History of Leir
Below is a history of the Leir region of Valordyn.
Tribal Era
The Beginning
During the Tribal Era, the area today known as Leir was a great sea with many tropical islands. It was home to a civilization of Water Elves known as the Wasari. Under the guidance of the whale god Wasa, the Wasari lived in magically crafted towers that high into the sky and deep below the ocean. These feats of engineering were on par with their contemporaries at Ouropoli, and it supported an idyllic, peaceful civilization where wrongdoing was non-existent and all things were plentiful.
On an island chain on what is today the mountain range bordering Leir and Heznland, a tribe of Vulcan Elves known as the Erda lived in a barely habitable climate - the volcanic Erda Isles. They lived in hardship and modesty as they toiled and suffered day by day just to survive. They followed the god Ardas who took the shape of a lava dragon. Ardas forbade the Vulcan Elves from travelling beyond the islands as he believed that the true way to live was through discipline and modesty.
One Vulcan Elf named Apeitho did not listen. He believed that there was more to the world than just barely habitable volcanic islands. In the night, he set sail to the seas to the north. After a storm set him adrift, he discovered the Wasari people and their towers. Amazed by their cities of plenty, Apeitho was tempted to stay, but he thought back to his Erda tribe back home. He could not abandon them.
In the Wasari’s vaults, Apeitho discovered a relic known as the Worldstone - an Aard’Vorn that was used to create the towers that they lived in. Tempted by the prospect that the Worldstone could end the suffering of the Erda people, Apeitho tried to steal it. He was caught and the Wasari detained him. However, because the Wasari had no concept of wrongdoing or evil, they instead forgave him for his crime, but on the condition that he could never leave.
Days passed and Apeitho’s disappearance was noted. A search party back in the Erda Isles gathered. They asked permission to Ardas to look for Apeitho. Ardas wanted to bring Apeitho back himself, but showing up in the territory of Wasa would prove catastrophic. So instead, Ardas sent a search party of warriors in his name to bring back Apeitho.
When the warriors arrived to meet the Wasari, things did not go well. The warriors negotiated Apeitho’s release, promising that he would face judgment for violating the laws of the Erda people. But the Wasari did not agree. They believed that Apeitho now belonged with them and had no reason to go back to his savage homeland. The warriors grew impatient with the Wasari’s politics and decided to take Apeitho back by force resulting in the death of a few Wasari. Up until this point, the Wasari had never known the concept of murder which needless to say, shocked them to no end. The Erda also stole the Worldstone now knowing of its abilities using it to not only improve their homes, but to also forge weapons of the earth.
Hearing of what the Erda did, Wasa grew furious. His paradise was spoiled and his children no longer innocent and ignorant of the evils of the world. In his rage, Wasa sent a storm that would flood one of the Erda Isles as lightning strikes decimated all structures and killing most of the inhabitants. This was to serve as a warning to the Erda - that their ways of life were corrupting the Wasari. Understandably, Ardas did not take kindly to this. He declared war on the Wasari and mobilized his forces to put them in their place.
Having never known the concept of war, most of the Wasari were slaughtered, their magical towers toppled over and many of their ships sunk. Fearing to see his children perish, Wasa intervened and created massive tsunamis to wash away the invaders with equal decimation. This prompted Ardas to directly engage himself in the conflict - it was no longer about mortals fighting one another, but rather the two gods themselves.
War between the Gods
For forty days, the two gods engaged in an earth altering battle. Wasa summoned whirlpools and hurricanes of enormous size while Ardas summoned volcanoes to burst out from the ground as lava and fire spewed across the skies. The entire region of Leir saw itself unmade and reformed as the two gods clashed. Whoever had survived the disaster could do nothing but run and hide. The Worldstone had fell out of the hands of mortals and became lost in the chaos.
On the fortieth day, the Council of Divines were forced to intervene. Were the destruction to continue any further, another event on the scale of the Shattering could take place. So they gathered together to seal the two gods into stone, freezing them in place as lifeless statues. The conflict was over.
When the dust settled, Leir had fundamentally transformed. No longer was it the idyllic tropical ocean paradise, but instead a desolate salt flat with the scattered bones of sea creatures and sunken ships littering the desert. The two giant statues of Wasa and Ardas stood as permanent reminders of what Leir used to be.
