Kingdom of Aestrux

Phadria, before the story begins (2500-2000)
Phadria long ago was a unified land. In the beginning as with many of the virgin grounds of Caelos the gods made it their mission to create their new home; to truly make it theirs. What made Phadria special were its 4 Rivers, which met in the heart of the continent. These Rivers were named after the 4 founding houses of Phadrus: • Occidensa (West to East) • Oriensa (East to West) • Austerensa (South to North) • Boreansa (North to South)
Some 2500 years ago the gods, Melora, Kord, Lolth and Corellon made their home in these lands. Corellon took to the west, Lolth to the North, Melora to the East, and Kord to the South. For 500 years there was peace, there was hope, life and love in the land of four rivers. It was to this place that Corellon brought his affectionate followers, the Eternal Elves, his Eladrin from his home of The Feywilds. He wanted them to embrace the beauty and difficulty of what it meant to make something of their own, and after having spent millennia in The Feywilds, he thought it time for them to make this wish a reality. Lolth being Corellon’s closest friend and lover, asked if she could take some of his children and have them do the same in the north, and of course he obliged her, trusting her intentions to be pure. This was the last decision Corellon made in the mortal realms that would reflect such love or desire to cooperate, as it nearly became his undoing.
While Kord and Melora had brought their own followers, Half-Elves, Dwarves, Humans and the like, Corellon urged his children to move closer with them and to collaborate in the hopes that united they could fashion a world unlike that which has ever been. This, though initially tense, Kord and Melora urged their followers to accept the Eladrin despite their eccentricities. Unbeknownst to them all, Lolth had begun her machinations in the deep north of Phadria (Auron on the map) beyond the Traitor’s Expanse (The small bit of land separating Auron and Phadria). It was her plan all along to come with Corellon to this new land and to corrupt and break everything he sought out to create, for she was jealous. She was jealous of all the love and attention he poured on these “contemptable little things” and she referred to his Eladrin. And so it was her will and mission to take the segment of the population she did and to twist, torture, and mold them into her worshippers that they might one day break this new world and she could at last be all that was left for her lover to witness. Out of these generations of perversion and torture arose the first Drow of Caelos, truly a dark day for all.
Eventually, Corellon came to find out what his lover had been up to in the northern wilds of Phadria, but it was too late to stop what she had done. It was during a festival that was celebrated on the day of each solar cycle when the elves came from The Feywilds, that Lolth thought it most appropriate to make her treachery known. As Corellon began to speak and the crowds of his children crowded around the amphitheater to listen to their creator, from the ground rose great spiders, larger than even a horse and atop those spiders were a twisted visage of the Eladrin, their skin black as pitch and their eyes dark as the torture their souls endured under The Treacherous One. Blood was shed, curses hurled along with magic that devastated the land and its denizens. If not for Melora and Kord The Lady of Treason would have struck Corellon down and she’d have won. Through their combined efforts, the Drow were pushed north and Lolth was dragged back to the Astral Sea where she underwent judgement and sentencing to the Abyss where she resides still now.
This battle shattered parts of the world and caused such great misery and death that the 3 gods decided it best for them to leave this world freer of their influence, and they also returned to their domains. Many of the surviving Eladrin returned to their native home of the Feywilds but 4 families, those named after the 4 rivers, chose to remain. Though breeding between other races has essentially diminished their blood greatly, to this day the descendants of one of these 4 great families sit upon the throne of Phadria, and the Drow still oppose them, having made a “Dark Union” in the north at that very time, when they aren’t fighting amongst themselves.
Phadria, the Empire of 4 rivers (2000-1348)
For the next 600 years, the battles between these factions waged on, The Twilight Union building black fortresses across the sea and sending incursions both above ground and underground at their foes, The Sangquinas Corellas, the 4 royal families of Phadrus. As every one of these attempts was buffeted, a member of the Blood Court (The Twilight Union’s governing body) Sylvis Xiltria created a group that focused less on fighting and more on infiltration. Though initially rebuffed as a coward and weakling, an aspect of Lolth was in attendance and made herself known. The aspect claimed Sylvis as her new mortal form and in this new body, she reaffirmed Sylvis’ initial ideas as she reminded them of how she had nearly overthrown her previous lover in the ancient days. Thus began the downfall of the Empire of 4 rivers. Through years of infighting caused by the deception and trickery of the Moré Kambâ (Black Hand in Undercommon), the 4 families found themselves having a tremendous amount of division about how to rule this empire of theirs:
• The Occidensa moved to the west annexing their lands, and eventually becoming what is today The Zosin Alliance (1397). • The Oriensa (1362) moved east annexing their lands and becoming the Kingdom of Acoria themselves. • The Austernesa (1348) took their people moving southwest and founding the Kingdom of Aestrux. • The peoples of Kord that still live mostly in these lands moved to the southern peninsula of Phadria and founded several city-states, governing by rule of The Council of Three, or the three leaders of the three city-states. This hundred years of falling out significantly weakened the unity of the people and left them vulnerable to the attacks of what was unknown to them until now, as The Vogall Dominion.

