Forlorn Timeline

The winding path of history is is paved with the greatest of triumphs and the most devastating of tragedies in equal measure. Survivors of the Forlorn Timeline would tell you that their road was in no way equal.

Few will ever truly understand the cataclysmic domino effect the events herein have on the stability and integrity of not just this plane, but of existence as a whole.

## A Historical Account of Major Events of the "Forlorn" Timeline

### The Long War

There are many distinctions in the "Forlorn" Timeline versus what we know as the "Prime" Timeline. Key among them is the life of half-orc wizard Vradash Spellstorm. Born and raised in Kar'mak, Vradash honed his arcane abilities with the guidance of his father's people. While the Long War in Doria, Vradash united the orcs of the dominions of Orcia, then joined his cousins Zangold Broken Arrow and Zangora Broken Arrow, who had become war heroes in their own right. Uniting the imperial orcs & the dominion orcs tipped the war in a different direction.

A new blood war erupted as Vradash divined Zangold was the legitimate heir to the throne. The Terran elitists hired centaur mercenaries, led by Thymoménos, to attack the orc stronghold in Methis City. In the siege, Zangora killed Thymo's blood brother Enkatelepises, so Thymo killed Zangora. Viper and Zangolm tried to avenge their fallen daughter, but Thymo killed them, too.

Vradash and Zangold battled Thymo, but Vradash suggested to spare him on the condition that he betray the humans. Zangold wanted vengeance, wish Vradash swore by blood they would get.

Zangold's forces, aligned with the centaurs and satyrs, swept central Doria. The north yielded as he ascended the Golden Throne.

Vradash, keeping Thymo close, began studying fey magics. Transforms himself into a doppelganger, which the wild fey consider a betrayal. They give him the nickname Azaialas. He manipulates Thymo's guilt and frustration to have him turn against the leaders of the wild fey. Thymo is instilled as the new leader, loyal to Vradash.

Sulinoria declared independence, and annexed many of the southern kingdoms, save for Isadoria (as the dead answer to no one while mortal blood flows).

Thymo and the wild fey, along with imperial orcs, turn south to defend their ancestral homelands. During this campaign,Thymo calls upon Faellyen's Druid-King Faralnin Faelcree to return home and honor his ancient oaths to protect the wild fey. Faellyen, and Teillyen as a whole up to this point, had stayed out of the Dorian and Orcian conflicts. Faralnin answers the call, bringing with him a small but elite force that included his two sons Fulgrun and Fazumar.

The arrival of the Faelcrees into the Dorian war allowed for the young druid-prince Fazumar to both befriend Thymo and cross paths with Terran combat medic, and fey sympathizer, Lussani Sirdach. During combat, Fazumar watched in horror as a spear ripped through Lussani's torso, killing her instantly. He then watched in awe as she was returned to life by the Eightfold goddess Amerra. A year to the day after her miraculous resurrection, the two were married in a druidic ceremony conducted by Faralnin.

Foellyen saw Faralnin's departure across the Divisus Ocean as an opportunity to turn against the foreign king. Faellyen descended into civil war: Traditionalists led by Foellyen's General-Queen Lyssiar Lebanor versus unifiers led by Fryllyen's Sorcerer-Prince Giyas Ghaladriel.

Meanwhile, the Brokenfang brothers led a rebellion against Vradash, under the pretense that he and his cousin Zangold had rejected the Old Wisdoms for the Terrans, stoking racial hatred. The dominions erupt into war.

Vradash met Kraul in single combat and slayed him, but Kraud vowed revenge. Lacking the strategic mind of his brother, Kraud aligned himself with the Goblin Markets who enlist the ogre tribes. This proved to be a massive miscalculation. The goblins, left unchecked by Kraud, multiplied, creating hobgoblins and, eventually, gremlins. The gremlins quickly took over Kraud's rebellion.

The goblins formed an alliance with the dark dwarves. In exchange for orcish slaves, the dark dwarves provided the goblins with artillery. Vradash seized on this, forming an alliance, and eventually friendship, with the renegade dwarf of the Mortorhelm Colony, Morgran Burningaxe. This Morgran never lost his sister, rejected his position as heir to his guild, and pursued a career in engineering (new innovations in brewing, shipping, bottling, manufacturing, etc.), while his younger sister Fanma rose to Master of the Brewer's Guild.

Morgran, having no position with Hisen, is asked by Zangold to recruit the dwarves of Doria to join the war effort, and does so. During his travels, he becomes friends with Lussani, who reminds him of the sister he left behind in Hisen.

Morgran and Vradash's alliance pissed off the giants, who saw the elves, dwarves, and other wild fey unifying in Doria as a violation of the old laws. The giants of Doria revolt and begin purging fey.

