Holy Kingdom of Ormindreal

> *“This world is littered with the remains of kingdoms that thought themselves eternal”*
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The Ormindreal were a monarchy that could claim to be the oldest surviving nation in Alterias. Founded in the Second Age by the hero known only as the Silent King this holy kingdom has long since been the dominant power of the continent, indeed, it is said no other race that draws breath knows anything other than elven power in the south. Their capital was Thileth Asari, a massive city built around the ancient Lake of Harmony.

The Ormindreal practiced a fierce defence of their borders and had little tolerance for those that disobeyed its laws. Wise, stoic and private, the Ormindreal was undoubtedly the most ancient and powerful of all factions on the continent of Aletrias.

## History

### 1293 The Second Age: Bronze Schism and Foundation

Housed in the Spectral Font of Thileth Asari lies the accumulated knowledge of all elven history since the formation of the Ormindreal. The race has existed since the birth of the world, originally coming from the east across the Pale Beyond they were explorers, fascinated by the unknown. Their longevity enabled them to journey far and these early years were ones of wonderment for a world teeming with gods and monsters, it was in these fledgling times they came to learn of magic and harness its power.

For millennia they were content with living freely, they enjoyed the respect of the gods and built wonders in their honour. If any race can claim a golden age it was in these times the elves enjoyed theirs. Then came Harmonic Convergence. Among the mortal races it was the elves who were most developed, most able to craft sword and shield and come to the aid of the gods that now battled an impossible foe. But battle they did, for the elves were skilled at all they put their hand to and into the war for existence they went. When all seemed lost, when oblvion seemed assured, Bahamut let loose his famous Thunder Call and of all present, one lone elf walked forward. Before any other mortal, beast or god he stepped forth to the side of the one who had called. That day all who sought to live fought as one, that day all who sought life, won.

And so ended The Calamity, bringing the First Age to a close and ushering in a period of uncertainty. Many had died, god and mortal alike and the order of things had been shaken. It was in this dark period that the elves, so far led by wisdom gave in to fear. Bereft of gods and fearing a return to the madness that had almost claimed the world, the old order split and war began. Fire and steel ravaged the continent as the elves fell into tribal societies in what became known as the Bronze Schism. As the gods regained their strength far from the material plane it was elves that grew in power and those that desired dominion over Aletrias slew brother and sister alike to attain what they felt was theirs by right. This period of conflict lasted for hundereds of years, the other races did what they could to survive and the world teetered on the precipice of catastrophe. As dark magic toppled empires and necromancy raised armies, one finally emerged from the chaos to put an end to the strife.

He who had first answered the thunder call, he who had fought by Bahamuts side, he who had vanished from history once the world was safe had returned. Much is lost to us outside the hallowed halls of Thileth Asari, that bastion of ancient history. How indeed one mortal being ended this period of war and reordered all who survived into what we know today as the Ormindreal. What is known is what he became known as, for as all elven children learn, they owe the peace they know today to the one who united their people, to the Silent King.

### The Third Age: Age of Enlightenment

> "He calmed the seas, he calmed the land, he calmed the hearts of all who draw breath."
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The end of strife brought with it a resurgent elven people, structured around the Ormindreal tenents of learning, peace and understanding. On the throne the Silent King decreed the borders of the land to be the cornerstone of his rule, never would they change. Magic was explored in new and exciting ways, interplanal travel was encouraged and once more the elves were a force for good. Thileth Asari was built and elven culture flourished. Where history ends and myth begins is lost to all but a few, the Silent King reigned for thousands of years until one day, as suddenly as he had reappeared he vanished once again. So greatly was his loss felt all races paid respects to the one who had not only saved the world, but healed it as well. Shortly after this period of mourning a strange monument was discovered in Ormindreal lands, the Silent Stone, its origins remain a mystery to modern day. The Ormindreal endured, powerful and far reaching but content with what they had created. An enlightened people skilled at all they turn their hand to they restructured society to accomodate the gaping hole where once the Silent King had stood. Though in his spirit of cooperation no wars were fought or blood shed, the people decided together how they would move forward.

