Brief History of Alturas

The Orcish Age
The oldest recorded history comes from the Orcish Age. It’s unknown exactly how long this age truly lasted through history as what little is known from it is scavenged from lingering orc story tellers and ruins.

Before the Age of Man and War the world was utterly dominated by orcs. At the time they were a near perfect race, sharp of mind and strong of body. They built great empires of stone, legions of soldiers and temples to unknown gods. Of course making a legacy such as this they needed a workforce, slaves.

Ancient orcs had such an overwhelming presence that most humanoids (Or orcoids, as many orcs would’ve said) had no choice but to serve the orcs. Between raw physical might and blessings granted by their star gods fighting would’ve been suicide to the at the time tribal races. As such the Orcish Age was built on the blood and sweat of humans, elves, dwarves, anything with hands and the mind to follow orders.

There is little surviving information about orcish culture at this time. It’s known they were keen to war with one another, as those stories are the few to survive to this day, were devoutly religious, and put great faith in the power of stars.

What few scattered stones and stories remain of orcish religion is unclear. Mentions of powerful gods never given true names which walked the skies and worked from another world. Services were carried out in large temples akin to castles, each built for a specific orcish priest-hero and named after such. Hundreds to thousands of orcs would gather daily, or rather nightly, around these temples and gaze into the stars as the priests worked their old magic. It’s thought this was some sort of act to call out for prophecy as well as prayer, but the meat of these events are unknown.

Nearing the end of the Orcish Age it is known that many had begun to forgo the gods. Somehow a war sparked between the largest of the orc nations, and from it came three notorious warlords.

The first was Al’Zettar the Voice of Creation. A mage so skilled in the arcane arts once alien to orcs that some stories claim him to have been a newborn god living its first cycle in the mortal world. They say even a single word from his lips could set fire to lakes and stones would fall from the sky. With this power he ravaged the world, drunk on his own ego and utterly mad.

The second is only known as the Great Captain. He was the one who kept the orcish warfare bound inland, his armada spanned the world’s sea and by making pacts with the merfolk he was granted power over the seas and skies. No creature came to the water without his knowing, an arrow loosed from his storm bow carried the might of a hurricane, and the water itself raised to his will. Still however he acted as an advocate for peace among the orcs, refusing their sea faring was an attempt to save lives.

The last has lost his name to history. Only known as the last of the orcish legends, he was the one which single handedly ended not only the orcs, but the Orcish Age. Armed with artifacts which could rival the gods he came to the orcish homelands. There he challenged the gods alone. The legends say when the gods descended the fertile earth turned to dust, the skies burned, and still he managed to land but a single blow.

Retribution for this act was immediate as if bled out by the gods. The ancient homeland of orcs which seeded their world spanning empire was cursed, life turned to dust, sturdy stones and rivers to sand, thousands of orcs vanished on the spot or appears to be torn and shredded to pieces. By the end of it orcs found themselves struck down, minds crippled and left with only a portion of their brutish strength. Their world crumbled as more clever races took over, the majority died leaving the few scarce tribes thinning and followed by a wasting curse.

Age of Man and War
Many years after the fall of the orcs the enslaved races rose to power, scrambling to fill the vacuum left by the end of orcs. They quickly found themselves allying with their own kind and returning to homelands, especially the elves who were unable to propagate outside of it.

Humans returned to their vast continent, elves to the wooded glades of Jales, dwarves to their underground tunnels in modern Terranus, but the gnomes found themselves at ends. They once shared their land with the orcs, which was now nothing but a cursed wasteland devoid of life. For a time each clan had to act on their own, trying to etch out a living where ever they could but the humans feared their talents for magic and the elves killed them on sight.

The dwarves however were… Tolerant of the gnomes. They did not trust their magic but did not fear it, instead they found their odd minds a useful tool. Dwarves know practicality as well as they do tradition, and while tradition may constrain a dwarf it would not a gnome. And if any were to force the gnome’s magic into proper form and sharpen their minds, why not the dwarves who thought themselves the wisest of all?

