Lore

(In places slightly edited by Plasia)

All Hail gentlefolk,

Contained herein are the gathered history’s of our strange but beautiful land and maybe the answers to some of your questions about Sorcerors Quest.

1. What are the History’s and why should I read them? These contain the history’s of the races of Caeria and how they arrived. These are unique to Sorcerors Quest and have been created to give a fuller understanding of the races.

2. Where exactly is Caeria? Caeria is based on an “Ireland that might have been” and is set sometime between 1280AD to 1299AD. (This is flexible at the moment). Certain liberty’s have been taken with real history but generally the time line is accurate as far as it suits Caeria.

3. Why do some history’s mention Ireland? In Sorceror Quest, at the moment, Caeria and Ireland both mean the some place.

4.What can’t I do in the shard? Basically be rude to other players, and apart from the arenas, we do not allow PvP, even then both party’s have to agree to this The one thing you cannot do is change Races so think carefully when deciding on this at the start.

5. What is the Guild system? Here is where we differ most from other shards. There are no race restrictions on what guilds you join. True some races may be better at certain things than others but there is nothing to prevent you joining any guild you like. So a Grandmaster Dwarven Mace fighter who does Magic is possible as is a Grandmaster Dwarven Cook who is a Tailor the choice is yours. When you first join you are restricted to 2 guilds, a wise choice is a fighting guild or magic guild and a crafting guild. To gain a 3rd guild you must pass through the “Cave of Trails”. This needs a fighting or magic skill and it is not easy. The crafting guild helps you to earn money as well as doing “Jobs” and “Quests” and you will need lots of money. Once you have got this far you can belong to 10 guilds in all but here again you do need lots and lots of money to do so. Working your way up through a guild will also require you to have a lot of money but just take your time and don’t rush and these things are achievable.

6. So what else should I do? Join the Discord!! This will give you all the latest changes and answer any queries you might have, this is not compulsory but it is very helpful.

So to sum up, Sorcerors Quest is a place of friendly and helpful people who will offer you help if you need it, if you would rather not have help then we will understand and not be upset. The staff, at all levels, are also friendly and will try their hardest to give you any help if you require it.

Hope to see you in game

Dain

The World of Caeria

Caeria A brief history

7000BC to 4000Bc Mesolithic Age

5010BC Fintan (Incarnations: Human, Salmon, Eagle, Hawk, Human) and his tribe arrives in Caeria. They were hunter /gatherers, very inventive and used their environment to its full potential. They had of necessity to be self-sufficient but would have welcomed trade. They probably wore furs, leather and hemp based fabrics; nettles and wool were also used to create fabrics. They may have used bird’s feathers for ornamentation as well as natural dyes from plant sources.

4000BC to 2000BC Neolithic Age

This was the era of the first farmers, more settled peoples who grew their own crops and laid by stores of grains to tide them over the winter. They still hunted and gathered in berries and nuts but now their diet was supplemented on a regular basis by the produce of their crops, and by the domesticated animals they now kept such as pigs, sheep, cattle and hunting dogs that kept predators at bay and warned of intruders.

During this time the first dwellings were started which would grow into villages during the next 1400 years. There were some that rejected this lifestyle of fixed dwellings preferring to live in the style of their fore-fathers and remain close to nature and natural magic. Around 2069BC they broke away and formed the tribe that would eventually become the Shabooli.

2000BC to 600BC Bronze Age

With a reasonably steady supply of food, people had more time to turn to arts and crafts This gave rise to the first Bards and Druids. Tinkers travelled from village to village and traded as they went. Somewhere around this time the first coinage was brought into circulation and the system of bartering slowly declined.

People started learning the art of metallurgy, how to mine and process raw ores and craft them into finished pieces. Gold, silver and copper were the first metals worked, then alloys such as the combination of copper and tin were discovered and the resulting bronze became a prized metal used for weapons and practical objects. Metal smiths became regarded with certain awe. The foundation of the first towns begins.

600BC to 500AD Iron Age

400AD Sorceror build the first rift gate and leaves Caeria forever. A consequence of the rift was that Danu, the moon, also vanishes. 401AD Elves arrive (see Official World History/Elves in Caeria) 433AD Patrick arrives and tries to convert the Druids 435AD Drow arrive following after the Elves 460AD Dwarfs arrive – starts to make iron weapons and mine Mithril (See Official World History/Dwarves in Caeria) 490AD Fintan dies – After 5500 years, the last 90 of these in a human form. 491AD Patrick fails in his mission and returns to Rome, leaving behind a legacy that will take many years to before it impacts on Caeria, the skills of reading and writing.

