LORE

Lands of Glory is heavily based on the backstories and lore of the geography and characters, written by hand by our amazing staff and community members! We highly recommend you read them to get a sense of what is going on.

The Years of Dawn - 30,000 Solar Years

The Years of Dawn is the first time period that has validated recordings in history archives. Times before this period are often explained differently depending on religion. At the beginning of this period, writings and recordings transitioned from cave etches to paper and pigment, but some sources were collected from stone tablets. The beginning of the Years of Dawn started with the Rising of Ahor.

1 YD - The first year of this period was marked by the Rising of Ahor, which was caused by an underwater explosion by a Magma Tunnel (volcano). Evidence was primarily from personal writings of sailors at the time, documentations of geography, as well as examination of the lava still present on the island of Ahor. Ahor was the second major island to exist in the area of mainland Apheria, with Tundol being the first, and Canyon Island the third as a result of plate shifting.

~1-10000 YD - The first millenia of the Years of Dawn included a variety of events, including the arrival of the horsemen Etharii from the far east, as well as the coming of the Woodsmen, ancestors of the Elder Men, from the far south. The Etharii occupied the region now known as Distant Etharius, as well as Nordis. The spikes of Ilicia blocked the Etharii's expedition into the west, but unbeknownst to them, a clear plains existed just south of Ilicia that allowed passage into the western blocks. These Etharii split into two "tribes": The Ik'Shavar and The Oru'kahir. Both had leaders "Borohgis" known as Aldir and Wen'qui Alshab. Historians believe that these two tribes were split based on religion- the Ik'Shavar believed in The Good Lamb, or Biri Jaldo'makai. The Oru'kahir were composed of two minor groups: The Tiliedor and The Ak'admi, who believed in The Fertile Maiden and The War God (Iyu Bolir'yi and Volu Bilir), respectively. These peoples were monotheistic. Aldir led the Ik'Shavar into Nordis, where many died but a few survived. Their traditions strayed farther away from the Etharii's, and ultimately they cut off all relations from the horsemen. However, Wen'qui Alshab, who later took the name Aru Akai, decided to stay away from the snowy north and instead inhabit the much more temperate Distant Etharius. The Fertile Maiden and the War God eventually fused into one, polytheistic religion known as Diri. In the same time, the Woodsmen came from the far south, where the wastes of death lie. The Woodsmen, having lived in extremely tedious conditions, thrived in the south at their capital of Nobir, which was later renamed Arkenfalls (referencing the fall of Arken, the greatest city of all time that existed after Nobir). These Woodsmen, while being axe-happy, also respected trees when wood was not scarce. They didn't have a religion, but they believed trees lived in the Blooming Days (spring), and died in the Wintry Days (winter), and so they always collected lumber in the winter. They also were the first of the civilizations to discover seeds and their uses, and so many were planted in this area. Some of the Woodsmen built boats and sailed across the Serpent Channel to arrive at Heimadris, where they eventually developed the second kingdom of Woodsmen named Siidar. Some historians, however, debate the validity of this story, believing the actual landing place of the Woodsmen voyagers to be at the Aranads. So, both versions of the story are told to this day.

~10000-20000 YD - This period in the Years of Dawn was known as The Creation Days, for previously the lands of Apheria were much different. Due to some natural calamity, the West Isles were formed near the shore of the Turas Highlands. What is believed to be an earthquake caused a crack to form that stretched into the heart of Apheria, which led to various water deposits into Aiar, the informal region that many call the area in between the others. Later, water deposits would become so great that a river and lake would form. The last major geographical change was the Ladder of Apheria, a chain of islands that, if you navigated correctly, connected mainland Apheria to Tundol. These islands eventually "drifted" and merged into one of the two, which is why it does not exist in the present day. Though the Etharii were content in their place, many of the Woodsmen followed their ancestor kin and sailed across the Serpent Channel to Heimadris and the Aranads. The Aranads were important because of the amounts of precious resource. They established a third kingdom of Woodsmen there, naming their city Alsig.

