The deserts of Talean house a large population of testudines, which are tortoise-like creatures with shells made of gemstones that change colors as they age. The Taleanics hunt them and harvest their shells to use as currency. Because of the abundance of testudines, Talean is the wealthiest kingdom in Metagore.
MONARCHS (14,262 P.M. - 735 A.M.)
Belgos (minotaur): 14,262 P.M. – 14,187 P.M.
Zalam (elf): 14,187 P.M. – 13,506 P.M.
Yg’vol (lich): 13,506 P.M. – 12,850 P.M.
Hyedder (morling): 12,850 P.M. – 12,757 P.M.
Podrak (minotaur): 12,757 P.M. – 12,665 P.M.
Makas (troll): 12,665 P.M. – 12,522 P.M.
Torrkhae (djinn): 12,522 P.M. – 10,867 P.M.
Asmal (demon): 10,867 P.M. – 10,730 P.M.
Baalmo (demon): 10,730 P.M. – 10,621 P.M.
Zambur (minotaur): 10,621 P.M. – 10,540 P.M.
Mazog (ogre): 10,540 P.M. – 10,506 P.M.
Fykhe (djinn): 10,506 P.M. – 7,012 P.M.
Gilyn (elf): 7,012 P.M – 6,158 P.M.
O’lear (ellestrian): 6,158 P.M. – 4,402 P.M.
Kicna (djinn): 4,402 P.M. – 4,396 P.M.
Nilus (djinn): 4,396 P.M. – 1,583 P.M.
Vlal'id (djinn): 1,583 P.M. - 740 P.M.
Valek (djinn): 740 P.M. - 701 A.M.
Rondac (demon): 701 A.M. - 706 A.M.
Klimat (troll): 706 A.M. - 710 A.M.
Tazaar (lich): 710 A.M. - 710 A.M.
Kyur (djinn): 710 A.M. - 714 A.M.
Kyellon (djinn): 714 A.M. - 719 A.M.
Clinn (lich): 719 A.M. - 724 A.M.
Jabul (demon): 724 A.M. - 729 A.M.
Auzuz (demon): 729 A.M. - 731 A.M.
Azreal (djinn): 731 A.M. - ???
KEY EVENTS (14,262 P.M. - 735 A.M.)
14,262 P.M. - The Kingdom of Talean was established.
4,403 P.M. - After Mount Dumas in Sentries erupted, the fleeing Senturians tried to escape the Flood of Flames. The majority of the Senturians fled north into the deserts of Talean, while the rest fled south into Ringwood. The Kingdom of Talean could not support the influx of inhabitants; thus, King O’lear ordered for the border to be manned by the Golden Men to prevent any Senturian to enter the kingdom. The Senturians, however, were persistent and became violent, picking up whatever they could to aid in their attempt to push through the blockade of Golden Men. This was the first recorded bout between any two kingdoms in Metagore and was later justly named the First War. The war ended with an abrupt stop and retreat by the Senturians, and the Taleanics claimed victory.
4,397 P.M. - After the Flood of Flames and the First War, the Senturians had grown angry with the Taleanics and waged a series of four massive attacks against them. These attacks became known as the Battles of the Burning Lands. For the first Battle of the Burning Lands, known as the Attack at the Brim, the Senturians marched ten leagues into the Kingdom of Talean, slaughtering innocent civilians as they went.
4,397 P.M. - Once King Kicna heard about the slaughters, he sent his Golden Men to eradicate the Senturians from his land, in what is known as the second Battle of the Burning Lands, the Long Night. The Golden Men were unprepared for the Senturians' might and brutality. They were in the mindset that the Senturians were still weak and powerless after the Flood of Flames, which led to a long night of fighting and an eventual retreat by the Golden Men.
4,396 P.M. - A couple of moons after the Long Night, the Senturians had marched another ten leagues farther into the deserts of Talean, slaughtering even more innocent civilians. By the time the Golden Men showed back up, the Senturians had started to build a wall out of the homes they had raided from the slaughtered Taleanics. They used the wall as a defense against the Golden Men and picked them off with arrows and other projectile weapons; until the Golden Men, once again, retreated. This third Battle of the Burning Lands is known as the Siege of the Broken Border.
4,396 P.M. - After the defeat in the Siege of the Broken Border, King Kicna requested aid from Lord Rinnil of the Black Islands. Unfortunately, the Senturians didn’t sit and wait for an attack and ventured further into Talean, and into the canyons of Qupar. Kicna had to think fast and not wait for the fleet of warriors from the Black Islands. After three days of the Golden Men dueling the Senturians in the canyons, in the fourth Battle of the Burning Lands known as the Raid in the Canyons, King Kicna called for a truce and surrendered to the Senturians, under the condition that the kingdom’s borders would be open in the case of another catastrophic event would happen in Sentries.
