Post by Davmyn Uvirith on Jan 8, 2019 20:37:50 GMT -8
Dahloen: Dark Elf
Racial leader: The Sovereign
Nothing is known of the mysterious leader of the Dahloen beyond that they are referred to simply as the Sovereign and that they are a Dark Elf, neither age nor gender have ever been made apparent in the Sovereign’s iron fisted rule over the Dahloen. It is whispered that the Sovereign was once a powerful warrior or wizard (depending on the tales of which particular House, the Sovereign has also been rumored to be a priest/ess, a scientist, an artificer, even a bard), but no matter the Sovereign’s origins, all agree- no matter what House proclaims what, no matter whose juridical power one falls under, it is the Sovereign who has the final say in any aspect of life for the Dahloen.
Average age: 400-800 (Magical/Alchemical/Technological/Scientific/etc., interference notwithstanding)
Main Location: Gone
The Dahloen were embroiled in a thousand year conflict with their opposites- the Ehloen- that was for the conquest of a land whose name is not even remembered so long ago was the conflict. This war was fought on a scale never seen before with each side bringing engines of War powered by the elementals the two races had either enslaved or entered into pacts with. The cost of life was staggering and the very ground beneath the feet of these armies was left devastated as great swathes of burnt wastelands, wind-whipped mountains that had been turned to rubble, forests that were little more than disastrous scenes of drowned death. Nothing was safe or sacred during this war.
Amongst these destructive passes at one another, each race was building their ultimate weapons, each convinced that theirs would be the one to turn the tide of the war in the decisive manner that their side desperately needed. These efforts culminated in the final battle where the two forces met and activated their weapons. Each had found their own means to create weapons that could distort time and space. The resulting cataclysm ripped the two races and the very land asunder. Little tales of the two remain, apart from whispered worries of becoming “Lost to the Mists” as being a common cautionary tale.
Pre-Fall
The Dahloen (a form of Dark Elf whose skin tones vary from ebony to a stormy blue-gray- though pale skin tones were beyond rare and such appearances often led to infanticide in their society) were a race divided into several Houses, each dedicated to a certain facet of their society. These Houses each oversaw and governed a particular sphere that belonged in their society. In the early years of the war, the Dahloen were decried by their opponents as being opportunistic imperialists that intended to conquer the known world, while those in their society were told that they were doing what was necessary for the mastery of the world around them to bring about a true and lasting peace. A vision of world peace is subjective however, and to the races and nations they subjugated the Dahloen were viewed as foreign and alien whose outlooks upon life were cruel and twisted. This was not what caused the Ehloen- the High Elves- to rise in opposition to them. What started the war is foggy, but tales told in the Dahloen Empire pointed to the occupation of a stretch of land that was said in legend to be the origins for all Elven races. The insult could not be brooked by the Ehloen, who began forming their own armies. It began with light skirmishes across borders, acts of sabotage and misinformation before finally culminating in a pitched battle that left both races licking their wounds for a time and seeking out different means with which to oppose the other. This led to the advent of the great War machines- made in mockery of the Ehloen’s own transportation means that that were crafted through beneficial pacts with Elementals- that soon changed the face of the wars that were being fought. The Houses of War, Magic, and Science came together in an effort to bring a conclusion to what was perceived to be a long and merciless conflict. The House of Faith cried to the people, dedicating the masses to their “holy” mission. The Houses of Politics and Dominion joined together to bring other lesser races to the fold with promises of sharing the wealth of their society and their strides in advancement freely in opposition to the Ehloen’s selfish hoarding of their quality of life. Whether this was true or not was not openly questioned as the House of Order was always watching. Those that did not go along with their erstwhile allies were left to the mercies of the House of Dominion.
Death on a scale never seen before walked the land on wheels and spidery legs, skies were filled with daring maneuvers and fire, and the oceans bubbled around their continent. Weapons like thunder boomed across the land.
Every House of the Dahloen became involved in the war effort at the direction of the ruling House; no longer was war simply the sphere of the House of War. War became the focal for their entire society and for the first time in centuries, information was shared and projects undertaken jointly between houses. Even to the jokingly referred to “Common House”, which was ravaged by the nation's need for conscription, was brought fully into the fold of the nation whereas before they would often be treated as second-class citizens, good only for producing future members of other Houses (as every child would be examined and sent on to serve in the capacity as ordained by them by the House of Faith and Inquisition), and occupying land that cannot be occupied full-time by the more useful members of society.
