A History of The Empire of T'Saleth
The Empire of T'Saleth exists on a small peninsula, inhabited by four Kingdoms. The four Kingdoms are inhabited by distinct races, who are ruled over and kept in a state of temporary peace by a fifth race known as the Keepers. Each of the four races have their own long histories, with affinities for and enmity against some of their neighbors.
Timeline (Measured by the Kol'E'Thay Calendar)
312 - The Kol'E'Thay have ruled the Empire of T'Saleth for centuries. The Blaggal control a large area of bogs and swamps. There is a symbiotic relationship between the Blaggal and the Kol'E'Thay, whereby the frogs are left to themselves so long as they supply warriors to serve the pixies. The Minden exist as a subculture within the Kol'E'Thay society, working as indentured servants or forced into slavery by the Kol'E'Thay ruling class. Occasional uprisings by the Minden occur, but are easily dealt with by the armed forces of Kol'E'Thay and Blaggal.
323 - The Diggers make their first appearance with the Empire. How long they have existed below the lands is unknown, but at the first meeting, extensive tunnels already exist beneath the Empire. At first, the sudden appearance of the rat-like Diggers from beneath the Kol'E'Thay is met with armed resistance. After a few skirmishes, however, the fighting quickly came to an end when the Kol'E'Thay discovered that the Diggers had no aims toward conquest in the surface world.
334 - The first spider-rider appears within the ranks of the Minden. She is a ranger named Thallis who inspires the downtrodden people to rise up against their Kol'E'Thay overlords. She teaches others of her people to bond with the spiders as well and begins to create a growing army of rebellious former slaves and servants.
335 - Blaggal sympathizers begin to join with the rebel army of Minden. Though the Minden are still drastically over-matched by the organized armies of the Kol'E'Thay, they manage to stay safe by remaining in motion and making small attacks on outlying communities of the Kol'E'Thay. With each small victory, their strength grows as they free more of their subjugated people.
337 - The Minden in a labor camp within the Kol'E'Thay capitol city of T'Reyen rise up in sudden revolt, aided by a large force of rebel spider-riders. They hold the city for a week before the arrival of the main force of the Kol'E'Thay army. Retreating from the city, the Minden fight a perilous retreat. Within days, they are trapped within the Afareth valley. A final victory over the rebels seems sure for the Kol'E'Thay when a Digger force rises up from beneath the surface to aid the Minden. With the Diggers' support, the Minden push back the Kol'E'Thay army and strike an important blow.
340 - After three more long years of war, a truce is finally reached between the Minden and Kol'E'Thay. All of the labor camps are disbanded and the Minden are granted a large portion of former Kol'E'Thay land to settle. The Blaggal retain their lands, despite the part that some of them played in the Minden uprising. With the Minden no longer working for the Kol'E'Thay, the Blaggal become an even more important part of Kol'E'Thay society. The Diggers withdraw back to their underground tunnels and the Kol'E'Thay take extensive efforts to close off the tunnel entrances.
345 - Though the rebellion has been over for years, this does not stop ongoing conflict from happening between the newly formed Minden nation and the Kol'E'Thay. The Diggers stay out of these conflicts, particularly when the Minden are found to be at fault for the offensive incursions into Kol'E'Thay lands. In the winter of 345, the Kol'E'Thay attempt a massive assault to bring the Minden back under their sway. The surprise assault deals a mighty blow to the Minden people and they lose a substantial portion of their lands.
346 - Shortly after the new year, with the war fully in action once more, a new force arrives in the Empire of T'Saleth. Wingless like Minden, they wear masks that obscure their features. The magic of the Keepers is too much for the Kol'E'Thay or the Minden to deal with. Instead of attacking either side, however, the Keepers demand an end to the fighting. Unable to stand against the Keepers, the two forces stand down and the war comes to an abrupt end.
347 - An unsteady truce exists between the Kol'E'Thay and Minden. Raiding between the two sides continues, but all of it is not condoned by either side. The Keepers react quickly to many of these intrusions, trying to bring them to an abrupt end. The Blaggal and Diggers remain mostly separate from these raiding activities, though they each entrench more firmly in their support of their respective allies. The Keepers warn of the coming of a new threat to the lands, an unliving army that will threaten to take over all of T'Saleth.
349 - Despite the warnings of the Keepers, the Kol'E'Thay and Minden have done little to prepare for the coming of the unliving army that attacks T'Saleth. Still focused on one another, both races are caught off guard by the sudden attack of the unliving. The attack comes in from the southern, land-side, border of the peninsula and quickly takes over large pieces of lands previously controlled by the Kol'E'Thay and Minden.
