Andor

Andor is one of four countries on the continent of Selesnia and the primary location of all events in "Experieces of Gaia". Like most countries in Selesnia, Andor tends to keep its activities within its borders. Currently, Xander Nohr is the king of Andor.

## History

### Early History

Andor's history is one bathed in blood and slavery. When the gods created Gaia, they designed Andor as a country with ecosystems designed for elves and dwarves to live comfortably. It's lush forests a perfect domain for the elves and rich, minable mountains for the dwarves to explore smithing and get drunk to their heart's content. For many eons, both races were able to coexist without much conflict. The elves kept their distance and the dwarves cared little for forests. This peaceful balanced was thrown out of wack once humans were introduced to Selesnia. Not much is known on how humans came to Selesnia, but it is suspected that the humans were fleeing another contient. Hungry, afraid, and vulnerable, the humans were taken in by the elves. Without anywhere else to go, the humans were happy to accept the elve's hospitality. The hospitality was not without cost. Swiftly, the elves enslaved the humans and began building an empire. Different elvan clans warred against eachother, until finally, the three strongest clans, Sowega, Gowai, and Morina, joined together as a unified power. Unified, the elves moved their attention over to the dwarves. Over the next three or four centuries, the elves and dwarves did battle until the dwarves were finally subdued and made slaves like the humans.

### Growing Frustration

The elves ruled the "lower races" with an iron fist. They relied heavily on their slaves to do much of the work and also advance civilization. This required a constant increase of slaves keep advancement steady. Slaves were not allowed to breed with other slaves unless permitted by their elven masters. As such, the elves picked the most physically and mentally fit "candidates" to produce the next generation of workers. All slaves were required to perform to their highest potential. This meant grueling days and nights of work, often without any meals. Those who did not meet their potential were beaten and often executed. The humans were able to sneak rations away from local elves, and were able to keep their race relatively healthy.

### Dwarven Extinction

The dwarves were not so clever. They suffered as long as they could until finally their dwarven stubborness ran out. Depression ran rampant throughout their race and many began to die from executions as their potential was not being reached. This incited the Dwarven Rebellion that was quickly quelled. After their defeat, all enslaved dwarves refused all water and little rations they received. By the time the elves began to notice what was happening, the majority of the dwarves had died out. In a final act of defiance, the last remaining dwarves committed suicide.

### The Uprising

After the Dwarven Rebellion, a group of humans and half elves from a distant continent arrived on Andor. During their exploration, they were captured and enslaved by the elves. One notable human was Zelgus Zorona. During his time as a slave, Zelgus took a liking to many of the dwarves and would communicate with them in the brief moments coversations were possible. When all the dwarves died out, Zelgus had enough and encited a riot. With but a shortsword, a cry for freedom, and a group of rioters, Zelgus captured the slave camp in which he was enslaved. The Uprising had began.

### Gaining Traction

Although Zelgus had reclaimed his prized sword, Alondite, he was far from happy. His rebellion was constantly fleeing elvan pursuers who wished to put an end to yet another rebellion. After several days travel, and a handful of skirmishes, Zelgus' brigade was tired and their once high morale had plumetted. Finally, at the place which would be eventually known as Bra' Cha', Zelgus' group had been surrounded and captured by a group of elves. On the day of their public execution, Zelgus and crew were saved by a different group of elves, those who had been convinced by Brad and Chad, a human/elf couple, that what the elves were doing to other races was wrong.The ruling class' unit were defeated and the home base of the Uprsing had been established.

### Lead Up to The Fateful Battle

After a section of elves joined, many of the human slaves were rescued from their enslavement. This led to a standstill in the war. Both sides had roughly the same number of warriors, however the ruling class was at a physical disadvantage. Many of their fighters had gone and joined the rebellion. The rest of them had grown very used to their life of luxery and were dependant on their slaves to do much of the tedious physical work. They were forced to hire many mercenary bands to cover this weakness, including the Gray Mercenaries. However, the rebellion was severely outarmed. Their skills in magic and access to magic weapons were very limited. To combat this, the rebellion would gain ground by means of stealth missions. Striking when the enemy was least expecting, the rebellion was able to avoid outright combat when possible. Zelgus soon saw that the war would never be won if they could not combat the ruling class head on. To even the playing field on magical ability, Zelgus set his sights on the magical city of Ter Valon.

### The Fateful Battle

After weeks of fighting to finally get into striking distance, the rebellion was ready to attack Ter Valon. Knowing that if Ter Valon was lost, the ruling class would lose their key advantage of magical prowess. Both sides sent a bulk of their army for this battle. Quickly breaking through their gates, the rebellion descended upon Ter Valon. After two days of battle, all of the mercenary bands had been dispatched, except for they Gray Mercenaries. Using cat and mouse tactics, they were able to take out several factions of the rebellion's army even though they were vastly outnumbered. Then, Zelgus received a message from the Mercenaries' leader, Icarus. He was challenged to a duel to decide the fate of the city. They met in the sacred chapel of Pelor, and after a vicious dual, Icarius fell. Some say that Icarius was killed by his tactician, but the most accepted theory is that he simply lost to Zelgus. After taking Ter Valon, the rebellion had all of the momentum they needed to win the war.

### After The War

Zelgus was crowned king of Andor. Even though the elves were oppressors, Zelgus fought for there to be racial equality, and demanded that there would be no judgement made on someone's character based on their race. Andor enjoyed a relatively peaceful 50 years under King Zelgus. Then, one day early in the morning, whispers were heard from Zelgus' room. When Zelgus emerged, he had an ambition to make not just Andor, but the world a perfect place to live in. He established God-Generals in his army, and had his castle surrounded by a giant field of energy while he worked on his plan. In order to accomplish his plan, Zelgus needed as much control as possible, so his once kind policies were replaced with an iron fist.