History

For current events, click here.

For an in-depth history conveyed through in-game documents, click here.

For a timeline of Armandine history, click here.

For a brief overview of Armandine history, read on below.

Vahrenden Settlement

There have been three major waves of immigration by Vahrenden coming across the ocean to Armandy.  The first wave, thousands of years ago, landed in Braemoor, helping that country become a true and blended mix of Vahrenden and Armandine (and even nonhuman).  The second wave, about 500 years ago, settled and founded the land of Torheim.  The third wave founded Albion after the First Mahori Breakthrough.

The First Mahori Breakthrough and the Seven Heroes

The first time the Mahori broke through to this world, 400 years ago, they came to the continent of Vahrende.  Vahrenden fleeing the Mahori settled and founded Albion at this time in the third major wave of Vahrenden settlement.  This spurred conflict in Armandy, and the continent broke out into many small wars while the Mahori devoured Vahrende far away across the ocean.  When the Mahori crossed the ocean and arrived on Armandy, the squabbling nations were ill prepared to resist them.

Then the Seven Heroes rose up.  Their leader, whose key Virtue was Wholeness, founded the Path of Seven Virtues.  While most of the Heroes attained what would now be considered rings in more than one Virtue, each specialized in and truly mastered one.  The Hero whose key Virtue was Grace brokered treaties between the nations to stop the fighting.  The Heroes not only personally won key victories against the Mahori, but they provided guidance and inspiration to all the the forces of Armandy.  The Heroes were finally able to overthrow and banish the Mahori from this world.  However, Vahrende was utterly destroyed.

The leader of the Seven Heroes then left mortal ken, vanishing no one knows where.  The Hero of Wisdom founded the School of Seven Virtues in his home country of Albion, that others might learn the Path of Seven Virtues, and that Armandy would always have protectors in times of need.

The Empire of Albion and the Great War

About 150 years ago, Albion invaded first Braemoor, then Scartha.  Albion viewed both invasions as fully justified; those nations disagreed.  The key of Albion’s offense and occupation was flying castles created using magic gleaned from the researches of the School of Seven Virtues (though the School was nominally independent and neutral, Albion hosted and endowed it, and the King of Albion demanded access to its research).

When Albion started to invade Vortica, the School of Seven Virtues decided that they had to be stopped, and spread the knowledge to all lands of how to break the enchantment that made the fortresses fly.  All across Armandy, the castles fell; their ruins still remain in places.  Albion’s empire was broken and its aggression ended.

Vahrenden Raiders and the School of Seven Powers

In the chaos after the Great War, Vahrenden sea raiders, the vicious and desperate remnants of an annihilated continent, took advantage of  Armandy’s weakness to attack.  Sporadic conflict continued for some time; the heroes of the School of Seven Virtues were instrumental in fighting the raiders.

Ancorius Varcillion, a headmaster of the School of Seven Virtues, felt that the Path of Seven Virtues was too constrictive and broke off to found his own alternate School of Seven Powers.  This school followed an “ends justify the means” philosophy and did not require adherence to Virtues to gain power.  However, twenty years after its founding, the School was declared outlawed by international treaty when its headmaster created a ritual to raise human corpses as undead soldiers to fight against the raiders.  The School of Seven Powers still exists, hidden somewhere in Scartha, but it and its teachings are illegal in all nations.

The Long Peace

The efforts of the combined nations and the School of Seven Virtues finally defeated the raiders.  Seventy years of peace ensued.  The School of Seven Virtues after a time stopped training students in the Path of the Hero, which seemed not to be needed, and instead focused solely on the Path of the Teacher, which was in high demand.

The Second Mahori Breakthrough

Two years ago, sages of Torheim contacted the Mahori, seeking knowledge.  Their precautions to prevent a Mahori breakthrough failed.  The Mahori first took the rulers and sages of Torheim as Fallen, then spread their evil and darkness rapidly across Torheim.  All who did not flee Fell or were Consumed.  Only the mountains slowed the spread of the Mahori.

While the Mahori have allowed the mountains to contain them for now as they consolidate their hold on what is now called Maurheim, there is still intense (if sporadic) fighting on Maurheim’s borders with Braemoor and Scartha.

The School of Seven Virtues is once again accepting students in the Path of the Hero, in the desperate hope that they can train them quickly enough to follow in the footsteps of the original Seven Heroes and defeat the Mahori once more.