Note:  These Histories may contain legends, myths, rumors, and may not be 100% accurate.  They are BASED upon the actual histories, but the following stories vary widely according to who is telling them.  A Ballogian priest tells a very different version of history than a Creator-pious farmer does.

The Age of Rebirth (0 NA to present)

This age began with the Cataclysm. The fourth moon crashed into the ocean near the Sythian continent. The western coastline of Thardferr was decimated, and the Sythian homeland was damaged badly.  In northern Lithar, the Thardferrians discovered a colony of Sythian Mages. The Alliance formed an uneasy peace with this colony despite the elven insistence that they be destroyed. The elves rushed ahead of the Alliance and attempted to slaughter the colony, but their force was decimated and the Sythian Mages vanished. The elves secretly warred with the Sythian Mages, and the Mages finally declared war on the Alliance, thinking that the elves were part of the Alliance. The First Mage War had begun.

The Sythian Mages began to spread destruction across Tuth and Lithar. Ellen Brand spearheaded the peace negotiations, and the Alliance and the Mages regained their tenuous peace. While Edilar remained aloof and cold, and Ruch was uninterested, the Realms of Tuth, Lithar, Khardfee, and Alderd forged the Confederation, which still endures. After the Confederation was formed, the goblins of Ruch began to prosper due to the peace. With the emergence of Vor-Hak the goblin warchief, all the goblin tribes were brought under one leader, and they began to sweep across Thardferr. The elves responded swiftly, and brought the horde's advance to a standstill with their magic. In frustration, the goblins razed the few remaining Lunar Trees in the Leseid and Leserd forests, which had once been the Great Lunar Forest. The elves were horrified and devastated. The Confederation sluggishly responded to the goblin invasion, and forced them back into Ruch in total rout. But the rout was a ruse, and the goblins led Confederation forces into orcish lands, where the territorial orcs immediately struck out. Gareth Brand soon enlisted the aid of the orcs in the war, and in exchange for sovereignty over the goblins, the orcs joined the struggle on behalf of the Confederation. The goblins were crushed, and became slaves to the orcs. Despite Khardfee's outrage, Ruch was added to the Confederation. In 90 NA, a Second Cataclysm struck Thardferr, particularly Alderd and Khardfee. The Great Quake inflicted terrible damage on Alderd, and as a result, the gnomish Traders returned home to rebuild. They still have not rebuilt the Trade empire that they disbanded. Non-gnomish trade sprouted, and Thardferr flourished.

For awhile, No Information Is Available. Then, the Second Mage War erupted, and No Information Is Available. The Second Mage War ended in 213, and Anita Brand worked hard toward Edilar joining the Confederation. Five hundred Years of Peace followed, although they were ripped by political upheavals.

The young son of Mogan Brand received a vision, and sent a group of adventurers forth, as the Third Mage War erupted. Due to treachery and the inability of the Six Realms to cooperate, as well because of the massively overpowering forces of the invading army, all of Thardferr with the exception of Edilar fell to the invading Sythian Mages. Torin Brand went into hiding, until a remnant of the Twelve he'd sent forth returned with the Golden Rod, and he pushed the Sythian invaders out of Thardferr.

There began a time of rebuilding, and despite many hardships, Thardferr began to recover from the Sythian occupation. And, that leads us to the present time.

STILL NEEDED:

Events leading up to the Second Mage War. - If you have documents about this, please email them to me.

The Second Mage War. - If you have documents about this, please email them to me.

Some mention of some Guilds; Inconnu, Watchers, perhaps others.

Some sweet and funky graphics. - Anybody got any skills in this area?

Recent History (since Thardferr opened to public play). - If you have documents or can write documents about this, please email them to me.

The Age of Rebirth (0 NA to present)

The Cataclysm (0 NA to 7 NA)

        On the first day of the new age a lone elf appeared at an alliance gathering, the first high elf to appear in any realm other than Edilar in over 400 years. His only remarks to the council were to watch the sky, for a great tragedy was coming.  In the dying days of the wintry season, Igors, the terrible tragedy that the elf had foretold came to pass.  The fourth moon plummeted to the surface of Thardferr in a mighty blaze of glory.  It entered the atmosphere of Thardferr, trailing a huge wake of fire. The moon hit to the west of Thardferr, and its impact could be felt across the globe.
        The land reacted violently. Damaging quakes were felt in every kingdom. The underground dwarf home suffered the most, with tunnels collapsing and trapping hundreds of dwarves, and killing thousands more. Some of the towns and settlements in every Realm were destroyed when the buildings collapsed as the land jolted. Rivers changed course across the land, mountains crumbled, and dormant volcanoes erupted violently.  Within a few hours, thousands had died.
        The coastal ports and cities were hurt the worst.  The land under one city literally broke off, and it slid into the ocean. But what happened next destroyed all the coastal ports, cities and settlements. Rushing across the ocean came a 200- foot wave of devastation which leveled everything within 50 miles of the coastline. Nothing survived, and everyone within that area died.
        For rest of that year and most of the next, the sky was darkened by huge dust clouds.  No crops could grow, and most of the surface water supplies were no longer fit to drink. Plants withered and died, and famine plagued all the races. If it were not for the priests of the lands many more would have died. Priests became the most important force in the land.  Their life- giving magic was the only thing sustaining many communities. The darkness slowly began to fade as the world labored to set itself back into a balance that could sustain life.
        It wasn’t until three years had passed that the first settlers reclaimed part of the coastal land as a settlement and the ship building began. The first voyages discovered that something had fallen into the ocean from the sky, a large rock.
        The Alliance went about rebuilding what had been destroyed. Many of the races began to hire orcs as grunt labor in this reconstruction. There was a greater mix of the races of the Alliance, even among the dwarves. The elves kept their border closed, and there was very little information about damage and death in the kingdom of Edilar during the Cataclysm.