With Leir now uninhabitable, the Wasari nearly faced extinction. The survivors were forced to flee elsewhere. The ancestors of the Magterian Sea Elves crossed to the west until they witnessed ocean once more. They settled in the wild continent of Emsius. The ancestors of the East Eidyn Sea Elves went east, following the rivers until they reached Eidyn’s east coast. The surviving Erda people travelled to Heznland with their original homes now rendered unrecognizable and covered in ash and debris.
Antiquity Era
Discovery of the God Statues
Thousands of years have passed. Travelling nomads of the Leir Desert discovered the two great statues of Wasa and Ardas. They wondered to themselves who could have built these two structures as no evidence of scaffolding or other buildings stood nearby. These two statues could only have been gods trapped in stone.
When they chipped away at Wasa, the statue sprung out water. Chipping at Ardas sprung out gems. Though the two gods stood as corpses, their last gift to the world were resources to restart civilization in Leir. The water that sprung from Wasa gave life to create an oasis, along with a great river to fill the dried out chasms nearby. The gems were used for trading with other distant tribes - the gems were not only used as building materials, but also to learn of the secrets of the past. Inscribed in each gem were fractal patterns that when deciphered, lead to advances in mathematics, engineering and magic. This allowed the people to discover how to build structures like obelisks and pyramids.
Rise of Gammel
Over the next few hundred years, the oasis grew into a prosperous city known as Gammel. Goods from all over the continent flowed through Gammel via the newly created River Alva. Though the statues deteriorated over the years, the people of Gammel discovered a way to sustain themselves through careful irrigation of the land. Replica statues were created in their place to commemorate the parting gifts of these deceased gods.
One of the tribes that received some of the Ardasian gems in a trade were the Jad people. The Jad did not believe Ardas and Wasa to be divine as they instead worshiped a god known as Asmos. Nonetheless, they discovered that the gems contained secrets to constructing automated beings called golems. Sculpting from clay, the Jad created servants to help them survive the desert.
Soon Gammel discovered the Jad had gotten their hands on golems and wanted to learn for themselves. The Jad were unwilling to share their secrets as they believed that Gammel would use the golems to create false idols - something strictly forbidden in the Asmosian religion. Desperate for power, Gammel captured much of the Jad people, taking them as slaves and forcing them to give over their secrets on golem building.
Almosan
A decade later, Pharaoh Ramosan of Gammel had captured a group of Jad rebels who were trying to start a coup by sabotaging his golems. The pharaoh ordered them to be executed. However, one of the rebels had an infant son. The pharaoh's wife Isirin begged that the child be spared, and thus, he was adopted and given the name Almosan.
Eighteen years later, Almosan had grown up as the prince of Gammel. But upon finding out his true heritage as a Jad, he found himself very distrustful of the pharaoh. As it turns out, the pharaoh had killed his real parents, and against the pharaoh’s will, Almosan ran away.
During his travels, Almosan ran into a rogue golem that had developed a will of its own. The golem could not understand the difference between humans and golems, as both had come from the earth. As such, the golem thought that the true heritage of mankind came from the earth. The golem claimed a mysterious force was drawing him - something with fundamental ties to the fabric of reality.
Almosan followed the golem to a place where it had been digging for over a hundred years. With Almosan’s help, something was unearthed below. A relic thought to be lost for thousands of years - the Worldstone, one of many Aard’Vorn in the world, tools gifted by gods to mortals. Almosan took it for himself and realized the power it held. After the golems fashioned a staff to contain the Aard’Vorn. Almosan resolved to free the Jad people from Gammel’s grasp.
Almosan soon returned to Gammel and approached his father with the Worldstone and a legion of golems. Almosan demanded that all the people of Jad be set free, but his father did not comply, instead demanding to hand over the Worldstone. However, Almosan retaliated, using the Worldstone to poison the River Alva. A plague spread, bringing disease to the crops and killing the livestock.
The pharaoh was tempted to give in as this was his own adopted son facing against him. The two battled using their own magical gifts as well as their respective armies of golems. However, as the dust settled, it turns out Isirin had become fatally ill from the plague that Almosan had summoned. With Ramosan having lost his wife and Almosan his foster mother, both were grief-stricken and neither had the will to fight each other any longer. Ramosan just wanted Almosan to leave forever and take the Jad people with him. The two agreed and Almosan set off into the desert to find a new home.
Wanderer of the Desert
Almosan lead his people to wander the desert for forty years in search of a new home. Perhaps they could find another place where the River Alva reached, but it seemed Almosan’s plague had reached much further than he thought. The vibrant oases that once were scattered throughout Leir were lifeless once more. The only way the Jad people were surviving was Almosan’s use of the Worldstone to draw groundwater to the surface.
