The Meek's Inheritance

Following the slow, but violent end to the Ancient Empires, their former citizens were thrust into an age of darkness. Many of them hid in the hills to avoid the floods, others hid underground to avoid the fires. In the aftermath of the destruction, brutal bands of scavengers and slavers roamed the lands, taking the spoils left behind by their own and their neighbor's ancestors. This aftermath was brutal and unforgiving, as plants did not want to take, rivers were not clean, and people were not honorable.   However, out of the great mounds to the south came a noble and mighty tribe, one gifted with ancient knowledge and godly direction. Their leader, Vasyng, would go on to carve out an empire from the scattered communities. Some would be married into his own tribe, others would be militarily subjugated as he traveled across the continent. Vasyng would soon establish his capital city: Vasyngdon. From there, he would gather the land's brightest minds and seek to uplift the people of his new empire. For nearly a hundred years he would rule, building aqueducts, a vast system of roads, establishing sea-based trade with island kingdoms to the north and east, and ultimately empowering every man, woman, and child within his realm. However, an evil horde would emerge from the great mounds, seemingly following in Vasyng's footsteps.   He and his followers would pray to their gods for aid in combating the evil that threatened to sweep over the land, but their prayers would fall on deaf ears. Angry at the gods' indifference to their suffering, Vasyng would send his armies to combat the menace, while he ventured east into foreign lands in search of a long-lost weapon. Tales told of its immense power, and Vasyng new that it would be enough to bring his Empire victory against the swarm.   After a decade of searching, Vasyng and his followers would eventually stumble upon a temple containing the long lost weapon. Upon opening the chest within the temple, Vasyng unleashes a bright red light and chorus of horns and drums. With the container opened, destruction was unleashed upon the world once more. The swarm would be defeated, but the World Serpent would perish along with the World Tree itself, separating mankind from the realm of the gods. Vasyng's empire would be crippled by floods, flames, winds, and earthquakes. Vasyng himself would ultimately be judged by the gods and offered a spot within their realm as the god of war, leaving his two sons to rule in his stead.   For over 1000 years, Vasyng's dynasty would rule the continent. Following a century-long reconstruction, the empire would expand its borders and sphere of influence out across the seas and into the wildernesses that surrounded the realm. However, the empire would gradually begin to crumble and shake before collapsing on itself, leaving a plethora of kingdoms and tribes across the continent, free to determine their own destinies.   The Kingdom of the Doniphanes in the center of the old Empire would claim ancestry directly back to Vasyng, though this is often called into question. Their small nation would serve as an echo of the empire's former glory. Still, the Kingdom would grow its power and would try to establish dominion over its neighbors and monopolize trade on the seas. To the southwest, nomadic tribes of centaurs and marauders threaten the kingdoms along the old borders of the Empire. In the far east, a new mighty empire would form within a fertile valley and rapidly expand to encroach upon the eastern kingdoms. The stage is set for the old empire to be reclaimed, or washed away in ashes once more.