4,396 P.M. - Two moons after the Raid in the Canyons, King Kicna was informed that the Senturians had not evacuated all of Talean, and that they had started to proclaim that the land they had conquered over the course of the battles now belonged to Sentries. Kicna sent a letter to King Dhaer’ghad of Sentries about the matter. The two kings, along with a handful of knights and Golden Men, met at the makeshift wall the Senturians had constructed during the third Battle of the Burning Lands. King Dhaer’ghad proposed that the group of Golden Men and knights that were in accompany, could fight to the death, and the victors would retain the land. King Kicna countered with the proposition that the two kings should fight until the death, and that no knight or Golden Man would interfere and would uphold the agreement; Dhaer’ghad agreed to the terms and was able to kill Kicna in combat.
2,438 P.M. - King Nilus ordered for the creation of four cathedrals to be built three leagues away from the capital.
2,437 P.M. - The construction of the cathedrals was completed.
743 P.M. - The first known record of a dreshdi is made after one attacked a town in the region of Qupar in Talean.
724 P.M. - The two dragons (Libras and Bia’mas) destroy one of the cathedrals during their fights. King Valek soon sent out the first expedition to rebuild the cathedral. The group of contractors returned back to the city, stating that they would not finish rebuilding the cathedral because it was cursed. Soon afterward, Valek sent a second expedition.
719 P.M. - After the second expedition returned, claiming the same as the first, Valek sent out a third expedition, this time along with a handful of Golden Men. The men never returned.
703 P.M. - After several years of no one attempting to go to the cathedral, Valek ordered a fourth expedition to go and survey the area. After they returned, proclaiming that there were monsters dwelling inside the cathedral, Valek finally deemed the building cursed.
691 P.M. - After receiving word of attacks by the shadows that dwell inside the cursed cathedral, Valek sent a large group of Golden Men out in a fifth expedition. Only a few returned home, while the majority of them were traumatized by the events that they witnessed in the cathedral.
684 P.M. - Valek gathered as many willing citizens and Golden Men as he could, and sent them off on the sixth and final expedition. None returned.
34 P.M. - King Valek led a raid into Rigdale during the winter moons. He had hopes of conquering Brighton and laying siege to the mountains, or at least being able to weaken Brighton’s armies and barter with him for a substantial amount of stone, which he had intended to trade to Mahson Vaeril Eben of Waaki. Unfortunately for Valek and his army of Golden Men, they were unprepared for the harsh climates of Rigdale during the winter moons. The winter that year was one of the worst in recorded history, and the majority of the Golden Men froze to death, while the others were overtaken by Brighton’s army. This raid is known as the Cold Winter Hunt.
0 A.M. - King Brighton of Rigdale met with the other rulers of Metagore and signed the MCA, which unified the six kingdoms as one, established a centralized monarch, and declared for a new city to be built immediately to regulate trade amongst the realms. The rulers elected Brighton to be the new lord over the unified kingdom, in honor of his dedication and planning of the MCA. It was also agreed upon that the new city would be built in the mountains of Rigdale, next to the castle, and it would be named BrightHelm after their new lord. As a way to commemorate the signing of the MCA, a three-day festival is hosted every year in BrightHelm, known as the New Life Festival. The signing of the MCA marked the new start of the year for Metagore, as well as established a time frame for all future records: P.M. (Prior to the MCA) and A.M. (After the MCA).
3 A.M. - After the creation of Metagore as a single kingdom, Grand Duke Valek joined his new lord, Brighton, and the rulers of Aikia, Ajia, Direfell, Valkeri, and Waaki, in their attack against Penora. The war ended with Tets Yurk Drumwright was taken captive. After returning home, Valek gained control of the tets, and kept him as his prisoner.
48 A.M. - Valek sends word to Zog Rinkar Thane to attack Metagore, and claims that he will return Tets Yurk Drumwright if they are able to kill Lord Brighton. Thus, Zog Rinkar Thane, attacked and had some of his men free Yurk Drumwright, because he didn’t fully trust Valek would hold up on his end of the bargain. After Tets Drumwright was freed, Rinkar withdrew his men and fled back to Penora. The attack became officially known as Rinkar’s Raid, though most believe, even without proof, that Valek aided in Rinkar’s attack, thus giving it the nickname of Valek’s Rebellion.
57 A.M. - Three years after the Four-Year Eruption, where Lord Brighton had surrendered to Mahson Keelog Burk, Brighton and Valek devised a plan of sending a horde of dreshdis on a ship to Waaki, dressed in the Taleanic’s golden armor. After the dreshdis arrived, they slaughtered all of the Waakiin knights, because they had never seen a dreshdi before, or even knew what they were. The Waakiin believed that Brighton had sent a ship contaminated with Dézhira’s Plague that once occupied Sentries and Talean. After losing his army, Keelog surrendered to Brighton and pleaded for his life. The invasion became known as the Golden Plague.