So the allegiance was struck. King Germund Mountain-Crowned agreed to accept the gnomes into his tunnels on the terms gnomes were not to leave until ‘The first gnome is born with greyed hair and wrinkled brow’. Until then they were mostly accepted as odd, eccentric, but ultimately useful allies. In time they learned the arcane arts properly and taught the few dwarves who understood divine magic the principles behind arcane runes.

Meanwhile in Jales the elves were busy, they had no historical structure but knew they needed it now more than ever as humans rarely were found lingering in their territory. Many fought amongst themselves over this, soon they created a warrior culture even. However that was a short lived period as they rediscovered their heritage as druids.

Speakers for the lands the few who could learn druidic arts rose to power and communed with one another, keeping peace between elves. As time passed and elves learned how to live in peace it was found they were… Well immortal for lack of a better word.

If an elf was never killed by violence or disease they ceased aging after a couple centuries. With this they quickly developed medicines and alchemy to preserve their health. And the most valued among them, the eldest druids, began to create havens underground away from the dangers of the world. These druids, now called the Rooted Druids, acted as the ruling class among all elves with one to each forest.

The elves since lived relatively peacefully, rooted druids providing insight towards invaders and keeping the peace. At one with the world they stayed secluded in their glades until disturbed by outsiders.

Humans took almost the exact opposite approach. Shortest lived of the major races they scrambled to organize, taking many generations to form the first kingdoms on their homelands. And then many formed as time went on, each fighting for resources, land, food, so on.

They were in complete disarray, at best a human could hope to have been born into royalty or fool some starved peasants into believing they carried divine right to lead. Otherwise they were doomed to a life of toiling for a leading class or to die on the battlefield.

Still though they spread, out of their homelands to the east they were stopped only by the cursed desert left by the orcs, now the Orc Badlands. To the west they bridged to the harsh surface of terranus, fighting the dwarves and gnomes over ore and stone. Lastly to the woods of Jales where they were tolerated peacefully at the edges, even granted limited land, but killed the instant they tread too far in.

Their antics didn’t go unnoticed for sure. Being that the age is named for them all races saw what the humans were doing, bloodied battle fields, and burned villages, kings beheaded and the innards of holy men on pikes to warn others. On the surface death and destruction was everywhere, humans used anything and everything to their advantage with ruthless determination.

And it was like this for many years, near no progress was made by any. The dwarves tempered the gnomes to a slow pace, the elves deliberated on the smallest discovery for decades, and the humans killed each other before anything beyond a better weapon could be made.

This all changed with the coming of King Vincer, a man who earned more titles in his life then can ever be listed. He was seemingly nobody early in life, born to a coastal kingdom in what is modern day Vincer (Guess who founded it). Another king to the grinder. But he would not be satisfied with this, neighboring kings tried to fight but he turned out to be a master tactician.

The old Vincerian armies were nothing special on the surface, some would even consider his land troops on the weaker side with lighter armor and mainly spears for weapons. But his power came in his supply chains and water superiority at first. Food and arms came to the battlefields at a breakneck pace, ships came to shore in days of a threat being delivered, and cavalry was seemingly always at the ready.

Now if this wasn’t enough the young King Vincer at the time began to show interest in the gnomes of all things, hearing of it from travelers and story tellers he started to practice what they once did. A slow and mind numbing task of trying every possible archaic act and gesture possible but slowly he grew a knack for magic.

With this he truly became a worldwide presence. Stories spread fast of the King who came to the battle field raining fire, the earth shook at his will, soldiers slain rose to fight again, and seemingly no plan could be made which wasn’t accounted for. He was brutal and cunning, some considered him a reincarnation of Al’Zettar himself. In fact the few orcs who knew of the hero eagerly served him, teaching his holy men the art of divine magic.

While the new human gods weren’t as powerful as the old ones between divine and arcane might he came to quickly decimate all who stood before him. With his magic he extended his life until he could see humanity unified under one banner, the blue banner of the High King Vincer. And he did, the land stained red as his war path moved but by the gods he came to rule over humanity.

But their population was crippled, a fraction of what it was. And so he forcibly migrated as many as he could back to their homeland, assigning lesser kings to the lands around him and creating the old country of Vincer.