The Sythian Mages Colony (7 NA to 15 NA)

        As the humans explored the destruction of the coastline, they discovered an unpleasant surprise in the far north of Lithar. In the inhospitable regions to the north of the Trapping Forest and west of the Icy Mountains, the foundations for a colony of the Sythian Mages was discovered. Although a very tense meeting resulted, the Sythian Mages were not there for a conflict. Many generation of the mages had passed since there had been open warfare, and though they took up the paths of their parents, they harbored no lasting grudge. With Syth destroyed, these mages had no place to return after the last war. They hid in the mountains to the north of Lithar and moved to the coast soon after the Cataclysm. They were hoping to wait for a time and purchase a boat to go back to Syth, to start a new country on the ruins of the old. They assured the explorers that they were peaceful, and only wanted to be left alone.
        The human explorers returned to the Alliance council and reported what they found to a secret conclave.  The leadership decided that the general populous should not know of the mage colony in the north.  It was decided that the mages would be watched, and the information of their discovery would be kept a secret.  As soon as possible the Alliance would offer the mages a boat in which they could leave this land.
        Unfortunately, like any intentionally held secrets, this information was leaked to the wrong sources.  No one ever knew how the elves learned of the mages, but one week after the conclave the elves came to the Alliance castle. The Sythian Mages were responsible for the destruction of the Great Lunar Forest and the death of many elves, and the elves now demanded justice. In a stand of unity the entire Alliance said no, that these were merely the descendants of the Mages who'd attacked, and deserved not their parents’ punishment.
        The elves disagreed, and it took only a short while until they learned the location of the mage colony. The elves used giant eagles to travel to the location before the Alliance forces could interfere. Those mages that were there defended themselves, and a battle erupted. Mighty magic was used by both sides. The conflict ended in one tremendous burst of spellcasting that lit the daylight sky so bright that it was a beacon for hundreds of miles. When the Alliance forces reached the area they found the dead elves, the dead eagles, and nothing else. The mage colony was gone, the surrounding settlements were gone, and the mages were gone.  There was no sign of their destruction; they had just vanished.

The Ethereal Conflict, the First Mage War (15 NA to 23 NA)

        Because of their absence the alliance thought the Mages had left Thardferr, but the elves somehow knew differently. The elves used specially-trained goblins to search for the conclaves of the mages. Although none of the other races knew, the elves engaged in their own private war against the former Sythian Mages. In sheer magical power, both sides were considered equal.
        In 17 NA an army of undead skeletons and zombies marched on, and laid siege to Coopersville Forge, the home of the Alliance castle. For six years a war raged in the land.  The Alliance was mystified about why the mages had become violent and renewed their hostility. Although the battles were not large, the Alliance could not stand against the magical force of the Mages.
        In a very brave move, Ellen Brand, head of the Alliance, allowed herself to be taken by the Mages in order to end the conflicts. She rode out of the gates of the castle, then was magically teleported away.  She returned by sundown that same day and declared that the war had ended, the Mages had agreed to send no more forces against the Alliance. In return, the Mage conclaves, if discovered, would not be attacked. If took Ellen Brand almost two years to convince all of the Alliance members to agree.  During that time the Mages remained silent and peaceful.

The Confederation (23 NA to 61 NA)

        The war with the Mages had exacted a great price.  Many communities of Khardfee and Lithar were devastated by the magical battles. Ellen Brand took money from the coffers of the Alliance and applied it to rebuilding and reconstruction of the lost infrastructures . She gained support from a grateful populace, but the leaders of the Alliance found her altruistic support a source of great debate. Those debates were silenced when Ellen Brand took her own personal wealth and simply gave it to those in need. As tensions grew among the member of the Alliance, Ellen Brand’s use of diplomacy and tact also increased. She was able to avert two wars between Alliance members with her simple proposals to supply aid and help where needed.
        Under her rule, Lithar was reconstructed from the desolation of the Cataclysm.  Port towns were reopened, farms rebuilt, and industries established. She worked closely with the growing guilds to assure that commerce was strengthened in all areas. The gnomes of Alderd praised Ellen for her work, and often assisted her in opening new trade routes distributing the growing wealth of the land.
        Many began to call her Ellen the Kind, a title she did not particularly like. Her reputation as a fair and benevolent ruler overshadowed even the weakness of her influence. During her term the borders of the elven kingdom of Edilar was closed to all the races.  The elves had no wish to interact any more with any of the other inhabitants of Thardferr.   Even the gnome traders were forbidden to cross the elven border. For some reason, known only to herself, Ellen Brand conceded to these demands and accepted the closed borders. While she had good influence with all the other races, she did not even try to approach the Elves.
        With the Alliance falling into disarray, Ellen Brand called together the leaders of all the kingdoms in 29 NA. From Tuth, Lithar, Alderd, Khardfee and Ruch representatives were sent to attend a meeting in her honor. It was at this meeting she proposed a cementing of the agreement of the Alliance. The Sythian threat was no longer present, and there was little to keep the Alliance of races together. Ellen Brand proposed a creation of a joint state known as the Confederation.  Each nation state would still be free to do what it will, but there would be a governing body to oversee racial cooperation. Each nation would help each other out in times of need.
        The first realm to sign the treaty was Ellen’s own, the sovereign human nation of Tuth. Lithar soon followed its brother nation's example and signed on with the dwarves of Khardfee. Alderd saw great benefits from having one body govern trade issues, and were glad to sign the document. The orcs and goblins of Ruch had turned back to fighting each other for supremacy in Ruch and were no longer interested in helping others. And so only the four realms of Lithar, Tuth, Khardfee and Alderd ratified the treaty of the Confederation at its conception. For the next 30 or so years the Confederation flourished and new vitality was brought to the member nations.
        The Confederation cause stood on the brink of collapse with Ellen Brand’s death in 49 NA, but under the leadership of her son Gareth the spark that fueled the Confederation was soon rekindled.