With the Jad people growing restless and tired, Almosan was left with little choice but to dig below with the help of the golems. Using the Worldstone, Almosan dug deep below to Subterra in search of an underground spring that could provide a permanent home for them. They discovered a cavern full of water and ekati which they called Nal’Jadoria.
Almosan could finally rest knowing his people were safe. Travelling the desert had wore him out, and soon, he passed away leaving the Worldstone to his son Yosef. Yosef was left to look after the people of Jad, and his descendants continued that legacy.
Medieval Era
Decline of Nal'jadoria
One thousand years had passed since Almosan set foot in Nal’Jadoria. The oases returned and times were plentiful. A descendant of Almosan known as Xealver was now the leader of Nal’Jadoria. For a long time, they had remained isolated with golems maintaining the city. However, the city soon began to suffer overpopulation. Xealver knew that the city could not sustain itself if they did not expand. So using the Worldstone, Xealver dug deeper, in search of new caves full of groundwater.
Xealver soon discovered a new type of ekati: Deep Ekati. He learned of its power to corrupt. In spite of this, the declining economy of Nal’Jadoria saw it necessary to trade Deep Ekati on the black market to sustain themselves. As such, Xealver sought to dig deeper to uncover more of it.
Soon, a search for a stash of Deep Ekati soon uncovered a hostile force known as the Arbiters. These Arbiters lead by General Lucien asserted that Nal’Jadoria was threatening the stability of the world by mining and trading the Deep Ekati - attempting to lay down the law as guardians of the world. Xealver refused, believing that the Worldstone was a cultural cornerstone to Jad society. As punishment for not complying, General Lucien slaughtered a fourth of the population of Na’Jadoria and threatened to continue if Xealver did not hand it over.
Xealver came up with a plan and attempted to trade over a fake Worldstone created using illusion magic while the real Worldstone would be used to create a cave-in to crush the Arbiters. General Lucien, however, was not fooled. Tired of the trickery, General Lucien set about to slaughter the rest of the Jad people to make an example out of them to other mortals.
Xealver managed to escape with about a quarter of the population of Nal’Jadoria. Using a long range spell, he detonated the real Worldstone to cause the city to collapse into a sinkhole, trapping the Arbiters beneath along with any citizens who did not make it. This did not kill the Arbiters however - General Lucien survived and acquired the Worldstone for himself. But with his mission to stop the Jad people from digging any further now complete, he regrouped his forces underneath the Shuang Mountains letting Xealver and the other survivors go.
Return to Gammel
With their home now destroyed, Xealver set about to lead his people off in search of a new home. They decided to return to Gammel - a place that they had stayed away from for a thousand years, but perhaps they were the last remaining prosperous civilization in the desert. During their travels however, an ominous warning took place. The planets aligned and the moon turned blood red. And by the time Xealver and his people arrived, they found Gammel in flames and every man, woman and child in the city with their bones picked clean. With an oncoming sandstorm forcing them to take shelter in the city, Xealver and the others were forced to endure the horrific graveyard before them haunted that whatever mysterious force took the lives of these people might return.
It was only a few hours that culprits behind the city’s demise returned. An army of demons sent by the Demon Lord Ziminiar. The Jad people were forced to endure onslaughts of demons every single night. At least several people would die each time they came. The Jad people’s numbers dwindled, and were in danger of falling below the minimum needed to survive.
One of Xealver’s court wizards, a Hegaska named Shalom, had smuggled cases of Deep Ekati back with him even though they had supposedly gotten rid of all of it. Shalom, having become an expert on the dark arts, was able to resurrect the recently deceased Gammel citizens, specifically Gammel’s best warriors. And thus, the Jad people defied the odds and once again were able to fight back. Shalom now had an army of undead to fight at his command.
After one year of war, the people of Jad triumphed. Ziminiar was driven back to Brunikor, but in the process more lives were lost. Xealver had questioned the ethics behind Shalom’s actions. They had preferred Asmos’ teachings that those that die should stay dead. Being able to come back from the dead meant that one’s suffering could never end. Ultimately, Shalom’s actions were deemed necessary to survive. After Shalom allowed the Gammel citizens to pass on, Xealver and the Jad people decided to make the ruins of Gammel their new home.
Renaissance Era
Return of the Worldstone
A decade would pass since the end of the war with the demons. The famed Erudite Traveler William Kronen visited the city of Gammel to tell stories of what happened in his kingdom of Kronen in the past few years. William told them of how a legendary hero used four Aard’Vorn to defeat the demon Abraxas - one of those Aard’Vorn was the same Worldstone which had been stolen from General Lucien years prior. Since that time, the Worldstone had been kept in a vault in Kronen’s capital of New Valdin.