Korsivol Austerensa, Master of Magic and Misery (1348-1258)
Korsivol Austernesa, or Stellatus Adamas in the words of his peers and fellow great magisters of the 2nd age, was a prolific arcanist and researcher of powerful magicks. After Zosin and Samarita had left with their families and founded the neighboring kingdoms, he thought it would be prudent for him to follow suit as well. In truth, he had always been the least popular of his cousins in the great court of Phadria and many breathed a sigh of relief when he finally left. His interest, though some would call it an obsession, in what the full utilization of The Weave could bring always led to… less than savory experiments. There were rumors at the time of animals and sometimes prisoners of war (Twilight Union fellows of course), being drafted into his experiments without their consent. However, being a leader of one of the four leading families did have its perks, one of them being the ability to ask for most anything at court and it being granted to you, so long as it did not conflict with the goals of the kingdom. Stellatus was quoted famously for stating his reasoning for the use of Twilight Union prisoners in one such meeting of The Sanguinas Corellas:

Does the ant ponder at why the bird attacked and killed its kind, or does it strike back? Similarly, does the bird feel any remorse or does it carry any thought as to how the ant would feel or what its family might think about becoming lunch? No, the ant does not ponder, and the bird does not feel; they simply do. As the treacherous Union to the north have made their decision to make enemies of us, there is no reason to consider them more than a simple predator outside of our hive. We must establish quick and measured responses against such beings. Any sentient creature whose made an enemy of me has clearly, in my eyes, made an animal of themselves and thusly they shall be treated as such.

As one can imagine today, Adamas’ words did not inspire comradery or honor among his fellow Eladrin and Phadrian citizens. It was many accounts such as the one above that led to his founding the southwestern city of Aestruxen, nestled along the Crescent Coast and sitting at the foot of Mount Solaris. He wanted to find a place where he could continue his research unmolested by those who would disapprove, and when the time came, he convinced most of the court’s best wizards and arcanists to go with him, as he promised them some measure of autonomy in this new land and go with them they did.
A Foreign Visitation, and the Price of Power (1258-1000)
In the 90 years since leaving the constricting forces of Phadrian politics and holding court, Korsivol flourished more than he ever had within the Empire when it was whole. Power seems to have the uncanny characteristic of corrupting any who hold it unfortunately, it’s always a matter of time. During this period there were many experiments and discoveries that happened between Austernesa’s own machinations and those of his people. One such spell, Contact Other Plane was created (or discovered depending on who you ask) and it opened the flood gates of knowledge and possibilities from all over the multiverse. There was a period of about 10 years where certain wizards had gone insane due to their overuse of the spell and had begun loosing war magic explicitly banned within the confines of the city. These Times of Troubles began a cycle that effected not only the citizenry of Aestrux, but also all around the world. In response to these issues, Korsivol created an order of his most loyal magi, and named them The Autumn Inquisition. He charged them with keeping track and hunting down any renegade wizards/sorcerers/warlocks/arcanists that would be a potential threat to their city and way of life.
During the early 1200’s there were a strange number of visits from foreign missionaries, hailing from “a far-off land”. They had apparently heard that there was great magical research being done in the Kingdom of Aestrux and they wanted to pay for some modicum of access/input into what could further be done with The Weave. In his foolishness believing himself truly to be the master of any magicks he’d create, Korsivol agreed to such investors without so much as a cursory interest in where they were from, though he noted some of them having “ravishing horns”. There were a variety of projects that these “investors” asked for the magi to pursue, the greatest and most insidious of them being a spell that could manifest as a disease. This led to the creation of Bestow Curse and similar magicks like it, but this was not enough for them. They wanted it to do more than just weaken the constitution of the target, they wanted it to travel from host-to-host and to “alleviate the suffering that comes with having to make decisions for oneself”. What became of this research was, at least in some degree, a more powerful and dangerous version of Geas. Whatever was given to these foreigners was certainly a spell which grappled the mind and soul in a similar fashion as it. After these dealings with the mysterious benefactors, the leader being very grateful gave Arch Magi Korsivol his thanks, stating: “Xahdaar thanks you for your contributions, and will remember your deeds.” Afterward, Korsivol realized that these creatures he’d been dealing with were not from this plane and shuddered at the thought of what could have become of his beloved Kingdom. If only had that thought before developing a psychic superweapon for them.
He called a great meeting of his magisters and spoke with them of how they’d been deceived. In scouting via Scry and similar divination magicks they found these creatures moving southwest toward some immense land mass covered in mountains along its perimeter. It was at this time that Korsivol made a decision for all Caelos without consulting them, and certainly a decision for Aezios and Toran though he did not know them by that name. Through the use of immensely powerful resources that they would likely never see again in this lifetime, he constructed the continent’s first recorded Mythal. An impossibly large field of illusion surrounding the continent then named Execratia (Cursed Land) by The Arch Magister himself. This illusion essentially keeps anyone from seeing outward or inward within a hundred miles of any land; he created what he thought was a prison for these beings. The Execratia Illusoria Mythal was erected in 980, and there are rumors of the ancient magic beginning to wane.
