Drychtnoth, Realm of War

DRYCHTNOTH - Realm of War

Drychtnoth's Population

Drychtnoth's population is approximately 11,812,500 persons.

236,251 residents are isolated or itinerant.
10,513,125 residents live in 15,019 villages.
708,750 residents live in 142 towns.
295,312 residents live in 25 cities.
59,062 residents live in 2 big cities (Tegclerat and Corinth).

The average distance between villages is 3 miles.
The average distance between towns is 35 miles.
The average distance between cities (including big cities) is 79 miles.

Drychtnoth supports one University: The Academy of War, which trains and produces Warlords.

Drychtnoth supports 25,987,500 head of livestock: 17,671,500 fowl (e.g. chickens, geese, ducks); and 8,316,000 dairy and meat animals (e.g. cows, goats, pigs, sheep).

The inhabitants of Drychtnoth have been building castles for the last 958 years. There are approximately 305 standing fortifications in Drychtnoth. 236 castles are in active use, 69 castles are ruined or abandoned, 229 castles are located in settled areas, and 76 castles are located in remote areas, unsettled areas, or wilderness.

Government: Monarchy (currently the Emperor of Drychtnoth is a much disputed title. Drychtnoth is in the midst of civil war.)
Capital: In Dispute
Religions: Olanigan
Imports: Mercenaries, Timber, Gold, Grain, Food, Livestock, Iron, Weapons, Slaves, Wine, Ale
Exports: Large ships, Weapons, Coal, Silver, Soldiers, Chains, Slaves, Gladiators, Armor, Cheese

Major Geographical Features of Drychtnoth

Along the southern border of Drychtnoth is the impressive Kargan Mountain Range, tall, majestic, and rocky. Hidden in these mountains is the Elven refuge of Neria Bladesinger, as well as numerous giants. There are three major passes through this imposing range of rock: The Xorkechoktadatat River Pass, the Doquetdarixintox Pass, and the Kaxordthatler Pass. Several Red Dragons live in this range, most of which are currently dormant, sleeping the long, dreamy slumber of dragons.

Cutting up from the Ahmnian Bay to Sproktoxxoraktoxorat (the Great Lake of Drychtnoth) is the haunted Xordithattox Mountain Range. This range houses the star-shaped Forbidden Castle of King Garmund. A major trade pass cuts through the range near the Forbidden Castle, coming out at Xorgarmundat. Several other passes cut through these mountains, which, for the most part, are fairly low. The mountains around the Forbidden Castle, however, are quite high, cut with deep ravines and gorges. Also in these mountains is Xoquikachakrinat (Xanthor's Tower).

To the west of the haunted Xordithattox Mountains is Tonsik Kechokat, the Snake Swamp. Lorded over by a 405 year old Black Dragon named Zu(xh), this swamp is infamous for its variety of snake-life.   Nests of Yuan-ti have made their home here, and rumors persist that they have built a city within the darkness of the swamp.

Sproktoxxoroktoxorat is the Great Lake of Drychtnoth. On its shores once stood mighty Sprokxorclerat, the former capital of Drychtnoth. Sproktoxxoraktoxorat was once crisscrossed with trade traffic, but since the civil wars and the breaking of the Empire, most of the traffic on the lake is piratical.

On the Eastern edge of Drychtnoth is Lake Eonnoth. Here, on the shores of this Great Lake, was the foundation of Drychtnoth, the place where Khasmanen had his historic discourse with Olanigan.

The Asborinattox is large, desolate desert in the center of Drychtnoth.   It was a site once lush with life, but centuries of magical abuse has turned the land into desert.

The Jochquixtadat is the largest forest in Drychtnoth. Hidden in these dense woodlands lies the ruins of Sprokxorclerat, the former capital of the Drychtnothian Empire, as well as the still living city of Corinth, another early capital.

Avenger's Mountain is a single, solitary mountain south of the Great Lake Sproktoxxoroktoxorat. Not part of a range, it rises inexplicably from the arable plain alone and mighty. Atop this mighty rock sits Taxorcleratat, the City on the Mountain, and at the mountain's feet sits Atxorcleratat, a town.

Created by glaciers 1600 years ago, the Xusanthoxit Mountains form the northern border of Drychtnoth.   V-shaped, these are low forest covered mountains, and are easily crossed

Important Drychtnothian Sites

Akirfa Garmund, The Forbidden Castle of King Garmund, a star-shaped castle in the Xordithattox mountain range, is the most notorious haunted castle in the entire land. Other haunted castles of Drychtnoth can be read about in the article "Haunted Castles of Drychtnoth."

Taxorcleratat, The City on the Avenger's Mountain, has a population of 10,367 persons. It is the center of the kingdom ruled by King Atxortox (15th level Aristocrat) along with his Warlord, Darxyht (7th level wizard/3rd level warlord)

The Grand Temple of Olanigan on Eonnoth, the site of Olanigan's discourse with Khasmanen the Prophet, is the largest temple to Olanigan in Drychtnoth. The city, which has no name, has 8,032 inhabitants living there, although the population is usually around 11,000 at most times due to pilgrims. This place is ruled by King Thoxar (9th Fighter/1st Bard), a showman king. His warlord is the intimidating Dermem (3rd barbarian/5th sorcerer/3rd warlord). The city exports the Holy Texts of Khasmanen, which they print (or hand write/illuminate) and bind, and is their most lucrative industry.

The ruins of Xusa, the oldest city in Drychtnoth. It is situated at the "V" of the Xusanthoxit Mountains. It is the site of much archeology right now, and the towns surrounding Xusa often export ancient artifacts from the expansive ruins.

Sprokxorclerat was once the thriving Capital of Drychtnoth with a population of nearly 120,000 persons. Then, under the command of Yam ibn Saud, the metropolis was destroyed by Thigru the Alienist, who used the power of the Codex of Infinite Planes. Thigru was rumored to have been destroyed in the blast, although some say he changed his name to Kherit. The Academy of War used to be here, but a chronomancer went back in time and successfully evacuated the school and its libraries before its destruction.

Xorgarmundat is a powerful trade city in the kingdom of King Uxos I. The city is ruled by Lady Sunetha (8th Aristocrat), although many believe she takes orders from the mysterious Lady Xaroni. The population of the city is 8,344 persons. Situated in the foothills of the most imposing portions of the Xordithattox mountain range, the city does a lot of silver and iron mining. Lady Sunetha does not allow smelting or other dirty industries in the city, so the raw ores are exported out. The city also sits on one of the best passes through the range, so it is very much a trading city, with goods from all over Drychtnoth found here for sale or trade.

Tegclerat is a big fishing city on the shores of the Great Lake Sproktoxxoroktoxorat. With a population of 29,567 persons, the city is the seat of power of King Xorelth (9th fighter/3rd cavalier) and the necromancer warlord Dardbulth (12th wizard/5th warlord) and exports fish, timber, ships, and siege weaponry. Teglclerat also produces some of the most inovative armors and weapons, and boasts of some of the best weapon and armorsmiths in the Empire. The word Tegclerat is synonymous with Masterwork in Inzeladun. It is also the current location for the Academy of War and is a strong contender for becoming the new capital of Drychtnoth, having the support of many of the warlords. They are engaged in a war with Corinth as well as with Xethelclerat to become the capital of Drychtnoth. Indeed, King Xorelth also aims to be named emperor.

