Navarr history
Centuries before the Empire was formed, humankind lived in the fertile plains around the Bay of Catazar. They built cities, formed alliances with one another and eventually created a reasonably united kingdom. Part of the pressure to form an alliance came from the orcs - savage barbarians who attacked the human settlements and carried away humans as slaves.
The new kingdom reinforced its' borders, drove out the orcs from within them, and maintained constant vigilance against the barbarians. However, there were a lot more orcs than humans. Over time, attrition began to reduce the armies of the humans. Conscription became increasingly common. As farmers were taken from the fields to become soldiers, the humans preserved their agriculture through the use of ritual magic.
Despite the magic, the kingdom faced two bad harvests separated by a killing winter during which barbarian orcs assaulted the kingdom from all sides. Pushed to desperation, the magicians of this human kingdom attempted to solve their reliance on farming once and for all by enacting a risky ritual drawing on the Spring Realm. Despite being urged to caution by their own people, the magicians went ahead.
The magic worked to a degree, but with a horrendous unlooked for side effect. Their magical effects unwound catastrophically, creating or summoning the Vallorn into the heart of their kingdom. The cities were slowly consumed by forest, and though the humans tried everything to stop the Vallorn, in the end they had no choice but to abandon their homes.
The unexpected assault from inside their own borders struck a death knell to the humans. The orcs exploited the chaos to sweep away chunks of their defences and descended on the kingdom in great numbers, burning everything in their path. The heroine Navarr and her lover Thorn gave their lives at the inception of a poweful ritual to keep the Vallorn from spreading uncontrollably across the whole land. The original ritual took decades to weave, and to this day the Navarr walk the lines of magic that surround the Vallorn, keeping the ritual alive and trapping the creature in fitful slumber.
Focused on containing the Vallorn, humankind splintered, Many retreated to safer environments, or were conquered by the orcs, and became the ancestors of the Kallavesi, Ssuaq, Ushka and Feni. The ancestors of the Urizen withdrew entirely into their mountain fortresses, refusing to help fight the orcs or contain the Vallorn. The remaining humans became the forerunners of the Navarr, withdrawing into the forests that now surrounded the hearland of their own kingdom.
They colonized a perilous ring around the Vallorn-infested cities, relying on the trees as a green wall against the orcs. The first Steadings were created in this period, some founded around fragments of the earlier civillization that the Navarr wanted to protect, others built to reinforce areas of forest from either the Vallorn or the orc barbarians. The orcs soon learnt that there was little to be gained by attacking the forests in force, but continued to press the Navarr from time to time.
Enacting the ritual to chain the Vallorn took decades, and required magicians to travel lines of power outside the forests. Many Navarr gave their lives to protect the magicians, fighting the barbarian orc invaders. For the most part they relied on stealth, misdirection and cunning to keep out of the sight of the orcs. The lines of magic became the Trods, and the Navarr still walk them to this day to keep the Vallorn in check.
The arrival of humans from across the sea - the forerunners of the modern Imperial Nations - drove the orcs from the fertile lowlands. Initially the Navarr treated them the same way as they had the orcs, but over time they began to realise that the other humans were not neccessarily hostile to them. They engaged in diplomacy, partly to ensure the protection of their Stridings, and partly to encourage the humans to prepare themselves to fight the orcs rather than focusing their attentions on squabbling with each other.
One of their most successful efforts came when they introduced the Highborn to the liao plant. Fascinated by its ability to unlock visions, it served as the foundation for the Revelation that lead to the formation of the Imperial Faith and, indirectly, to the appearence of the First Empress. It is popularly held amongst the Navarri that their blood ran thick in the veins of her family, and there had long been a friendship between her house and the Navarri. A Striding of Navarr were among the first humans to hear her message of unity. The Thorn 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 First Epress struck a resonant chord deep in their hearts. The Navarri Stridings became the standard-bearers for the Empire carrying its message to the scattered human nations.
Since then, the Navarr have dedicated themselves heart and soul to the success of the Empire. Their oft-stated goals are twofold. First, with the help of the Empire, they will destroy the Vallorn, reclaiming their lost cities and finally discharging their responsibility. Second, they will help the Empire to remain strong to protect humankind against barbarians and orcs, and help it to avoid making the fatal mistake that will hand civillisation into the dirty hands of the orcs.
As the years passed they used more and more magic to increase the bounty of the lands until they became dependent upon it. In the end, disaster struck, their most powerful magics unwinding and pulling the Vallorn into this world from the Realm of Spring. The cities were slowly consumed by forest, and though the Navarri tried everything to stop the Vallorn, in the end they had no choice but to abandon their homes.
The heroine now known only as Navarr and her lover Thorn gave their lives at the inception of powerful ritual to keep the Vallorn from spreading uncontrollably across the whole land. The original ritual took decades to weave, and still requires the Navarr in their Stridings to walk the lines of magic that surrounded the Vallorn, to keep the ritual alive and keep the Vallorn in fitful slumber.
At this time the first Steadings formed to fight the monsters of the Vallorn.
These lines of magic are now the Trods, which the Navarri still walk to this day, still keeping the Vallorn in check.
In time, the nations that now form the Empire coalesced and grew to their prime. The Navarri had little interest in the affairs of other people, but they soon realized that war between the nations was bad for the Navarri Stridings travelling between them. As a result they worked to remain neutral and used their impartiality to try and keep conflict between the nations to a minimum, an essential task if the Trods were to remain open.
The First Empress is one of the Navarri’s greatest heroines. It is popularly held amongst the Navarri that Navarri blood ran thick in her family’s veins and there had long been a great friendship between her house and the Navarri. With such ties the Navarri rallied early to the Empire’s cause, its goals and philosophies striking a resonant chord deep in their hearts. The Navarri Stridings became the standard-bearers for the Empire carrying its message to the scattered human nations.