Dath

The Grey Wastes of Dath, once known as Dathenay, was once the homeland of the Kinnara before being destroyed by the Invaders.

## The Grey Wastes

Dath was the first arrival point, and eventual staging grounds, of the Invaders. Whatever peoples originally dwelt here have been erased from history. The place is now a twisted, desolate landscape whose sky is often dark and full of violet lightning. Undead horrors and other abominations seem to be a ‘natural’ occurrence, and broken shards of Invader constructs radiate their corruptive influence

There are, remarkably, people who inhabit this dreadful place. They consist mostly of Humans who dot the coasts and mountains where they can find food. Many are nomadic in nature and possess strange traditions and methods. Rogue Demons and even some intelligent undead find their ways into these tribes.

The true ruler of the land however, is the Nightmother, an ancient entity of great power that has manipulated the world for eons. Her agents are the elusive and deadly Nightsisters and Nightbrothers.

## History

Dath was originally the home of the Kinnara. Their civilization existed for untold millennia before being nearly wiped from history by the Invaders. Very little of the civilization remains in Dath.

After the defeat of the Invaders, Dath became the new home of Humanity, however due to harsh conditions, most moved to Xhalandar, Xiang Feng, or sailed out across the seas. Those straggles who strayed buried the wrecks of their former masters' ships to protect themselves from their dark influences, and worshiped strange and alien Gods. It is not clear when the Nightmother asserted control of the region.

For millennia Dath remained a splintered and uncivilized land, but this all changed with Atrias. As a young man, Atrias was simply one of the many tribal leaders common to the ravaged wastes of Dath. He quickly distinguished himself as being one of the boldest of his kind, conquering neighboring tribes and forging alliances at the point of his greatsword. Dathians began to believe that he would become a truly great leader and expand their land beyond its traditional borders, even stirring Xhalandar to bolster its armies.

This changed when he declared that the Onyx Mount would be his capital in 878/3. There he allied himself with the reclusive members of the Seekers and sought to exploit the technological secrets of the Onyx Mount. His personality soon shifted and he renamed himself the Black Sovereign. He lost all desire for conquest and became taciturn and sullen, lusting only for sexual gratification.

His reign would come to an end when the being known as Unity awoke. An immense Enslaved Intelligence of the Invaders, Unity had found a loophole into divinity and sought to control the world. It was only through the actions of brave adventurers, and Vorvadoss, that Unity was defeated. The Onyx Mount, formed over the great command vessel that had housed Unity, had been torn assunder, along with much of Atrias' capitol. Atrias and the Seekers, having been complicit with Unity's awakening, were stamped out of existence.

Despite this, the idea of a unified Dath had taken heart in its people, however this would only lead to Dath dividing itself in bloody clan wars for centuries. Why the Nightmother let this go on is a mystery, though some theorize it was done to try and see if it would breed a worthy leader.

By the time Harikiran the Great marched on Dath, only three major factions remained, two falling before the great warlord's might, while the remaining king of the Onyx Mount managed to hold him off for years. Ahmed Thrakul would eventually make peace with both him and the Nightmother.

After the disappearance of Ahmed, Dath remains one of the few foreign lands seemingly not fighting over whether to stay in the Empire, even sending Nightbrothers to assist in defending Muhar's hold on the Empire. As always however, many question Dath's true motives.

## Notable Locations

### Masyaf

The mysterious home of the Nighmother and her 'children' the Nightsisters and Nightbrothers. Its actual location is unknown, though is believed to be located somewhere in its northern regions.

### Onyx Mount

The Onyx Mount is the largest mountain in Dath and has served as the home of the closest thing to a 'capitol' since the days of Atrias. After the emergence of Unity, the Onyx Mount came to resemble a large caldera, coming to also be known as the "Shattered Mountain". The fortress city of Madina is nestled along its south-eastern slope.

### Scrapwall

A hive of scum and villainy. It is effectively a giant pile of ruined Invader vessels and warmachines, inhabited by some of the worst people Castores has to offer.

### Shaeila

Known as the 'torch', this town is built around a mountain formed upon of an Invader vessel. The damaged vessel continuously releases dimensional radiation in a beam high into the sky. This plume of unnatural flame is used to melt all sorts of metals by its inhabitants, and can even be used to create unique exotic materials.

## Trivia

* Dath, along with the Nightsisters, are inspired by Dathomir from Star Wars.
* Masyaf in actual history was the home of the Hashshashin.
* Originally the Forest of Steel in Jhanin was the Invaders' arrival point, however was moved as to not put all focus on the western continents. This changed somewhere late in Gen1 and was made official in Gen2.