Nation Building Legacy of the Elder Races Lore Page

[Nyq]

The world of Dwashar is quite diverse, populated by multiple species that live alongside one another, at least when they are not at each other’s throats. The area near the Tower is populated by the more magically-attuned species, who can cast magic without sparing any special effort for it. However, the conveniences of magic had left these species extremely reliant on magic to solve all their problems, and they never resorted to finding alternative ways to deal with their issues. After all, why spare the effort to invent something when magic could do the exact same thing, but with less effort? The Magical Realms, due to their magic, prospered in the early days of the post-Elders period, while the areas further away from the Tower had to make do with what they have due to magic’s weak influence in those areas. With just a spell, the mages of the Magical Realms could pull off wondrous feats that the barbaric Outer Realms, for what else can they be without magic, simply couldn’t. Crops grew in an instant, magical flying chariots transported people across the lands within just days instead of weeks or even months, and ships that sped through the seas without sails. Resources were plenty and life was surprisingly easy. There was no need to innovate, for magic solves all.

However, the Magical Realms also has its very own set of problems. Ever since the beginning of civilization, the lands are roamed by parties of steel golems that kill anyone they see on sight. These golems are capable of releasing strong beams of light that melt right through flesh, and their carapaces cannot be pierced by conventional weapons. Just one of these golems require the concerted effort of a group of powerful mages to take down, and to wage a war of extermination against these golems is just impractical. As a result, the people generally avoided the unexplored wilderness, and there are lookouts in every settlement to watch for signs of approaching golems. To this day, these golems are still roaming the Magical Realms, and have in fact become a part of life for its denizens.

For centuries, the Magical Realms had looked down on the Outer Realms, isolating themselves from the rest of the world where magic is weak, or even non-existent. They already had everything they needed after all, why bother trying to subjugate the magic-lacking barbarians? The perfect isolation would last for centuries, with any explorer from the Outer Realms either turned away, or utterly obliterated. The luckier ones managed to return and chronicle their experiences, either bumping into magical shields, or turned away by flying unicorn-riders. From these accounts, the Outer Realms gained their fascination with the Magical Realms, where anything seemed to be possible, while they were stuck with the rules of reality.

Eventually, everything changed. The technological advances of the Outer Realms finally reached the point where a massive change is about to sweep through the world. Modern agriculture had allowed the Outer Realm’s population to go through an explosive growth, while the Industrial Revolution had vastly improved the quality of life of the average citizen living in the Outer Realms, promising access to more and cheaper goods, as well as more jobs. It is during this time period that the Outer Realms decided to once again make contact with the Magical Realms.

The Magical Realms, however, did not realize the implications of the Industrial Revolution, nor do they care. Their arrogance had led to them dismissing the Outer Realms as usual, and they paid the price of it. The various nations of the Outer Realms, after the expulsion or murder of their envoys, were furious, and declared war on the Magical Realms as a result. The resulting war was a massive and brutal affair. While the magical armies were able to push back the invaders during the early stages of the war, eventually the industrial armies were able to simply wage a war of attrition that slowly, but steadily pushed their enemies back. Eventually, the Magical Realms realized the harsh reality of the war, where they are losing valuable mages that they simply couldn’t replace at the moment, while the industrial armies just kept pushing on despite their heavy casualties. Their defeat is assured, just the matter of when.

Eventually, the Magical Realms, or at least those at the outer rim of it who were actually involved in the war, as the invaders never really managed to push deeper beyond the southern coastal strip, capitulated to the invaders and signed extremely humiliating treaties that ceded land and granted unfair advantages to foreign merchants. The supremacy of magic had been all but shattered, and the Magical Realms would have to learn of the way of the invaders before it is far too late.

