South Magnamia

South Magnamia
borders The Torso but has no geographic dividers like the other regions which causes

debate over where The South begins and the Torso ends. To those that inhabit the southern region, it is agreed upon that it begins at the Southern Gate or Meddel Split and the tip of **The Scarlands** which is a desert region that extends
from the middle of the border of South Magnamia to the west coast and is
considered by some to extend into Parlus despite being divided by the Parlonii
Strait. The Southern Gate is the common reference to where the **Meddel River;** Mithilia’s longest river,
splits into the **Meddel Mara** andMeddel Luri. The Meddel Rivers flowsfrom the Aboa Gulfinto central
Magnamia. The Southern part of the continent splits into two peninsulas known
as **The Feet** or **East and West Foot** which are separated by the Aboa Gulf. The West
Foot is directly south of the (East) Scarlands and is a relatively plain region
with dry hilly grasslands. The East Foot is significantly larger and has a long
mountain range running along its eastern coast known as the **Jagged Heel** or Jagged Mountains due to
their rough appearance. Around the **King’s**
Lake on the western peninsula is theRed
Sea; a vast hilled grassland covered in vibrant red flowers known as Elenes’ Tear (named after the first
kings dead daughter).During the wet
seasons in the region the region fills with these flowers but especially around
the King’s Lakewhere the red
flowers cover the ground as far as the eye can see. At the northern end of the
Jaggen Heel is also another small peninsula completely covered by the **Olesa Forest.**

Like the other regions of Magnamia, the southern region’s
history revolves around one particular nation and city for the most part.
However, the southern region does have some of the strongest minor nations
despite the presence of the Nolcennic peoples which play a massive role in
Magnamian history. But it is due to the Nolcennic presence in the south that
caused so many to splinter away from it and seek independence from this group
of extremists. Their ability to break off and establish themselves early as
well as holding blood and diplomatic ties with the Nolcennic people gave them a
form of security from the Nolcennic themselves as well as the nations that
posed any threat to them to the north. From the beginning, they were their own
allies as well as enemies.

## History

The first peoples to arrive in Southern Magnamia came from
the Expanse, as did all people, and they first settled on the fringes of the
south as they found the region’s climate to be unforgivably hot in the summers
each year. This was especially true from the **Meddel Split** down to the top of the Aboa Gulf. The Peninsulas that
are split by the gulf share a similar dry climate almost year round with some
snowfall in the winters; especially along the southern tips and isles. The Feet
are a mix of vast flat and hill lands of grass and stone. Even with longer
periods of comfortable temperatures and rainfall, the ground is hard and does
not retain water well like that of the Torso or Expanse. Even before the Period
of Destruction, it was a difficult place to cultivate. It did however have a
large population and variety of big and small game as well as natural edible
plants. For the first people though, this was unknown to them which forced them
to seek home elsewhere.

The
tribes that settled in the south were slow to group together as their villages
were quite far from each other until more and more tribes traveled to the area
and began to move or push other groups further south. Nomad tribes were the
most common as hunting and gathering were the only proven means of survival for
much of its early history with groups traversing the entire region before ever
attempting to settle one place. Before it was known what plants were safe to
gather and eat and where the animals migrated, competition between the southern
tribes was fierce. Often times, tribes that ran into others when settling in
known hunting grounds resorted to fighting each other for the hunt. Once man
had spread to most corners of the continent, the south was easily the most
volatile of them all.

The war tribes
from the Torso were also an issue for the southern tribes as they very
aggressive towards those that lived in the northern part of the south as
resources were scarce in the region and they looked to keep the southern tribes
out of the Torso as best they could. This pushed many further away which in
turn pushed others further south. This early rivalry blossomed into the strong
hate the Nolcennic and Southern people would hold for ages against their
northern neighbors. Agricultural practices were not used until later in the
south either as the climate made it very difficult to grow anything and the
overall knowledge of farming techniques through Magnamia was still quite low. As
mentioned before though, hunting and foraging proved quite fruitful for the
tribes there and some trade occurred between the tribes in the north of the
region with those of the Torso and the Expanse later on.

