Prologue – Corthas and The Unmaking
Our story begins in the 409th year of the New Era, which began when the world of Corthas was destroyed and then reformed in a cataclysmic event now referred to as The Unmaking.
Little remains of what was lost in The Unmaking. The earliest records of the New Era describe the first peoples of Corthas awakening with muddled memories of an older world.
Stories are told of true dragons that ruled over all, fiendish demons and devils that devoured mortal souls, and the noble angels who opposed them. All of the legends of the old world are believed to originate from these scraps of memories. These creatures of legend and countless others no longer exist in the New Era, if they ever truly existed at all.
While many of these legends remain disputed due to contradictions, lacking sources, and the nature of The Unmaking destroying anything recognizable about the old world, there are a few elements so common across various tales that they’ve come to be accepted as truths.
The Old Gods of Corthas were tyrants. They ruled over their creations with absolute authority and possessed no tolerance for defiance. They walked the land and spoke directly to mortals.
In the final days of the old world, there was a great war involving the Old Gods. The nature of this war is highly disputed, but almost all agree that the events of the war led to The Unmaking.
Throughout the New Era, the Old Gods have remained silent. Most believe that they have been defeated and either slain, banished, or imprisoned.
In the years since The Unmaking, new civilizations rise and fall. Only a handful manage to thrive and prosper, often at the expense of their neighbors. While the echoes of the past and their subtle influence still linger, the story of this era will be writ by mortal hands.
Remia, enlightened bastion of civilization and the greatest military power presently known was founded shortly after The Unmaking. It began as a minor city-state before gradually expanding its control over the entirety of the Tarian peninsula and beyond. Thirteen legions, each five thousand strong, serve the Senate and People of the Republic by spreading the light of civilization and faith by way of fire and steel.
Chapter I – March of the Bastard Legion
The XIIIth Legion of the Remian Republic bears a special distinction. Originally formed by Proconsul Gaius Valerius Honoratus as a response to an invasion, it consisted of hastily mustered auxiliaries who did not hold the citizenship required to join the legions. Though it serves a different purpose in present times, the XIIIth is still the only legion that does not require citizenship. Owing to this peculiarity and the parentage of its first leader, it is referred to by many as the Bastard Legion. Veterans of the auxiliaries, disgraced patricians, ill-born looking for a chance to prove themselves, and all other manner of individuals find their way into the XIIIth.
In spring of the year 409, the XIIIth Legion was sent north to begin securing the Gramaic Frontier. Shortly after reaching the Thane River, the legion was ambushed by a large band of Gramaic warriors. The Xth Cohort in particular suffered heavy losses, but the courage of centurion Firmus Aelius Leo and the valiant efforts of the 501st Decuria under Hostus Fabius Blandinus ensured that the Gramaic band was thoroughly routed.
After the Battle of the Thane, the Xth Cohort remained in the ruined town of Prospero while the rest of the Legion marched further north to begin erecting Castrum Thanus. The Xth Cohort began rebuilding Prospero and reorganizing its ranks. The 501st Decuria was split into the 466th and the 467th led by decurions Ti Mamba and Caeso Fabius Cato.
Not long after, Prospero was attacked by a band of Gramaic warriors led by an elven mage from Mythral, a kingdom to the west of Gramaia. The Xth Cohort prevailed in their defense, but at a heavy cost. Chris the Lightbringer of the 466th, a cleric wielding the powers of Arane and the Heart of Light, was struck down by the enemy leader after turning the tides of battle in Remia’s favor.
New recruits would soon arrive from the capital to replenish the ranks of the Xth Cohort from the Battles of Prospero and the Thane. Legionnaires Celvin Octavius Dio and Zan Silver caught the attention of the tribunes, who recommended them for positions in the newly formed Praetorian Guard.
The 466th and 467th Decurias were then sent east to investigate a large bloodwood tree, which was in fact a Gramaic ritual site where captured soldiers were being transformed into plant creatures under Gramaic command. After the site was secured, Legatus Marcus Sergius Armiger, leader of the XIIIth Legion, marched east with the Vth and VIth Cohorts, a total of 1000 legionnaires, to reinforce the area around the captured bloodwood tree.
The 466th and 467th volunteered to explore the tunnels below the bloodwood tree. Hours of exploration led them to a city carved of stone. The denizens appeared to be elves with skin the color of charcoal. Knowing nothing about these people or where their allegiance may lie, the legionnaires left without making contact.
Before returning to the surface, they came across an underground lake. An entity called out to them from within, a calm yet unsettling voice announcing themself as Zarathula, Ruler of Dark Water. After deeming the legionnaires worthy, a towering serpent of black water emerged from the lake and demanded that one of them drink from the waters of the lake. Without hesitation, Legionnaire Anya of the 466th stepped forward and drank. A fragment of Zarathula’s essence left the lake and entered their new host, who they tasked with finding their remaining eight fragments.