Xealver could not be more surprised. The same relic which he thought he had lost many decades ago had suddenly reappeared. He believed that the Worldstone rightfully belonged to the people of Jad as it was handed down among his ancestors for over a thousand years. It was the same relic that his ancestor Almosan used to free the Jad people.
Xealver could not help but negotiate for the return of the Worldstone. William agreed to return the Worldstone to the Jad people, the rightful owners of the Aard’Vorn. In exchange, they offered their knowledge on creating golems as well as Kronen’s rights to conduct archaeological expeditions in Gammel’s ruins. This eventually lead to a long count calendar detailing the the ebb and flow of magic throughout the world being found in one of the pyramids.
After William left and collected all the knowledge he wanted to, Shalom made a daring proposition to Xealver. He suggested that he use the Worldstone to terraform the entire western continent into a more habitable place. Xealver warned that such an endeavour could draw the attention of the Arbiters, but it was all the more reason they should prepare themselves. To defend themselves from a potential Arbiter attack, they saw fit to construct more golems - what they believed to be the more ethical alternative to using the undead.
Founding of Leir
It was an effort that took 800 years, and much of the western continent still remained desert. However, the areas surrounding the city of Gammel had now transformed into lush forests blossoming with life. Emperor Kindlus Leir, the direct descendant of Xealver, added the finishing touches and saw fit to name the remade land after the long bloodline of the Jad kings. Thus, the land of Leir came into existence.
Leir’s advancements in golem technology had also paved the way to them becoming one of the most advanced nations in all of Eidyn. They had sustained themselves by digging for ekati all while inventing newer and better golems to defend themselves in the event of an Arbiter attack. Under Kindlus Leir’s leadership, they quickly expanded their empire to cover the entirety what is simply known today as the region of Leir.
With expansion came consequences. No longer was Leir the roving tribe barely trying to survive the desert. Now it had a hierarchy of nobles and numerous conquered nations now annexed within it. Leir found itself having to deal with internal strife and civil war, and as such, they were forced to tighten their legal structures. New laws were passed to ensure the emperor’s strict rule and the proper management of all the lands.
However, Leir was met with an external threat, a challenger from the Outerlands. Unbeknownst to them all these years, a High Elf empire known as the Heilinthar had flourished beyond the desert. They felt threatened by Leir’s unchecked expansion. They scoffed at the idea that humans could surpass the elves in terms of superiority. Heilinthar demanded Leir to stop their expansion or else they would attack. Emperor Kindlus formed a non-aggression treaty to stave off a potential war. Still, Kindlus wanted to prepare for the inevitable.
As a means of preparing themselves in the event of an attack, Leir enlisted a secret group of colonists to explore the continent of Emsius off the coast of Eidyn. The intent was merely to gain a strategic foothold against the Heilinthar in the event of war. But it turned out the Heilinthar already had a presence there. The local Magterian Sea Elves were allied with the Heilinthar and they warned their leaders of Leir’s recent attempt to colonize Emsius. The Heilinthar, provoked by Leir’s actions, declared war. Leir responded in kind by sending armies to Heilinthar’s territory to fight back.
Creation of the Steel Sisters
During the first six years of the war, Leir was on the decline. Heilinthar had superior magical abilities. They had magically animated artificial dolls called homunculi that could relentlessly attack in large numbers easily surpassing Leir’s golems in terms of agility and adaptability. Leir was backed into a corner and decided to experiment something on their own. One of the problems Leir had with golems was that they could be pre-programmed for specific tasks, but they could not adapt to the unpredictability of the homunculi. While human soldiers could defeat them more easily, it was still incredibly dangerous to deal with in close combat. A new solution was required.
Although it was forbidden, new research into the same ancient magic Shalom used to control souls saw new developments. Dr. Otto Salvian, an expert on soul magic, was commissioned by Emperor Kindlus to create a new type of golem that was powered by a soul. A golem with a soul could not only adapt to the unpredictable situations, but would also be more powerful and intelligent, able to use all kinds of advanced magical techniques. Desperate for a new weapon, Kindlus himself invested in the project, giving him a near unlimited budget, but only six months to complete the project.
After six months, Dr. Salvian had created three prototype golems, each of which contained the souls of three women: Vinda Dorchester, Yora Eddie, and Stayla LeVasseur. These new prototype golems came to be known as mechanis, and the three women were codenamed the Steel Sisters.