The Goblin Wars (61 NA to 73 NA)

        The years following the formation were bountiful, most so for the goblins of Ruch. The harvests were plentiful, and the goblin population, as is well known, breed like rabbits.  Their numbers were bolstered to the very limits of what Ruch could support. The numerous scuffles and wars between the goblin tribes helped keep their numbers down, as did the orcish hatred for their smaller cousins. But in 58 NA, a new figure came to the scene. Vor-Hak of the Zor-Zuel tribe managed to combine the many tribes of goblins into a single fighting force. Instead of using their energies to keep their own numbers pegged down to a sustainable limit, they put them to a more worthy goal, that of recreating the goblin empire of old.
        In 61 NA, with little or no prior warning, the goblins attacked the Confederation.  Their horde swept into the plains between the last remnants of the Great Lunar Forest, the Leserd and Leseid Forests. The goblins overran the small border outposts with no trouble and moved on to the easier targets of the human and halfling farmers.  Entire villages and small towns were captured and razed, their populations slaughtered without mercy.  The goblin armies swept down the Trading Canal, attacking anything that moved.  The nearly defenseless gnomish caravans were easy prey, and the goblin race ploughed ahead, even attacking the elven realm of Edilar.
        The elves responded swiftly.  Their mighty magics slowed the advance of the hordes and allowed the elven warriors to suppress the attack. The elves raised a great ward across the length of the Chelim River, a ward that kept the goblins at bay. Frustrated by the barrier, the goblins lashed out at the only thing that they could, the thing that the elves still held sacred. With the most of the western part of the central plains under their dominance they sought out and burned to the ground all the remaining Lunar Trees of the central plains.  They carefully ensured that no Lunar Tree remained in  the central plains of Tuth, the ancient elven homeland.
        Unlike the elves, the Confederation was slow to act, and did not mount a counter-offensive until 63 NA.  Using the combined military might of Tuth, Lithar and Khardfee, the Confederation formed a large army which was first able to stop the advance of the weaker goblins, and then to drive them back. The Confederation generals were surprised at how easily the forces of the goblins withdrew.  They assumed that the small green folk did not have the heart of warriors in them, and all they could do successfully was attack defenseless villages. The Confederation armies pressed the attack, driving the goblins back into Ruch, and then they followed them into the heartlands of Ruch. IT was a mistake they would forever regret.
        Vor-Hak was a shrewd tactician, and factored the politics of Ruch into his battle strategy.  After luring the Confederation armies into Ruch, he led them to orcish strong points to let the stronger orcs fight their battles for them. The orcs did not care for the goblin war, but when their territory was invaded they rose to defend it. The humans and gnomes tried to parley with the orcs, but the racial animosity of the dwarves caused them to blatantly attack the orcish positions.  The defending orcs and the guerrilla tactics of the goblins decimated the overstretched Confederation armies, forcing them into a rout.  The orcs did not pursue them, but the goblins followed on their heels, intent on taking the war back to Confederation lands.
        Three times the goblins assaulted the forces of the Confederation before being driven back into Ruch to let the orcs fight their battles for them. The war was at a stalemate.  Only when Gareth Brand was able to gain an audience with the orcish tribes was the balance finally tipped in favor of the Confederation.  Gareth enlisted the aid of the orcs to the cause of the Confederation, and for their help Gareth offered the orcs complete sovereignty over the soon-to-be-vanquished goblins.

The Vanquishing of the Goblins (73 NA to 77 NA)

        With the aid of the orcish warriors, the assaults of the goblins became less and less frequent.  Soon the tide of the war had completely turned in the favor of the Confederation. There was a great deal of friction between the orcs and the dwarves, and Gareth wisely kept the dwarves out of Ruch, using them to defend the border from further incursions. The Confederation army made up from the two human realms pressed the war with their orc allies and soon the cities of the goblins were laid to siege.
        One by one the goblin cities fell and their populous was given over to the rule of the orcish tribes. The last city, the hometown of Vor-Hak himself was the last city to fall. Proudtown, as it was known, held out for three years before the orcish shadow warriors finally managed to infiltrate the city and assassinate Vor-Hak.  With the loss of their leader, the rising goblin nation was shattered and the last city fell to the orcs and human soldiers. The goblin population was decimated and now lived in servitude to their orcish task masters.

Ruch Joins the Confederation under Orcish Rule (77 NA to 90 NA)

        Gareth Brand offered a position to the orcs of Ruch in the Confederation once the goblin threat had been removed.  In 77 NA the orcs accepted the offer, and to the great dismay of Khardfee, Ruch was allowed a seat on the Confederation.  Ruch still remained a wild and harsh land.  The population of goblins soon begun to dwindle further under the harsh rule of the much larger and savage orcs.  The Confederation did nothing at this time to ease the plight of the goblin who had attacked them many years before.
        Gareth Brand died in 82 NA at the ripe age of 54, and as his father had done before him, Gareth’s son Kyle took upon the leadership of the Confederation. In only the short space of 70 years the Confederation had already adopted the hereditary rule so common amongst human cultures. By the third year of his reign, Kyle was already being called the emperor of the Confederation, a title he did not pick, but was forever stuck with.

