History
Dawnspire began it’s origins as a prosperous herd, in days of old. Their society was rich in culture and had an affable connection with almost every herd across the eastern archipelagos.
Until the gods began their feuds.
When their two primary deities, Nehme and Althene, ended their romantic entanglement unbeknownst to the herd, they began affecting the mortal world with dire and tumultuous changes. Suddenly, they were met with raging sandstorms and the sun seemed to grow stronger with debilitating blistering heat. Their rivers and lakes began to dry as the Phae struggled to adapt, with barely a drop of rain to give them a moment’s respite. Their numbers diminished by the day, with many succumbing to dehydration, heat stroke or starvation. Not knowing what else to do, all of Dawnspire gathered at the gateway and began to pray to whatever god would listen. They continued to pray endlessly for days, weeks, months on end with some pleading even to their final breaths.
Some herds sent aid in the form of healing, supplies and water but every one of them knew that it wasn’t a sustainable solution. Even so, future generations would treat it as an act of mercy that ensured their forefathers stayed alive long enough for what was coming next.
Unexpectedly, one autumn morning the last remaining oracle raised their head to the sky and felt a drop of rain splash down on their muzzle. They let out a sigh of exhaustion, voice raspy and strained from prayer.
By the gods, they listened… They heard.
They uttered, not having the capacity for tears as their voice caught and everyone raised their eyes. A torrent of rain, lasting two weeks would keep their numbers from dwindling further as the Phae returned to the corners of the Desert they called home to collect it and tend to the lands. Some lives would still be lost to floodings as they learnt how to cope with them but Dawnspire did not blame the gods for it as they had never expected the gods to do all the work. They had to learn and evolve too, and the only reason they had turned to the desperation of prayer was that lack of water was the one thing they could not adapt around. So they went to work, their herd culled to barely a third of what they used to be, and learnt ways to work the land and tell when changes in the weather were coming.
They sent phae out to every herd to learn what they could from them, set up trade and shared how to overcome flooding and difficult types of soil.
Eventually, the herd began to thrive and slowly restored their numbers to become even more prosperous than they ever had before. They built buildings to protect them from the elements and dispatched architects for a fee to other herds to build for them too. The phae of Dawnspire had come out of their suffering and bloomed amidst the impossible. Though knowledge and traditions of old and many lives were lost, this era in their history would always be looked on as a victory and shaped their kind for generations to come.
Recent History
The war that Mirroweld would come to bring would not be the first that Dawnspire had lived through. In years prior, Dawnspire had attempted to gain land in other areas, sometimes successfully, and warred with other herds. However, theirs was never with the intent to wipe out or slaughter and often came to peaceful resolution and agreement sooner rather than later. This because other herds understood why Dawnspire, with their unforgiving lands, would want to stretch their borders to include some more liveable areas for their kind. However, equally the herds wanted to keep what they could but as none wanted endless war and always saw room for compromise.
The blood moon war was different.
Mirroweld struck, led by a tyrant, with the intention to annihilate. Dawnspire knew that they held the advantage on their terrain, and in the first few years of the war faught valliantly against the incoming onslaught. However, reports reached them of the slaughter of many in Vinelocke who hadn’t fared as well with their herd as divided as it was. They learnt that previous ally Zirian Rayan had gained the support and power of an evil god, which was what was fueling their armies with magics never seen before.
The primary turned to their oracles, who attempted to commune with the divine realms for days to come to gain any insight they could on the happenings there. One of their oracles came to them and claimed the divine realm to be in disarray itself, and that they should not expect or depend on divine intervention to save them. They could not suffer another mass culling like they had seen in the age of reckoning and they did not know how many more years they could continue to fight in the circumstances of the desert against never seen before magicks. And so the Phae of Dawnspire knew in that stark moment that they had to do what they did best.
Adapt.
Despite knowing they would be faced with excruciating guilt for their decision, they had to survive and saw no other way. Not knowing if the war would ever end, their Primary and their stewards made a deal with Zirian. They would ensure safe passage and points of rest on their lands for Mirroweld, and even food and water, as long as their own remained unharmed. They would never come to know that the Oracle that had advised them had been planted amongst them by Mirroweld itself years before.
There were still those that opposed the Primary’s decision and did what they could to fight, often at the cost of their own lives by Mirroweld or punished by their own who were forced to act against their Rebels to maintain their strained ceasfire.
When the Shattering of Mirroweld, seen as no less than a miracle, happened, Dawnspire took up its arms once more and fought the armies off their lands and quickly dispatched aid to their neighbouring herds. Years of reparations of bonds broken were to follow, but the Phae of Dawnspire did everything in their power to make up for the choices they had made.
Timeline
Year -750 to -740 – The elements suddenly turn against the herd of Dawnspire leading them into a spiral of dire suffering and desperate adaptation for survival. It would come to be known to future generations as the Age of Reckoning.
Year -350 – Dawnspire wins a territory war against Mirroweld and gain the Kebu Mountains.
Year -178 – Dawnspire attempts to gain territory in the Jungle isle and the islands in their midsts, Mirroweld aids Vinelocke and Dawnspire ultimately loses but in the discussion amongst their leaders it is agreed to concede two islands to Dawnspire and a small stretch of land bordering the Jungle Isle.
Year -7 – A bloodmoon eclipse darkens the sky and Mirroweld commences its first strikes that would mark the beginning of the war.
Year -2 – Dawnspire strikes a deal (advised by a planted Oracle) with the tyrant of Mirroweld for a ceasefire to preserve their own and ensure the attacking forces safe passage through their lands.
Year -2 – The black market gets founded by Rebels and freedom fighters to aid in their assaults on Mirroweld’s forces. Some members take it upon themselves to trade or steal helpful items from the bordering herd’s lands in an effort to survive and stay hidden without showing themselves in Dawnspire’s main cities and commonly travelled areas.
Year 0 of the Dark Age – Mirroweld shatters and at the first sign of this Dawnspire breaks their ceasefire and begins fighting back. They send out dispatches of Centurions to both Vinelocke and Stonemire to aid in pushing back the army.
Year 2 of the Dark Age – After rebuilding to the stretches of their ability in their own lands, Dawnspire sets out to make reparations with the other herds, offering aid, free trade, and rebuilding of their homes. They adjust their laws and punishments accordingly to further underline their attempts to make up for the war by weighing crimes towards outsiders and visitors more heavily.
Year 10 of the Dark Age – Dawnspire begins the tradition of the Feast of Unity to further unite the herds back together and pay ode to peace.
Year 87 of the Dark Age – The herd begins trying to convince more Renegades and members of other herds to join their Ranks to further diversify the magick types in their land. The Primary creates ranks amongst the herd to accommodate for tutors and magicians of this differing magicks.
Year 228 of the New Age – Regal Inara or House X is chosen as the next Primary, widely celebrated as a highly intelligent and forward thinking candidate as the previous Steward of Erudition. She takes pride in her role and is keen to lead the herd into further prosperity. From her studies she had learnt of some of the lost history of their ancestors and the schools long lost and sets up the Imperium as a place to centralize the herd’s tutors and teachings.
Year 240 of the New Age – Primary Alykhan (previously Regal Alykhan, Magnate Tradefolk) is chosen as the successor of Primary Vanora (successor of Primary Inara) and he begins his reign by winning Nehme’s right. As if winning the rite fueled his ego it becomes apparent that Alykhan subtly makes use of the feasts of unity as a means to boast of the herd’s prosperity to the other leaders.
Year 242 of the New Age – Current year.