Post by ❖SHIFT on Oct 11, 2014 20:11:03 GMT -6
History of El Nath
El Nath was a relatively small kingdom that was formed in the north when a variety of mercenary and militia groups banded together in an attempt to overcome the current financial troubles that the surrounding kingdoms were going through. While it did provide refuge for a large number of military men and their families, a lack of strong leadership and rampant conflict from the inevitable mix of cultures left El Nath in a constant state of strife. For most of a century this small mercenary kingdom of the Northern Continent raged countless civil wars across both its own lands and the lands of surrounding countries and kingdoms. Food shortages, financial discourses, political corruptions, everything that could be fought over was. Any sort of king or ruler would rarely stay in power for over a year, and if they did they would have to have been wealthy enough to sway at least 3/4 of the populace. While the kingdom's expanse of land was relatively small, the population had risen dramatically over the years, and naturally El Nath's military force grew exponentially in the blink of an eye, giving it the capability to utterly annihilate the nearby poorer countries with only the power of its own combating forces.
In the 73rd year during the largest conflict the kingdom had ever seen, one that threatened to permanently disband this "safe haven" for the old military, a desperate king led a massive army from a dying southern kingdom full force into a key battle between El Nath's two main allegiances, the White Crusaders, who held a majority of El Nath's wealthy and elite, and the Legion, a group of small mercenary factions with great military power. At the peak of this battle, King Grim, ruler of the invading southern kingdom, stormed his larger and much more organized military force directly in behind that of the Legion's, removing the bulk of its army and disbanding its remaining troops. The Crusaders, taking a moment to celebrate this supposed victory, were in turn quickly crushed by the still advancing army, and soon surrendered with little resistance to this unstoppable foe.
The Legion, consisting primarily of poor mercenaries, was ignored and dissolved on its own, forcing most of its members to return to their previous careers as freelancers. The White Crusaders, however, still had an important role to fulfill for King Grim. Holding most of the wealth and power in El Nath, the Crusaders were quickly assimilated into the new king's army and was granted title as his personal knights, and were thus renamed from the White Crusaders to the White Knights. Though discontent with this rapid power exchange, the Knights and their families were happy to still retain and even raise their status in the now stable kingdom. Their role as King Grim's personal forces gave him the financial and political backing to retain a strong and permanent place as El Nath's king.
No one yet knew why Grim had marched his entire army so far to the north for a small mercenary kingdom, but his rule was absolute. Whenever one of the usual small uprisings would occur he would crush it immediately without mercy. The economy stabilized, and a more concrete form of government formed. Soon, at least 75% of the entire population of El Nath had migrated towards the center and new capital, Alcarnus. The streets filled with thousands upon thousands of people of all ages and nationalities. Hundreds of new businesses started, and merchants began to travel frequently through Alcarnus. While there was still the occasional conflict, it was solely between small groups of people and never threatened the stability of the kingdom itself. The king ruled superbly, and held an unmatched amount of power in both his kingdom and those surrounding it, and he intended to rule for the rest of his life without complications. It was this goal that slowly drove the kingdom is absolute chaos.
The problem was that Grim NEVER wanted to die, and would go to almost any length to reach a status of immortality. No one knows exactly when this unending search began, but some citizens say they've witnessed people disappear off the streets for as long as they could remember. Weird extensions would be added on to the outside of the king's castle, extra dungeons were built but never filled, and the White Knights' patrol of the perimeter increased dramatically over several months. There is no one left to tell the tale of what exactly was happening in the castle except for maybe Mad King Grim himself, but everyone knew that the king looked slightly different every time they saw him at one of his famous appearances. No one could quite define it, but he was changing.
As the kingdom of El Nath began to fall into ruin, the eyes of the public opened to the conspiracy in the kingdom. Madness spread like a virus among its people, corrupting them into a dark and twisted form of Forsaken. Most of what the people know is that this all started on the day of the king's "Second Coronation," right as the Crown was placed upon the Mad King's head. What this crown is and where he found it have yet to be answered and are known to only a select few. However, the entire city of Alcarnus along with much of its surrounding lands have fallen to this disease of Madness, and any who venture too close to its borders quickly fall under the influence or end up killed by those who already have.
