Age of Greed and Gluttony

It began when the race of men was born unto this world, from the wombs of the Kalon, the blood of Wreux flowing through their arteries and veins. The first generation, the Lords of Edur, forged metal weapons to aid them in their survival and built castles out of the toughest and densest of rocks. The Lords of Edur were the heads of the three families - Aegar, Athalion, and Breathon. Ulert Athalion, son of Idas Athalion, set out to explore the mountain range of Khiburheim, yet while passing through the forests of Milainell to get to the Mountain of Shards, he was shot by an arrow and subsequently butchered by an Elvish hunting party. His head was then sent back to Castle Morys as a warning to never cross Elvish lands. When Idas unraveled the bloody rags, the head of Ulert rolled onto the floor of the king's hall, throwing the family into chaos and Idas Athalion into madness. Idas gathered his entire army of seven hundred men and set out to the forests to hunt down the Elves.

Upon reaching the border that divided the valley of Esildred from the forests of Milainell, Idar pondered upon his decision. At dawn, deciding that his loss should be avenged, he set out over the bridge. While they were crossing, the day was suddenly filled with the sound of arrows reaching their marks. A number of men fell into the river, bleeding, their armor pierced by barbed arrows laced with poison. Idar called for arms, and charged into the forest. He stopped in a clearing, only to to be surrounded by an adversary he never expected to encounter; moreover, he never expected it to fight him. The Battle of Milainell's Dawn lasted for a mere two hours, and by the end, Idar and his forces were captured and tortured. His men had their tongues cut out and their fingers pried off or broken. Idar and his force of crippled men returned to Castle Morys, whereupon he was greeted with horrified surprise by Alrmea, his wife. Idas was plied with questions from Lords Aegar and Breathon, who inquired what occurred within the deep forests. Athalion spoke of horrors never before seen by any man but him and his army; of creatures darker than black and with eyes of burning red. Three months passed, and Idas could not bear the mental burden and the psychological scars. He picked up his sword and ended himself, and soon his men did the same to themselves.

Lord Omont Aegar was then left the only Lord of Edur who had a home. Raknifed Breathon, founder of House Breathon, had set out to patrol the borders of the plains of Catal and the forests of Milainell, not believing that a house should have a home, instead choosing the ways of the nomad. Since House Athalion had only one surviving member left - Alrmea Athalion, wife of Idas Athlalion - Aegar encountered no opposition when he claimed their treasuries as his own. He then spent his years building a stable economy, and invented the thyssen - a coin that is the common currency of Tamaren today.

But Omont's greed and thirst for power could not be stopped. Alrmea had found a husband and had produced healthy children, causing worry for Aegar. Should an heir reach manhood, he would be free to ask for the amount of gold and silver House Aegar had stolen from his family; should House Aegar fail to comply, he would go to war. Aegar's men were not trained for proper battle - they were instead men of intellect and cunning. House Aegar would then be eradicated and his treasuries would be plundered, and House Athalion would be the most powerful house in Tamaren.

Omont then chose to kill the boy before he reached manhood. He sent scouts to the mysterious House Doronat, an Elvish house of slavers and mercenaries, bearing a flag of peace. The scouts were let through, and an assassin was hired to slay the boy. However, an anonymous member of House Aegar had whispered words of warning into Alrmea's ear, telling her of the forecoming assassination. She devised a plan, a plan so devious not even Omont Aegar would know what was coming.

The day of the assassination came, and the boy walked alone in the courtyard of Castle Morys. The assassin notched his arrow and aimed at the boy, but found himself unable to fire. He listened and heard whispers - words of Oldespeak, the language of the angels, the oldest sound to be heard in the voids. He never saw the speaker. The words convinced him that the assassination had been done, that the boy lay dead on the courtyard grass with an arrow embedded in his chest. The words then told him to go back to Omont Aegar and tell him of his false success.

When Omont received word of the successful assassination, he lay at rest, unafraid of retaliation from House Athalion. However, unbeknownst to him, the boy had been taken back to Castle Morys, to be trained to lead armies and build empires. He did not see the sun, only through thick distorted glass, until he had reached manhood, whereupon he was bid by his mother Alrmea Athalion to lead an army against Aegar, and to take back what had been stolen from them.

The boy, now known as Godfrey Athalion, led a group of a hundred loyal men against the unsuspecting forces of House Aegar. Aegar's lands and homes burned, and none were spared. Godfrey took back the gold and silver and gems that were stolen from his house after his father's death, and from them he forged a sword now known as Thiefbane, a gleaming blade of the strongest iron with a hilt of solid gold. Athalion remained the most powerful house in Tamaren for another three generations until the Age of Conquest came to be.