The Great Quake, the Second Cataclysm (90 NA to 99 NA)

        90 years after the first great cataclysm, the world was rocked by a smaller, yet still as deadly second catastrophic event.  At the start of the cold season of Igors, in Tetranian (Specifically the 8th of Tetranian), the idyllic and peaceful realm of the gnomes was shattered by a violent event that has yet to be surpassed in Alderdian history. The morning was calm and the sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon when the quake hit.  The tremors were small at first, but soon grew in magnitude.  When the full force of the quake hit, many of the inhabitants of Alderd were still safely tucked away in their beds.
        The great quake of Tetranian almost completely leveled every city in the gnomish kingdom.  The only city that remained even partially standing was the city of Heartville. The great ground ripples that followed the quake swallowed up most of the city, however, and only the smallest portion of the grand city of the gnomes remained above ground. The death toll in Alderd was staggering.  Over two thirds of the entire population was killed by the quake and its aftermath.  There was not a gnome alive that did not feel the pain of a close family member dying that day.
        The great quake was felt in the surrounding kingdoms as well, but not nearly as much as by the poor gnomes of Alderd. The second- hardest realm hit was that of Khardfee.  The quake was centered in the Thorn Woods, and the initial brunt of the quake and its many aftershocks were felt widely by the dwarves.  Several of their underground cities collapsed, killing entire clans in a single blow.  The northern realms of Lithar, Tuth, and Ruch escaped almost unscathed, but the great capital of the Confederation suffered many losses as poorly-supported buildings collapsed.  How the quake was felt in Edilar was unknown, as the elven border was still sealed. It was rumored that they suffered badly, but no one really knew, for the elves remained tight-lipped and hidden within Edilar.
        With so much death and destruction, the decimated population of Alderd called back all of their traders from the surrounding realms to help rebuild.  In one day the trade of the entire Confederation came to a complete standstill as the industrious gnomes returned home.  The Confederation offered what help they could, but all they could really do was to help to bury the dead.  Alderd was in ruins, and with their leaders all killed by the great quake, the realm was at an utter loss as what to do next.

The Traders Reemergence (99 NA to 133 NA)

        The gnomish realm was in ruins, and the trading routes of the Confederation began to dwindle as the primary movers of  goods, the gnomes, were no longer available to carry them. Yet the lifelines of the Confederation had to be kept open, and many new trading companies and guilds sprang up. Crops still needed to be grown, ores needed to be smelted, and the finished goods still needed to be spread throughout the Confederation lands. The gnomes had lost hold of their monopoly over trade, and they were to take many gnomish generations to regain even a small part of what they had lost.  Guilds gained more and more influence, and the Confederation entered a time of great prosperity.  The Watchers of Twilight emerged, as did many other guilds.
        With the Confederation providing negotiation and security between the races, open trading between the five member realms expanded at a great rate.  Work was plentiful, and every person who wanted a job could usually find one that suited them.  Guilds accepted vast numbers of apprentices who soon worked their dues and left to set up shops of their own, seeking more apprentices and starting the cycle anew.  Guilds hired many to build and improve the system of roads so that transport could move faster.  Taverns and villages grew at strategic places on these new roads.
        Each city, town, and village grew at a steady rate, and after so many years of warfare and devastation Thardferr began to prosper once more.  Kyle Brand finally died in 120 NA, and many honored him as the man who united the races. His eldest son, Sonit, now became the new leader of the Confederation.  Sonit was the first of the Brand family to firmly embrace the title of Emperor.

No Information Is Available (133 NA - ???)

        Details needed!

The Second Mage War (??? - 212 NA)

        Details needed!

Anita Brand (213 NA - 218 NA)

        When the barrier came down and the Confederation forces entered Khardfee, they found a broken land and a broken people. Many of the dwarves were living like animals in the forests and mountains, because to expose themselves meant attack and possible death from the Mages or their forces. Khardfee had very little semblance of a government or any type of leadership. The government had been crushed like the spirit of many of the dwarves. The dwarves still carry those scars today.
        To help the dwarves, the Confederation proposed a plan that meant the dwarves would give up their kingdom for a time and let another race govern them. Anita Brand was the only voice of opposition to this plan; even the dwarven representatives were in favor it. Anita Brand tried to argue that self-rule by the dominant race of the area produced pride in that kingdom, and that was the healing that was needed: the dwarves had to recognize they were still a race. But, when the vote was cast, Khardfee, the kingdom of the dwarves, no longer belonged to the dwarves. To make matters worse for Anita Brand, it was determined that the human kingdom of Lithar was the only one with the leadership and money that could help the dwarves. Khardfee became part of Lithar.
        This was welcomed by the dwarves. Anita Brand made sure that the dwarves still held a seat in the Confederation council, and in all her important documents (that still exist) and records of her speeches, she emphasized that the Confederation was made up of five kingdoms: Human, Orc, Gnome, Goblin and Dwarf. She set up a collation government in Khardfee where the humans were advisors only, and all decisions were to be made by dwarves concerning Khardfee.
        This happened in 213 NA at the end of the 2ND Mage war. Although all five members of the Confederation were in agreement, the elves were not. The elves were not a member of the Confederation at this time. The elves claimed that the annexation of Khardfee by the humans was nothing more than human expansionism in Thardferr. When Anita Brand heard this, she immediately went to Edilar to meet with the high elves. What happened there is a mystery - all records have been destroyed. When she returned, the borders of Edilar were closed to all races except Gnome Traders. Permits were required to cross the border. Anita Brand was also the one who led the Confederation to restrict the use of magic, although she, herself, was a practicing Wizard. This did nothing to gain any popularity with the elves, whose populace numbered more than 50% Wizards of one type or another. It was during this trip, in 214 NA, that Anita Brand became ill with the disease that eventually ended her life, 3 years later.
        Lilith had long been at work trying to better the relationship between the elves and the other races. When Anita made her trip to Edilar, she left Lilith as her representative to the high elves. She is known as the only Human ever to have taken residency in a Lunar Tree. When the Elves closed their borders, Lilith refused to leave, and suffered much through bias and prejudices. Matlian Raccha Ethielien, a renowned high elven Seer, bestowed upon her the title of Speaker (one who speaks for the Elves) before his death in 215. This was an honor that the elves could not believe was bestowed upon a human, as only two others in memory were given that title, and both of them were elves.
        When Anita Brand became deathly ill, Lilith left the Lunar Trees for the last time; she would never return to Edilar or her beloved Yorktown Waters. Anita never saw her dream of a united Khardfee. She died in 217, and her 33-year-old daughter Lilith took the mantle of Confederation leadership. Lilith was Anita's only living child, since her two brothers had been killed in the Second Mage War. 