Not much is known about this period in time and it has been dubbed 'The Caerian Dark Age'. Some written records exist in Rome describing Patrick’s success but as we now know this was stretching the truth a little. All history and lore during this and the following period was retained by the Bards and Druids and recounted orally. It would seem from the evidence so far uncovered that iron use was gradually introduced into Caeria however bronze implements were still very much in use for everyday objects and for ornamentation

500AD to 1000AD Dark Age (The Age of Druids)

Many other races came across the rift in this period – the Elementals, Dragons, Goblins, Trolls, Demons, Vampires, Minotaurs, Lizardmen, Ratmen, Terathan, Giants and a vast variety of Undead.

Interbreeding produces Half Elves and Dark Elves. (See Official World History for information on these two). Nomads and Nemedians swiftly followed and found land to settle on and call their own. (See Official World History/The Races Of Caeria).

Druids hold sway, the myths and legends grew and so did the belief in them. The more people heard the stories, the more they respected nature, thus increasing power given to druids. Some crafting skills became almost forgotten. However reading and writing were becoming slightly more wide spread leading to the rise of Scribes during this period.

Also as people accumulated more personal wealth it was no longer safe to keep everything either buried or stored at home in chests. Travelling brought on an increased risk of being robbed so the first Banks were formed. This gave a need for quick communication between banks and led to the start of the pigeon post system and the first post offices.

The scarcity of contemporary written history and material cultural achievements in general, often depicted as a time of backwardness. However the melting pot of races also produced some of the finest metal work and jewellery in the known world.

1000AD to 1300AD High Middle Age (Medieval)(The Age of Lore)

1012AD Lore uses a riftgate and Danu, the moon, returns. The guilds start to form. (See Official World History/Lore Starts the Guilds) Fomorians invaded Caeria in force in 1169 (See Official World History) and soon established themselves throughout most of the country, though their stronghold was the southeast. Knights became common in the 11th century, and tournaments were invented. Although the heavy capital investment in horse and armour was a barrier to entry, knighthood became known as a way for serfs to earn their freedom. In the 12th century. Ethical warfare was promoted and inspired the formation of orders of chivalry, such as the Virtue Guard.

Protection from famine allowed Caeria's population to increase. This increased population contributed to the founding of new towns and an increase in industrial and economic activity during the period. Food production also increased during this time as new ways of farming were introduced, including the use of a heavier plough, horses instead of oxen, and a three-field system that allowed the cultivation of a greater variety of crops than the earlier two-field system - notably legumes, the growth of which prevented the depletion of important nitrogen from the soil.

Festivals of Caeria

Time Line – Caeria Present Day Place - Vale Inn

Dain looked around the crowded inn, it seemed that there were people from all over Caeria here for the festival. “Well that will do the innkeepers profits some good,” he thought to himself. “I suppose I better get started.”

“I welcome you all and am pleased to see so many here. I am Dain the Lore Keeper for those of you who do not know and am here to talk to you about the festivals.”

It surprised him that, even though he was getting on in years, his voice still cut through the general hubbub.

“ For those of you new to Caeria we have four main festivals every year. The one that is approaching is called Samhain or Summer’s End, then Yule, Imbolc and Beltane or Our Shining One follow in that order. Now a little bit of background to these is called for. When Fintan and his followers came to Caeria they brought this custom with them, if fact nobody knows how old it really is, and Fintan oversaw these and dedicated them to the moon goddess Danu and the sun god Belenos. Under Fintan’s wise rule the people prospered and the festivals became larger and all was good with the world.”

Here Dain paused for a moment to let this sink in.

“ Now we come to the age of the Sorceror and that changed everything. Can you imagine looking up one night and finding Danu had vanished? That was a shock, people thought the Gods had forsaken them and thus began Fintan’s decline. This is where the Druids stepped in they took over the running of the festivals but to two new gods Bel and Druantia. This carried on for many years and people began to forget there were once a moon; it became the thing of myths and legends. Luckily nature has its own immovable time clock and at Beltane the may flower bloomed, at Samhain the deer rutted, which explains why at this time of year you see druids wearing antlers as headdress. This time we know as the Age of Druids.”

Dain looked at the crowd, they were still listening to him, and even the small children were quiet.

“Now we come to the present day or the Age of Lore. This started when Danu suddenly reappeared in the sky once more. Now of course the Druids were not going to lose the prestige that had built up over many years so they claimed that Danu return was caused by their devotions, Druantia was quietly dropped and replaced by Danu. The people of Caeria were happy and the festivals continued as they had become by now a tradition and it was unthinkable for these to be conducted by any one else than Druids. Well that’s the background. Any questions?”

