Steel, Gunpowder, and Faith
Humanity is a reckless species. Ever since the dawn of the Titans, those who existed during that time were divided between the elves, dwarves, and humans. Mankind was comparatively underdeveloped, but nevertheless determined. Their spark for both progress and violence caught the interest of the Titans, but they were not alone.
Though humanity was the first to speak out and offer their swords up to the Exiled in the name of banishing the Dark Horde from Skellbrieg, the Twilight Elves and Dwarves of Araknoak were soon to follow.
Together, they managed to march in unison with the Exiled. In a few campaigns, they found victory. In most, they shared defeat. But this initial trinity of armies brought about a unique idea within the rulers of that age. Perhaps there could be true peace and harmony, and perhaps even the greatest of future foes would not stand against them.
After the Exiled died off or became something else entirely, the first Coalition was born.
Midland, divided into three massive sections of plains, mountains, and forests, seemed a perfect place to manage this triumvirate. Indeed, its soils watched the rise of many kings, queens, cities, and fortresses. Armies united for one purpose of a free Skellbrieg marched against giants, demons, and undead for centuries. Yet, even then, chaos began to fester.
Humanity, in its hubris, started to hold faith above all other qualities of kinship. The Monotheistic Cult directly held Vogna the Wanderer responsible for freeing Midland, instead of attributing part of the success to other great leaders of the past. The grip such religion had on the hearts of man truly had an inspiring effect on its people, especially when those with power launched Holy Wars.
The priesthood of humanity grew from a place of honor and worship into a demon hunting inquisition, spreading terror throughout the villages and less-educated parts of Isuldor, securing their participation through acts of faith and blind subjugation. Yet, perhaps this was not all a bad thing.
The very first Storm of Chaos erupted upon Skellbrieg shores, bringing with it the Chaos Clan, led by the brutal barbarian warlord Skragga the Insane. His furious weapons brought about the Throne of Brass, the citadel where the Chaos Clan supposedly originated from deep in the southern sub-arctic wastes. There, the ice is kept from freezing by fountains of fresh, hot blood and its king sits upon a mountainous heap of skulls. It is also where a Womb of Evil also reportedly sprang into being, marking the Chaos Clan forever as part of the Dark Horde.
This is part of the reason why Isuldor is concerned with keeping its citizens strung together through harsh lessons of obeying the word of the Church of Vogna, otherwise their hearts would stray towards eternal damnation. However, this way of thinking only spurs eventual rebellion and anger - especially in the unruly souls of those who want answers about such a violent and unsettling world.
One such inquirer existed in the family of the king of Arladen, namely his son Ulthuas, but that is a story for another time.
The Three Peaks
The kingdom of the Dwarves has always been Araknoak. Despite unearthing several Wombs of Evil during their stay, the Dwarves never once budged from their mountain strongholds. In fact, they actively transformed the entire Araknoak mountain range into a colossal fortress, establishing three separate kingdoms in each of the highest peaks: Magnenheim, Cragheim, and Afelheim to be precise.
Magni Ragekindler became the king of Magnenheim upon relinquishing the throne from a mad uncle and casting him out of the mountains to die in psychosis. Otherwise, the palace would have been filled with molten gold if his foolish relative had gotten his way. Legend has it that Magni's uncle became insane upon looking into the depths of the mine, where he saw the demonic legions looking back at him.
Magni addressed this concern by leading an expedition into the darkest recesses of his kingdom and killing the demon lord Malezoth with his own two hands. Thus, the mines became bright with the torches of a thousand dwarf warriors as they all knelt and accepted Magni as their new king.
Ever since then, Magni's name has been Ragekindler.
An interesting quest involving Magni occurred when he lost his father's treasure trove to a rampaging ogre. Rather than slaying the ogre outright, he made friends with it. In return for bringing back the dwarven gold, Magni allowed the ogre to take up residence in Magnenheim as his personal bodyguard. Overjoyed, the ogre has since never once failed the king. His name is Grungol.
In Cragheim, the crown of Lorgrim Toothbreaker reigns supreme.
Lorgrim faced a trial of chaos of his own once a Womb of Evil rent apart his very throne room. Rather than abandon his post and join his brothers in a hasty retreat, Lorgrim led a counterattack against the invading demons. He earned his name Toothbreaker upon using the blunt end of his axe to smash a demon mauler's jaw into pieces. The resulting bone fragments were stylistically inlaid into Lorgrim's armor as a reminder of the grudge he swore against the Dark Horde.
Speaking of grudges, one of the most potent examples of interspecies distrust occurred when the Isuldorian governor Kaslath sought to reclaim the Bearded Ones from the Dwarf holds, claiming their birthright existed to the king of Isuldor. Lorgrim had a longstanding kinship with the Bearded Ones, due to their honorable presence in the forges and on the battlefield. Lorgrim even had some of his elite bodyguards comprised of Bearded Ones, he couldn't just abandon them to the life of an Isuldorian lapdog.
Since defying the governor (and threatening to cut off his head in the process), Lorgrim has been placed on a "proceed with caution" list within many Isuldorian settlements. This suits the proud king just fine.
Meanwhile, in Afelheim, Thorgom Firemane holds the twin hammers of his forefathers, the weapons Grimlock and Dreadstein, in conjunction with his crown.
Thorgom's rule is a just one. He believes in trial before punishment, honorable duels between champions, and drinking and feasting heavily after a good battle. Thorgom once fought his own trial of chaos, but it did not appear in the mountains of Araknoak. Instead, it arrived in the form of an ambassador from Morrogoth, of all places. He seemed like a charming fellow, but Thorgom would have none of his tomfoolery.
Upon recognizing the ambassador's intent of enslaving Afelheim, Thorgom broke out of his hypnotism and tried to kill him, but the Nosferatu transformed into a wall of flame and engulfed Thorgom's face before departing. Thorgom denied medical help and as the water was retrieved, he swore a grudge with a burning beard against the vampires that would last until his dying breath.
And so, he is called Firemane.
The Kings of the Three Peaks are, at best, on uneven terms with the Isuldorians, but they have forged better allegiances with the Aralgnorians and certainly with the Bearded Ones. Though their relationship has been strained with the Twilight Elves at times, they are nevertheless impeccable allies. If anything, the triumvirate proposed by ancient lords established a lasting peace between them.
Of Moonlight, by Starlight, for Twilight
The reign of the Twilight Elves manifested in the first dawning of the sun upon a newborn planet Earth. They sprang up in the darkness between the first day and the first night, mere playful sprites at first, but they would grow stronger and multiply over time. They left nothing of the civilizations behind, concerning themselves with secrecy above all things. When the Titans landed, the Twilight Elves were the first to investigate - for they were, in fact, called upon by the mighty alien gods.
Leaving their vast empires to rot away, the Twilight Elves fixated their new attentions upon establishing dominance in Skellbrieg. They cultivated the first forests, which then adapted into the first jungles along the way across the western coast. The vegetation of the Great East, though sparse, is also thanks to the Twilight Elves. But the art of the druid is seldom the only one available to a Twilight Elf. In fact, the Titans asked them to commit acts of war against the Dark Horde. They wholeheartedly accepted this trial, for they faced the demon legions many times before.
In time immemorial, the Twilight Elves and the Dark Horde collided on the seas surrounding Pangaea, practicing war in the clouds, and raining blood down upon the dinosaurs. The sky empires of the Twilight Elves were destined to fall, however, and the Dark Horde managed to ensnare one of the most influential leaders of the noble race before their agonizing fall to Earth. His name, Jaden Windspeaker - now known as the Betrayer.
It is said that the Twilight Elves fell as comets to Earth. Few survived, but those who did managed to recover their strength and hide in the forests as they did in their youth while the Dark Horde desecrated their once-prosperous heavenly holds. Jaden, his heart forever twisted by the demonic powers, became one of the Dark Horde's greatest champions over time.
When the Titans descended and made Skellbrieg upon their landing, the Twilight Elves had finally accepted their call to battle.
Revenge against the Dark Horde had finally come.
Seasons of war passed, and the Wombs of Evil that sprouted up across Skellbrieg were either closed or hid themselves away for plots of future chaos. Jaden the Betrayer did not appear in that time, for his plans were both secretive and elusive. Perhaps he had a higher purpose for selling his soul to the Dark Horde. Perhaps it was all part of an illustrious scheme, but only time would tell the mysteries of Jaden Windspeaker.
However many times the Twilight Elves are mentioned, it is done so in a hushed whisper. Their racial leader, the Witch-Queen Tylis Lythweave, is said to command unnatural telepathic and supernatural powers. Where she goes, life flourishes at her bare feet. One piercing gaze is rumored to have put an army under her spell, while others claim it is her very voice that commands the elements.
While all of these are true, Tylis is no horrid witch. She is instead one of the most potent magical beings in all of Skellbrieg. Legend has it that she is the last daughter of the King Skytamer who rose to the heavens to bring the Twilight Elves closer to their beloved stars and moon during their era of untold prosperity.
Tylis is a kind and loving ruler, who guides her people carefully and with the utmost caution. She has an unabashed hatred for Jaden Windspeaker, but silently believes that he is still redeemable.
She personally knew Vogna the Wanderer and is always more than cautious when picking her words with Isuldorian ambassadors, considering her growing agitation at their floundering over Vogna's corpse like flies to a carcass.
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