 

[Nyq]

Elder Races Lore
The beginnings
It's not really known how the world of Dwashar came to be. Various races had each offered their own explanation on the beginnings of the world, with neither race fully agreeing with each other's intepretation. However, one thing that has remained constant throughout every intepretation was the involvement of a race commonly known as the Ancients, an ancient and enigmatic race that is said to possess godlike capabilities. It's commonly believed that the world was created by the Ancients for unknown purposes, who then seeded life onto the barren rock, which eventually evolved into the various races that roam the surface of Dwashar. They had also created numerous powerful relics that dotted the surface of the planet, the chief of them being the Tower of Magic, a massive construct that is said to pierce through the heavens itself to bring magic to the planet. However, the Ancients had disappeared as suddenly as they came, leaving the world of Dwashar to it's own devices. Without the guidance of the Ancients, the world is left to it's own devices.(edited)

The Elder Races
Thousands of years after the disappearance of the Ancients, three powerful races: The Guins, the Totaxca, and the Tyuutin, emerged from the untamed lands of Dwashar. Known as the Elder Races, these three races each proceeded to carve out their own empires at the expense of various other uncivilized lifeforms. The Elder Races are said possess a huge amount of wisdom, and utilised arcane technologies that no race under the Sun can even comprehend. The Guins were a race of turtle humanoids, and their empire once ruled over all of Toth'Valai, and had colonies on the south coast of Tirakka and the western coast of Wyllevern. They had weapons that were the wrath of the gods incarnate, immortal warriors that stalked the battlefields, and humongous metallic monstrosities that pulverized all opposition. According to old legends, the Guins once attempted to destroy the Tower of Magic, but failed in their attempt. The Guin Empire started to decline after the Tyuutin were able to force them off Wyllevern in a catastrophic war between both sides, eventually fragmenting into various barbarian states after having suffered a disastrous technological decline. Until today, none of the Guin successor states managed to fully recover from the war with the Tyuutin. The Totaxca were a race of sentient fungi that took the forms of extremely beautiful humanoids with pointed ears. They ruled over Grangeneses and portions of the Serpent Islands, and rode various deadly beasts into battle, some of which are still plaguing the residents of the region today. The Totaxca fought a massive civil war a few hundred years prior to the war between the Guins and the Tyuutin, and much of their knowledge and population was lost to the carnage. Nowadays, the remnants of what was once the proud Totaxca Empire resides in isolated cities around Grangeneses, a haughty people who are reluctant to interract with outsiders.(edited)

The Tyuutin were a race of furry, ape-like creatures that walked on four legs. Their excellent command of magic was what allowed them to rule supreme over Sollus, Pallusus and most of Wyllevern. Their rule was prosperous, and they once constructed magnificent cities, some of which still stand today as the capital of nations. However, their prosperity ended when the Guins invaded for reasons that were lost to history. Even with the aid of powerful magics, the Tyuutin were defeated again and again by the eldritch technology of the Guins. Even though the Guins were later able to be defeated, it was far too late. The realm of the Tyuutin was devastated by the Guin invasion, and the Tyuutin race itself vanished without a trace. Until today, the nations that occupy what was once their lands still feel the effects of the war. Huge chunks of land remain poisoned by horrifying weapons, engineered plagues from the bygone era roam the land in search of new victims, and rumours have it that some of those metallic monstrosities that the Guins brought with them remain active, forever searching for their extinct enemies, killing anything that even looks remotely Tyuutin. There are various speculations regarding the fate of the Tyuutin: some say that they starved to death not long after the war, some say they fled into the Realm of Magic through unknown means, but some scholars find the resemblance between the Tyuutin and the various races that now populate the world, human, dwarf, orc and so forth, as well as their irrational hatred of the Guins way too much to be a mere coincidence.

