Aericsteele’s D&D 5e RPG Main Thread SRD
It is important that the players keep in mind that the following information is what would be considered "common knowledge" or knowledge that the characters have attained during their adventures and as such may be accurate, partially accurate, or entirely inaccurate.
The Empire of Asendar: A human dominated empire that consists of several provinces, each with fairly distinct cultural practices. Ultimately similar to the Roman Empire, at least in terms of its fairly large geographical and cultural diversity since it is made up of various cultures that have been either conquered or annexed into the Empire.
The Empire of Asendar is the most powerful political and economic entity in the known world, and has been for the past one hundred years or so. Its meteoric rise began nearly one thousand years ago as one of the first human city states to be established in the Varhull Penisula. Prior to its foundation most humans were nomadic hunter/gatherers often displaced by the elder races like Elves and Dwarves, but with the invention of farming and rudimentary irrigation humanity dug its first roots into the world.
Mankinds creativity, ingenuity and versatility quickly allowed the upstart species to expand its territory and influence. Within a span of merely three human generations the city state of Asendar had come to dominate the entire peninsula and other settlements were beginning to crop up which necessitated the evolution of government into a feudal structure and the Kingdom of Asendar was born.
The elves of the nearby E'ranlean Forest were the first to come into conflict with this young species as human expansion continued largely unabated. The elves approached these newcomers with cautious curiosity and initially it seemed that the two races would be able to coexist peacefully. Human ambition, however, would not permit a lasting peace.
The E'ranlean were a generally peaceful people with long life spans that had a tendency to take the edge off of any sense of urgency when it came to dealing with mankind. The elves largely kept to themselves and even as human beings began to encroach upon the forest seeking its abundant resources the E'ranlean did not recognize the threat. The elves capitulated more and more land to Asendar, not through any formal negotiation, but merely through a general migration of the people from the borders of the forest deeper into its center, generally attempting to avoid contact with mankind.
Human expansion continued and drove deeper and deeper into the forest until at long last the elves determined that a line had to be drawn. The E'ranlean Queen sent a delegation to the nearest human settlement in the hopes of brokering some form of agreement. It is unclear as to exactly what transpired on that fateful day but what is known is that the entire delegation was put to the sword.
The elves finally struck back and with the largest force that they could muster, they drove back the humans, slaughtering all those in their path. Unprepared for the attack, the meager Asendar frontier defenses crumbled and within the span of only a year and a half most of the E'ranlean forest was back under the control of the elves.
Retaliation from Asendar was brutal, however, and soon enough Asendar sent a massive army in response. The E'ranlean had dealt with orcs in the past and were prepared to meet the Asendar armies as they would an orc horde. They didnt account for humanities intelligence, ingenuity and adaptability. Orcs fought in a pretty straight forward manner by attempting to overwhelm their foes with numbers and brutality. Humans learned to adapt to the tactics of their enemies.
The first major battle occurred near the edge of the E'ranlean forest, now known as The Battle of the Blazing Forest. The initial Asendar assault was easily repulsed by elven archers who used the trees to their advantage. Seeing this, however, Asendar generals brought forth their well trained and disciplined Battle Mages to set fire to the treeline using bursts of fireballs along with fiery catapults.
Elven druids and sorcerers were eventually able to douse the flames, but Asendar forces followed up with an intense offensive that broke the Elven lines. E'ranlean forces never fully recovered from that initial devastating loss and spent the next five years in steady retreat from the Asendar advance.
The Asendar armies eventually pushed the elves back to their capital city where the Queen of E'ranlean surrendered under the threat of genocide. The lead general of the Asendar Armies, Fehman Dussa, was granted dominion over the lands that he had conquered and the land of the Elves became one of the Empire's first provinces. The capital city of the elves was renamed Dussa in honor of their new Provincial Governor, now Duke Fehman Dussa and with the renaming the Empire of Adendar was officially born.
To ensure the elves could never coalesce into a unified force in the future the Emperor of Asendar ordered that all elves be rounded up and scattered throughout the Empire. The elves would be moved to alienages on the outskirts of Asendar cities and used as slave labor and servants
The first Emperor, Mcheal MacIain, died twenty years after the founding of the empire (Year 20 of the Asendar Calendar) but not before expanding the borders of the Empire even further and establishing other Provinces through conquest of various orc and goblin tribes to the north and west of the capital, annexing a small halfling kingdom and forming colonies among the islands located south of the mainland
It was in the year 24 A.C. that the borders of Asendar expanded to meet with the northern mountain range called The Spine. The various dwarven kingdoms that made up the mountain range had already heard of the humans and their warlike tendencies and any human settlements that attempted to establish themselves within the mountains were quickly razed by the mountain dwarves.
