Knightfall
World of Kulan DM
Long ago during the Age of the Nagpa, the Fallenlands was known by a more regal name, Margoth-Nal. It was during this age that nagpas lived everywhere on this continent, from what is now known as the Sipwi Peninsula to the Ong Jungle beyond the Shield. We, the blessed of Chagnal, ruled the continent with the same grace and dignity that we now rule the Valley of NarsKasis today. During this time the land was covered with lush forests and rolling hills.
During the Age of the Nagpa, the geniekind were unknown to our people considered myths of legend. What is now called the Black Storm Sea was once known as The Endless Water. There were four great nagpa cities under the rule of a single leader known as the Ma-Haukuai with a governor of state for each city. These cities included NarsKasis in the northwest, NarsKwon in the northeast, NarsKwani in the southwest, and the capital city of Chowa in the far south. The Ma-Haukuai ruled over Margoth-Nal from his palace for over a thousand years in relative peace.
But like the scorching sands of the Fallenlands today, time eroded the Age away. A new evil appeared out of the Far Sea in the east. Huge long ships filled with hordes of evil humanoids landed on the eastern shores of Margoth-Nal. Among them were such foul creatures as the thasin, bakemono, oni and the ogre mages. They entrenched themselves in our land raiding up and down the coasts of the east and beyond. Out people fought back bravely with the help of our allies, the sahne and the hengeyokai, but the evil hordes were unstoppable.
The Ma-Haukuai pleaded to Chagnal and the other Great Ones for protection but they couldn't come to our aid. The evil gods of the humanoid hordes kept the Great Ones embroiled in a battle in the heavens. All hope seemed lost. The Ma-Haukuai became desperate in his search for an answer to save his people. He knew of the legends of the geniekind. He divined the location of the Elemental Planes in order to locate the geniekind. With only his wits and the hope of his people, the Ma-Haukuai journeyed to the palaces of the four greater races of the genies - the dao, the djinn, the marid, and the efreet.
First he asked the Kahn of the Dao in the Great Dismal Delve. “Help my people, all-powerful Kahn, and I will build you the greatest monument ever constructed out of the finest marble and gems.”
But the Khan simply laughed at him.
Then he went to the Elemental Plane of Air pleading with the Caliphs of the Djinn. “Help my people, all-powerful Lords, and I will build you the greatest airship ever known to the planes.”
But since the djinn could already fly faster than any airship the Caliphs simply ignored him.
Then he went to the Elemental Plane of Water pleading with the Padisha of the Marids. “Help my people, all-powerful Padisha, and I will give you my kingdom's greatest asset. Our Puredrop water crop for the next one thousand years.”
The Padisha hummed and hawed for several days asking all of her advisors. Then she smiled agreeing to help. The Ma-Haukuai was overjoyed. Then the chaotic Padisha simply laughed at him telling him to go away.
Heartbroken, the Ma-Haukuai went to the Elemental Plane of Fire. He had hoped that one of the other geniekind races would have agreed to help him. He had no idea what he could offer the Efreeti Sultan. As he stood trembling before the Sultan within the City of Brass all his hope seemed to slip away. “Oh great and all-powerful Sultan, I have come to you to beg for your help in defending my people from the evil that threatens us.”
“Hmm,” the Sultan glared down at the Ma-Haukuai. “And what can I expect to gain for this help little creature?”
The Ma-Haukuai fell to his knees in desperation. “I give my life over to you to do with as you want.”
“Well,” the Sultan smiled with an evil grin. “This is most unexpected.”
“I beg your pardon, great Sultan? I do not understand.” The Ma-Haukuai was baffled.
“I have been watching you travel from one of my enemies to the next offering little baubles to them. I had expected a similar offer. You surprise me.”
The Efreeti Sultan rose from his fiery throne approaching the Ma-Haukuai. He stood there for what seemed like an eternity to the Ma-Haukuai. Then he laughed with joy. “You don't realize what it means to a genie to be offered the life of a mortal to do with as one pleases. But your life only is not enough. I wish for your servitude to me and the servitude of your ancestors after you for all of eternity!”
“I will grant you what you wish. For I haven't another choice. All I ask is to be allowed to see my people freed of tyranny before I leave them.”
“Done! What a glorious day!” The Sultan laughed for all in the City of Brass to hear.
Now the Sultan was always true to his word sending a huge army of efreet and fire elementals to Margoth-Nal to rain down fire upon the enemies of the Ma-Haukuai. However, the Sultan was also a crafty genie and the armies he sent were careless about the destruction they created during the war. In the end, nothing was left of Margoth-Nal's ancient glory. The Ma-Haukuai knew he had made a horrible mistake.