Guin Successor States
After the fall of the Guin Empire, the survivors splintered into numerous nations scattered across their former lands, hiding themselves within their decaying cities. After years of disrepair, most of their lands had been reclaimed by nature, with their canals having dried out and covered in dirt and vegetation, jungles slowly growing into their massive metreopolises, and massive relics of Guin origin being covered in vines and grass, no longer usable due to the damage wrought by the passing of time. The once majestic spires of glass and metal that the Guins used to build their cities had mostly collapsed, with the few remaining ones becoming the centers of civilization for the Guins, maintained through techniques that are still too advanced for other nations to understand. Even though the Guins are only a shadow of what they used to be, they are still a terrifying foe to face in battle, wielding ancient weapons that could easily pierce the finest of steel from ranges too far away for the best archers to retaliate and commanding massive monsters of metal through complex rituals appeasing the machine spirits residing within. Some say that the Guins still wield numerous of the Iqil'Totel, weapons of mass destruction that could easily lay waste to cities and poisoning the land for the years to come. Fortunately for the younger races, the Guins are mostly content hiding within their decrepit cities, only venturing out when provoked or in desperate need of resources. If the Guin realms ever manage to unite under a single banner, it would be a catastrophe for the world indeed.(edited)

Aqui'Zolai: The most powerful among the Guin successor states, the Aqui'Zolai controls most of the western coast of Lake Farak'Ka, as well as a small slice of Toth'Valai's eastern coast. Their capital, Srakka'Gol was once the capital of the Guin Empire, and remains the most developed of Guin cities, if not the most developed city in the world. The Aqui'Zolai boasts having the only remaining functional factory of the old times, however, functional is a relative term. Most of the equipment within the factory is broken beyond repair, and hundreds of Guin tech-priests toil in the building every day, chanting litanies and performing complex rituals to appease the machine spirits living within. Aqui'Zolai is also home to the largest collection of functional Guin war machines, which they ride into battle during the most dire of times. With hundreds of new weapons coming out of their factory every year, the Aqui'Zolai is getting closer and closer to reuniting the Guin realms with the passage of time, with military force or not.(edited)

Taruk'Zolai: The Taruk'Zolai is situated on the eastern coast of Lake Farak'Ka, viewed with animosity by it's kin due to their lack of knowledge, especially in regards of preserving the technologies of the old. Each year, more of it's collection of ancient artifacts break down due to subpar preservation techniques and incorrect incantations, and their cities had fared the worse out of all, held together only by haphazard engineering, which are extremely prone to failure. If the Aqui'Zolai is to ever unify the Guin realms, many say that the Taruk'Zolai is going to be the first on the chopping block.

Derak'Zolai: The only Guin state that isn't isolated from the rest of the world, Derak'Zolai puts a heavy emphasis on trade. Although it still retains it's collection of ancient relics, Derak'Zolai has mostly rebuilt it's cities from scratch, tearing down any spire that is too ruined to be repaired, and refurbishing those in good enough condition to act as the centers of their cities. The ports of Derak'Zolai is visited by hundreds of traders every year. It is in this land that the denizens of this world first saw the majesty of the old Guin Empire, admiring the massive spires that sprung out from the ground.

Nuz'Zolai: While not even close to being the most powerful of the Guin states, the Nuz'Zolai is perhaps the most infamous and feared one throughout the world, thanks to it's raider fleets. There's no coast dweller on the face of the earth that doesn't cower in fear when they see the green and gold flags that heralds the raiders of Nuz'Zolai. While they have lost a significant amount of their relics to over-usage and enemy efforts, the Nuz'Zolai is capable of unleashing bizzare contraptions of wood,metal, and flesh, animated by unknown magics and their understanding of archaeotech.

Twarak'Zolai: Out of all the Guin successor states, Twarak'Zolai is perhaps the one that has decayed the most. Having lost their touch with technology, the Twarak'Zolai has regressed to their current tribal state, brutally attacking any intruders of their realm using poorly made stone axes and wooden spears. While they seem to be weak and primitive, their intimate knowledge of their homelands, as well as the dangerous flora and fauna that they had tamed in the past has made any attempt at conquest a treacherous ordeal to say at least. The Twarak'Zolai reveres the forces of nature, and absolutely despises all technological relics of the past. While they don't possess the capabilities to destroy said relics, they actively try to seal them away so that these powerful relics do not fall into the wrong hands.

