A Brief History

The world of Eyila is home to three major continents: Amalar, Iklaroth, and Quinli (also called the "Fractured Land"). Vir originate from Amalar, humans from Iklaroth, and the mythic Qoh from Quinli. The Qoh rose to power long before the Vir and humans, though they did play a vital role in the development of both races.
On Amalar, the Vir began as one race: the Pimvir. Eventually, the Pimvir broke into three tribes. One tribe went north, past the Shrewwin Mountains. The others stayed in the south, one taking the extensive woodlands in the west and the other taking the great plains and rollings hills in the east. These three tribes became the Ruvir, Silvir, and Tervir, respectively.
Over the years, the Ruvir mainly kept to themselves, content to find ways to live in the north. They evolved into extremely pale-skinned, large, hairy beings in order to survive in the harsh conditions past the mountains. The Silvir, similarly, shrank and developed slightly lighter skin, due to living under the shade of trees all the time and learning to move quickly and silently, using long-ranged weapons. The Tervir gained darker skin and grew slightly bulkier, accustomed to chasing down their prey and killing with brute force.
Though the Ruvir seemed to be out of the picture, the Silvir and the Tervir came into contact on several occasions over time, clashing over land, food, and religion. Things became especially bad during the long winters, when food in the plains became scarce and the forest seemed to be the only source of sustenance. It was during this time that some Qoh visited the continent, bringing with them the secrets of magic. The Silvir were the first to meet them, as they landed on the western coast, just below the mountains, and so the Silvir were the first to learn of magic. They quickly weaponized it, enchanting their bows and blades in an attempt to wipe out the Tervir. Upon seeing this abuse of their craft, the Qoh, disgusted, crossed the mountains. They met the Ruvir, who were considerably more peaceful in their use of magic. The Ruvir advanced much more quickly than their cousins, especially with the help of the Qoh, and eventually built their own ships.
The use of magic revolutionized warfare. The Tervir were quick to come up with new technology to combat magic, though they also captured some Silvir soldiers and forced the secrets out of them. Soon enough, both sides were using magic to rain destruction on the other. They burnt sections of the forest to the ground, razed villages, turned bountiful grasslands into toxic wastelands. Each generation was worse than the last.
The Qoh eventually returned to Quinli, completely avoiding the southern side of Amalar. However, when the pioneers returned, they discovered that their homeland had been ravaged. Magic has side effects when used improperly. No one knows for sure what happened, but a powerful curse had been unleashed on Quinli, devastating the land and killing many of its inhabitants. It claimed them quickly, making them cry black tears, bleed black blood, vomit black sludge. The pioneers who set foot on land were infected as well, but the few who stayed on the ship managed to escape intact. Quinli itself bled on that day, turning the land and water around it black. A select few Qoh survived the curse, leaving their home and traveling to other lands, but they were forever scarred –– physically and mentally.
The remaining Qoh who hadn't left the ship traveled to Iklaroth, a primitive land and home to humans. Having learned from their mistake with the Silvir, the Qoh didn't divulge their magical secrets, and instead attempted to integrate into human society. They masked their true forms with illusions that made them seem human, and haven't been heard from since. The cursed Qoh did the same, though their scars remained even through the illusion. Eventually, human explorers discovered Quinli. By then, much of the land was safe to walk on, though still blackened. Tales of Quinli spread like wildfire throughout Iklaroth, and through Ruvir travelers in disguise, made its way to Amalar.
It didn't take long for the human explorers to discover Amalar as well. And when they did, they did what any powerful nation would do upon discovering new land: they claimed it. They didn't realize until later that it was already inhabited, though they had no qualms about going to war with the Vir. The use of magic surprised them, but they were technologically advanced enough to build things to counteract it. The Vir didn't unite, still wary of the tensions between them, and it was because of this that the humans were able to take out the Silvir, destroying their capital and wiping out nearly the entire race with machines that rained fiery destruction into the forest. The Tervir yielded soon after.
The humans took over Amalar, exiling the Tervir underground and enslaving what remained of the Silvir. During this period, some humans began practicing magic, learning from the Silvir. Some humans began to sympathize with the Silvir, wanting them to be free, while others wanted to invade the Tervir as well. Tensions rose, crackling between the humans and their ideals.
Meanwhile, the curse that demolished Quinli reached the shores of Iklaroth. It encroached slowly, but was just as devastating as the first time. The humans attempted to get ships out, but it was too late for most of them. The curse was slower-acting in them, but still fast enough. Many of those ships ended up drifting until they were smashed against rocks. Even fewer humans survived the curse than Qoh. They also gave it a name: the Black Scourge, or the "Scourge" for short.
One ship managed to reach Amalar, where they were met with a divided continent. A deadly rebellion had crippled Amalar, and a delicate alliance was in place between the eastern and western sides of the continent. The Iklarothian survivors warned their brothers and sisters of the coming curse, but their omens fell on deaf ears. Those who continued to spread their premonitions were arrested and hanged, and the remaining survivors retreated into solitude. The East and West remained divided, though they eventually forgot what they were really divided over. Their beliefs evolved, and though the East were still more supporting of slavery than the West, their main conflicts happened for other reasons: land, money, and religion.
Now, centuries after the Blight of Iklaroth and even longer since the Fall of Quinli, the Black Scourge once again approaches, this time coming for Amalar.