Seeking to follow in the glorious footsteps of his father, Emperor MacIain II launched an offensive against the dwarven kingdoms that would end in abysmal failure. Asendar forces would manage to establish a small foothold in the mountains, what is today called Falkerstone Keep, but the humans found mountain and underground warfare to be far more complicated and dangerous than fighting elves in the forest. The War of the Spine would last until MacIain IIs death in 47 A.C. when his own son, Michael III would finally sue for peace and end the conflict.
Asendar encountered the Elven Kingdom of Inveatheas around the year 40 A.C. while still fighting the Dwarves in the Spine. Though the Dwarves of the Spine and the Elves of Inveatheas were traditionally enemies the Elves would refuse to aid the humans in any way after hearing of what became of their cousins in the E'ranlean. Aside from a few border skirmishes the elves of Inveatheas and the humans of Asendar have maintained a tense peace for almost two centuries.
Michael IIIs reign was one of great cultural and economic growth and many scholars identify his reign as one of the Empires golden ages. While roads had been invented near the beginning of the century they were used primarily for military purposes. Under Michael III roads were built to connect nearly every major city and were increasingly used for trade. Asendars fleet was also expanded and focused on exploration and advancement, establishing several more colonies throughout the Sludehn Gulf region.
Michael III even managed to turn the former enemies of the empire, the dwarves, into trading partners as Asendar would begin to trade their increasing surplus of food, spices, and textiles for Dwarven metals, ores, weapons and armor. He abolished the practice of slavery, although indentured servitude would remain and most elves would continue to suffer under this practice even to this day.
The Empire would continue to advance its influence over the course of the next two hundred years, reaching its peak and current borders around the year 175 of the Imperial Calendar with the founding of the city of Vollandar on the banks of the Blue Wall River.
Lighthair Tribe: A small tribe of wood elves in the Scolandi Wilds. Mostly peaceful but still wary of interaction with humans though they do engage in some trade. The tribe is one of nature worship and they are led by a council of elders.
City State of Allranbel: An elven city (high elves) located deep within the Scolandi Wilds. The city is located approximately one hundred and twenty miles west/northwest of Clear Creek. Little else is known about Allranbel.
Kingdom of Invetheas: A kingdom of high elves located north/northeast of the city of Vollandar. Tensions are often high between Invetheas and Asendar, but the two are not openly hostile at this time.
Bloody Axe Tribe: A tribe of orcs that has come to dominate several surrounding goblinoid tribes in the Scolandi Wilds. Currently led by the great Warchief Haguk
The Illiosani Tribe: A tribe of wood elves in the Scolandi Wilds. They are a matriarchal society led by a Tribal Mother. Little is known about the Illiosani culture other than they are generally hostile toward most other races and cultures.
The Empire of Asendar: A human dominated empire that consists of several provinces, each with fairly distinct cultural practices. Ultimately similar to the Roman Empire, at least in terms of its fairly large geographical and cultural diversity since it is made up of various cultures that have been either conquered or annexed into the Empire.
The Empire of Asendar is the most powerful political and economic entity in the known world, and has been for the past one hundred years or so. Its meteoric rise began nearly one thousand years ago as one of the first human city states to be established in the Varhull Penisula. Prior to its foundation most humans were nomadic hunter/gatherers often displaced by the elder races like Elves and Dwarves, but with the invention of farming and rudimentary irrigation humanity dug its first roots into the world.
Mankinds creativity, ingenuity and versatility quickly allowed the upstart species to expand its territory and influence. Within a span of merely three human generations the city state of Asendar had come to dominate the entire peninsula and other settlements were beginning to crop up which necessitated the evolution of government into a feudal structure and the Kingdom of Asendar was born.
The elves of the nearby E'ranlean Forest were the first to come into conflict with this young species as human expansion continued largely unabated. The elves approached these newcomers with cautious curiosity and initially it seemed that the two races would be able to coexist peacefully. Human ambition, however, would not permit a lasting peace.
The E'ranlean were a generally peaceful people with long life spans that had a tendency to take the edge off of any sense of urgency when it came to dealing with mankind. The elves largely kept to themselves and even as human beings began to encroach upon the forest seeking its abundant resources the E'ranlean did not recognize the threat. The elves capitulated more and more land to Asendar, not through any formal negotiation, but merely through a general migration of the people from the borders of the forest deeper into its center, generally attempting to avoid contact with mankind.
Human expansion continued and drove deeper and deeper into the forest until at long last the elves determined that a line had to be drawn. The E'ranlean Queen sent a delegation to the nearest human settlement in the hopes of brokering some form of agreement. It is unclear as to exactly what transpired on that fateful day but what is known is that the entire delegation was put to the sword.
The elves finally struck back and with the largest force that they could muster, they drove back the humans, slaughtering all those in their path. Unprepared for the attack, the meager Asendar frontier defenses crumbled and within the span of only a year and a half most of the E'ranlean forest was back under the control of the elves.
