Navarr history

Centuries before the Empire was formed, humans already lived in the fertile plains around the Bay of Catazar. They built cities, organized themselves into loose kingdoms, and formed alliances with one another. Even then the human kingdoms were threatened by the orcs. At the heart of these human kingdoms was the flowering of civillization that served as the forerunner of the Navarr. Navarr stories call this nation Teruniel and record that its cultured cities were run by its magicians.

While other human tribes engaged the orcs in face-to-face battle Teruniel increasingly relied on magic. Their magic served to bolster the war against the orcs, but over time the stresses of constant magic use took their toll. Without warning the magical effects around Teruniel unwound catastrophically, creating or summoning the Vallorn into the heart of their kingdom. The cities were consumed by spreading forest, their people attacked by monstrous insects and deadly plants, and though they tried everything to fight it it, in the end they had no choice but to abandon their homes.

The Navarr are descended from those who swore to restore the civilisation of Teruniel. Bound and branded by oaths to regain the cities, they fought desperately to destroy the Vallorn. When it became clear that their enemy could not be defeated by force of arms alone, a magical solution was sought. The heroine Star and her lover Thorn gave their lives to set in motion a poweful ritual that would eventually allow the Navarr to defeat the Vallorn.

The ritual required the Navarr to walk paths of magical power, called trods. These migrations draw off the life-energies of the Vallorn, weakening it. The further the Navarr travelled, the stronger the effect. When a Vallorn was sufficiently weakened in an area, then the Navarr were able to attack. A Vallorn grows more powerful as the Navarr advance closer to its source, so successive generations had to travel further to succeed in weakening it - a task that soon became impossible as the lands around the Navarr cities fell under the control of the orcs.

The arrival of humans from across the sea drove the orcs from the fertile lowlands. Initially the Navarr viewed them with suspicion, but they soon realised that these new humans were potential allies. They engaged in diplomacy, seeking to ensure the safe passage of their stridings, and encouraging the new humans to focus their attention on the orcs rather than engage in costly squabbles with each other.

During this time, Navarr traders introduced the Highborn to the drug liao. Initially used medicinally and recreationally, the Highguard experimented with the liao, discovering its ability to unlock visions of previous lives.

Joining the Empire

A striding of Navarr were among the first people to hear the Empress' message of unity. The Navarr Telanel became one of her first companions, protecting and guiding her through human lands, while other Navarr brought her message first to their own people, then to anyone else who was prepared to listen. They helped arrange the first meeting at which the foundations of the Empire were laid. The goals and philosophies of the Empress struck a resonant chord deep in their hearts. The Navarr stridings became the standard-bearers for the Empire, carrying its message to the divided human nations.

Most Navarr could see that the Empire represented a great opportunity for them, a chance to drive back the barbarian orcs meant that their stridings could travel further than ever. The more perceptive saw something deeper, that the proposed Empire was not just a tool to help them regain their cities, it was the first glimmer of the civilisation their ancestors had once enjoyed.