The Age of Strife
The next thousands of years were of complete savagery and struggle for humanity. The fall of Zartar gave place to the rise of many monstrous races and strange beasts. Chroniclers speculate whether these beasts were brought into existence by the Zartarians in the last years of their Empire to be used as weapons and got loose once Zartar fell, or whether they’re existed but were under control by the Zartarians when their civilization was at their highest.
The many cultures of humans that were enslaved by the Zartarians had endured thousands of years of forced labor and discrimination away from their homelands, so it would take them a long time to reestablish their societies. The world was changed, and their homes with it.
Many cultures disappeared in this period, others were forever changed. Some even appeared on Anttelius for the first time, the result of the new arrangements or coming from other worlds as they claim.
The end of this era is marked by day the Eleans first established themselves in the ruins of Mezzanthia, which would become the greatest City-State we know today.
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The Age of Savagery
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1
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Some of the people enslaved by the Zartarians were transformed by their masters and became monstrous creatures who hate humanity for existing untainted. These creatures now lair in the darkness, awaiting a strong leader to topple the cities of men and women.
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2
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Many cultures mingled in the slave pens of the Zartarian and were transformed along the centuries. Once their masters were gone they had to reacquire a sense of society and culture and looked around themselves. Legends were exchanged and mixed, identities of their gods swapped for new ones.
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3
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A culture of wise and mystic people, when finding out their homeland had turned into a desert of ash and bones took to the moon with a legendary boat made of star metal. A second ship was built but it never parted to the moon. Finding this vessel could lead humanity to new frontiers.
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4
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Many people took the opportunity to become the next people in power and tried to use what the Zartarians left behind. They tried to use sorcery and cursed weapons against their new enemies. In the end, however, they were cursed by the powers of the Abyss and now serve he forces of chaos as their cursed soldiers, guarding the secrets of the Zartarians at the ruins of Zartar.
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5
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The Ongh’Khezians make an annual pilgrimage to the sites of old Zartarian cities at the Star Mountains due to their proximity to the skies. Legend says that the planet of their ancestors will one day be so close to Anttelius that the chosen of their gods will be taken to the paradise world to live immortal lives of enlightenment.
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6
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Many of the customs, traditions and rituals of the Zartarians were inevitable absorbed by the different people who were enslaved by them. This is way many Zartarians still feel like they are the true rulers of the world. Some say that if they ever regain the possession of the First Sorcerer-King crown, the other people would immediately fall the their knees.
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7
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For some cultures, it’s taboo to enter the site of former Zartarian cities, temples or fortresses. To ignore this means exile, or even death in more extreme cultures. The use of Zartarian sorcery is also punishable by death in these same cultures usually.
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8
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The Zartarians created many monstrosities with their endless pursuit of new sorcery powers and secrets. Many of these creatures were turned into weapons in the last years of their Empire. The worst of them, however, were imprisoned in their endless dungeons and laboratories. Without the Zartarians however, these creatures were free again. Some, however, are still locked away, anxiously awaiting to be released and spread terror throughout Anttelius.
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9
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Some of the Zartarians of today blame the surviving cultures for their Empire downfall and do what they can to ensure none of the ancient secrets are discovered these lesser men and women. Using sorcery, they infiltrate their societies or use other means to sabotage their advancements and progress. They could be among us right now.
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10
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Some of the people who escaped the slave pens of the Zartarians never went to reform their societies and cultures. Some descended into barbarisms and became almost bestial. After thousands of years they live as savage men in the wilds, killing the civilized folk who dare to enter their territories. Some claim that this is because strange alien artifacts that influence their minds turning them into savage beasts.
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11
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There is records of cultures that have simple vanished from history. Chroniclers theorize as why this happened but there isn’t a consensus on the cause. However, a ambassador to one of these cultures has arrived Mezzanthis bearing a cryptic message to the Overlord.
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12
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The Athignus lost their homeland to the Blood Sea and have become nomads since this age. They roam Anttelius in search of their promised land. Every now and then a prophet of their people claim to have received the signs from their Moon Goddess that would guide them there. So far, however, this promised land remains hidden.
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