It
wasn’t until the very end of the Age of Unification groups began to band
together to form larger permanent settlements. Some groups had been pushed down
as far south as the tips of the East and West Foot and many tribes banded with
others in their area as seemed fit. Not all were as willing though and
continued their nomadic and often raiding ways which would last beyond even the
Period of Destruction. Suhrii became the largest city in the region. Located at
the mouth of the **Meddel River,** the
tribes that had been attempting to farm the land using the river’s waters
instead of relying on rain water like most others had been. Once they were able
to sustain themselves they began to invite nearby tribes to settle the area and
work together to fend off war tribes.  Those
that formed in The Feet were much smaller as they stuck to hunting and foraging
with limited agriculture but there were indeed some who found success in it. Suhrii
though, became the largest city due to its location as well as its early
prosperity that attracted the tribes of the south that for so long had sought a
permanent home. The others were slower to develop but it was **Kuurezan** that would develop into the
most prosperous and sought after city soon after.

Suhrii
grows rapidly and becomes known as “The City of the South” as opposed to
Magastara of the Torso, Kai of the Expanse, and Somme of the Head. As the
Magnamian population polarizes to these regional capitals; Suhrii is sought
after by a large portion of the remaining tribes of the Torso as Pirisk stakes
its claim on the central region. Being rivals of the Piriskins, the Suhrii
leaders and people are more than welcoming to these people who are as they were
only a few years before. The leaders who in its first years were elected from
the original tribes that established Suhrii were quick to seek trade with their
neighbors and develop relations with many of the other southern cities as well
as the Waniqlan and Kai. It wasn’t long before the city named one of the
leaders as king of their new nation.

Suhrii’s
reputation for being open to all beliefs and religions as well becomes a key
aspect to its growth as they formed from many groups with varying faiths and
were unwilling to forbid any one group based on its beliefs alone. This
attracted people from all across the continent as word spread as religious
outliers sought to flee the hardship and turmoil they faced in their homelands
due to their faith. It would bring in many different beliefs and at its height
before the Destruction, had no clear dominating religion. Though a large factor
in its quick growth and prosperity, it would eventually become its darkest
attribute.

Kuurezan had been established on the **Western Foot** even before Suhrii but was slow to grow. Even during
the Period of Destruction, it was lucky enough to avoid famine and drought that
the northern people faced as the kingdom’s source of water; the King’s Lake,
remained full for most of the period.  It
is believed that this was due to the spirit of **Princess Elenes** caring and protecting their land after her untimely
death. [In the final years of the Age of Unification the leader of the kingdom
traveled to Suhrii, home of the future Nolcennic people. The king attempting to
create a friendly relation with the largest city in the south offered the land
north of the King’s lake and a large tribute. The Suhriite leader though
countered with a marriage proposal to the King’s only daughter Elenes who was
present and caught the leader’s eye. He was instantly enchanted with her beauty
and grace, something that he had never seen in a Suhriite woman. Elenes too had
quickly become infatuated with the young leader and agreed. They returned home
with a promise to marry in two years when the princess became of age to bare
children. But in the months before the marriage, the princess became very ill
with a disease that had never been seen before and she died one week before the
marriage was to take place. The king who had no other heir and whose wife
became ill with the same disease lamented for his daughter and kingdom that
would have no rightful king. The Suhriite leader lamented with the king and
promised him peace without payment. The leader decreed it to any and all
descendants of Suhri. Her death became known as the First Curse to the Suhrii
people as the Period of Destruction began that year. The disease that killed
Princess Elenes left her kingdom but had spread to Suhrii and beyond. The
kingdom though was almost unscathed by the hardships and plagues of the north
during the period. In life her beauty brought peace to her people and in death
it did as well. The red flower from the region; Elenes’ favorite, was then
called Elenes’ Tear after her death. The flower before was sparsely found, but
spread across the region during the period and created the Red Sea which was an
anomaly to the rest of the continent. The flowers stayed in bloom almost the
entirety of the period and people believed it was because of Elenes.

