Glast Heim. o i love stories

Glast Heim


1,000 years ago Glast Heim was the capital of the Rune kingdom, which spanned half of the continent, living alongside the sister kingdom of Midgard. They had very good relations with the elves. The Humans of Glast Heim and the Elves, (whose capital of Tralu-ra-dal was neighboring) had healthy trade relations and an eventual friendship. The Elves built the ancient city Geffenia, and even opened a magic school in order to teach the humans. The problem came when Geffenia Tower was erected, the Elvish elders opted to place their most ancient and dangerous relics in the depths of this tower, the King of Glast Heim, a man whose name is lost in the depths of time, knew of this full well. The human king desired power, power the Elvish elders would not provide, as the powers locked within the tower were the same that had created the Dark Elves, whom had long since ceased to exist. He sent his assassins to sneak into the tower, stealing a sacred tome from the depths of Geffenia Tower. When the King opened and read that ancient tome a dark power washed over the Kingdom, damning every soul inside to an endless torment. Now a kingdom of demons, they attacked Tralu-ra-dal, decimating their population, lead by a king known now only as The Dark Lord they then turned their sights to Geffenia. The Elves erected the magical barrier over Glast Heim, and the denizens of that horrible city were not seen for 1,000 years. After the barrier was constructed, the Elves simply disappeared from Rune, every last one of them sailing off to distant lands. There were rumours and speculations that some remained to observe the humans, but such flights of fancy all but faded from memory after a century. With the capitol now practically wiped from the face of the continent, the population of Rune entered a period of political upheaval. The sister kingdom, Midgard, offered them the stability and security the cities needed after the ravaged of the Elven-Demon war. Even Geffenia, rebuilt by the humans as the city of Geffen, was offered up to the monarchy, and all emerged as cities of the present-day kingdom of Midgard.





Pre-Cullings


After many centuries of prosperous trade in harmony with the natural surroundings, Midgard came under the rule of Kadamos XXII, and life would be changed forever. A ruthless expansionist, Kadamos sent out scouts into the thick uncharted Western Woods. The vast, untamed wilderness had long since been home to many strange creatures known to humans, the most powerful of whom being the proud Orc race. However, what the scouts reported back sent the entire continent on edge.The Orcs had enslaved their primitive neighbours, the Goblins and the Kobolds, and were preparing for war. Fourty years ago, Kadamos struck first. Assembling the largest war party in Midgard's history, Kadamos sent his troops into the Western Woods, and slaughtered the Orcs. Over 90% of the Orcish population was extinguished in a single precision strike. That operation became known as the Orc Crusades.





The Cullings


Ten years ago, the barrier around Glast Heim inexplicably fell. The Orcs were still suffering from the slaughter thirty years prior, and the omnipotent Dark Lord would prove to be the ideal ally.This alliance of Orcs, their slave races, and the Glast Heim demons planned a precision attack on all the human cities in the continent. They struck the cities within hours of one another, catching the humans completely off guard. The townspeople fought bravely, and many civilians were able to flee to St. Capitolina, a remote abbey that had escaped the notice of Orcish scouts.The war was taxing on both sides, and the invading forces soon began to dwindle. They left towns in ruins, and eventually the remnants of the invading forces converged on Prontera, the one city that still resisted, while a secondary force advanced on St. Capitolina. However, just as quickly as the invasion began, it ended. The demons simply returned to Glast Heim, and the Orcs to their home in the Western Wood. The ravages of the Cullings had wiped out 90% of the human population, a fitting revenge for the horrors of thirty years past. The Western Woods had also been decimated by the Orcish War Machine, and much of it had been torn down for lumber. No longer a lush and unchartable forest, it is easily navigable even to the most amateur explorers.Those that fought in the war refer to it as "the Cullings". However, refugees and those who read of it in the history books remember it as "the Demon Crusades".





Post-Cullings


Midgard enjoyed a decade of relative security. After the Orcs and Demons retreated, the human race was too badly damaged to launch a counterattack, and it was concluded, however tentatively, that they were at peace. Shortly after the end of the Cullings, the elves returned to Midgard, timed almost perfectly with the death of King Kadamos XXII. The elves offered the financial and military assistance the humans sorely needed to rebuild their shattered empire, but shied away from the harsh political upheaval that resulted as Kadamos XXIII rose to power. He expelled the entire infrastructure of aides and ministers his father had appointed, replacing them with a single man. Many heroes of the Demon Crusades, including Zylthis Savonti and the surviving Dream Chasers, spoke out against the new king and the circumstances surrounding his death, but the 'truths' they spoke of were quickly suppressed and have since been lost. Savonti disappeared, and many other opponents of the new crown were either arrested or went into hiding. A martial law was quickly established to prevent the monarchy from attack in this 'state of emergency' that remains intact to this day. Even verbal dissent of the crown is an offense punishable by imprisonment.





Recent History


Midgard enjoyed ten years of relative peace. While the denizens of Glast Heim viciously defended their homestead against explorers, a demon outside of the deepest of dungeons was almost unheard of. However, all of that changed during the tournament, marking the tenth year anniversary of the 'victory' in the demon crusades. Matthew Silverburg, one of the most respected guardsmen in Prontera, revealed himself to be none other than Zylthis Savonti, who took the opportunity to denounce the king before ushering in the first invasion of Orcs into the city since the Cullings.The attacks continued sporadically, and seemingly at random. It was clear the demonic forces could have advanced at any moment, but they relented, as if enjoying the fear and uncertainty that ran rampant through the citizens.Using the Pronteran Guard's ineptitude during the invasions as her major platform, Vergeh Liska rose to power in Alberta. Soon after, Alberta seceded from the monarchy, but maintains its preexisting trade relations. Alberta is now a free state, embracing public discussions, rather than relying on martial law to keep its citizens in line.

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