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Carabello daun Kynan-Tremaine il'lthye Lior sylvani |
Beautiful Quesalia, a land where towering cypress tree reach up to meet the deep azure sky, and fields of poppies dot the countryside in deep purples, brilliant crimson and soft gold. A place of fragrance and delicate perfumes as flowering orchards of lemons, oranges and lumins scent the air throughout the spring, and the rich aroma of pine fires mingles with the delicate tang of laurel during the balmy winter months. A country that has inspired writers, sculptors and painters for centuries upon centuries with its rolling green hills, deep blue lakes and streams, not to mention the graceful beauty of its nationals; the Lior sylvani, the Carabello dauns and the proud Kynan-Tremaine il'lthye.
However, like other countries, its birth was not easy for Mother Beade. At the time of the second major cataclysm, during the Age of Mountains, the large continent of Drakoria shattered to become Vash, Rhe'Yubla and Ziguran. Laurdia broke away from Drakoria and drifted north on the Sodalian Sea into Fnordica, cleaving it and creating the Great Dragyn Rage Mountains, as well as subdividing Fnordica into Kuthgard, Laurdia and Quesalia.
It is believed by scientists in Abyzanto as well as the Concilium de Magi in New Roshanon that during the fifth major cataclysm, the Age of Ice, that a calamitous breech of major essence along the western coast of Quesalia caused an enormous rupture in Thrael's crust. Massive explosions forced a major chunk of land to rocket into the atmosphere, where the irradiated mass of debris coalesces into Tallow, Thrael's second moon. This event spawned a race wide decline in the Giantkind and Gharkins community. The catastrophe is widely believed to be result of an act of vengeance on behalf of the last of the First Dragyns, and legend has it that the responsible parties were banished into Timestream as a result of their actions.
In 13,100 Age of Lords, a period represented by il'lthye dominance, an advanced daun culture known as the Maztocans created the cities of Atienzal in northern Quesalia, which is known today as Abyzanto, and Calamocho de Finas on the Isle of Isola. The unusually advanced civilization had produced two of the largest and wealthiest daun cities in this part of the world. The Tallosian Basin became a major hub of human activity as the Bucerazh Sea linked trade between the cultures of Noskalv, Western Kuthgard and Western Quesalia.
During the Age of Wonders, the arts flourished in the peaceful climate that blessed Quesalia and its city-states prospered. The western coast became a bastion of refinement and culture. Sculptors such as Dratello d'Aiuola whose renowned marbles such as The Rape of Leta and Thine's Ecstacy were synonymous with form and style, and Martina de los Solamonte, the creator of the Martina stelae, set up huge academies dedicated to their art. Muralists and painters the likes of Kohias Gracia and Dagatelli Vermechi, the brilliant student of the great Dreiga himself, conducted classes and met in magnificent villas to argue their craft and teach their students. Poetry and Literature flowed from the pens of Belicana of Ombra, DeMici Bracolo and the master of the play, Enrico Delafuego, author of the Fasul Tragedies. Music had its impresarios as well, and such maestros as Zortam Heraldo and Be'velucci composed beautiful compositions that rang with the fierce battles of the dragynkin-giant wars or sung sweetly of the age of grace and refinement and love. This was the golden age of Quesalia.
The daun ruled their little city-states benevolently. During this time, the Kynan-Tremaine were building their Mecca of magic, Roshanon, on the southern tip of Laurdia, and the Lior sylvani were happy in the woods of Darne Wythe in the southeast. The Doge of Isola, a master merchant, filled the coffers of the canalled city with riches, as well as silks from Vash, furs from Kuthgard, and metals of every sort from Laurdia and Noskalv. King Imburto II of Abyzanto formed the Caradeste Alliance with the princes of Solamonte and Aura-del-mar, and the king of Stela-Sera as well as the Barony of Magras. The alliance sent citizens to found the port town of Pistoia, and they set up a senate composed of a senator of each city-state to govern there. Renaming themselves Carabellos, which meant the beautiful folk, the citizens of the Caradeste Alliance enjoyed freedom of the roads between each city, and tournaments and faires were held often, most in honor of the Fasul gods.
Quesalia's geography helped protect it from the historic events going on in other parts of the globe in the past, such as the orcs setting up their war machines in Laurdia, Peregorne, and Noskalv, and the invasions of Sagroud of Hespiatelon. However, it could not protect the country from the sixth major cataclysm in 2,096, which became 1 Age of Wonders. The year before, clerics and priests across the globe stop receiving spells, and reports of major disturbance in the Weave and growing chaos on the Astral Plane circulated from as far north as Ardara in the Skievalds to Vesevium in Hierenica.
Widespread speculation that the gods of Thrael were dead caused terror and panic among the people of Western Thrael. Only the various temples dedicated to Vaen appear to be untouched by the phenomena. From this day of reckoning, the calendar reflected the change, marking this the first year of the Age of Chaos, beginning a period referred to as Thrael's Dark Ages. Although Quesalia was not considered a magical land by the elven hierarchy, the Carabellos were touched by the tragedy as well. The city-states closed their gates and mistrust, suspicion and disrespect for each other grew rampant. Highwaymen and brigands took to the unprotected roads, and wyrmstorms were frequent as the dragyns of Ziguran preyed on the southern villages, causing irreparable destruction and carnage.