**The Period of Destruction: The Harsh South**
Becomes Harsher

With the Death Growth plague
spreading rapidly all across South Magnamia and even beyond, the Southern part
of the continent was the first to feel the real effects of the Period of
Destruction and would face some of its worst plights. Kuurezan was quick to
shut its gates and cease contact with the other cities hoping it would not
spread this terrible illness but it was too late. The disease’s origin is
unknown as Princess Elenes was the first to be noted of having it but where she
got it from is unknown. Within days of her death, even with the Suhriite royal
family taking all measures to not return with anyone infected, brought the
disease to the Capital of the South. More than likely though, the disease had
already arrived through trade as it spread through the lower classes and poorer
parts of the city in just days after Elenes death. With its delayed visible
symptoms, hundreds if not thousands were already infected and they had already
dispersed across most of the South to their neighboring cities through trade
and travel and it was within a matter of weeks that disease had spread
throughout the region and in a few short months went beyond the South.

Though Kuurezan did not prevent
the onset of the disease, it did however cut the spread and life of the disease
within their city in a few short weeks with minimal deaths. Suhrii and the
other cities of the region though did not fare so well and thousands upon
thousands died as more and more people contracted the disease. The Death Growth
would affect most of the southern cities for years to come. And as the seasons
became hotter, the rivers shrank and the fields ran dry, only worsening the
city’s condition. Already, people had begun to leave the cities in hope of
escaping the disease, but many could not as they had nowhere to run, or were
forced to stay and care for their sick loved ones, or simply did not have the
means to travel anywhere else. But then as the food shortages began, the people
were pressed even more to seek a new home.

The Suhriite king’s family contracted the disease early on
and one by one perished. The king did everything in his power to try and find a
cure for the disease and remedy the situation that his city and people now
faced but it was to no avail. As the city died out, so did his lineage and his
rule. The king himself survived his entire family and eventually died ten years
ten years into the period as the Death Growth affected him far less severely
than most others. It is said that it was not even the Death Growth that killed
him but instead his own grief and sorrow at witnessing the death of his family
and people. For the next thirty years, Suhrii had no king as the king’s
advisors attempted to govern the city.

Even as the disease began to subside and the population stabilized,
the city was rampant with crime and poverty. City people fought over food and
often stole and even murdered one another to feed their own families. With the
small garrison that remained in the city, it was impossible to enforce the law
and keep the peace as the soldiers themselves were even fighting for their
lives. A number of battles and raids occurred between Suhrii and some of the
West Foot cities over resources and control over the few areas that were still
able to produce food. The violence within and between the cities was one thing
but there was also the now swelling rural population that had resorted back to
tribal ways of hunting, gathering, and eventually raiding as the first two
practices became increasingly difficult as the period continued and conditions
worsened.

It would be years before the southern region became peaceful
and that there was a joined attempt at surviving this dark time and it was only
after the death of tens of thousands of their countrymen and women and exodus
of nearly a quarter of their surviving population. The cities were still
avoided by many as the rural population had begun constructing small villages
or stuck to nomadicy and knew that the cities had succumbed to disillusion as
there had been no real government overseeing them; and more specifically,
Suhrii that was a place of criminals and the ill. Eventually, the leaders of
the villages that had formed eventually began to talk of returning to their
once prosperous home but the idea was slow to take shape as there was no one to
rule and protect them and see to the rebuilding of the city.

The majority of the population
that formed and established the rural villages in the northern parts of the
South had come from Suhrii and had remained with groups that shared their
religions and beliefs. It was this diverse background of beliefs that divided
the Suhriites early in the period and would become a catalyst in what was to
come of Suhrii and the Southern people. As talk of returning spread through the
region, many tribe/village leaders who were also religious leaders of their
communities, suggested a religious type of government that would oversee the
rebuilding of Suhrii and the nation and would be driven by faith and the good
and peaceful tenets of their religions. The idea was popular as religious
fervor gripped the population now in their darkest hour and many believed that
only through faith would the find salvation.

This belief was especially
favored by one certain group called the Nolcennic. The Nolcennic people gave
themselves this title after the name of the widely known and worshipped god of nature
and darkness. The following of Nolc grew immensely during the Period of
Destruction as its followers and others recognized the plights endured were
natural and must have been caused by Nolc as he controlled nature itself. It
was widely believed that Nolc was displeased with the people of Magnamia and
this was their punishment. **Morvan** preached
this belief to his people and many others and focused on the darker aspects of
the faith.