Technology;
Prior to the War, the Dahloen had been a fairly advanced society in terms of technological achievement, which is part of what had contributed to their early successes. When the Ehloen stepped into the fighting, however, the Dahloen found that their troop movements were simply far outclassed by their enemies due to their pacts. The Houses of Magic, Advancement, Faith, Dominion and War all came together at the direction of the Sovereign House. Their task was straight-forward but not simplistic; Develop countermeasures to their enemies. The House of War was given directive to lead these efforts- and at the time was led by a wise Dahloen general who had been at that first conflict between both of the Loen. But beyond this general's wisdom, he was possessed of a terrible cruel imagination.
He recalled the flying machines that would drop off their enemies and allow them to flank them. He recalled the armored crawlers that his people’s weapons and magic could do little harm to as they drove right into their centerline and broke their charge.
He imagined these things as being more than troop carriers. It was not long after that first battle that the first war machines, driven by enslaved elementals, were burning through their opponents and decimating what had once been their ace in the hole.
Terrors scuttled, nightmares flew and death became a source of development for new and terrifying weapons. But beyond these horrors, there were the gases and chemicals that the Dahloen were fond of employing which induced psychological and physiological effects upon their enemies. There were even rumors that the House of Advancement had been developing weapons at the direction of this same general that would bring sickness, disease, and more maladies upon their foes without the destruction of their lands.
This horror- at least- never came to pass.
Architecture;
The Architecture of the Dahloen is reflected by the ones who designed it- even if it was not their hands that set the works into motion. Each city and settlement of the Dahloen had several repeating features; There was always a Temple to their Gods to be found, even if it was little more than a small shrine. There was always some garrison stationed in their settlements due to the nature of their society before their fall, and these garrisons would be occupied by the House of War, along with those they had conscripted from other Houses to serve the war effort. Every Dahloen holding was also complimented by at least one leading Wizard, one ranking Warrior, as well as the local Temple Leader who were each expected to occupy and maintain a Chamber of Minds that served as little more than a fallback for the Elite. Larger cities and settlements possessed larger Chambers and more members to sit upon the Council from other Houses. During the peak and latter years of war however, most political power and sway was held by the House of War and unless directly contradicted by the Sovereign House, most times the other Houses bowed to their power.
But beyond the functionality of these buildings, their appearances were twisted and foreign, at angles and with shapes that other races found odd and disquieting. Too other. Their twisted halls and slanted doorways left intruders struggling and open to ambush and choke points that the Dahloen left strewn throughout their buildings.
The buildings themselves were also of strange materials as well; metal and organic material grown by the Dahloen themselves, it was not uncommon to find substances not unlike algae growing from the darker corners of their dwellings, and the fauna that wandered throughout their settlements often moved through the algae in one place only to emerge from algae on the other side of the city.
Houses;
House of War (Warriors, Military of any bent)
House of Magic (Magical Theory and Application)
House of Inquiry (Espionage and Exploration)
House of State (Domestic Politics)
House of Advancement (Technology and science)
House of Faith and Inquisition (Religious)
House of Dominion (Control, Slavery, Foreign Politics)
House of Life (Agriculture and Development)
House of Civil Order (Enforcement and Development of Law)
House of Craft (Craft and Tradesmen)
Sovereign House (Ruling)
The Common House (Citizens)
Religion and Faith;
The Dahloen believed firmly that it was the right of the strongest, most intelligent, and cunning to master the world around them. As a society, their faith was focused upon both personal advancement and the advancement of their race and ideology. They were the ones to usher in a new world and they were the ones meant to rule it. Their logic- their justification for this- was that thus far none had been able to stop them. Their successes justified their actions. Their ends justified their means.
Any that rose to oppose them were meant to be there to test their willpower and conviction, and were meant as obstacles to overcome.
A common religious phrase spoken amongst the Dahloen is, “I am correct because I am still alive and those that have failed to hold to their conviction are not”.
Post-Fall
Of the Dahloen, there remains none of their wondrous nor terrible works. Of their people and culture only the most learned of scholars have found obscure references to them. All that remains is lost to the Mists as the saying goes.
There has been some supposition throughout history though, that not all that is lost remains so forever. Perhaps someday something from this bygone age would return to the world. Perhaps someday the Dahloen would walk the world again, and mayhap with them will come the Ehloen to stop them.
But could a second coming of these two opposing peoples be a thing to be rejoiced, or should the scholar who finds such obscure texts be glad for both races being lost? Should this scholar pray they remain lost?