~20000-30000 YD - The Etharii and the Woodsmen have settled for thousands of years at this point, and have developed great cities with amazing technology. Interestingly, the Etharii never passed Ilicia, and would forever stay in northeast Apheria. It was in this time frame when Elves sailed to Tyrerock and established a stronghold there, not knowing of the vast land that was just east of it. Tyrerock would become home to the elves of Doublax, whom most historians call the greatest civilization that has ever existed. The Elves brung their technological advancements, including wells, marble architecture, and swords. These Elves are believed to be the legendary Kiradesh elves, who traveled from the west in hopes of finding new land in a time of great war. The swords they brought were not of common iron found in Apheria, but rather Doublaxian Steel, an alloy of another medium called Doublaxian Caeloid. This type of steel is extremely durable, being virtually unbreakable, which allows a smith to sharpen to edge until it can cut through another Doublaxian Sword. Doublaxian Steel was used only for fighting weapons by the elves, and the Caeloid version was used for other purposes. Eventually, the elves found mainland Apheria, and after a time of expedition, found the Woodsmen of the Aranads. The elves came in peace and showed the Woodsmen the new weapons. The Woodsmen decided to buy the weapons with gold, a commodity that the Woodsmen (and surprisingly, the elves) valued. The Doublaxian Sword trade soon became dominant between the elves and Woodsmen, and all swords in Apheria were made of Doublaxian Steel. The Years of Dawn is commonly known as a time of peace, but one great war marked the ending of this time period. The First Great War of Apheria started over Dorus, a precious metal hoarded by many. There were three sides in this battle, with the Woodsmen in the south, the Ik'shavar or the White Peoples in the north, and the Kiradesh elves in the west. The Woodsmen allied with the Elves in this war, and with superior technology, decisively won the war and pushed the White Peoples north. Elves got the most of the war, having secured their position as a power in Apheria.

The Years of Kings - 17,000 Solar Years

In the Years of Kings, many kingdoms finally establish proper rulers with almost limitless power. These kings would rule land and take charge in times of war. And there was a lot of war. This period also saw further expansion of the peoples into the center of Apheria, which boosted resources of certain civilizations.

~1-6000 YK - This period saw a complete change in how civilizations governed themselves. Monarchs were given almost limitless power and was held responsible for anything that happened. In Siidar and Nobir, two kings were in rule of their territory. The first two kings, respectively, were Aiakai and Arrel, brothers and sons of Ishi, the last Chief of the Woodsmen. They ruled in harmony and built great temples, and set the "Aiarrel Emerald" as the standard currency in the land. The following kings in this period were also of the House of Ilear, also known as the fairest of the houses. In the Aranads, the Woodsmen built another minor city called Adiven, the city a mountain range was named after. However, a revolt in Adiven occured in the earlier millenia by a group of Woodsmen known as Ik'shan Handir, literally meaning "king killers." These Woodsmen caused a major civil war in the area and required the attention of Holdi the Great, a benevolent and powerful ruler of Nobir. Eriabier, a primary leader of the Ik'shan Handir, was killed and the second-in-command Ceciliar surrendered and oversaw the Treaty of Holdi, one of the first historically-recognized treaties ever written. The treaty allowed the people of Adiven to live with a democratic government, with three elected leaders to rule in the kingdom. These three rulers were the Osi, Beri, and Tori, which literally translates to "one", "two", and "three". Though they were still considered a Woodsmen stronghold, the relationship between Adiven and the other two kingdoms weakened greatly, which will be important later on.

~6000-12000 YK - Historians call this time frame The Blank Period, because not many great events occurred at this time. However, one great feat during this period is The Great Alliance, which united all races of Apheria. This alliance allowed for further friendly trading between the lands. The method of forging was taught to the men by the elves and allowed for the forging of weapons of man, including Battleaxes and Longswords.