The original followers of Nolc
saw him as a quite peaceful god that worked hand in hand with his brother
Brond; god of light and the sky. The two were at constant odds with one another
but also depended on the other. During the Age of Unification, the followers of
Nolc were few as man made great strides in adapting the land to their needs and
the land produced. The followers of Nolc were not seen as outliers though to
the main religions as Nolc was one of many gods that were part of a pantheon to
many of the Magnamian people that grew from the first religions in the Expanse.
Even as it spread to Suhrii and the south before the Period of Destruction, its
followers were believers of the peaceful tenets of his faith. It was in fact
Morvan and his clan that were the first to focus on and emphasize the dark side
of Nolc and his supernatural wrath that could end mankind in a second.

Morvan began as just a follower
who inherited the faith from his ancestors but grew to prominence amongst his
village when he was the only survivors of the Death Growth in his village after
being left to die like the others. He was believed to be blessed and he himself
used the opportunity to persuade his neighbors to listen to his words that he
claimed had been given to him by Nolc himself as he neared death. The story of
Morvan spread as far and as fast as talk of returning to Suhrii and many
flocked to him to hear the words of a god. And as his following grew, so did
his power over them as he began to speak of visions and voices in his head that
were Nolc and the gods speaking with him.

It was not long until Morvan
proclaimed that the gods themselves had chosen him to return to Suhrii with his
people and rebuild it as the gods wanted and to only admit believers of the
gods. Those that challenged him or claimed him to be a liar were immediately
set upon by his followers as he proclaimed them as catalysts of the plight for
their disbelief. It did not take much effort to oust any challengers to his
power or to gain enough support to proclaim himself leader of the Nolcennic
people. Morvan and his followers returned to the city all together one day and
camped outside of the city gates despite being welcomed in by the governors and
city’s people. Instead, Morvan gave a great speech to his people the night
before entering the city, laying out his plan and the core ideology and beliefs
of their now prominent religion.

The speech itself was magnificent
as his followers and even the city people wept with joy at the prospect of
returning Suhrii to its former glory. He spoke of rebuilding the city from the
ground up and establishing a new economy and a place of worship for his people
and a military that served the people, himself, and the faith. What he did not
say during his speech was how he would do it and the next day when Morvan and
his closest followers entered the Seat of the Suhriite King and took his place
as new king, ordered the death of all the sick and followers of any other faith
which happened to be the whole city as Morvan’s group was the only “official”
followers of Nolc as he believed. Many of Morvan’s followers took part in the
purge of the city as Morvan ensured that his followers understood that these
were all heathens who invoked Nolc’s wrath and the sick would only hamper his follower’s
mission to rebuild the city to glory.

The purge was quick and thousands
were massacred. Morvan also demanded the destruction of any other faith’s idols
or artifacts and any places deemed holy but this soon turned into an order to
disassemble the entire city. In just a matter of days as only his people now
inhabited the city and began the deconstruction of it did he send word across
the southern region for true followers of Nolc to join his people or to
convert. His message was firm as it stated that those unwilling would be viewed
as enemies to Nolc, the Nolcennic, and mankind all together. And so more people
returned and joined Morvan and his people and took down the old Suhrii to
rebuild it “properly” this time.

The re-founding of Suhrii sent a
wave of resurgence through the southern region as the southern peoples began to
latch on to the Nolcennic belief that the Period of Destruction had been
brought on as a consequence to man furthering itself from religion over the
past years. Once they began to see Morvan and his followers rebuild what had
become a desolate place, into something beautiful again and heard of the fields
growing back and the rivers flowing stronger than ever, they believed that it
had to be a blessing from their god. Even though it would be years before they
actually returned the fields to their normal yield and the rivers reached their
previous levels, it was word of mouth that had persuaded everyone. Those that
were skeptic were shunned and forced from communities outside of Suhrii. It
wouldn’t take long for the city to repopulate and even expand but at the cost
of emptying the rural lands.