The other Big City in Drychtnoth is Corinth, once the capital of Corinthia before it was conquered by Drychtnoth. Located on the shore of the Great Lake Sproktoxxoroktoxorat, it is ruled by King Omxor (20th level Aristocrat) and his warlord, Aksunek (17th wizard/10th warlord/5th archmage/3rd epic). Corinth is a major industrial site, producing 37% of Drychtnoth's armor and weaponry. It has a population of 29,495 persons and has to import most of its food from other cities and kingdoms as most of the population are smiths. It has to import most of its ore as well. Currently a contender to become the capital of Drychtnoth, Corinth is embroiled in a bitter war with its rival, Teglclerat. Teglclerat has been hurting their ore imports, capturing many of their supply ships and trains. Corinth has also had to endure piracy from Xethelclerat, another contender for the title.

Xethelclerat, also on the shore of the Great Lake Sproktoxxoroktoxorat, is ruled by King Jotelth (12th fighter), a highly charismatic leader intent on bringing Drychtnoth to a golden age. He is assisted by his warlord Grudam III (7th wizard/4th warlord), a necromancer of some repute. This city has a population of 11,876 persons and is best known for its warships. The city is also supported in its bid for becoming the capital of Drychtnoth by the religious leaders of Drychtnoth, the Church of Olanigan. A True Priest of Olanigan has made this his home, and, with his miracles, he has won over the people. Indeed, this priest started the civil wars, causing the Empire to break from Isaxar the Vile, their former emperor.

Asborinat is the city found deep in the Drychtnothian Desert. With a population of 8,765, this city is ruled by King Xunsin (5th Aristrocrat) and his warlord Anexeht (4th wizard/1st warlord). Very little is known of this city, as few people leave it, and even fewer travel to it. Trade caravans rarely get inside the actual city, and those that do rarely speak of what they see.

Tonsikxorclerat is the city on the shores of Snake River, not far from Snake Swamp. Ruled by Jokaleth (21st level fighter), a doomed champion, this city is famous for its replicas of dragons and snakes. Statues, paintings, amulets, and all manner of decorations are made in this city of snakes and dragons. The warlord Dprivsyn (10 sorceror/1 warlord) is one of Isaxar's experiments - he is a half-dragon. This city has relations with lizard men, and several half-dragons make their home here. This is one of the most racially tolerant cities in all of Drychtnoth. It has a population of 8,032 persons, and only 67% of these persons are wholly human.

Arkirfa Neria is a refuge for elves in the Kargan Mountains. Ruled by Neria Bladesinger, an elven warrioress, this land is fiercely protected by magic and dragons.

Life and Society in Drychtnoth

Drychtnoth is a warlike empire of warriors and militant wizards. The empire is composed of Drychtnoth, Corinthia, Ekbatah, Ionia, and many several smaller nations. It used to contain the lands of the Dagam and the Massagetah, but they recently split from the empire. The Empire is split into many kingdoms, each ruled by a king. Each king, in turn, serves the Emperor. The hierarchy of power is 1) The Emperor 2) The Kings (and priesthood) 3) The Warlords and Nobility 4) Paladins and Knights 5) Warriors of Drychtnoth. Foreign mercenaries, gladiators, peasants, and slaves have no official power in Drychtnoth.

The primary god of Drychtnoth is Olanigan. No temple to other gods may be larger or grander than any given temple to Olanigan in any given city. Olanigan is the god of war and is detailed further in the Gods of Inzeladun section of this site.

The national pastime for Drychtnothians is gladiatorial fights. The wealthy and affluent watch large festive affairs in coliseums, while the poorer watch combat in pits, known as pit fighting. Drychtnothians do have a booming slave trade. Debtors can be enslaved, as are prisoners of war. Children borne of slaves are also slaves.

Drychtnoth boasts some of the greatest weaponsmiths and armorers in all of Western Inzeladun, and Drychtnothians who take these proficiencies gain a +1 to their skill scores in those proficiencies.

To the Drychtnothians, a king is fit to rule only if supported by Olanigan (represented by the priesthood) and by magic (represented by a Warlord).

The old empire of Drychtnoth is now in the midst of a civil war and the empire has fallen into three pieces. Emperor Atxortox rules what is left of Drychtnoth. His warlord is Darxyht. The High Priest Anathek further supports him.

The primary language is Drychtnothian (I have a Drychtnothian - English dictionary available), although the sublanguages of Corinthian, Ekbatai, and Ionian are also spoken in some areas.

RACIAL MODIFIERS FOR CHARACTERS

The Drychtnothians, as a rule, love to fight. The young are inducted into the military at the age of 14, male and female. Any Drychtnothian characters, of any class, will have bonus proficiencies in the warsword, heraldry, fire building, military history, and survival to reflect this early military training. Drychtnothians tend to have dark brown hair, brown eyes, and strong staminas. Drychtnothian characters, of any class, gain a +1 bonus to their constitution scores, again on account of their military training, as well as a +1 bonus to their Fortitude Saves.. However, they take a -1 to all Knowledge skills and a -1 to their Will Saving Throws, due to lack of formal education and training to obey orders.

Corinthian-Drychtnothians gain a +1 to any one skill that uses CHA as a key ability.. These people have the blood of ancient kings in their veins. They are of darker skin tone than most Drychtnothians and have hooked noses.

Ionian-Drychtnothians gain a free Craft skill, for they are an artistic people, and a +1 to their charisma when dealing with the opposite sex, for the Ionians were well known for their sexual skills. Their hair is lighter colored than the standard Drychtnothian and their eyes tend toward gray.

Ekbatan-Drychtnothians receive a bonus Knowledge (religion) skill, for they are a religious people.

Pureblooded Drychtnothians have eyes that turn red when angered and have dark hair.

The average Drychtnothian has mixed blood and tend toward brown hair and solid, square chins.

Drychtnothians use a lot of K's and X's in their language and in their names. Mostly harsh syllables. Drychtnothian names for characters can often be generated by taking an English name and substituting these syllables. Examples: Sherryl becomes Xerryl for a female name. John becomes Xohn. Etc.)

ATTITUDES

Drychtnothians hate elves and other non-humans, psionicists, and non-Warlord wizards. They also hate Nyandarians and it is customary for them to spit whenever someone says Nyandar or Nyandarian. They worship the god of war, Olanigan, as their primary patron (although they do not neglect the other gods either). Paladins and knights are given high honors and praise, above the priesthoods and warlords. Most Drychtnothians are notable because of their predominantly military bearing. Also, unless they are warlords, Drychtnothians are forbidden to wear red as a predominant color.

WIZARDS

Wizards in Drychtnoth belong to the Red Robed Order - Warlord Branch. They take the Warlord Prestige Class after their training. They always wear red. Warlords almost always serve a king, only a few are permitted rogue status. Warlords are given a lot of respect, and are objects of fear amongst the regular folk. Most Drychtnothians look to warlords as Imperials look to Darth Vader in the Star Wars Trilogy. Warlords are forbidden by law to directly assault the Priests of Olanigan.

WARRIORS

Nearly every king of Drychtnoth has his own order of knighthood. Only three Orders devoted only to Paladins and not loyal to any particular king exist in Drychtnoth. The Order of the Cyraxes (mostly militarist paladins); The Order of Olanigan (mostly Divinate, Votary, and True Paladins); and the Order of Xelos. There are plenty of gladiators, mercenaries, swashbucklers, and pirates throughout Drychtnoth.

