Lapis of Nicodem World
On this site, readers will find extra art and articles for Lapis of Nicodem's world, as well as What's New in the Lapis of Nicodem world.
Art is drawn by me under my penname Shade Melodique, using Affinity Photo, ClipStudioPaint, and Photoshop. Some have UnReal Engine backgrounds, while others are a combo of images from Adobe Stock, Envato Elements, Pexels and Unsplash. No AI-generated content is used in any of my artwork or my writing.
All articles are written by me, Kwyn Marie. They cover interesting worldbuilding aspects of Lapis's world which may not show up in the books, like character histories.
History
Fifteen hundred years ago, the country of Taangis formed an empire that spanned the continents of Pelthine and Theyndora. Countries of eastern Theyndora, lacking the technological sophistication of Taangis, fell to the military onslaught. Running on overconfidence and greed, the empire entered the tribal lands of the Albas, the Dens, the Rams, the Jils, the Shal, and others. Not only did the mountainous terrain slow them down, they met greater resistance from the peoples living there. Vowing to obliterate those who stood against them, Taangis employed more military might, overcoming weaknesses through numbers. Tribal leaders, intent on retaining their culture and their ways, moved into caves and kept to the underground hideouts until the empire grew bored and no longer hunted them.
To ensure the conquered peoples did not rise against them, Taangis divided populations on Pelthine and Taangis, sending them to other communities, sometimes other countries, to live next to traditional enemies or those whose language they did not speak. This sowed enough distrust to keep conquered peoples fighting each other and not the empire that forced their move.
Taangis, consumed by greed, fell. 651 years ago, they left Theyndora, sowing destruction as their parting gift. Newly freed leaders, instead of picking up the pieces, clashed, redrew borders, and settled into a post-Taangin existence. Then Dentheria followed in Taangis's footsteps.
Buoyed by advanced Meergevenis tech they purchased through middlemen in Taangis, Dentheria invaded their neighbor, Shaloar, in 330 DE. They overran the weak resistance in a matter of days. Ramira fell next, and one by one, the new empire picked off the western countries, then barreled over the eastern. The empire destroyed royal families and other native leaders, placed puppet kings on the thrones, and ruled through harsh laws and vicious retaliation against any who opposed them. The most egregious laws forbade any who were not native Dentherions or associated with their puppet kings to own tech. Farm equipment, medical equipment, transportation machines--the empire's military destroyed it all.
People got sick and died from previously cured ailments. Without common ways to plant and harvest food, without ways to preserve what was picked or slaughtered, without ways to get food from the fields to the markets, people in cities starved. Riots and protests met with Dentherion's advanced weaponry, and those who participated died.
Dentheria reigned supreme--at great cost to all other countries on Theyndora. At this time, dozens of countries formed rebellions, some fighting the empire, some battling the puppet kings. Their fortunes rose and fell through the centuries, until a Jilvaynan rebel Leader named Alaric formed the Wolf Collaborate. Pooling resources and information, rebels who joined had more successes and less destructive failures. After the Jilvaynan puppet king killed Alaric and his family, the Wolf went deeper into hiding. It's members waited and plotted to take advantage of the first days, of the last days, of the Dentherion Empire.
And that wait is now over.
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