“Why do the festivals centre on Vale and not elsewhere?” asked a voice from the crowd.

“Its all to do with the Golden Apple Tree,” replied Dain. “Few have been fortunate to see it but it does exist and Vale is the closest place to where it grows.”

“I am new to this land what are we celebrating?” called out another.

“Well Samhain marks the first day of winter and the start of the long night, its when the cattle and sheep come in from their summer pastures to the shelter of stable and byre. The hay that will feed them during the winter must be stored in sturdy thatched ricks, tied down securely against storms. Those destined for the table will be slaughtered and the meat salted, after being ritually devoted to the Crone Goddess Bronach. All the harvest must be gathered in -- barley, oats, wheat, turnips, and apples. So that is a lot of work but at the end of it merchants will travel here with strange goods to sell, there will be food for all and we will light giant bonfires. It will be a time of games and puzzles that all can join in. Then the ashes from the fires will be sprinkled over the fields to protect them during the winter months -- and of course, that also improves the soil.”

Dain took a sip of water and continued.

"Yule, This feast takes place on the longest, darkest night of the year. Yule is a festival of peace and a celebration of waxing solar light. Many honoured the forthcoming Sun child by burning an oaken Yule log and giving of gifts, and honoured the Goddess in her many Mother aspects. The Father God was also honoured in various forms: as the Holly King."

"Imbolc, or "in milk", comes next, the lactation period of ewes and cows. Ewes are unable to produce milk until after they bear their young, which occurs at this time. Since milk was very important to our survival, this was a time of great joy. It meant that the end of a long winter was in sight, and green pastures were only a few months away. During the Imbolc ritual it is customary to pour milk (or cream) onto the earth. This is done in thanksgiving, as an offering of nurturing, and to assist in the return of fertility and generosity of the earth to its people (the return of Spring). Imbolc was celebrated in honour of Brighid the daughter of Dagda. At Imbolc, Brighid was pregnant with the seed of the Sun. She was ripe with the promise of new life, as the seeds of the earth deep within its soil begin to awaken at this time, ripe with the promise of Spring, new life for the planet.

“Beltane on the other hand is a time of fertility and unbridled merrymaking, when young and old would spend the night in the Greenwood. In the morning, they would return to the village bearing huge budding boughs of hawthorn (the may-tree) and other spring flowers with which to bedeck themselves, their families, and their houses. They would process back home, stopping at each house to leave flowers, and enjoy the best of food and drink that the home had to offer. In every village, the maypole—usually a birch or ash pole—was raised, and dancing and feasting began. Jumping between two Beltane fires is sure to bring good fortune, health to your livestock, and prosperity. I think that covers everything you need to know. I wish you all a good Samhain.”

The crowd broke into applause and with that ringing in his ears Dain resumed his seat.

Races of Caeria

How the Races was Won (sic)

As has been recounted elsewhere, ancient Caeria was essentially like all other lands on earth before the rift was opened. The sun and the moon shone in the sky and the Gods were active in the heavens and taking a keen interest in the affairs of men.

All eyes in heaven were on a magician in Caeria called Sorceror. The Gods were looking forward to the changes that were about to occur. Truth to be told, they were guiding Sorceror to his fate.

At the time of Sorceror, Caeria was a collection of small human settlements. The population was low but was united under the kingship of Fintan the Wise for a few scant years of unusual prosperity. Caeria had been invaded many times throughout its history and often more than once in a generation, so the sturdy folk were always expecting and working to prepare for the next inevitable landing of invaders.

However, this time the unexpected happened. The next invasion happened from within. One night the hardworking folk noticed that the moon was missing from the sky. Fintan called for Sorceror to explain what was happening, but he was nowhere to be found. Then magicians started reporting that they were finding it much harder to cast spells. They would often fail in their attempts and some spells had even become too difficult to cast.

Then a few weeks later, a band of human shaped figures walked into an inland town. They looked somehow alien and could not be understood despite many attempts to converse. Eventually they left and disappeared. The stories spread to the villages of the tall strangers with strange skin who spoke a musical unknown language. Thus men first met the Elves and not for the last time, were puzzled by each other.

But the world linked through the rift to Caeria was teeming with many different friendly and warlike races and soon many crossed over to join them.

The first two races to cross were the Elves followed by the Drow. Although obviously related in many physical ways, the Drow were dark and warlike as opposed to the peaceful and fair Elves. These two races were the key to the new life in Caeria.

The Elves formed a community and mostly lived together in the town they called Avalone in the centre of a forest. Eventually the Elves would befriend men and eventually even breed with them through magic means to form a mixed race called the Halfelves. Elves had few children of their own because of the reduced magic in the land.

