Lore
Lore
"Haelar" is a battle cry or rallying call used among soldiers. It's derived from an ancient tongue, symbolizing courage, victory, and solidarity. The term embodies the spirit of facing adversities head-on and the unbreakable bond among comrades-in-arms. It's a word that encapsulates the essence of heroism and determination, rallying troops with a single, powerful exclamation that unites them under a common cause. Its use signifies a deep-rooted tradition of valor and unity, evoking a sense of invincibility and collective strength in the heat of battle.
The Shadow War was a conflict between the demigods Heolstor(Darkness), Agni(Fire), and Nesar(Sun) over the love of Fotina(Whimsy). Heolstor and Nesar beings of opposite domains clashed violently over the love triangle and waged war in Northern Azopeth focused mainly in the regions of Bristan and Shadowfen.
Heolstor pulled horrors from the plane of shadow into the material world, and recruited the wild Fenfolk to wage war. The rifts he created still scar the material plane and many of the creatures he brought forth had their own agendas. Heolstor also recruited his brother Agni to aid him from the plane of fire but he proved too unpredictable and violent even for Heolstor. He was forced to imprison Agni in a tomb without air.
Nesar called upon the people of the Bristan and the Elves of Feyhorn to fight by his side versus the forces of darkness and evil. Many, including the rulers of House Bristan never knew the true cause of the war was a lovers quarrel and fought instead to save their lands from the invading horrors.
During the alliance between Bristan and Feyhorn many half-elf children were sired by the elven warriors who spent years on the mainland doing battle. The Human mates of the elves were not allowed to return to Feyhorn when the war ended and many of the elves returned to their home. Several generations later there are still many mixed blood half-elves in the territory. The same is true of the creatures from the planes of shadow who produced tiefling offspring in their wake of rape and destruction. May of those tieflings fled to Erien where they have settled to escape persecution.
The war raged on across the lands of Bristan for nearly a decade until Fotina’s supposed death. It is rumored that she faked her death to end the war and is in hiding. Heolstor retreated through the rifts he created in Shadowfen after Fotina’s supposed death, leaving behind many shadow creatures. Many of these creatures took advantage of the chaos to get a foothold on the material world. Nesar racked with guilt over all the death, and destruction being for nothing after hearing of Fotina’s demise exiled himself to the slopes of Yael in search of redemption.
With the demigods absent the war continued with a collective of Vampires leading the forces of shadow against what remained of the Combined forces of Bristan and Feyhorn. House Bristan fought until the very last man, woman, and child of their bloodline lay dead on the stone floors of Fortress Triton where they made their last stand. With Heolstor gone and Agni imprisoned the Shadow forces were unable to replenish their ranks when Bradforth joined the fight. In the end the combined forces of the people of the land drove the shadows from the land, leaving Bristan in ruins.
The Sunken Roads, an ancient network of caves and tunnels that weave beneath the planet's surface, serve as a testament to a bygone era of interconnectedness and exploration. Stretching across continents and under seas, these passageways offered a unique means of circumventing the world's most treacherous terrain, granting merchants, adventurers, and explorers alike a safer passage through mountains, beneath oceans, and across vast, uncharted lands.
Yet, as centuries passed, the once bustling subterranean routes have grown silent, their secrets and shortcuts largely forgotten by the surface world. While key segments near mountain ranges still see the occasional caravan or daring traveler seeking to bypass the impassable above, much of the Sunken Roads network has fallen into disuse, reclaimed by darkness and mystery.
Adventurers who dare to explore these depths find themselves walking paths that connect not just places, but times; the roads are lined with relics of past travelers, abandoned outposts, and echoes of ancient civilizations that once thrived in these hidden depths. However, the deeper one ventures, the more perilous the journey becomes. The forgotten routes of the Sunken Roads stretch perilously close to the Underdark, inviting both the curious and the brave to uncover the wonders and horrors that lie just beneath the surface of the world.
The Demigod Agni is defeated by Da’Wain the Hero of Bristan who sacrifices himself to achieve victory. With Agni gone his elemental servants are banished from the material plane almost instantaneously. Small groups of his loyal humanoid followers retreat underground and await the day of his return.
In the wake of Agni’s brief return, and with the resulting deaths of several council members, the elders of Keld and Ormskirk both bide for control over the territory of Bristan. Unable to come to an accord Bristan deteriorates into civil war resulting in many deaths on both sides. Many who disagreed with the war have fled through the Red Pass or to Bradforth in the south. It is two years before a shaky peace is reached that officially splits the territory of Bristan along the Awena Beck into the two separate kingdoms, of Keldonia and Orm.