Disclaimer: The lore presented in this document is as true to the world of Horizons as the author can make it. However, despite my best efforts, mistakes surely have been made, and any and all comments, corrections, constructive feedback, and criticism are more than welcome! Please feel free to email me, or PM me with corrections, and I will update the guide as soon as I can.
Further note: With the introduction of Peter S. Beagle to the staff at Tulga, it is unknown at this time if there will be any major changes to the core lore within the game. While hopefully the lore of Istaria won't go through a huge rewrite, in which all that we know and have learned is not thrown out the window, I should make note that until we have some idea what to expect in regards to the new material, this guide in its present form is not CANON.
And just as with the issue of being canon, this guide is not official, either. I am neither employed by Tulga, nor acting in any way in an official manner. As such, the following Guide is the work of a fan, and a player. It was entirely done for entertainment purporses only.
Now, with the disclaimer out of the way, below is the guide!
Menkure's Guide to the History of Istaria
Origional by Belisarius (11/02/2003)
Updated by Menkure Salitis (09/04/2005 - 03/25/2006)
Timeline:
Age of the Gods
....Founding of Jarl
....Fall of Jarl
....Brobbet creates the Dwarves
Age of the Dragon
....Beginning of the Great Schism
....Founding of Mahagra
Age of the Warrior-Kings - 600 years ago
....Founding of Sslanis
Age of the Sorcerer - 300 years ago
....The Fiends, and the establishment of Kirasanct
....The introduction of Torrin Macalir
Age of Lamentations
....Fall of the travel gates
....Fall of Rachival, 32 years ago
....Fall of Feladan, 27 years ago
....The Ritual performed, 22 years ago
....Battle of Tazoon, 12 years ago
....The Liberation of Feladan, 2 years ago
....The Satyrs Freed, 2 years ago
....The Dryads Called back to the Prime, 2 years ago
Age of Reclamation
....The Veilo, and tails of the Prime Shattered
....The Construction of the Novo Machine
....The Merging of the Sharded Sealms
General History
The history of the world of Istaria can be a confusing one. A great deal of information about many of the races that populate the world or that -populated- the world has been lost under the oppressive weight of the Withered Aegis. The general feel throughout the world about history is summed up in the phrase "why study the past when there may not be a tomorrow?" While this may be the feeling of a great percentage of Istarians , I believe it is still important for us to understand the world and the events that have shaped it. In the this and the following documents I will be helping you to understand the history of the living.
To grasp the full history of Istaria you will need to understand that each race has its own unique history apart from one another. While each race has a different history there is one commonality. This is the Withered Aegis. The Withered Aegis united the living in a common goal, while racial disputes still exsist they pale in comparison to the struggle against the undead.
To help you in your quest to understand Istria i've created a timeline of various events and Ages in Istarian History. I will follow this timeline as I describe the history of Istaria to you. You will notice that there is a good deal of information that is left out. I have chosen to exclude this information due to the fact that a concrete date cannot be set for the information in question. However, in future publications I will be describing other events to you.
Age of the Gods
We begin our look at Istarian history during the Age of the Gods. Much of the information we have attained about this age is through folklore, legend, and stories passed orally. That is why much of the information during this period should be taken with a grain of salt. What is known is that many of the living races were prosperous during this time period. With each race residing in their own corner of Aradoth they grew unaffected by the Withered Aegis. Researchers also agree that the deities played an important role during this time. While the war with the Withered Aegis was not raging as it is today, many smaller skirmishes existed with many of them being influenced directly or indirectly by the Istarian deities.
During this time Humans were a nomadic race who followed wild game in search of food. However, they managed to found the city of Jarl while still remaining nomadic as a whole. This city was believed to have been founded for religious purposes and not due to advances in agriculture. A great deal of speculation still remains about this city, or ruins thereof, due to its location in the Barasavus Desert, which to this day remains deep within Withered Aegis territory. Information on the city is scarce due to the living races losing control of the area at such an early stage in their conflict with the Withered Aegis.
In an age rich with legend one such legend stands out, and I feel the need to call it to your attention. I feel it helps to emphasize the effect that the deities had during this time. This is the legend of how the Dwarves were created. Legend says that Brobbet, the God of Honor, created the Dwarves during the Age of the Gods to serve as the enforcers of justice to the Prime. The effects of this legend are still very predominate in Dwarven culture today and can be seen in Brobbet's Divine Mandate: "Without honor, there is no justice; without justice, there is no future," to which the Dwarves strictly adhere.
The Age of the Dragon
It is unclear when the Age of the Dragon really began. However, in digging through various historical documents I have concluded that it was near the end of the Age of the Gods. This age is marked by the Humans being faithful servants of the Dragons, and Dragon society reaching its height. While the Humans that were subservient to them were unwavering in their loyalty, the Human society was divided on their views of Dragons as a whole. One can easily find historical records of Dragons being revered as deities, or on how to bring the beast down.
Dragons however paid little attention to human affairs of the time as they felt it in no way affected the course of their lives. This however was flawed thinking on their part and was one of the underlying reasons for the Great Schism.
The Great Schism is a pivotal time in Dragon society. For centuries Dragon culture has been divided into two camps, the Lunus and the Helian. The more territorial, warlike Lunus faction believes that the other races should either serve to edify Dragon civilization or move out of the way. This heavyhanded approch was theorized by the military leader of the Dragons Malganival Lunus. Typically members of the Lunus faction are Warriors in dragon socioty, and more terrtorial in nature. This can be seen in the fact that the home seat of the Lunus faction is actually the ancestral home of the Dragons, Dralk.
In the second camp we have the Helian, named after their leader the Dragon scholar Helian. Their views on how to handle the rise of the other races of Istaria are quite different from the Lunus, but Dragon arrogance can still be seen in their view as well. Their ideals stem from the belief that if Dragons are the most enlightened and advanced race in Istria, they should seize the reigns of power and lead all others into the future. In doing so, they will return the reverence the other Living Races once had for them and do so in a civilized manner, through example.
Although these two factions were never violent towards one another, the years of debate slowly took their toll. What was once a simple debate became a twisted power struggle in which greed and possessiveness were the only winners. A war was brewing in Dragon society, something had to be done, and it was the Helian who acted first. Their approach to the matter was a civil one however. They chose to relocate and form a new city, Chiconis, where they could pursue their agenda in peace. The Lunus felt as if their society was being torn apart, yet they did nothing to stop the move by the Helian. The Lunus essicatlly had enough foresight to know better than to stop the move, knowing it could throw Dragon society into a civil war.
The Helian camp moved deep within the Black Mountains where they founded the city of Chiconis. The city is located between the Humans and the Dwarves with which the Helian faction share a common understand and peace. The close proximity to other living races does not mean that the Helian do not value their solitude however; in fact travel by foot to the city is a diffucult journey. Upon reaching Chicinos invited visitors of any race are still looked upon apprehensively by the Helian who wish to persue their agenda alone and in peace.
While the height of the Great Schism is reached during this time period it is not the only event of presidence that should be noted. It is also widly known that the Half-Giant city of Mahagra was founded near the end of the Age of the Dragon. While legend tells us that during the Age of the Gods Humans who settled the mountainous regions of Northern Aradoth began to slowly develop into what we know as Half-Giants, we do not actaully see the creation of the City of Mahagra untill the end of the Age of the Dragon. This lapse of time could be accounted for in the fact that Half-Giants often attempt to trace their lineage to a legandary race of Giants, not to their Human brethren. While that is feasible it could also be noted that a solitary enviroment of the harsh mountian regions without a large settlement for an extended period of time could make a group of Humans more physically robust to adapt to the weather.