Modern Era

Important events until present day

**31,234 P.E - 35,255 P.E. (PRESENT YEAR)**

The Modern Era so far consists of the following events:

## **The Brannskjold Invasion**

31,234 P.E. - 31,237 P.E.

Marking the beginning of the Modern Era was the invasion of the Brannskjold Raiders, a group of giant humanoids that settled in the Northern Mountains. They began a pillaging course around the nearby territories, mostly affecting the Dwarf civilization that lived near the heart of the mountains.

King Ragnar of the Brannskjold lead the assault and challenged the first Runelord of the Dwarfs. Though far more advanced, the Dwarfs were still at the disadvantage in the cold climate. The Brannskjold were notorious for their natural ability to produce a massive amount of body heat while expending a lot less energy doing so. Their battles took place mostly in Dwarven villages in an attempt to save their settlements. The efforts seemed hopeless as the King of the Brannskjold managed to take over half of the Dwarf settlements that were placed outside of the mountains themselves.

With continued effort, a Runesmith named Barandir Brewhammer managed to outsmart the Brannskjold by creating three new settlements near the previously raided ones, using them as bait. The Brannskjold went to raid them to their surprise finding no people and few resources. The settlements were inhabited by the Brannskjold either way and when all seemed calm, Barandir used his Rune magics to activate every inscribed rune underneath the villages. In a flash of light, three full villages were turned to Warped Ash and all the Brannskjold within them. This lethal blow to their numbers marked the end of their conflicts for now.

The Brannskjold kept their territory, but the loss stopped them from taking over more villages.

## **Quelling of the Jeweled Mountain Ring**

31,945 P.E. - 31,950 P.E

Flügelheim, the Great Jeweled City of the Edelflug People, seen as a dystopia compared to other societies in Kouvia. Lead by der Krystal-Herr from generation to generation, it has lived on and floated above the Southwestern Mountains for tens of thousands of years. Of course, such magnificence and beauty comes with a cost. The rules are strict, and the people must follow. This has been successful for the longest time, except it is an inevitable idea that there will be unruly people to break that cycle and abuse it for themselves. The Jeweled Mountain Ring.

A massive group of social outcasts and lowlives inhabited one of the mountains near the floating city. They thrived off of illegal acts, breaking the long peaceful era of Edelflug society. At first it was thought that there was a single hidden criminal, or a small group, hiding in the shadows of the city. Little did they know that it was among the hundreds. It was a massive underground market of illegal exotic substances, slave trade, hitmen and even torture chambers. They offered every service that put you at the bottom of society.

It was unsafe to roam the streets of the Jeweled City or the streets of the towns between the Mountains. Edelflug began hiding within their homes and the economic side of the city began failing as there was nobody to uphold it. This caused a Great Depression, and made it difficult to live. The Edelflug People were not ready for this, as their whole lives and even bloodlines had lived in a utopian, crime-free manner. Terror was being spread among the people, that perhaps there are new World Conquerors like the Shayek, and that this time they found out how to infiltrate their capital. This lead to people becoming desperate, and once they found out the group that was causing it... They began joining. The Kingpin of the Jeweled Mountain Ring was a mysterious figure, not even known by the highest ranking members of this Crime Gang. Their numbers grew, until it was finally revealed.

One of the members of the Jeweled Mountain Ring, Hans Flammenvogel, escaped the underground streets and warned the authorities. He was not taken seriously at the slightest, that it couldn't be possible. So he thought of ways how to prove his claim. He came back to the underground, and worked through the jobs and illegal activities, racking up enough money to order a great job for a Hitman, to assassinate one of the Edelflug Royal Family members. Once he ordered this hit, he returned to the authorities and warned them what will happen, they once again did not take his claim seriously, and even threatened to throw him off the city if he continued to spread terror. He claimed that if they don't believe him, they may throw him off. He was taken to the Great Drop, where his wings were clipped, and his beak was cracked, so he may never speak again. He was thrown off.

The authorities, although they do not believe his stories, were on the watch either way. Hans' screams still filled the haunted halls to the Great Drop, and his story came to fruition. Der Krystal-Herr's first son was assassinated. This stirred so much rage in the capital, that it became unsafe to exit the homes not even from the criminals, but from the authorities themselves. The search was frantic, but soon they found the underground. Horror stories talk about what happened to the people found within the underground. Only a small percentage of them were taken in to be thrown off the Great Drop. The rest of them, safe to say, turned the Mountain into the largest crypt in Kouvia.