The Halfelves never knew the other world and they grew up being accepted by both Elves and Men. Halfelves found a great affinity with the forests although they were not suited to magic. They could live with men or Elves but were physically more like men.

Meanwhile the Drow had no central government and bred rapidly preferring to live on the edge of forests. They were masters of war and very persistent in their attacking and hatred of men. Although they preferred to live underground in their old world, the light was different in Caeria, softer and dimmer, and the Drow learned to live above ground and prosper.

However, the Drow were not united, and soon a large band formed and vanished from the sight of other Drow. The Drow never forgot them and regarded them as traitors to their race. This breakaway community vowed to turn aside from evil and discovered the Elves at Avalone. After much work and use of Elven lore, they were successfully stripped of their evil nature. They worked hard to distance themselves from their Drow forefathers in all their detested practices and eventually gained lighter skin through intermarriage and by not practicing the foul rituals of the Drow. Not wishing to have anything to do with the Drow, they began calling themselves the Darkelves. Eventually they left Avalone and lived as communities in the villages of men.

The Elves, Darkelves and Halfelves have managed to become distinctly separate races in Caeria. However it is thought they would one day become one race. They all have humans as friends and all hate the Drow.

The other main sentient race that came across the rift was impressed with the mountains and prospects of some rich and rewarding mining. Shorter and sturdier than Elves, the Dwarves took to Caeria instantly and their jovial nature won them many friends. Dwarves live happily amongst men, less so amongst the Elven races, but mostly they enjoy the sight of a rich vein of rock as long as they have a supply of ale close by. However, despite their manner, the Dwarves posses a rich culture and are fighters of reknown.

Many other races came across the rift too – the Elementals, Dragons, Goblins, Trolls, Demons, Vampires, Minotaurs, Lizardmen, Ratmen, Terathan, Giants and a vast variety of Undead. They all spread out in the land and gained a foothold. Eventually a balance was struck and the flood of new inhabitants across the rift slowed to a trickle.

Another group came across the rift that appeared to be totally human in appearance. However, they had absolutely no society or industry of their own, preferring to survive by simply raiding and moving on to the next area. Men called them the Nomads.

Meanwhile the rest of the world was still invading and waging war on poor tiny Caeria. The Nemedians invaded and gained a foothold. However, the population was high enough that they could not conquer the whole land and remained in their own corner. These seemed to be mostly practisers of dark arts and never mixed with men or elves.

Finally a race came to Caeria from across the ocean that would normally have conquered it, but who found that there were simply too many people of all races to ever subdue. These were the Fomorians. These are a notable race of men who simply valued pride and honour above all else. They mastered the use of fine weapons and are born leaders. A Fomorian would never think of interbreeding with a human let alone attempting it with another race. Eventually they mixed with the other friendly races in the land but they never for one instant forgot that they were Fomorian.

In 970AD a child was born on the Isle of Mann that would affect the course of the world, though no one knew that at the time. A weak scrawny child, who’s mother died giving birth to him, he amazing the Druids by his inner strength as he fought for life. So did Lore enter our history raised by the Druids his skill in Druidism leapt forwards at a rapid rate and 30 years latter was the only person able to translate Druidic Runes into the current language of the time. He travelled far and wide in his search for new runes and 1002AD found him a member of Brian Boru’s court. He was now 32 and no sign of the weak child remained, the years had been kind to him and a sturdy middle-aged man now stood there for all to see. Rated as one of the best scholars in the known world he was a friend of kings in England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland and had helped in the formation of treaties between these countries, and even manage to get the Vikings to come to Boru’s treaty table. A feat thought by many to be impossible. Thus did Lore become the power behind the throne.

Then one day a group of elves,Dovesi, Amanath, Draniel, Killian, Ocato and Fathis, sought audience with the King and brought tales of strange and dangerous monsters in the remote mountains of Ireland and talk of a rift between worlds that enabled them to pass through for the past then years. On hearing this a bell went of in Lore’s head and he remembered ancient runes that spoke of a Sorceror. He begged the King to let him investigate these tales, little knowing how long it would take him, and the King agreed. This was the last people saw of him for 12 long years and although Brian Boru sent out search parties for him no sign of Lore could be found. Then one day after strange happenings he reappeared at court having been living among the Elves and learning a great deal from them and the the Elves had been only to happy to keep him hiden.

Thus began the Age Of Druids by the men of Caeria although the Darkelves preferred to write their own history and thought of it more as the age of Magic. Either way, the land of Caeria changed once again as Lore closed the rift and returned the moon and the full magic again to the land.