Superstitions in Drychtnoth

Names: Drychtnothians believe that to utter the name of a Nyandarian, or even to say the name of the country, is to invite bad luck. The only way to counter the bad luck is to spit after the name or word is said.

Races: Drychtnothians believe that the sight of a free elf will doom the viewer to three to twelve years of bad luck. The only way to undo this bad luck is to enslave or kill the elf immediately. Ionian-Drychtnothians believe the bad luck will last for seven years, but Corinthian-Drychtnothians believe the bad luck lasts for 12. Most other Drychtnothians believe the bad luck will endure for a mere three years.

Classes: Drychtnothians believe it is an ill omen to kill a priest of Olanigan, and the family of any man who murders a priest of the God of War is doomed to die in battle.

Animals: Drychtnothians believe black warhorses in red armor are invincible, as is the rider of such a steed, for these steeds are blessed by Olanigan. A shoe thrown in battle is considered bad luck when found. Burying the horseshoe where it lies undoes the ill fortune. Birds flying to the west before a battle is a foul omen. Birds flying to the north before a battle is a good omen. A white dragon is considered to be the most vile of dragons, and it is a universally despised image. The red, gold, and silver dragons are the most valued for symbolic imagery.

Numbers: Drychtnothians are big believers in numerology, for there is great power in numbers. A Drychtnothian will always count everything so that unlucky numbers (2, 6, 13) are avoided, and lucky numbers (1, 3, 7, 12) are promoted.

Religion in Drychtnoth

All Drychtnothians revere Olanigan. It is the state sanctioned religion. It's folklore is primarily a codified, written tradition, and many carry small books or scrolls inscribed with passages from one of their holy texts. Their most holy text is "The Philosophies of Olanigan" by Khasmanen.

Battlegrounds (after the battle) and temples are holy ground to the Drychtnothians, sanctified by blood.

At birth, the father of a child must cut his wrist or palm and anoint the child with his blood. Then he will take the child to a temple or to a battleground and offer up a prayer to Olanigan over the child. Often a priest of Olanigan will be present as an official witness. This is preferred, but not necessary. The father will then name a teacher for the child, usually a friend or relative, and this person will anoint the child's chest with blood to show his acceptance of this bonding. This person, called the Truest Blood, by agreeing to this "bonding", is agreeing to teach the child the Art of War, and the skills of combat should the father fall in battle before he can teach the child himself.

The Drychtnothians burn their dead on pyres, so that enemies cannot raise them for undead soldiers, or use them as catapult ammunition (something Drychtnothians do when attacking foreign lands. They will dig up cemeteries and hurl the dead at their victims of war). The death ritual for a warrior fallen in battle involves joyous feasting, but the death ritual for one who dies of disease or in peace is usually a solemn affair.

The holy symbol for Olanigan is a red eye. The penitent kneel when praying on one knee, their hands on top of the upraised, bent knee (or on their weapon, held so that the business end is on the ground), their heads bowed and their eyes closed (but their ears open). The Drychtnothians pray in silence, so that an enemy cannot sneak up on them, or hear their prayer, for a prayer heard by an enemy is considered intercepted, and does not reach Olanigan (which also explains why Drychtnothians fear psionicist... they can intercept even a silent prayer by reading minds).

Drychtnothians offer the souls of enemies slain in battle to their grim lord for favor. The more souls sent to Olanigan, the more blessings will be heaped upon the slayer or his family.

In the spring, the Drychtnothians have a spring fertility festival honoring Marush Hob and her mating with Olanigan. Erotic tales are told with relish and the high point of each Springtide festival is the Dance of the Maidens, where the young girls of marriageable age perform an exotic (and erotic) dance and they choose their husband. A public act of sexuality seals the bond and the pairs are considered married. Other sexual dances complete the ceremonies.

The winter solstice is celebrated in honor of the defeat of the White Dragons in ages past. The Autumnal Equinox is celebrated in blood. To protect oneself from the walking dead, for the spirits walk after dark on this day, one must kill an enemy and drench oneself in that enemy's blood, for the dead will not harm a man drenched in blood on this day, for they are fooled into thinking the bloody warrior is one of their number.

Drychtnothian Mythology

The creation of the world is attributed to Olanigan, according to the Drychtnothians, and is made from the fallen foe of Olanigan. The world resulted from the aftermath of a raging war between Olanigan and the so called "Sleeping God". This enemy was defeated and torn asunder and cast aside by the Great God Olanigan, and, as a final insult, Olanigan populated that body with people so that the corpse will eventually be consumed in fire and blood.

Olanigan mated with Marush Hob to create humanity, and he set them on Inzeladun to destroy the world with lusts and obsessions. Catemar Hob, who was an ally of the Enemy, took the form of a female warrior and tricked Olanigan into mating. This birthed the Elves, and Catemar set the Elves on Inzeladun as caretakers, to resurrect the Enemy. This angered Olanigan, and swore that his humans would defeat the Elves. In his anger, Olanigan made a bargain with the Elemental wife of Korint Hob, and mated with the elemental beauty, and she gave birth to the Dwarves. Korint Hob believed the Dwarves were his children and he taught them the Way of the Forge, but Korint wondered at their warlike hearts.

Catemar proved to Korint that the Dwarves were the sons of Olanigan, and Korint was angry. Olanigan took his children and put them on Inzeladun to fight the elves, but Korint had his revenge... he made sure the Dwarves would also fight Olanigans humans!

Another myth of the Drychtnothians regards the origins of fire. The Dwarves were the first to have it, having learned it from Korint Hob. And when Korint refused to allow the Dwarves to associate with the humans, Olanigan stole fire from Korint and gave it to his First Born sons.

Warriors who exhibit bravery are taken to Olanigan's realm upon death. Their standing in the afterlife will be determined by the quantity of the Five Holy Virtues each warrior had in life. Those who are not taken to Olanigan's realm remain with the Enemy, and are dead forever, guarded by the unholy elves.

Eventually the world will end through a massive war with the Elves, and the humans and Olanigan will find a way to totally destroy Inzeladun, the Enemy.

Regional History

The Fifth Age
Drychtnoth was formed early in the Fifth Age by a renegade from the all but forgotten ice-age culture of Koph.

In the year 20, a warrior called Xelos and Khasmanen, a priest of Olanigan, forged an army to combat an evil ruler from Koph who had built a small fortress near the shores of Lake Eonnoth. Over the course of the next three years, Xelos, Khasmanen, and his army fought many campaigns against the Kophian intruders. Xelos swore to create his own nation made up of his followers, a kingdom where the warriors would not be second class citizens, less than some noble born to his station, an empire where the warrior would be exalted for his own merits and abilities.   In the year 25, the Visitation of Olanigan occured. Olanigan, the god of war, came to Inzeladun and gave his strategies of war to Khasmanen the High Priest and ordained Xelos as his chosen one. Xelos and his armies crushed the Kophian lord in their next major confrontation.

