History of Umbria

There is a period in history after the fall of the ancient realm

of Albion and just before the formation of Umbria, which there
seems to be no written documentation of, known today only as
the Void Era, a black stain in the chronicle documentation of
history the answer to which is still nowhere in sight. The scarcely
found scraps of information that can be procured about Albion,
paint it as a mystical land ruled mostly by the elven predecessors,
Drows. A great portion of todays legends and myths are in regard
to this period of almost other-worldly peace and harmony, today
only thought possible in philosophical theory and the naivety of
the young. Tales of adventure, heroism, prosperity and bliss echo
the tales told to young children by their grandparents in times
when the reassuring concept of this shinning real-life Utopia is the
only ray of light able to permeate the ashen cloud of war and the
black miasma of pestilence.

Umbria was formed 653 years ago in an allied effort made by

the clans of elves, humans and dwarves in the hopes of making a
powerful and stable nation which would serve as a safe haven for
their combined peoples. The elves would use their logical minds
and vast knowledge along with their innate proficiency with the
arcane arts to educate and strengthen the might of their new
homeland, the humans would utilize their ferocity in battle along
with their adaptability and cunning to defend the dreamland from
invaders and help unify and appease the various now co-existing
cultures, while the dwarves would, using their ingenious
engineering minds and resolute work ethic along with their
spiritual creed, protect the safe-haven by building great towers
and walls along with the infrastructure, armor and weapons as
well as providing the spiritual backbone of the nation. However,
this idealistic dream soon proved as being just so, with the first
civil war breaking out in 218.

The cause of the disruption of order came about from the

ones who were initially the most passionate about maintaining it,
the humans. The likely cause of this divide can be traced back to
the fact that in that time of a 200-odd years for the long-living
races of elves and dwarves only one or two generations had
passed, while for the more mortal humans at least a dozen did,
allowing them to increase their numbers to a degree that
dwarfed their allies. Along with a vast increase in numbers with
every passing generation the original dream held by the settlers
faded little by little in the volatile minds of humans and was
slowly replaced by a feeling of greed and entitlement. Balance
could no longer be kept as it was only a matter of time before the
last feather that broke the horses back made it, with its dying
breath, stir up the dreadful ashen dust of conflict under its
hooves. The First Civil war was a short lived one, but it non the
less had severe and long reaching consequences with the first
divide between the clergy and the main military power happening
around 220.

What followed was an age of lawless chaos, strife and

bloodshed today known as the Ruby Age or the Crimson Age, a
name famously bestowed to the period by the renowned dwarven
historian and architect Felix Graystone. It was only after a period
of around 85 years that order was finally achieved, however not in
the way envisioned by the First Generation. After almost a century
of largely staying out of conflict and biding their time, the elves of
the Arcane Arts Academy launched a coup and took control of the
state, placing a royal family at the throne and proclaiming a
monarchy/oligarchy hybrid in which the only 1st class citizens were
the elves themselves along with their close allies, and all others
regarded as surfs. This era would later come to be known as the
Emerald Age in which peace, and as time progressed,
impoverishment reigned supreme. This culminated in a revolution
which occurred in 436. in which the queen at the time was
dethroned and after a year of almost unending conflict the
conditions within the state finally stabilized in 437. A new king
was appointed along with a council of three, which would later
come to be known as the Three Pillars of State, to serve as the
voice of the people and keep his and any future rulers reign in
check.

Following his naming scheme, when asked about what he

thought the most appropriate metaphorical representation of the
current state of the nation in the form of a crystal or gemstone
would be, the renowned Sir Graystone simply answered with:
Pfft, fu*k that! If ya ask me ornate stained glass is much more
appropriate.