History of Clan MacLear |
History of the Twisted One
From the Dawn of Time to the Present Day:
The History of Norrath
 t is said that outside of space and time an
entity known only as the Nameless exists, and that this being created all that
there is and was and will be. It is also written in ancient texts that from His
mind sprang not only the universe and its countless suns and worlds, but also a
yriad of sentient, powerful, yet finite creatures whom one such as a man, or elf,
or dwarf, would call a god.
n aeons past came one of these gods upon the world Norrath. Veeshan, Crystalline
Dragon and ruler of the Plane of Sky, found this world pleasing and deposited her
brood onto the frozen continent of Velious. With one swipe of her mighty claws, Veeshan
opened several great wounds upon the surface of Norrath, staking her claim to this
promising new world. Dragons then walked the land and flew the skies, powerful beings
of great intellect, wisdom, and strength. Thus began the Age of Scale.
n time the other gods noticed Veeshan’s work, and being often petty and jealous beings,
they too came upon Norrath, intent upon leaving their mark. Brell Serilis was first,
and from his Plane of Underfoot, a dark realm of vast caves and endless tunnels, he
quietly created a magical portal to a cavern deep in the belly of Norrath. Through this
portal the Duke of Underfoot seeded the depths of Norrath with all manner of creatures.
Brell then returned home, sealing his portal within a labyrinthine chamber of mystical
Living Stone.
 nd when the other gods came to Norrath, Brell Serilis approached each of them, and
after some time convinced them to meet as one to discuss the fate of the world. The
Great Mother Tunare, and Prexus, The Oceanlord were in attendance, and Rallos Zek, the
warlord, was also there, yet in mistrust kept his distance. Brell, carefully avoiding
all queries as to the origins of his information, told of Veeshan's discovery of the new
and potentially powerful world in which she had deposited her brood. Words befit of the
King of Thieves poured forth from Brell's lips and he proposed that they accept an
alliance of sorts, to which all save Rallos Zek agreed, ignorant of the fact that Brell
had already released some of his creations into the Underfoot of this new world. The
planet that would be called Norrath was divvied up between these beings of power for
the purpose of keeping the Wurmqueen in check. Each would create a race of beings to
watch over Norrath and keep a vigilant eye on the schemes of Dragonkind. Brell claimed
the bowels of the planet and created the Dwarves, stout and strong, deep beneath the
mountains of Norrath. In the abysmal depths of the oceans Prexus left his children, the
Kedge, hearty aquatic beings of great mental power and stamina. And on the surface of
Norrath did Tunare create the Elves, creatures of limitless grace and beauty, and Rallos
Zek the Giants, fierce and formidable beings, intent upon the defense of their lands.
Thus began the Elder Age.
t was inevitable that such energies involved in seeding planets with life would attract
even more of the gods, and it was the Elves who drew the unwanted attention of Innoruuk,
Prince of Hate. In a decrepit tower overlooking the dark decaying alleys of the Plane
over which he ruled, Innoruuk waited, stoking the fire of his Hate until it was a raging
inferno. He cursed his fellow gods for not including him in their pact and vowed to make
them regret such disrespect. From the halls of the Elves' fair city, Takish-Hiz, the
Prince of Hate snatched away the first Elven King and Queen. In his realm of pain and
anger he slowly tore them apart, physically and mentally, over the course of three hundred
years. He then gathered the quivering remnants of these beings of light and rebuilt them
into his own dark sadistic image, a twisted mockery of Tunare's noble children. In
depositing the Teir'Dal, as Innoruuk's Dark Elven creations would come to be called, back
into the Underfoot of Norrath, the seeds for The Prince of Hate's final revenge were sewn.
