Chapter 0 - History of Tellaire

The country of Tellaire was founded over a thousand years ago by a small nomadic tribe escaping the harsh conditions of the Frigid Badlands to the northwest. The nomads, finding the valley to be comfortable, settled down and named the country Tellaire, which roughly translated to calm air in the olden tongue, due to it not biting the skin like in the frigid badlands. To the country’s east stood a great forest, unknowably deep and filled with both danger and bounty, but with foliage so verdant and alive that they decided to name it the Great Emerald Forest. To the south was a large land that seemed almost like a paradise, though this land had already been claimed as the personal territory of an archmage by the name of High-River, who upon the arrival and eventual settlement of these nomadic tribes, set up a mage’s academy there. Finally, to the southeast was a massive grassland. This grassland had no claim to it, but also didn’t have much worth, so it was left alone.

As more tribes gathered, they outgrew the nomadic hunting and gathering lifestyle and were forced to settle and work the lands to secure a large enough bounty to sustain their populations. During this cultural transition, the ruins of two cities were found and the tribes inhabited them. One was a large city on a plateau in the northwest which they named Tellis and made the capital. Laying to the east, on the border of the Great Emerald Forest, the other city was named Auruheim and its inhabitants began exploring the bounties of the forest. As years passed and populations grew, some tribe members wished to return to the nomadic lifestyle. Those who did were led by a man named Bensen Karuth into the grasslands, which they then named the Karuth Grasslands.

As the cities grew, three mages academies were founded within and nearby: the Wind-Spirit Academy in the Karuth Grasslands, the True-Heart Academy in the southern regions of Tellaire, and finally the Frost-Wood Academy in the north, right on the border of the Frigid Badlands and the Great Emerald Forest.

As time passed, the people of Tellaire set up a system of government, creating the Jade-Sky Kingdom. The nomadic tribes of the Karuth Grasslands also formed their own government, the Karuth Confederacy, where the heads of the various nomadic tribes governed the land in a joint council. As for the Frigid Badlands, systems of governments rose and fell a couple times every century, with one thing remaining common regardless of who held the power: they were a nation of raiders, attacking and pillaging whatever nation was nearest their borders.

War between these countries was commonplace, and from these wars four great families rose to prominence within the Jade-Sky Kingdom: The royal family House Skaald, House Serra, House Marx, and House Carris. Of all the great houses, House Serra was believed to have the most authority. However, due to disinterest in politics, it fell upon House Skaald to govern the land. House Marx and House Carris were both given Auruheim as their home and were in constant conflict over who the ruling house of the city was.