To supply this growing
population, Morvan and his advisors were forced to trade with Karazaan and
other southern settlements despite their religious differences which had caused
a major rift between Suhrii and its neighbors. The other cities saw the rise of
the Nolcennic religion as a dangerous thing as their citizens left to join to
new city and the followers of Morvan. This revived religion was something no
one had ever seen before as it drew a line between the followers of Nolc and
everyone else as the Nolcennics looked down on the rest of civilization and
blamed them for the plight of the Great Destruction. After word had gotten
around of Morvan’s purging of the city, the rest of the southern cities knew
the Nolcennic wrath had no bounds. But Morvan was a smart man and he, like the
other city rulers knew that cooperation was key to surviving this terrible time
as famine still loomed over the continent.

-Development
of southern coastal cities to strengthen trade between people other than the
nolcennic. Though the other southern cities continue trade with Nolcennic, they
slowly lessen it as Suhrii becomes more self-sufficient without upsetting
Nolcennic and conduct much of their trade privately (unnoticed by Nolcennic
that has no naval presence whatsoever. Founding of **The Cleft** (Later known as Cleft Town), the only coastal city to
ever exist within the Jagged Mountains, lying in the only beach head within the
range and expansion of **Llaust-Ny** on
the southern part of the Western Foot.

**Parlus Emerges**

Briefly mentioned before, the large island of Parlus was also
considered a part of South Magnamia and has a history of its own. Early in the
period, at the onset of the spread of the Death Growth, a large group of
Suhriites left the city in fear of the coming plight. This group had no real
idea of what was to come but left on a “gut feeling” and narrowly escaped the
plague by sheer luck. Though many Nolcennic people believed them to have had
visions or were given warning by the gods who some revere them for and others
hate them for. This group was led by a noble man whose ancestors came from the
Scarlands long ago and passed down tales of an island West of Magnamia that was
easy to reach. This story that had been told to his family and ancestors tribe
resonated with him as well as the people he led from Suhrii and so they headed
West to a small trading post at the north end of the Scarlands. It is important
to note that it was already known that the island was there as many sailors
that worked the trade ships between South Magnamia and Kai had seen the island
and told many about it. But no one had bothered exploring the entire island by
this point as the coast land they saw was as dry as the Scarlands which is
actually what gave many the idea that the Scarlands extended from Parlus to
Magnamia.

Parlus is the second
largest island in Mithilia and upon its discovery was considered a part of the
Magnamian continent despite its size. It is considered as one of the most
diverse and beautiful locations in all of Mithila as its northern region is a
sandy windswept desert known as the **Flat**
Sands **and is separated from Parlus’ southern temperate region by the** Hazar Mountains **that cut across the**
entire island forming a natural barrier between the two climate systems. The
northern region’s only other distinct feature is **The Eye of Rushar,** a large oasis lake in the center of the desert
and is the regions only source of water. The southern region is home to the **Royal Forest** that lies southwest of the
**Niguswa Lake**,a small lake in the middle of the island. The southern tip remains
snow covered for the majority of the year except in late summer when it is
covered in **Summer’s Peek**  (a flower only found on Parlus and Reytus that
stays dormant most of the year).  Just
south of it is its sister island Retyus which is much smaller and is
characterized by its dark forest and snow covered landscape.

The leader of the Suhriite group though believed that there
was another island that his ancestors had meant in their tales and when seeking
passage across the Parlonii Straight, asked to be taken to the island beyond
Parlus. The man and his group were turned down by many though at first as ship
crews laughed at their belief of an island beyond and warned them that the only
land they would find would be barren and they would starve in days if they
went. This continued until a group of small ships commanded by a former
merchant agreed to take them but in reality was only fooling them and intended
to take them to Parlus. The ships could not accommodate the large group of
refugees and so the merchant agreed that he would make two trips but for a
hefty price. The Suhriites spent every coin they had only to be fooled and
taken on a voyage that circled around the area for days before unloading the
people in an almost exclusively lush area of coast line where the Suhriite
leader actually believed he had arrived at the fabled island. The merchant then
vowed to return with the rest of his party in a few days but never returned and
instead is believed to have taken the remaining Suhriites north where they sold
them as slaves to the Piriksins.

It did not take long for the Suhriites that arrived on Parlus
to realize that they had been tricked and possibly doomed as they ventured
across **The Flat Sands** of Northern
Parlus. But despite the sandy barren desert they now inhabited was hot and
difficult to cultivate like their homeland, the Suhriite refugees made due and
formed a small settlement on the western coast just north of the **Hazar Mountains.** It was not long before
the group came made contact with natives of the island that had inhabited it
for just over a few decades now. They too had come from Magnamia but had sailed
all the way from Yantua and had only found the island by being blown far south
by a sea storm. For a time the native Parlusians aided the Suhriites in any way
they could but eventually extended invitation to join them in their developed
city on the southern part of the island in which they eagerly agreed.

**The Rise of Nolcenna and the First Cleansing**

With things on the rise for
Suhrii as well as many of the other southern cities, the southern peoples saw
themselves as exited from the Period of Destruction as opposed to the rest of
the continent. The plights endured by the people of Magnamia had begun to
severely lessen but extreme climate conditions and famine still lingered as **The Famine War** in the northern regions
was underway. It was true, that the Suhriites and other southerners had reached
production levels of pre-period levels and trade had revived the economies and
peoples spirits. But the climate remained hot and dry as ever and the
cooperation between the southern peoples was still necessary to survive as their
populations and demand grew. But even though the southerners saw their end of
the period, it would in fact be they who prolonged the period for everyone
else.

-Polarization
of southern population to Suhrii> Official declaration of Nolcenna >Nolcennic
expansion northwards

-Government=
high ruler and high priest are co-rulers. Split at founding of nation to divide
the responsibilities but keep the faith and government equal in power and
importance.

-Superiority
and dominance over the south. Nolcenna is no longer affected by the famine.
Does not assert total domination over southern settlements due to their
cooperation during the great destruction but does require the southern cities
to acknowledge their power and demands trade. Anyone to decline would be in
opposition to Nolcenna and therefore an enemy and would be conquered and
assimilated into their nation and faith. All agreed as even all together they
could not match the Nolcennic nor did they have the resources do survive alone.

With the Nolcennic nation and
faith now spanning from the northern tip of the Aboa Gulf to the Meddel Split
or **“Northern Gate”** as the Nolcennic
named it (Southern Gate to the rest of Magnamia), the small budding Nolcennic
villages began to expand into the empty southern lands of the Torso as the
Piriskins had moved East and were focused on their war with the Vasil and
Hartham in the North, leaving the land unclaimed except by some small groups
that had been moving around the Torso and South during the period. Both the
Nolcennic ruler and high priest saw this as a part of their new responsibilities
given to them by Nolc. With the rest of the south firmly under their watch and
grip, their northern expansion was paramount. For the security of their borders
and for the spread of their faith. It began as a peaceful endeavor as Nolcennic
envoys ventured to each and every settlement and group requesting that they
join the Nolcennic or leave the land. Many left and those that stayed were
reluctant to accept the faith but there was also a number that refused all
together.

For those that refused, Nolcennic
action was quick and fierce as Nolcennic armies marched across the land
destroying whole villages and slaughtering their people. Man, woman, and child;
no one was exempt from their wrath. This began the violent spread of
Nolcennicism and its brutal and barbaric reputation. Though it did not take
long to assert its complete dominance over the region and begin looking further
north, the Piriskins began to take note of these movements and saw the
Nolcennic expansion as a major threat. Unwilling to engage in an all-out war,
the Piriskin king sent his armies and some of the Piriskin clans to resettle
the area in hope of giving the appearance of their domain over that land to the
Nolcennic which would ward them off. This however would prove unsuccessful as
hostilities broke out quickly on the now crowded border.

The Nolcennic high priest had
decided to send his most fervent priests and followers in hopes of
strengthening their conversion of the northern borderlands and this would prove
effective but dangerous. As the Piriskins blocked their movement north, the
Nolcennic people were quick to resort to violence and attacked Piriskins that
attempted to halt their progress. As occurrences like this increased, the
Piriskin army resorted to stronger offensive tactics to stop the surge of
followers, in which the Nolcennic rulers saw as a direct act of war. The hatred
for Pirisk had never ceased, and now provoked by them and motivated by a strong
will to spread their faith, they had an opportunity to expand and spread
Nolcennicism even further than they imagined.