This left the last part of this great mission, find the Kingpin. Through great torture, and a whole year of questioning and digging through information. He was found. Henker Blutschnabel, cousin of der Krystal-Herr, referred to as Der Boss. He had many middle-men who were not able to speak to make sure his identity was not revealed. He was found by one of the Windcallers, who gave one of the middle-men the ability to speak again with their wind magics. Henker was seen by most of the Jeweled City, as he was tied by his wings, legs, and throat to a Edelflug Torture machine, a large wooden bird. The bonds were connected to the bird's wings, and the wings would flap forward, tearing the tied Edelflug's body apart with a blood shower staining the hill of bones left by previous criminals that were put through this sentence.

So was enforced the peace of the Edelflug City, and so was demonstrated the wrath of der Krystal-Herr, who mourned greatly for his lost son, and threatened a much greater sentence upon any that follow in Blutschnabel's footsteps.

## **The Warping Wilds**

32,167 P.E. - 32,223 P.E

Dark can be the Western Forests, but even then they are a place of infinite beauty, the home of the Wrath Goddess Agria. Wildlife fills the Forests, where the sentient dare not tread. Not even the greatest masters of Life can tame these woods. Among them are the great predators of the Forests, large beasts that upkeep the balance. Lupine and feline creatures, ever-battling for territory in this small world. They hunt and survive, a true danger to any unaware that dare to explore these ends.

These beasts continued to expand their territory, and eventually their hunting grounds reached the Heart of the Western Forests. The Warpweave-rich land changed them as they changed the Warpweave Elves so long ago. Their newfound intelligence made conflict ever more dire, as they started being strategic, and even communicated throughout long distances by recognizing one another's voices. This began to break the balance of the land, as they became more needy for power and status. These new Warped Beasts were tribal, and had one thing missing. With intelligence, comes curiosity, and so raised the question on who is more powerful than the tribal leader itself?

The answer remained unchanged until a Warped Feline encountered an ancient shrine, and his curiosity was what started a new era for these beasts. He grew in size, became much more powerful, and transformed into a Man-like Beast. He was enlightened, and gifted this power by Agria, who assigned him, and any who followed him, as her own defenders of Life itself, the Warpwild. He agreed, and rallied as many as he could, demonstrating his control over Nature, and average beasts to prove that he found a new power to watch over them.

This creature's name was Raeyash. The Lord of Fang and Claw, he who united the two opposing sides of such a long war for territory. The first Guardian of Nature, and the ever-living sentinel of the Earthmother.

## **The Bleeding River**

33,763 P.E. - 33,926 P.E.

The most influence from the Shayek was to the Gargantuans of the Southwestern Plains. And from that era, were born the Inhlyien. After no more Gargantuans were present, the Inhlyien took over and formed their own tribes, savage they were as their entire lives were spent as fierce, bloodthirsty gladiators. They were conditioned to satisfy their Shayek spectators, and could not sate this bloodthirst. They began war against each other, on and off, eternal were these conflicts as they always found the dumbest reasons to fight, but knew internally they couldn't live without it.

Wicked were those lands, as the Inhlyien noticed. Some of the Wildlife there were twisted and corrupted. It was assumed that The Shifting Woods were to blame for this. Until an unknown Inhylien was venturing through the mines beneath the Mountains. The fatigued savage uncovered a giant cavern as he felt a hollow space behind the rocks he was mining. The enormous cavern was home to only a large metallic obelisk, with a chain hooked onto it that dug down into the abyss below. He explored, and discovered ancient ruins buried longer than Shayek History existed. Not many details were recorded of this discovery outside of tales from the elderly, as they were mostly illiterate.

The most important part of the tale was his discovery of the Bleeding River, a massive river of blood flowing down off the edge of the cavern, making a waterfall into the abyss that the enormous chains extends down to. Strange was one thing about the river, it was malformed with the faces of those it came from. Cursed, safe to say. The Inhlyien returned to the tribes to speak of his discovery, and once researched, nothing else was found outside of what he told them of. This was the Skullcrusher Tribe, also known as the Izigazhoka. Over the years, their minds began to twist. One day, they were renamed to the Bloodskulls, in their tongue the name being Ukhaiwega. Slowly they presented new traditions with the other tribes. They spoke of a simple condition to gain power beyond measure. Blood, harvest the blood of others, harness it for yourself, and feed the Shackled One. They obliged without questions asked, but some tribes remained to their old traditions.