Age of Peace
With humanity contained and the other races settled for a time peace reigned. Not exact peace, monsters roamed, some still struggled to break free from their respective rulers, but most wars were small by comparison.

The dwarves and gnomes experienced the most change in this time. The united races enjoyed the quietest existence but some gnomes were always unhappy under the surface of the world, many born with grey skin and with warped minds it was clear the gnomes couldn’t survive only underground as the dwarves could. Still they were true to their word, until the first gnome child was born with grey hair and a wrinkled brow they would remain. As enforced by the dwarves.

Arcane and divine arts flourished in this age for the two, though gnomes turned out to only instinctively know a few arcane things but with stolen knowledge of the humans dwarves learned their own true divine magic. Together they found a calling in artifice, the dwarves providing the detail work and dedication with gnomes being the more inventive types.

But then one day, a gnome was born. Thin strands of fragile grey hairs on his head, stony grey eyes, and a wrinkle on his brow. When this gnome was taken to the king the dwarves were true to their deal, and the gnomes were given true freedom. They didn’t leave as the dwarven nobility expected, but in the coming years instead formed their own government, the magocracy. The greatest gnome mages unified, who ‘demanded’ equal right to the tunnels and surface as the dwarves had. Asking what they already had in the dwarves’ mind, but when shown the papers the dwarven king had laughed seeing that they were right. It was followed by a brief imprisonment of the dwarven king for allowing ‘foreigners’ to live in the tunnels, promptly set free by the magocracy.

In the coming years more children of the gnomes were born appearing aged, though unlike the maddened gnomes that came to be known as ‘Deep gnomes’ they were close enough to the norm. They weren’t quite as extravagant, muted colors and personalities, but with natural ingenuity. Soon dwarves started calling them Tinker gnomes for their talents, though the gnomes themselves didn’t consider such a difference.

The elves north in Jales still kept to themselves but their xenophobia had become grating to some. Cooped up in their woodlands many younger elves who’ve yet to see their second century were uneasy. By now elven life had stabilized, one of peaceful farming, study, or rarely hunting. All overlaid with a strict sense of safety, medicine common and each sign of illness treated as a plague waiting to happen.

The younger generations wouldn’t always adapt to this. Many found it suffocating and dull compared to the ‘horror’ stories of the times before settling. Others considered them unorthodox, but the rooted druids knew trying to force them would just end in unrest. So they developed the Home Trees, seeds given to outgoing elves so a tree connected magically to their homes could always provide shelter.

The Home Trees are an impressive bit of druidic magic. When planted in fertile ground and tended over the course of a day it will grow into a fully furnished elven home. Bit minimal but enough to live comfortably. Even creates a sort of magical mirror, a well of enchanted sap that allows communication with their homeland’s druids.

As time went on and more elves left the unorthodox mindset turned to a sort of twisted mentality of its own. Elves tainted with bravado told tales of their immortality being a sign from the gods, go out, be heroes! If you can’t die of time as any other would surely the elves were meant to be the greatest the world has to offer, living legends.

Orcs still exist too of course. Calling them a shadow of their former selves would be an overstatement to be sure, reduced to less than a couple thousand worldwide. Now they exist as single entities, maybe small bands or pairs with blood bonds at best. Their homeland curse remained but the individual orcs seemed to be able to survive well enough now.

The fear of them has long since died out. Honestly in some places they were mocked. But those places rarely lasted once an actual orc arrived. Even with their minimal numbers the few surviving orcs were strong, they had to be, and passed on strength and knowledge to their kin. Raiding orcs began and fear reignited in a new form. A single orc now held the strength of many, and so divided it was near impossible to know how to defend against one. Single orcs razed villages, bands of even three could leave a city in ruin. Even Talagloir had trouble fending off an unheard of mob made up of six.

Humanity was settling however. The now High King Vincer was still seeming to be in his prime but mellowed in fervor. His royal circle eventually came to him about an heir, and how to best govern the lands as mountains divided the humans into three major groups.