Foellyen splits in three: Lyssiar, her only daughter General-Princess Lylleanor Lebanor, and the rebellious djinn who seize the opportunity. The giants of Fryllyen ransack the north in a coordinated effort with the Dorian giants. Giyas' father Mammoth-King Giylvas and older brother Gaelaeth are slain and he is imprisoned. Lyssiar summoned the full demon horde to conquer Faellyen for herself, forcing Lylleanor to flee.

In her retreat, Lylleanor learns from Faralnin's oldest friend Sum'di about a weapon powerful enough to stop the demon forces, but she can't wield it. Only the Crying Tree can.

Amidst the horrors of war, life found a way. Despite the biological differences between Terran and fey, Lussani and Fazumar welcome a set of half-elf triplets in the safety of the Haelluriem, far from the reaches of combat.

Faralnin continued to aid the wildwoods, ignoring the plight of Teillyen. The Sulinorians are finally defeated, and the Empire, minus the new giant-controlled north, is unified. Lylleanor begged Faralnin to return to take down her mother as he once took down the Black Sovereign, but he sends Fazumar on a quest to free Giyas from the giants and recover the Rime Egg.

Fazumar, Fulgrun, Thymo, and Lylleanor travel to Fryllyen to free Giyas. Zangold, Vradash, Morgran, and Lussani focus their efforts on resolving the Orcia rebellion. Lussani helps after being promoted to Voice of Amerra and told she must unite the orcs and terrans once and for all. To keep them safe, her young half-elf children are raised by Lussani's twin brother Lowell, a hunter personally trained by Fulgrun, and her parents on Esson.

Meanwhile, the gnomes, concerned with the goblins' economic expansion, form a secret alliance with the dark dwarves and the banking dwarves. The dark dwarves betray the goblins, executing all hobgoblins and bugbears, enslaving the gremlins and ogres, and abandoning the goblins to Vradash's forces.

The banking clan arranges for gremlins, an extremely rare form of goblin, to be sold to all the dwarves holds as a sign of peace between the holds. This was also suggested by the gnomes as "good business." However, it was corporate sabotage. The dwarves, who had been enslaving ogres for centuries and even treating freed ogres as no better than slaves, disestablished the influence the gremlins had on the ogres of the hold. The Orcia ogre were the first to rebel, slaughtering the entire island nation. Soon, the hold ogres were inspired to do the same.

Hisen fell after three weeks. The Emperor elected to flood the holds rather than surrender it. Fanma was one of the few noble survivors who fled to Esson, which, thanks to the tireless efforts of Pirate Prince Cora Marthaine-Sirdach many years earlier, forbid all forms of the slave trade.

Without economic rivals, the gnomes moved to Phase Two of the business plan: Expansion. Their navy invaded the Goblin Markets and the Dwarven Holds, as well as making strong arm "partnerships" with the djinn who were struggling against the demon forces of Foellyen. Once established, the gnomes began their embargo of Esson. Having remained outside of the wars, the Free Fleet is now called into this global chaos.

The otherwise isolationist chaos dwarves are now united with the survivor dwarves led by Fanma, ready to fight at a moment's notice. This splits the Orcian coalition, Morgran and Lussani joining the Essonian war effort against Gnomeregan.

Vradash finally accepts Kraud's challenge, but Kraud, now advised by gnomes, argue that because Vradash is no longer an orc, he can no longer hold the title of dhaal'ghan. Vradash accepts this logic, and relinquishess his title. Zangold immediately challenges Kraud, kills him, and formally unites Doria and Orcia. Zangold reveals Lussani suggested the idea before she departed.

As Morgran, Fanma, and Lussani slowly liberate the Dwarven Holds, Morgran develops a fascination with gnomish tech, alienating Fanma.

Fanma formed an alliance with the rattus of the warrens beneath the Holds, but Lussani's fears prevent her from approving of this alliance. She returned to Esson to focus on the embargo effort, and to be closer to her ten-year old children.

The Faellyen forces successfully liberate Giyas and recover the Rime Egg, a powerful artifact capable of summoning and controlling dragons. They use the egg to defeat the giants. This summons the golden dragon, furious that elves are using the eggs once again. Fazumar tells the Gold Dragon that the demons are invading, something the dragons have sworn to prevent.

The dragons are going to war! Giyas destroys the Rime Egg as a sign of good will between fey and dragon. However, Lyssiar obtained the Ashen Egg, summoning red dragons to bolster her demonic army and burned the forest of Faellyen.