A tribe Warlord by the name of Umsila waged war using these powers after his tribe adopted it. Six tribes were demolished in his path and had gone extinct since then, it is said that the carnage was so fierce that a river of blood flowed down the hills and plains when the tribes were raided. The conflict was quelled after the tribe was satisfied with their victory, and so it happened many more times. The tribes that refused the gift of blood were in a horrible position. Accept the power so you can catch up, or be crushed by the other tribes with this immense advantage? One of the tribes were so afraid they preferred to venture into The Shifting Woods, the worst sentence that can be put onto a criminal. The tribe's whereabouts are unknown, and they were never seen since.

The slaughters continued, eventually they got to a small reprieve from war. So ended the Bleeding River, and so started the new era of Inhlyien history, and the dark being they worship. Upon asking, they only mention the name Nalaimos. They don't know much about him, but they know that his promise was too tempting to pass up.

## **Shackles of the Amakhol**

34,755 P.E.-34,906 P.E.

The Amakhol are a mysterious civilization, as there is no record of their origin, only that they have been the wardens of the North-Eastern side of the Great Deeps for long enough that they themselves do not have record of where they come from. Due to their history of isolation, they were especially surprised when they had a group of Molkhid appear at their doorsteps, begging for sanctuary. This group was lead by Narmandakh, a creature known in legends. The only thing the Amakhol knew about him, is that he was referred to as a disappointment in myths, but the authenticity of these stories were questionable. The Molkhid ended up living as servants to the Amakhol, that being Narmandakh's only offer that convinced them to accept them.

Among these years, the Amakhol grew fond of the Molkhid, as they appeared as a very caring race. They were cautious, and respected the Molkhid's culture. The Amakhol military, though, treated them as scum of Kouvia. A hundred years had passed of this peaceful relationship, until the Molkhid's War General had passed from old age. At that point, the Lizard men decided that they were no longer content living as a dependent, servant race. The Molkhid rallied, with their renowned leader nowhere to be seen, and they ravaged the Izimpiko Tribe. Unbridled destruction was all that these revolutionaries wanted. The Amakhol thwarted this revolution, and completely enslaved the Molkhid race, finding Narmandakh with no blood on his hands, only a disappointed and ashamed expression. He did not resist, and was enslaved aswell. Some Amakhol sympathized with them, but had a hard time forgiving the revolutionaries for their crimes, Narmandakh was always in a grey area in their eyes.

Whilst they were enslaved, some of them served a high-status family in the Amandla Tribe, the tribe of Zealots. The most violent of all tribes, treating them the worst. This was also where Narmandakh was kept imprisoned. Narmandakh's close ally, another War General, was serving this family of a military higher-up. He was refered to as Gal. He was subjugated to torture and hard labour by the family. Among them was a young Stormlord, the name for gifted Amakhol born with the power of Lightning. One day, Gal was seen as worn out and exhausted for the Family, and they decided to use him as a live target practice for the young Stormlord. Gal was too fatigued to retaliate, and was shackled in an open area for the Stormlord to practice. The harm he endured wasn't fatal, as the gifted child was still learning, but was horrifying nonetheless. Gal, during one of the sessions, took a heavy lightning strike to his chest, he roared out and pulled at his shackles, the mark from the lightning continued to harness the electricity, the mark began to glow, and with a guttural roar, the lightning was redirected into the Stormlord. The child survived with crippling wounds, but Gal did not. He was left fried under the shackles, his meat separating from bone and making him fall out of the shackles. Nobody knows what caused this, but are only aware that Gal was an unnatrual Molkhid because of it.

Fifty years into the age of slavery, the great leader decided to step up once more. It was rumored that he had accepted a bargain with a Deity, but nothing was confirmed. The Ukuqapha Tribe no longer supported their slavery, and schemed with the legendary Molkhid. It is said that most Amakhol didn't even realize they were gone once they escaped, that there is not a single casualty that followed their escape. The waters were calm, and the Ukuqapha were punished, and reformed for their act of treason. Amakhol questioned how they all managed to overlook a massive population of slaves simply escaping with no real effort. The question was somewhat answered by the High Priest of the Izimpiko Tribe, who claimed that he has vivid memory of his encounter with Narmandakh as he was escaping.

>
> *Staring into his eyes was like staring*
>
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> *into the Lady's abyss itself.*
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> *I, an agent of the Lady, was... Afraid.*
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>

> *I could not move, as I am convinced*
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> *that I had witnessed a true monster.*
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>

The Molkhid escaped, and the Amakhol were left alone once more. The Molkhid were not reported to be seen by anyone, anywhere else.