π₯ The Age of Anarchy
π Story Overview: The Age of Anarchy (723 YR)
From the Godly pact that ordained the order of the realm, to the assassination of King Goodbrand which spurred the fall of the continent - the following passages sum up how current age of Rivelium came to be, and how it fell out of order into the archaic state the realm has ultimately succumb to.
π€ Pact of Alyss (0 YR)
After a tumultuous era of conflict between the Gods over the acquisition the material plane, the Pact of Alyss was an agreement put in place which satisfied both sides - tasking the legacy of the realm with their mortal kin after the Gods realised that if they continued to war over the plane, that it would get destroyed in the process. This would initiate the years of Yore Reckoning (YR).
They forged Alyss (now Vanalor), an enchanted city that would sit at the peak of the realm, and at its heart they lay a throne in which the Godly pact would be sealed.
The pact in question, ordained that whoever's mortal kin sat the throne, would channel their respective God's power into the realm. Proposed by the Gods of Order, the caveat that convinced the Gods of Reign to agree to such a stipulation, was that the throne could be rightfully usurped at any time. Either through a declaration of war, or through direct council with the king, an adversary could call for a Duel of Alyss - where the current ruler would have to defend their throne, and their God, or otherwise give up the throne to the challenger, revoking their God's power from the realm and allowing their successor to substitute their own.
This system led the continent for hundreds of years, allowing for a diversity of figures to reign, while also being the causation of many conflicts.
The Age of Anarchy began after the fall of the Age of Good, in a moment which broke the Pact of Alyss and sent the realm spiralling into unguided uncertainty.
βοΈ Age of Good (663-718 YR)
Following the tyrannical reign of Cyrus Lavandra and the Age of Archaim, the Age of Good was a prosperous period where King Ingalthur Goodbrand led the realm out of constant conflict, and into an era of collaboration and order.
Descendant and worshipper of Yore - the God of Justice, and leader of the Gods of Order, King Goodbrand rekindled Yore's power with the land and used it to usher in faithful guilds and to develop relations with the continent's many cities.
Unlike previous human rulers, King Goodbrand was not opposed to the practice of and scholarly inquiry into new archaic magics, and resultantly established a society which for the first time encouraged the practice of faith, and the study of the arcane.
Rivelium saw a great deal of modernisation over this period resultantly - a surge of growth which had been impossible in the years of conflict which preceded the Age of Good.
However, this would come to a tragic upheaval with a moment in Rivelium's history that would ultimately send the realm spiralling into uncertainty, and forever changing how the realm would shape moving forward.
π‘οΈ The Assassination of King Goodbrand - The Feast of Knives, and the Fall of Alyss (718 YR)
After the successful Battle of the Frozen Frontier - an intervention by Vanalor into the dwarven civil war occurring at Rolkenheim, a celebratory feast was held in Yore Alyss, the great castle of Vanalor.
This was a feast shared between the royal family of King Goodbrand, the council of Vanalor, and the men and women of Vanalor who contributed to the war effort. It was intended to be a night of celebration, a gesture by Kind Goodbrand to demonstrate his gratitude, but would unfold into a night of tragedy that would forever change the realm.
A band of unknown assailants, orchestrated by an unknown party, would infiltrate the feast and murder many members of the royal council, including King Goodbrand, and his one heir Princess Elise. The assailants in question, would take their own lives before being questioned, and would leave no trace as to who contracted them.
To the shock and terror of the city and realm, the assassination of King Goodbrand caused the throne of Alyss to shatter - breaking the 718 year old pact that had led the continent thus far. Up until now, no king had been usurped so ruthlessly and unorderly, and so to the dread of whoever orchestrated the assassination, there was now no means to sit the throne of Alyss, rightfully claim realm rulership, and assert one's God's power over the realm.
To further instil chaos, the shattering of Alyss completely severed the Gods' only remaining ties to the material realm. After being mysteriously sealed hundreds of years prior, the Gods could only commune and serve their power through whoever among them was being channelled through their mortal descendant who sat the throne. Up until the Fall of Alyss, Gods communed through Yore, who ensured their power was used in good accordance with the realm's needs. Now? The final lifeline to the Gods is severed, and the mortal inhabitants of Rivelium are left in chaos, ruin, and anarchy.
π₯ The Dawn of the Age of Anarchy (718-720 YR)
The first two years followed the assassination of King Goodbrand saw significant shifts in the continent of Rivelium, which would lead the realm to being in the state it is in during the events of the current narrative and campaigns.
Rivelium world map, made in Inkarnate
π° Vanalor's Fall of Order
Worst affected by the initial ushering of anarchy was the realms prior capital - Vanalor. Swept by chaos and conflict amidst uncertainties of who was behind King Goodbrand's assassination, the city went through a period of anarchy as many inhabitants fled to their home cities, or sided internally with different factions and guilds.
