Antaria: History and Remembrance

Almost nothing is known of Antarian history before the fall of the Obsidian Empire. Prior to its collapse, it is said that the Empire dominated the entire continent from sea to sea, stopping only at the borders of the Tajik Wastes to the southwest. Nothing else is known about the Empire, however, although its destruction was apparently so cataclysmic that it left the majority of the lands in ruins. Speculation has it that an arcane disaster of epic proportions was the primary cause, but there is simply no evidence to support such wild theories.

In any event, the fall of the Obsidian Empire changed Antaria significantly. The survivors of the cataclysm were forced to band together to survive the harsh seasons that followed, and it is from these survivors that the nations of Antaria were formed.

Most survivors gathered around the ruins of the Obsidian Empire's capital city, eventually building a multifaceted culture around the area. This massive settlement eventually grew into the kingdom of Lorendheim, the oldest of the nations of Antaria, and a meeting point for many of the continent's personages.

Southeast of Lorendheim, the matriarchical kingdom of Allandria was founded by a group of former refugees. Exactly why the Allandrians were formed as a matriarchy is unknown, but scholars have suspected that it was due to a distinct loss of male leadership in the events prior to the fall of the Obsidian Empire.

The former slaves of the Empire, freed from their bonds of servitude by the Cataclysm, travelled due east to the edge of the continent. Their experience with work and toil were well suited to the harsh environments there, and the nation of Vanarum was established as a result.

Within the next four hundred years, two more nations were established. Two hundred years after the Empire's fall, a major noble seceded from the houses of Lorendheim, claiming a sizable patch of land bordering the northern sea. By the time Lorendheim was able to react to the secession, the noble was able to call in a long list of political favors from the other houses and nations across the continent, effectively preventing a massive conflict. The new nation was named Hadrian, and its subjects became learned in the ways of diplomacy and negotiation.

Finally, roughly eighty years before present time, a bloody war between Allandria and Vanarum resulted in the creation of a small buffer state between the two nations. Both nations populated the state with retired veterans of the war, who initiated the creation of monasteries across the area. The many sites for contemplation were highly ideal for religious travels, and thus the state of Kun was born.

For the most part, the Tajik tribes continued to settle along the Tajik Wastes in the southwest, and maintain their lives there still.

Finally, with the continent reclaimed, all dutiful explorers have since turned their eyes towards the north, where the sea frothes and churns. The wide open sea here is a malevolent force that takes ships in and never gives them back - it has come to be known as "The Maw" by many sailors. Even the Lesser Maw - the stretch of sea that runs along the Antaria coastline - is an unruly sort, and many Antarians find it difficult enough to master that which is closer to home.