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(New page: ==The Empire of the Seven-Pointed Star, also known as the Fallen Empire == ==A Compilation of History And Lore== '''by Palantiri ''' INTRODUCTION ..........................................) |
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#redirect [[Empire of the Seven-Pointed Star, also known as the Fallen Empire (book)]] |
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==A Compilation of History And Lore== |
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'''by Palantiri ''' |
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INTRODUCTION ................................................. PAGE 1 |
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CHAPTER 1: FORMATION OF THE EMPIRE .......................... PAGE 2 |
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CHAPTER 2: HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE ............................ PAGE 5 |
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CHAPTER 3: BEYOND EMPIRE .................................... PAGE 8 |
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==Introduction== |
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Once, long ago as mortals reckon time, a great Empire united much of the |
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then-known world. Called the Empire of the Seven-Pointed Star after its |
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main sigil and for symbolic reasons, the empire united much of what was the |
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civilized world. |
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The symbolism resulted from the joining of the seven races in legal and |
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moral equality, even extending to such matters as Imperial rule. |
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==Formation of Empire== |
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In the earliest known times of which we have record, there appeared the |
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original Seven Mortal Races. Elf, Human, Dwarf, Halfling, Elothean, S'Kra |
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Mur and Gor'Tog upon this world. Loremasters tell us the earliest |
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appearance of the races was on a continent far-distant from the present |
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inhabited one, but the direction and distance are lost in antiquity. As |
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each race was primitive, each deemed itself the master of the other races |
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and endless combat and strife ensued. |
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For unrecorded ages, the races fought with each other, on land, on sea and |
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even in the air, if certain tales be true. No one race could gain the upper |
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hand and no alliance lasted longer than the next treachery. |
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Civilizations rose and fell, science and knowledge were discovered and lost |
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half a hundred times. Chaos seemed fated to ever be the victor and Death |
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the ever present shadow laughing at the pretensions of the foes. |
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In time, there grew a coterie of the Wise of each race. Those who rose |
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above the struggles of petty king and mud hut-dwelling barons. Individually |
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they began to conclude that no one race would ever win and that, in time, |
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these endless struggles would sap the vitality and even the sentience of all |
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the races of the world. |
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Tentatively, secretly, they reached out to find others of their kind. Full |
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of danger was this, for their own people would burn them as traitors if |
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found communicating with other races, and many fell victim to their own |
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trust or to treachery from afar. |
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But in time, the Wise found ways to communicate safely among each other and |
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to exchange ideas and knowledge. Their powers grew though their numbers |
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ever remained few. Eventually, they reached a mutual conclusion amongst all |
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their members. They must assume power and take control of their respective |
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peoples and end the eternal warring. |
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Thus began the rise of the Wizard-Kings. Those who threw off the cloak of |
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secrecy and took the reins of power from those who knew only blood and death |
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and slaughter. For centuries they battled both secretly and openly among |
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their own peoples, (and alas with others, for not all were pure in heart). |
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Until Wizard-Kings pledged to each other ruled all the surviving peoples. |
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Then, with peace finally assured, they met in conclave to determine the fate |
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of their peoples. For a time, they ruled jointly while they debated and |
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planned and consulted the omens and studied the Moons. |
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Out of their discussions and studies came Empire. They agreed that to best |
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serve all the peoples and to preserve peace and equality, an Emperor must be |
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chosen to rule over all. But no one race could dominate the ruling House |
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and yet keep the peace among such a diverse world. Thus was born the Empire |
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of the Seven-Starred Crown, or as some called it, the Seven Crowned Empire |
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as well as other names of legend and lore. |
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==History of Empire== |
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There were seven ruling Houses, one of each race. Each House ruled in its |
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turn for seven years and then the scepter passed to the next House in peace |
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and good order. |
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The great Throne City dwelt along a mighty natural harbor and extended |
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out into the bay on an island, part natural, part made. The central Thrones |
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and their secretariats, embassies and all the clap-trap of keeping that many |
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Imperial families happy, and productive were built there. |
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The Empire ruled surprisingly well for many generations. The peoples |
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cooperated amongst each other, yet each maintained its own lore and |
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languages and legends and culture. |
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In the ancient days, in the forging of the Empire, it had been an |
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expansionist force, as all empires are, but in its mature days, it was |
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content to rule the areas it held sway and acknowledged the tribute and |
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embassies of numerous smaller dominions that survived outside its dominion. |
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In due time, as all mortal things must, age and time and placidity ate at |
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the roots of the empire. Corruption crept in. Each race became stirred up |
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and began to feel it was being short-shrifted when the other races held |
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the Throne. Small civil wars broke out, then outlying provinces seceded or |
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were annexed by outside realms. |
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This goaded the Empire back into a semblance of unity as outside attack |
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will oft unite a squabbling family yet not solve the inner problems. There |
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was a brief re-flowering of Empire and it took back and even expanded its |
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borders somewhat. But the rot remained. |
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In the final years, one great House took the Throne in its due course, but |
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when the time had come to pass on the scepter, it refused and, with the |
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collusion of two other houses, deemed the rest unworthy to hold the Throne. |
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This resulted in the Kin Strife that lasted for nearly 50 years as the |
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massive Empire slowly tore itself apart. The last known Emperor, a Gor'Tog |
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not yet of adult years, is said by legend to have once been asked by his |
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regent what he would really rather do than be Emperor. The child replied he |
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would prefer to be outside playing with his pet ducks. He was dismissed to |
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do so and the Regent assumed the title of King..but of a powerless and |
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toothless corpse. Within a generation, some 25 others had claimed the |
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kingship, usually over the corpse of the predecessor until the pale remnants |
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of power faded into the dust of history. |
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==Beyond Empire== |
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With the demise of the central authorities in even a semblance of form, |
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there arose a group seeking power in its own right. They claimed descent |
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from the ancient Wizard-Kings and called themselves the Dragon Priests. |
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The story of their time and their wars is told elsewhere. |
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The Throne City was abandoned as those left had little time and less money |
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to maintain the massive buildings and elaborate ceremonial squares. Rumor |
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also has it that the Empire had great powers of magic or technology that |
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became shrouded and lost as time passed and many things ran amuck or became |
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unstable in parts of the city, making it uninhabitable. |
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Only rumors now are left of this city and where it may be found. And there |
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are tales of debased beings inhabiting the city, faint recollections of the |
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glory that was still flickering in their ruined minds. Rumors even of one |
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who yet claims to be the Emperor....and rumors of treasure beyond the greed |
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even of Dwarves to be found there. |
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Relics of that Empire are few and rare and usually valuable...they left |
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their mark, the seven-pointed star on outposts and ruins and other such |
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places as bore their stamp and some may yet be found in out of the way |
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places. Carved stones or jewels of the same shape are rare prizes, oft |
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hoarded for their value or their supposed mana and magic. Legends speak of |
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Imperial Treasuries unlooted and forgotten and Imperial Armories full of |
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strange and deadly weapons, long buried and forgotten. |
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Scraps of Imperial records yet exist in places and such fragments can bring |
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a tidy sum from Academies eager to increase their lore of those eras. |
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