AderonMUD History

"THE HISTORY OF THE KNOWN RACES OF ADERON" by Unimor De'Gevin

This slim tome contains a brief synopsis of the history of each of the major races of the Known World. These synopses have been gathered from extant primary sources by Xanafax and compiled here for the dilettante to peruse and learn a little about their fellow Aderonians.

Overview: Most of the races of AderonMud live in a state of almost perpetual war. The ELVES, DWARVES, and GNOMES live in relative peace, but almost every other existing intelligent race is far from friendly. The HUMANS, who are the dominant race in the world, control many large semi-autonomous cities, have very few allies, due to rogue adventurers who frequently slay the citizens and soldiery of the other races. The humans have adopted the Totem system created by the elves, that allows them to have special affinities to certain animals, and to be able to take on some of those animals' characteristics. This makes the three races a little more friendly, as it seems the humans are trying to understand them, but they are still wary as humans have a bad track record.

Elf

Aeons ago, when the land of Aderon first came into being, Elves were among the first races to emerge through the mystical portals that sprang up across the continent, and they quickly established for themselves a powerful and extensive domain. They concentrated their settlements in the dense woodlands that then covered most of Aderon, or built beautiful crystal fortresses high in the western mountains that separate Aderon from the Desert wastes.

Centuries passed, and gradually the Elves fell from dominance, losing interest in the pursuit of power and wealth, and instead immersing themselves in the study of the magical arts. Generations of such research eventually resulted in the evolution of a race of Elves of which every member possessed latent magical talent; the ability to shape and mold the magical energies which flowed across Aderon into whatever usage pleased them.

Thus eventually the Elves became renowned mages, and kings and princes of all races sought them for their abilities, as well as their counsel, for Elves were counted among the wisest of all races. And the Elves prospered, and lived in relative harmony with their neighbors.

Eventually, discord began to emerge, caused as is often the case by the jealousy of the "lesser" races, and war between Elves and the other races broke out. Combined armies of Dwarves and Humans drove Elves from their forests and their crystal palaces, at the cost of countless lives on both sides, for the Elves did not surrender their lands easily.

This war raged for thirty years, until it was ended by the coming of the Manscorpions and other vicious races. These races forced the others to make peace and band together to keep from being overrun. The races returned to their domains, and have since that day maintained an uneasy truce, though in truth many members of the warring races still hold a deep hatred for the others. Some say the Elves' natural arrogance and condescension to the "lesser" races brought about the war- others say it was the natural aggression of the Dwarves and Humans. 

Dwarf

Dwarves were the second race to emerge into the land of Aderon, after the Elves. They quickly grew quite fond of this land, admiring the many tall, powerful mountain ranges which to their added delight they found were rich with valuable minerals. Soon Dwarven mines peppered every major mountain range on the continent, and some Dwarves had even crossed the Dragon Sea to the New World in search of new ranges to mine.

Dwarves paid little attention to the affairs of other races, save the Elves whom they kept a suspicious eye on, and the gnomes, whom they banned upon threat of war of coming near their hoards of gems and metals. They continued to mine and smith, digging deep into the roots of the mountains of Aderon, and discovered many wonders (and evils--the Dwarves warred long against tribes of Goblins who shared the mountain depths).

When Humans arrived, they formed a bond with the prosperous Dwarves, and an tenuous alliance was forged that to this day remains strained but is still mostly followed by both sides. And while this alliance benefited both Humans and Dwarves, it meant catastrophe for other races.

Dwarves had long hated and feared Elves and their magical ways, for Dwarves detest magic, and Humans had been deeply jealous of the Elves' wealth and power. So both races made war against the Elves, and nearly succeeded in eradicating them. It was the arrival of the Manscorpions, who swarmed out of the southern mountains and forests and forced an end to the war, and made the Dwarves and Humans swear an oath to never again raise arms against the other two allied races: elves and gnomes.

The Dwarves agreed, and withdrew to their mountains. Gradually they succumbed to internal strife caused by boredom and isolation, and one by one the many Dwarven kingdoms collapsed and disappeared. Only a very few remain today, and they are but a shadow of the mighty kingdoms of their ancestors.

Human

Humans are a young race, compared to Elf, Dwarf and Gnome, having come to Aderon much later. The Humans of Aderon came from many different worlds, as refugees, wanderers, explorers or fugitives. And, as Humans are wont to do, they quickly built towns and cities, and farmed the land, and hunted the local animals, and they became quite comfortable in their new home.

Kingdoms were established quickly, and just as quickly brought down by rebellions, feuds, or war with their neighbors. Eventually a kind of stability came into being, with individual city states (such as Aderon, the largest, and Midgaard, the first kingdom formed on Aderon) establishing themselves as domains independent of each other.

Peace became even more advantageous when the Dwarves offered the hand of friendship, and both sides soon prospered from a lucrative trade of the Human-produced food and goods for the products of the Dwarven mines. Both races enjoyed this situation, and soon a powerful alliance was formed.

It was never known who suggested war upon the Elves, or why it was suggested, but when it was, both races eagerly agreed. For over thirty years, Humans and Dwarves mercilessly assaulted the Elven kingdoms, reducing most of them to ashes, along with much of the lush forests of eastern Aderon. It was the arrival of the brutal Manscorpions that forced an end to that war, and the start of a tenous alliance between Dwarves, Humans, Elves, and Gnomes.

Humans, no longer diverted by war, channeled their energies in other directions, and began to enhance the physical, mental and spiritual development of their race. Academies were established far and wide to teach Humans the different ways of tapping magic inside and around them, and to become even better at physical combat. Humans excelled at it, but other races found it too difficult or boring, especially the Gnomes and the Dwarves.

Today, Humans are by far the most numerous of all races on Aderon, and also one of the most powerful, thanks to their mastery of the Magical Arts.

Gnomes 

Of all the races on Aderon, Kender are the least aggressive, but are inarguably the most curious. Gnomes are very similar to dwarves, except for their insatiable need to know everything. The greatest libraries of the day were created by gnomes, and even the knowledgeable elves were once far surpassed in learning by these curious little men.

They care little for the affairs of other races, preferring instead to collect as many strange, exciting or unusual objects as they can. Gnomes are great explorers, and a gnome can prove to be an invaluable guide when travelling to uncharted lands.

The gnomes are on dangerous ground now though. During the massive war between the Elves and the Humans and Dwarves, their libraries were destroyed by the Elves to keep the knowledge from the Humans and Dwarves, and their towns were destroyed by the other side, as they were considered "allies" of the Elves. With no real martial ability of their own, the gnomes were badly damaged by the wars. Then when the Manscorpions arrived, the Gnomes were the first people to be hit by their marauding forces, breaking their power once and for all. Now they are slowly rebuilding, but it is taking much effort to do so.