As a field test, the Steel Sisters were ordered to quell an internal uprising the province of Nomes. The Steel Sisters with their magically gifted abilities succeeded. They soon gained the reputation as some of Leir’s most powerful soldiers. Among their other feats included fending off an Arbiter attack in the Wind Caves along with defeating the Heilinthar’s most powerful weapon up to this point: a Giant Sequoia Ent summoned from Farandia.
Rogue Colonel
Despite this, not everyone hailed them as heroes. A colonel named Speron Ferader saw the threat that his armies of golems could be replaced. He feared that the Steel Sisters would steal the credit for his efforts in battle. Disgruntled with the military politics, Colonel Ferader defected and schemed with the High Elves to pull off a heist to steal the blueprints for the mechanis. He intended to create his own so that he could outshine the Steel Sisters in feats of battle.
With the help of the High Elves, Colonel Ferader managed to steal the blueprints for himself. Not only did he intend to make a mechanis for himself, but also one that was more powerful than the three Steel Sisters combined. The colonel found a suitable candidate to become the mechanis - Zeke, an orphaned boy whose parents were killed by High Elves and knew nothing but hatred.
The colonel’s experiments succeeded, but Zeke chose to kill the High Elves that helped the colonel. To better control him, the colonel put a brainwashing spell on him. Despite this, the colonel had become distrusted by the Heilinthar, and now the colonel was a neutral party. No longer having the help of the High Elves, Colonel Sperador instead chose to attack Leir himself for the sake of causing discord and to attain notoriety. With Zeke at his disposal as a mindless fighting machine, Ferader soon became infamously known as the Rogue Colonel.
In an attempt to damage the Steel Sisters’ reputation, he leaked the blueprints to create mechanis to the public so that just about anyone could become a mechanis. In the span of weeks, many underground experiments were conducted to create more mechanis. With these rogue mechanis attacking civilians on the spot, the colonel hoped that the general public would distrust the Steel Sisters.
With Leir now facing a threat within, the Steel Sisters would soon become too occupied to continue fighting at the frontlines. Choosing to reallocate the Steel Sisters to deal with internal conflicts, Leir decided to invest into a safer alternative of training a legion of Magic Knights lead by Mago Frihet. Frihet and his elite squad would now fight the battles in foreign soil while the Steel Sisters would handle the mechanis and the Rogue Colonel himself.
Soon enough, the Steel Sisters tracked down the Rogue Colonel and Zeke and faced off. During the battle, the Rogue Colonel had perfected his mind manipulation magic and used it on one of the Steel Sisters, Yora Eddie, to turn her against the others. Although Yora had succumbed for a while, she managed to resist. As it turned out, the plan backfired for the Rogue Colonel as Zeke had gotten the same idea to try to resist the mind control. Zeke betrayed and mortally wounded the Rogue Colonel - he was at last free from being mind-controlled. While the Steel Sisters attempted to detain him, Zeke fled towards the Heilinthar Empire in an attempt to find the High Elves that killed his parents. The Steel Sisters could not catch him and were forced to let him go.
With the Rogue Colonel defeated, the Steel Sisters turned their attention to solving the civil conflicts within Leir. They attempted to locate all the rogue mechanis to stop them from causing trouble, and generally kept the peace while offering assistance to the Magic Knights every now and then.
Change in Leadership
About one year after the Rogue Colonel was defeated, Emperor Kindlus Leir suddenly died with no explanation. Some thought he simply died of old age, but some suspect it to have been poisoning. Whatever happened, Kindlus’s son, Kindlus Potenka Leir, took over. Kindlus Potenka was still shocked at the sudden death of his father and infamously became terrified over the thought of dying especially considering that their religion dictated that they did not go to an afterlife. As such, he grew extremely paranoid and Leir as an empire was on the path to political corruption.
Kindlus Potenka had doctors perform check ups on him every single day to make sure he displayed no signs of disease. Every single meal and drink he was served had to be meticulously checked and taste tested prior. To add, Kindlus Potenka never left his bed chambers, attempting to keep himself perfectly healthy by using an ekati healing machine to slow his aging. Demand for ekati soared as he increased tariffs and taxes on all ekati-based products soon forming a monopoly in the region. He began to shut down other businesses and competitors to ensure that he had enough ekati to keep himself alive indefinitely.
