Daridan (daw-'HREE-din)
The Daridan Empire was the legendary foe that nearly ended the Orckid Conquest in ancient times. While the Ajman Empire seemed to consist solely of the city of Ajman and the surrounding fields, Darida was a true empire, believed to have stretched from Chuereb Promontory down through the Elupejasia Steppe. This of course paled in comparison to the Orckids, but at a time when most so-called kingdoms spread no farther than a few days' ride, Darida was an expansive force not to be taken lightly.
Legends and spells say that Darida's power came primarily from its towers, which were said to pierce the skies. More than once, it was said that red rain fell when one of the Daridan towers was destroyed. The Daridans were called unparalleled archers, whose arrows were longer than a man's arm, and who could strike a sparrow in flight from a mile away. They were also said to ride enormous red goats whose horns bent forward rather than back, and who were as deadly in combat as their riders. The Daridans outnumbered the Orckids, outrode them, and it was said they were better trained, better organized, and perhaps even more civilized, whatever that might mean in such ancient times. The wars between Orckid and Darida supposedly lasted centuries, but in the end even the Golden Empire could not stand against Orckid magics.
At the point of Darida's fall, centuries of precedent had shown the Orckid Empire to be merciful to those they conquered. With the possible exceptions of the nebulous tribes they destroyed before truly becoming an empire, the Orckids allowed their adversaries to live, to perpetuate much of their customs, and eventually to intermarry with their conquerors. The Daridans were the exception to this. Most legends say the Daridans were completely destroyed, and "anyone with skin of the Sun upon his face was repainted in red, and sown beneath the ground." Some have suggested that the Daridans fled east and then south, settling in what is now Samaya. There are a handful of tales, though, saying only the royal families of Darida were destroyed, and that the commoners and even the nobles were allowed to live and intermarry with the Orckids.
The Daridans were of the golden folk, with gilt complexions and gem-colored eyes, and it is said a handful of families in Viis Zoroth bear some traits reminiscent of this. By and large however, they have vanished like all the other early peoples of the North, destroyed along with their legendary towers, and only the Darida Sea remains as testament to their former greatness.
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