Greetings and salutations, all, and welcome once again to the Tamalarian Tales/Times. I had mentioned in the last post that I wanted to take some time to explain some key elements and background on Tamalaria's environs for the benefit of those readers who have not become familiarized with the previously published novels of the Tamalaria series.
In this post, I'll be sharing out some historical information with regards to what has occurred in the Fifth Age of Tamalaria thus far in the novels published to date, as well as providing a little information on notable characters throughout the series. So without further ado, let us begin.
The War of Vandross- Beginning with the Cult of Sidius and its foremost leader, Tanarak, the War of Vandross began in the first novels of the Tamalarian Tales series, the Freedom or the Fire volumes. The realms of Tamalaria had come under constant assault for decades by the forces of Tanarak of Sidius, a warlock infused with an ancient power from artifacts known as the Orbs of Eden's Serpent.
In the year 824 A. F. (After the Fall of Mecha, also known as 5A, the Fifth Age), the various kingdoms, city-states and fiefdoms of the realms had begun banding together to stand against the forces of the Cult of Sidius and its leader, Tanarak. The lycanthrope races, including Werewolves, Cuyotai (werecoyotes), Ursas (werebears), Simpa (werelions), Khan (weretigers) and Wererats were among the first peoples to actively lead organized campaigns against the legions of Orcs, Ogres, Goblins, and Shadowbeasts (minor demons) that Tanarak had amassed to sweep out and conquer the lands.
It was several years into this rebellion that the Order of Oun, a paramilitary organization and arm of the Church of the Great God Oun (God of Order and Light), became the central body to fight against Tanarak's legions throughout the realms. Led by a high-ranking Paladin within the Order, Byron Aixler, the free peoples of Tamalaria began pushing back against the warlock.
During an engagement at the cursed Mount Toane, where the warlock had arrayed his central command, however, the tide was turned back against the free peoples. Byron Aixler led a force of warriors inside the mountain, stemming from every race and territory, but only a handful returned to the outside realms alive. Tanarak and an unknown apprentice had destroyed Byron's forces, and turned the Paladin into a creature of the undead, a fell being known as a Dread Knight.
Some twelve years later, the Paladin Rimzan of Grey, also of the Order of Oun, succeeded in challenging and slaying the warlock Tanarak of Sidius. The apprentice was never found or properly hunted down, presumed dead by other hands. Byron of Sidius, the Dread Knight created from the undead form of Byron Aixler, began roaming free, his mortal will and spirit returned to control over the monstrous body that was now his host.
In the year 844 A.F., the apprentice to Tanarak, Richard Vandross, began his own quest of domination by seeking out the Orbs of Eden's Serpent, which had scattered throughout the realms with the death of Tanarak. Using his own powers of dark magic, guile, and cunning, he launched a spreading campaign of domination of his own.
The Dread Knight, Byron of Sidius, traveled the land, hunting after the warlock Vandross, gathering various powerful and wise allies to his aide. Vandross's armies brought slaughter to the lands, but the peoples of Tamalaria were far better prepared to contend with him, throwing in with Byron and his allies to fight against Vandross. In the end, the one-eyed warlock was driven back to Mount Toane and there, Byron of Sidius defeated him, at a terrible cost.
The Fall of Mecha- The Fall of Mecha was the set of cataclysmic events which resulted in Tamalaria's Fourth Age coming to an abrupt end. These events have not as yet been fully explored or covered in published Tamalarian Tales, though they are touched upon throughout the books to date. The Fall of Mecha was a series of chaotic events surrounding the widespread, systematic failure of any and all technology throughout the realms of Tamalaria. This included all forms of electronics, energy-based weaponry and defenses, and gear-based mechanisms. The largest destruction occurred in a remote area of the southernmost peninsula, known at the time as the kingdom of Varren. On the border between Varren and the Fiefdom of Lemago, an armory filled with high-powered weapons, rockets and missiles spontaneously detonated, severing the peninsula from the mainland and killing hundreds of thousands of citizens.
