Lore Post #2
Added 2017-11-01 16:34:11 +0000 UTCHey, guys. If you signed up in October, you should have some rewards in your email. If I missed anyone, please let me know via PM or email.
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Otherwise, work continues on TAP 5! I figured I would drop a bit more backstory here for people that are interested. :)
Two major historical events have shaped the region's current history more than anything else. They have been mentioned several times in the books. What are they? Well...
The War of the Three Cities
About seventy years ago there was a five-year war between the city-states of Greygale, Highwind, and Vorsalos for control of the Northern Reaches. Highwind was ultimately victorious, keeping Greygale and Seawatch under its sphere of influence and forcing Vorsalos to retreat. This aftermath of the war triggered several power struggles in Vorsalos, ultimately ending with the beheading of the monarch and the institution of a ruling council.
Vorsalos enjoyed something of a golden age for the next few decades despite losing the war, but chaos and strife in the aftermath of the Winter War sowed the seeds for the Inquisitrix's rise to power.
The Winter War
About twenty years ago, the unified orc tribes of the Shattered Peaks poured out of the mountains after the first snowfall and nearly sacked Highwind. Many villages and towns were burned to the ground, and hundreds of women were captured and raped. Their half-orc children remain outcasts to this day.
The orcs were eventually driven back into the mountains, though in desperation the scattered clans eventually lashed out at Vorsalos, causing immense damage and laying the groundwork for the Inquisitrix's rise to power (see above).
Near the end of the fighting, the Roskarim barbarians of the White Ridge attempted to take advantage of the chaos. They assaulted and heavily damaged Icewatch but were eventually defeated at the Battle of Bleak Hollow when their clan-lord was slain in personal combat by a Knight of the Silver Fist named Kastrius.
The main heroes of the war were Archmage Beloran (then a Magister), Highlord Kastrius (then a knight), and Ranger-General Hastien (killed by the orc king).