To communicate with the outside world, he used body doubles. Because of this, Kindlus Potenka became distant from the people of Leir. Rather than a person, he became viewed as an impersonal, intangible force, but despite this, his ambition and intelligence exceeded that of his father. After the defeat of the Rogue Colonel, Kindlus Potenka was able to successfully continue the growth of the Magic Knight legions. He also tracked down and registered more than 90% of the rogue mechanis, giving them the option to serve the military to redeem themselves.
The change in leadership also saw more aggressive expansion. Kindlus Potenka demanded societal reform in much of the existing territories with stricter laws to make sure everyone was loyal to the throne. To make sure the communication of these ideas was possible, more roads were built to connect Leir to the rest of Eidyn and to make travel across the expansive desert much easier than before. Appearance of Lyonnes Only a few months after Kindlus Potenka acquired the throne, a mysterious force attacked a Leir camp in the southern forests. A survivor of the incident named Private Duncan fled the scene to report what he saw: a monster taking the form of a Deep Elf woman with an unending, indiscriminate appetite for everything. Whatever she ate never satiated her as it would get transported to a hellish plane of endless torture. The Steel Sisters were called to investigate.
When the Steel Sisters arrived, they discovered the monster to in fact be the Deep Elf goddess Lyonnes who had awaken due to the continuous war between the Heilinthar and Leir. By far, Lyonnes was one of the toughest opponents they had ever faced as she could bite through metal as if it were a soft desert. But with the team effort the Steel Sisters kept up, they managed to trap Lyonnes inside a cave which they promptly destroyed the entrance to. It would not hold her forever, but it was a temporary solution.
Campaign for the Aard’Vorn
Hearing of the appearance of Lyonnes, Kindlus Potenka became even more terrified than ever. It seemed that there were more threats underground than the Arbiters alone. He feared the return of the destructive gods like the legends of Ardas and Wasa. As such, Kindlus Potenka saw fit that the only way to stand a chance against these new threats was to become the undisputed power of the world - to end the war with the Heilinthar in one swift blow and to be able to stand against whatever threats from the world below that might show up. Thus, the most infamous campaign in Leir’s history took place: the search and acquisition of all the Aard’Vorn in the world. The emperor knew he had to betray many long time allies to make this possible, but he only saw it as part of the greater good.
Kindlus Potenka started his campaign in the Xeng Empire. He sent Mago Frihet and the Magic Knights to steal the Winter Sigil. The Xeng Empire, having not fought a war with an outside force in a very long time, was unprepared. In just one month, the Shuang region saw itself under Leir’s martial law and the Winter Sigil now in possession of the emperor. Kronen Front
The nearby empire of Kronen became alarmed at Leir’s actions, but Leir spread misinformation, claiming that the Xeng Empire was planning to invade Kronen and was simply carrying out a preemptive strike. But it wouldn’t stop there.
Leir soon turned its eyes to Kronen which had three Aard’Vorn in close proximity to one another. They started with the floating city of Ouropoli which housed the Gravity Gem. Not wanting to immediately betray the trust of Kronen, Leir instead opted to steal the Gravity Gem covertly. They sent Caspio Xell, a powerful illusionist to acquire the Gravity Gem while using an illusion spell to make it look like the guardians of the Gravity Gem had become negligent in their duties. However, because the Gravity Gem was what kept Ouropoli floating in the sky, it soon began to plummet to the ground bringing the attention of Kronen’s Prospan wizards. The wizards gathered together to slow Ouropoli’s descent, but the impact was still catastrophic. Even though no one other than the automated guardians was on Ouropoli, falling debris killed at least 3,000 people, making it one of Kronen’s largest disasters since the Demon Wars.
Still in shock from the falling of Ouropoli, Leir used the opportunity to steal the Eternal Flame from the Ko’atl, completely levelling their stone pyramids and causing the eruption of Fire Mountain. Much of the Tepezi Desert became covered in ash and the native Ko’atl people could no longer inhabit the area. After that, Leir invaded Windseeker Eyrie to demand the natives to show them how to get the Seasoul. Once their objective was completed, they slaughtered all the Windseeker Dragons leaving the native Palvari defenseless against any further resistance. The only Windseeker Dragons left in the world were those that had migrated to Khyogan where the future Polvora civilization would arise.
When the Kronen Empire learned of Leir’s heinous actions, they dissolved any diplomatic ties and declared war. But with Leir already having so many Aard’Vorn on hand, Kronen stood no chance. They were forced to surrender or else they’d meet the same fate as their compatriots.