With the greatest Age in our history over there wasn't anything to stop the Sultan from claiming the continent. Thus, the Age of Fire was born. For thousands of years the efreet ruled the land but didn't preserve it. The forests burned and the lakes and rivers dried up. The efreet built a great city that they called Lafar or City of Fire. The Volcanic Lands formed around the city and the whole continent trembled at the might of the efreet.
Soon, discontent crept into the minds of the five generals that the sultan had sent to conquer Margoth-Nal. Each of them wished to become Kahn over the lands but the Sultan refused. The generals infused rebellion into the efreet of the Fallenlands. They began warring amongst themselves as well as the Sultan's loyal forces. The Sultan could do nothing to stop the warring factions simply cutting them off from the Elemental Plane of Fire in disgust.
The efreet of the Fallenlands chose a new name, the Ragahd, and started to plan to conquer the entire world. One of the generals was chosen for not Kahn but Emperor. The Sultan of the efreet looked upon his fallen people with both rage and shame.
“It was not suppose to be this way!”
The remaining races of the geniekind also looked upon the Fallenlands and were ashamed by the behavior of the fallen efreet.
“We are partly to blame,” sighed the Padisha of the Marids.
“Yes, something must be done,” barked the Kahn of the Dao.
“We must unite to stop the ragahd or they might become powerful enough to destroy us all.” The Caliphs of the Djinn shivered in fear.
Thus it was that the geniekind of the Elemental Planes united into one massive planar army – the djinn, the dao, the marid, the efreet and even the lesser jann. Each race of the geniekind sent a single champion with a treasured artifact of their people to be used in the war against the ragahd.
The djinn sent Watim with the artifact known as the Bow of Wind. The dao sent Harok with the artifact known as the Sword of the Earth. The marid sent Aqual with the artifact known as the Eye of the Storm. The efreet sent Cahn with the artifact known as the Ring of Eternal Fire. And the jann sent Pavot with the artifact known as the Circle of Truth. These five artifacts would become known as The Five Treasures of the Geniekind.
Even against these artifacts, however, the ragahd refused to surrender. They recruited the aid of the scattered remnants of the evil humanoids against the planar army of genies. The battles were fought and horribly bloody on both sides. In the end, the ragahd retreated to Abyss on the Outer Planes. The genies had won but the Fallenlands would pay the price. To keep the ragahd from reclaiming the Fallenlands, the five treasures were hidden all over Kulan to provide a powerful magical ward that would prohibit the ragahd from ever returning.
The great army of geniekind left the world vowing never again to interfere directly in the world's history ever again. Only the small number of jann left, after the war, remained behind to safeguard the continent. They helped the nagpas rebuild what they could, watching over them and the other races like protective parents. Thus began the Age of Isolation, which has continued unto today.
During the Age of the Nagpa, the geniekind were unknown to our people considered myths of legend. What is now called the Black Storm Sea was once known as The Endless Water. There were four great nagpa cities under the rule of a single leader known as the Ma-Haukuai with a governor of state for each city. These cities included NarsKasis in the northwest, NarsKwon in the northeast, NarsKwani in the southwest, and the capital city of Chowa in the far south. The Ma-Haukuai ruled over Margoth-Nal from his palace for over a thousand years in relative peace.
But like the scorching sands of the Fallenlands today, time eroded the Age away. A new evil appeared out of the Far Sea in the east. Huge long ships filled with hordes of evil humanoids landed on the eastern shores of Margoth-Nal. Among them were such foul creatures as the thasin, bakemono, oni and the ogre mages. They entrenched themselves in our land raiding up and down the coasts of the east and beyond. Out people fought back bravely with the help of our allies, the sahne and the hengeyokai, but the evil hordes were unstoppable.
The Ma-Haukuai pleaded to Chagnal and the other Great Ones for protection but they couldn't come to our aid. The evil gods of the humanoid hordes kept the Great Ones embroiled in a battle in the heavens. All hope seemed lost. The Ma-Haukuai became desperate in his search for an answer to save his people. He knew of the legends of the geniekind. He divined the location of the Elemental Planes in order to locate the geniekind. With only his wits and the hope of his people, the Ma-Haukuai journeyed to the palaces of the four greater races of the genies - the dao, the djinn, the marid, and the efreet.
First he asked the Kahn of the Dao in the Great Dismal Delve. “Help my people, all-powerful Kahn, and I will build you the greatest monument ever constructed out of the finest marble and gems.”
But the Khan simply laughed at him.
Then he went to the Elemental Plane of Air pleading with the Caliphs of the Djinn. “Help my people, all-powerful Lords, and I will build you the greatest airship ever known to the planes.”
But since the djinn could already fly faster than any airship the Caliphs simply ignored him.
Then he went to the Elemental Plane of Water pleading with the Padisha of the Marids. “Help my people, all-powerful Padisha, and I will give you my kingdom's greatest asset. Our Puredrop water crop for the next one thousand years.”