The Fall of Mecha brought about a dark period in Tamalaria. For fifty years, nobody could seem to get their act together outside of the Elven Kingdom and the Greenskin Nation. It was through the efforts of the handfuls of scholars capable of living without technology that civilization resurfaced, old territories recognized as they had once been and new leaderships established. When this finally fell into place, the Fifth Age of Tamalaria was officially recorded through the realms.
The Allenian War- During the Third Age of Tamalaria, the great Central Hills became a breeding and hunting ground swarming with various vampire clans. In the year 354 3A, a single clan rose above all of the others, uniting them all under a single banner; the Vampire Clan Allenia. The hills were renamed (hence, the Allenian Hills), and the creatures of the night began cursing the nearby lands with a pervading darkness. Iron gray clouds were summoned over the center of the realms to keep the territory in a perpetual state of near-night, so that the undead aristocrats could hunt and dominate at will.
The lycanthrope tribes and clans of the realms, being the natural enemies of vampires, would brook no such thing. In the year 357 3A, the Ursas clan Borinshev gathered all of its blood kin together to begin forming up an alliance with the other lycanthropes in order to break the Allenians hold over the region. Their first allies in this were the Simpa and the Khan.
The Allenian War stretched on for six years, until in 363 3A, Simpa warchief Urugam Moktesh and Khan warchief Shavek Amon broke through the pickets and lines of warriors surrounding Lord Allenia's mountain stronghold. There, the warchiefs cornered the vampire lord, and killed him.
Broken and battered, the disparate vampire clans dispersed, and the Simpa and Khan, each race trying to lay claim to having landed the winning blow, began their long internal struggle to lay claim to the Allenian Hills. And to the very last days of the Fifth Age, nobody really tried to ever interfere with that struggle, for fear of losing their lives.
The Second Age of Tamalaria- Also known as 'The Age of Discovery', this 4000-year stretch of Tamalaria's recorded history brought with it the discovery and birth of various races and classes of warriors, mages, and clerics. It was during this time period that the first and most successful technologies were developed by the Dwarves and Gnomes of the realms of Tamalaria.
In the year 285 2A, the first of the lycanthrope races finally came forth from their wilderness and mountain fastnesses, the Tanner Tribe Werewolves, in order to integrate with humanoid societies of the time. Previously only known of in mythos and the occasional sighting, the lycanthropes of the realms had, until this point, remained cloistered and secretive. Those few clans who had already been living among the humanoid societies had, previously, remained in their humanoid form most of the time. It was because of this, coupled with the rare sightings reported to constables and guards, that the 'once-a-month-by-the-light-of-the-full-moon' concept held for so long among civilized cultures to that point.
Until the year 454 2A, the only known schools of magic were Aeromancy, Pyromancy, Gaiamancy, Aquamancy, Necromancy, shaman magics and some minor forms of summoning. However, in the year 454, a world-wide event known as 'The Great Awakening' unleashed previously unknown magics throughout the realms. This event gave birth to Q Magic, Illusion magic, Enchantry, High Summoning, Chronomancy, Mystic Arts, and various other forms of magics.
This event also unlocked previously forgotten techniques and artforms, which are collectively known as Ancient Arts. Very few mortals of any type can utilize the Ancient Arts, but those that can are often quickly recognized as elites among their kind.
In the year 647 2A, in the region known at that time as The Golden Plains (later to become the Fiefdom of Lemago), a mystical rift opened just outside of a small farming village. Through this rift came warriors from another world, bringing with them their ways of life and their martial crafts. They also brought their cultures and languages, as well as their artforms. These peoples gave birth to the classes known as Samurai, Ninja and Monk.
In the year 1245 2A, the first tribe of Jafts came down into the mainlands from the northcentral and northwestern mountains. Nobody knows where they came from, only that they are certain that the blue-fleshed humanoid warriors are not of the realms of Tamalaria originally.
The last three hundred years of the Second Age were war-torn, and brought the Second Age to an official end. Known as The War of Breeds, this war saw the humanoid races at war with the lycanthropes.
There will be more information peppered throughout the coming days, folks, which of course means a slight delay in the originally planned launch of the tale 'Servants of Destiny'. Apologies to those who were expecting that to start tomorrow. Cheers!
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