Setting:Tabula Gloria/Benalor
A Brief History
It is said that the first King of Benalor was forged in the mighty metals of the mountains in which the Empire called home. While that is certainly not the case, the greatest contribution of the Benaloran people was their mechanical creations. The mountains made for an extremely difficult place for people to live, but they have always were one step ahead throughout their history. They are theorized to be the first people to learn how to make and use tools, as well as learning how to improve upon them. This rich history of ingenuity eventually became ingrained into their very culture. With this tradition, it wouldn’t be too much to assume that they were the first of the Old Empires to form.
The first King of Benalor, Copal, was known to be an ever-busy man, always looking for new ways to solve problems. He came to power as the people had to band together under duress, fell creatures overflowing from the steppe to the east and the forests of the north and south were making their way into their precious mountains. Their rock and bone weapons could not last against the incessant waves of the monstrous horde besieged upon them. It was Copal who figured out how to forge weapons in the metals of the mountain, formerly relegated only as a decorative material. With these new, longer lasting arms, the Benalorans were able to drive the creatures back to the foothills of the mountains.
From there, the advances were rapid. The metals were also used to fortify homes and buildings upon the mountains. Further advances were made into making these metal weapons and constructs more durable. Then there was crude, man-powered machinery, the lever and pulley. Once that happened, the machinery only got more complex and more efficient. By this time, many Benalorans were starting to understand the mysteries of mana and using it to create magical effects. This was unsurprisingly applied to the machinery, advancing it into mind-boggling creations run without man or beast of burden. They soon became a feared power, holding sway over the developing Weylosians to the southwest and becoming a powerhouse in trade, able to retain that position for a while due to their distance from the powerful Vashialian people to the far west.
But things would not go in the Benalorans’ favor. First there was the Weylosian betrayal, in which the former ally sent spies to learn about their higher technologies so they could make them their own. Now at war with the Weylosians, they sought entry into the Central Lands to increase their holdings and to gain a strategic advantage. In due time, this dragged Benalor into the dreaded Three-Way War. After suffering insurmountable losses in the Central Lands, Benalor became the first of the Old Empires to back out of the war, the pride of the Empire in shambles. During this recession of power, there were attempts to bring Benalor back into prominence. The largest of these attempts was the World Engine of Bjalfi, animated by Nytherio Siev to become a walking mountain. It however went rogue and was eventually reprogrammed to wander in an unpopulated part of the Empire.
In a last ditch effort to rekindle their status as the first and the best Empire, Benalor launched the Heavenrider Program under King Esteg III to seek possibly greater gains in the Heavens Above. They built magnificent technology to accomplish this task, the likes of which never seen or imagined even by the technologically savvy laymen of the Empire. The launch of the Heavenriders towards the sky was successful, that in and of itself sending the Empire into a delirious celebration. Over time though, the gifted Heavenriders would never return, bringing immense political pressure unto the Benaloran government. But then one of them came back, falling to the ground like a shooting star blazing through the night sky. Though it was indeed the body of a Heavenrider, even in its signature uniform, the voice was of a denizen of the Heavens Above foretelling the Empire’s doom for trying to escape their place on the world.
The stories of Benalor’s end vary only in what the creature, the Wight, told the witnesses of his fall to the mountains. Though the words conveyed by the creature could be interpreted differently, the meaning is all the same. A brilliant bolt of light shot down from the Heavens Above, piercing through the Imperial Seat, causing a fireball that shot back towards the Heavens as if in protest. All of this was followed by a deafening boom which rang through the ancient mountains, the sonic blast followed by a maelstrom of debris and fire in every direction.
The only survivors of the catastrophe were those who had evacuated to the Gate, an evacuation shelter they had built during the development of the Heavenrider Program for the slight possibility that something like this would happen. However, the refugees had only locked themselves inside the massive machine, unable to go back out after the dust settled. They too would die, but with a whimper. Dehydration, starvation, and madness gripped those unfortunate enough to have escaped the blast, leaving them inside their massive coffin. And such was the end of the First Empire. First to exist. First to fade away.
Peoples
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Places of Interest
- The Ebony Tower: The former center of Benaloran knowledge and culture, a place arguably more important to current scholars than the destroyed capital.
- The World Engine: An entire mountain range animated by the incredible skills of a Shaper; now roams in the sparsely populated mountains of the north.
- The Gate: A colossal evacuation shelter which was intended to save Benalor's people in a time of crisis, but only became their doom in their time of need.
- The Scab Pillar: An organic, sentient pillar encountered on the western edge of the mountains, created by unknown means.
- The Grand Mountain Zeigurr: One of the highest peaks of the mountains seemingly of religious significance; also a hotbed of seismic activity.
- The Rustwater Delta: A delta to the southeast of the mountains which empties Benalor's largest river into the Southern and Eastern seas.
- The Lost City of Sri'eire Latib: A growing port city on the eastern coast of the continent, isolated from the politics of the Empire, enjoying secret trade with Animar.