As time past and the guilds grew so did Lores power. He grew rich and his influence over the Kings increased, as kings always need money and Lore was prepared to lend them huge sums. till finally he obtained an agreement that the King of Ireland should oversee the Isle of Mann. In truth the Isle was under Lore's protection and the druids florised again. Lore then proceeded to built his castle on the Calf of Mann where he resides even unto the present time

written by OldnGrey amended by Dain

Vale Island and Town

When Fintan had returned home and gathered all that wished to follow him they came to Caeria. The number was small to start with, a mere fifty or so souls, and Caeria was vast. So in his wisdom Fintan chose the Island of Vale for their first dwelling place. Thus it was that humans trod this beautiful land.

The island was an inspired choice; the long coastline made line fishing easy and a large cave system provided instant shelter, driftwood made good fuel and with food, shelter and warmth they settled down for the first night.

Morning saw the start of the founding of Vale Town. It was never going to be what anyone could call posh or upper class, it was just a place to settle while things improved then to move on. Driftwood and turfs made the first roundhouse and thus provided a place to craft and it was in these surroundings that a thing unique to Caeria was founded, Skills and crafts were not gender dependant if you could do the job you were left to get on with it. [This of course was for very practical reasons with women out numbering men by 10 to 1] Also this gave rise to the highly independent women of Caeria, with the flashing eyes and the toss of the long hair, that demanded more from men than others did and who would be the role models for every female to follow after them.

Time passed by and the number of dwellings grew, new skills were learned and old ones adapted things moved on in leaps and bounds, now could Fintan, with an established base behind him, move on to the mainland proper, here again he took only a chosen few but this time the mainland was settled and trading took place between the two settlements.

With the opening up of the mainland Vale became more and more of a backwater with people only visiting there for the four annual craft fares and this was the way things remained until the opening of the rift.

Although the arrival of the new races, in bulk, did not affect Vale directly, the arrival of an odd person now and then did. It seemed as if the Gods had plucked these travellers from other lands, and indeed, other worlds and placed them purposely in Vale. It was quickly realized that helping these travellers was beneficial to both parties and Vale once more started on the way up becoming the neat and modest town that it is now.

However there are rumours of a large Gold strike in another place and people are starting to get itchy feet: - Will Vale survive? That remains to be seen.

A story by Dain

On Dark Elves

Time Line – Caeria as it is now Place – The Golden Elf Inn in Tara

Ashon looked at the young dark elves seated around the table, there weren’t many of them just eight, but this was more of a fort than a town so he couldn’t expect more.

"Good morning," he said, "I am Ashon. Ryhssa has asked me to give you a lesson on the history of your race. So lets start by finding out what you do know already. Does anyone know why the Elves came to Caeria?"

All eight hands shot up and he picked one a random. "To escape the Drow." said one. Another said "The Elves wanted to live in peace and avoid the constant fighting."

"Yes those are very good answers, for that is what you have been taught. There is a bit more to it of course, but we won't go into that now." said Ashon, "And what do you know about the Drow?"

"Please Sir they are nasty wicked people that like to kill others, my father says that they should be wiped from the face of Caeria because they do lots of really naughty things."

"Good! They do have some very nasty habits, which I won’t go into now. But if I told you that Elves and Drow are related, would that be a shock?"

The stunned silence that followed told him that it would. He carried on, "They are like two sides of the same coin with the Elves being good and the Drow being evil. But there was one big difference; here on Caeria the Elves had difficulty having children while the Drow who came after them multiplied like rabbits, and soon there were far more Drow than Elves. Has everyone grasped that?" Heads nodded in reply around the table. "So the Elves built Avalone deep in the forest and managed to hold off the Drow there. Now you’re asking yourselves ‘What has this to do with me?’ well that’s the background to the whole thing. Is everyone clear about what happened?"

He paused waiting to see if there were any questions, there were none so he continued. "And where to Dark Elves come from?" said Ashon. "From the Elves," replied the class. "Well we say that the Drow were all wicked and evil but that was not the case. Some Drow had seen the way Elves lived and liked that way of living, I suppose we could call them ‘liberal’ Drow, but the hard-line Drow hated them and called them traitors to the Drow way of life. Well soon there was a largish band of the ‘liberal’ Drow who started to try and change other Drow to their way of peace and love for others. This was a step too far and the other Drow took to killing them on sight. So one night they all fled to Avalone and asked the Elves for protection. The Elves were only too glad to give it to them as they had heard about the strange Drow and it solved their problem of labour. They could use these new Drow for hunting and harvesting and manual labour while they themselves got on with the arts and crafts that they loved. So there was a two-tiered society Elves at the top and ‘liberal’ Drow at the bottom and it all worked very well, some of the Drow even becoming very rich.

