Ljubidar Domina
The Ljubidar Domina was an ancient kingdom of the Erleting which existed in the time period between the fall of the Empire of Oleandron and the rise of Old Fraspika. The Ljubidar Domina was the first centralized Erleting state to exist, but it would be wrong to call it sedantary or settled, as during this period almost all Erleting tribes were still migratory. During the Westmen invasions of Oleandron, many of the Erleting had passed through the magical High Feuwood, a dangerous forest which contained heavy Fey influence and changed those who entered it. Although a number of Erleting tribes elected not to enter the forest (largely the most powerful tribes, who could force the smaller ones into the woods) over time their shamans and leaders became entranced by the forest and sought to make pacts wth the fey in return for power. Around this time, and after making pacts with the leaders of nine of the tribes, a powerful and evil fey used these pacts to allow him to enter the Realm through a portal in 844. Through use of the pact magic, he turned all nine leaders into immortal and subservient rulers, and they became his new deputies. His power was used to warp the men of the region, and the united tribes became known as the Ljubidar Domina, which soon expanded across the northern highlands. The powerful Fey sought to use these tribes to conquer the world, and although he was initially successful many of the tribes to the south fought back, with his invasion efforts stalling by 919.
These tribes were Blazennian, not Erleting, and instead of seeing the Fey as a powerful spirit and god-king, viewed him as an embodiment of Njolfrost. The leaders of the Blazennian tribes greatly feared this man, and convened a council at the magical hot springs near modern Emberkeep in 922. They decided that in order to defeat the Ljubidar Domina their people must send a party of eight to oppose the Fey lord and his servants. These eight were composed of five Blazennians, mostly warriors and mages, though one was a princess of her people, as well as an Erleting trapper and ranger from the Luisaleti people, a dwarf, and an elf. The party was blessed by the Blazeological priesthood, and ever since that day eight has been a lucky number and nine a cursed one in Blazeological folklore. The party departed the hot springs and marched north, determined to seize the relics binding the nine to their master and take them back to the springs where they could be destroyed. Although successful in stealing these relics, the party would see great loss, with three of the eight dying at the hands of the Fey Lord or his minions before they managed to escape. Pursued by all number of foul beasts as well as the nine themselves, the party was split in half, with the elf, and dwarf joined by the last remaining blazennian mage to stand against those who chased them and lure them away from the ranger and princess, who would carry the relics to the springs alone. Although the plan worked, the brave wizard would die after being mauled by hellhounds and his magic would disperse, alerting the Fey Lord to the deception. The elf and dwarf now fall out of the story, but based on records they survived and became ambassadors to each other's people, beginning the modern friendship between elves and dwarves in Blazennia. As for the ranger and princess, they made it to the hot springs just ahead of the Ljubidaran army, and began the ceremony to destroy the relics as a great battle began between the Blazennian tribes and the Ljubidars. As each relic was fed into the springs and cleansed, the powers of the Fey Lord dimmed and another one of his servants turned to dust, but the Fey and his most powerful servant still remained. Bursting through the Blazennian lines, they entered the spring, slaying all who were in their path. Only the intervention of the Blazennian shamans and mages slowed their advance, as they checked the Fey Lord with binding spells and the ranger faced off against the final of the nine. Although the princess managed to commit the final relic to the spring before he was slain, he suffered mortal wounds and would expire within the hour. With his grip on the land weakened by the demise of his servants and his pacts removed, the Fey Lord's grip on the world was loosened, and the final binding spell cast him back to the Fey'ur.
This came at great cost, as the Blazennian armies were sundered and the dark forces remained powerful. Although now leaderless, their fury was great and the Blazennian forces, despite holding them off long enough for the ritual to work, were scattered to the winds. The brave shamans and mages were slain to a man, and many of the Blazennian tribes lost their leaders that day. Of the eight who had set out, only the princess was known to have survived at this time, and she became a leader of her people, a fierce warrior queen who fought against the Ljubidar Domina for years. Escaping through a secret passage from the hot springs, she buried the relics in an unknown place, and became one of many refugees escaping the Ljubidar Domina's grip on northern Blazennia, which now included the sacred springs. Eight months after the defeat of the Fey Lord, she gave birth to twins, half Erleting and half Blazennian. The boy would be sent north to be educated and trained by his father's people, the Luisaleti, who still resisted the Ljubidar Domina too, though he would be killed in battle by a dark champion of the Ljubidar in 966 and thus the line was ended there. The girl would stay with her mother and become the first in a line of warrior queens who ruled that specific tribe until the last one wed the young king of West Fraspika.