Retaliation from Asendar was brutal, however, and soon enough Asendar sent a massive army in response. The E'ranlean had dealt with orcs in the past and were prepared to meet the Asendar armies as they would an orc horde. They didnt account for humanities intelligence, ingenuity and adaptability. Orcs fought in a pretty straight forward manner by attempting to overwhelm their foes with numbers and brutality. Humans learned to adapt to the tactics of their enemies.
The first major battle occurred near the edge of the E'ranlean forest, now known as The Battle of the Blazing Forest. The initial Asendar assault was easily repulsed by elven archers who used the trees to their advantage. Seeing this, however, Asendar generals brought forth their well trained and disciplined Battle Mages to set fire to the treeline using bursts of fireballs along with fiery catapults.
Elven druids and sorcerers were eventually able to douse the flames, but Asendar forces followed up with an intense offensive that broke the Elven lines. E'ranlean forces never fully recovered from that initial devastating loss and spent the next five years in steady retreat from the Asendar advance.
The Asendar armies eventually pushed the elves back to their capital city where the Queen of E'ranlean surrendered under the threat of genocide. The lead general of the Asendar Armies, Fehman Dussa, was granted dominion over the lands that he had conquered and the land of the Elves became one of the Empire's first provinces. The capital city of the elves was renamed Dussa in honor of their new Provincial Governor, now Duke Fehman Dussa and with the renaming the Empire of Adendar was officially born.
To ensure the elves could never coalesce into a unified force in the future the Emperor of Asendar ordered that all elves be rounded up and scattered throughout the Empire. The elves would be moved to alienages on the outskirts of Asendar cities and used as slave labor and servants
The first Emperor, Mcheal MacIain, died twenty years after the founding of the empire (Year 20 of the Asendar Calendar) but not before expanding the borders of the Empire even further and establishing other Provinces through conquest of various orc and goblin tribes to the north and west of the capital, annexing a small halfling kingdom and forming colonies among the islands located south of the mainland
It was in the year 24 A.C. that the borders of Asendar expanded to meet with the northern mountain range called The Spine. The various dwarven kingdoms that made up the mountain range had already heard of the humans and their warlike tendencies and any human settlements that attempted to establish themselves within the mountains were quickly razed by the mountain dwarves.
Seeking to follow in the glorious footsteps of his father, Emperor MacIain II launched an offensive against the dwarven kingdoms that would end in abysmal failure. Asendar forces would manage to establish a small foothold in the mountains, what is today called Falkerstone Keep, but the humans found mountain and underground warfare to be far more complicated and dangerous than fighting elves in the forest. The War of the Spine would last until MacIain IIs death in 47 A.C. when his own son, Michael III would finally sue for peace and end the conflict.
Asendar encountered the Elven Kingdom of Inveatheas around the year 40 A.C. while still fighting the Dwarves in the Spine. Though the Dwarves of the Spine and the Elves of Inveatheas were traditionally enemies the Elves would refuse to aid the humans in any way after hearing of what became of their cousins in the E'ranlean. Aside from a few border skirmishes the elves of Inveatheas and the humans of Asendar have maintained a tense peace for almost two centuries.
Michael IIIs reign was one of great cultural and economic growth and many scholars identify his reign as one of the Empires golden ages. While roads had been invented near the beginning of the century they were used primarily for military purposes. Under Michael III roads were built to connect nearly every major city and were increasingly used for trade. Asendars fleet was also expanded and focused on exploration and advancement, establishing several more colonies throughout the Sludehn Gulf region.
Michael III even managed to turn the former enemies of the empire, the dwarves, into trading partners as Asendar would begin to trade their increasing surplus of food, spices, and textiles for Dwarven metals, ores, weapons and armor. He abolished the practice of slavery, although indentured servitude would remain and most elves would continue to suffer under this practice even to this day.
The Empire would continue to advance its influence over the course of the next two hundred years, reaching its peak and current borders around the year 175 of the Imperial Calendar with the founding of the city of Vollandar on the banks of the Blue Wall River.
Lighthair Tribe: A small tribe of wood elves in the Scolandi Wilds. Mostly peaceful but still wary of interaction with humans though they do engage in some trade. The tribe is one of nature worship and they are led by a council of elders.
City State of Allranbel: An elven city (high elves) located deep within the Scolandi Wilds. The city is located approximately one hundred and twenty miles west/northwest of Clear Creek. Little else is known about Allranbel.
Kingdom of Invetheas: A kingdom of high elves located north/northeast of the city of Vollandar. Tensions are often high between Invetheas and Asendar, but the two are not openly hostile at this time.
Bloody Axe Tribe: A tribe of orcs that has come to dominate several surrounding goblinoid tribes in the Scolandi Wilds. Currently led by the great Warchief Haguk
The Illiosani Tribe: A tribe of wood elves in the Scolandi Wilds. They are a matriarchal society led by a Tribal Mother. Little is known about the Illiosani culture other than they are generally hostile toward most other races and cultures.