Edilar Joins the Confederation (218 NA)

        It was because of Lilith's influence that the elves entered the Confederation in 218. On the day that this pact was signed, Lilith placed six flowers, one from each kingdom, in her mother's tomb. It has been noted in stories of Bards, and in legends, that those flowers did not wilt but remained fresh and crisp until the day Lilith died, some 23 years later.
        The Elves did not enter the Confederation in silence. The first thing they demanded was that Khardfee be returned to the dwarves. They refused to sign the magic restriction agreement. They also demanded that the humans return most of Tuth to them (up to the Icy Mountains) and move to Lithar.
        The members of the confederation stood firm on the magic restriction, and the elves would not concede. Although the elven government finally relented in 312, Edilar today does not fully uphold the restriction. They uphold open magic schools, and public displays of magic.
        Even before the elves were approached, the Confederation had a time table to relinquish Khardfee back to the Dwarves. This would happen in or around 250, in approximately 30 years. This was to allow the leadership to stabilize and the population to grow, and the elves reluctantly agreed to this time table.
        The final demand of the elves, that their lands be returned, was met with a stern rejection of the other five kingdoms, not just the humans. The elves gave up all rights to the lands when they abandoned them after the First Mage War. The humans were not custodians for what the elves had abandoned. The humans settled and conquered most of the central plain area, which is modern-day Tuth, and gained the right to call it their home. In 225 a political movement started in Edilar which demanded that the elves separate themselves from the other races and close their borders. This group is known for pieces of the dead Lunar Trees that they carry. They were known as the DARK WOOD. The DARK WOOD was a popular political movement in Edilar that was comprised mainly of elven nobles, important elven dignitaries, and even part of the Royal house.

The Years of Peace (218 NA - 719 NA)

        The next 500 years, which are known as the Years of Peace, were far from that ideal. Although there were no official wars, it was a period of much political positioning for superior political power for various races. For example, when the dwarves were given their kingdom back, the orcs demanded proof that the dwarves were ready for their own leadership. The orcs demanded such outlandish proofs that even the goblins called it ridiculous.
        Although there was peace between the six kingdoms, there was nothing done to stem the bias one race had for another. By 710, Anita Brand's dream of a united Thardferr was nothing more than morning mist, vanishing in the heat of the day. Each of the Six Realms were sovereign kingdoms unto themselves, answering only to themselves, and the Confederation (and the Brand succession) was nothing more than a figurehead; an idea some thought was long past its time. This was the atmosphere and the environment that existed prior to 714.
        The Years of Peace between 218 and 714 were anything but.  Although there were no major wars, the battlefront just changed to another field: the political arena.  Now that the races had an "official" meeting place, they met and they argued and they accused and they fought verbally.  At various times during this period, the borders to all kingdoms closed to various races (dwarves and orcs, goblins and elves, elves and just about everyone else).  Although signed treaties unified Thardferr, there was a great deal of dissention between the members of the Confederation.
        To the local populace of the kingdoms, this was a time of prosperity even if their governments could not get along or agree. Merchant and noble houses grew so strong that they could challenge the royal seat. Governments of the kingdoms were kept in balance because of a new voice, the voice of the people in the kingdoms.
        Khardfee was rebuilt, but the dwarves now built their castles above ground. Since they were forced to flee their mines during the First and Second Mage Wars, an empire of Deep Races had claimed the deepest burrows. The underground kingdom of the dwarves was now a memory, nothing more that stories of the longbeards' fathers. When the Confederation asked if the dwarves needed assistance with the problem of the Deep Races' raiding, the dwarves refused, claiming that it was their right to settle problems their way within the borders of their kingdom. This became the attitude of all the kingdoms. Even the humans in Lithar separated themselves from those in Tuth for a time. Since there was little or no communication between members of the Confederation - governments were refusing to talk to one another - what was happening within the borders of the various kingdoms was unknown. By 718 there was plenty going on. In Khardfee the dwarves were fighting against various rebellious groups. In Edilar there was dissention between the elves and the high elves, who had cloistered themselves in Starwood. In Ruch, a mysterious enemy force wiped out various tribes of orcs. In Lithar, some port towns were attacked by dragonriders that killed many and destroyed ships in the harbor. All of these kingdoms believed that they could handle the problems themselves in their own way. Many felt that it was other kingdoms that were the cause for the troubles in their own.
        The Confederation knew that troops were being moved within the borders of various kingdoms, but answers to their direct questions were refused. Then the Sea Guild appealed to the Confederation to help stem the piracy that existed along the coast. Ships were being attacked and destroyed at an alarming rate. The guild asked Mogan Brand, the leader and emperor of the Confederation, to investigate and put an end to the problem.
        Mogan sent his troops into Lithar and Khardfee, and reports of what was happening in those kingdoms finally got back to the Confederation. On the floor of the Council Room, Mogan made a passionate plea for information about what was happening in the other kingdoms. By the end of that session, the governments of the Six Realms knew the seriousness of the problem. Outside of Tuth, there were conflicts, serious conflicts, in all five of the other kingdoms.
        At that time, the only forces Mogan could rely on were those from Tuth, and he sent a major group of them north at the request of the Sea Guild, to find the strongholds of the pirates preying upon Lithar's oceangoing ships.