Drychtnoth was founded early in the first century on the shores of lake Eonnoth and north of the Kargan Mountains. The first king of Drychtnoth was King Xelos. He founded the small nation, built a small fortress and established a small town. The name Drychtnoth meant "Destined for Empire". He wanted a nation ruled by warriors and glorified by warfare. Thirteen years later the town and the lands had grown to about 100 square miles. During those thirteen years iron was first produced by the Drychtnothian smiths as an accidental by-product of copper or lead smelting, proving superior to bronze in durability, malleability, and strength. The Drychtnothians learned to crush the ore, layer it with charcoal (to lower the iron's melting point), and intensify the heat with bellows, melting away the impurities and leaving carburized iron. It didn't take long before Drychtnothian blacksmiths became regarded as having occult powers. Drychtnoth soon developed alchemists from some of the more intelligent and daring blacksmiths.

King Xelos, founder of Drychtnoth died of old age in the year 63 and his son, Yoth Koxelos took the reigns. King Yoth fought wars with several nearby villages and minor chiefs, increasing the lands of Drychtnoth by a multiple of ten. He died in 82.   His eldest son, Thoez Koxelos became king of the growing nation. He built a stone tower on the sight of the old wooden fortress of his father and grandfather. He established the first Baron of Drychtnoth, his second born son, in 91. Under King Thoez, iron production was mastered. The metal transformed every area of Drychtnothian life as the metal came into general use. The metal allowed farmers to put larger tracts of land into production. In time, the countryside, cleared of trees, began to take on patchwork patterns. Hammers, chisels, drills, and nails became available. Iron knives, pots, and roasting spits made for more efficient cooking and food preparation. Personal weapons became more and more lethal. King Thoez died in 99, to be replaced by his eldest son, Ixelth Koxelos.

The metalsmiths under King Ixelth Koxelos of Drychtnoth made better and better weapons and armors of iron. This gave the Drychtnothians a great advantage over their neighbors. King Ixelth Koxelos abandoned the god Olanigan and made a pact with the demongod Wemusa to exist forever. Olanigan slew Ixelth for his audacity, then Wemusa honored his agreement and caused him to rise again as a vampire. Ixelth fled Drychtnoth. To punish the Drychnothians for abandoning him, Olanigan sent The Dragon. An adult red dragon, Kuthelex Vralmenex, settled in the mountain range that made the southern border of Drychtnoth. Kuthelex exacted a yearly bounty from the Drychtnothians to keep him from destroying the budding empire. To the Drychtnothians, however, the dragon was a sign from Olanigan that they were still his chosen people, as well as a warning to those people of the fate that will befall them if they ever again forget who is their chief god. The Drychtnothians took the yearly tribute as a sacrfice to their god. They would also kill any would-be dragon slayers.

Ixelth's son, Thosan Koxelos, became the king of Drychtnoth in the year 140. He returned his people to the worship of Olanigan. A patron of the arts, and a friend of the people, Thosan was a popular king within Drychtnoth, but he was a devil to those who were Drycthnoth's enemies. Finding tomes on warfare waged in the Fourth Age, he encouraged his smithies to turn out several of the weapons described on those pages. Without pictures, that was a chore to be done indeed.    The discovery of the iron-to-steel process enabled sword makers to take a great leap forward as blacksmiths learned that when the carbon content of iron is increased, steel is formed. This technique meant that blacksmiths had to become even more proficient in their art. Thosan insisted that steel and iron production methods to be kept secret.

Sandar Koxelos took the throne of his grandfather Thosan in 173. Sandar granted baronies to several of his nephews and cousins, increasing the holdings of Drychtnoth by several thousand square miles. King Sandar continued to build a strong military, with an eye on both Koph and Xusa. He kept the secret of steel from his neighboring kingdoms.

A green dragon attempted to kill some Drychtnothian pioneers for encroaching on his lands. King Sandar went forth with his host and killed the dragon, using a sword stolen from the dragon's own hoard. The sword was not anything like the swords the Drychtnothians had. King Sandar ordered copies of the weapon made, and so Drychtnoth developed the longsword.

King Sandar of Drychtnoth died in 211. His great grandson Sandar Koxelos II took the throne. His rule of nine years was highlighted by the conquering of a boyhood rival's freehold nearby.

In 220, Xelos Koxelos took the throne of Drychtnoth upon his father's death.

Sandar Koxelos III became the king of Drychtnoth in 260, inheriting from his grandfather a mighty kingdom. His reign of a month was cut short by a sickness gained while hunting. His younger brother, Thosan II, became the next king of Drychtnoth.

King Thosan Koxelos II died in 277. His son, Myutho, became the king of Drychtnoth.

King Myutho Koxelos of Drychtnoth died in 340. His great-grandson, Cyalth Koxelos, was given the throne after a brief, but heated, period of chaos amongst the great grandsons of the old king. King Cyalth ruled wisely and well, bringing a period of prosperity to Drychtnoth. Specialized jobs by this time had taken root in Drychtnothian culture-carpenters, shipbuilders, armorers, et. al.

King Cyalth died in 361. His son, Sunxes Koxelos, took the throne, but stepped down when he was exposed as a traitor for selling the secrets of steel to foreign nations. His brother took the throne as Sandar Koxelos IV later that same year.

King Sandar IV of Drychtnoth died in 389. His youngest, and only surviving, son was crowned king that year. His name was Darthom Koxelos. He was a psionicist by nature, and a powerful one by training. He instituted an area of learning and religion for fellow mentalists.

Drychtnoth introduced the Bastard Sword in 450. Chainmail was re-invented and flails were again used as weapons by the Drychtnothians. Their steel and iron weapons gave the Drychtnothians a huge advantage over their neighbors and their bronze armors and weapons in the past, but those neighbors had since gained the knowledge of steel and its manufacture.

In 451, King Darthom Koxelos destroyed the school he built for psionicists, killing most of the students and hunting down those who had graduated from the school. Already 83 years old, and having been king for 62 of those years, King Darthom became violent and deadly with his mental powers.

King Darthom Koxelos of Drychtnoth abandoned his throne for the life of a recluse in 489 at the unthinkable age of 121. The throne was hotly contested for several months, when a man, claiming to be descended from Ixelth Koxelos, came to Drychtnoth and laid claim to the throne. All contests died shortly thereafter, and this man ascended the throne of Drychtnoth as King Ixelth Koxelos II. Little did anyone know that Ixelth the second was the vampire Ixelth the First.

The Twilight Gathering discovered that the king of Drychtnoth, Ixelth II, was one of the Undead, a vampire, early in the year 550. Ixelth, having killed all of his relatives who might contest the throne, was forced to flee, or be destroyed by the superior might of the Gathering. The Koxelos dynasty was at an end. Disputes for the throne became heated and Drychtnoth was close to splitting into nearly sixty lesser kingdoms as the barons fought for control. Grulth Kosandar, a descendant of King Sandar Koxelos IV, was the strongest baron and assumed the throne by the end of 550.

By 570 polearms had been developed in Drychtnoth, Kassyria, Dagam, and Ekbatah to combat the Xusan cavalries.

King Grulth Kosandar of Drychtnoth died in 582. His grandson, Kadrus Kosandar, became the reigning monarch of Drychtnoth. He rebuilt the walls around the royal castle, building them taller and stronger.

King Kadrus Kosandar of Drychtnoth died in battle in the middle of 591. His son, Grulth Kosandar II, became the king of the powerful nation. He enacted new laws which helped garner more support from the barons than the more recent kings had been able to get. He began an early form of the codes of Chivalry and began an early order of Knighthood. He fully supported the religious cults of Olanigan and their warriors. The priests supported their king as never before.

