Chronicle of Coulmian: Birth and Rebirth

As recorded by Magmias the Red, Bard Extraordinaire

In eons past the Tribunal of Elder Gods crafted the world: Syggia the Goddess of Fey, Magick, and Forest; two-headed, androgynous Norbask’Kun, one half Lady of Order, Cycles and Fate, the other Lord of Chaos, Luck and Battle; and Tezzeriel, Patron of the Mortal Races, the God of Ambition and Courage.  The combined powers of the three made a beautiful and noble world, Coulmian.

Each deity brought fourth races upon Coulmian verdant surface.  Syggia’s chosen children were the elves, Norbask’Kun formed the dragons (both good and evil), while vain and ambitious Tezzeriel experimented with many forms, creating the giants, humanoids, dwarves, gnomes, humans and halflings.

Over 10 millennia ago, the elven smiths forged the first steel blade.  This was the beginning of the mortal races’ ascension from divinely crafted constructs to mortal crafters.  Some sage’s also say that this began the fall of Tezzeriel.

Roughly, five hundred years later the barbarian queen, Cythma unified the Tribes of Men and started political relations with the other mortal races.  She becomes the first Servant of Tezzeriel, forming and ruling her kingdom for nearly a century.  When she died she became of the first member of the divine Court of Heroes.  Cythma’s descendents follow her, acting as Servant of Tezzeriel, ushering nearly a millennium of peace and prosperity for all of the good mortal races.  This age is followed by a brave age of exploration driven by the sect of Tezzeriel.  Following two millennia of growth and prosperity the Imperial Republic of Tezz is founded, spanning most of the known world for hundreds of leagues around the Hemelass Sea 

The beginning of the end starts with Gnome Dwarf Wars, a series of the conflicts that occur between the Gnome Clans and the Dwarven Princes.  The wars drive a bitter wedge between the racial cousins and begin to drag the Republic in.  The war ends with the occupation of Bearded Hills (the Gnomelands) by the Dwarven Princes, the gnomes are enslaved remain as less than second class citizens for centuries.

Some three centuries later, the College of Wizards is formed, up until now only divine and sorcerous magic was known, now magic can be studied.  The well-organized College rapidly builds power but remains neutral in the political dealings of the Empire.  Legend has it that the founding texts of the College were stolen from Syggia…

But as the millennia had passed, Tezzeriel’s domain and his mortal children’s drive to improve drove him to greater and greater ambition.  All that was good was twisted, Tezzeriel ceased to be the drive of life to conquer and the ambition to survive, and became hungry for the gifts and power of all others.  Tezzeriel’s transformation pulled many from the path of good and the god Tezzeriel was no more, instead arose the Ravening.

The Ravening cared not for its adherents and lovers, it wanted to destroy, to hate, and to covet by twisting both those that followed it and those who opposed it.  Many among the evil races flocked to the Hunger, by siding with its all-consuming Evil that they would be spared and rewarded.  The mortal races lost without their patron fought amongst themselves.  War and hatred ruled the land, while tearing apart the Court of Heroes.

The Imperial Republic of Tezz had grown old and weak, the barbarians and orcs of the Steppes of Vaishanai swept down from the north, driven by the cunning murmurs and seductive orders of the Ravening.  The Dwarven Princes drove kobold and gnome slave armies into the Feywood Vast, greedy for the riches of the elven smiths.  From the southeast came giants and goblins ready to attack the Tezzites and Feywood elves at their weakest.

Some say that the spawning of the Ravening caused the Endwars, some say that the Endwars touched off the madness of the Ravening.  None know for sure.  It is known that had the five races—dwarf, elf, gnome, halfling and human stood together and used their gifts as one the Ravening, could of and should have been stopped…

In the end, the Endwars were lost; Coulmian died the remnants of great magics, noble clans and glorious heroes—lost.  The Realm of Mortals was gone… 

But all was not lost; Syggia assisted by the College of Wizards had pulled children from prophesized bloodlines of human, halfling and gnome into her Fey Kingdom.  The mortal faerie, the elves, remained to guard the gates versus the hoards of evil.  While the dwarves, with their gnomish serfs, holed up in their great mountain kingdom, safe as servants of the Ravening.  The Ravening jealous, covetous and ravenous followed; attacking or seducing the elves at the gates.  Most gates were destroyed and many elfblood died or were driven to evil, becoming the hated drow.  The elves have never recouped these losses.  But a handful survived, and when the Hunger broke through, it left the Mortal Realm, searching to finish its former children.  Syggia lured the Hunger to her Fey Realm engaging it with the remnants of the Court of Heroes and the Faerie Army.  As this battle raged, the saved children (now grown to adulthood) were returned to Coulmian led by the dragon demi-god Sungold, his friend the half-elven legend Jiquil the Hunter, and a select group of faerie scouts.  Syggia then sealed the portals between Coulmian and the Fey Realm, trapping the Hunger within.

Five centuries had passed in the Mortal Realm while only a few years had passed in the Fey Realm all of Coulmian’s great nations were gone, all its cities ruins, all its greatness lost, perhaps one day to be recovered.

Nearly eight hundred years have passed since the return; small enclaves of mortal men, doughty dwarves, glib gnomes, and happy halflings have grown into ragged nations, desperately carved from the shards of great empires despoiled by the servants of the Hunger.

Reexplored Lands of Coulmian

The greatest of these nations is the Republic of Palkorass.  Palkoranon, located on the southern shores of the Hemelass Sea, is its capital.  The rule of many governs and all beings are welcomed, some more than others are.  To become a representative of the republic, one must perform four noble deeds, two witnessed by a Servant of Sungold and two witnessed by a Huntsman of Jiquil.  The Senate is a noble and powerful force in the New Civilized Lands.

Three hundred years after the Return (317 RY), one of the gates in the Feywood Vast, opened briefly and through it came a child, no more than a babe.  Some priests of Syggia claim that this was Gyssuss, son of the Faerie Lady.  A new cult, particularly among the elves, began to worship him.  With a century, there are no priests of Syggia remaining.  Today Gyssuss rules the Feywood Vast and protects all his elven foster parents and clerics.

Finally, millennia after their enslavement the gnome hero and member of one of the prophesized lines, Finaltir Emeraldeyes forms a rebellion against the Dwarven Princes in 393 RY.  The gnomes are able to make a mass escape, leaving the Bearded Hills.   The gnomish slaves are helped by Gyssuss through the Feywood Vast.  They travel east and form a new nation on the west bank of the Feywood River, centered at Alltrade. 

The foundation of Alltrade and the growth of the Republic of Palkorass lead to a surge in exploration in 342 RY and colonization along the Feywood Vast and into the Eatenlands.  It is a hard life with some conflict with the goblins and giants who dwell in these lands.

City of Alltrade and surroundings

In 396 RY Norbask’Kun appears and weeps in the Plains of Vaishanai, its heads hidden in the clouds, first one then other.  Many pilgrims come to the Plains of Vaishanai to leave offerings, those touched by its tears are either blessed or cursed with the Plague of Norbask’Kun, that either kills them with great mercy or great pain or grants them great power at great cost.  In 446 KY, Norbask’Kun vanishes and the Plague dies out.

Nearly half one hundred years ago, in 457 RY, drow, goblins, orcs and giants attacked the Last Gate in the Feywood Vast, touching off the Last Gate War.  The Reestablished College of Wizardry, the Feywood Elves, and many heroes, stop the invasion.  The elven sorcerer Yiabrin Onehundredfalls also detected something trying to push through from the fallen realm of Syggia, it to was repulsed.