Fazumar realized that only by fulfilling the prophecy of the Crying Tree can he save his people. He, Sum'di, and Fulgrun make their way to the Golden Orchard while Giyas, Thymo, and Lylleanor hold off the demons. Fazumar opens and restores the Golden Orchard. The elves of Foellyen abandon Demon-Queen Lyssiar, and Lylleanor kills her. The demon hordes prove too massive to be defeated even by the united force of the elven empire. In the heart of the Orchard, Fazumar discovers the Egg of the Beast of Ten Thousand Maws, and realized that it, like the other eggs, controlled dragons. The Egg of Ten Thousand Maws, however, controlled *all* dragons. Rather than use it, Fazumar destroyed the egg. The unleashed draconic power fused with his druidic powers and he gained a Golden draconic form.

Finally atoning for the sin of the fey, the other eggs shatter. The red dragons are freed. The Gold Dragon Laur joined with Fazumar and the two gold dragons take on the demon lord in the burning heart of Faellyen. The other dragons, now united, use their magic to cast a massive banishing spell. The demonic horde is cast back to the Abyss, but at the cost of all the dragons. Fazumar uses the last of the dragon magic to rejoin and heal the broken elven continent.

Now united, Fazumar is crowned Emperor of Teillyen. He immediately called for the imperial navy to bolster Esson, where his wife and children resided, and blockade the gnomes. The wild fey, having no more reason to be in exile, leave Doria for Teillyen. The giants ceased their revolt and surrendered to the Empire.

Fanma led the underground assault while Morgran disabled the gnome sky navy. The Free Fleet, along with the Elven armada, raided Gnomeregan and, after two days, the Chamber of Commerce offered unconditional surrender. Fanma was named Diamond Empress by the surviving nobles of the Dwarven Holds, and she in turn swore fealty to Fazumar, ending the animosity between elves and dwarves. Fazumar and Faralnin used their combined might to raise the shattered and drowned dwarven continent.

Morgran was named governor of Gnomeregan to oversee their peaceful submission to the New Fey Alliance. He combined the goblin, gnome, dwarven, elven, orcish, and terran tech he had collected over the course of the war to build the super computer known as the Source.

### A Time of Peace

After many many many long decades, the wars were finally over. Lussani and Fazumar are, at long last, reunited. Fazumar appointed his father as steward of the Golden Orchard while he retired to a small seaside cottage with Lussani. By this point, their children were in their twenties, and possessed with an adventurous spirit to explore the world their parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles had just united.

[A lot of bad shit happens here]

### The Tragedy of Blood

Khebenhotep bolstered his army with as many Sirdachs as he could from across Doria. Their blood made them inherently more loyal once turned. His sway was far more compelling over them than his previous attempts at the Deathless: a final gift from his beloved.

The only Sirdach that could not be turned, thanks to aberrant possession during his journey to Daellyen years before, was Doyle. This did not, unfortunately, grant him immunity to his ancestor's sway. After suffering the loss of his wife, Doyle's son Lowell came knocking, only to discover the taint within Doyle that prevented his transformation. Since Doyle's loyalty could not be guaranteed, Khebenhotep ordered Lowell to kill his father. Before the death blow could fall, Doyle appealed to whatever scraps remained of Lowell's empathy and asked to be brought before Khebenhotep personally.

In a dark bargain, Doyle willingly offered his expertise in finding the nodes of the Titan's Hand if Khebenhotep in exchange for Cora's resurrection.

> *"I've damned myself, my family, and my wife... I'm a coward."*
>
>

> *"There is no cowardice in love, Doyle. Our bloodline's capacity to love is our greatest strength, my son. You honor your family. You honor your wife. And you give yourself glorious purpose. That is strength beyond imagination."*
>
>

But dark bargains often have dark consequences. Khebenhotep doesn't raise Cora as a vampire. Instead, he raises her a ghoul. Bound to his will and her newfound insane hunger. A monstrous shell of herself. A broken slave. This twisted transformation wreaks havoc on Doyle's sanity.
Unable to bear the torment he'd wrought upon himself and the world, Doyle went his son-in-law and handed over all the research into the Titan's Hand that he'd gathered, knowing full well the consequences of this act meant a certain and painful death. Fazumar offered to bring Doyle with him to the next reality, but Doyle refused. His sacrifice would buy Fazumar and his companions the time they needed to find and use the Hand. Not only that, his death would be penance for his selfishness.

> *"If I can offer one last bit of fatherly advice. We all have to pay for our choices, Fazumar. Remember that, if you succeed. There is always a price."*
>
>

As predicted, Lowell showed up on Doyle's doorstep, and this time Lussani and her three children joined him. Doyle did not try to flee from fate; however, he still didn't believe Lowell had it in him to kill his own father, his own blood. "You're right, Dad. But I won't stop her." Lowell shatters the chains of his ghoulish mother and commands her to feast on her husband while their children and grandchildren watched. In his final act while being torn apart, Doyle sang a song of divine healing, immolating them both.