[Banestorm] Yrth before the storm speculations

[Captain-Captain]

Almost nothing concening the history of Yrth prior to the Banestorm made it to print, for that matter little about he worlds other than Earth that supplied the major races is given either.

GMs therefore are are saddled with providing such on the spur of the moment if it becomes necessary. (Ok, they may have time to prep... so sue me)

This thread is an experiment in consensus building, group mind and general BSing around to get some sort of idea of what yrth was like before the Storm.

I'm going to speculate on some elven matters. fell free to pop in with ideas about Orcs and Dwarves.

We no that the elves had something akin to cities as we know them because of the ruins left in the Great Desert. They don't appear to have anything of te sort now, but then they largely live in the Great Forest, whose terraini doesn't seem all that cooperative with building cities.

Cities as we know them tend to be defensive centers up unitl modern tech. They often were fortified and near or next to existing fortresses when not.

Speculation: Cities were largely the domain of those politically associated with the Defenders cult (later known as the Dark Elves0. These would be fortresses, places rural elves could retreat to when Orcs or Dwarves were on the warpath. As the plans for the Banestorm started to bear fruition, the accumlation of large numbers of elves who could act as spectators/assistants in it's casting was a definite plus. I would expect efforts starting in the 200s ce to increase the populations of the cities for the expected super spell casting.

Similarly periodic political purges would occur to keep hostile witness numbers down and to help persuade the undecided to go with the defenders.

There is no evidence that the Elves had a hereditary Ruler, the rare Elf Lord might rule over an area smaller than a kingdom, most would have smaller lords. Elven politics would center on borders and prestige issues as much as matters of trade and defense.

The Cities would be more unified, a large League in lockstep towards the ultimate goal. By the 700s or so the rural Elves would find themselves allying with other rural Elves and Gnomes against the cities, but it is not likely that open warfare resulted.

But the Defenders would not be denies. My idea is very dirty play. Elven wizards using Enslave, Permanent Possession and Exchange Bodies would take over orcs deemed to be potential leaders. Aided by Elven tactics, magic and training the dominated orcs would lead tribes who would then go on to slaughter and commit acts of violent depravity on Elves who were politically opposed to the Defender cult. The outraged populaces of these leaders would give their support to the Defenders and small forces of Defenders would come out to take on the orcs. The orc leaders of course would use tactics and strategies the Defenders were ready for, charge when they should hold and be cut down by torrential rains of arrows etc.

The swift and relatively bloodless (at least in terms of Elven corpses) victories of the Defenders would enhance their status and reputations, and thus support.

At the time the casting of the Banestorm spell, the socially important Elves who WEREN'T supporting the Defender cause literally were backwoods elves and a few holdouts mostly on the coasts.

[simply Nathan]

SPECULATION
Based on my understanding of Earth history.

Originally (some 1,000,000 years before the Banestorm), there were humans on Yrth. They were beautiful, strong, unaging; their women (but not their men) had strong, full beards. They stood about 8 feet tall (4' wide shoulders) and had ST 18, DX 12, IQ 12, and HT 12.

Then they rebelled against their Creator, choosing to worship instead their fellow creations that they were intended to be masters of. As punishment, they were given unto Entropy, and different populations started devolving into other races.

Those in the forests kept their height, beauty, agelessness, and a limited form of the control of the universe they originally had. However, their strength dwindled, their bodies withered. Their women lost their beards. They are the elves.

Those in the mountains kept their strength, to a limited degree. Also their width and weight. However, their height dropped considerably, as did their lifespans. Their women kept their beards, but there men stared growing them, too. Sometimes the limited control of creation, found universally in elves, is found in them(sometimes limited to Earth, Fire, or Enchantment). These are the dwarves.

Those in the plains lost everything...besides the memory of their original purpose: to dominate the whole of the created universe! Unfortunately, this, too, became warped over time, and they have mistaken dominance with destruction. Some of these share the talent of the elves, but use it to the wrong purpose of destruction. Orcs, these be.

When they made the Banestorm, their Creator sent them messengers to bring them the good news, and to remind them of what they're there for. The Christian humans.

[David Johnston2]

Aren't the Madlands supposed to be another continent on Yrth?

[nick012000]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Aren't the Madlands supposed to be another continent on Yrth?

Unless something weird is going on, I'm not sure they can be. They're stated in GURPS: Infinite Earths to be different timelines.

[simply Nathan]

It's an option discussed in the Madlands book. Actually, a handful of them.

EDIT: Also, it has nothing to do with any other posts in this thread.