The Vision and the Mission of the Twelve (719 NA)

        OOC Note:  All present and past PCs of D&D Online (Thardferr) were alive at this time.  Thardferr opened for public play in 726 NA.
        Flying ships and dragon riders attacked the troops that Mogan had sent north. Only a few escaped to bring back the news that the Sythian Mages had returned. The very night that these attacks began, Mogan's 14-year-old son Torin had a vision. Ellen Brand, the most renown of the Brand family, dead over 800 years, visited him. She told him that direct force was not the answer. They had to attack the root of the problem, the Mages themselves. She told him that the dead emperor of Syth held a rod that controlled the mages and forced them to do what he commanded. 
        She stated that most of the city of Holoth was destroyed when the comet fell, but that it was still buried beneath centuries of sediment. In an underground vault, guarded by an abomination, there still existed a Golden Rod. The ruler that held this Rod would have control over the Sythian Mages, control over any enemy. She provided him with all the information he needed. When Torin asked why she was telling him all this and not his father, her reply was "Lilith was told by the seer but never said anything." Ellen was gone. Torin immediately told his father. Mogan refused his son's request to go after the Rod. They were on the eve of another war, and he could not give his only son permission to go to Syth on some foolhardy adventure. Mogan made Torin give him a pledge that he would not leave the castle, and Torin reluctantly gave it. Torin asked the Confederation historian, Sage Bernard Locknar, if what he had learned was true. It took little time to verify that while the truth couldn't be verified, that no details of the dream were incorrect. The Sythian Emperor did have a Rod that seemed to control the Mages. Not much was known about it except that only the emperor could hold it. Locknar believed that anyone else touching the Rod would be hurt or killed.
        Torin knew that Ellen had spoken the truth. He could not go, but he could send others. Torin was known in various circles in Coopersville Forge, and he had personally funded many adventuring parties. Torin gave deep thought to whom he wanted to go. He had their names, now all he needed was to ask them. He reserved a local tavern for a private party, and invited twelve people. Among those invited were: 2 dwarves (Traver of the Durn Clan and Ferris of the Stoom Clan), 2 Orcs (Gyrun and Krok), 2 Goblins (Vikki and Snivfen); 2 humans (Antonius and Meleny), 2 Halflings (Borkora and Twiggle), and 2 Elves (Thema and Methem). Antonius, a young and brave paladin, led the group. 2 Gnomes (Tork and "Shadow"), had been previously contacted, and were hard at work building a flying ship to carry the adventurers to the ancient Sythian homeland.
        Torin explained his visitation and the message to this group. After he spoke there was much discussion and very few ate or drank anything, even the halflings. Almost with one voice the 12 agreed to go. When asked when they had to leave, Torin said, "Now," and none of them questioned that urgency. As they parted, Torin hugged each one of these men and women, for he knew that this was the last time he would ever see some of them. Torin felt disturbed that he was not to accompany them. Within one hour of that dinner party, a group of twelve left the north gate of Coopersville Forge, heading toward Springsoninatown Forge. They were ambushed and slaughtered to a man by unknown assailants.

The Third Mage War (719 NA - 725 NA)

