Lore

The Imarel Timeline - by T.A. Saunders ©2009 v1.5
Updates by S. Robles, B. Kellestine, D. Schneider.

The Reverent Crusade - The Human and Shei Exodus to Imarel

4998 BF - At the beginning of the year, the half-Shei ranger Alastria and her dwarven compatriot Benjak begin their revolt against the newly crowned Kingdom of Xos. Starting near modern-day Bashar as a poorly armed peasant’s revolt, Alastria and Benjak come to command an army of thousands of peasants, disenchanted knights, clergy, refugees, and religious seekers. The rag-tag army found divine favor as they cut across the Kingdom of Xos and attracted tens of thousands to their banner. The conflict is named the Reverent Crusade. It is said that the final confrontation was near the city of Cairyn, where Alastria used her legendary bow Aurs-Uena to slay the last remaining member of the Sengaardian dynasty, Prince Kalek Zuul, who had aided Khavos in his bid for power. For this reason, the battle came to be known as the Refutation of Cairyn.

4996 BF - Alastria, Benjak, and the refugees land on a previously undiscovered continent. They dedicate the continent in the names of Jadaia and Hiron and name the continent ‘Palanthia’, meaning ‘Pious Land’. They adopt the name Palathians, which means ‘Pious Ones’ or ‘The Reverent’.

Benjak founded the city of Mendas near where the refugees landed, while Alastria takes half of the healthiest survivors and settles them along the southern and eastern coasts of Palanthia, founding Morthandal, Deepwater Quay, and Kryss. After these cities have been established, Benjak and Alastria meet in Morthandal with the heads of religious orders from each city. In what comes to be known as the Conclave of the Pious, Benjak and Alastria guide the religious orders in laying down the principles for their new society. The churches of Kaal, Zorah, Jadaia, Hiron, and Trentarius agree to jointly rule the burgeoning society. Benjak is elevated to the position of Immaculate of Hiron at the Conclave.

At this time, the Palathians enter into a protracted conflict with the Moul, which will last until the Palanthians fully settle the land. Palathians try and fail to colonize Fogfall Island. Their failure is due to the presence of Yirok, and the island quickly gains a reputation for being cursed.

4985 BF - Benjak is assassinated by Xosian operatives under direct orders from the Kingdom of Xos’ leadership. Palathians are distraught and declare the day to be a national day of mourning. After the death of Benjak, Alastria retires from public life and leads a small group of settlers into the center of the continent.

4982 BF - Alastria founded the city of Halia and remains there until she dies of old age later that year. Alastria’s daughter, Xih`Ihlia, a Witch of Zorah, leads groups of settlers further north and Palathians settle the area over the next two hundred years, founding cities throughout the continent and eventually putting an end to Moul society.

4520 BF – After several hundred years of cooling relations between the Kingdom of Xos, the Dwarvish Clans and the Elvish Greatlands, Khavos and his undead legions are ready now to march upon Am-Shei. Secretly amongst the vampire usurpers are Ko'rashae Ri and her first progeny, the Half Elf rogue Nevi'sasha Stormwillow. Working chaos from within Am-Shei, Ko (who was acting as an adviser to the Prince) suggests to meet the undead armies head on, while falsifying the exact size of the armies of Xos. The unending swarms of undead, Human and vampire alike sweep through the Sivanoshei army like a tidal wave, claiming those they kill into their ranks. This begins the war known as the Great Sundering.

4499 BF – The city of Am-Shei is under siege by the forces of Xos. The Dwarves hole up in the mountains and prepare to fight the Xosians on their own terms, abandoning the Elves to their fate for foolishly allowing Humans to learn magic. The Prince of Am-Shei orders an evacuation of the city, through a permanent sorcerous portal constructed to explore Imarel on the suggestion of Ko, who begins to have her own designs for power. Much of the population flees through the portal, leaving the Prince and the city's most skilled druids, warriors and magi to face Khavos himself and his undead armies. It is at this battle that the Prince calls forth Zorah herself to strike down Khavos. Zorah strips Khavos of his connection to the Abyss, essentially stranding him on the mortal plane but the price of this is the Prince, also an immortal must leave Ishaela forever to satisfy the Cosmic Balance.

4497 BF – Am-Shei is secured by means of a great wall built around the kingdom by the Dwarves who have been given a divine task by their patron, Kaal, to forever keep the Humans and the Elves apart, on pain of death. The Xosian Empire grows like a cancerous blight across Ishaela, leaving Am-Shei surrounded on all sides by darkness but safe for the time being. Meanwhile the Elves and Human refugees from the Kingdom of Xos, attempting to escape through the Shivanoshei’s World Gate, encounter the Shar'Vaire for the first time, and a tentative peace is struck. The Xalayi, upon hearing about Khavos’ coup and the fate of Sengaard, cut off all contact with the other races of Ishaela. Ko and Nevi are amongst those who escaped Ishaela and quietly begin to hatch their own plans.