[DAT]

Here is my first cut at a description of Ancient times on Yrth.
-Dan

In the first age, three species rose to sapience on the planet we now know as Yrth. The names they called themselves are lost to time, but today they are generally called the Ancient Fishmen, the Ancient Insectmen, and the Ancient Reptilemen by scholars of the ancient pre-historic world. The three races were strong in strange primordial magics. The three grew and prospered, until a war broke out between them. The war raged for thousands of years. It finally ended when the Ancient Reptilemen created a biological weapon of devastating power, the race we know today as Dragons. The Ancient Dragons slew all the Ancient Insectmen, all the Ancient Fishmen, and then slew their makers, the Ancient Reptilemen.

In the second age, the Ancient Dragons reigned supreme. The proud and powerful Dragons were board with mundane maters and created slave races to perform the tasks they distained. One race, the proto-elves, were the breeders of food for their Dragon Masters. Another race, the proto-dwarves, were the miners that extracted the precious metals and gems that their Dragon Masters coveted. The third race, proto-orcs, were combative entertained to the Ancient Dragons. Over thousands of years, the slaves grew strong and (in the case of the Elves and Dwarves) learned magery from their Dragon masters. The second age ended with a great revolt of the slave races, and the downfall of the Ancient Dragon Empire. But the revolt was deadly to all sides with few survivors on both sides.

In the third age; the proto races recovered from the revolt and became what we know today. The Elves mastered the control of magical forces, and developed a magic based technology. The Dwarves kept a basic magical knowledge, but pursued non-magical technology. The Orcs lost all but basic Shamanistic magic, and degenerated into barbarism.

At the height of the third age, the Elves had a magic based “green” sustainable technology and society. Instant transportation, unlimited food and clean water, control of natural forces (weather, earthquakes, etc.), biological manipulation, magical machines, storage of vast amounts of information in crystals, and immortality was all theirs. Their society treasured the arts, and gathered in large groups to celebrate life. But their greatest divinators predicted a coming storm that would destroy all Elves, unless they returned to a simpler life. The ruling Elvish high council directed the start of a slow (the long lived Elves did not hurry) exodus from the Elven cities. The small bands of Elves moving from their cities came in contact with the Orcs, who reacted violently. This started the chain of events that caused the Defenders to eventually Summon the Banestorm.

The coming of the Banestorm, marks the start of the fourth age.

[Captain-Captain]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Aren't the Madlands supposed to be another continent on Yrth?

IIRC the option was to make the Madlands the Nomad Lands.

[simply Nathan]

I think there was also the option of having the Madlands be located in the group of islands with doom cults and strange monsters. Anther was to have the lands suddenly encounter eachother.

In any case, the Christians of Yttaria would send missionaries to the Madlands, and the Madlanders would summarily martyr them.

This gave me the idea of sending really powerful missionaries, say a Church Wizard, Grand Templar/Hospitaler, and a converted Barbarian Hero (around 250 pts each) go there and make a big show of killing off the gods and monsters.

[nick012000]

Originally Posted by Kenneth Latrans

I think there was also the option of having the Madlands be located in the group of islands with doom cults and strange monsters. Anther was to have the lands suddenly encounter eachother.

In any case, the Christians of Yttaria would send missionaries to the Madlands, and the Madlanders would summarily martyr them.

This gave me the idea of sending really powerful missionaries, say a Church Wizard, Grand Templar/Hospitaler, and a converted Barbarian Hero (around 250 pts each) go there and make a big show of killing off the gods and monsters.

Dungeon Fantasy?

[combatmedic]

Originally Posted by Kenneth Latrans

SPECULATION
Based on my understanding of Earth history.

Originally (some 1,000,000 years before the Banestorm), there were humans on Yrth. They were beautiful, strong, unaging; their women (but not their men) had strong, full beards. They stood about 8 feet tall (4' wide shoulders) and had ST 18, DX 12, IQ 12, and HT 12.

Then they rebelled against their Creator, choosing to worship instead their fellow creations that they were intended to be masters of. As punishment, they were given unto Entropy, and different populations started devolving into other races.

Those in the forests kept their height, beauty, agelessness, and a limited form of the control of the universe they originally had. However, their strength dwindled, their bodies withered. Their women lost their beards. They are the elves.

Those in the mountains kept their strength, to a limited degree. Also their width and weight. However, their height dropped considerably, as did their lifespans. Their women kept their beards, but there men stared growing them, too. Sometimes the limited control of creation, found universally in elves, is found in them(sometimes limited to Earth, Fire, or Enchantment). These are the dwarves.

Those in the plains lost everything...besides the memory of their original purpose: to dominate the whole of the created universe! Unfortunately, this, too, became warped over time, and they have mistaken dominance with destruction. Some of these share the talent of the elves, but use it to the wrong purpose of destruction. Orcs, these be.

When they made the Banestorm, their Creator sent them messengers to bring them the good news, and to remind them of what they're there for. The Christian humans.

Very interesting! God= the Eternal, then?
The 'ancestral humans' element would also help explain how humans can mate with elves or orcs and produce viable hybrid offspring.