#### The Spellplague

The Ormindreal enjoyed a period of stability and growth after the passing of their first leader. Craftsman built cities intertwined with nature and resources vital to magical study were exported throughout the continent. Monuments were erected and spells were rediscovered that had been lost since the First Age. Elven culture was built on magic, indeed, the very land they had built their great nation on crossed over at many points with the Feywild and no aspect of Ormindreal society did not employ magic to some degree. It was of course devestating to nobody more than the Ormindreal when a strange sickness began to infect the world, slowly stripping the power of magic away from all those who used it. Never since its formation had the Ormindreal suffered so great a threat, other races, not so reliant or learned in the arcane arts became emboldened and adapted quickly and enemies of the Ormindreal, the newly created Merrshaulk Empire did not waste their oppertuity to hamper their neighbour even further. Travel, harvests and the nations defensive capabilities were all restructured and if not for the ancient knowledge housed in Thileth Asari this period may have toppled the Ormindreal, yet they endured, surviving as they had in the previous age. As they desperately sought answers and a cure to this illness and on the brink of collapse, just as mysteriously as it had arrived, the Spellplague was gone. So momentous was the event it drew to a close the Third Age.

### The Fourth Age: War

With the Spellplague gone magic rushed back into everyday life. The Ormindreal quickly readjusted as if rediscovering a lost limb, they had remained a force to be recokoned with but were now once again the great power of old. This was fortunate for many reasons for the Fourth Age would bring with it an influx of new threats. The Merrshaulk Empire had grown swiftly and fixed their eyes east on the only rival they deemed worthy. A series of conflicts marked the early years of the age and intermitently threatened Ormindreal lands for centuries. The Shadowtide Wars exacted a heavy toll and though their borders remained intact many cities and lives were lost. The Merrshaulk threw everything into war and when all was finished had crippled themselves against the shield of the Ormindreal. Yet no time was given to mourn or rebuild, the Spellplague had also given rise to the fortunes of humans in the north and for the first time, Emperor Barbossa Rugner had unified all humanity under the banner of the Scarlet Moon Empire and suddenly a very real threat was once again at their border. Yet the Emperor seemed content to build and no war came and humanity continued to develop and grow. Many were concerned, man had often been considered the great unknown to the elves, a force just as easily prone to wickedness as it could be to good but many were content to let them expand and hoped the two nations could aid one another.

#### 403 - The Moonrise War

Eventually these fears were made real when Gregor Rugner, the Blood Moon Emperor, set his sights south. Humanity crossed into Ormindreal lands and set ablaze the Ellenanaes Forest with the greatest force mankind had ever assembled. For a year the empire made inroads south, testing the Ormindreal in a way even the Merrshaulk had failed to do. As the possibility of it losing ground to an invading force became frighteningly real, Gregor Rugner was killed. Assisnated, the story says, by a human. Though the truth is shrouded in mystery what was known was the cause of death, a single metal, pellet like object embedded in the brain. With the Emperor dead his son, Barbossa III assumed the throne and without his late fathers appetite for war quickly sued for peace. The Ormindreal had survived assaults by two great empires and finally were able to focus on rebuilding.

### The Fifth Age

Since the repulsion of invading forces the Ormindreal once more entered into a period of peace and development. The Fifth Age saw many great advancements as the fruits of millenia worth of cultivation began to pay real dividends. Nobody remained to challenge them yet they continued their policy of defence first and foremost and focused instead on reaching out to the other races to help grow the rest of the continent. Besides the brief War of the Red Snow with an emboldened Kyoshi Shogunate in 511 the age was one of peace for the Ormindreal, with Queen Morathi Omarel ascending to the throne shortly afterwards and driving a policy of open borders and cooperation with the newly formed human nations of the north and the fallout of the collapse of the Scarlet Moon Empire. By 1023 and with the sudden reapperance of Barovia a year prior tensions mounted and when the human nations called for the first Tri-Nation Assembly agents within the Kingdom acted to preemtively protect Ormindreal interests. High Judicar Almheda Therel and her Unbound Order, an ancient branch of the military activated only in times of great danger to Ormindreal interests grew in power, seemingly overnight, and led a mass exedous of non-elven races. At the height of this, the culmination of a plot by the Order resulted in Therel assassinating Queen Morathi and implicating three humans from the Knightdom of Tendra in the plot, finally giving her the justification to declare war.