History

History of Getha

Creation Cycle

In the beginning, there was El.

El existed before time, before space and matter, before all things. El chose to create, but in his infinite knowledge and wisdom he knew that destruction must accompany it.

El took his tail in his jaws and began to devour it. His divine blood ran into his coils and became the world. The light from his right eye became the Sun. The light from his left eye became the Moon.

His thoughts carved the mountains and rivers, his tears became the water. The water fed the ground. Fresh droplets of blood became plants, and insects, and animals.

The Sun created life. The Moon took life away.

Where the Sun and Moon shone together on droplets of blood, the first dragons arose. There were ten, and to these ten El gave custody of the world, which was called Getha.

The dragons were given power over Getha, and called themselves the Ennead.

The Facts

The history of Getha is recorded in different ways in the many different religions of the world. They all share a common theme, however: that of a great creature or being that provides the backbone for reality, usually a dragon or a snake.
Despite the varying stories and legends, one thing can be agreed on: there was once a great empire that spanned the whole of central eastern Midorian. This was called the Dracinic Empire, and it was ruled by the Dragon Queen, she who governed both man and dragon (so it was said). This empire lasted for centuries, though sources disagree on just how long. Some indicate a thousand years, some over ten thousand.  The Dragon Queen was reputed to be an immortal magic user who had never been defeated.
Yet defeated she was, the legends say, at the hands of another wielder of magic. This challenger was said to be a necromancer who raised the dead with the use of a powerful focus.  She was called the Bonestealer, or the Deathdancer, or merely Jinkesta, and she drove the Dragon Queen into a prison between life and death. The clash of armies laid waste to the Imperial Valley and it was called the Battlewastes afterward, a place where only twisted, mutated things could grow. Those who did not die fled the land, to the new countries that were born as the Empire crumbled.
There is quite a bit of disagreement as to how the Queensfall actually happened, as there seems to be no trace of magic or dragons (other than wild drakes) in the present day. However, the fall of the Empire did occur and changed the face of central Midorian.  The dating system was changed to reflect this, all years post-Queensfall being marked with QF.  The current date is 1923 QF.

The Kenrick-Nystand Long War

The war has its origins in the years just after the Queensfall. The provinces of the Dracinic Empire broke apart and declared their own sovereignty, absorbing other provinces in the process. However, none wanted to claim the wasted blight that was the Imperial Valley and Triun. It was decided that it would remain separate, but the nations would send troops to patrol the area and ensure that the empire did not rise again.
This responsibility fell most heavily on Kenrick and Nystand, as they bordered the Battlewastes.  However, Nystand became embroiled in a civil war and were unable to send many, if any, soldiers to the Wastes.  Kenrick came to resent this and took full control of the Wastes, eventually annexing it as part of their own territory.  Nystand challenged this (the issue bringing an end to the civil war, ironically) and declared war on Kenrick, stating that Kenrick wanted to build their own empire.
This war has continued with periods of battle and relative peace for centuries.