 izzlethorpe Bristlebane and Cazic-Thule came next to Norrath, and Brell met them,
concocting a second pact with these latter gods, wishing another excuse to create more
peoples into the world. Rallos Zek again watched from afar, determined to add to his
creation as well, and this time Brell convinced the Warlord to join the pact, assuring
him that it was indeed an appropriate time to fulfill his desires. Deep in the earth did
Brell return to create the gnomes, resembling dwarves to some extent, yet more wiry and
gnarled, consumed with tinkering with devices more so than their cousins. On the surface,
away from Elves and Giants, Bristlebane made the Halflings, short and stubby folk, agile
and with a propensity to meddle and even pilfer at times. Cazic-Thule, Lord of Fear, was
drawn to the swamps and jungles of Norrath and there created the green skinned Trolls and
reptilian Lizard Men. And Rallos Zek returned to the surface, pleased with his sanction
to create even more peoples for his army. He made then the Ogres, massive, unmovable
beings of questionable intelligence, and the Orcs, bred for battle and singled-minded in
their desire for conquest.
 y this time, those who are now known as the elder races of Norrath had begun to expand
and mature. Villages became cities, and cities became kingdoms. Several of the races
became bent on expansion and warfare became part of their developing cultures. And of all
the races, it was the Ogres who quickly proved the most interested in battle and plunder,
and their empire grew outward from their mountain home until it eventually encompassed a
large portion of Tunaria, largest of the known continents. Their knowledge of magic grew
as did their greed, until they became weary of only Norrath, and when they learned of
other planes and dimensions, invaded the Plane of Earth itself. Rallos Zek watched with
pride as his creations challenged the gods of that realm, and when they eventually knew
defeat, the Warlord himself led a second invasion. The war that ensued shook the heavens
and angered the greater gods. Through their combined might, Rallos Zek was finally
thwarted and forced back to his domain, after which a great barrier to the Planes of Power
was erected, denying entry to both the lesser gods and mortals as well. And then, in what
some view as spite and others justice, the gods cursed the Warlord’s creations. Thousands
of Ogres were slain and their empire collapsed around them. The Giants were spread from
one end of the earth to the other, forced to flee their homes as the gods brought snow
and ice to their previously lush lands. And the goblins were also cursed, but no writings
remain of their punishment as they no longer keep records of their history (which is
perhaps some indication as to the severity of their curse). Thus began the Age of Monuments.
s the dust settled, the last of the gods came to Norrath. Mithaniel Marr, god of Valor,
and Erollisi Marr, goddess of Love, created the Barbarians, a hardy race who settled the
cold and rugged northlands, near the ruins of the Giant empire. Being the youngest race,
they were generally unwashed and rugged, possessing very few social graces. And while they
too had a warlike culture, there were those amongst them who began to believe in something
more. By this time the other civilizations of Norrath had either long since declined, or
were well on their way, and this small minority of Barbarians saw an opportunity to triumph
where the others had failed. Perhaps this was a seed of wisdom planted by the Marr Twins,
or perhaps it was only by chance, but as the Barbarians spread out across the lands,
warring with both each other and any other race encountered, this tiny movement continued
to grow. And so even amidst desolation and war, there was hope. Thus began the Age of Blood.
 he last of the old races to decline was the empire of the Elves. The Elddar Forest spread
across the entire southeastern quarter of Tunaria. Cities and villages built high into the
trees housed thousands of Wood Elves, and the marble cities of the High Elves were built
in the forest’s clearings and meadows, their white towers and spires climbing out of the
forest, higher than the tallest tree. But then came the last curse of the gods, as Solusek
Ro, Lord of Flame, arched the spine of the serpent mountains, bringing heat from the
burning sun to the ancient forest. The rivers ran dry, it rained less each year, and while
the great elven druids fought long and hard, using their powerful magics to combat the
change, they could only delay the inevitable. Slowly the forest gave way to desert, and
eventually even great Takish-Hiz crumbled and the elves were forced to flee Tunaria, leaving
much of their greatness behind. Thus began the Lost Age.
his next period of Norrathean history as it relates to many of the races is the least
known. It is surmised by the more knowledgeable historians that while the elder races
regrouped and reestablished themselves, a small group of Barbarians were suddenly transformed
both physically and intellectually. Most believe this to be the last major and direct act
of divine intervention, and perhaps the reason so little is known about this period is that
the gods wish it to be so, deciding afterwards that they would have less to do with their
creations. In any case, this small and enlightened group were the fathers of the Human race,
and they rapidly gained a foothold throughout the lands, studying the lost art of geomancy.
