Kalathash
24-02-2007, 19:50
Kalathash had had many rulers throughout the ages. For a long time, it was ruled by a theocratic human state, whose faith was often spread by violence and intimidation. Later, internal problems caused their rule to weaken. A tribe of ogres took advantage of this and claimed the land as their own. The humans continued to live their, but their civilisation was destroyed. Even literacy became rare among the humans.
Over a century after the coming of the ogres, a human came who promised to bring order and prosperity to Kalathash, on the condition that he would be crowned its King. This man was Tarthul Kur, who had come from a land to the south. He was a lycanthrope, but had learnt to control his condition, so that it became an asset instead of a hinderance.
To claim his Kingdom, he would need to defeat the ogres by seizing the castle from which they ruled. Knowing that even with his training and lycanthropic abilities, he could not defeat them single-handedly, so he searched for allies.
Most of the humans were of little promise: uneducated, barely nourished and most too afraid of the ogres to be of use, but he did find a handful who had retained their courage and skill.
He also found an unlikely ally in the Kalathashi elves - nocturnal forest dwellers who had been enemies of both the ogres and the human state that preceded them, acting in self-defense in both cases. The elves were reluctant as they had never left the forest before, but agreed to send a few warriors when Tarthul wanted to assault the ogres' castle.
On his travels, Tarthhul met a reclusive necromancer who promised to help Tarthul defeat the ogres, provided that Tarthul would help him to recover some magical tomes from the catacombs underneath a ruined church. The problem was that the catacombs could only be reached from inside the church, which was haunted by an insane, malevolent ghost.
Rather than attempting to banish the ghost, the necromancer planned to use a never-before-tested ritual to give the ghost corporeal form. The ritual was performed, but the necromancer could not control the spell and his life-energy was completely drained, leaving him dead. The ghost however, had successfully been given form - that of the human woman she was in life. Her mind now able to focus, she asked Tarthul where she was and what was happening. After an explanation was given, the ghost introduced herself as Velexnia, a former warrior-priest who had been executed after acting against several of the church's central tenets.
With the promise of power in Tarthul's kingdom, Velexnia, agreed to fight by his side. The supernatural endurance and power provided by her eldritch form, coupled with her combat skill made her as fearsome a warrior as Tarthul himself.
After travelling the land for a few more days, his force was still small, but Tarthul believed that it would be possible to enter the castle unseen and assassinate the ogre king.
His plan succeeded and he was crowned King, with Velexnia as his Queen. Now, he is going about fulfilling his intention to bring order and prosperity. The new alliance between the humans of the plains and the elves of the forest is strained, but slowly progressing.
Over a century after the coming of the ogres, a human came who promised to bring order and prosperity to Kalathash, on the condition that he would be crowned its King. This man was Tarthul Kur, who had come from a land to the south. He was a lycanthrope, but had learnt to control his condition, so that it became an asset instead of a hinderance.
To claim his Kingdom, he would need to defeat the ogres by seizing the castle from which they ruled. Knowing that even with his training and lycanthropic abilities, he could not defeat them single-handedly, so he searched for allies.
Most of the humans were of little promise: uneducated, barely nourished and most too afraid of the ogres to be of use, but he did find a handful who had retained their courage and skill.
He also found an unlikely ally in the Kalathashi elves - nocturnal forest dwellers who had been enemies of both the ogres and the human state that preceded them, acting in self-defense in both cases. The elves were reluctant as they had never left the forest before, but agreed to send a few warriors when Tarthul wanted to assault the ogres' castle.
On his travels, Tarthhul met a reclusive necromancer who promised to help Tarthul defeat the ogres, provided that Tarthul would help him to recover some magical tomes from the catacombs underneath a ruined church. The problem was that the catacombs could only be reached from inside the church, which was haunted by an insane, malevolent ghost.
Rather than attempting to banish the ghost, the necromancer planned to use a never-before-tested ritual to give the ghost corporeal form. The ritual was performed, but the necromancer could not control the spell and his life-energy was completely drained, leaving him dead. The ghost however, had successfully been given form - that of the human woman she was in life. Her mind now able to focus, she asked Tarthul where she was and what was happening. After an explanation was given, the ghost introduced herself as Velexnia, a former warrior-priest who had been executed after acting against several of the church's central tenets.
With the promise of power in Tarthul's kingdom, Velexnia, agreed to fight by his side. The supernatural endurance and power provided by her eldritch form, coupled with her combat skill made her as fearsome a warrior as Tarthul himself.
After travelling the land for a few more days, his force was still small, but Tarthul believed that it would be possible to enter the castle unseen and assassinate the ogre king.
His plan succeeded and he was crowned King, with Velexnia as his Queen. Now, he is going about fulfilling his intention to bring order and prosperity. The new alliance between the humans of the plains and the elves of the forest is strained, but slowly progressing.