The high ruler declared it as **The First Nolcennic War** but the high
priest saw it as something else and deemed it the **Nolcennic Cleansing.** The Nolcennic armies were sent first and in
full force to engage the Piriskin occupiers who were seen as invading Nolcennic
and Southern lands even though they were north of the official Southern Border.
The Piriskins who had only lost their war to the Vasil and Hartham a few years
earlier were no match for the Nolcennic army that outnumbered them. As soon as
the Piriskins were defeated at the **Battle**
of the Southern Gate, **the high priest gathered together another army of his**
own made up of civilians that would fight as faith militant. More of a rabble
of religious fanatics than an army, the high priest used their hatred of the
Piriskin people and ardent spirit to go forth and spread the faith of Nolc and cleanse
the world of those that opposed as Nolc himself had years ago with the Period
of Destruction. The response was massive, as thousands of civilians marched
north to join the Nolcennic army to invade the Torso.

The intent of the high priest’s
words sounded like a call for conversion but were heard as a call for
cleansing. What started as a movement of one force into the Torso lands, soon
splintered into many groups as the faith militant attacked and pillaged every
village they encountered. There was no strategy as they followed no generals as
the army did and instead believed their mission was to rid the world of
non-believers. There were few instances of any actual conversion as the faith
militant groups attacked without warning. Smaller villages didn’t stand a
chance and only those that fled immediately had the chance to survive. Some
villages were able to fight back and hold off the attackers as Nolcennic groups
varied in size which became a major problem for their invasion. Most of the
small groups that splintered off did not last long while the larger groups wore
themselves down with each village they attacked. After the first few attacks,
the Piriskins and other Torso peoples knew that they either had to flee or
fight and in the case of the Piriskins they most often chose to fight.

Unlike the faith militant who had
been unleashed upon the Torso, the Nolcennic army was under the command of a
leader, **Sintus Corvala**. While the
faith militant ravaged the rural villages and settlements, Corvala marched
north along the Meddel Mara almost unopposed until reaching the Piriskin
heartland where the clans had settled for years and established larger
settlements and strongholds. Corvala at first attempted to use the faith
militant as a wide offensive that the Piriskins would have to divide to halt
but once realized that they hardly held a line across the region, rushed
forward alone. At first the Piriskin’s put up a strong defensive but like
before were outnumbered in most of their engagements as their king held back
the bulk of the army to defend Magastara. Corvala also used the faith militant
as a threat to the Piriskin settlements in hopes that they would surrender to
him rather than face the faith militant who would surely slaughter them all.
The Piriskins though were not ones to surrender and chose to fight instead.

The Nolcennic army won nearly all
of its battles due to its overwhelming size. In terms of actual skill and
tactics, the Piriskins were still superior which Corvala decided to use as an
advantage. With each settlement Corvala and his army captured, he offered the
people the opportunity to convert and join the Nolcennic or be handed over to
the faith militant. Broken and left with no other choice, many of the Piriskins
joined the Nolcennic. Corvala knew though that they would not fight the rest of
the Piriskins so instead sent those who converted west to conquer and convert
the western Torso tribes and settlements and from them used those converts to
strengthen his army for the final push to take Magastara.

With the combined forces of the
Nolcennic army, the faith militant, and the converted enemies, Nolcenna had
spread its faith and domination over half the Eastern part of the continent and
had successfully broken up the Pirisk nation in a short matter of time. The
military campaign itself ended when Corvala sacked Magastara and the army
returned to the south. The faith militant though continued its cleansing though
for a number of years and reached as far north as the Vasil lands and to the
edges of the Armored Mountains. Many returned as heroes of the faith and with
the spoils of their pillaging but it was Sintus Corvala that was seen as the
true hero of the war and faith for his victories and his acts of furthering the
faith.

