History Campaign 1

## The Beginning

Trassel was a thriving continent when the first civilized
people arrived on the western coast.   The first humans and dwarves arrived some 800
years ago from current day.  On that day
the world would change for not only the adventurers, but for the inhabitants of
the island.  For before them, there had
never been a human or dwarf on the island.
The island itself was home to a number of Orc tribes, and small elven
clusters.  Ruling over all, were the
dragons.  When left alone, the dragons
were harmless, and co-existed beside the native tribes, but when an unfamiliar
smell fell upon them; they became curious. Upon the first meeting of the
exploration and dragons, an uneasy peace came about, for the explorers had
never met a dragon in the open before, only hidden away in caves, for to do so,
meant they were surely going to parish.

Over the next fifty or so years the uneasy peace persisted,
all was well.  The dragons, left to their
own devices mostly ignored the newcomers to the island, save for when adventurers
would come to close to their lairs.  The explorers
built their first cities built of wood and stone, and over the years had
brought others.  Elves, Dwarves, and Humans
now openly walked the land, building what they will, and taming the
untamed.  Slowly others came, and slowly
they built.  Over these years, a number
of unique individuals would be born or would arrive to the island, and elf
whose hands glowed a perpetual purple energy, who was able to do extraordinary
things with magic, unlike anyone had seen before.   A child, who was from birth, touched by the
gods themselves, dwarf who wielded a pair of blade so sharp, that he carved
stone as if it were not there, but would not cut for others who attempted to wield
it.  An Elf native to Trassel, who walked
from the forest itself, wearing armor of tree bark, and wielding a blade that
shone like the moon.

These, along with others were hailed among the civilized
lands.  However, the dragons began to
take notice of these beings; for they could sense their power, and knew the consequences
should these beings be turned against them.
So they began to watch.

This peace lasted for another 35 years.  However it was not meant to last, for word had
finally begun to spread to others, of a land where dragons walked in the
open.  Where there was limited government
structure, and plenty of land.   So began
the mass exodus to Trassel.   Tens of
thousands of beings arrived over the next five years from all walks of
life.  Slowly, amongst the lower rings of
society, talk began of what wealth a dragon would bring back across the sea,
and the plan began to form.

Now over the years, dragons grew friendly with a number of
individuals, relying on them for entertainment, friendship, and for the dragons
to have a say in the goings on of the city dwellers.  For years this arrangement had worked
perfectly, until the day word reached the dragons that a large number of individuals
were planning the slaughter of a number of their kind, and the capture of
others.

## **The End of Peace:**

The peace between the two legged ones and the dragons was a
contested issue.  Many dragons felt that
they were not shown the respect that they deserved and that they need taught
proper respect.  Others felt as if they
were not doing enough to assist the two legged ones, that with their help, the
peace could be permanent.  When word
finally reached the dragons that a number of people had gathered and were
planning to attack, several dragons took matters into their own hands to teach respect
to the two legged ones.

The explorers had since forgone the magic, and effort needed
to create cities of stone, the newer settlements were constructed of wood, and
clay.  The Dwarves members of the settlement
built their own homes and own districts by their own hands of stone within the
settlements.  However on that night wood,
clay and stone melted equally.  This
night, the “Night of Fire” as it would later be called was the beginning of the
clash of the raw primal power of the dragons, and the civilized world.

## **The Night of Fire:**

There are no counts of the scores that perished that night. For
no one saw the dragons coming, they came low, high and fast.  Upon the first pass on the city the entire outer
wall was burn away, along with whatever guard the city had hoped would protect
the city.   On the second pass, the Dwarven
district fell, their stone houses melted like the wood around it, turning to
molten magma as the fire washed over it.   The third pass brought about the poison and
acid, meant to end all those who had survived the first two.  However, at the very center of the town, a
small glowing sphere pierced the night, and rose from the fire, poison and
acid.   At the center, a female elf
stood, eyes and hair of pure silver, her hands a vibrant hue of pure purple
energy.  On the fourth path, the dragons
met the first resistance of the coming war, as the female elf met the dragons
on their own terms, in the air.

Four dragons set out to obliterate those who wished to do
them harm, only three of them remained by dawn the next day, the Night of Fire
coming to an end.  Those remaining three
fled off to the horizon, while the elf dropped to the earth to search for
survivors and to find help.  To her
horror, her efforts to protect herself the night before had only protected ten
others.  All others in the city perished.  By the time additional help arrived, the
fires that once burned in the city were nothing more than glowing ash.

The female elf Kamora TreeStrider became an instant icon amongst
the people, being hailed a hero for challenging the dragons.  She quickly is placed in charge of gathering
the magic users in order to fight the dragons in the coming days.

## **The Future Heroes:**

Over the next twenty years war rages across the land,
thousands lose their lives, and the dragons suffer great loses.  Heroes arise amongst the armies, Kamora
Malvain whom single handedly took on four dragons.  Awata’ki Dyethra, who was born of a
seamstress and a blacksmith, had the touch of Kord from birth.  From the beginning he was protected more than
other babies, he was able to do feats that no other child was able to.  Those who wished him harm were never able to.    As he grew, his power became apparent,
calling down beams of pure light from the sky to strike down his foes, and heal
his friends.  He soon forged himself a
set of armor with his father infused with the holy light that he was able to
call forth.   He became a shining beacon
on the field of battle, bolstering his allies, and striking fear into those who
have never felt fear before.

Among Kamora’s troupe of magic wielders, one stood out among
the rest; a recent addition to the island itself, and among the first of his
race to walk the land. Arrius, though he would later go on to be known by his
virtue name of Blur, was a tiefling wizard with an uncanny sense for the
tactics of Dragons, quickly rose to fight by Kamora’s side.

Only legends remain of how Yovir OnyxBlade, a scoundrel, a
drunk and a thief, came to stand among the ranks of Kamora, Blurr, and Awata’ki.
However, they say that one day, a young large dragon, as dark as the sky itself landed in the center of town and began the destruction of WillowWill,  a former town on the outskirts of the claimed
land.

The dragon rampaged for hours slaying all that opposed it,
however throughout the destruction, a small part of dwarves, humans and elves
began to gather in a tunnel system under the town, used by the local thieves.  From the tunnel emerged Yovir, and an elf, which
by all accounts was a walking tree wielding the power of the moon itself,
flanked by several others, they took the dragon head on.  Shortly after, the dragon laid dead, and the
makeshift party victorious.   Word began
to spread of their victory; Yovir and the Elf, who would later become known as
Evandahl, took their place among the legends.

Intrigued by the rumors, Kamora, Blurr, and Awata’ki sought
out Yovir and Evandahl, and birthed what would be eventually called The Heroes
of Ascendance.

## **The War of Yes’Dara:**

The war raged throughout the land for ten years, tens of
thousands of the explorers armies perished, while they claimed the lives of three
dozen dragons.  Over the years, Kamora,
Blurr, Awata’Ki, Yovir, and Evandahl established themselves as great warriors
of the land.  Brave and powerful, these
warriors fought for years against the dragons, and were responsible for
bringing down over a dozen themselves.

During the final years of the war, it is said that the largest
of all dragons, an ancient blue dragon named Yes’dara ventured forth from her
lair for the first time in hundreds of years, much to the dismay of the explorers.  Yes’dara personally witnessed many battles
between the heroes, their armies, and her kind.
Recognizing their growing power, Yes’dara began to formulate the plan
that would end the war.

Upon completion, Yes’dara and the oldest of each dragon wing
approached the camp of the explorers.   Frightened, they gathered arms and rushed to defend themselves.  However it would not be needed, for the
dragons landed a mile away and awaited the heroes.

## **The Final Meeting:**

Upon arriving at the hilltop, the heroes approached the behemoths
that are ten ancient dragons.  As they
arrived, Yes’dara greeted the heroes, and explained that she feared for the
survival of her race, as for as many of the two legs as they have killed, twice
that many have taken their place.  So she
makes an offer of peace with the heroes, with the stipulation that once done,
the heroes and their descendants would never harm a dragon again, and in
return, the dragons of the land would leave, never to return to Trassel.  And to honor their pledge the dragons
presented the heroes with five orbs.
Each orb, infused with the power of one of the ancient dragons, to grant
the heroes the power to challenge the dragons should they not honor the
agreement.

With the gifts bestowed, the ancient dragons and two dozen
others take flight.  They soon vanish
westward, over the horizon, never to set foot on the continent again.

## **Heroes of Ascendance:**

With the dragons flying westward, the heroes arrived at
camp, to a thousand question, cries of joy for victory and sorrow for those
they have lost ring through the air.   The war has ended at long last and the First
Age of Trassel dawns.

Kamora, Blurr, Awata’ki, Yovir and Evandahl are summoned to
the city that would become Roddenhiem where they are declared the Heroes of Ascendance.  From here, the heroes would travel far and
wide doing great deeds, and slaying evil foes.

Kamora would venture deep into the forest, taking with her
many of her kind and would form the city of Quam’Till, home of the elves.  Awata’ki would go on to assist in the founding of the holy city of Talakar.   Blurr would travel east, and build the city of Yar’ol and establish “The Order of Nau” a
secretive order of magic users.  Evandahl would return to his home city in wild for a time, then beginning traveling
Trassel, observing the passage of time. Yovir, would go on to create the founding of Trollhiem, home of the
dwarves, but would eventually pass the torch, as he joins Evandahl to travel the land.

## The Passing of Ascendance:

Time passes and so do the lives of all mortal races.  Over the years, the heroes accomplish many
great tasks.  Evandahl, and Awata’ki
would face down a terrible fiend, defeating him, and pushing him back to the
land of shadows in the Shadowfell.  These
two great heroes would never return, many say they locked away the creature,
and simply stayed to ensure he never returned.
Others, tell tales that Awata’ki was seen years after, wandering the
streets of Talakar.  Blurr never emerged
from the tower he built on Yar’ol, though many wizards and sorcerers would receive
invitations to join him on the island, many did.  Many attempted to gain entry to the island
without invitation, however no matter how long they sailed they never grew
closer, so they stopped trying.  Saddened
by the loss of his friend, Yar’ol ventured into the depths of Trollhiem and
would never again leave the city for the remainder of his days.

## **The Days After The Heroes:**

No one truly knows what happened to the four of the Orbs
given to the Heroes of the realm, or what they truly did.  There are reports of them granting enormous
power to the wielder, though those are simply legends told by old bards these
days.  Others say the orbs were dragon
eggs given to the heroes to hatch their own dragons to raise so that there
would be protection for the people once their time has come.

The only known orb to exist currently resides in the center
of the city of Talakar, protected by an entire army of paladins and militia,
behind a glass case surrounded in a holy aura.  Perhaps one of the most well protected places
on the entire continent.

## The Birth Of Civilization:

With the help of the Heroes of Ascendance, the great cities
of Trassel that we know today began to slowly rise to power, though no
centralized government was formed, and no king was chosen.  It was agreed that the cities would govern
and protect themselves, though in times of great need, would band together to
defeat a common foe.  Though to date,
this has never happened.  Slowly civilization started flowing eastward, slowly spreading and building.

Roddenhiem - The great port city rose to the west, boasting 100 foot tall walls that jut into the bay, creating a fortified port. Roddenhiem plays host to many great features, such as the Great Library, home of the School of Magic and the Bardic College. It also features the greatest fighting ring in all the land, "The Pit of Might" where beings come from all over the world to participate.

Talakar - The most holy site in all of the land, founded by Awata'ki himself. It holds Temple, one of the most beautiful places on all of the continent. Known for it's anti-magic attitude, and properties, many magic users tend to stay away from the central districts of the city, and prefer to stay in the select markets where magic is allowed, and the Awata'ki Bazzar, the outside shopping district that extends the entire length of the wall. In the Bazzar as long as you have the coin you are able to obtain anything you wish. Slaves, Assassins, magic items, cursed items, it has something for everyone.

Kragshead - If the land of Trassel had any sort of formal government,
Kragshead would be the capital city.  Founded
some 300 years after the Heroes of Ascendance the city stands tall with its
tiered walls, and well-fortified defenses. Home to a number of merchant guilds,
the Hunters Mark, a hunter’s guild, and some of the finest Blacksmiths in the
land, the city itself is a beacon of what Trassel is.  At the center peak of the city sits the
Council of Kragshead, a body of elected leaders that rule the city, and the surrounding
areas.

Trollhiem - Founded nearly a hundred years after the war, the Dwarves of
the Kornagi clan came across the Grey Peaks Mountains and were instantly in awe.  It was here Thoraun Ditark, King of the
Kornagi clan decided would be the new home of the Dwarves. So they dug, and
kept digging for years, eventually hollowing out a large portion of the mountain
range.  The mountains were so rich with
minerals, the dwarves felt that they were now an easy target for theft, and began
the construction of a great vault.  Now
the Vault of Thoraun has become a symbol of the Dwarven strength as no
outside is really certain how deep down the vault goes.

Quam'till - The city of Quam’til is one of the first cities of
Trassel.  Among the first cities built on
the continent by the first adventurers, it was the only city that was once
ravaged by dragons to be rebuilt.  Mixing
with the native elves, those that came with the adventurers used a mixture of
magic, and time to slowly grow a great forest of trees.  While most beings prefer to live on the
ground, the city of Quam’til exists in the trees and uses a system of pulleys
and magic to ascend to the tree tops.