Al-Liosh
Al-Liosh was originally the name of the region where the Aenochians settled in Eastern Aihrde. Eventually the palace of the Emperors and the City surrounding it came to be known by the same name.
History
It came to pass that one day Baetan, a renowned hunter, picked up the
trail of a large stag. He pursued it along the banks of the UDUNILAY RIVER for many miles. At times, he sighted the stag, and it fueled his desire to bring it down and adorn his walls with the crown of its antlers. Whenever he came close to the beast, it would flee from him. After many days stalking the stag, the forest ended and Baetan came to a broad, open country of rich grasses, many lakes, pools, rivers, and streams.
Never, in all his travels, had he encountered such beauty, and he named it then, the Al-Liosh, the Land of Lakes.
The trail grew cold and Baetan never saw the stag, nor any sign of it, again, but he walked into the Al-Liosh and claimed it for his people. No sooner had he done this then he discovered a woman dwelling in the wild, living alone on an island in the lakes. She welcomed the hunter into her home, feeding him with fish and wild berries. Baetan fell in love with the woman, and remained with her for many days, until at last she bid him call his people to him and bring them to the Al-Liosh
This Baetan gladly did. Many followed him, for in those days they were still wanderers and unsettled. So they came to the Al-Liosh and fell under the spell of Baetan’s wife. Soon, they learned that she was of the VAL EAHRAKUN, and she had dwelt in the Land of Lakes for many years. She named herself IMBREE, and all the people loved her.
Imbree taught the Aenochains many things in those days: how to shape iron, to hunt the fey, and bits and pieces of the Language of Creation, so that charms and minor sorceries were theirs to command. More importantly than all else, she taught them a secret knowledge, and knowledge she professed that was known only to the Val Eahrakun, which they kept secret. Imbree taught the Aenochains that they were the hidden hopes of the ALL FATHER, and that more than all else they should love themselves, for in them lay the world’s salvation.
In time, Baetan died and his son, NEPELEOS, born to him by Imbree became the chief, and Imbree became his consort. And when Nepeleos died of a poisoned dart, his son, ADLEDE, also born of Imbree took his seat next to her. So it was for many generations until at last the Aenochians grew weary of her lordship and meddling. Then the power she gave them turned against her, for they had little fear of her and no knowledge of NARRHEIT.
In those days, the Aenochians laid the foundations of the first of their cities upon the confluence of the Udinilay River and the UPHRATES RIVER, in the land of Al-Liosh. There they thrived and grew, though they suffered under the yoke of Imbree.
The Aenochians rose up against Imbree, slaying her priests and her consort, their chieftain, and drove her from the Al-Liosh. As she left, they saw her mounting a large stag and riding away, Imbree laughed at all that she had wrought.
For she had lain the seeds of power in the Aenochians, and it was cruelly done. Imbree was, in fact, IMBRISIUS of the Val Eahrakun, the Maiden of Pain, and in the Aenochians she had planted the seeds of their lust for power. Her consort, Narrheit, set her the task, for it was he who had taken the shape of the stag and lured Baetan to the vale of Al-Liosh.
And the Aenochians named Narrheit then, calling him SET, which is serpent in their tongue.
Narrheit’s intention was not to introduce true evil into these early men, only a lust for power and a love of their own greatness. From that, came many of the traits of the Aenochians that led to the god-emperors of later years and the long wars, and the calling to the Darkness that was named UNKLAR in after ages.
But in those long forgotten days, they settled into the broad valleys and countries and multiplied.
During the STONE WARS, the people of Al-Liosh began to triumph over their neighbors and their domains spread down the long reaches of the river Udinilay. Towns fell to them, and the men of Al-Liosh forced tribute from the conquered. Over many years and the rule of many kings, the whole of the country, from the fertile lands bordering the river, to the sea, lay under their standards. Men called them the Chariot Kings, and none could stop them.
When the dwarves fell, the men of Al-Liosh paid little heed, for those wars had grown distant and the dwarves and goblins were of no consequence. Only an echo of them lingered in the halls of the Chariot Kings, reminding the kings of the goblins and the sorcery they taught them, but this was of little consequence to the kings of Aenoch.
Many years later when the RED GOD had entered the world his adherents grew among the Aenochians with one faction becoming known as the RED MEN. To counter them the queen of Aenoch TENTOPT called on Imbrisius to come and aid her as she was her ancestor. This call was ignored by Imbrisius, but Narrheit heard the call and answered. He came in the form of a Bull as Set, and took the queen and left her with a child AA.
AA would be the first to rule in Al-Liosh as the GOD-EMPEROR OF AIHRDE. Under he and his heirs the city and palaces grew ever more resplendent.
The god-emperors built towns on the rivers, and cities soon thereafter. They built roads between them, so that commerce flowed from the far west to the uttermost east. Their sailors plied the seas like no folk had since the fall of Alanti. Their scholars tracked the stars and knew the heavens. They cataloged the gods of men and the histories of dwarves and the powers of the giants. They named giants, demons and devils and found the place of Aihrde in the cosmos.
Wealth poured into Al-Liosh from all corners of the world, and the Aenochians grew drunk upon their might. No people had ever subjected so many, nor controlled utterly so great a space of the world. They styled themselves gods over men, dwarf and goblin. All bowed to them, but for the Great Sorcerers, who, ever after, have plagued the rulers of man. They cut down the trees of MORDIUS, burnt the temples of CORTHAIN, and drove out many of the lesser powers. They became ever more lustful of power and wasted men with tyranny. No lust of a god-emperor was ignored, and as time passed they became ever more perverted in their quests for power and knowledge. It became a saying amongst the Emperors, “for all that is or ever was, is mine.”
And ever were these people the tools of Nehabak, for he saw that with the fall of the dwarves and the power of men, he could rule in Aihrde as no other could.
The Aenochians built this great city and from it their power spread throughout the world. The city sprawled and incorporated the lakes and rivers into it's expanse. It grew until the time that during the reign of ANTEK IV. In his arrogance he felt he could defeat the great dragon FRAFNOG. After repeated assaults on his underground halls the dragon was roused. Leaving his halls he flew out wreaking destruction all over Aihrde. Finally settling on Al-Liosh he found and killed the Emperor, and set about destroying much of the city.
In the centuries that followed the empire saw itself beset by wars and many people taking a turn at the throne. While it was never returned to its peak glory, it was rebuilt and wealth continued to flow there. It would remain the greatest city in Aihrde until the day that UNKLAR took it for his capital. He rebuilt the keep and destroyed or buried most of the rest of the city it becoming the foundation for his great keep of AUFSTRAG.
Founders
Type
Capital
Location under
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
Comments