The Ages of Norune
Age of Darkness
3500 years ago, the world trembled under the shadow of darkness. Monstrous creatures poured from the northern lands of Norune from what is now known as the Moors of Hexen’zhul. These monsters, commanded by a being known as the Dark Lord or the Demon King, assailed the desert elf lands of the Sabhaif Desert before stalking the petty kingdoms and beastman clans of the Great Forest. The dark hordes even began raiding across the seas, threatening the elder kingdoms of man, elf, and dwarf.
From across the known world rise Six Heroes, soon summoned to the Grand Temple of Cerulle in the Old Kingdoms. The Six Heroes were granted weapons crafted by the finest smiths in the Old Kingdoms and blessed by the Archpriests of all the known gods. With the Hero of the Sword as their Captain, the six heroes formed the Band of the Sacred Blades and set forth on their long quest to destroy the Dark Lord and scatter his army.
In the aftermath of their final battle, the dark lord’s city-stronghold of Hexen’zhul was left ruined and his armies splintered, many eventually settling down and forming their own petty kingdoms across Norune or being absorbed by the very crowns they once fought against.
Age of the Heroes (the Sacred Years)
The Heroes returned to the Old Kingdoms and were praised by secular and sacred authorities alike, becoming the subjects of praise and near-worship. The Hero of the Blade was wed to Cerulle’s crown princess, eventually becoming Emperor before ascending at the end of his mortal life. The Hero of the Dagger disappeared from the historical record, though it was said he died and mysteriously resurrected during the final battle and seemed changed in the following months, ascending earlier than his fellow heroes. The Hero of the Spear returned home to the deserts of Norune, eventually settling down and establishing the settlement of Sabhaif Oasis as a safe haven for all who wander. The Hero of the Blade never returned to the life of piracy that marked his youth, but used his newfound wealth and fame to establish several freeports across both continents, some of which have thrived while others have been long abandoned. The twin sisters of the Heroes of Bow and Shield returned home to the forests of Norune and disappeared from the history books, though clans of rangers and druids alike often claim the heroes founded them.
As the centuries passed, the old gods were gradually replaced with the Heroes and the Sacred Temple became the Order of the Sacred Blades in their honor, their stories growing to mythical status.
Age of Colonization
Over the course of millennia, the Old Kingdoms sent out colonists to Norune, seeking to establish expansive pilgrimage sites at locations of battles and importance in their scriptures. Many of these colonies failed, their people lost or returned home. Others, like the colony of Nova Cerulle which was established by a distant descendant of the Hero of the Blade, thrived in their own right and even established their independence from their Old Kingdoms founders.
Norune natives even began returning to the ruins of Hexen’zhul, though the overgrown surroundings resulted in the rebuilding city being renamed Hexenmoor. Clans of the descendants of the Dark Lord’s forces clash often in the lawless streets, seeking to perhaps rise to the title of Demon King. Many of the northern beastkin tribes, once subjugated by the Demon King, began migrating southward to the verdant Great Woods of Norune.
Nova Cerulle too fell on hard times when dark priests of the Temple of the Black Dagger seized control of the city’s cathedral and, eventually, the entire city.
When their monarchy fell to the flame of an outsider, thus began the modern age of Norune.
Age of Cinders
Beginning a century ago, the current Age has seen Norune fall from its golden age to a shadow of its former self. Yet an influx of outsiders has begun, from across the seas and beyond.
Sabhaif Oasis, long abandoned and left to ruin as the desert elves ventured deeper into the desert sands, found new life as a pair of maverick masters known as Hakama and Ati, specializing in servant etiquette was established there, and the settlement began to thrive once more. Founding the institution, Sh’ryi Bar’ankh, dignitaries from near & far would travel to purchase one of these rarities, if they were allowed. Most recently, Ati has departed to unknown destinations with unknown reasons; failing to tell his counterpart where his journey leads.
The Holy Church of Divine Luminance arrived in the lands of Norune, preaching the glories of their God of Light, Oriens, and seeking evils to end. Having heard of the tribulations Nova Cerulle’s people had suffered, their armies soon liberated the city in the Radiant Crusade. However, as the forces of the Holy Church gained entry to the defiled Cathedral, the last Heresiarch of the Temple of the Black Dagger sacrificed himself in a bloody ritual activating ancient magics established at its foundation, causing the city to uproot and fly. In the coming weeks, the city would finally stop, hovering over ancient Sabhaif Oasis.
The ancient city of Hexenmoor, too, was found by the outsiders of the Crimson Hoard, the warring clans and tribes soon suppressed by clawed force in the Scourging of Hexenmoor. The banners of the Hoard now fly over its ancient ramparts.
Will they reignite the flames of Norune’s glory days or will they condemn it to ash?