The High King humored them for unknown reasons, and divided his court into three pairs. The first pair he would send west to meet at the dwarven land of Terranus, sent to form their own trade empire. The second was sent south to the mountains and the Sea of Grass, to create a fertile land or die trying. The last two were to remain and assist his eventual son in tending his own nation. Meanwhile the High King himself would remain, but relinquish his title to his son when the time came.

The land to the west became Haldrod, a trade nation though which goods flowed from east to west. And with gold came blood as the founding pair eventually fell to the people craving independence, small lesser kingdoms formed and the country resembled humanity pre unification.

To the south one of the nobles stayed close to the mountains with the native monks, realizing the Sea of Grass would be a futile effort. The region was named Malten then and there, but the other noble was stubborn. He took his men deeper south and followed the shore, finding scarce few people scraping out a living there. He wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms, but with better weaponry he made due with the tribal folk.

And the country of Vincer remained as it was for many years. The High King showed restraint with his new neighboring countries and focused his efforts inwards to make a peaceful nation, founding the first Royal Guard to serve as his elite army. Centuries past before the High King sired a son, and with it he passed on the crown. To this day the old High King still remains somewhere in the castle, hidden away as his son ruled with a fraction of his father’s magical vitality.

Modern Day
Within the last century is considered the modern age, one currently being defined as discovery. Officially marked by dwarven historians with the clockwork profession. A long practiced artistic craft of the gnomes but only recently accepted by the dwarves as a possible tool. In the early days the two crated alloys perfect for the craft and invented smaller tools.

Later in the age true machines would be made powered by clockwork engines. These engines are typically cranked manually by teams of animals or dwarves, but stationary structures use vents of heat or water wheels when possible. The purpose is as wide as machinery is expected, dwarves are masters of industry but have been very slow to adopt these machines for their ‘soulless’ craftsmanship. This has led to the largest division between dwarves and gnomes. Many gnomes now have left their underground homes for good to share their knowledge with the world in hopes of being able to build their fanciful devices.

Humans were especially fond of those gnomish devices, particularly those in Haldrod who fawned over the gnomish weapons. For many years gnomes had mastered simple firearms but they were stagnated by the dwarves to single shot blunderbusses which needed to be sturdy enough to bludgeon in a pinch, while gnomes were distrusted should they carry anything more than a pistol. The humans however had no issue with more firepower, but that came with the closer settlements proving a bit… Reserved about letting these wonderful inventions spread east to their enemies. Due to this there is an ongoing mercantile war in Haldrod revolving entirely around smuggling books about firearms east, with most profiteering individuals using Mistfall as an intermediary. Which in turn has involved parts of the island in the trade.

Elves were stagnate as ever in their homeland. The unorthodox elves now spread across the world and became a rare sight to see. Some even settled into families out in human territories, fewer still sympathized with orcs leading to some very rare half elf, half orc folk. Generally considered harmless, elves full of hubris either mellow out or die fast so most other races consider them a mild pest or just a strange foreigner. Those closer to Jales more inclined to consider them pests, especially the few distant human settlements and dwarven hovels. However some of the more social elves have tried to start rumors of more groups forming from the wilds. Though nobody has taken these rumors very seriously.

It was in this period where the first halfling was recorded. It was done by a traveler passing through a small town in southern Vincer near the Maltenese mountain range. The town itself was unremarkable, known best for some decent hunting grounds. During his stay he had spent a night out enjoying the hunt, only to come back the next day to an odd scene in the town square. An unusually small man hung by his ankle to a large tree, bound, blinded, and with a manic grin on his face. Unnerved the traveler quickly left town and found himself stumbling across more of these odd Halflings on the road.

Since then nobody’s been completely sure where halflings come from or what they are, they themselves even seem backwards as to where they originate from. Many who were first found on major roads claimed to hail from cities and countries which didn’t exist, or sometimes ones that did. Yet those who seemingly appeared overnight in towns say they’ve just always been there, neighbors even agreeing that they’d lived whole lives in the area. Some people were concerned at first, scholars especially but since then halflings have been deemed a harmless oddity. Possibly because they’re uncannily trustworthy to most but you’d be hard pressed to find someone who hates the charming little fellows. Even the dour dwarves seem mostly disinterested in them at worst, more amazingly there are stories of halflings who have been accepted into elven society.