) unchallenged until the Venator Coterie's cull of lycanthropes. When word spread that they were being hunted, hundreds fled in hopes of finding the one city in Quaartheim rumoured to not be governed by Imperial law, and many were successful. Daemonmaw, being a welcoming city to those without ill intent, allowed them in without question, which created a problem for the Venator Coterie.
The Empire - who were vaguely aware of the Daemonmaw family at the time - were brought in to negotiate some sort of trade, but the royals wouldn't have any of it. After countless failed proposals an agreement was struck - the city of Daemonmaw was to - officially - become an Imperial city, though the royal family would retain full control over all legislation. As such, lycanthropes would be allowed to live in Daemonmaw, so long as the royal family allowed it. As time passed, Daemonmaw became known for its strange and varied population, where all sorts would be welcome so long as the peace was kept.
== The Rings of Quaartheim ==
For a few hundred years, not much of significance happened in Quaartheim. Cities were established, capitals were announced and the land was split into holds, but no serious conflicts were recorded. Factions rose and fell, bandit uprisings occurred and were shut down as quickly as they began, but not once was the Empire's full attention required. [...]Category:Unfinished Pages