Very few have remained to attempt to combat the Madness, but they have very little knowledge about it. The Freelancers have always held a strong military force in El Nath and remain the largest counter-force against the Madness. On the other hand, the majority of the White Knights received word of the Mad King's plan beforehand, and were able to escape the kingdom and gather their forces in a small nearby kingdom. While smaller than the that of the Freelancers', their wealth and military strength are more than enough to make up for the difference. While they may have the same end goal of stopping the spread of Madness within El Nath, both forces hold different core beliefs and tension hangs between them. And all the while, Grim's influence is quickly spreading; time is running out, and soon the spread of Madness will become unstoppable.
In the 73rd year during the largest conflict the kingdom had ever seen, one that threatened to permanently disband this "safe haven" for the old military, a desperate king led a massive army from a dying southern kingdom full force into a key battle between El Nath's two main allegiances, the White Crusaders, who held a majority of El Nath's wealthy and elite, and the Legion, a group of small mercenary factions with great military power. At the peak of this battle, King Grim, ruler of the invading southern kingdom, stormed his larger and much more organized military force directly in behind that of the Legion's, removing the bulk of its army and disbanding its remaining troops. The Crusaders, taking a moment to celebrate this supposed victory, were in turn quickly crushed by the still advancing army, and soon surrendered with little resistance to this unstoppable foe.
The Legion, consisting primarily of poor mercenaries, was ignored and dissolved on its own, forcing most of its members to return to their previous careers as freelancers. The White Crusaders, however, still had an important role to fulfill for King Grim. Holding most of the wealth and power in El Nath, the Crusaders were quickly assimilated into the new king's army and was granted title as his personal knights, and were thus renamed from the White Crusaders to the White Knights. Though discontent with this rapid power exchange, the Knights and their families were happy to still retain and even raise their status in the now stable kingdom. Their role as King Grim's personal forces gave him the financial and political backing to retain a strong and permanent place as El Nath's king.
No one yet knew why Grim had marched his entire army so far to the north for a small mercenary kingdom, but his rule was absolute. Whenever one of the usual small uprisings would occur he would crush it immediately without mercy. The economy stabilized, and a more concrete form of government formed. Soon, at least 75% of the entire population of El Nath had migrated towards the center and new capital, Alcarnus. The streets filled with thousands upon thousands of people of all ages and nationalities. Hundreds of new businesses started, and merchants began to travel frequently through Alcarnus. While there was still the occasional conflict, it was solely between small groups of people and never threatened the stability of the kingdom itself. The king ruled superbly, and held an unmatched amount of power in both his kingdom and those surrounding it, and he intended to rule for the rest of his life without complications. It was this goal that slowly drove the kingdom is absolute chaos.
The problem was that Grim NEVER wanted to die, and would go to almost any length to reach a status of immortality. No one knows exactly when this unending search began, but some citizens say they've witnessed people disappear off the streets for as long as they could remember. Weird extensions would be added on to the outside of the king's castle, extra dungeons were built but never filled, and the White Knights' patrol of the perimeter increased dramatically over several months. There is no one left to tell the tale of what exactly was happening in the castle except for maybe Mad King Grim himself, but everyone knew that the king looked slightly different every time they saw him at one of his famous appearances. No one could quite define it, but he was changing.
As the kingdom of El Nath began to fall into ruin, the eyes of the public opened to the conspiracy in the kingdom. Madness spread like a virus among its people, corrupting them into a dark and twisted form of Forsaken. Most of what the people know is that this all started on the day of the king's "Second Coronation," right as the Crown was placed upon the Mad King's head. What this crown is and where he found it have yet to be answered and are known to only a select few. However, the entire city of Alcarnus along with much of its surrounding lands have fallen to this disease of Madness, and any who venture too close to its borders quickly fall under the influence or end up killed by those who already have.
Very few have remained to attempt to combat the Madness, but they have very little knowledge about it. The Freelancers have always held a strong military force in El Nath and remain the largest counter-force against the Madness. On the other hand, the majority of the White Knights received word of the Mad King's plan beforehand, and were able to escape the kingdom and gather their forces in a small nearby kingdom. While smaller than the that of the Freelancers', their wealth and military strength are more than enough to make up for the difference. While they may have the same end goal of stopping the spread of Madness within El Nath, both forces hold different core beliefs and tension hangs between them. And all the while, Grim's influence is quickly spreading; time is running out, and soon the spread of Madness will become unstoppable.
MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS
