The History of Atalanxia Part I

Although historians can reach further back in time to document events that helped shape the world as it is today, it is undoubtedly the time of the Ent'Aran Dynasty that they all look to as the greatest example of the shift in culture and rise of advancements in mechanics, engineering, sorcery and medicine that go far beyond any preceding era and unquestionably any era since.

The Ent'Aran Dynasty began over four thousand years ago in the southwestern-most area of the continent in a region that is now known as Toryth Vol. Within a scant few years the influence of the Dynasty spread out far to eastern coast and into the north. Soon the entirety of the southern region of the continent, save for Kemmermere, was under the rule of the self-proclaimed Emperor. A human man by the name of Attin Ent'Ara.

Allegiances were formed with sovereign nations. First with the elves of Kemmermere and secondly, once the elves had joined, the halflings of what is now known as Murgar eagerly came aboard. The dwarves unexpectedly however, held out of the alliance, an unfortunate decision in which the effects are still felt to this day.

All nations that came over Ent'Aran rule were expected to show fealty, and this among the dwarves usual reasons of paranoia, were why they refused to join the alliance. This fealty the elves were somehow able to negotiate around, and so they remained sovereign while retaining the benefits of alliance with the Emperor. It was made clear later after an arranged marriage between Attin Ent'Ara and an elven princess as to how this arrangement was made. It was widely rumored that the Emperor coveted longevity in his line, and thought the mixture of races to be the perfect opportunity to achieve this.

For years peace reigned over the southern part of the continent. Criminals were dealt with harshly and many races were deemed "Enemies of The Peace" and Ent'Ara's military and constabulary were ordered to "Kill on Sight" any races to be deemed "evil" under Ent'Aran law. Any citizen caught dealing with these outlaw races were called treasoners and hung as punishment. Some without benefit of trial.

The warlike aggression shown towards kobolds, orcs and ogres forced them to form a crude union. Together they fled by the thousands northward to escape the reach of Enta'Ara's influence into what is now the Dodanna Freelands, and into the mountains of the Old Dwarven Kingdom then known as Dweo'Morak (Translated to Common: Dwarvenhome), where a massive army of ogres and orcs struck. A three year siege ensued but the dwarves were eventually overrun and forced to leave their mineral rich mountain ranges, fleeing to an area north of The Broken Lands, far less rich in precious metals, the place now known as The Kingdom of Thorak. Those that stayed behind in Dweo'Morak were either slaughtered or enslaved. Generations of enslaved dwarves, twisted by incest and sunlight deprivation created the race of dwarves known as the duergar.

During the siege many dwarven pages escaped, fleeing to what was now called "New Atalanxia" (although no one could recall an historically original Atalanxia) to plead with Emperor Ent'Ara for military assistance. Due to the dwarves early refusal to ally, and since the fleeing pages didn't have the governmental authority to swear fealty themselves, they were not granted an audience and were turned away. Most of the pages did not survive the return home.

This refusal caused a rift between human and dwarven relations still felt to this day, four millennia later.