Trannisal - The Sunken Realm
Despite the tragedy of the fall of Ethessia, and the fearful time known as the Vastalian Dark Ages, civilization has an urge to reform and rebuild. Several smaller nations all came to power after the darkness of the past, although there are only a few that remain in the current day of Varda.
Trannisal was one of these, and perhaps in different circumstances it would still be a beacon of magical ingenuity and hope that it once was. Alas that like its neighbours, it to became the victim of otherworldly forces, and it now lays nestled alongside other nations in the part of the world known as The Shattered Kingdoms. The story of Trannisal, like its brother and sister countries, would be told as a stark warning when dealing with dark powers.
The Dawn of Illumination
Amidst the chaos and uncertainty that clasps the northern region of Vastalia, people cling to the homeland that once was the great Ethessia. The northernmost region of the world is a harsher climate, with warm summers and bitter cold winters; a tundra of rolling hills, vast woodlands and mountains. Around the year 450 BA (Before Arden), a group of powerful sorcerers bands together to forge a new nation. With a vast knowledge of Divination magic, the Council of Luminaries begins to reach out to several small towns, bringing them together under one banner. Magical academies begin to take root, and the burgeoning state becomes a sanctuary for scholars and practitioners of magical arts. Trannisal's nascent society begins to embrace this pursuit of knowledge with fervour and determination, laying the roots of the society that will soon rise.The Rise of Lunar Citadel
With the people beginning to thrive under magical guidance, he construction of a capitol begins. Unlike traditional cities, a monumental structure is forged, its spires pointing to the heavens and its populace contained fully behind its great walls. Around the year 300 BA, the Lunar Citadel is complete, marking a pivotal moment in Trannisal's history. Scholars, mages and seekers of arcane wisdom all flock to the palace-city, finding welcoming minds in the pursuit of the arcane. A beacon rising towards the moon and stars above, the Lunar Citadel shines like a beacon of enlightenment. Within its walls, people live out their lives, with magical innovation and the boundaries of what can be done being constantly pushed. The formation of Illumination magic becomes increasingly popular; a field of magic combining the power of light-based magic with the fortune-telling of divination from the stars above.The Golden Age of Sorcery
With its focus on magic, Trannisal begins an age of enlightenment and development that far exceeds neighbouring nations. Other citadel-cities begin to appear, each a great feat of construction by themselves, but none compare to the beauty an grandeur of the Lunar Citadel. Around the year 200 BA, an unprecedented surge in magical creation begins. Magic is integrated in to everyday life; intricate clockwork mechanisms an elemental constructs taking over much of the manual labour required by the denizens of Trannisal. The development of Luminescent Alchemy creates glowing elixirs that harness the radiant energies of celestial bodies themselves. These potent concoctions aid in illumination, divination and even healing.The Apex of Power
Around the year 1 AF (Aden's Foundation), while the Kingdom of Arden is forming across the Sapphire Ocean, Trannisal stands as one of the most powerful nations on Varda. Strategic alliances to neighbouring kingdoms such as Rusgomath, Vrutesta and reaching as far as Old Therrezia brings stability to the region not seen since the Golden Kingdom of Ethessia. Yet as this illustrious new era dawn, a shadow lurks that will change the fates of all across Vastalia.The Shadows of the Past
With the fall of neighbouring Rusgomath to the plague known a the Eldritch Rot, it is not long until he disease and unusual fungi begins to creep in to Trannisal. What begins as uncertainty and mysterious afflictions soon explodes in to a pandemic, and in the year 150 AF, Trannisal finds itself engulfed. Within the illuminated academies of the Citadels, mages grapple with the enigmatic nature of the Eldritch Rot. Answers are sought to halt the advance of the strange fungal infection across the land, but the unusual nature of the plague proves allusive. Fear and paranoia grips the population. Accusations of witchcraft are thrown about, and the Council of Luminaries struggle to maintain control over the snowballing situation. Calls for aid to allied kingdoms fall on death ears, as the Eldritch Rot takes hold of northern Vastalia. Deeper and darker magical arts are sought for a solution to the menace warping the very land itself.The Umbral Rupture
In the year 300, a catastrophe referred to as the Umbral Rupture rocks Trannisal. Plunging the country in to darkness, at the heart of this cataclysm if an ancient relic that has been safeguarded in the Lunar Citadel for generations; the Ecliptic Coffer. As the legend goes, this artefact was discovered by the founders of Trannisal. Using its powers to bring success and prosperity, the antiquity has been revered as a symbol of the nation since its birth. Said to contain the very essence of the stars themselves, it is thought that any ill-omen that came to the Diviners and Illuminators of Trannisal would be taken to the Coffer and locked away. This would ensure that the future event would never come to pass. As the Eldritch Rot ripped through the land and populace, desperation gripped the rulers of Trannisal. Led by a powerful sorceress by the name of Phalara, it was believed that the celestial magic contained within the Ecliptic Coffer would halt the spread of the Eldritch Rot forever. The mystical box was opened. Chaos was unleashed, Phalara's actions unleashing all of the dark omens that had been locked away. The fabric of reality warped as unknown forces was released. The Umbral Rupture had begun. Skies darkened, the earth trembled and a wave of arcane power washed across the land. Following this was a great wave of water. The maelstrom washed everything but the sturdiest structures away, people, animals and monsters all battered and crushed by the magical energies spreading across the land. The great Citadels were not immune, as torrents swept through corridors as wide as streets. Very few survived. Phalara's name would be remembered across the world, her ill-fated decision becoming a cautionary tale forever synonymous with folly and tragedy.The Descent into Chaos
The 400 years that followed would be the last for the great Trannisal. Much of the land had been reduced to inhospitable marsh and swamp. Entire regions of the northern coast had been swept beneath the waves forever, the landmass of the realm losing nearly a third of its area. Despite the catastrophic change that had altered the land, the threat of the Eldritch Rot has subsided. The waters unleashed had their own magical powers, and everywhere they touched, the otherworldly energies of the fungal plague were purged. However, this was little solace to the survivors that remained. Pockets of Trannisal's society did endure for this time, seeking refuge in hidden sanctuaries or the peaks of its great Citadels. Others formed resilient communities on the fringes of the flooded lands. The rulers of the Council of Luminaries attempted to maintain a semblance of order, but with numbers diminished and travel all but impossible now, it was only a matter of time before Trannisal would return to a state not seen since the Vastalian Dark Ages. Remnants of survivors continued to work in the Lunar Citadel underneath their rulers, delving deeper in to forbidden magic or dedicating themselves to foreseeing the future. Research continued to both combat the Eldritch Rot in the lands beyond, and the magical waters that remained forever flooding Trannisal. The belief that redemption and renewal was gripped tightly. By the year 700 AF, Trannisal had ceased to function as a cohesive nation-state. It's people scattered, its territories fragmented, and neighbouring kingdoms under siege from the Eldritch Rot as well, the once-mighty realm of illumination was now a sunken realm of darkness and decay.450 BA - 700 AF
Predecessor Organization
Demonym
Trannisan
Government System
Magocracy
Location
Neighboring Nations
The Shattered Scholars
In current times, it is rumoured that he remaining members of Trannisal's magical elite still remain. Known as the Shattered Scolars, they continue their research in their own domains across the Sunken Realm. From underground enclaves to corroding spires, maddening research is still undertaken. Twisted experiments have led to all manner of grotesque creatures that now lurk in the shadowy-waters of the once great nation. Very few stories are told of what can be encountered in the ruins of Trannisal; be it through the fear of memory or the lack of returning expeditions has yet to be determined.
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