Lords of the Cruth Lowlands - Vaults of Pandius

History of the Cruth Lowlands
develop special servant races, like the
albarendi and the lycanthropes (they
follow one of the beliefs of their patroness,
Nyx, who likes creating new races,
especially ones accustomed to a nightbased
activity cycle).
Albarendi were common Taymoran
humans bred as albinos by the kings and
ending up ostracised by their own people
in fear of their link with the undead
masters.
Lycanthropes are created by some of the
most cruel necromancer kings, desperate
to keep their minions subjugated. They
devise a magical disease which would
impart more bestial aspects onto its
victims.
BC 2000 A number of Necromancer-Kings
try to increase their power by shifting their
allegiance from Nyx to Thanatos. The
effects are devastating, as the war
between followers of the two entropic
immortal rages for years.
BC 1978 Kosmoteiros is destroyed in the
war between the followers of Thanatos and
Nyx. The Zargosian Sorcerers are almost
wiped out in the war.
BC 1850 By this time, Taymor is reduced
to a fractured land, both geographically
and politically, while the star of the Nithian
Kingdom north of the mountains rises.
BC 1750 Taymor sinks under the waves.
The Cruth Lowlands are not submerged,
but the earthquakes that destroy Taymor
also bring to the collapse of Magos. The
Turnwood research facility is hit by a
tsunami. It survives mostly unscated, due
to the magic wards and the natural magic
of the area, but the few remaining
inhabitants are killed. The Cruth Lowlands
suffer a major loss of population, with only
scattered villages surviving.
The few surviving descendents of the
Zargosian Sorcerers regroup into the Sons
of Night, an informal network of magic
users and followers of Nyx.
The Traldar Age
BC 1500 The Nithian-led Traldar people
settle along the coast south-east of the
Cruth Lowlands. Within 50 years, they
expand into the Lowlands, absorbing the
remaining Taymorans, or “people of the
night”. The only legacy of the Taymorans
are the Sons of the Night, who survive as
a secret society.
BC 1400 A series of harsh winters,
plagues, and attacks from native monsters
has destroyed the Nithian aristocracy and
turned the Traldar back to the stone age.
The Hutaakans take over, rebuilding the
city of Magos, and constructing Achelos as
their capital in the Cruth Lowlands. A
leader of the Hutaakans, the High Priest of
Achelos, takes direct control of the Cruth
Lowlands, spreading “new” agricultural and
medical techniques that allow a rapid
growth of the city. The Achelos
Protectorate becomes the most populous
Traldar nation, with the Hutaakan
leadership still in charge.
Instigated by Pflarr, the Hutaakans create
the legend of the “cursed hill” of Koskatep,
to keep the Traldar from investigating the
ruins of Kosmoteiros.
BC 1370 The High Priest of Achelos dies
and is entombed in a pyramid south-east
of the city. Actually, the high priest
embarks in the quest for Immortality.
BC 1000 The Hutaakan priests, warned
too late of the impending invasion by their
eastern compatriots, retreat frantically
from the Cruth Lowlands, which are
invested by the Gnoll hordes. Part of the
Traldar population flees west through the
Hin lands.
A great Traldar healer, Chardastes, rises to
fame right before the invasion.
Militarily unprepared, the Traldars of the
Kingdom of Achelos are butchered. The
city of Achelos itself is reduced to ruins.
Chardastes is able to reduce the
casualties, and becomes the leader of the
few surviving Traldars. Actually,
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