552 A.M. - During the week of the New Life Festival, Valek gathered with Lord Brighton and the four other grand dukes in the throne room, along with a couple of loved ones, to enjoy a feast. Around the start of the feast, some of the attendees started to cough and spit up blood, and eventually succumbed to death’s vengeance. Brighton had all of the drinks tested, and all except one came back as having been tainted with poison. The only one free of toxins was Duke Turkan’s from Alberon. The only survivors in the room were Brighton, Galach, and Turkan, as well as Valek, who had become ill from the poison but managed to recover from the toxins within a few days. The massacre became officially known as the Liquid Masquerade. Though many wary citizens believed that Valek wasn’t able to miraculously defeat the poison, but that in fact, he was the one who poisoned everyone, and he just made himself appear sick so that he could place the blame on an innocent bystander; thus, it was nicknamed Valek’s Second Rebellion.
693 A.M. - Valek and Grand Duke Saul of Sentries, joined their armies together and sent them across the Abyss to aid Waaki and Direfell in their attempts to free themselves from being under Penora’s control. The on-and-off attempts became known as the Waaki Conquest.
701 A.M. - The Curse of a Hundred Rulers is placed over the region of Talean. The curse stated for there to be a quick death of a hundred rulers; for until that many have died, they will only live up to five years after coming into power.
735 A.M. - After the presumed poisoning of Lord Brighton, Cornelius was elected to rule over Metagore. The grand dukes became angered by the election process, leading some to separate from the kingdom and led a war against the new lord. The war became a massive civil war known as the War of the Six Kingdoms.
HOLIDAY(S) IN TALEAN
New Life Festival (Batell Moon, Day 1-3) - a festival that commemorates the signing of the Metagore Compression Act and the start of new year. A three-day long festival is hosted in the courtyards of the castle in BrightHelm. On the first day, the lord and his grand dukes open with a set of speeches, then afterward a feast is partaken in. The feast lasts for the entirety of the festival, alongside entertainers (firebreathers, jugglers, musicians, ect.).
Brishai (Stuvehl Moon, Day 15-19) - a holiday that commemorates the Battle of the Burning Lands. It is associated with memory, loss, and invasions. Traditions include exchanging gifts, wearing red clothing, and walking the streets at sunset each night, carrying lit candles, praying to the gods to keep their land at peace.
Masida (Vloth Moon, Day 28) - a holiday associated with the passing of the winter and warm weather to come. Traditions include public intoxication, releasing from oaths, and in some cases violence and rioting.
VICTIMS OF THE CURSE OF A HUNDRED RULERS
1. Rondac, Grand Duke of Talean - died in the year 706 A.M.
2. Klimat, Grand Duke of Talean - died in the year 710 A.M.
3. Tazaar, Grand Duke of Talean - died in the year 710 A.M.
4. Kyur, Grand Duke of Talean - died in the year 714 A.M.
5. Teza, Duchess of Talean - died in the year 715 A.M.
6. Talila, Duchess of BrightHelm - died in the year 716 A.M.
7. Surbar, Marquess of Talean - died in the year 717 A.M.
8. Ordik, Duke of Talean - died in the year 718 A.M.
9. Kyellon, Grand Duke of Talean - died in the year 719 A.M.
10. Hadir, Duke of BrightHelm - died in the year 721 A.M.
11. Thidolf, Marquess of Talean - died in the year 722 A.M.
12. Bindris, Marquess of Talean - died in the year 722 A.M.
13. Trakkun, Duke of Talean - died in the year 723 A.M.
14. Clinn, Grand Duke of Talean - died in the year 724 A.M.
15. Galagorm, Marquess of Talean - died in the year 725 A.M.
16. Ellisar, Duke of BrightHelm - died in the year 726 A.M.
17. Xial, Duke of Talean - died in the year 726 A.M.
18. Erlbrid, Marquess of Talean - died in the year 728 A.M.
19. Jabul, Grand Duke of Talean - died in the year 729 A.M.
20. Aurae, Duchess of BrightHelm - died in the year 730 A.M.
21. Dyny, Duchess of Talean - died in the year 731 A.M.
22. Malfor, Marquess of Talean - died in the year 731 A.M.
23. Auzuz, Grand Duke of Talean - died in the year 731 A.M.
24. Boone, Marquess of Talean - died in the year 733 A.M.
25. Nirion, Duke of BrightHelm - died in the year 734 A.M.