"As I said Drow bred like rabbits while the Elves had fewer and few children, Elves had by now started to marry humans so the next step was for them to marry ‘liberal’ Drow, they were after all related. In no time at all there were children everywhere, darker than Elves but lighter than Drow and a new name was coined for them ‘Dark Elves’. Soon there was no room for everyone in Avalone and group of them headed for the coast and built this Fort here at Tara, till population pressure forced some to move down to what is now Derry, but remember Tara is the Dark Elves home. Also, and this is important, every single one of you has Drow forbearers. That is the end of this lesson. Any questions?"

The children were reeling from this revelation and there weren’t any.

"Just wait 'til I tell my dad" he heard from one of them, he smiled at Ryhssa and made his way back to his seat and a glass of ale.

A story by Dain.

Race History

Humans

The bard finished his song and placed his harp back beside him, took a sip of his ale and began to recount this tale.

"Far back in the mists of time did Fintan the Wise come from the east to Fair Caeria. Foremost among his tribe and beloved of the Gods boldly he strolled the fields forests and mountains, tasted the sweet crystal clear waters, breathed in the fresh flower scented air, watched as the salmon leapt as they fought their way upstream, and marvelled at the beasts of the fields.

"This would be a perfect place for himself and his tribe to live. Here was space in abundance, the forests would provide all the timber for building, there were ores in the mountains for metal work, sandy beaches for glass, clay to make pots and roof tiles, and gold and precious stones for the jewellery that his people loved. Indeed it was a paradise but one small problem still remained - the warriors that would follow him to this new land he could but count on one hand, the rest would be women, mainly widows from the ceaseless wars between tribes. How could he defend this new land?"

Here the bard cleared his throat and took another sip of his ale, then return to his tale.

"The answer was with the Gods, Fintan looked to the sky and asked, 'Will this land be mine and my descendents for ever?' The reply came back like the sound of a rolling thunderstorm 'As long as the sun and moon are in the sky then this land will remain yours and those who shall follow on from you. None else shall dwell here. This we promise.'

"So with this promise ringing in his ears Fintan returned home and gathered all that wished to follow him and they came to Caeria. Thus it was that the first humans trod this beautiful land. The number was small to start with a mere fifty or so souls but as time went by the numbers increased. Perhaps it was the magic that had something to do with this but families of ten or more became common within a few scant years. Young boys grew into brave warriors and craftsmen, young girls into beautiful women, who were also trained to fight if need be. A collection of huts became a village and soon a town, and thus was Cork established.

"Small villages sprung up all over Caeria as the population increased. Soon merchants travelled between these selling goods from the city and returning with food and other raw materials. These villages grew into towns and everyone prospered.

"Now other eyes were focused on Caeria and time and time again tribes jealous of the riches tried to invade the land but true to the Gods' promise each time they were driven back into the sea.

"All that dwelt there were happy. Art flourished and study of the magic took place, Bards and Mages wandered the land learning more and more of its secrets and a time of great prosperity was had by one and all. Around this time gold coinage was invented and the very rich became bankers with a bank in every town. Houses became mansions a sign of people’s wealth and status in society and all was good with life under Fintan the Wise.

"Then at the end of Fintan's long and prosperous rule came the time of the Sorceror but that is a tale for another day."

A tale by Dain.

Dwarves

Time Line - Around AS 100 Place - Caeria Background - Balin Leaf blade's Adventures (For fuller details of Balin read Alois Hammers "Dwarves and Druids" in the Player's Lounge forum)

Balin and his small group of Warders stood in awe as they looked around them. So this is where the elves had moved to, and no wonder. Elves and dwarves had always been friends but it was only lately that the elves had told Balin about the portal that led to this land. They looked on the lush green pastures that rolled away into large forests and above everything the mountains reared their lofty peaks. "This was the way the Malachite Mountains must have looked when they were first discovered." thought Balin. He hitched up his trousers and led the warders to a nearby rocky outcrop; here they examined the rocks to check for any ore that might be present. There were traces of iron and copper, so that was a good start as ore was the one thing they could not replace on the home world and supplies were running out.

Next they turned their attention to the nearby town. The elves had told Balin about the strange race that lived there; humans they called themselves.But the elves had said they were a friendly folk so now was the time to find out. Gripping their mauls tightly they walked into the town. People did stop and stare as they passed by but there was no sign of hostility. Balin was surprised at two things: first of all these people were tall, well to a dwarf anyway, secondly he was with filled wonder at why, with concentration, he could understand some of that they were saying. The language was much like his own. "Mummy why do those children have beards?" was a question he heard being asked. He turned in amazement and looked at the child then stroked his beard in wonder at which everyone burst into laughter. This broke the ice and people gathered around to see the newcomers.

