Entry: The Known Lands (Veninide)

## Introduction

In the vast and unending world, there lies a chain of islands. The inhabitants of these islands call them the "Known Lands", for they know no other places. The inhabitants are not simply humans, nay. Alongside humans, Elves and Bekuleinid live, in peace or truce. But in the westernmost reaches of the Known Lands, a dark power has risen. The dead and their allies grow in number. And they are summoning their allies elsewhere, from the caves that few dare enter, and the ruins where powerful spells have been cast.

## History

The Known lands have a vast history, dating back thousands of years. After each great war, a new age starts.

### Before Counting

Before the counting of the years, humans arose in the southern and eastern reaches of the Known Lands. The Elves were great in number at this time, dwelling in the east alongside the eastern humans.

The Bekuleinid lived in Uruvalen, a cavernous and fiery realm. The Elves were the first to make gateways to this realm. They spread their knowledge to the Bekuleinid, and soon the Bekuleinid came to the Known Lands and populated the north.

Eventually, tensions grew between the Bekuleinid and the Elves, and war broke out over the lands of Forlond. The humans of the east gave aid the Elves, while those of the south remained isolated for the time being.

### The First Great War

The Bekuleinid outnumbered the Elves, but the Elves were more skilled, and could reform on death unless killed with a cursed blade.

Eventually, the Bekuleinid triumphed, and the Elves were greatly diminished in number.

### First Age

After the First Great War, all three races (aside from the southern humans) began counting their years from that point. An epidemic began in the Bekuleinid lands of Wiserrin, greatly reducing their number. Fearing that they could not afford another war, they decided to withdraw from Forlond, keeping to the land of Wiserrin. Gradually, a forest began to cover the southern parts of Forlond.

Once news of the epidemic reached the humans, two of their tribes decide to populate the lands of Fraveland, south of Forlond. One of these tribes traveled further to Wiserrin to gain the friendship of the Bekuleinid. The Bekuleinid accept their friendship. They establish human settlements in Wiserrin as a token of their friendship.

Meanwhile, most of the Elves, along with a tribe of humans, cross the Hewbrim Sea to reach the lands of Cobblethorn. The southern humans reach the northernmost tip of their island, seperated from Cobbelthorn by a swamp.

Time goes on. The Bekuleinid have now spread to the lands of Gonudren to the west of Wiserrin, separated from Cobbelthorn by the Whittop Mountains.

The Elves of Cobbelthorn travel east through the valley between Soebarrow and the Whittop mountains. They find a great plain, and establish the city of Stanfeld. Eventually humans populate Stanfeld and quickly outnumber the Elves.

Cobbelthorn grows in power, and is soon the most powerful kingdom in the Known Lands. Trade disputes arise between Cobbelthorn and Fraveland, and the Second Great War begins.

### The Second Great War

Cobbelthorn and its neighbouring lands of Feldsted and Meargard Dale form an alliance. Wiserrin stands with Fraveland. A large fort is built at the coast of Cobbelthorn to defend against enemy ships. Eventually, Cobbelthorn wins the war. The states of Cobbelthorn, Feldsted, and Meargard Dale form an alliance known as the Anglemark.

### Second Age

The humans of Stanfeld discover the Red Lands. They find large amounts of gold while mining underground. The Bekuleinid of Gonudren and the humans of Stanfeld establish a colony in the Red Lands to mine gold.

For a long time, the Known Lands are in a state of peace.

But then a gateway to Uruvalen is created in the colony in the Red Lands. Through that gateway, Black Skeletons invade. The Third Great War begins. The war lasts over two hundred years, until the present, and has still not ended.

### The Third Great War

The Black Skeletons and Gray Men (of uncertain origin) have formed an alliance against all the other races. The city of Stanfeld is fortified against enemy forces. Meanwhile, the Black Skeletons set up hidden colonies throughout the Known Lands.

## Preview of Life During the Third Great War

Erethun was an Elf, living in the Stone City of Stanfeld. Named after the Elf that found the way to the country he now called home, great things were expected of him.

Southwestern Stanfeld, where Erethun lived, was the most civilized of all the regions of the Known Lands. The houses were built mainly with gray bricks of stone, along with white diorite. There was a grand stadium, where gladiator fights and contests were held. Not lethal fights, of course. There was no maiming involved. Erethun had participated in these fights many times. Being an Elf, he usually triumphed.

Elves were not so common these days in Stanfeld. They weren't oppressed, but they were never fully accepted into society. The humans never understood their desire for adventure, and often envied their immortality.

But immortality is not just a blessing. It is also a curse. At first, the superior skill and strength of the Elves seems like a privilege. But slowly, all your mortal companions grow old until they finally fall victim to mortality. And after a hundred years of life, everything seems the same shade of gray. And so the Elves search for change, for something new, for adventure.

Life in Southwestern Stanfeld was peaceful, but for the past fifty years, there had always been a tension in the air. The calm before the storm. But the storm had been looming on the edge of the horizons for over half a human life. The walls and soldiers of Stanfeld had remained true to this day, but there was ever a fear that their strength would fail soon. And everybody knew that the worst of the war was yet to come.

And so, Erethun decided to fight in the war, to escape the dull monotony of the life of an Elf.