Kingdom of the Black Sea

## History

The Kingdom of the Black Sea was among the first Kingdoms in the world, even if they were not known by most. Originally formed by High King Faelar Norlath, one of the original **Companions**. There are vague mentions of the Kingdom of the Black Sea in historical records, but many of them are ancient, and were forgotten about. It took the work of numerous Chosen, and those within the **Obsidian Seers** nearly a week to find any amount of reasonable information on the Kingdom of the Black Sea.

Faelar Norlath, the first High King, formed the Kingdom in response to potential threats by the sea, and settled it's capital on a distant chain of islands called **The Glimmering Isles**, which gave them a suitable amount of arable land, as well as numerous reefs of which to catch fish from. They were an incredibly proficient group of elves who actively built ships, and sailed them around the world, exploring all they could, and defending the continents of Tolreiya and Calmera from external, sea-based threats.

When the war against the **Betrayer** occurred, they participated. They harried her sea-based forces, combating her numerous constructs, and undead minions. They regularly fought the Necromancers who would raise vast armies of undead, and when the Betrayer made a deal with the Aboleths, they also fought the legions of Skum arrayed against them, and they fought them well.

The Knights of the Black Sea were an unstoppable fighting force. The first truly organized and trained fighting force in the world, they were all exclusively Chosen, and all of them were incredibly skilled with their weaponry; what's more, the Blacksmiths of the Black Sea had discovered a new form of metal, known as Seasteel, and their Knights were equipped with weapons made of this incredibly hard, incredibly light material. It cut through water with disturbing ease, yet was nearly invisible to the eye. The Skum stood little chance, and the Aboleths did not fare much better.

The war in the sea was looking very good for the Kingdom of the Black Sea, until the Betrayer herself intervened on behalf of her allies, the Aboleths. With their combined power, they forced the Glimmering Isles to sink beneath the waves. High King Faelar Norlath used immense magic to cast a massive spell on his people, to give them the permanent ability to breath underwater, and it worked. His people were safe, although many of their buildings were destroyed. They would have to adapt to undersea life.

This was easier said than done; a new host of foes assaulted them. Skum, Aboleths, Sea Dragons, and sea predators began to harry them, and their lack of life underwater made it difficult, and they were forced to be on the defensive permanently. Even as the Betrayer was defeated and sealed, they continued to fight, and they did not receive support from their previous allies. In their eyes, they were abandoned, forgotten about. For hundreds of years, the Kingdom of the Black Sea fought for their survival daily, the Skum a constant threat against them, and more. Ironically, their bodies evolved with their adaptation, and they eventually evolved into what is known as 'Sea Elves', and 'Merfolk'.

In a twist of fate, when the God known as Aroden died, his death caused an enormous, Black Wall to appear on top of their Kingdom. Why it chose there, few can speculate, but with it, came the attraction of wicked, unique beasts that descended into the depths, and waged a new war against the Kingdom of the Black Sea. High King Faelar, wishing for his people to live, and at the urging of his Council and his High Priests, made a deal with the Aboleths: He would allow several Veiled Masters to place themselves on the Council, and in return, the Kingdom of the Black Sea would be protected from this new threat.

The Aboleths kept their word, and their minions, along with the citizens of the Kingdom, and the Aboleths themselves, intermingled, and a tenuous peace was found, for a time. The Aboleths were surprisingly helpful members of society, bringing the Kingdom to new heights of prosperity, and for the next several thousand years, the Kingdom prospered, growing their borders, producing new generations, and rising technologically.

In recent years though, the Council has pushed the current King, King Castius Norlath, to push to the land, to take revenge on the people of Tolreiya, and of Calmera, for abandoning them when they needed them most.

## Geography

Little is known of the geography of the Kingdom. It is underwater, of course, and the bottom of the sea has little information. The primary known information is their Capital City, known as the Glimmering Isles. A series of sunken islands that have enormous cities built upon them. Despite being apart, they are all considered one city, and each one is dedicated to a purpose.

## Inhabitants

The inhabitants of the Kingdom are primarily Sea Elves and Merfolk, but there are many Aboleths as well. Although they are inhabitants, the Skum are considered an outlier, and only called upon to serve. They are effectively a slave-race.