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It has been a little over a century since the Old Coast cities were swallowed up in the swamps. Everyone had expected an attack, something powerful and supernatural, to come from the dense swamp to the south that took less than a decade to completely devour half of a nation. And they were almost correct. But when the half-breed forces of Vallatzaluk, or "The Black One", an evil reptilian creature spawned from the earth itself, came from the North out of the hills, they took the peoples of the land by suprise, pushing them back against the harsh swamplands that the Black One himself had created. Perhaps one of Vallatzulak's few mistakes was ignoring the the differences between the humanoid races, and attacking them all equally, and simultaneously. Despite decades of squables and small skirmeshes, the humans and the goblinoid races of the region joined forces, allying against this powerful enemy. They mounted a valliant defense, but even with the different races pooling their resources, they still were being beaten back by the cunning and powerful dragon prince. The leaders of the land decided that the needed to make a sound assault on the draconic forces, combining every tactic and resource to make one, desperate, assault, seeking to penetrate the lines of soldiers to strike at the Dark One himself. The serpentine son of Mother Earth, confident in his power, met the humanoid forces on the battle field. The battle was bloody, and though valiant and courageous, the humanoids were being defeated. Then, as the soldiers were being worn down, driven back, covered in blood, mud, and tears, they heard the sound of war-horns and battle drums coming from further up the mountain. At first, they were filled with dread at the thought of even more troops coming to the Black One's aid. But then, as they noticed the disarray in the draconic soldiers. The Dwarves, long thought a myth, burried deep within their mountain fortresses, had now come to the aid of the lower region peoples. The mighty warrior craftsman, at full strength and stamina, come crushing down on Vallatzaluk's forces, pinning them between the Low-region forces and their own. In one crushing blow, the humanoid forces defeated the evil Dragon Lord, AND his forces. That was about a decade ago. Then, this last harvest season, a new threat came to assault this battered region. From the south, the thick and daunting swamp that has loomed so close to the cities of men, terrible creatures have been coming in waves during specific times, seemingly following the phases of the moon, attacking in hordes from the rivers that are so vital to the peoples survival. When the first attacks happened the southernmost cities were devastated, with few survivors, but with subsequent attacks the people have been better able to defend themselves. Now, with the knowledge that another attack is soon approaching, the people have decided to make their first real counter-attack, striking to stop the assault before it happens. |
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