        Mogan Brand was faced with fighting in the realms surrounding him, and was getting no communications about what was happening. He sent out scouts to each kingdom. Some returned with reports that chilled his bones. Already the northern coastline was in the hands of the enemy. The goblin city of Proudtown was under siege by a force of gnolls and ogres. Many orc tribes had been destroyed. The enemy had pushed deep into Khardfee with Walnuttown already fallen. The gnomes reported there was open fighting in Alderd. And, as always, Edilar remained silent, with the borders still closed. Mogan had called for a general conscription, and many men and women in Tuth responded to this call. The main problem was that the enemy's power was unknown. The last attack of the Sythian Mages was over 500 years ago, and there was very little information about who they were or what they wanted.
        Mogan was also the king of Tuth, and he recognized that there was an enemy on his borders. His first objective was to strengthen Tuth, and then turn his attention to the other kingdoms. This immediately brought protests from the remaining council members at the Confederation castle. They accused Mogan of abandoning their kingdoms in order to save Tuth. Although the Confederation was not dissolved, this was their last meeting until the end of the war. Upon walking out of this meeting, the members pledged loyalty to the Confederation and to the Brand leadership, but their attention had to be on their own kingdoms. They all expected the Confederation to come to their aid.
        Mogan had dragon-riders patrolling the borders of Tuth, but they were few and the area vast, and dragon riders were very visible in the sky. The dragon riders reported very little about the enemy or the enemy forces.
        The scouts and rangers had better luck locating the enemy, or the enemy locating them. Only 20 returned to Mogan out of the 125 sent out, 25 to each kingdom. Stories of horrors were returned. Anything that opposed the enemy forces was decimated. Towns and villages were destroyed and already hundreds were dead. The enemy forces consisted of kobolds, ogres, gnolls, some giants, many dragonriders, and an army of undead such as skeletons, zombies, ghasts, ghouls and others. Only two flying ships were seen, one in Khardfee and one in Alderd, but the ground forces were definitely controlled by the Sythian Mages.
        The one thing that really disturbed Mogan was that enemy forces had not stepped into the central plains. Tuth had not been attacked. The forces that Mogan sent into Khardfee and into Lithar were not heard from again. If they had engaged the enemy, then there were no survivors. The general muster swelled Mogan's forces with untrained recruits. The forces left in Tuth were green and untried, but his forces grew until there were close to 10,000 camping on the central plains. The logistics and supplies needed to keep these forces together grew until it became a drain on the coffers of the Confederation. The mood of so many armed men and women went from boredom to chaos, with the forces soon began bickering among themselves and destroying local resources.
        Mogan recognized that if the enemy did not come soon, his own forces would destroy Tuth out of their own distraction. Mogan place Aaron Warstrider, an orcish captain that his father, Wyllam, had used in the past, in charge of his armies. Warstrider immediately placed a curfew on the troops and restricted them from contact with the local populace. Warstrider put down any dissention with brutal force. The boredom of the troops turned to fierce hatred of this orc who made a proclamation that any one who wanted a piece of him could have it when this war was over. The troops were held together because each soldier wanted to kill this man. Stephan Lailan, a renowned elven Wizard, came before the emperor and his advisors and brought an offer of help to the Confederation from an illegal mage guild, almost 150 skilled magic users. Although the IMG complained about this, Mogan was not about to refuse any aid. 
        With a force of troops that numbered over 10,000, skilled people to lead them, 63 dragon riders, and the IMG and Lailan's wizards (248 skill wizards), Mogan became confident that he could face the force he knew was coming. And since he now had the advantage, he would wait for the forces to come to him. Tuth was Mogan's territory, he knew how the enemy had to come. Warstrider proved more than a resource to guide his men, his advice on battlefield strategy became invaluable. Warstrider devised a system of hit and run tactics which drew the enemy into a hammer and anvil trap. A deadly trap, where 500 members of his forces could easily handle four times their number and expect a victory. News came almost daily, almost like the enemy wanted the emperor to know, of defeats in all of the other five realms. The dwarves were routed in Khardfee. Orcs and goblins were using hit and run tactics against advancing forces in Ruch. The government of Aldred had issued surrender to the enemy. Towns and villages were burning in Lithar. The elves were fighting against a large force of mages and a growing army of undead in Edilar. Then the news stopped, and no more scouts returned.
        This was two months after the sightings of the Mage's flying ships. There was unnerving silence for one more month as the stress and tension of waiting persisted. Warstrider used this time to entrench his troops in strategic places around Coopersville. Warstrider wanted to lead the troops to the field to engage the enemy. He explained that all this waiting worked for the enemy, not for the Confederation. Many of the troops were on the verge of desertion. 
        The waiting was over. The forces of the Mages appeared on the plains. They came from the east, from the west and from the south. They were moving with the objective of encircling Coopersville Forge, the Confederation castle. They engaged none of the scouts or dragon riders that Mogan sent out. The scouts returned with news that was not good. The forces of the Mages outnumbered the Confederation 4 or 5 to 1. There were 40 to 50 thousand troops marching on CoopervilleForge. The dragon riders reported that they saw three groups of 100 or more, dragon riders. Also, six of the mage's flying ships were seem. Their appearance was almost like a staged play: a dramatic entrance. Warstrider would not allow any of this information to be told to his troops, as morale was bad enough, and this would cause many of them to run. Mogan cursed the inability of the kingdoms to cooperate, and their refusal to find trust in their unity. He had a nightmare in which he saw a representative of all the races stand together then turn their backs on one another and be devoured by a consuming fire, leaving him in the middle of piles of ashes. He woke up screaming, demanding to know if this was the fate of the realms.
        As Mogan dreamed the dark missive, a dark figure crept into the dungeons of the Royal Palace, and opened secret doors that lead into the sewers. Six figures were let into the castle.
        The next day, Mogan ordered Warstrider to ready his troops, and Lailan to prepare his wizards. The mages were invaders in this land and he intended to drive them out.
        As that council meeting was being held, six orc Shadow Warriors infiltrated the castle, and with their ability to Meld in Stone and move through that element, these six bypassed all the guards and emerged in that meeting. It was obvious that Mogan was the object of the attack. Mogan and Warstrider engaged the assassins. All six of the warriors were killed, but Mogan Brand was also fatally wounded. As Warstrider went to aid the falling emperor, Lailan pulled out a poisoned dagger and drove it into the warrior's back. Lailan ran from the room without checking to see if both men were dead.
        In the Bailey of the castle, Lailan fired a Fireball high into the air and the forces of the Mages attacked.
        Inside the castle, Mogan, with his last breath, told Warstrider to get his son Torin to a safe place. Mogan died in Warstrider's arms as a barrage of Fireballs and Lightning Bolts ripped into the Royal Castle from the advancing Mage's flying ships. Warstrider raced through the castle to the boy's apartment. Like a fool, young Torin was standing at the window watching the approaching battle. Across the room the bulky man dove, catching the youngster and rolling them both away as a lightning bolt shot through the open window to hit the far wall.
        "You are now emperor," was all that Warstrider said. 
        He stood up and looked outside, and his brave warrior's heart sank. His troops were being attacked from outside the castle and inside the castle. He cursed Lailan to Diadria's darkest punishment. Lailan's mage force was attacking the troops from inside the walls of the Royal Castle. Warstrider's troops were caught between two forces of wizards.
        The mage flying ships had maneuvered to such a position that the Confederation dragonriders were cut from the sky the moment they appeared. When the Mage's dragonriders began their approach, Warstrider did not want to watch. He looked at the boy and knew that he had another job to do.
        The 14-year-old Torin was dumbfounded. His life had just changed drastically. His father was dead and he was to be crowned emperor. No... there would be no coronation because of what was happening, he WAS emperor.
        When Warstrider told Torin that they had to leave, Torin wanted to stay and fight. Warstrider told Torin that he was more than just the emperor. He was a symbol to the Six Realms. As long as he remained alive, he would be the source of their rally, their coming together. The Mages knew that they had to kill the emperor. Mogan was dead, so now they would want to kill his son so that the hope of a united Confederation would die. The sewers were a secret that loyal forces also knew. Torin, Warstrider, and six trusted men left CoopersvilleForge. After a skirmish in the sewers with some kobolds, they joined the crowds of people fleeing the city. The forces of the enemy concentrated on the castle and ignored the panicking people. They never expected the emperor to be among the crowd. However, the flight was not without peril. They passed through various lines of the enemy, trying to avoid them when possible. Warstrider abandoned his weapon and armor (carrying only a dagger) and ordered his men to do the same. They were to look like fleeing merchants. This guise worked, and the seven managed to travel three miles from CoopersvilleForge.
        There a large group of enemy forces, consisting of gnolls and ogres, stopped them. They were gathering all those running from the city and detaining them. Any that tried to escape were killed.
        As the seven sat in a wheat field with a group of other people, a dark shadow appeared over them. Torin suspected that it was one of the flying ships, but was surprised when he saw golden wings glisten in the sun. A rain of fire fell upon the enemy forces, and most were consumed in the conflagration. Warstrider and his men moved quickly, and the remaining enemy troops were dead before the Golden Dragon landed. Immediately the head of the dragon went to the ground before Torin. "Emperor," a deep and serene voice echoed across the field.
        Torin asked how the dragon knew. The massive creature responded that he had advised Torin's father, and that now his services belonged to his son. The dragon knew that Mogan had died, and was looking for his son. A member of the Brand family would not be hard for the dragon to find. The dragon took Torin and Warstrider and fled, trying to escape the oncoming troops and the flying ships. On the flight out, the Gold Dragon engaged a dragonrider and killed both the rider and his mount. The dragon and his two passengers flew north, not landing until they reached the Icy Mountains. Torin learned that the dragon was named Ninion, and had been advising the Brand family since the time of Lilith Brand, some 600 years ago.
        For over a year Torin remained in hiding while the Sythian forces were looking for them. All of Thardferr was conquered, but the rumor persisted that the emperor was still alive, and kindled hopes of freedom among the opressed people of Thardferr.
        The Mages selected Keytown as their headquarters, and the encampment of most of their troops. Just outside the town, the Mages constructed a landing site for their flying ships. Four of them were there most of the time. It was rumored that the "Mistress", leader of the Sythian Mages, lived in the Konnel villa two miles from Keytown.
        Except for Edilar, which had the magical power to continue their fight against the mages, each of the Realms was under Sythian control. Businesses were allowed to continue, farmers were forced to farm their lands, bakers forced to bake and smiths forced to work. Life went on, except there could be no public gathering of four or more people without the presence of a Mage representative. Any dissention was met with immediate and lethal force. Death was the answer for any form of lawbreaking or rebellion. All the people of the Realms were virtual slaves, with no rights to anything not given to them by the puppet governments set up by the Mages.
        An underground movement began, pockets of which were controlled by the former thieves' guilds in the major cities. Communications between realms and cities were established, at least enough to pass news along.
        The mages were engaged in their own activities. They were looking for something, and it was obvious to those that watched them. What could it be? No one knew. The mages also collected and read books and tomes from public and private libraries, and then they destroyed them. Less than half a year after they arrived, over 90% of the public libraries were destroyed, along with most private ones. As for Torin, he went from place to place as the forces looking for him got closer. Warstrider returned to CoopersvilleForge when he heard of the underground movements. He was killed rescuing some nobles being held prisoner by the mages.
        Ninion finally brought Torin to the goblin city of Proudtown. There, Torin was forced to flee into the sewer system to avoid capture by the Mage's forces. He spent another three months there. He joined an underground resistance force of goblins and helped disrupt activities in the city. Torin had almost given up on the idea of returning, when he had an unexpected reunion with some people he had sent to Syth.
        Four of the long-lost heroes stepped out of the darkness to present him with a wrapped package. Part of the plan to conceal their mission had been the formation of a dozen decoy heroes, and those decoy heroes were the ones slaughtered on the trip. When Torin asked how they knew where to find him, they responded that the Rod told them. The Rod had led them ever since they found it and it had led them right to Torin. Torin opened the wrappings to find a three-foot-long rod with runes on the top. Torin picked it up and his life was forever changed.
        The Rod told Torin in a voice he could understand, "I function only in the hands of the one that others recognize as their leader, the one designated king or emperor of all. I function for you. I will make your enemies into friends so that you may control them for the peace of your Realms." Torin took the Rod and held it aloft. Immediately, all that were his enemies in Proudtown no longer opposed him. For the first time in a year, Proudtown was free of its enemies. Torin emerged from the sewers and news spread. The goblins rallied around the emperor. Torin's plans were to march right back to CoopersvilleForge and use the Rod to conquer the Mages and to free Thardferr. As he moved throughout Ruch, he gathered a good-sized army of goblins and orcs, but what was more pleasing was that his enemies fled before him. When he entered Tuth, his army had swelled with dwarves and elves and gnomes and halflings. It was a veritable flood of beings following a 16-year-old boy with his own plans of conquest. But the Mages had been there before. The Sythian Emperor had used this Rod to control them in the past, and they were not about to fall under its influence again. The Mages boarded their flying ships and fled to the north long before the accursed Rod came within range of them. With the Mages fleeing, the underground forces attacked. They engaged the confused and leaderless forces of kobolds, ogres and gnolls. By the time Torin had reached CoopersvilleForge, the city had already been liberated. When Torin entered the Confederation castle, he said with a half-sob, half-sigh, "It is over."

