Taleen

## The dwarves of old

The **Taleen** are a race of dwarves that are known for a few key things.

* They invented many machines.
* They made cities near high density mana sources
* They had a teleportation network.
* They have disappeared from the world.

The Taleen cities are now all dungeons. They size and/or importance of a Taleen city is inverse to the length of the name. Iz was huge, had flying machines, and Ilea was just able to escape with her life. Izna has a factory and a large city. Others are reportedly smaller. All are very dangerous.

The dwarves had an affinity to green lighting, green clothing, and machines. Even other dwarves know little more than that. The best of Terok's type of dwarves were never able to replicate or even decipher **Taleen** machinery.

Christopher Volaris correctly speculated that the shorter the name of the Taleen dungeon, closest it is to the Core of the Taleen Empire.

Niivalyr mentionned that the Taleen have been releasing their machines upon the elves for a very long time.

## Lore

The Taleen are extremely mysterious however, this is what we do know:

Iz, their capital, was created as far underground as magic and their technology allowed. This expedition cost hundreds of lives for the sole goal of going beyond the cave systems of Karth and find a place where they might call home. They wanted a place unreachable by their enemies and only accessible by their teleportation network.

After digging the tunnels and creasing the cavern that would become Iz, they collapsed every tunnel that led above ground. it had been a desperate attempt to survive, as their mines were running dry, their territories were overrun, and they were weakened. They simply didn't have the tools to compete with their enemies at the time.

Hidden, they prospered in their new home, developing new and improved technology and innovation until they could return and reclaim their abandoned cities. During the time that they were gone their enemies forgot them, their gates inactive. they had thought that the Taleen were just one people amongst many to come and go. When the Taleen did return, their centurions and praetorians overran those who had taken their cities.

The long-forgotten gates reopened and an unending tide of machines poured out from below and into the light. They prospered even further above ground, forging treaties and enacting trade, yet they always kept their innovations to themselves, never sharing any information about their technology. Their territory expanded rapidly, the Taleen growing increasingly powerful as the years passed.

Then approximately five hundred years after their reclamation the monsters started to change, creatures thought harmless slaughtering whole villages of humans, breaking through enchanted dwarf-made walls where they had failed for centuries before. Dungeons harbored beings that were impossible to defeat for the adventurers in the region. And runes were found. Runes that bent both space and void, magic so powerful even the Taleen were quickly becoming interested.

This was the start of the war with the Ascended. Not much is know after this point but it is speculated that this war ended with the disappearance of the Third Sun. It is also not known why the Taleen now hunt the elves.

## Taleen Dungeons

* Izacanum - A dungeon located under an island in the ocean East of Ravenhall
* Iznacarisa - a dungeon located in the western Navali forest ruled by the Elves
* Iztacalum - A relatively small dungeon located under Dawntree
	+ Machines:
		- Guardians - Variants: Sword (Level 200) & Ranged (Level 150)
		- Turrets
		- Centurions
		- Praetorians
* Iztacalis - The dungeon underneath Isle of Garath
* Iznacor - The Taleen dungeon Kyrian was teleported to
* Izvanata - The Taleen dungeon Zoya was teleported to
* Izla - mentioned in Chapter 556
* Izlental - After escaping from Audur Ilea and friends teleported there in hope that the dragon didn't follow.
	+ Machines:
		- Pursuer Praetorian (Level 850)
* Izculen - Somewhere in the North, at first sight the flora and fauna does match with the North and its missing the normal Taleen Machines, home of Audur the Green Dragon.
* Izacan - A production facility dungeon, reached from Iztacalum through a teleportation circle due to a Taleen Gate Key. First encounter with a Hunter Praetorian (bow armed Praetorian with nasty homing energy arrows, chapter 489)
	+ Machines:
		- Hunter Praetorian (Level 750)
		- Executioner Praetorian (Level 800)
* Izna - A large dungeon in the North contains a Centurion factory A Dark One, Goliath, now resides there, building and crafting in the factory after Ilea cleared it out.
	+ Machines:
		- Taleen Guardian (Level 159-205)
		- Taleen Centurion (Level 305-315)
		- Centurion Juggernaut (Level 350)
		- Centurion Ripper (Level 381)
		- Taleen Praetorian (Level 600)
* Izta - located in the Isanna Desert
	+ Machines:
		- Hunter Praetorian (Level 750)
		- Executioner Praetorian (Level 800)
* Iz - A astoundingly large dungeon in an unknown location as it has only been reached by the Taleen teleportation network
	+ After more exploration of the Taleen teleportation network, it is discovered that Iz is deep under Karth and only accessible by the teleportation network.
	+ The One without Form : An AI that manages Iz and the creation of machines to exterminate the elves, adhering to core directives set by the Taleen. (Level ????)
	+ Machines:
		- Bronze Guardian of the Sphere (Level ????) - One of the twelve Guardians of the Sphere who guard access to the Sphere. Only with all the keys will the Guardians not attack.
		- Silver Guardian of the Sphere (Level ????)
		- Taleen Destroyer (Level 750)
* Izvelnaar - Dungeon is destroyed with only ruins left, Located Northeast of Hallowfort, underneath a sand basin where a powereful snake-like monster slumbers (Chapter 708)
* Izacanir - Abandoned Mineshaft typical to minecraft, Located deep below the Naraza mountain chain. (Chapter 708)
	+ This is where the second Pursuer Praetorian (sent by the Formless one) came with 8 Executioners and some Hunter Praetorians, It watched Ilea fight and escaped the moment it realized that they're not match.
* Izcural - Small dungeon with humanoid anatomy materials and books lying around. Located deep underground between Salia and Stormbreach (Chapter 708)
* Izvarun - Claw Listeners infested here (Chapter 795)

## Taleen Technology

* Machines
	+ Taleen Guardian
	+ Taleen Centurion
	+ Centurion Juggernaut
	+ Centurion Ripper
	+ Taleen Praetorians
	+ Hunter Praetorians
	+ Executioner Praetorian
	+ Guardians of the Sphere
	+ Taleen Destroyer
	+ The One without form
* Teleportation Gates
* Taleen keys
* Traps

## References

1. ↑ Chapter 280
2. ↑ Chapter 205
3. ↑ Chapter 265
4. ↑ Chapter 657
5. ↑ Chapter 205
6. ↑ Chapter 661
7. ↑ Chapter 658
8. ↑ Chapter 283
9. ↑ Chapter 202
10. ↑ Chapter 778