The Padisha hummed and hawed for several days asking all of her advisors. Then she smiled agreeing to help. The Ma-Haukuai was overjoyed. Then the chaotic Padisha simply laughed at him telling him to go away.
Heartbroken, the Ma-Haukuai went to the Elemental Plane of Fire. He had hoped that one of the other geniekind races would have agreed to help him. He had no idea what he could offer the Efreeti Sultan. As he stood trembling before the Sultan within the City of Brass all his hope seemed to slip away. “Oh great and all-powerful Sultan, I have come to you to beg for your help in defending my people from the evil that threatens us.”
“Hmm,” the Sultan glared down at the Ma-Haukuai. “And what can I expect to gain for this help little creature?”
The Ma-Haukuai fell to his knees in desperation. “I give my life over to you to do with as you want.”
“Well,” the Sultan smiled with an evil grin. “This is most unexpected.”
“I beg your pardon, great Sultan? I do not understand.” The Ma-Haukuai was baffled.
“I have been watching you travel from one of my enemies to the next offering little baubles to them. I had expected a similar offer. You surprise me.”
The Efreeti Sultan rose from his fiery throne approaching the Ma-Haukuai. He stood there for what seemed like an eternity to the Ma-Haukuai. Then he laughed with joy. “You don't realize what it means to a genie to be offered the life of a mortal to do with as one pleases. But your life only is not enough. I wish for your servitude to me and the servitude of your ancestors after you for all of eternity!”
“I will grant you what you wish. For I haven't another choice. All I ask is to be allowed to see my people freed of tyranny before I leave them.”
“Done! What a glorious day!” The Sultan laughed for all in the City of Brass to hear.
Now the Sultan was always true to his word sending a huge army of efreet and fire elementals to Margoth-Nal to rain down fire upon the enemies of the Ma-Haukuai. However, the Sultan was also a crafty genie and the armies he sent were careless about the destruction they created during the war. In the end, nothing was left of Margoth-Nal's ancient glory. The Ma-Haukuai knew he had made a horrible mistake.
With the greatest Age in our history over there wasn't anything to stop the Sultan from claiming the continent. Thus, the Age of Fire was born. For thousands of years the efreet ruled the land but didn't preserve it. The forests burned and the lakes and rivers dried up. The efreet built a great city that they called Lafar or City of Fire. The Volcanic Lands formed around the city and the whole continent trembled at the might of the efreet.
Soon, discontent crept into the minds of the five generals that the sultan had sent to conquer Margoth-Nal. Each of them wished to become Kahn over the lands but the Sultan refused. The generals infused rebellion into the efreet of the Fallenlands. They began warring amongst themselves as well as the Sultan's loyal forces. The Sultan could do nothing to stop the warring factions simply cutting them off from the Elemental Plane of Fire in disgust.
The efreet of the Fallenlands chose a new name, the Ragahd, and started to plan to conquer the entire world. One of the generals was chosen for not Kahn but Emperor. The Sultan of the efreet looked upon his fallen people with both rage and shame.
“It was not suppose to be this way!”
The remaining races of the geniekind also looked upon the Fallenlands and were ashamed by the behavior of the fallen efreet.
“We are partly to blame,” sighed the Padisha of the Marids.
“Yes, something must be done,” barked the Kahn of the Dao.
“We must unite to stop the ragahd or they might become powerful enough to destroy us all.” The Caliphs of the Djinn shivered in fear.
Thus it was that the geniekind of the Elemental Planes united into one massive planar army – the djinn, the dao, the marid, the efreet and even the lesser jann. Each race of the geniekind sent a single champion with a treasured artifact of their people to be used in the war against the ragahd.
The djinn sent Watim with the artifact known as the Bow of Wind. The dao sent Harok with the artifact known as the Sword of the Earth. The marid sent Aqual with the artifact known as the Eye of the Storm. The efreet sent Cahn with the artifact known as the Ring of Eternal Fire. And the jann sent Pavot with the artifact known as the Circle of Truth. These five artifacts would become known as The Five Treasures of the Geniekind.
Even against these artifacts, however, the ragahd refused to surrender. They recruited the aid of the scattered remnants of the evil humanoids against the planar army of genies. The battles were fought and horribly bloody on both sides. In the end, the ragahd retreated to Abyss on the Outer Planes. The genies had won but the Fallenlands would pay the price. To keep the ragahd from reclaiming the Fallenlands, the five treasures were hidden all over Kulan to provide a powerful magical ward that would prohibit the ragahd from ever returning.
The great army of geniekind left the world vowing never again to interfere directly in the world's history ever again. Only the small number of jann left, after the war, remained behind to safeguard the continent. They helped the nagpas rebuild what they could, watching over them and the other races like protective parents. Thus began the Age of Isolation, which has continued unto today.
— As told by Nethander the Master, nagpa sage