In the year 113, Father Ippel Glynt, an 86-year-old daun, established the new Church of Gond, a religious Order of The Wyrd, and began a campaign to wipe out relics and information from the Age of Wonders. Many famous pieces of art, music and literature disappeared or were destroyed during this inquisition. In southern Laurdia, Roshanon fell due to a combined effort of the Wyrd and the Horde, and its il'lthye residents fled far to the northwest into Bezalina, which is now called Iiera't'elt in the Kynan-Tremaine provinces. Father Ippel disappeared in 157 AoC, and a quiet settled over Quesalia until 698 AoC, when the Zigurandi Seddasa, a militant rebel army composed of nomadic Murhks and Brezah, initiated the religious War of Hasseh'din. Massive raiding campaigns against Quesalian colonies crippled trading.
Looking for protection from the butchery, the Boggin gnomes moved into the Tain'wydde provinces at the foot of the Swi'tainian Mountains and made Underswift their capital, hiding out in the caves and caverns once a home to huge mist dragyns. Desperation overcame the mistrust and realizing they must band together or perish, the Caradeste Alliance, lead by King Alonzo IV of Abyzanto became strong once more. Convincing the other rulers of the city-states as well as Felix Caspari, Doge of Isola, that there is strength in unity, he rallied troops and the battle of Aesthephe saw the Carabellos thrust out the invaders. At this time, the priests of Thrael announced the birth of the newest of the Nivi, a god born to replace the fallen Gond. The Quesalians quickly adopted Ghent, Master painter, the Eternal bard, the Blacksmith of the gods, making him patron of their country. The dragyn attacks stopped and the Carabellos announced the hammer of their new god ended the wyrm invasions.
The Age of Dreams ushered in a Renaissance of the arts as well as peace descended once more onto the city-states. Alonzo IV died and his son and heir, Leberian III became ruler of the Caradeste Alliance. Leberian's court, known for its grace and majesty, developed into an example of refinement and chivalry. Meanwhile, in the Isolan Lagoon, the city of Isola became a trade hub for the Sodalian Sea as well as the Tallosian Basin. The beautiful canals and ancient homes served as tourist attractions, bringing in additional revenue as tons of nobles from Peregorne, Noskalv and Kuthgard came to summer and shop. The coalition of the Doge and Leberian proved to be an inspiration to the Breve-Contea city-states as well as the Tain'Wydde provinces.
Uniting under Quitolo the Majestic of Lieto, the Breve-Conteans established a seaport in Felicita, which became a resort city of breathtaking proportions. Once known for its little picturesque fishing villages, the new city built into the white marble cliffs offered a surprise to ships entering its harbor. Salvatore Magliani, a local sculptor and Teg mage created his masterpiece, the Colossus of Felicita. The enormous statue carved right into the cliff face spanned the harbor, allowing ships to sail between its mammoth open legs in wonder.
The Tain'Wydde provinces of Algido, Icyewythe, Salicetto, Underswift and Darne Wythe maintained their independence, each under their own ruler, but the Lior sylvani and the Boggin gnomes, as well as the Carabellos who have settled into Algido saw the benefit of unity and set up the capital city of Aiuola, ruled by Queen Belladepiro I. Under her regime, commerce thrived and the city-states bloomed.
In 112 AoD, the Benotitian Brotherhood began the Kellish Inquisition in central Quesalia, an attempt to revive the Wyrd there. Many gnomes are tortured and killed as the Brotherhood endeavored to procure their services in a plan to attack the Kynan-Tremaine in New Roshanon. Word of the Inquisition's atrocities reached the Alliance and Vegarius III, son of Leberian lead the Carabellian troops to Salicetto to join with the Kynan-Tremaines and defeat the threat at the battle of Briggini's Hill. King Nund III of Kaezar disbanded the Benotitian Brotherhood and the Kellish Church of Thresh dissolved, resulting in the Barony of Thresh becoming incorporated into Kaezarian Empire, thus ending the threat of the Wyrd once and for all.
Today, the country of Quesalia is thriving once more. The city-states prosper under feudalism. Serfs tend to farms and tithes owned by nobles and lesser nobles. The class structure begins with a king or prince, attended by the aristocracy and landed gentry. Minstrels, bards and jesters bring entertainment as well as news of the surrounding environs and other countries with their songs and stories. These men and women are as valued as the clergy who are devout to the Kivian gods, mostly Ghent, and bound to the fiefdoms of their various lords. Penultimate in the caste system are the merchant class, shop keepers, bankers and shipping magnates alike, all treated as a necessary evils by the aristocracy, yet rich enough to buy and sell the bluebloods.
As for the races that inhabit Quesalia, the Kynan-Tremaine, a long line of il'lthye nobles, can trace their lineage back to the first of the Daere Vala nation. These dark elves continue to make great strides in astral magic, exquisite architecture and intricate engineering in the Kynan-Tremaine provinces. The seaport of Aesthephe is world renown, as is the t'elt produced in the province of Iiera't'elt. The Lior of the Tain'Wydde are famed as rangers, tinkers and bards, and their experiments on preserving the flora of Thrael is recognized through the civilized world. Not much is known about the Boggin gnomes of Quesalia who survived the Inquisition. Many still live deep in the Underswift, where they have set up communities and have a life much different from that of the Boggins who have left the Swift and live as scavengers in squalor in the mean sections of urban Thraelian cities.
Finally, the Carabellos, those most romantic of daun, whose courts continue to be places of courtly manners and gracious living, remain the rulers of much of Quesalia. Their art and culture survive and continues to flourish, bringing the rest of Thrael a much-needed dose of civilized society.
| Wines of Thrael |