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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Afrodyte" data-source="post: 823916" data-attributes="member: 8713">HistoryHistory of Winya PalurinThe history of the elves of Winya Palurin is long and often painful.There was once a time, generations ago, that the elves were simply known as the people.  All lived as one, spread across the lands of Iant Palurin.  It was a time of magic and wonders.  Four groups existed within the people.  The Aradhini, skilled in the ways of the wilderness, were the guardians and protectors of the earth and its creations.  They made their homes in the plains, forests, and rolling hills of Iant Palurin.  The Earhini, children of the sea, were unparalleled experts at maritime navigation and travel.  They journeyed the great ocean in house boats and floating strongholds.  The mystical Ithilhini had uncanny powers of divination and prophecy.  Within them lay the memory of the people.  They resided close to the banks of shimmering lakes and pools.  The Anarhini were the most powerful magicians the world had ever seen and the self-appointed guardians of the people.  These noble elves took to the lofty mountains which presided over the lands of their brethren.  For generations, they lived in peace and prospered.Through their arcane arts, the Anarhini unwittingly contacted an ancient spirit on the farthest reaches of the planes.  Overcoming the magical defenses set up by the Anarhini, it released a devastating plague that threatened to devour everyone.  The Anarhini, as guardians of the people, confronted this dark force.  They were no match for it.  Instead of annihilating the Anarhini, the spirit made a bargain with them.  If the Anarhini agreed to serve it, they would be given the cure for the plague.  In their desperation, they agreed to its terms.The Anarhini immediately changed as a result of this hasty decision.  Possessing the cure, they extracted obedience from those who needed it.  In their innocence and gratitude, the other peoples did not question why the Anarhini would suddenly require subservience in exchange for the life-giving cure.  As the plague decimated the people, the Anarhini continued to withhold the secrets of the cure, hoarding it like a dragon does gold.  Their demands grew increasingly more outrageous with each community they helped, and their delight in having such power led to a hunger which would not be quenched until all the people were under their control.  It was then that some elves began to question the actions of the Anarhini.  Many sought their own cures so they would not have to give up freedom, but to no avail.  Only by the grace of the gods were they able to resist destruction.The plague passed, but the madness of the Anarhini remained.  Through magic they once again contacted the entity.  Little did anyone know, this was all planned. The spirit sought to erode the free will of the people by consuming the Anarhini hearts with greed and powerlust and using this to play upon the fears of the others.  The entity seduced the Anarhini with more power.  It granted those that willingly obeyed it certain abilities.  First, the followers became immune to illness and most forms of injury.  In the decades after the plague, that in itself was enough to seduce more people to become thralls of the spirit.  Next, the followers gained more potency in their magical arts.  The Anarhini in particular used this to create magical artifacts and creatures.  Those who chose to follow the spirit became like the Anarhini in their madness.  A theory circulating amongst Ithilhini scholars held that the dark entity was slowly displacing the spirits of its followers as the elves gave away their free will piece by piece.  Nevertheless, the ranks of Anarhini swelled with elves who capitulated.  Those who resisted were brutally oppressed.The Anarhini maintained their iron grip on the people for a long while.  Centuries later, the Anarhini felt their decline as they grew old, and they began to fear losing power between generations.  It was then that the entity made its next offer- immortality.  In exchange for this boon, the spirit asked that the Anarhini first give up their fertility.  Thenceforth, the only way they would be able to increase their numbers would be through the corruption of other elves.  After this, the entity asked for a blood sacrifice.  Upon this request, the aging Anarhini and the other followers of the spirit slew their offspring and consumed their flesh.  The bodies of these murderers filled with the beauty and vitality of youth once again, yet they retained their knowledge and power.  Never again would they have to fear the ravages of time.  After the slaughter of the younger generations, the people realized the Anarhini were no more.  The followers of the spirit called themselves Vardanin, the most exalted, but the peoples they oppressed referred to them as Raukohini, the demon children.With immortality and vast magical powers, the Raukohini set out to take over the homes of the elves who still remained free.  Everyone could sense it.  A war was coming.  Over the next century, the free peoples combined resources, becoming allies as they prepared for the onslaught of the Raukohini.  The conflict itself lasted centuries, each group of elves contributing its talents and resources to the cause.  The Aradhini served as infantry and guerilla warriors.  Earhini became the naval force, transporting troops and supplies to areas that badly needed them.  The Ithilhini became specialized in intelligence and counter intelligence, creating artifacts which protected troops and helped turn the tide in several crucial battles.  During this time the full extent of Raukohini depravity found its expression in the horrors they created.  Prisoners of war were tortured until driven mad, their minds warped to serve their Raukohini captors as laborers and warriors.  Some captives were vivisected, changed into hideous beasts.  Still others were forced to breed with the ancient enemies of elvenkind, monsters long since trapped beneath the depths of Iant Palurin.The free elves put forth a valiant effort, but the immunities and abilities of the Raukohini were too much.  Piece by piece, smaller communities fell to them, and the Raukohini conquered larger territories as well.  So the remaining free elves evacuated Iant Palurin and headed for a mysterious land far to the east known as Winya Palurin.  Ardahini crossed Khelekaura, the great ice bridge connecting the two lands, braving many dangers to find a home.  They continued east, settling as they went along.  They became the ancestors of the Dorthonions, Dordonions, Uigolasse, and Helkaladians.  Ithrilhini moved in vast air palaces.  Legend has it that one vehicle crashed in the icy wastes of the north, not far from Khelekaura.  The survivors stayed there and created a grand city.  The descendants of these elves became the Kelepe.  The other air fortress reached a vibrant green land in southern Winya Palurin.  The descendants of these elves became the Ithras-hilysi.  Earhini sailed to the islands in the ocean, settling in tropical paradises that later became the lands of the Telene.  When the Raukohini pursued the free elves, they were stopped by a mysterious barrier that not even their vast powers could breach.  It seemed as though some powerful force had decreed that Winya Palurin would be the new home of the people.Seeing that the practice of magic arts was related to Anarhini corruption, most of the elves forswore the pursuit of thaumaturgy.  If the noble Anarhini could fall, all of elvenkind could fall with them.  Of all the elves, only a small, wizened group of Ithrilhini maintained arcane lore, yet even they saw the need to restrict the practice to but a few talented and pure souls.Generations after the war ended, the new peoples of Winya Palurin became settled.  Today, they barely resemble their ancestors, and most of the lore is forgotten.  Only the great libraries of the Kelepe and Ithras-hilysi have any record of these events.  However, the scars from the past still remain.  Even today, most societies view magic and its practitioners with suspicion.  Many times, arcane magi are ostracized, but a few are killed if they seem to grow corrupt.  Only Dordonions and Kelepe have a positive view of arcane magic.  The Kelepe see themselves as the preservers of history and lore, and they guard their secrets jealously against outsiders, the greedy, and the foolish.  Dordonions do not fear magic that brings peace, joy, and beauty.  They are more intolerant of aggressive individuals than the tools they use.  To them, casting a harmful spell and raising a sword are the same.  The intent is to hurt, and they frown on that.  However, they are not above mischievous pranks involving their talent for enchantment and illusions.  Divine magi are more welcome in many elven communities, for they seem to grow in power proportional to their wisdom and devotion to their deities.</blockquote>

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