The Great Rebuilding (726 NA - 731 NA)

        OOC Note:  Thardferr opened for public play in 726 NA.  From this point forward, the History is interactive, and has been greatly affected by both the Players and DMs of Thardferr.

        Recent History Needed!

The Present Day (731 NA)

        Thardferr is a land still healing from the Third Mage War.  It is a land filled with strife and contention, but it is also a land filled with hope and great patriotism against the Sythian Mages.  It is a land ripe for invasion, and most agree that only Torin's Rod holds the Sythian Mages from sweeping into Thardferr and vanquishing it forever, with scarcely a fight.  The hostilities of the orcish invasion of Khardfee are still fresh in the minds of even the short-lived races.  The stink of death still washes out from the Island in the middle of Edilar, and the shores of the Blood Lake are said to be haunted with the anguished souls of elven dead.  Many strange and hostile forces are rearing their heads in Thardferr, though it's unknown which are allied with the Sythian Mages, and which are pursuing their own interests.  It is a time when individuals can greatly influence what occurs, and groups of adventurers can save or ruin entire nations, and achieve fame or infamy by their heroic deeds.  Much has been lost, and there is much lying in wait to recover or rediscover.  There are also things to create, things to invent, and things to learn that have never been thought of before.  It's an Age of possibilities, and you, whether a DM or a Player, are a party of it.

Please direct feedback to the DM in charge of the History Pages.