The high ruler and priest of
Nolcenna were both in agreement of the successful campaign and had no qualms
over the brutality that their people had waged which was seen by their
followers as an acceptance of violent practices that would grow in the coming
years. Sintus himself had abstained from this savagery but instead saw a use
for the newly converted. Despite his promises of civility, a large number of
those who converted were sacrificed upon their arrival to Suhrii as the high priest
and his followers still viewed them as enemies. Sintus though saved a portion
of them, mainly children, as he claimed them as his spoils of war. The high
ruler accepted this but the high priest protested. To appease him, Sintus
agreed to raise and train these children in the light of the faith and would
turn them into defenders of the faith. He called them the **Children of Nolc.**

Among many of the other southern settlements that had fallen
under Nolcennic rule, resentment of the faith’s leaders and especially high
priest had grown as response to the harsh statutes and laws implemented during
the cleansing. Taxation to fund the crown and the faith had risen and with the
demand for civilians to join the faith militant, the people were being sucked
dry of their money and goods. Many lost their homes and land while others who
refused or revolted were often banished or sacrificed to Nolc. Though for many,
their faith was still strong, it was being tested and with no remorse from the
faith leaders. Once the children of Nolc were established, many more rebelled
as they saw their taxes funding this group whom many saw as outsiders undeserving
of the faith and wondered why their own people could not have been used
instead.

For years, resentment brewed among the smaller cities and
rural populations until finally one winter, the priests of **Parsas** ordered a food collection as Suhrii had yielded a poor
harvest and needed food. The Parsasans began to revolt and refused to give up
their much needed food as they too had a low yield and when threatened with
banishment, killed the priests and sacked the temple where they found large
sums of treasure that the priests had collected as taxes from the people. When
this news spread to Suhrii, the high priest demanded that action be taken to
bring justice to the people who had revolted and sacked the sacred temple.
Though the king was reluctant at first as he was troubled by the corrupt priest’s
hoarding, he was swayed by Sintus Corvala who asked that his trained and
untested Children of Nolc be used to quell this uprising. The king believed
that this test was necessary to show the rest of those who disliked the
Children, of their true capabilities and that he would be killing two birds
with one stone by also appeasing the High Priest’s demands.

In their first battle, the Children of Nolc showed their
lethality and cold bloodedness in the name of their faith. Parsas was cleansed
after attempting to defend their city but were no match for the highly trained
Children of Nolc who slaughtered almost half of the city and took the many of
the children with the intention of growing their ranks. The king’s plan though
however failed as many of the other cities saw the cold blooded murder of the
Parsasans as a massacre and believed that the faith was still at fault for having
corrupt priests. It was not long before many of the cities and rural groups
united and challenged the Nolcennic leadership. Though they only demanded that
the High Priest be removed and new leadership of the faith be installed, the
King could not give in to such a demand and therefore declared war upon these
people, inciting the **First Nolcennic**
Civil War.

The war was short but violent and bloody nonetheless. The
strength of the Children of Nolc was truly tested as they faced far greater
numbers and the rest of the Nolcennic army was lacking in comparison being
mostly made up of faith militant at that time. Most engagements were small
skirmishes as the rebels did not often fight united except in the three major
battles of the war. The rebels won the second battle at **Meruz** when the Children arrived too late and held back most of
their forces. The war ended when Karazan joined the fray on the side of the
Nolcennic and invaded Meruz and two other cities while their armies were away
and the cities undefended. The rebels soon realized that their situation was
doomed with most scattering and attempting to flee the south while those that
surrendered and gave themselves up were executed or enslaved.

The High Priest ordered that their Karazan allies cleanse the
cities they had taken over but was refused by them as their ruler saw those in
the cities were innocent. The High Priest himself nearly started another war
because of this but was quelled by the king who backed the Karazan ruler and
did not want to sow anymore resentment of their leadership.

Order was restored and the cities put under new leadership,
the faith continued to hard press the Nolcennic people but was now backed by
the menacing Children of Nolc who had proven their worth during the war. The
king, as young as he was, perished not long after the conflict and with him
left the last bit of reason the leadership of Nolcenna had which resulted in
the High Priest instating himself as the new king. Something that had never
before been done but went unchallenged due to the fear he instilled in his
followers and the people. The following years would be Nolcenna’s darkest time
under his and his predecessors rule.