The Ljubidar Domina remained poweful for a number of years even without its patron, taken over be a series of dark wizards and shamans who made more... wise pacts with evil Fey and did not allow them into the Realm. The succession of the Domina was often violent, with various acolytes competing to kill one another and seize the crown, making increasingly more dangerous pacts in order to secure power. The last, who bet his life in exchange for the power to kill his foes, failed to word his pact correctly, and his spirit was claimed after he killed the other acolytes, leaving the Domina leaderless. It would soon fragment, erupting back into tribes by 1057. By 1071, the sacred hot springs were reclaimed by the Blazennian people and restored. However, the Ljubidar Domina left a legacy of destruction, greatly setting back the Erleting and Blazennian peoples, and by the time their power receded Old Fraspika had already arisen. This greatly assisted the Fraspikans in their conquest of Blazennia, which began even before the recovery of the springs.
These tribes were Blazennian, not Erleting, and instead of seeing the Fey as a powerful spirit and god-king, viewed him as an embodiment of Njolfrost. The leaders of the Blazennian tribes greatly feared this man, and convened a council at the magical hot springs near modern Emberkeep in 922. They decided that in order to defeat the Ljubidar Domina their people must send a party of eight to oppose the Fey lord and his servants. These eight were composed of five Blazennians, mostly warriors and mages, though one was a princess of her people, as well as an Erleting trapper and ranger from the Luisaleti people, a dwarf, and an elf. The party was blessed by the Blazeological priesthood, and ever since that day eight has been a lucky number and nine a cursed one in Blazeological folklore. The party departed the hot springs and marched north, determined to seize the relics binding the nine to their master and take them back to the springs where they could be destroyed. Although successful in stealing these relics, the party would see great loss, with three of the eight dying at the hands of the Fey Lord or his minions before they managed to escape. Pursued by all number of foul beasts as well as the nine themselves, the party was split in half, with the elf, and dwarf joined by the last remaining blazennian mage to stand against those who chased them and lure them away from the ranger and princess, who would carry the relics to the springs alone. Although the plan worked, the brave wizard would die after being mauled by hellhounds and his magic would disperse, alerting the Fey Lord to the deception. The elf and dwarf now fall out of the story, but based on records they survived and became ambassadors to each other's people, beginning the modern friendship between elves and dwarves in Blazennia. As for the ranger and princess, they made it to the hot springs just ahead of the Ljubidaran army, and began the ceremony to destroy the relics as a great battle began between the Blazennian tribes and the Ljubidars. As each relic was fed into the springs and cleansed, the powers of the Fey Lord dimmed and another one of his servants turned to dust, but the Fey and his most powerful servant still remained. Bursting through the Blazennian lines, they entered the spring, slaying all who were in their path. Only the intervention of the Blazennian shamans and mages slowed their advance, as they checked the Fey Lord with binding spells and the ranger faced off against the final of the nine. Although the princess managed to commit the final relic to the spring before he was slain, he suffered mortal wounds and would expire within the hour. With his grip on the land weakened by the demise of his servants and his pacts removed, the Fey Lord's grip on the world was loosened, and the final binding spell cast him back to the Fey'ur.
This came at great cost, as the Blazennian armies were sundered and the dark forces remained powerful. Although now leaderless, their fury was great and the Blazennian forces, despite holding them off long enough for the ritual to work, were scattered to the winds. The brave shamans and mages were slain to a man, and many of the Blazennian tribes lost their leaders that day. Of the eight who had set out, only the princess was known to have survived at this time, and she became a leader of her people, a fierce warrior queen who fought against the Ljubidar Domina for years. Escaping through a secret passage from the hot springs, she buried the relics in an unknown place, and became one of many refugees escaping the Ljubidar Domina's grip on northern Blazennia, which now included the sacred springs. Eight months after the defeat of the Fey Lord, she gave birth to twins, half Erleting and half Blazennian. The boy would be sent north to be educated and trained by his father's people, the Luisaleti, who still resisted the Ljubidar Domina too, though he would be killed in battle by a dark champion of the Ljubidar in 966 and thus the line was ended there. The girl would stay with her mother and become the first in a line of warrior queens who ruled that specific tribe until the last one wed the young king of West Fraspika.
The Ljubidar Domina remained poweful for a number of years even without its patron, taken over be a series of dark wizards and shamans who made more... wise pacts with evil Fey and did not allow them into the Realm. The succession of the Domina was often violent, with various acolytes competing to kill one another and seize the crown, making increasingly more dangerous pacts in order to secure power. The last, who bet his life in exchange for the power to kill his foes, failed to word his pact correctly, and his spirit was claimed after he killed the other acolytes, leaving the Domina leaderless. It would soon fragment, erupting back into tribes by 1057. By 1071, the sacred hot springs were reclaimed by the Blazennian people and restored. However, the Ljubidar Domina left a legacy of destruction, greatly setting back the Erleting and Blazennian peoples, and by the time their power receded Old Fraspika had already arisen. This greatly assisted the Fraspikans in their conquest of Blazennia, which began even before the recovery of the springs.
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