Daardai Empire
The Daardai Empire is the first political entity of Terra of which there is written documentation.
Originally a country made up entirely by Dragonborn, the Daardai Empire governed most of the eastern continent, stretching from the area where the City of Elements now stands all the way to the Anklife channel. This includes most of what is now known as Scoraght’s Garden, that at the time was instead a fertile and soil-rich area. Some of the easternmost locations of the eastern continent, and consequently of the whole known world, are either settlements risen on Daardaian ruins or Daardaian ruins themselves.
An empire heavily based on arcane energy, its culture and technological advancements were far superior to any level reached by successive cultures.
Originally a country made up entirely by Dragonborn, the Daardai Empire governed most of the eastern continent, stretching from the area where the City of Elements now stands all the way to the Anklife channel. This includes most of what is now known as Scoraght’s Garden, that at the time was instead a fertile and soil-rich area. Some of the easternmost locations of the eastern continent, and consequently of the whole known world, are either settlements risen on Daardaian ruins or Daardaian ruins themselves.
An empire heavily based on arcane energy, its culture and technological advancements were far superior to any level reached by successive cultures.
Culture
The culture of the Draconic Empire has been lost with their demise in Scoragh's Descent. Among the very few scholars and places of knowledge where information on the Daardai Empire is conserved, almost none has more than a couple mentions on the intricacies of its culture, with most research going towards their inventions and understanding of magic.
The long-lived empire had different ideas and cultural developments throughout its existence, with only the most important concepts and traditions being constant.
Because of its religious view, the empire held magic in the outmost regard. They had a complex government in which experts of a specific field were called to decide on matters relating to said field (e.g., expert farmers and architects would be called to decide on how to plan and build specific irrigation systems). Something very different to any other country or organization ever existed was the ubiquitous presence of magic: everyone knew magic and studied at least partially magic. Children would be taught magic the same way in other kingdoms religion is taught, or fighting, or math. It was by far the most important thing in the education process of any member of the empire. This fact affected every single aspect of the empire's life. With centuries and extensive research, magic started transitioning from a tool given from the gods in a religious and spiritual sense, to an aid to everyday life, finally seeping into all aspects of the empire. Illumination was first burning torches, then marble columns with magically bright capitels, and in the end floating orbs of pure light. Irrigation was first done by digging canals from rivers and into cultivated fields. Soon aquamancers, mages devoting their life to the study of water and its alterations, figured with farmers a way to breed plants able to produce water from soil, air and sunlight. And in the last years of the empire, when the most impossible developments were achieved, huge magic-imbued monoliths would simply produce water and make the entire sky rain.
(PS - section unnknown to almost everyone)
Here is a list of some of the developments reached by the empire at its peak, in the years before its sudden disappearance. These are not known by anyone, speculated at most by the historians of the City of Elements. They were present in the last centuries of the empire, especially in the midland, away from the just joined humans that later formed the Khalimedi Empire.
The long-lived empire had different ideas and cultural developments throughout its existence, with only the most important concepts and traditions being constant.
Because of its religious view, the empire held magic in the outmost regard. They had a complex government in which experts of a specific field were called to decide on matters relating to said field (e.g., expert farmers and architects would be called to decide on how to plan and build specific irrigation systems). Something very different to any other country or organization ever existed was the ubiquitous presence of magic: everyone knew magic and studied at least partially magic. Children would be taught magic the same way in other kingdoms religion is taught, or fighting, or math. It was by far the most important thing in the education process of any member of the empire. This fact affected every single aspect of the empire's life. With centuries and extensive research, magic started transitioning from a tool given from the gods in a religious and spiritual sense, to an aid to everyday life, finally seeping into all aspects of the empire. Illumination was first burning torches, then marble columns with magically bright capitels, and in the end floating orbs of pure light. Irrigation was first done by digging canals from rivers and into cultivated fields. Soon aquamancers, mages devoting their life to the study of water and its alterations, figured with farmers a way to breed plants able to produce water from soil, air and sunlight. And in the last years of the empire, when the most impossible developments were achieved, huge magic-imbued monoliths would simply produce water and make the entire sky rain.
Developments
(PS - section unnknown to almost everyone)
Here is a list of some of the developments reached by the empire at its peak, in the years before its sudden disappearance. These are not known by anyone, speculated at most by the historians of the City of Elements. They were present in the last centuries of the empire, especially in the midland, away from the just joined humans that later formed the Khalimedi Empire.
- Weather towers: obelisk-like structures built in black stone. These structures somehow affected the nearby weather, and were used to induce rain in the sky, especially near cultivations.
- Floating lights: these globes of pure light were simply for illumination. They do not require additional energy after being setup and do not have an "expiration date", they just exist, as they just produce light, like tiny suns. They cannot be moved, not even with strength. They are immobile in the air. Since they are the sources of their own energy, they are still present in the ruins of Draconic cities.