The current bearer of the Erudite Traveler title Alexander Kronen was taken as a political prisoner to stop him from spreading information about Leir’s actions in order to prevent other nations of Eidyn rallying against Leir. With Kronen’s king out of the picture, the empire of Kronen had no option but to accept Leir’s new government. As far as the rest of Eidyn was concerned, Leir was bringing peace and stability to the continent, unaware of what they were up to.
Formation of the Rebellion
Over the next few years, the Magic Knights continued their campaigns to acquire more Aard’Vorn from unsuspecting nations all across Eidyn. Despite this, Mago Frihet and some of the other Magic Knights began to question the emperor’s motives. Even though they were supposedly preparing for a possible Arbiter invasion or perhaps the return of Lyonnes, they were killing many innocent people in the process. Frihet drew the line when he was forced into murdering the parents of a young sorceress named Emilia.
This lead to a rift in the Magic Knights, and the emperor declaring Mago Frihet and his followers treasonous people to be killed on site. Mago took Emilia under his wing as well as other Magic Knights who supported him, and they became deserters.
Mago, Emilia and the other Magic Knights soon met with the Steel Sisters. At this point, mechanis were now being used as secret police - the Steel Sisters identified Mago as enemies and engaged in combat with him. The fight was a stalemate as the Steel Sisters soon realized that they were unaware of Leir’s recent transgressions against other nations. They decided to gather with Dr. Salvian, the only man that the Steel Sisters could trust.
This newly formed Rebellion would be lead by Mago Frihet as they discussed a battle plan. Dr. Salvian agreed to upgrade their equipment in secret so that they could build their numbers. They decided to track down Zeke - the most powerful known mechanis - if he was still alive. Likely, Zeke was in Heilinthar territory still fighting his battles. They would also track down Alexander Kronen so that they could have a public figure to speak for them.
The Rebellion travelled in secret across Leir, slowly building their numbers and acquiring new talented heroes along the way. The Steel Sisters went to the Heilinthar Empire to meet with Zeke. Zeke had grown tired of his crusade to find the High Elves that killed his family having discovered that he had become victim to an endless cycle of revenge. The High Elves he had killed were also looking for revenge on him, and thus, he had gone into isolation to reflect. Zeke was hesitant to join, but the Steel Sisters told him that the world was now in danger with Leir gathering more and more Aard’Vorn.
Meanwhile, Mago and Emilia had rescued Alexander Kronen from prison. They tortured and tried to brainwash him, but Alexander’s strong will allowed him to resist. What they asked Alexander to do next would guarantee his death, but he knew what was at stake. As the Erudite Traveler, he would not only tell legends and stories, but now the truth behind Leir’s corruption.
First starting with printed pamphlets, Alexander Kronen eventually made himself publicly known that he was free and that he had escaped from a prison in Leir. He spread the word so that all of Eidyn would know. His words rallied many other nations into safeguarding whatever Aard’Vorn they had. Choosing a side was difficult because during the Steel Sisters’ search for Zeke, they found that the Heilinthar was just as guilty of as many war crimes as Leir. So they recommended that everyone hold true to their personal ideals and fight to defend what they believe was right.
Endgame
The work of the Rebellion stirred many uprisings. Citizens took up arms with the assistance of other nations. One of the largest scale wars of Eidyn had finally broke out. One by one, many Leirian forts fell, and the Rebellion seemed to be winning. The Rebellion soon turned their attention to the emperor’s palace in Origin Mountain. The time for a coup was now. The time to dethrone Emperor Kindlus Potenka Leir.
The Steel Sisters and the Magic Knights lead an assault on the emperor’s palace, fighting their way to the room that emperor never left in years. All was going well, until they found that they had walked into a trap. Secretly, the emperor had been experimenting having successfully mind controlled the Arbiter General Ramiel through a combination of Deep Ekati and the Aard’Vorn he had gathered. In spite of the warnings of dealing with Subterra, Kindlus Potenka was already prepared. By bending the Arbiter to his will, he was confident that whatever came his way. As a trophy, he had even captured Lyonnes to show further demonstration of his capabilities.
The mind-controlled Arbiters already forced the Rebellion to surrender. They gathered up all the key players: the Steel Sisters, the Magic Knights and all the third parties who played a part. A magical projection was used to broadcast the captured rebels to all of Leir. Unless they were to surrender, one by one General Ramiel would execute each of them. First were some of the Magic Knights, and then Alexander Kronen. But just when they were about to kill Dr. Salvian, the Steel Sisters gave in and begged them to stop. At that point, the emperor then decided to keep them bound, but watch the world get remade. Thus, Kindlus Potenka went to work with his plans.