The Totaxcan City States: Hidden away from the rest of the world in the dense forests of Grangeneses, the cities of Ashtranavasa. Vahashash and Garanga exist in perfect isolation, with no desire to change the status quo. Following the devastating civil war, the Totaxca has adopted a pacifist philosophy that emphasizes non-intervention and sustainability, which led to them abandoning their formidable biotechnologies and limiting their reproduction. The borders of the Totaxcan city states are patrolled by elite rangers, who defend the realm against any intruder. Any intruder would be first given a chance to retreat, as the rangers would verbally warn the enemy before engaging them in combat, where they wear down the enemy with hit and run tactics and well-placed ambushes. With their isolation, the Totaxca had also strived to perfect themselves. Their cities are breathtakingly beautiful, and the Totaxca pride themselves of their beauty, elegance and politeness. However, that doesn't mean that the Totaxca are a weak foe either. When faced with dire circumstances, they are perfectly capable of mobilising for war within a short period of time, and the ancient technologies hidden away within their deepest vaults may be unleashed on the unsuspecting foe.

 

[Nyq]

Known Relics
The Reaper's Lances: Ancient Guin relics that are said to be capable of unleashing it's wrath of enemies from miles away, melting flesh and steel with a ray of blue. These divine weapons are rightfully feared by every nation in the four corners of the world, as even a single one of these is fully capable of turning the tide of a heated battle. Hundreds, if not thousands of these are scattered across the world, waiting to be used again.(edited)


The Behemoths of Steel: Massive, metallic monstrosities crafted by the Guin's for war. These death machines are capable of blasting apart entire armies and even well-constructed fortresses by unleashing devastating explosions wherever they will it. Inside of these machine however, is an array of various buttons, levers, and Guin words of unknown purpose, making operating these machines guesswork at best without any training. To make things worse, the Guins themselves are reluctant to hand over their secrets to outsiders, making employing Guin mercenaries the only ways the nations of Dwashar may operate the Behemoths.(edited)


The Sky Hawks: Incredibly advanced Guin machines that roam the skies at unimaginable speeds. These machines are so fast that even the best flying magics available cannot even come close to catching up to them, and are capable of unleashing death in the form of extremely fast, explosive metallic tubes. Like the Behemoths of Steel, the interiors of these machines are filled with buttons, levers and Guin words whose purpose are unknown to even the best scholars of the nations. However, unlike the Behemoths, the Sky Hawks are much rarer, with most of them having being lost to either the wars of the past, or simply the passage of time. Most functional Sky Hawks are in the possession of the various Guin successor states, however one might just find a functional Sky Hawk somewhere in the world with the blessing of Luck.(edited)


The Terminals of Knowledge: Eldritch Guin machines that store significant amounts of Guin knowledge and tech-lore, if one even knows how to operate these things and translate their knowledge. These machines are extremely fragile and extremely sought after by the nations of the world for their sheer value. However, encountering a functional Terminal is as likely as winning the lottery, and makes your nation a target for Guin raiders, who desire to recover as many Terminals as possible. As a result, the Terminals in the possession of the nations of Dwashar are extremely few, and even one of these have the price tag of entire swathes of valuable land..(edited)


The Staff of Divine Blessings: One of the rare Tyuutin relics that somehow survived the passages of time, the Staff of Divine Blessings is an extremely powerful magical object that can release waves of holy light that invigorate and heal friendly living beings. Highly sought after by every single mage due to it's utility and power, as well as it's status as one of the surviving Tyuutin relics, the Staff has been in the possession of extremely powerful mages for millennia. However, it has been lost recently, and nations now devote significant resources to find it. Currently in the possession of: Nobody(edited)


The Shield of Krossol: A powerful magical relic that once activated, creates a shield that defends the user from nearly all attacks. As yet another one of those rare surviving Tyuutin relics, the Shield is highly desired, and passed down from one powerful mage to another, until it was lost 300 years ago in the Battle of Gerrel against the raiders of Nuz'Zolai. Rumors say that the relic is still intact and hidden somewhere around the site of battle. Currently in the possession of: Nobody(edited)