"Metal?", he asked as he pointed to the swords that hung at the belts of some of the men folk. One of the men gestured for the dwarves to follow him and led the way to a small blacksmiths shop where the dwarves entered.

[Note the following took place in broken English and sign language. It has been converted for the reader's benefit]

A solidly built man was hammering away at the anvil, while two others were crushing rocks for the ore to be smelted. It was primitive by dwarven standards but at least it seemed to be working. "Do you mind if we look around?" asked Balin. "Help yourselves," came the reply. They did so, examining the various items that awaited polishing and sharpening, and Balin came to the conclusion that whilst the workmanship was pretty good, the metal could be improved.

Balin reached into his backpack and produced three bottles of finest dwarven ale which he handed to the humans. They sipped at it slowly at first but soon the bottles were empty. "This is wondrous stuff! Have you any more?" said the smith. Balin produced enough for everyone in the smithy and soon humans and dwarves were drinking ale together for the first time. And thus dwarven ale and amazing hangovers came to Caeria.

Balin pointed to the ore cart that stood beside the door. "Is ore like that hard to find here?" "No the mountains are full of it. It's easy to find and there are all kinds of ore out there, most of which I can use, but that stuff," he pointed to a small pile of pale silvery ore, "That's just rubbish. Find it sometimes in with the iron ore but can't do anything with it."

Balin's heart leaped at the sight - it was mithril! Now, even back in their home world, mithril was a very rare ore and one that the dwarves had worked with hard and long to learn its secrets. Yes it was easy to mine but smelting was another matter. Even in the dwarves' skilled hands over half the ore was lost, and the few ingots that had been obtained were very difficult to work, But it was far stronger and lighter than any other metal they had known, which made all their efforts worthwhile. If there was more here then this was the place to be. This made up his mind. They would return home and tell the clan leaders what they had found.

Having heard his report, the clans voted unanimously to move to Caeria and the dwarvish migration started.

A story by Dain.

Elves

Time Line - Caeria as it is now Place - The Forest around Avalone Background - Aynora, Elven clan master is addressing a group of Elves wishing to join the clan.

"Alright gather 'round. The reason we are in the forest today is because its difficult to take the archery test indoors but I can tell you that you have all passed," She said. "Over the past week you have all taken and passed the tests in taming, hiding and stealth, so I welcome you to the clan. Now it should be made clear that these are the basic standards you need to reach and you are going to need a lot more work on all of these. Then there is the little matter of clan fees as well. It will cost you 100 gold pieces a week to belong to the clan, but you can ask for quests to help you cover that and gain points for items you can't normally buy elsewhere. Knowing all this do you still wish to join?" The answers came in the affirmative.

"Good. Now there is one more thing I have to tell you before we return home, so sit down and make yourselves comfortable. You may eat and drink if you wish just as long as you listen." She waited while everyone became seated.

"What I am about to tell you is how Elves came to Caeria, around 800 AD as the himans here record time. Dovesi, Amanath, Draniel, Killian, Ocato and Fathis these are six names you must remember." Here she paused to let the names sink in. "For without these brave elves there would be no elves here at all. Back on the world we used to live on things were going seriously wrong, the Drow were growing in numbers and magic had diminished, so there were less and less Elves as we need magic for our numbers to grow. Anyway one day these six were exploring and came across a cave that none of them had ever seen before. They pressed on into the cave and at the end was a portal. Now were did it lead they didn't know but they made the decision to enter the portal.

"This would affect Elves forever. Dovesi and Fathis went first, for these were the best archers, whilst their friends wait to see what would happen. After what seemed ages, but in actuality only ten minutes, Fathis stepped back through the portal 'Come you have to see this,' he said excitedly and they all followed him back through the portal. What awaited them astounded them. The first thing they felt was the greater amount of magic present in the air more like it used to be at home. Then they beheld the sight of rolling green fields and proper ancient forests that seemed to go on for miles and miles. The only thing that seemed to spoil all this was a small town about a half a mile away. Who dwelt there and were they friendly? Well there was only one way to find out.”

"Using their hiding and stealth skills they moved in closer with bows always at the ready. Soon sounds of laughter reached their ears, true it was a little alien, but it was definitely laughter then wonders of wonders the sound of a harp and the blessed sounds of children playing. Ocato remarked that people that played a harp couldn't be that bad but they did need some lessons in playing So Amanath, Draniel, Killian, Ocato walked into the town whilst Dovesi and Fathis remained to cover them if they had to retreat quickly.”