350 (Present Day) - United now against the unliving, the four races of T'Saleth are fighting a losing battle against the unliving. As they lose more and more land to the invading army, the Keepers have called for the Diggers, Kol'E'Thay, Blaggal, and Minden to send representatives to them in order to discuss how the undead threat can be defeated.
The Kol'E'Thay
The Kol'E'Thay are a race of pixie-like humanoids. They are the most advanced of the four Kingdoms, with skilled craftsmen and blacksmiths who produce goods that are sought after and traded for by the other three races. They have three major cities within the territory they control, each a major hub of commerce and heavily guarded by their armed and armored warriors.
They are ruled by a hierarchy of nobility who are born to their status. However, successful merchant families are able to dream of and obtain noble status if they create and produce enough value. In fact, there are many merchant houses who secretly have more power than the nobles as a result of shrewd dealings and "favors" owed to them.
The Kol'E'Thay allow other races to live within their communities and it is not uncommon to find Blaggal serving as hired guards by their merchants and nobility. The Diggers also can sometimes be found working within the merchant houses and their smithies. Only the Minden are not allowed free access to the Kol'E'Thay settlements. Due to the long history of war and hatred between those two races, the only Minden ever found within Kol'E'Thay communities are there as slaves or indentured servants.
Without the Keepers to hold them at bay, the Kol'E'Thay would march to war against the entirety of the Empire and bring it all under their rule.
Kol'E'Thay can be Fighters (Champion), Wizards (Abjuration), or Clerics (War Domain).
Blaggal
The Blaggal are a race of intelligent frogs. They control a large piece of land, but do so with very little organization or order. They are inherently peaceful, though very strong and they can be quick to act when they believe that they have been wronged.
Within the Blaggal lands, they live in small settlements made from natural materials. They could be within caves that border their swamps or hollows of fallen trees. They require little in the way of shelter, due to their nature, and this is reflected in their encampments. The other races do not often feel comfortable when visiting the Blaggal.
There are no clerics or leaders in the Blaggal communities. Any important decisions are generally made communally. The closest they come to leadership is a general deference shown to those who have been touched by the Archfey. These warlocks can often be the tie-breakers when a close decision arises.
The Blaggal get along with all of the other races, though they have a closer and more symbiotic relationship with the Kol'E'Thay. Since they do not produce any goods themselves, they often work for the Kol'E'Thay to gain custom-fitted armor made for them.
Blaggal can Monks (Way of the Tempest), Bards (College of Valor), or Warlocks (ArchFey).
Minden
The Minden are a humanoid race, similar to pixies, though they lack the wings of the Kol'E'Thay. Earthbound, they have formed a close relationship with giant spiders that live within their lands. Their greatest warriors are the rangers who ride these spiders into battle.
Minden are nomadic, traveling in hunting parties throughout their lands with no permanent settlements. They are led by their elders, who are the oldest and most experienced of their people.
The Minden are a heavily caste-based society. When a child is born, the Druids determine the path that the child will follow in life. It is very rare for a child not to follow the path set before it by the Druids. One of the only exceptions, where a child's path can change, is if that child later is able to bond with one of the spiders. Any child discovered to have this gift is basically given a free pass to become part of that caste.
The Kol'E'Thay and Minden have long been enemies. Were it not for the Keepers, there would be nothing to stop them from holding a long war that would likely only end in the extinction of one of the races. Even with the Keepers in place, Minden raiding parties often can be found invading the outskirts of the Kol'E'Thay lands. The Minden claim that these raids are not condoned, or that they were only as an attempt to free Minden captives held by the Kol'E'Thay.
The Minden get along well with the Diggers and rely on them for their trade goods, trading out their leather armor and weaponry for the things that the Diggers find.
Minden can be Rangers (Beast Master), Druids (Circle of the Land), or Rogues (Assassins).
Diggers
Diggers are rat-like humanoids that live in tunnels that stretch beneath most of the lands of the Empire. Only the Diggers themselves know exactly where their tunnels lead,
The Diggers live in a communal society where everyone works in whatever capacity they can to expand and protect their underground world. Their leaders are elected for one year every year at a great communal meeting.
The Diggers view the other races as living in a different world than them. They limit their contact with those races as much as possible, though they often trade with the Minden. Diggers who show aptitude for working with metals are also often sent to work with the Kol'E'Thay and learn from them.
Diggers can be Rogues (Arcane Tricksters), Sorcerers (Wild Magic), or Clerics (Life Domain)