The War with Iashix, Fallenmoor stands (1000-500)
After the Execratia Illusoria was erected it became clear to Korsivol what magic could truly accomplish. Through the “chaining” of many powerful enough spellcasters, and with a suitable enough amount of material components, one could truly have a lasting impact on the world. The next Mythal to be created was The Arch Legate’s personal sanctum, the Aeonaturris. The mystery remains of what exactly it took to construct the onyx tower, but it certainly was a marvel of the age. Prior to the war with Iashix that would follow shortly, Korsivol added another dimension to his Autumn Inquisitors; The Chimeris Enclave. These arcanists were to be less of a military force and more of a diplomatic one focused on establishing places of power (Chimeris Towers) around Caelos. They were to explore and gather information about the greater world, feeding this back to Aestrux where it could be better cataloged and perhaps utilized for research.
Within a year of this order being created, Iashix launched its initial invasion of the continent, and the end of the 2nd age had come. Though Eladrin are seemingly immortal, they are not immune to certain aspects of old age, and they’re certainly not immune to swords, axes or magic. In the Aeonaturris Korsivol felt nearly invincible and considered watching the rest of the people flounder as it was a popular assertion of his that, “everything has its time, and perhaps this is Phadria’s”. Fortunately for the rest of his kind and continent, there were more sensible and compassionate people who counseled and advised him. On the bright side he finally had an opportunity to test some of his new war magic, and constructs he’d spent time building.
The first few decades were brutal, and if it had not been for his own obsession with constant progress and learning of new things, the rest of the continent may have been lost due to the overwhelming numbers the enemy had. It seemed as if there truly was no end to these hordes of beasts, and there were so many variations and different kinds of them that it was both terrifying and intriguing for the centuries old wizard. This is the age where spells such as Wall of Fire, Hold Monster, Polymorph, Wall of Force, Wall of Stone, Circle of Death, and Disintegrate were constructed and utilized on a mass scale in warfare. The main bulk of Aestrux’s military force were not arcanists or soldiers however; they were The Masked Legion.
While Austerensa was not interested in a military force or soldiers, as his aims were always after the arcane, there came an interesting individual some years before the Execratia Illusoria was erected. He referred to himself as Magister Norn and showed Korsivol designs of creatures, made out of metals and other materials, but imbued with the power of some level of sentience. He kept all of these things secret, but did ask for some advice on a few design decisions. Before he left, he handed The Arch Legate a copy of his plans, as a show of good faith, and wished him the best. Karsivol’s version of these beings, were what composed The Masked Legion ..\Creatures\Masked Legion.jpg when the time came to defend the continent against the hordes of monsters from across the sea, the legion was what drove them back during the middle years of the war (850-780). During the battle of Fallenmoor, Master Inquisitor Yeslen Fallenmoor held Fallkirk southwest of The Coalstow Hills for 1 month, with his inquisitors and one maniple of The Masked Legion. As 30,000 combatants made their way toward them, it was a position already conceded by the powers that be of Phadria seeing no path to victory. The saying still goes today when the impossible happens someone would say, “Fallenmoor Stands”. Even so, most of The Masked Legion was decimated over the centuries the conflict lasted. They are extremely expensive and time consuming to build, and a handful of maniples may still exist to this day in Aestrux.
Either Die a Hero or live long enough… (500-present)
After the war had been won and the Vogall Dominion had been thwarted at last, hostilities arose again with The Twilight Union. The current King of Phadria had some ideas about how to go about dealing with them, but in all their communications, Korivol was not shy about letting him know of the folly he exhibited in these plans. Frustrated and having had enough of the mouthy wizard, King Haldir asked The Arch Legate what he proposed they do. As was his custom, invoking a response from a seemingly unprepared position, Korsivol set into motion the plan he’d been working on for nearly 25 years. Through the travels and documentation of his Chimeras there was word of legendary creatures and beasts, that dwarfed even the powers of their recently defeated foes of Iashix. It wouldn’t be possible to persuade them to help destroy The Twilight Union once and for all, based on what he heard of their character, but what he was actually interested in, was the power that dwelt within them. King Haldir feeling that he had few options left to deal with the same incursions that plagued his father and grandfather before him, agreed to this, on the condition that his úlairé vantas (OOL-AR-AYE VAHN-TA-S, The Blood Sworn) be sent and lead this task of retrieval. Korsivol agreed to the terms, sending along with them one of his Inquisitors and a Chimera who was well versed in the lore and region they’d be traveling to.
While they were off gathering the power source, Korsivol finally unveiled his next Mythals; the Luco Vastator (Light Cannon) and the Animas Lacere (Soul Render). It is widely unknown, even to the Boreansa who run the keeps these Mythals are housed in are not aware of the terrible cost it took to create these superweapons. At the very least, they are supremely effective in keeping the Twilight Union at bay, as since their installation and activation, the incursions have all but stopped across The Traitor’s Expanse. Korsivol did warn King Haldir that there could be a day when this all could come crashing down on them… but that day has yet to come.