A. Prequel
The following passages detail the history and origin of the vast desert region known as Iro. It is confirmed that this desert is not infact part of this dimension, but of another with such subtle boundaries to our own that the worlds seem connected. The passages will first and foremost detail history and major events, but will also go into surface details about important figures in the desert's history and lightly brush the desert's basic beastiaries.
I. Legendary Origins
A note: Scholars on the subject are very split about wether the origins of the desert's oldest races are true or fallacious. These differences largely rise between the fact that many of the scholars are highly religious, while others are faithless.
As story has it, the very first traces of life in the desert were large, predatory insects. These were classified as early as we had the knowlege to be highly intelligent. They are highly territorial, hunt in packs and have been known to create traps for their prey.
Not long after these creatures began surfacing, a strange, seemingly mixed breed of fox and dragon known as the Arutal began creating settlements that dotted large parts of the western desert. Over time, these creatures rapidly evolved and advanced, forming all their dotted villages into a vast empire known as Traunus. The Arutal achieved very unusual levels of technology and evolution in their time. Basic clockwork appendages were exceedingly common, and the Arutal actually evolved to have mana in their natural composition. They were, however, very corrupted by the immense amount of power they wield. The emperor of Traunus, Kahaijus I, ordered that an object of divine power be crafted, to be given to the emperor and passed down the line so that the Arutal may be ruled and lead by the power of the gods. Their foolery with divine forces attracted the attention of an extra-planar demon king. The only solace the Arutal could find was that this demon king was unable to, on his own power, move from his dimension to theirs. He did, however, have powerful agents who set the empire ablaze, destroying the vast, powerful civilization of the Arutal and all it's recorded members in the course of three days. The half-completed object that contained the imperfect power of the gods was lost to the sands, it is said that the demon king searches for this lost power to this day.
It is interesting to note that following the empire's fall, undead have become a 'natural' part of Iro's wild'life'. It is suspected that the vast amount of dark energy used against the Arutal, and the mass amount of mana that was absorbed into the desert sands from their deaths, is responsible for this change.
II. Amitus and Garuda
It is said that the Amitus wolves, a race of wolves who's primary characteristics are unusual tolerance to incredible heat and an unusually large stature, and the Garuda, a race of metallic avians, were created in the image of the land's god, Xoenn, known by both races as 'Judgement'. These races did not live at peace for a long time, war and destruction littered the first three hundred years of their existance. It was not until the end of those long, bloody years that a child was born of a wolven mother and a garudan father. This birth, and the union of the mother and father, was enough to finally bring the two races together in peace, how they continued to live for many, many years after.
Note: Regardless of the union, the most mixed-bloodlines that occured at the same time was three. And by the turn of the age, there was only one. This was a subject of great concern for many years, because the union of the race's bloods was still considered what held the races together, and those of mixed blood were considered of the highest nobility.
III. The age of the lich
It was only a matter of time before a being of dark power would see opportunity in the natural, incredibly sustainable ranks of undead that could be found wandering the desert. A lich of terrible power took the reigns of the legions, and raised many more. The lich enslaved the proud garudan people, and would proceed to launch a five-year war against the wolves of Amitus. The war lasted so long because it was well-matched. The ranks of both sides were thick, and there was a terrible clash of holy and unholy magic, the power of the lich and his necromancers against the power of the grand vizier of the continental army and the holy order of paladins under his command.
This war ended when six wolves, an exiled sergeant and the five loyal men who had followed him, stormed feverishly through the vast distances and arrived at the lich's fortress. They fought like men possessed and reached the lich's chamber to meet him in the final conflict. All but the sergeant were killed in that last fight, and both of the remaining combatants were terribly wounded. The dark one faded first, and the sergeant picked up his sword and wandered out into the desert, expecting and satisfied with the thought of death after such meaning was brought to his life.
A year after the war ended, a new power took hold in the desert.. This one far darker and more ancient than the lich. This new evil gathered the lich's remaining forces together, and with astonishing force and speed, completely levelled the city in the space of a single night. Nobody who was in Amitus that night survived.
IV. Today
It is unsure what will happen now. It is rumored that there are small pockets of both races still trying to hold their own and rebuild against the tide of evil that remains in Iro today, but there is no hard evidence that any members of the garudan race are still alive, and there is only one Amitus wolf left that can be accounted for.
The last known Garuda, Horus Valkar, was assassinated by an agent of obscure employment in Lismore.
Fiir Abbadon, City Librarian
===OOC===
If you are interested in this storyline, or would like to play a member of any of the races I have mentioned in the story, PLEASE contact me first so we can arrange something that won't break the story. I can provide you with avatar details, naming, culture, and other things.