- Teleportation circles were incredibly common in the empire, but if for some reason they were not to be used (for example, surveying a place), special levitating vehicles called Tukku-ta (simply 'movement' in Draconic) existed. These were highly decorated and of various forms, and could be made levitate at whatever height the user desired with the use of a sphere within the vehicle itself. Entirely quiet, these machines relied on several types of magic to function but were very easy to operate
- Their cities (aestethic similar to angkor wat but with 100% more magic) were incredibly organized and almost entirely self-sustaining, reaching a point in the end where Dragonborns did not actually have to do anything to ensure that the city would function. Golems and other constructs would be so imbued with magic that they would be able to instanly repair whatever the elements would damage, they would tend to gardens and animals to provide food for them, they would do anything required.
- Dragonborn scholars of the Daardai Empire created Sphinxes. More information can be found in hidden section of the Scoragh's Descent article. These creations were not constructs, conjured creatures or aberrations, they were sentient beings equal in all but physical shape to the other humanoid races of the world. Naturally attuned to magic, they were taught by their masters and, after their sudden disappearance, they appointed themselves as keepers of the Draconic Empire secrets and ruined land.
History
The first political entity known to have existed in the eastern continent, the Daardai Empire was created by dragonborn, a race that made up the totality of the empire's population for centuries after its creation. Nowadays, little is known about the early days of this empire, and some of the information here reported is actually only known by few individuals and contained in not more than a handful of books.
More information on the Daardai Empire, both written and orally transmitted, exists from the years after the arrival of the first eastern human migrations, circa 2000 years before the start of the campaign. Most of the knowledge is still however conserved within the Khalimedi Empire. These initial and other following migrations, mostly nomadic tribes of humans that came from eastern wastelands, initially clashed with the already formed empire, but subsequently ended up being absorbed by it. In the following century, these humans first adapted to the sedentary and organized way of life of the empire and then became a core part of it, catching up in the Daardaian cultural ways but keeping their religion-centric traditions, inherited from their previous shamanic and nomadic lifestyle. This religious way of seeing reality, especially magic, made them often clash with the monotheistic and almost abstract religion of the dragonborn, that view magic as both the tool to shape reality and the ultimate rule that reality abides to.
In the centuries following the arrival of humans in the draconic empire, the human part became more and more prominent and established its presence mainly around the Anklife channel, where the more temperate weather and easier access to water and vegetation made it easier for them to survive. The following differentiation within the empire's population caused the creation of different factions, with most humans following their religious traditions and with the now decadent draconic society retreating more and more within the mainland.
This geographical separation increased the distance between the two main factions and created a short period in which the empire could almost be separated in two halves. The northern half, mostly coastline and with the majority of the humans, grew in population and showed the adaptation potential of the human race, with commerce, craftsmanship and especially religion flourishing. The southern half, bigger and still fertile, became an incredibly industrialized and scientifically advanced place, with golem-like machines walking the cities, magic-powered street lights and other mixtures of arcane and technological knowledge. Among the cities, the empire capital Daardai turned into a huge dragonborn metropolis even more astonishing in its fusion of arcane arts and science.
Shortly after this initial separation period, in the year 0 BK or 586 btT, the event known as Scoragh's Descent happened. Several sources report this event, which is only known by historians, but different cultures and authors have different theories on its causes. The result of this event was the complete destruction of most of the Daardai empire, especially the inland part where dragonborn made up most of the population.
After this event, the once warm but fertile land where the southern draconic empire extended turned to sand, becoming the desert now knows as Scoragh’s Garden.
This marks the end of the Daardai Empire and, coincidentally, is also the year when the Khalimedi Kingdom was born and their calendar has its 0.
Mythology & Lore
Daardaian dragonborn were not known for their religious attitude but more for the arcane pursue and almost fanatical (according to the only surviving sources, humans) search for progress. Most of the information on their culture is safely locked within Khalimedi or Plethora archives, or in the City of Elements's most ancient libraries, and only the most scholarly academics, or those closest to the eastern empire agenda, are allowed to read from these sources.
Nonetheless, access to these documents or intense archaeological research could show how the inhabitants of the Daardai Empire did not follow the common pantheon, but instead only knew Daardeonkar, Daaraxioi and a deity figuratively known as Chaos.
The importance of Magic
According to their mythology, after Daaraxioi broke the sky (see The First Fight) and let Chaos in, both brothers realized that this new entity forcing its way in the material world was evil. Together with the earth that generated them, the two dragon deities created Magic, an abstract force that they could use to control Chaos and reduce its effect on the world. From here on, Daardaian mythology goes back to the creation of the first plethora of gods, just like most other religions.
Nonetheless, access to these documents or intense archaeological research could show how the inhabitants of the Daardai Empire did not follow the common pantheon, but instead only knew Daardeonkar, Daaraxioi and a deity figuratively known as Chaos.
The importance of Magic
According to their mythology, after Daaraxioi broke the sky (see The First Fight) and let Chaos in, both brothers realized that this new entity forcing its way in the material world was evil. Together with the earth that generated them, the two dragon deities created Magic, an abstract force that they could use to control Chaos and reduce its effect on the world. From here on, Daardaian mythology goes back to the creation of the first plethora of gods, just like most other religions.
Unknown (2021 BK; 2607 btT) - 0 BK; 1086 btT
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Capital
Alternative Names
Draconic Empire
Demonym
Daardaian
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