King Grulth II died in 633. The priests of Olanigan gave him an elaborate ceremony and crowned his son, Grulth Kosandar III, as the king of Drychtnoth. Grulth III continued to support the priests of Olanigan as had his father.

In 645, King Grulth III of Drychtnoth was killed in a battle. His son, Grulth Kosandar IV, was given the crown. The priests of Olanigan began to garner more and more power over the realm. They became involved in the ceremonies of knighthood, instilling ethics and rules. The code of chivalry became more solidified. The knights, once feared by the serfs and commoners, become respected and noble.

King Grulth IV of Drychtnoth was killed in a jousting accident in 652. His son, Ixexin Kosandar, became the next king. He rebuilt much of the king's fortress. Slowly it assumed the shape of a true castle.

In 679 Xusa raided and plundered Drychtnoth and Kassyria.

A warrior from Indor, Wilmanric the Brave, traveled north at the beginning of the 700th year of the Age. He established a small freehold which he named Corinthia, a name he took from the legends of the Greek invaders of the Third Age. He built a small castle called Corinth Castle. He soon began to enlarge his holdings as people from the neighboring lands flocked to his leadership and protection. He built a massive army to stem the tides of neighboring kingdoms and violent barbarians and to protect those within his border. Wilmanric soon became known as Werewolf Slayer, for he slew many barbarian lycanthropes during his reign. He wielded a powerful sword called Thieondrec.

The knights of Drychtnoth, famed for their deeds of heroism, become more and more famous. The nations of Corinthia, Dagam, Ionia, and Kassyria begin to start orders of knighthood for themselves. King Ixexin of Drychtnoth died in 701, and his son, Axdar Kosandar, took the throne. A powerful knight himself, he made it law that the king must be a knight to assume the throne.

The Ekbatai conquered Xusa in 720, ruling harshly over the Dagam and Kassyria. Drychtnoth regained its freedom with Xusa's fall. Drychtnoth attacked Corinthia.

King Axdar of Drychtnoth died in 739, having been subjected to a psionic assassination of the Ekbatai for his refusal to help Ekbat V regain territory from the Dagam. Axdar's grandson, a knight of over a dozen campaigns, became the next king. His name was Sir Andar Kosandar.

King Andar Kosandar of Drychtnoth died in 777, also killed by Ekbatai psionic assassins. His grandson, Sir Synrus Kosandar became the king of the growing kingdom. He granted more power to the barons, allowing them to build more powerful castles. His own castle became more and more impregnable.

King Synrus Kosandar of Drychtnoth hired three Black Robed mages to kill the ruling priest of Ekbatah early in 790. These mages, Isuthan, Uxrustrian, and Darezgru were all three ruthless killers, working together as a team for years.

King Synrus Kosandar died in Drychtnoth in 811. His favorite son, Sir Ulthric Kosandar, the only one of his sons to survive knighthood, became the ruler of Drychtnoth.

The Dagam hired Isuthan, Uxrustrian, and Darezgru, three assassin Black Robed mages to destroy these psionicists, which they did.

The War of Esmelryn took place between Odhirran, Nyandar, and Corinthia. This war established the Border Kingdom and the borders of the three countries involved. This war killed both Tanom Nemed (the King of Menedia) and King Xor MalTorak (King of Corinthia) by the end of 844. Tanom had no children, so General Gerom took the throne of Nyandar. A warrior named Lord Sprak Malzor became the King of Corinthia. He founded the city Sprakxorclerat and moved the capital there.

The kingdom of Drychtnoth established an order of Militarist Paladins in 848. The Order of the Shield was an order that believed war was a sacred act and a chance for spiritual redemption. Dagam founded an order of Knighthood, a darker order of cavaliers than the paladin orders of Corinthia or Nyandar. The Church of Olanigan founded its order of Divinate Paladins, the Order of the Red Sky.

Corinthia made strong leaps in the arts of weaponmaking and smithing in general. Corinthia and Drychtnoth warred with each other for territory. Both nations reached the shores of the gulf.

By 875 the Indorians invaded Drychtnoth and Corinthia. Drychtnoth fought valiantly and drove the Vikings off. The Drychtnothians and Corinthians become allies

King Ulthrik Kosandar of Drychtnoth died in 887. His grandson, Sir Doriez Kosander assumed the royal throne. Corrupt and evil, King Doriez would become infamous for his acts of wanton war against allies and friends.

Lord Sprak MalXor died in 894. Prince Darak MalSprak took the violent throne of Corinthia. King Amalerius Allamahiny of Ingara sent an envoy to King Darak MalSprak later that year. The Corinthian King signed a trade agreement with the Ingaran nation.

King Doriez of Drychtnoth was assassinated in 903. His killer usurped the throne. He was a baron and a knight and his name was Grudar Koamin. The barons rallied around him, for Doriez had nearly taxed them into the ground, and Grudar lowered the taxes and eased the law. The end of the Kosandar dynasty was the beginning of the Kogrudar dynasty.

King Grudar Koamin of Drychtnoth died in 938. He was given a royal burial and proclaimed throughout the nation as a great leader. His son, Isaxam Kogrudar, became the newest ruler of the Empire. Isaxam wanted to prove he could be as great as his father as a king and as a person.

Castle construction continued to get more and more advanced and complicated throughout Inzeladun, especially in Drychtnoth, Kassyria, Dagam, Ionia, and Ekbatah.

King Isaxam Kogrudar died in battle in 974, replaced by his heir, Orthulth Koisaxam shortly after the fateful battle.

Ekbatai troops helped the Drychtnothians in a battle against the Kassyrians. The Drychtnothians also used Ophyrish mercenaries in this battle, a battle they emerged victorious from. An age of constant warfare begins, with the Drychtnothians as the almost always victor. Because of the aid, Drychtnoth went to war against the Dagam to regain Ekbatai lands.

King Geok MalMarnek of Corinthia founded a new capital of Corinthia and named it Xormarnekclerat. He then sent assassins to kill the kings of Indor in 1007. He succeeded in killing the King of Northern Indor (Xohn), but failed to kill the other one. He also sent assassins to kill Gimbuta Bagkra, lord of the Dagam that year. He also sent a spy, a master poisoner, to Drychtnoth. The king of Drychtnoth, King Orthulth, died by poison in 1008. His son, Grulth Korthulth, was coronated a month later.

In 1052, King Garmund of Corinthia began the Red Robed Order, the origins of the modern Drychtnothian Warlords. The original Red Robes were trained Psion-Killers.

Yothan Malinnan, King of Drychtnoth, died in 1070. His youngest, and only surviving, son was crowned lord of all Drychtnoth later that year. Urackt Malyothan, the new king of that empire, was nearly killed in battle with the Indorians the following year, but he managed to survive his wounds with the help of a priest of Kalendor Hob and then gain revenge on the Indorian warchieftain who dealt the near fatal blow. Urackt was fond of the gladiatorial games of Corinthia and built similar gladiatorial stadiums in Drychtnoth, as well as supporting pit fighting.

Queen Salomay of Corinthia took a strong Drychtnothian warrior, Xorackt Malurackt (the heir to the throne of Drychtnoth), as her official Consort in 1076. She made Xorackt a general of her armies.

Queen Salomay of Corinthia died in her sleep in 1099. A civil war erupted in Corinthia as the many factions fought for the throne.

Platemail was made commonly available throughout Drychtnoth by the year 1100. Paper became readily available as well. The finalized version of the warsword was now common.

Prince Xorackt Malurackt took the throne of Corinthia in the name of Drychtnoth in 1102. In 1103 King Xorackt instigated the first road system linking the cities of Corinthia.

King Xorackt of Corinthia took a queen in 1104. A red dragon settled in Corinthia. Xorackt sent his soldiers to kill the dragon. The soldiers were never heard from again. Xorackt added another branch to his Red Robed Order of psionicist killers - the Warlords, militarist mages who would serve as advisors and tacticians to the military.

King Urackt of Drychtnoth died in 1107. His son, Xorackt Malurackt, the king of Corinthia, became king of Drychtnoth. Because Xorackt was now both king of Drychtnoth and king of Corinthia, he united the two empires.

Kassyria finally fell to the Drychtnothian king, Xorackt, in 1118. After Xorackt and his armies plundered the Kassyrian capital, slaughtering many of its citizens, he stacked the corpses in the streets and burned the city to the ground.

Prince Tiroch Malxorackt killed the Drychtnothian Red Dragon in 1141. The Prince was the first son of the king of Drychtnoth.

King Xorackt the Drychtnothian was killed by a Nyandarian assassin in 1150. His son, Prince Tiroch Malxorackt, was crowned king in 1151. King Tiroch instigated a third branch of the Red Robed Order - Sea Mages. Grindill was very upset at seeing these upstart Red Robes beginning to relearn specialized magicks.

King Tiroch Malxorackt of Drychtnoth instigated a second system of roads in Drychtnoth in 1153. He authorized small raids into Nyandar the same year. He also got married in the later part of that eventful year. His son was born in 1154. A daughter followed in 1155. He sold the daughter into slavery in 1165 to repay a debt.

The Drychtnothian sanctioned ruler of the Ekbatai was assassinated in 1156. The High Priests of Yogath Hob attempted to install their own leader as the new king, but the armies of Drychtnoth all but destroyed them. The Ekbatai were ordered to worship Olanigan instead of Yogath Hob. King Tiroch of the Drychtnothian Empire installed a second king, a native born Ekbatai, to rule as Ekbat the Twelth.

The Drychtnothians invaded the remnants of the Ekbatai lands in 1160. Xusa was sacked. King Tiroch Malxorackt, the monarch of Drychtnoth died in 1172. He was killed fighting a green dragon from Ophyr. His only son, Prince Lirbro(xh) Maltiroch took the Drychtnothian throne. The Nyandarians retaliated for earlier skirmishes in 1173 by killing King Lirbro(xh)'s bride-to-be (Princess Irol) on his wedding night. The Drychtnothian king declared war on Nyandar.

King Lirbro(xh) Maltiroch wed an Ophyrish princess in 1180. A daughter was born to him in 1183.

Nyandar lost the Irol War in 1187. The nation became part of the Drychtnothian Empire. The Nyandarian king NuonLanusasago was killed.

King Lirbro(xh) Maltiroch, Emperor of Drychtnoth, died in 1195. He had no sons, so his nephew, Kreaxein Malrimnon, became the new emperor. Xusa threw off the yoke of the Drychtnothians during the chaos that ensued during the changing of rulership.

Lirna Mirlirbro(xh), the eldest daughter of the former Emperor Lirbro(xh) Maltiroch, murdered her cousin, King Kreaxein Malrimnon, and usurped the throne of Drychtnoth in 1197. She had to work hard for several years before she was accepted. She had to put to death no less than 12 barons and princes before general acceptance of her rule occurred.

Nyandar revolted and managed to separate itself from the folds of the Drychtnothian Empire during the year 1200.

In 1213, Prince Cyaxares Malbryant, the crown prince of Drychtnoth, was abducted by Nyandarian soldiers. The prince was rescued a few weeks later by a paladin of Drychtnoth. Cyaxares became the High King of Drychtnoth in 1219. Cyraxes was by this time a knighted paladin of Drychtnoth. Because he had vows of chastity, his brother, Astyoges, was made the heir to the throne. Cyaxares made himself a shining example to his followers with his devotion to Olanigan and to Law and Goodness.

The Drychtnothians, led by the Paladin King Cyaxares, marched into Anatolia in an effort to wrest it from the Ekbatai in 1220. Anatolia was a land of gold, tin, and silver mines. The fighting was stopped by a sudden, terrifying eclipse of the sun by all three moons. The gods, it was deemed, wanted peace, so the lord of Ekbatah, Alyattes, gave his daughter's hand to Astyoges, the heir to the Drychtnothian throne. Alyattes of the Ekbatai died soon afterward and his son, Krosus, was chosen by the Ekbatai to lead them.

Cyaxares started a fourth branch of the Red Robed Order in 1229. He founded the Academecians, a branch dedicated to researching new magicks and new spells for the entire order.

The paladin king of Drychtnoth, Cyaxares, died in 1240 and his brother, Astyoges, took the throne of Drychtnoth.

Kyrus deposed his father Asyoges in 1260 and took the lands of Drychtnoth as his own. Krosus, lord of the Ekbatai, saw an opportunity to expand his own territory, regaining former lands of Ekbatah, by filching some of the former lands of the Drychtnothians. This was a blunder that would eventually cost him his entire domain.

Even though Kyrus was the High King of Drychtnoth, it was still a very feudal system, with much power dispersed to the lesser kings, who often fought amongst themselves for more land, more wealth, and more resources. Serfs were the lifeblood of Drychtnoth and its armies and knights were its limbs.

King Kyrus of Drychtnoth defeated Krosus, lord of the Ekbatai, in 1266. The gold and silver of Ekbatah would fund the marches of Drychtnothian armies for centuries. Ekbatah had finally fallen forever, and its people were made into Drychtnothian peasentry.

In 1268, a great earthquake shook the continent of Inzeladun.

King Kyrus of Drychtnoth defeated the Dagam in 1273 after ochestrating an amazing propoganda campaign against the weak king of the Dagam, Atalamae, who had alienated his own people by committing acts of religious heresy against their god, Kalen Hob. The main thrust of Kyrus' public relations offensive was that Atalamae had offended many gods and peoples, and that Kyrus was divinely appointed to bring him down. The Drychtnothian emperor promised to respect the gods of the Dagam, and in his incursions into other Dagam cities he was as good as his word. There were no interruptions of religious rites as his army marched through the lands of the Dagam. He entered the capitol as a friend and established the seat of the government in the palace of the ruler under jubilation and rejoicing. He proclaimed himself the choice of Kalen Hob, who "scanned all the countries searching for a righteous ruler. He proclaimed the name of Kyrus, Emperor of Drychtnoth." Kyrus abolished the highly unpopular forced-labor plan of the former regime. He brought relief to their dilapidated housing and put an end to their complaints. Even the rival Nyandarians deemed Kyrus a worthy ruler and lawgiver. And so, Dagam became part of the Drychtnothian Empire. Kyrus was killed, however, by Tomyris of the Massagetai in 1276. During the battles he waged against the Massagetai, Kyrus was particularly crafty and bloodthirsty, often very successfully tricking Tomyris into sending her troops into ambushes and other slaughters. When Tomyris finally met his host with hers, she waded through the battle and killed the Drychtnothian emperor, cutting off his head. She then soaked the head in the gore of the slain for she said his thirst for blood could never be sated. Tomyris' forces decimated the demoralized Drychtnothian host. Kambysix ascended the imperial throne of Drychtnoth.

King Kambysix of the Drychtnothians invaded Khaza, the borderlands of the Massagetai, in 1280. There he was cursed by a Massagetai Witch. He died of that curse in 1283. He left no successor, but through brilliant political maneuvering, a noble knight named Daraxyht became the new emperor of Drychtnoth. He added the surname of his predecessers to his own to help legitimize his rule. Daraxyht Malinnan launched a new age in building techniques and artistry, but his first task was to put down the wave of revolt that swept across the empire in the wake of the disputed succession. He fought 19 battles and dispatched eight would-be emperors in the course of a single year. After restoring order, however, he adopted a conciliatory policy toward the rebellious lands to win their loyalty, granting them three years grace on taxes and a forbearance for the same period on military service obligations. Daraxyht, as opposed to his predecessors, devoted much of his energy to building the feudal structures of imperial government. He continued the Drychtnothian tradition of ruling to an impressive degree with the cooperation of regional rulers. Those who accepted Drychtnothian rule were left in peace, their customs and religions of the subject people were respected. Revenue flowed into the royal treasuries, but much of this tribute paid for great works amongst the peoples' cities. Daraxyht also had the venerable city of Xusa renovated and renewed.

After a series of major battles, King Daraxyht of Drychtnoth conquered the Massagetai. Their lands became Drychtnothian lands. In 1293, Daraxyht defeated Ionia, bringing the Ionians to their knees. He ended their vile, sexually deviant religious practices and forced them to worship Olanigan as their prime diety, as opposed to Zeus. Their king, Charun VII (who was actually Charun the Archmage, the usurper of 891), he handed over to his Red Robes, who reversed all the previous longevity spells Charun had used upon himself. He quickly aged to his natural age of 448 years, disintigrating into dust and blowing away.

King Daraxyht of Drychtnoth ordered the creation of a fifth branch of the Red Robed Order. This branch was a branch of specialists known as spiritualists, a type of Grey Robed magic-user popular in Ionia.

Nyandar helped Ionia rebel against their Drychtnothian conquerors in 1335. Daraxyht put down the rebellion and executed their leaders. He earmarked Nyandar for a later attack.

King Daraxyht sent his Drychtnothian armies in 1344 to attack Nyandar for instigating the Ionian rebellions, but was repelled at all points.

Daraxyht was succeeded by Doriax I in 1348. Doriax was not as kind a ruler as Daraxyht. He put down two rebellions in that year alone. He attacked Nyandar, but his forces were defeated. Doriax became insulated by luxury, cut off from the everyday world by custom and ceremony. Only the highest of officials could approach the emperor uninvited. He would put to death anyone else who approached unsummoned. The Drychtnothian emperor was marooned in a world of fawning courtiers, eunuch attendants, and concubines. The sheer number of the last meant that there were legions of royal offspring to support. These royal minors had little real power, but had every temptation to indulge in court intrigue. Of the nine emperors after Daraxyht, six would be murdered.

Doriax, king of Drychtnoth, created a sixth branch of Red Robes - the Dragon Masters.

In Drychtnoth, the militant branch of the Red Robed Order, the Warlords, discovered defiling as a method of magic-use. Drawing magic from the world around them so quickly that it destroyed the plant life in the vicinity, the Warlords no longer needed the Tower to supply them with magic. They broke away. Grindill, Lord of the Tower, was very angry at this. He sent his assassin mages into Drychtnoth, but the Warlords, skilled at this sort of strategy, predicted his move and destroyed every single assassin. Needing to redefine the casting proceedures for all of their spells, magic specialization became important again.

King Doriax of Drychtnoth instituted the seventh branch of the Red Robes- the Necromancers, who were learning their specialized skills from the Warlords. The Necromancer branch also practised defiling. Soon their powers and skills grew to such a degree that even the Warlords were both afraid of and disgusted with them.

King Doriax of Drychtnoth was killed in bed by his chief steward and a chamberlain in 1369. Doriax's oldest son was blamed and executed. Doriax's next son, Andoriax I, took the throne. Andoriax learned the truth of his father's death when the steward tried to kill him as well.

Andoriax I, king of Drychtnoth, made peace with Nyandar in 1385.

A new High King of Drychtnoth rose when Andoriax I died in 1409. His son, Doriax II, died after 45 days, murdered by a half-brother, who was in turn murdered days later by Daraxyht II, the third son of Andoriax I.

Field plate armor was redeveloped in Drychtnoth. The light weight (compared to platemail) and strength made the expensive armor much sought after. The kings of Drychtnoth outfitted all of their knights with the new armor. The field plate armor was often highly decorated and often mirrored clothing styles of the year. It didn't take long for the new armor to spread to the other nations, even as far south as Indor.

Daraxyht II was succeeded by Andoriax II in 1430.

In 1450 Dagam regained its independence from Drychtnoth in a series of battles and political maneuvers. At about this time, true full plate armor reappeared commonly on the knights of Inzeladun.

In 1453 Isaxor the Paladin, a brave knight of the Order of the Lost Sword, captured a werewolf. This lycanthrope was the brother of a powerful gypsy matron and that matron cursed Isaxor to never again cast a reflection, nor even a shadow, for he had taken her brother from the light of the world forever. Upon returning to the Citadel of the Lost Sword in Drychtnoth, his fellow paladins saw he had no reflection. Isaxor was accused of vampirism, witchcraft, and worse from the Elder Priests. Trust in Isaxor, the greatest of their warriors, fell away as the months of accusations, trials, and hatred passed. His family was accused of necromancy and was hanged. Upon coming upon the hung bodies of his family, Isaxor's sanity snapped. He rode to the Citadel and slew the Elder Priests who had condemned his family to die. Isaxor rode away. The next night, he returned with an army of ghouls and destroyed the Order. He lives there still, known now as Isaxor Ghor, and if any go there, they never come back.

By 1465, prophets and soothsayers were fortelling doom and destruction. Predictions of the arrival of the Doom Bringer, the Second Coming of Kozad Jardak, became popular. Religions took advantage of the fears of the populace, causing their ranks (and their treasuries) to swell.

Andoriax III took the Drychtnothian throne from Andoriax II. He slaughtered all of his potential rivals and regained imperial control over Dagam in 1476.

Andoriax III was poisoned with his entire family (but for one son) in 1486 by the general of the Dagam campaign, the Myrmidon B'koth. The surviving son, Arksis, was made the puppet king of Drychtnoth.

Arksis, the nominal king of Drychtnoth, began to show signs of independence by 1494. That year he and his offspring were poisoned. The great nephew of Andoriax II came to the throne and was crowned Daraxyht III. He forced General B'koth to drink his own poisons.

The change of the Age occured at the end of the 1500th year. A new constellation formed in the sky, and prophecies of the Doom Bringer erupted throughout the continent. The kings of all the nations died the very moment Komaaks, the Doom Bringer, was born. Daraxyht III, stabbed to death, was replaced by Bexus Maldaraxyht.

The Sixth Age
Bexus was crowned Emperor of Drychtnoth and he reunited the Empire in a war against Nyandar. A popular Emperor, Bexus attempted to restore the original vision of Drychtnoth that inspired the Empire's founder. He attempted to make the Empire one that glorified the warrior class. He strengthened the roles of warriors within the church and restored the flagging dignity of the knighthoods. He built huge monuments to heroic warriors of the present and of the past. He built mighty fortress temples to Olanigan. The warlike nation bent their energies on creation and on their glorious war against Nyandar. Bexus was, however, worried about the prophecies of the Doombringer. He became aware that the Doombringer had entered Drychtnoth during the Nineteenth year of his reign. He bent all his power on getting the young Half-Ogre to join his army against Nyandar. In this endeaver, Bexus was successful. The Doombringer did join the Drychtnothian Army, and three years later, after being promoted to Captain, the Doombringer led an assault team into Nyandar and usurped the Nyandarian Throne. However, he did not take the nation in the name of Drychtnoth. The Doombringer chose instead to remain a seperate sovereign state and war against Drychtnoth! A soothsayer told Bexus that the Doombringer would cause the death of him indirectly. Bexus died for unknown reasons during a nap in the 36th year of the Sixth Age. The nation mourned for three months, suspending its war against Nyandar. They raised a fabulous tomb for their great Emperor and had his body embalmed for future veneration.

Bexus' son became the next to rule the mighty empire of warriors. In honor of past kings, he took the name of Andoriax IV. The cult of Set began to take root amongst the disenfranchised lower elements of Drychtnothian society. Wanting to be as popular as his father, Andoriax IV did nothing to hinder the leaching growth of this dark cult. Andoriax's rule did not last long. Like his father, he died of completely unknown reasons. He was foretold to die by giving his life-force to the Doombringer. No one really knows, but it is said that he died, as did his father, the very instant the Doombringer was subjected to a Resurrection spell during the Fortieth year of the Sixth Age.

Andoriax's brother became the next Emperor and ruled as Andoriax V. A supposedly dormant volcano erupted in Northern Drychtnoth, completely burying a colony during his very brief reign. He was killed two years later by an unknown assassin.

Having left no heir, his Uncle was crowned the Emperor of Drychtnoth. He reigned as Andoriax VI and he worshipped the dark Stygian god Set. Andoriax VI attacked the Doombringer's nation, Lamapacher, in the 47th year of the Sixth Age. The Doombringer and the King of Silvergate, Grimhelm, joined forces and defended Lamapacher, ruled by the Doombringer's son. Andoriax VI, worshipper of Set, died on Grimhelm's sword on the last day of the Sixth Age, killing King Grimhelm simultaneously. This day also saw the end of the Doombringer, and the sages fortell the death of many people should he ever be resurrected again into this world.

The Seventh Age
As the Seventh Age opened, Drychtnoth was left in the midst of a Civil War. Andoriax VI did not leave an heir, and Bexus' family could not be traced. The prophets began to fortell that a mighty hero, born of Bexus' family, and the son of Olanigan himself, would come one day and take his place as the King of Drychtnoth. The paladins of Olanigan embraced this new ideology.

The advisors of Drychtnoth's military, the Warlords, destroyed the rest of their Order (except the Academecians). During the third year of the Seventh Age a Council of Warlord Archmages took the place of the Emperors and begun to restore order. The priesthood of Olanigan, as well as the Paladins, continued to deny the authority of the Council and kept the flames of civil unrest burning. By the fifth year, most of the priesthood's power and wealth were gone. The Council had achieved a loose unity within the Empire. To tighten thier bonds of power they instigated a war against Nyandar. The people would not follow the lead of the Council if they did not believe Olanigan was with them, sot he Warlords mad a peace with the priesthood. No longer could they publicly denounce each other. This situation would remain the same until the opening of the Eighth Age.

The Eighth Age (current)
Much of Drychtnoth still yearned for a single monarch overseeing the feudalistic lower kings, which allowed the usurption of power by Fraz'Urb Luu the Demon in the first days of the Chaotic Eight Age. He made life a living hell for nearly the entire nation, abusing his power, killing the innocent and rewarding the guilty. Drychtnoth nearly entered into a new dark age and the Empire slowly began to shatter and fragment.

Relief came in the form of a conqueror. King Grimhelm of Silvergate, self-proclaimed Emperor of Inzeladun, swept into Drychtnoth in the Third Year of the Eighth Age with his armies and killed the Demon Prince. Grimhelm restored the Council of Warlords to power and the people of Drychtnoth gratefully accepted them as their rulers. The Warlords, in return, swore fealty to Emperor Grimhelm, giving the people their single monarch. Later that year, Grimhelm disbanded his Empire and the Council restored the religion of Olanigan to the people. They gained an economic hold on Lamapacher and began to rebuild their armies.

Isaxar the Vile and the other members of the Council of Warlords returned to Inzeladun, ready to restructure Drychtnoth. Isaxar took the site of Atman Tor and began the construction of his Pyramid of Power. Thosan the Onieromancer began his Pyramid of Power in Kharzho. Isaxar the Vile came to power and was pronounced Emperor in 6 VIII. Isaxar continued to wage war against Nyandar, destroying their forces badly as the king of Nyandar continually made bad decisions. Drychtnoth also began to send troops into Lamapacher. Isaxar was declared Emperor.

Isaxar ordered the Warlords to disband as a unit and report to Kharzho for retraining. The first branch of the Silver Robes reported for retraining. The Warlords would wear silver with red trim. Isaxar issued a proclamation: “The Warlords of Drychtnoth have decided to abandon Defiling and take up geomancy. Retraining would occur at the new Academy of Magic built at Kharzho. The Geomancers would wear Silver. The Warlords, the first branch of the Silver
Robes, will trim their robes in red as a branch identifier. Other branches would be added at later times. A new law was be ordered: Temples of the Silver Tree may now be built to the same scale and level of grandeur as Temples to Olanigan.

Southern Drychtnoth rebelled. The warlords did not stand for this.   Northern Drychtnoth took the name of Dagam, and Drychtnoth proper fell to infighting as a new Emperor was sought. Dagam split into two as well, and Massegetai was born again.

Plots and Rumors

King Garmund of Corinthia has raised up from the grave to haunt the living as a vampire. He has recently captured the Ring and Finger of Vulthois and has given it to one of his most powerful minions.

The Dragon of Snake Swamp is slowly expanding his territory, making his swamp larger and larger. The Yuan Ti in Snake Swamp are rumored to have begun infiltrating Drychtnothian nobility.

Asborinat, the city found deep in the Drychtnothian Desert, is rumored to have found an ancient ruin, either from the Fourth Age, or perhaps even an Angustian ruin, beneath its stones, and they are digging up ancient artifacts of great power.

The Champion of Olanigan has risen again, and wears the Armor of Khasmanen.

Major NPC's

Neria Bladesinger: An elf warrioress (9th fighter/1st wizard/10th bladesinger) who protects elves, often going into Drychtnoth to rescue enslaved elves.

Lord Garmund Xathurst: The vampire king of Corinthia who originated the Warlords.

Lady Xaroni: The mysterious lady of Xorgarmundat. A vampire bride of Lord Xathurst.

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