Kindlus Potenka began the ritual with all the Aard’Vorn he collected by setting them out in an open field with a large ritual circle drawn. With General Ramiel channeling its power, giant tornadoes and firestorms appeared as it was used to decimate the Heilinthar forces many miles away. Lightning smited anyone who opposed the emperor’s judgment. Thousands of people from all over Eidyn died as the Rebellion could do nothing but watch - the emperor had kept them alive to witness how they failed. The conquests did not stop however. Kindlus Potenka, having become mad with power, turned his eyes to the rest of the world. Whatever did not fall under the banner of Leir was an enemy. And with an Arbiter general at his command, it seemed that not even the otherworldly forces that the emperor was so afraid of could stand a chance.
However, there was one last final hope. Emilia noted that the Aard’Vorn were arranged into a magically linked circle. If one of them were knocked out of alignment, that would stop the powerful spell from being used. Dr. Salvian warned of the consequences that it could result in a catastrophic reaction that would destroy Leir. The others begged Emilia not to try to intervene as trying to escape would get her killed. Emilia was adamant, however, not forgetting what Leir did to her family. Even though Zeke advised her against how futile revenge was, Emilia went ahead anyway. She escaped confinement using her magic and made her way to the ritual circle.
Emilia faced off with General Ramiel, and for the first time since taking the throne, Emperor Kindlus Potenka also appeared. The Aard’Vorn were protected by magical wards, and thus, she could not move them right away. So she did battle with two alone. It was not long before the other captured members of the Rebellion escaped. The Steel Sisters, the Magic Knights, Dr. Salvian and even Lyonnes also broke free to help Emilia out. And thus, began a showdown between some of the strongest beings in Leir.
After the rebels dealt the final blow to General Ramiel, Dr. Salvian had the chance to weaken the seals protecting the Aard’Vorn. Once the Aard’Vorn were moved out of alignment, the plan was to use Lyonnes’ devouring ability to contain the explosion. However, Kindlus Potenka saw what they were trying to do and used a teleportation spell to send Lyonnes away to an unknown location. The remaining rebels were faced with a choice: allow the emperor to continue his reign, or destroy Leir. Before the rebels had time to think it over, Emilia apologized for what she was about to do: she moved one of the Aard’Vorn, the Worldstone, out of alignment.
The Aard’Vorn reacted with one another, becoming unstable. There was nothing the emperor could do to stop it, so he encased himself in crystal to protect himself. Mago Frihet to atone for his wrongdoings, decided to sacrifice himself to form a protective barrier around the Steel Sisters, Dr. Salvian, Emilia and the other Magic Knights who helped to maintain the barrier from the inside.Then it happened. A chain reaction caused by the Aard’Vorn created a massive wave of energy that burst across the entire region of Leir. In an instant, the emperor’s palace was levelled and so were cities within a few miles radius. In the areas beyond, the air became fully of volatile magical energy that made much of Leir an unlivable wasteland. Aftermath After the wave of energy, the members of the rebellion barely survived, but were severely injured - the barrier barely held on long enough. However, they noticed that Kindlus Potenka was still alive inside of his own crystal, but completely immobile. They dare not to break it open lest Kindlus Potenka’s god-like power could run rampant again. But it seemed the emperor got his final wish. The whole time, he was afraid of dying - and by turning to immobile crystal, he became immortal and unable to die. They had no choice but to leave him be to look for other survivors.
It seemed that the reaction of the Aard’Vorn had not only wiped out Leir and the Heilinthar, but had also crippled the economies of nearby nations. As Leir had the monopoly on ekati, there was barely any left to use by anyone else as most of the ekati in Leir had reacted to the wave of energy and dissipated.
As Leir was no longer habitable and all the Aard’Vorn they had gathered were completely drained of their magical abilities, it seemed terraforming Leir again was no longer an option. The rebels discovered 44,000 survivors of the catastrophe. With little elsewhere to go, an exodus to the continent of Emsius began. Even after the destruction of their empire, Leir could still live on, but they had to start over again. Thus, the colonies of Emsius were founded.
Steampunk Era
Leir as a region remained mostly uninhabited from the steampunk era onward. The cultural descendants of the Leir people continued their lifestyle in Emsius. What remained behind were numerous automatons wandering the desert looking for purpose after having been abandoned after the war. They sought to continue their mission to bring peace through whatever means necessary, seeking out and eliminating those whom they believed were sources of corruption.