02 - Iron Kingdoms W.. - Captain Spud Is Amazing

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12 Iron Kingdoms
The Sands of Icthier: Immoren’s
Pre-history
The Old Races: Lyoss and the Rhulic Moot
Historians theorize that before man discovered
the gift of civilization, a time of chaos existed when
nomadic tribes and clans lived amidst the wilds of
Immoren. The only true civilizations known to exist
were those of the Rhulfolk and the Iosans. The
Rhulfolk were well in the beginnings of their own
society millennia before humans began to thrive.
However, constant strife between the clans of the
dwarves held back the progress of their civilization.
2,500 years before humans settled the lands now
comprising the Protectorate of Menoth and the
Bloodstone Marches, the dwarves of Rhul fought a
great and bloody war. The dwarves refer to this dark
and angry time as the Feud of the Ages, and historians
estimate this took place about 8,500 BR.
The Feud of Ages ended abruptly circa 8,200 BR
when a group of clans withdrew and moved north.
Their leaders realized that further conflict would
drive the Rhulfolk apart into utter barbarism, so
thirteen clans left the others to their ends and moved
their people to settle in what is now known as Ghord.
The well-defended region surrounding the dwarves
contained bountiful land, water, and wildlife, and
these Rhulfolk prospered in their relative isolation.
The foundation of the Rhulic Moot predates human
civilization by about 1,000 years. This is the best guess
of historians based on the remnants of Moot records.
The earliest tablets are ancient religious artifacts the
dwarves claim date to circa 7,500 BR. Human historians
assume the dwarves founded the Moot to regulate
the feuds arising between clans in the region. Many
dwarven historians, typically priests, claim the Great
Fathers themselves handed down the tablets of the
Moot and they contained instructions and laws allowing
the dwarves to co-exist without worry of decaying into a
barbaric state of constant war ever again.
The arcane arTs of rhul
while sTone TableTs and ancienT scrolls do exisT ThaT
suPPosedly PredaTe The creaTion of The mooT, iT is a facT
ThaT once The mooT was esTablished The dwarves began
To manifesT an abiliTy in arcane magic. wheTher The greaT
faThers handed This knowledge down To The dwarves is uP for
debaTe. mosT of Them firmly believe ThaT The greaT faThers
imParTed The wisdom of magic wiTh sTricT rules regarding
iTs use, and dwarven PracTiTioners of The arcane are known
To follow sPecific rules and riTes in accordance wiTh Their
magic. while noT necessarily religious in use, The dwarves’
wizardry is TreaTed as a Power deserving resPecT and cauTion.
Older than the Moot are Rhulic records of the
Empire of Lyoss far to the east across the expanse
that would become the Bloodstone Marches. Rhulic
and human historians agree that Lyoss thrived as far
back as 10,000 BR, and the elves of this empire had
a civilization that produced mathematics, textiles,
stonework, and metals such as bronze, copper, and
enchanted iron. The elves of Lyoss relied on magic as a
tool in their society and used it as a way to accomplish
nigh-impossible tasks.
The foundation of Lyoss was supposedly due to the
unification of elven tribes gathering for the purpose of
veneration. It was an ancient civilization ruled by Fanes
who communicated directly with their deities. Under
the tutelage of the Fane, elves developed a complex
society emphasizing harmony with natural forces,
communion with the gods, and the pursuit of martial
and arcane perfection. At some point Lyoss collapsed,
leaving a shattered and beleaguered populace striving
for survival in hostile lands. Although details of this
time are scattered, the collapse of Lyoss coincides with
cataclysmic events that impacted humanity.
The Ascent of Man: The Wisdom of Icthier
While the dwarves warred with one another
and the Lyosans pursued knowledge and learning,
humanity was comprised of nomadic clans. The
threats of the time were considerable. Harsh weather,
deadly monsters, and the predations of other human
tribes often forced different groups to form alliances.
Competition with other races also posed a threat,
and it is interesting that bogrin, gobbers, trollkin,
and ogrun all managed to survive human settlement
of western Immoren. Many historians theorize that
civilized humanity came not from within western
Immoren, but from the south or perhaps the east.
Menite priests maintain that the first human
civilization rose up around what is now Ancient Icthier
where the ruins predate human history. For Menites
this city is the revered origin of the Canon of the True
Law, their first and most sacred scripture, for it was at
Icthier that the holy text was discovered inscribed upon