Fall of the Nadori Empire

Not much is known about the Nadori Empire, other than it once covered all of the continent of Lyrdonia as well as the island of Pratonan.  What is known about the Nadori is they suddenly disappeared from the face of Valtuus over a thousand years ago, leaving behind two massive ruins of cities, one of which Sidarius was eventually built upon.  The other ruined city lies overgrown in the jungles of Pratonan, near the city-state of Arcanicum.

Other Nadori ruins dot the landscape and many villages spring up around these remnants because they once provided ready made shelter or because some the technology still functioned, and proved useful.  The coastal kingdom of Stahlhelm’s city of the same name maintains a small electricity grid that powers ancient Nadori lamps in the royal palace that was built upon Nadori ruins.  Moknar, the last town before the great Sea of Silt maintains a system of running water that has allowed the town to thrive in an otherwise hot and arid environment.

The most legendary technology of the Nadori that is rumored to exist are steam powered juggernauts that were used to perform hard or dangerous labor for the Nadori.  These massive contraptions of walking metal are known as steamhulks. While most reports of these automatons are never confirmed, the stories of their brute power are of mythic proportions.

On thing is for sure, given the technology of the Nadori, if whatever visited their doom upon them were to return, the current nations of Lyrdonia would be powerless to stop them.

Age of Darkness

After the shining beacon of knowledge that was the Nadori Empire blinked out, the realm of Lyrdonia fell into an age of darkness, both intellectually and spiritually.  Survivors of the fall of the Nadori clustered in small pockets of humanity that were separated from each other by leagues of dangerous territory filled wild beasts that went unchecked, bandits, and worse.

In this time, cults of the dark god, Tenebrous, and other minor deific figures sprung up across the land.  These cults invited demons, devils, and malevolent spirits into the world of Valtuus.  Once these creatures obtained a foothold in this world, they would beckon others of their kind, and soon a plague of evil blanketed the land.  These creatures would often find a small village and dominate its inhabitants through fear and guile.

Then the glorious god, Sidar, woke from the slumber of ages and took notice of the people of Valtuus plight.  He bolstered his clergy and gave them the knowledge they needed to defeat the darkness.  Or at least that is how what the Church of Sidar claims.  Regardless, the Church of Sidar grew in power and they marched forth across Lyrdonia, exercising and censoring much of the evil from the land.

Their biggest trial was trying to send demon lord back to the diabolic depths of the Infernal Dominions.  He proved too powerful, but the Church managed, with great sacrifice, to seal him and his minions deep inside what is now known as Demondusk Valley.

Rise of Aurincia

With the rise of the Church of Sidar, the people of Lyrdonia slowly clawed its way out of the Age of Darkness and into the Golden Age of Aurincia.  The Church of Sidar founded a theocracy in the name of the priestess that sacrificed her life sealing the demon lord in Demondusk Valley.  This theocracy, Aurincia, was centered on the city of Sidarius whose first stone was built upon the site of the last major confrontation between the Church and the Cult of Tenebrous.

Aurincia spread its influence throughout the north, stopping at the goblinoid steppes in the northeast and the physical limitations of the northern mountains.  It reached east and stopped at the Feyhome Forest and made the budding Kingdom of Stahlhelm in the southwest a protectorate.

The Golden Age of Aurincia lasted for about a hundred years, and the lands were at peace and trade developed between the nations of humans.  The sciences began to advance again, as did arcane and divine studies.  Libraries were built and universities founded.

Aurincia developed an oligarchy where political power was shared between elected officials and selected members of the Church of Sidar.  This may have proved Aurincia’s undoing as it was these elected officials that eventually became corrupt and began worshiping the dark god, Tenebrous.

For the evil that still lurked beneath the city, in a ruined Necrotek Temple, began to take notice of the desires and ambitions of the elected officials.  It would sneak into their dreams and poison their thoughts, promising unlimited power.  And so the dark god, Tenebrous corrupted these officials and they began to change the political landscape.

They removed the Church’s power in matters of state, and the generals of the army of Sidarius backed these officials after being placated with gifts and wealth.  The officials bargained for more power and Tenebrous gave it, for the price of one thousand souls, they would become immortal and laden with eldritch might.  So in their greed, they signed a contract in blood.

The Church became alarmed at the spreading corruption.  Within fifty years, Sidarius had become a city stained by corruption and wild debauchery. There was a mass Church mandated exodus of the clergy of Sidar from the city they had founded.  Only a few remained behind, the corrupt and the vigilent.  For the vigilent knew that in time, they would be needed.

Then the people of Lyrdonia began to take notice of the strange behavior of night sky.  The heavenly bodies all began to fall into alignment as the Sisters, as Valtuus’ moons are known, began to blot out the sun.

Listening to: Prong – Rude Awakening – Rude Awakening

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