"The people that lived in the town were that strange race called humans. Strange because even now after many generations we don't fully understand them, and the sight of the four heroes caused a silence to fall upon them and even the harp and children fell silent. But in spite of this not a hand was raised against the four. The humans did try and communicate but their language was rough to Elven ears and they did not understand the soft musical language of elves at all.”

"It was Ocato who solved the problem. He seated himself at the harp and began to play. The humans were stunned by the quality of his playing and the children gathered around the elves with no fear on their faces at all. They cheered and clapped when he had finished. Food and water were produced and given to the elves. The humans somehow failed to notice that what had been four now had become six elves as the others quietly joined in. Ocato started to play again. Thus was the first contact made between the two races aided by the language of music and the trust of children.”

"With the coming of night it was noticed that humans were deprived of a light source and were almost blind, so using the cover of night our six heroes slipped away. For a few weeks they travelled the countryside, visiting a human village now and then and always with the same result, indeed as news of their wanderings spread they found themselves made welcome in these places with food and water being provided in exchange for a few melodies played on a harp. Everywhere they went the children were the first to show trust.

"Finally they found themselves here in this forest which was perfect for the needs of their people. Now with their minds made up they travelled back to the portal and passed through, returning with the rest of the elves to this fair land and here we have lived ever since. Now it wasn't easy for those first few generations of settlers, first the Drow came, and always the magic was barely enough to maintain their population. Young elves became rare which lead to the interbreeding that made the half elves and dark elves.

"But then one night the moon appeared in the sky and magic increased at a rapid rate. Because of this our race has expanded again and I am glad to welcome you all to the clan. Erm one more thing don't forget to pay the clan dues."

A story by Dain

Half Elves

Time Line: - Between After Sorceror 1 [AS1] and After Lore [AL1] There is one sun in the sky and magic is becoming rare.

“Grandpa why are you and grandma different colours? I mean your sort of pinkish and she is blue. Mummy and daddy are the same light blue colour like me. Why aren’t you two?”

The question rocked the old man to the core, how could he explain it to his grandchild? He gathered his thoughts together and looked at his wife for help but she just smiled at him.

“Well you see its like this, I am a human and grandma she is an elf. Your mummy, our daughter, is what they call now days a half elf and so is your dad and so are you. Your little ones and their little one will be half elves as well, no matter who you marry.”

He sat back hoping that this would satisfy the youngster but he was wrong.

“But why are mummy and daddy half elves. Is part of them missing?”

He thought about this last question for a while before replying.

“Well I suppose in a way there is, Grandma is very good a magic but your mum is useless at it but out there in the forest she is terrific, she has all the skills you need to live there. I remember when I first met your Grandma, she had just killed a rabbit and was trying to make a fire to cook it on, and she wasn’t very good at that.”

Memories of that first meeting came unbidden to him now and he started to ramble on.

“I’d never seen anyone as beautiful and graceful as she was and when she spoke it was like music playing in her voice. I think I fell in love with her right then and there and I love her just as much today. I knew that I wanted her to be my wife right then and there but there was a problem in those days. Elves married elves and humans married humans, the races never mixed.”

“I fell in love with you too,” said his wife. “ So big and strong you were and so handsome and all that hair, it was long in those days.” She gave a little laugh, which sounded like bells tinkling.

“ Anyway,” the old man carried on. “I made a fire for her and we just sat and talked. Found out we liked a lot of things in common then I walked her home. That’s when the problems started, the way her family carried on you’d have thought that she had brought a goblin home with her, but on that long walk home we had agreed to see each other again and so we did. Now it wasn’t easy by any means, my family liked her but her family that was another matter; there was no way they would agree to us meeting, so in the end we ran away and got married by a tinker, he made us such lovely rings as well. Turned out we weren’t the only ones to do this, your daddy’s dad was an elf and he married a human, very pretty girl as I recall, but goblins killed them both when your daddy was still a young lad. Well after a couple of years the Gods blessed us with your mummy, she had a hard time growing up for although elves and humans had got closer together she was neither one or the other. Found out that humans accepted her for herself but elves didn’t want to know her I suppose that is what gives her the inner strength she has.

Then in time she met your daddy and we gave her a wondrous wedding for we were glad she had found happiness then the God’s blessed her with you, little one.”

"Don’t the Gods like elves then? There are more of us half -elves than them?"

His pipe had gone out and he slowly refilled thus gaining a few minutes of solid concentration then he resumed. "Ah it is the lack of magic in the world today that causes that. They need magic to have little ones. So marriages between elves and humans have become more common these days."

“What about dark elves, they are not like us are they?”

The old man chuckled, “That’s enough questions for now, it is time for our supper.”

A story by Dain

Dark Elves