Since then, order has somewhat returned, as a provisional council has taken temporary rule, and guilds have taken up the mantle of defending the city, and dealing with crime. Now, the city is attempting its first democratic election, with candidates representing an array of inhabitants of the continent, the realm lying in wait for what will follow such an attempt at regaining order.
πͺ¨ Rolkeneheim's Division
Prior to the Fall of Alyss, Rolkenheim had succumb to a brutal civil war - where traditionalists rejected new, archaic gemstone smithing techniques that emerged throughout the Age of Archaim, and warred with their dwarven brothers and sisters.
This civil war had begun to be quelled by King Goodbrand, but after the Fall of Alyss, the archaists no longer had any external pressure to uphold relations with the traditionalists, resulting in their definitive division from the city - establishing Archenheim.
β¨ The Flight of Corus
After the events which unfolded at Vanalor, fear swept the continent, and resultantly, many who had once made homes in Rivelium after leaving the Faewild, found themselves returning back there. Corus, the city of the material fae, houses the gate to the Faewild, and saw a mass exodus then of many of its citizens.
Now, Corus is quiet and empty comparatively, and has grown selective of who they let through the gate, out of fear of Faewild overpopulation, and it becoming a second material realm if the Age of Anarchy ends poorly for the present one.
πͺ The Waning of Aelfhelum
In the years following the fall of Cyrus Lavandra and the Age of Archaim, Aelfhelum had already sought to distance itself from the rest of the continent. However, King Goodbrand had sought to maintain good relations with them, and encouraged scholarly pursuits of new, archaic magic. This led to many elves moving north for scholarship opportunities, with the intention of slowly spreading elven influence.
Now with the Fall of Alyss, hopes of this have been shot, and many have returned to Aelfhelum resultantly. Now, the city secludes itself and continues its scholarly research in isolation.
β΅ The Clash of the Coast
While the Miracullum Coast and the Gun Coast had always clashed, this rivalry as evolved unending since the Fall of Alyss. Before, the Miracullum Coast had very little reason to trade south due to the trade routes that moved southerly through the realm from Vanalor. However, now with the state of the realm, there is a huge demand for southern shipping trade routes, and resultantly, conflict with the Gun Coast has escalated immensely, with even less intervention from the capital to assist.
π₯ Flammenvielen's Centralization
While always elusive and strict, with no intervention from a overarching ruling force, the council of Flammenvielen have had free reign to rule how they see fit. Resultantly, quality of life in Flammenvielen has dwindled as the city has slowly began to become more expensive, corrupt, and crime-ridden.
The citizens of Flammenvielen have little to no idea what the council gets up to nor do they know what their expenditures are being allocated to. This has resulted in general civilian resentment of the government, and conversely a stronger military and security presence throughout its districts.
βοΈ Avantus' Reformation
Avantus, the city of invention, prior to the Fall of Alyss had been contracted mostly by the realm to assist in the modernisation of its many cities. Now, with the realm desynched and alienated, Avantus has seen a shift in policies, and now engages in mostly independent research initiatives, with many organisations shelling out to the highest bidder - showing little interest in the well being of the realm, but rather the self interests of Avantus.
π Yanaviere's Enshrouding
Yanaviere has always been a home for the unknown, occult elements of the realm, and while there were always corners of Yanaviere which hid away from the public eye during the Age of Good, now the entire city is coated in darkness in the most literal sense. The mysterious phenomenon has led to the city becoming a visceral, feared place of eternal night, best left alone by those who know not to walk in it.
π‘οΈ The Expanse of Wallrun
While Wallrun has always existed as an ungoverned, criminal capital, it now has reached new literal heights, and its influence has spread across the surrounding region of Ashrun Valley. Now, some of the criminal factions of Wallrun have a greater influence then ever, and the place grows exponentially as the rest of the realm dwindles.
π§ The Fraying of the Ways Between
In-between the realm's many cities - the villages, towns, roads and lands have been left to the whims anarchy. No longer watched over by any realm-wide military, criminal factions and vagabonds have been left to their own devices, leaving the realm generally unsafe and ungoverned.
π Present Day (723 YR)
Now, the realm lies in wait. In the north, Vanalor inches towards its elections and begs the question of where the realm will be guided next? Will Rivelium claw its way out of the Age of Anarchy, or sink in it and drown? In the south, Flammenvielen falls, and more unknown rumblings spell worry of further cataclysm to come. Interested in what might unfold next? Be sure to keep posted on the campaigns, and see where the narrative leads us next!