Empire of Daviskas

History of Daviskas

Early On

The people of Daviskas have lived in the same large area for centuries. Though early texts only give the briefest glimpse of history, it's known that what started as a handful of villages very early on grew and grew into what would become many separate countries over time.

From the beginning of time, the people of the land that would become the Daviskas Empire worshipped a Goddess they called Proteia, the creator of all life. For a long time, the love of their Goddess and fear of her Wrath kept the growing population peaceful. Eventually, as time passed, that all changed.

800 years ago

Many different countries popped up and were populated throughout the centuries, or so the written history told. While most were peaceful, it was always bound to happen that the human condition would strike, and someone would want more than they needed. The first fighting of the countries began.

The battles were small skirmishes for a long time, the people of the various countries not really willing to fight for their chosen leader's cause to take land from their old brethren. The people remembered where they'd come from both from stories passed down through time, and also from history texts of how they had all at one time been condensed in one area and basically family.

Yet, as the fighting continued on for years, then decades, and finally millenia, the past of the people became less important, and the protection or taking of land became more paramount in their minds. The battles turned more bloody. The friendliness faded. More damaging weapons were created. Tactics were changed. After millenia of fighting, there were five large countries at all out war with each other.

Multiple times throughout the fighting, some of a noble lineage or even a particular King would call for peace, but it always fell on deaf ears. As the calls for peace went unheeded, things just continued to get worse and worse. Blood stained the lands in each country, the population was cut down savagely. The people were headed towards obliterating themselves.

The Elemental Shift

The wars raged on for hundreds of years before, finally, there was one person who had a breakthrough. That breakthrough, however, came at the cost of the lives of his family. The Lord Simon Marion's family was slaughtered when assassin's snuck into his King's country to try and kill him. They poisoned the Lord himself, but he survived. Always a proponent of peace, those around him expected him to call for the deaths of the ones who'd slew his family. Yet despite their thoughts, he continued asking only for peace.

The Goddess came down then and granted Simon a gift, to end the war once for all. While some fighting would still be necessary, the cost would be far less than if the war continued as it was. Simon, his family, many of his personal army, and others who served him were granted the gift of Elemental Magick.

The people were not entirely unfamiliar with this, as the Shaman had a slight control over the elements, but nothing like what these new Elementalists were able to do. Once unleashed upon the battlefield, the Elementalists were able to end large battles quickly with their newfound power. Those who opposed them came to fear their power and quickly surrendered.

Over the next few years, the Lord and his chosen people brought all the other countries to heel. The fighting stopped. With only a small additional loss of life, Lord Marion was able to bring about the peace he'd always dreamt of. In order to keep things that way, the countries crowned him Emperor over their lands, bowing their heads to his power and peaceful wisdom.

Search for Power

Emperor Marion spent time learning about his new gift, and he ruled graciously. This was instilled in his children, and for generations there was no reason for fighting. The Elementalists found other ways their gifts could help the people and used it freely. The only issue they ran into was that their personal energy reserves weren't always sufficient. This all changed with the discovery of Channeling.

Channeling allowed the Elementalists to pull from the ley-lines, or lines of power within the planet, in order to restore their energy or to bolster themselves in preparation for requiring a large amount of energy. With a few Elementalists, this was okay, but as more and more children were born in the families in which the power was available, draining these lines and the pools they formed began to have consequences. The land began to die.

The Problem and the Solution

By draining the lines of energy that ran beneath the planet's surface, the Elementalists were using more than could be restored naturally and the land became dry and barren. Trees died. Crops wouldn't grow. Game moved on to greener pastures. By the time they'd figured out what was going on it was too late.

The Elementalists were losing their source of vast power, that which kept the other Kingdom's in check in the Empire. A solution was needed. A new source of power. That was when one of the most powerful Elementalists told of a ley-line he'd mentally followed to an Island, only a few days by ship, that had more power than they could imagine. The Elementalists could bolster themselves there and still have a majority of that power when they returned home should there be a need for a strong force. They simply needed to take the island from it's inhabitants.

They approached the island and, with the ley-lines to power them once again, they easily ran through the locals. It was an assured victory. Until it wasn't. That day the people learned there was more than one being of power in the world. The Wolf of the Island Blessed certain people, and the Elemental Magicks were no longer as effective against the quickly healing creatures. They were forced to flee and return home, defeated.

The Last 200 Years

Things within the Empire became tumultuous. Certain Nobles started working to overthrow the current Emperor. Some worked towards the short term, some planned for longer. The Emperor managed to shut them all down without much effort, for the family was still well respected, but he knew it was only a matter of time before it came back up again. So he began conserving. And planning.

Channeling was all but forbidden for a time while they ley-lines started to refill. A long process in even the best of circumstances. While this happened the Emperor planned, and passed on to his children, and them to their children, never letting them forget the defeat on the island, and also what treasure it holds.

Now, present day, the newest Emperor seems ready to make peace with the people of the island, and ask them for it's use instead of taking it. His advisors, all Elementalists as well, simply wanted to try taking it again, but with a new generation came new ideas. And so ships were prepared, and again they set out to the island, this time on a mission on purported peace.

Daviskas Geography

• Large Empire on part of a continent
• Roughly 250 miles from the northern tip to the southern tip
• Roughly 200 miles from east to west
• Five countries make up the Empire
• Topography
• Coastal area with sand and trees, inland more barren and dry near Capital
• Weather
• The northern tip sees snow in the winter
• Inland deserts get severe heat
• Southern and coastal areas are moderate