The History of Listania

## The Age of Darkness

#### *The Barbarians, the Elves, and the Coming of the Traha*

Listania, a huge continent inhabited by various races, had long been dominated by darkness and disorder. Humans were merely slaves and prey to the barbarians, whom they dared not resist.

An elven sage, Sillion, aided the humans by allowing them to use the power of the elves. That power has manifested in many different ways, as it amplifies a human's power to its fullest potential.

Among them, those whose power is strongest are considered "supernatural," and are called Traha (Transcend Human Ability).

## The Age of Prosperity

#### *The Rise of the Humans and the Six Kingdoms*

After driving the barbarians out of the land, humans realized that they were stronger united than alone. After cycles of formation, unification, dissolution, and finally, rebirth, six kingdoms remained.

The kingdom of Vulcan, founded by the only survivors left among the devastation of the western content after conquering it early on.

The kingdom of Naia, built atop a waterfall, a natural fortress.

The kingdom of Iren, a nation of farmers with an industry centered around agriculture.

The warring tribal nation of Tuballia, also known as the land of the northern barbarians, who supported the kingdom of Naia when it was weakened from war.

The kingdom of Deberne, whose entire nation has been turned into wetlands due to the rising seas.

The kingdom of Ludark, a transportation hub in the heart of Listania.

For 300 years, order was maintained, with Vulcan in the west and Naia, Iren, Tuballia, Deberne, and Ludark in the east.

## The Age of War

#### *Vulcan against the Eastern Nations, and the Beginning of the War*

Vulcan was full of pride. Its people had been the first to harness the power of fire, and were proud to have the blood of the clan of Vulcan flowing through their veins, but the land they lived upon was not beautiful to look upon. The western side of Listania has a dry, arid climate, unsuitable for growing crops with its overwhelming heat. Therefore, Vulcan relied on the neighboring country of Ludark to provide it with food in exchange for gold and other minerals as tribute.

One day, Ludark demanded a greater tribute. Angered, Vulcan gathered its troops and attacked Ludark. The only reason why Vulcan had endured the humiliating demands of tribute from Ludark was because of the dragon backing the nation.

But Ludark’s dragon never came to face Vulcan, who had come prepared to fight to the death. The seemingly great nation of Ludark quickly surrended.

As Vulcan occupied Ludark, the four kingdoms of Naia, Iren, Tuballia, and Deberne, to the east, grew increasingly worried. Fearing invasion by Vulcan, the eastern nations allied under the leadership of the king of Tuballia. They attacked the Vulcan forces, who had been gloating over their victory at the Royal City of Ludark.

The Vulcan army, caught off-guard, was annihilated by the allied forces in three days.

However, this was only the beginning.

Vulcan had lost its queen and crown prince because of the eastern nations. The eastern nations had to destroy Vulcan or be destroyed. Starting with tensions over the resources of fallen Ludark, a huge war between the factions erupted.

## Unending War

#### *The Fall and Unification of the Eastern Kingdoms, and the Birth of the Kingdom of Naiad*

The war showed no signs of abating. As time passed, resources on both sides dwindled. Vulcan, long united in the harsh western lands, did not collapse so easily. However, the eastern kingdoms succumbed to the ravages of war. Only Naia, naturally fortified by waterfalls, survived. Eventually, the other kingdoms rallied around the kingdom of Naia, and merged to formed the new kingdom of Naiad.

Thus, dominance of the land was split between the two lands of Vulcan and Naiad.

At first, their rule went unchallenged, having total control of the land split between the east and west.

But the barbarians, who had been expelled to the farthest reaches of the land, alternated between victory and defeat in small skirmishes on the borderlands. Unnoticed, they prepared to rise once more…

## Proposing a Truce

Upon the summit of the eternal mountain Nebrat, north of the elven kingdom of Eldarie, representatives of each nation, human and nonhuman, gathered together. Assembled were representatives of the human nations of Vulcan and Naiad, the neutral dwarves, and the elven Queen Eldarie, host of the talks. With a shadow looming over the continent, bringing an end to the war was discussed.

However, the conflict between the two factions was not to be so easily resolved with a few words. The dwarves had been rather enjoying the war anyway, and were displeased with the peace talks.

At that very moment, intruders burst into the assembly hall, seemingly intending to dispose of the gathered representatives. Fortunately, the nations’ representatives were able to escape, but they were all greatly shaken.

The crystal of Vulcan, an icon of the power of flame, was growing cloudy and dull. The once-beautiful valleys of naiad were becoming contaminated and polluted. Signs of trouble had been appearing everywhere while everyone’s attention was drawn to the war.

Although a truce was never reached, both human kingdoms decided to take a step back and look around.

It was time to prepare to fight the rising darkness…and to prepare for the final war to come.