The Combine Empire, as this lost race of Humans is called, spread throughout the known
world, but then died even more quickly than it grew, and for reasons still unknown. And
while they are the ancestors of every Human on Norrath and their relics and ruins still
litter the lands from Odus to Faydwer, little history of this period remains.
fter the fall of the Combine Empire, the remnants of mankind dwelled mostly in the center
of Tunaria, inhabiting primarily the vast and fertile plains of Karana. Villages appeared
and prospered, several reaching the size of towns, and two even became cities. To the west
a strong and noble band of Humans, lead by Antonius Bayle the First, founded Qeynos under
the lofty principles of law. Freeport, to the east, became an active and dangerous port of
call for all who dared to venture into the Ocean of Tears. Humanity, much to the disdain of
the elder races who watched from afar, remained strong, even daring to rename their home
after one of their own instead of one of the gods. The great continent of Tunaria would
forever more be known as Antonica. This is not to imply, however, that humanity was at
peace. Competition was fierce, and when resources grew scarce for one reason or another
many groups abandoned the promises and alliances of their past and fought. A few leaders
spoke out against the violence, urging the masses to remember why they had fled the cold
north. Others reminded them of their former glory and the might of the Combine Empire.
These leaders insisted that humanity adhere once again to those principals to which all had
agreed. Explorers and adventurers returned from afar with tales of elves, dwarves, and other
strange creatures, as well as descriptions of ancient abandoned cities. A few even came back
with limited knowledge of sorcery and the mystic arts. And when that discontent minority of
leaders heard all of this, they became both jealous and determined.
small, frail man of great intellect called Erud led this group, and he formed them into a
council. They quickly became irritated, even disgusted, by their fellow man. Leaving a small
network of spies behind, the remainder of Erud’s followers fled the city of Qeynos and
boarded a small fleet of ships. They sailed to the west and landed upon the barren coast of
the island of Odus. The land was sparse and uninhabited and quite appealing to the council
and their people. They quickly built a city of their own, dissimilar in almost every way to
both Qeynos and Freeport, for it was almost entirely a towering castle. Erudin it was called,
and within it the scribes and scholars, who called themselves High Men, gathered and
analyzed reports, captured books and scrolls, and other artifacts brought to them by their spies.
The first human mages since the Combine Empire were born – wizards, sorcerers, and enchanters
occupied the great halls of Erudin and grew immensely in both power and knowledge. Thus began
the Age of Enlightenment.
t came to pass some years later that a small group of Erudites discovered the lost art of
Necromancy. They were branded heretics and great conflict arose. For the first time in several
hundred years, the Erudites fought. They engaged in a civil war not entirely dissimilar to
that which they had loathed and fled from back on the mainland. But there was one very
significant difference – they did not use swords and bows, but rather magic, and the result
was terrible. Lives by the hundreds were lost, great buildings and structures destroyed, and
eventually the heretics were forced to flee Erudin, to hide and regroup in the southern regions
of Odus. In one final battle, great mystic energies were released and an immense hole leading
to unknown depths beneath the earth was created. Into the sides of this chasm the heretics
built their own city which they called Paineel. And while both sides still seethed with anger
and hatred towards one another, their fear of what the last battle had wrought has kept any
further conflict at bay. Thus began the Age of Turmoil.
t is in this age you find yourself, an age filled with wonder. The elder races have begun
to reclaim their former glory. The younger races have matured, and an active economy stretches
across Odus, Antonica, and Faydwer. And while conflict and battle is hardly rare, it has also
been centuries since open war has plagued the lands. A myriad of alliances and factions exist,
friend and foe plot and scheme, and the world of Norrath is ripe for action.
History of Clan MacLear |
History of the Twisted One
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