Once again, the Gramaic war bands attacked in force. Led by Leuca vis Mythralia, 5th Princess of the Kingdom of Mythral, their forces numbered near 2000. The Vth and VIth Cohorts suffered heavy losses, but the discipline of the Legion prevailed as Armiger held the line despite having his left eye gouged out by Leuca. Legionnaires of the 466th and 467th were able to captured the injured 5th Princess, though Decurion Ti Mamba vanished in a flash of mist during the fighting and has been missing ever since. The Gramaic war bands were defeated and scattered. The VIth Cohort and auxiliary forces were left to defend the tree while the remaining legionnaires returned to Castrum Thanus, the Remian fortress now taking shape on the river Thane.
By questioning the captured elves led by Princess Leuca, Armiger learned that the Mythrali were forbidden from fighting by their ruler, Samorix, The Summer King. Leuca defied her father to join forces with Euric, a Gramaic war-chief who now styles himself the King of the Gramaic Tribes. Euric is gathering the tribes to create an army that rivals the legions of Remia, and claims to speak with Einhar, the deity revered by the Gramaic Tribes.
Chapter II – Gramaia and Mythral
Armiger bides his time and reinforces Castrum Thanus while managing a food shortage and waiting for the IIIrd and IVth Legions to arrive from Elencia, which is now completely under Remian control. Fearing a war on two fronts if Mythral decides to step in, he arranges an escort to return the 5th Princess to The Summer King. Consisting of a Tribune, a Centurion, the 5 remaining legionnaires of the 466th Decuria, and a scout, the escort party set out west for Mythral on the first day of Preo, year 409.
The journey through the Thaneland was mostly without incident, but in the Dalrennes Forest, where old magics are said to linger, the escort party was soon attacked by a shadowy, winged spirit after Tribune Proculus Galerius Gratus unearthed a stone carving of a winged dragon. They managed to defeat the spirit, and buried the stone underground to prevent it from returning.
However, the following night, they were once again attacked by the winged shadow after drawing the attention of a local group of green dragonborn, who fled at the sight of the shadow. Fearing the spirit would continue to follow them into the Kingdom of Mythral, Leuca suggested breaking the stone with her sword forged of a mysterious silver-blue alloy, now carried by Legionnaire Anya. While the stone was indeed destroyed, the energy released in its destruction distorted and tore the fabric of reality, causing everyone nearby to be pulled through the tear into what seemed a different world entirely.
The escort party found themselves in a world of dark skies, smoky cliffs, and grey sands. The only civilization several hours of travel in the distance, a city of towering metal buildings, where everything seemed to be made for someone larger. As the tear closed, specters emerged and attempted to drain the lives of the stranded party. Legionnaires Jack and Anya both realized that they were unable to cast certain spells in this strange place, possibly spells that are channeled through the spirit as explained by Leuca.
Within the city, the escort party found very little, save for a few magic artifacts, including a miraculous tool that would prove to be exactly what they needed to escape. A knife sharp enough to sever the threads binding reality together. After taking the knife from its previous owner, the skeleton of a large thin humanoid with horns, Jack was seemingly chosen by the artifact to be its next wielder. He instinctively cut an opening back to the known world, and the party crossed back over, finding themselves on a hill some distance away from where they had previously camped.
Much like before, as the tear mended itself, specters emerged. This time however, they circled overhead the party before descending down the hill, attacking an unprepared settlement of green dragonborn. The escort party gave chase and eventually cut down the specters, but not before the green dragonborn were scattered after taking heavy losses. An orphan girl named Rel was left behind as the surviving dragonborn fled further into the forest. After some debate about the feasibility of returning her to her tribe, Leuca mentioned she would be welcome in Mythral, so it was agreed that they would take her along.
A few days later, the escort party crossed what Leuca referred to as The Paling, a field of shared consciousness that she claimed extends across the borders of Mythral. And not long after crossing The Paling, the escort party was surrounded by elves clad in sleeveless brown leather robes, their faces concealed by scarves and hoods as they approached slowly with arrows notched in their longbows.
Stepping forward from the trees, a tall elf clad in a shining silver-blue breastplate, greatsword strapped to his back, approached the party. Leuca calmly informed them that they stood before Talos sen Mythralus, 2nd Prince of Mythral.
Talos was initially hostile, but after his sister Leuca explained that she was traveling with Remians of her own volition, proposed a friendly yet competitive duel. He wagered a pair of magic bracers against Legionnaire Grundle’s hat, an item of great sentimental value. Caught up in the thrill of combat, the 2nd Prince let his guard down as Jack cut straight through the silver-blue breastplate with the dual-metal knife, securing a victory for the Remians.
Talos and his knights escorted the party to the nearby Court of Spring, the seat from where his mother Betua sen Mythralia rules over the eastern territories of the realm. The Remians were welcomed as honored guests, and anointed with the four oils.
Meanwhile, in Remia, Marcia Junia Bruta Augusta secures support to expand the number of Legions and patrician houses from thirteen to twenty. Over the past fifteen years, this young politician has slowly risen to be the first among equals in Remia. Her military, monetary, and political power are unrivaled, making her the de facto leader of the Remian Republic.
In Gramaia, the 467th Decuria is ordered to venture east into contested territory in order to forage for food. They manage to do well for themselves for nearly two weeks. One morning, at the break of dawn, Legionnaire William noticed the container storing most of their food begin to move by itself before disappearing. He managed to glimpse the naked ass of what appeared to be a gnome before it bounced over a hill and out of view.