History of the World (as told by Professor Lucavi Davares of Glenshire Abbey)

 “History is never as straightforward as we’d like it to be. It is the sum of its parts, a meshing of the various perspectives that, once revealed, will hopefully provide us with a better sense of what truly has gone on. For our purposes here today, we’ll be detailing a very specific portion of the past, from about 1,000 years ago, up to today. There is much more to our history than that however, but we’ll just briefly touch upon those times in order to prevent me from being any more long-winded that I already am.

 For most, history starts approximately 1,000 years ago, 998 if you wish to be technical. This constitutes Illordia’s modern age, or what was termed The Era of Rebuilding those many years ago. We can be certain that life existed prior to that point, but times were peaceful and quiet, hardly the things that we wish to read about. It would seem that our nature is geared more towards wanting to hear about the times of strife and warfare, which always seems more interesting. And in this case, it’s very much appropriate that we begin the lesson with a tale of warfare and strife.

 Approximately 1,000 years ago (998, for those of you remaining technical), the tides of war began to disturb our peaceful (but from a historical standpoint, boring) land, stemming from the northern kingdom of Kelibran, haven of the Elven ruler known as Tristan the Mad, often times referred to as The Emperor of Blood. History has not been kind to his legacy. Lord Tristan wasn’t always as mad as we might imagine, but there did come a time where he felt that he possessed the mandate of the gods, and was fit to rule all of Illordia, and eventually the world. Where such delusions came from is probably the subject of another debate. Time has revealed that Lord Tristan did keep company with some very shadowy individuals, so feel free to draw your own conclusions.

 Rallying the support of your people is a difficult task in and of itself, even without the rumors of madness circulating your kingdom. Rather than attempt to persuade with fear, Lord Tristan decided to persuade with ignorance. Whereas in the past only the truly wealthy had access to any sort of literature (illiteracy was quite rampant during the time), Lord Tristan made it a point to rewrite certain facts, and to make these tainted tomes available to the masses. With the belief festering that the Kelibranians were Chosen to rule the world, rallying troops became a much easier task. It was during this time that many of Kelibran’s intellectual community fled the country in terror, taking with them as many tomes of recorded history that they could salvage. The prospect of this tainted history spreading and eventually being known as Truth was a frightening concept to say the least, and many risked their lives to keep it from happening. Remember this fact, for it shall come into play later.

 There were many names for what resulted; Drahlarik amongst the Orcs, The Illordian Strife with the Elves, while Humans, Gnomes, and Dwarves termed it The Tide of Hell. It all amounted to the same fact, that being war. The Emperor of Blood began his campaign, gaining more troops amongst the fallen cities, and killing off those that resisted. It didn’t take long for a coalition to form, focused on defeating The Emperor of Blood and his troops before all of Illordia fell by his hand. It was truly the first time in history that Elves, Gnomes, Dwarves, Humans, and even Orcs stood side by side, united by a common goal. In time, this opposition brought together their collective intellects and abilities to construct what they felt would give them the advantage that was needed in this war. Soon thereafter, what we term today as the Armor of the Ancients came into being.

 Constructed and enchanted by the most brilliant minds of each race, the Armor was the opposition’s most powerful weapon against The Emperor of Blood, whose power was growing daily as his troops continued to ravage the land. It was presented to a young knight that continuously fought boldly on behalf of the opposition, who had more than proven his worth. His upbringings were humble, but it would only be a matter of time before all of Illordia knew of Sir Gunther Locksley.

 Continuously beaten back to the city of Kelibran itself, Tristan the Mad staged one final battle to end all battles. The remainder of his troops gathered with the Emperor of Blood himself, determined not to be robbed of their delusional birthrights. The combined armies of the opposition, led by Sir Locksley descended upon Kelibran, prepared to end the war at all costs. The final battle erupted in the fields of Kelibran as steel clashed with steel, war-mages dueled with one another, and even dragons took to the sky on either side. Many souls were lost that day, but this would prove to be the final moments of the war, as The Emperor of Blood was eventually defeated, taken down by Sir Locksley himself. The road to recovery was a long one for Illordia, but the first step was taken on that bloody day.

 In time, Sir Locksley retired to a quiet Abbey within the city of Glenshire, which served as central meeting grounds for the intellectuals escaping from Kelibran during the war. The order of monks inhabiting the Abbey made it their life’s work to preserve the true history of the world, and Sir Locksley was glad to do his part in the effort. In time, Glenshire Abbey became a place of learning, where many intellectuals from throughout Illordia would come, be educated, and do their part to spread the true teachings throughout the world. Some would stay, offering guidance to those passing through the Abbey. It was only a matter of time before someone realized that it would be best to educate the population at an early age, not only providing them with the knowledge, but to also offer skills that they would need in life, no matter the path that the students took. That has been, and always shall be, our creed. There are many paths to be taken, many journeys to be had. It is our task to make sure that you are prepared for that journey.

That is our mission, here, at Glenshire Abbey.”