What would be lost to the Mists the next they return?
Racial leader: The Sovereign
Nothing is known of the mysterious leader of the Dahloen beyond that they are referred to simply as the Sovereign and that they are a Dark Elf, neither age nor gender have ever been made apparent in the Sovereign’s iron fisted rule over the Dahloen. It is whispered that the Sovereign was once a powerful warrior or wizard (depending on the tales of which particular House, the Sovereign has also been rumored to be a priest/ess, a scientist, an artificer, even a bard), but no matter the Sovereign’s origins, all agree- no matter what House proclaims what, no matter whose juridical power one falls under, it is the Sovereign who has the final say in any aspect of life for the Dahloen.
Average age: 400-800 (Magical/Alchemical/Technological/Scientific/etc., interference notwithstanding)
Main Location: Gone
The Dahloen were embroiled in a thousand year conflict with their opposites- the Ehloen- that was for the conquest of a land whose name is not even remembered so long ago was the conflict. This war was fought on a scale never seen before with each side bringing engines of War powered by the elementals the two races had either enslaved or entered into pacts with. The cost of life was staggering and the very ground beneath the feet of these armies was left devastated as great swathes of burnt wastelands, wind-whipped mountains that had been turned to rubble, forests that were little more than disastrous scenes of drowned death. Nothing was safe or sacred during this war.
Amongst these destructive passes at one another, each race was building their ultimate weapons, each convinced that theirs would be the one to turn the tide of the war in the decisive manner that their side desperately needed. These efforts culminated in the final battle where the two forces met and activated their weapons. Each had found their own means to create weapons that could distort time and space. The resulting cataclysm ripped the two races and the very land asunder. Little tales of the two remain, apart from whispered worries of becoming “Lost to the Mists” as being a common cautionary tale.
Pre-Fall
The Dahloen (a form of Dark Elf whose skin tones vary from ebony to a stormy blue-gray- though pale skin tones were beyond rare and such appearances often led to infanticide in their society) were a race divided into several Houses, each dedicated to a certain facet of their society. These Houses each oversaw and governed a particular sphere that belonged in their society. In the early years of the war, the Dahloen were decried by their opponents as being opportunistic imperialists that intended to conquer the known world, while those in their society were told that they were doing what was necessary for the mastery of the world around them to bring about a true and lasting peace. A vision of world peace is subjective however, and to the races and nations they subjugated the Dahloen were viewed as foreign and alien whose outlooks upon life were cruel and twisted. This was not what caused the Ehloen- the High Elves- to rise in opposition to them. What started the war is foggy, but tales told in the Dahloen Empire pointed to the occupation of a stretch of land that was said in legend to be the origins for all Elven races. The insult could not be brooked by the Ehloen, who began forming their own armies. It began with light skirmishes across borders, acts of sabotage and misinformation before finally culminating in a pitched battle that left both races licking their wounds for a time and seeking out different means with which to oppose the other. This led to the advent of the great War machines- made in mockery of the Ehloen’s own transportation means that that were crafted through beneficial pacts with Elementals- that soon changed the face of the wars that were being fought. The Houses of War, Magic, and Science came together in an effort to bring a conclusion to what was perceived to be a long and merciless conflict. The House of Faith cried to the people, dedicating the masses to their “holy” mission. The Houses of Politics and Dominion joined together to bring other lesser races to the fold with promises of sharing the wealth of their society and their strides in advancement freely in opposition to the Ehloen’s selfish hoarding of their quality of life. Whether this was true or not was not openly questioned as the House of Order was always watching. Those that did not go along with their erstwhile allies were left to the mercies of the House of Dominion.
Death on a scale never seen before walked the land on wheels and spidery legs, skies were filled with daring maneuvers and fire, and the oceans bubbled around their continent. Weapons like thunder boomed across the land.
Every House of the Dahloen became involved in the war effort at the direction of the ruling House; no longer was war simply the sphere of the House of War. War became the focal for their entire society and for the first time in centuries, information was shared and projects undertaken jointly between houses. Even to the jokingly referred to “Common House”, which was ravaged by the nation's need for conscription, was brought fully into the fold of the nation whereas before they would often be treated as second-class citizens, good only for producing future members of other Houses (as every child would be examined and sent on to serve in the capacity as ordained by them by the House of Faith and Inquisition), and occupying land that cannot be occupied full-time by the more useful members of society.
