Vallandar
History
The Founding of the Vallandar
What little is known of the early years of the Vallandar arrival comes from the sages of the Vallandar religion, the faith of the Pale Rider. As the stories tell, the Vallandar once lived far to the east, under a brutal and evil Warlord of mythical power and influence. HE used his dark armies of corrupted men to harass and brutalize the Vallandar people in their small tribal villages. The Vallandar of this time were weak and vulnerable, not yet knowing the power of horse and spear. They lived in constant fear and darkness, as the sun was blotted out by the dark one who ruled over them.
Eventually, there was one amongst them who devised a great plan to free his people from the Dark Lord and lead them to freedom. Overtime he taught the Vallandar, the weak and sedentary people of the east how to tame and ride horses, and how ot fight together on their new beasts with spears and shields. Finally, when he knew his people were ready for the fight ahead of them, this man confronted the Dark Lord in battle. He draped himself in white robes for good luck, and set off the fortress where the Dark Lord slept.
The man knew that he had not the strength to match the Dark Lord, but, unbeknownst to his opponent, it was not victory in combat that he desired. In the midst of the fight, while the Dark Lord was surest of his victory, the man blinded him with a flash of light, and stole from him the Sun which he held hostage. With the Sun in hand, the man fled from the dark Lords Lands and led his people West, to Freedom. The Vallandar dubbed this man The Pale Rider, and declared him their First King.
In the West, 12 Tribes of Vallandar now found their new home on the vast seemingly endless grasslands of the Valorik Planes. While the Vallandar would make this their home, The Pale Rider himself was not long for such a lifestyle. He knew that the Dark Lord from the East would never stop hunting him, always in search of the great Sun that had been stolen from him. Knowing he would soon have to leave his people, The Pale Rider taught his people all that he could of Warfare and Politics before leaving them to fend for themselves. His last act as King of the Vallandar was to gather all the Thanes of each warrior band and make them swear a blood oath never to war amongst each other. Any disagreement between the Thanes would have to be settled in single combat upon horseback. Any Thane who brought his Band into conflict with another would cease to be Vallandar, and be cursed to return back to the Darklands.
Following his declaration, The Pale Rider donned his white robes and rode west never to be seen again. It is told by the Vallandar that he still carries with him the Sun on his back. He rides forever onwards, forever chased by the spectral riders of the Dark Lord.
The Vallandar in the Eastern Plains of Valorik
Upon the passing of the Pale Rider, the Vallandar found themselves in a crisis of identity. They were now in a strange land, surrounded by strange tribes and kingdoms with little idea of what their destiny in this new world might be. The Plains of Valorik at this time were occupied by multiple Yuanma city fortresses. These enclaves were used by the Elves as a thoroughfare between their capital, the city of spires, and their colonies in the far reaches of the north. Several northmen tribes, enclaves of slua, and even some Evorans also made their homes in the vast plains of Valorik.
Early on, tensions between the Vallandar and the Northmen tribes often exploded into violent conflict in the form of massive raids and at times even pitched battles. While most of the northmen tribes at this point had moved on from the Valorik planes, there were several fanatically set on holding out as the lands were quite fruitful in both game and plunder. While the northmen were tenacious in their desire to stay in the plains, the Vallandar quickly made clear the advantage their horses gave them over the heavily armed foot soldiers the northmen relied on. In a matter of only a few years, the Vallandar drove out the northmen from the Valorik planes much to the satisfaction of the Yuanma rulers of the area. Seeing that the tensions between the two groups could be beneficial to their rule, local Yuanma rulers often gifted the Vallandar tribes with weapons and gold to encourage them to continue their rivalry.
The ejection of the northmen from the Valorik planes was at first a blessing to both the Yuanma and the Vallandar. A relative peace between both groups lasted for several years, but eventually the Vallandar grew restless. The minor conflicts with Evoran and Sluan peasants occupied the Vallandar for the first few years after the northmen conflicts, but eventually the Thanes thirsted for more. What started at first as small raids against minor Yuanma trading caravans quickly almost became full scale conflict between the great empire and these nomadic upstarts. While many would believe the great Yuanma empire would have no problem putting down these troublesome raiders, the Great Kabuza, the Elven warden of the Plains, knew better. While the Yuanma had numerical, and technological superiority over the Vallandar, they could easily be outmaneuvered by the horse bound warriors. A war amongst the two groups would be incredibly costly to the Yuanma, and other means were necessary to deal with the Vallandar.
The Vallandar civil war
Knowing that a war between the Yuanma and the Vallandar would be an unmitigated disaster, Kabuza, a masterful diplomat and dedicated schemer, sought to sow discord among the Vallandar tribes and pit the Thanes against each other. Vallandar tribes too busy fighting amongst themselves would allow the Elves to divide and conquer, and deeply entrench themselves within the planes.
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