Astra-Morscuro

## History

The shared history of what's currently known as Esudel-Astra and Novus-Morscuro spans to an ancient day when elves still lived in Leastrune. One day, one of the last elven elders was put into a deathlike sleep to prevent him from perishing a lethal gore wound delivered by a silver antler. - It should be noted that in all histories of Sumarfold, truth is an accessory to wonder. - Desperate to find answers, the lords of Leastrune sent their explorers to the coast of modern Sumarfold to find a flower rumoured to have healing capabilities far beyond any healer or medicine on the continent.

Elven explorers found a bountiful land filled with fruits for harvest and ferment, fertile soil for crops, and vistas that were eye-opening in their beauty. At first, the small portion of land they landed on was so enticing that their objective's lack of immediate gratification made an insignificant dent in morale. Time went on, and the elves continued to find fruits and edible flora that caused various physical and psychogenic reactions, but none matched the myth they sought. Months passed with no success, and morale fell as Leastrune ordered no reverie or rest until their elder woke. Among the primary failure of the expedition, the land became increasingly inhospitable beyond the settlement, with reports of at least twelve monstrosities roaming the land and even stranger accounts of two malefic, floating orbs in the vicinity. Eirodan Vayne, the main party leader, wrote to Leastrune, reporting these observations and explaining that the combination of lives lost and faltering spirit amongst the people had left him no choice but to overtake their rule instate his own for the welfare of Leastrune's people.

Eirodan called his people to halt their search and seek reverie instead. He proclaimed a celebration of rest to celebrate what they had: music, poetry, food, Life, and their community. It was held to give the people a moment to indulge in their fun and folly and hopefully revive the spirit; in modern Esudel-Astra, this is still celebrated as a Feast of Ereus. Eirodan also promised he would clear the land of the monstrosities so his people could walk about without fear or behind walls; he kept well to this promise, and while his people began building a home for themselves, he set out on a journey of twelve trials. Returning home from his second conquest, Eirodan finds Leastrune's second expedition had landed, touting their lord's rules, and received a less than stellar welcome. Eventually, they fell in line and joined the new way of Life Eirodan Vayne had set up by collaborating with his exploration party. Finally, friction in the settlement made Life unbearable, and it was agreed upon that those who wished to follow Vayne may stay. Those who were ready to rule in other ways may amicably evacuate to the lands already cleared by Eirodan under the guidance of Vestele Phyphion, who would become Aphoset's first matriarch and Archon.

Vestele and Eirodan remained allies enough to continue a crusade against the remaining ten monstrosities that made life difficult for both settlements. They were successful in this mission with the help of the courts which followed. Life was quiet, the colonies turned into larger villages, and eventually created small cities. However, the floating orbs Eirodan had first reported were more in number than he knew, and one day they all tore open. Modern-day Esudel was hit particularly hard being within such a small radius of two orbs that expanded in tandem and responded to each others' ferocity; each side of the court was veiled in unfettered walls of light and darkness. This unnatural decimation lasted thirty days and kickstarted the era of elemental wars within Sumarfolds borders.

Once the ziggurats were built to contain each rift, Astra-Morscuro was named the first court. Taking the natural disaster and war in stride while priding themselves on thwarting the risk of elemental invasion and revolutionizing their energy while deciding to oversee containment of rifts. They harboured two rifts within their borders, often alluded to as requiring a higher prestige of leader and society to succeed at such a task; another point of pride conceded to them as the other courts didn't desire the fundamental responsibility. However, the courts did agree to nationhood, called Sumarfold, aligned with an aristocracy where Astra-Morscuro was the named capital.

Astra-Morscuro becomes the hub of politics and decadence in Sumarfold while there's peace over the following decades. The government is further formed as the Archon welcomes a first magistrate to aid in overseeing such a sweeping court. While also taking great leaps in commanding the two rifts and understanding how to redirect their influence into large pools that circulate the veins of the ziggurats. Astra-Morscuro boomed in their technological advancements, utilizing rift energy to power mechanics such as elevators, floating beams, platforms, and electromagnetic fields. This advancement also made them a threat in their own right, as the court unlocked the ability to weaponize the rift with the plasmic energy produced in one and the dark energy simmering in the other. However, they never lost their roots, becoming leaders and influences of art, magic, and design in the nation. Over time, elves who saw the genesis violence in their land became insular to the struggle of the humans who saw the destruction of Pontos. The elves were arrogant, crass, protected, and overindulged on what was deemed only the best, and proud of their grace through survival and independence.

Astra-Morscuro, in their ignorance, was shaken one day. The ground rumbled beneath the ziggurat that housed the shadow rift. Nobody took it seriously. All the courts, confident in their protective measures and with younger generations on the rise who lacked the history of their elders, saw nothing to fear. Eventually, the ziggurat began moving. The floors that led to the basement depths were filled with scholars, scientists, and arcanists who found themselves trapped in the sentient labyrinth that chose to reroute the maze. Suddenly, Astra-Morscuro has seen the worst massacre of life since the first war of rifts, sending them into a panic and demanding all ziggurats be closed indefinitely. Any remaining research was moved to a location outside of each. However, only one-half of the court was affected, which caused internal strife between the displaced citizens and those who didn't want to share, feeling as though they were equally affected by the devastation of their court, albeit from a relative distance.

So as it stands, Astra-Morscuro technically doesn't exist, as the devastation of this disaster was mishandled to such a severe degree it left half the population seething with betrayal. They were displaced with no plan of the home being restored; their own Archon no longer graced their half of the court, and their own people wouldn't wholeheartedly receive them. Aside from societal drift, the physical difference in the land that obviously speaks to the Archon's unacknowledged favour earned each side a new name: Esudel-Astra, the shining home, and Novus-Morscuro, the newly forgotten.