Silestria

Silestria is the continent located in the Eastern hemisphere. It is bordered by the High Mountains to the North, the Southern Sea to the south, and the Holun Desert to the east. It is occupied by a variety of peoples, including the Scildenfolk, the Bouchergami, the Nomads, the Havergamau, the Cabah, the Basnach (Marshfolk), the Usun, and the various bands of Heretics and Outcasts.

**History**

**Before the Paroxysm**

In Silestria's earliest days, it was inhabited by the Kho'vian. These creatures forged deep ties with the natural world and set the stage for the ensuing millennia. The earliest humans would migrate to Silestria from the east, establishing small settlements and slowly migrating west. Historians don't know when contact was first established with the Kho'vian, but evidently humans became regular acquaintances, with some tribes worshipping them and venerating their ways, and others more hesitant and fearful. Most tribes looked upon them with awe.

Human societies in the Kho'vian Age were largely peaceful, with Kho'vian presiding over human societies and nature alike, ensuring balance held in all corners of Silestria. Though Kho'vian were harmonious by nature, there were times when they used a strong hand to keep human societies in check when the natural balance was disrupted. Those societies that bore witness to this side of the Kho'vian would remain wary of them, viewing them as vengeful or cruel.

Over time, human societies spread all the way to the western coast of Silestria and multiplied rapidly. As their populations grew they affected their surroundings more and more, impacting the natural environment wherever they resided. This, combined with the increasing reliance on Natural Magic (first taught to them by the Kho'vian), caused the Kho'vian to become increasingly unsure of human cultures. Factions developed in Kho'vian society, with the less human friendly wanting to cleanse Silestria of humanity, while others counseled patience and guidance.

In the Lakelands, humans had grown larger in number than anywhere else in Silestria. Along with this growth came the advancement of social society, with Lakeland tribes growing into flourishing civilizations. They enslaved their women, and began to enslave rival clans. The Kho'vian took notice of this unhappily, but unsure of how to intervene, they did not step in. As this slave society grew and social ills mounted, a large scale revolt took place. Kho'vians ended up on both sides of the fighting, and Kho'vian fought Kho'vian for the first time.

It was at this point that a consensus formed amongst the larger Kho'vian society. They decide to end the strength of humanity by restricting their access to magic, even if it meant the Kho'vian would suffer as well. During a Kho'vian Consensus, a group of elders conducted a ritual to achieve this, performing an ancient spell. The power of the spell overwhelmed then, unleashing a powerful force that wiped out the Consensus and thus most of Silestria's Kho'vians. However, the ritual was successful, binding humans to only be able to use magic using their own lifeforce. This event fundamentally changed how human societies were structured, and this combined with the eradiction of most of the Kho'vian, saw Silestria enter a dark and chaotic age. This event would later become known as the Paroxysm.

**After the Paroxysm**

The main area that was affected by the events of the Paroxysm was the desert now known as the Holun Desert. Prior to the paroxysm, this area was extremely verdant, however, the spell that the Kho'vian used in their attempt to reign in the horrors of humanity ended up wiping out all life in this area, including most of the Kho'vian. The spell also set of a series of natural disasters that threw the entire continent into 100 years of chaos.

A great many humans died during the events of the Paroxysm, and during the 100 years following. This was in part due to the natural upheaval that occurred, but also because the restrictions placed on human magic ended up completely destroying human society. Humans essentially had to start from scratch. The only people who were not affected to a significant degree were the Lehanos, and the Basnach people of saltwater marshes. These people survived as a result of their close connections with the Kho'vian. The Lehanos would exile themselves from the continent, with those few that remained resettling in the High Mountains.

In the centuries after the Century of Chaos

After many dark centuries, human civilizations started to rebuild and create ever more complex societies. Some time around the 8th century after the Paroxysm, an empire arose in the Southeast of the continent, and Silestria once again knew war.