| Terratin, a beautiful but deadly world where life is brutal and death doesn't mean forever. Terratin is a world ravaged by eons of war. For untold centuries the nations of Terratin fought and warred against one another over now forgotten causes. Magical colleges abandoned pure reasearch and worked to a more martial goal. The entire population was consumed by an unending bloodlust and a Dark Age ruled the land for centuries. It was this lust for power and death that caused the eventual downfall of the world. The beginning of the end occurred in the Kingdom of Vanya, the land of the Gnomes. The gnomes had long ago mastered steam and steel to create weapons of untold destruction. But, the Laapi and Adjar soon followed suit and the Gnomish kingdoms were forced to look toward magics to combat this new threat. They soon discovered that they could combine magic and technology and created a deviced called, "The Ragnarok Engine". They intended to use this device to empower their great machines of destruction. On it first use, the machine proved its true intentions. What the Vanyans could not know was that the device was created from dreams granted a profit, not by a god but by a great evil, a creature called, "Sheyea". Sheyea disguised herself as an angel and appread to the sage, granting him the ability to design the device. In truth, Sheyea worked for a great Vampire Lord, Baraddas. He was determined to find a way to tap the power of Terratin and open a doorway into the realm. As the engine started, a great explosion occurred, opening a rift between the two world and allowing the vampire legions to swarm the populus. It was discovered soon after the blast that everything in the kingdom of Vanya was utterly destroyed. No creature moved...until nightfall. At sunset of that day it became clear to everyone what had truly happened. The vampires' legions swarmed the borders and fought their way into the neighboring lands. Although all of the nations fought bravely, they slowly began to fall and outposts of the dark lords sprang up throughout the continent. It was obvious that no kingdom could truly defend itself alone and a pact was formed among all of the remaining governements to wipe out this threat. Armies that once fought each other to the death, now stood side by side against the onslaught. The combined forces pushed the vampires back, slowly. Entire generations were wiped out and children grew up knowing nothing but battle. Millions died. More than 125 years passed until the vampire legions could no longer withstand the combined forces and were pushed by into the "Black Lands", an area that was once the Kingdom of Vanya and Cerelea, the homelands of the Halflings. As the war ended, the leaders knew that the old prejudices and hatred would spring up agains unless they did something, made some grand gesture to unite the world, for the vampire counts still existed and could strike at any time. With the minimal monies they could gather, each nation dug a great trench, 5 miles wide and three miles deep from the edge of their kindom to the center of the continent. There they created a great lake with an island, the Island of the Free City. The Free City would act as a trading point, a neutral spot for debate and governance. Every resident would be free and equal here. All nations swore allegance to support the Free City and to aid it in times of war. All citizens of Terratin are considered to have citizenship to this small kindom. No one person rules this realm, it is ruled by a counsel of elders representing each kindgom. |
| Terratin, A Brief Historical Perspective. |
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| Terratin is now metal-poor. The constant warring has bankrupted the planet's ready supply. Most of the steel that exists is reforged. A great deal of scrap metal exists, mostly on the battle grounds of the Black Lands. Few are brave enough to retrieve it. |
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| <<<<<Darkblooded, this strange species arose after the war of the Vampire Kings. They usually arose from the rape of young humanoids by one of the undead legions. Darkblooded are not generally trusted since the corrupting evil runs in their veins. |
| The Ecology of the Quickling Dragon |