Technology;
Prior to the War, the Dahloen had been a fairly advanced society in terms of technological achievement, which is part of what had contributed to their early successes. When the Ehloen stepped into the fighting, however, the Dahloen found that their troop movements were simply far outclassed by their enemies due to their pacts. The Houses of Magic, Advancement, Faith, Dominion and War all came together at the direction of the Sovereign House. Their task was straight-forward but not simplistic; Develop countermeasures to their enemies. The House of War was given directive to lead these efforts- and at the time was led by a wise Dahloen general who had been at that first conflict between both of the Loen. But beyond this general's wisdom, he was possessed of a terrible cruel imagination.
He recalled the flying machines that would drop off their enemies and allow them to flank them. He recalled the armored crawlers that his people’s weapons and magic could do little harm to as they drove right into their centerline and broke their charge.
He imagined these things as being more than troop carriers. It was not long after that first battle that the first war machines, driven by enslaved elementals, were burning through their opponents and decimating what had once been their ace in the hole.
Terrors scuttled, nightmares flew and death became a source of development for new and terrifying weapons. But beyond these horrors, there were the gases and chemicals that the Dahloen were fond of employing which induced psychological and physiological effects upon their enemies. There were even rumors that the House of Advancement had been developing weapons at the direction of this same general that would bring sickness, disease, and more maladies upon their foes without the destruction of their lands.
This horror- at least- never came to pass.
Architecture;
The Architecture of the Dahloen is reflected by the ones who designed it- even if it was not their hands that set the works into motion. Each city and settlement of the Dahloen had several repeating features; There was always a Temple to their Gods to be found, even if it was little more than a small shrine. There was always some garrison stationed in their settlements due to the nature of their society before their fall, and these garrisons would be occupied by the House of War, along with those they had conscripted from other Houses to serve the war effort. Every Dahloen holding was also complimented by at least one leading Wizard, one ranking Warrior, as well as the local Temple Leader who were each expected to occupy and maintain a Chamber of Minds that served as little more than a fallback for the Elite. Larger cities and settlements possessed larger Chambers and more members to sit upon the Council from other Houses. During the peak and latter years of war however, most political power and sway was held by the House of War and unless directly contradicted by the Sovereign House, most times the other Houses bowed to their power.
But beyond the functionality of these buildings, their appearances were twisted and foreign, at angles and with shapes that other races found odd and disquieting. Too other. Their twisted halls and slanted doorways left intruders struggling and open to ambush and choke points that the Dahloen left strewn throughout their buildings.
The buildings themselves were also of strange materials as well; metal and organic material grown by the Dahloen themselves, it was not uncommon to find substances not unlike algae growing from the darker corners of their dwellings, and the fauna that wandered throughout their settlements often moved through the algae in one place only to emerge from algae on the other side of the city.
Houses;
House of War (Warriors, Military of any bent)
House of Magic (Magical Theory and Application)
House of Inquiry (Espionage and Exploration)
House of State (Domestic Politics)
House of Advancement (Technology and science)
House of Faith and Inquisition (Religious)
House of Dominion (Control, Slavery, Foreign Politics)
House of Life (Agriculture and Development)
House of Civil Order (Enforcement and Development of Law)
House of Craft (Craft and Tradesmen)
Sovereign House (Ruling)
The Common House (Citizens)
Religion and Faith;
The Dahloen believed firmly that it was the right of the strongest, most intelligent, and cunning to master the world around them. As a society, their faith was focused upon both personal advancement and the advancement of their race and ideology. They were the ones to usher in a new world and they were the ones meant to rule it. Their logic- their justification for this- was that thus far none had been able to stop them. Their successes justified their actions. Their ends justified their means.
Any that rose to oppose them were meant to be there to test their willpower and conviction, and were meant as obstacles to overcome.
A common religious phrase spoken amongst the Dahloen is, “I am correct because I am still alive and those that have failed to hold to their conviction are not”.
Post-Fall
Of the Dahloen, there remains none of their wondrous nor terrible works. Of their people and culture only the most learned of scholars have found obscure references to them. All that remains is lost to the Mists as the saying goes.
There has been some supposition throughout history though, that not all that is lost remains so forever. Perhaps someday something from this bygone age would return to the world. Perhaps someday the Dahloen would walk the world again, and mayhap with them will come the Ehloen to stop them.
But could a second coming of these two opposing peoples be a thing to be rejoiced, or should the scholar who finds such obscure texts be glad for both races being lost? Should this scholar pray they remain lost?
What would be lost to the Mists the next they return?