The Fall of Dewan

Chapter 1The Briefest of Brief Histories

Are you ready for a story? A story of war? A story of what is lost and what is found following tragedy? A story of truths, lies, and whatever it is that lay in between? If this is what you seek, look no further. I, Leo, a traveling storyteller have spent years collecting tales from all over the land so that I could accurately tell this story.

But first, in order to tell this story properly I must set the stage. This tale takes place in the realm of Phiokettora (fie-ket-torra), a land surrounded by water, home to nearly 10,000 inhabitants. Little is known about the creation of the land or how its inhabitants came to be (there are many theories and ideas but we will not be getting into those now as those are not the point of this story). Its population is made up of six races of beings : humans, elves, giants, dwarves, half-breeds and mages. To put it simply, these races do not like each other. Elves live with elves, giants with giants, dwarves with dwarfs and humans with humans.

Mages are not technically a race. They are a blessed few who were born with the power of magic. It seems that the magic is typically passed through a bloodline but occasionally a mage will pop up with no familiar connections to any previous mage. There are not many of them, but they are often revered as powerful beings- treated with respect and admiration. While a mage has never been a king or queen, many have sat on royal courts offering council to rulers.

The giants formed a kingdom in the southern mountains which became known as The Obsidian Reach. This land is far less inhabitable than that of the other kingdoms due to the harsh elements typically associated with the mountains. Therefore the giants primarily reside in five major cities spread throughout the mountain range. Winters proved to be brutal in the mountains but this was not a problem for the giants- who are thick skinned and tough as nails. Giants are thickly built, typically averaging about 9-12 ft tall (although rumors in other kingdoms often lead people to think of them as larger), and able to easily lift double their body weight. They have arguably the smallest of kingdoms (both in population, which is 1,500 and amount of land) but are known to be some of the most fearsome fighters in all the realm.

Elves formed the kingdom of Etherian (eth-er-en). Etherain was often referred to as the Kingdom in the Trees. Elves are known for their slim beautiful features and frankly pompous attitudes. With an average life span of 200 years and the face of a beautiful twenty five year old their egos are known to get slightly inflated. Vast forests cover the lands, which is ideal for the elves who pride themselves on their connection to nature. While their royal castle is in the center of the kingdom, there are nearly fifty small towns and villages spread throughout the rest of the land which is triple the size of The Obsidian Reach. Their total population was between 4,000 - 4,500. Archery is a special skill and they are quick on their feet in a fight. Early on elves found that they had the largest population of mages in comparison to the other races. Averaging nearly one hundred mages every hundred years, which is more than double all of the other kingdoms combined.

Dwarfs settled in the hilly plains of the north which they named Gaulde (Ga-ald). They have a loud sense of humor and split their time between farming their lands and perfecting the perfect ale. Short and stocky, typically measuring around 4 1/2 ft, they may appear harmless but will quickly kick one in the balls if felt they feel threatened or attacked. Kicking is far from their only skill, they are very skilled fighters and intelligent builders. Many of their homes were built underground as a way to escape the heat that plagues the plains on a sunny summer day. The dwarfs were among the first to develop an irrigation system and it was far more advanced than what any other race would develop for years to come. They have a population of around 2,000 who are dispersed sporadically throughout the land with only one major city where the royal castle was built.

The human population, larger than all the other races, created two kingdoms. Almoria located in the center of the realm and Caba which was the most western kingdom. Collectively their population began at 6,500 but dropped to 5,000 due to constant fighting for land and power. Behind the elves, humans have the second largest amount of mages. The treatment of mages has become one of the largest distinctions between the two human kingdoms. Unlike the other races and Caba, Almorians view mages as a weapon rather than royalty. They see a mage's abilities as a way feed their greed which has led to many mages hiding their gifts or fleeing to other kingdoms.

The last of the kingdoms in Phiokettora is called Terterra. This is the land of the halfbreeds. Half breeds are any being that possesses traits of more than one race. This is typically caused by a drunken hook up between a man and a women of different races. Viewed as abominations, these beings, and their families, were kicked out of their homes and exiled. This kingdom developed much slower than the others but has always been much more open to other races- most likely due to the uniqueness of it's original inhabitants. While it began as a home for only half breeds it has welcomed many wanders, travelers and others who (for some reason or another) no longer felt welcomed in their own kingdom. Known for its variety of music, food and culture it is something of a melting pot in the realm. The other kingdoms looked down at Terterra, often referring to it as the Kingdom of Misfits. Its odd shape caused many difficulties when it was first being settled in but allowed for flourishing ports later on. We won't go too far into Terterra now, as it becomes very important later in the story and I don't wish to ruin any of the surprise.

So that is it. That is the briefest history of our wonderful land of Phiokettora and all of its basic geography ever told. There will be far more detail later, but I didn't wish to bore you too early in the story. The story can officially begin now, nearly 300 years after the realm was originally settled in. Be forewarned, in the beginning this story will move quickly as we have much to cover. Please feel free to consult the map below to so you can fully understand the layout of the land.