Humans: A Personal History

According to history, the race of Humans that inhabits Asmir Ka'Lesa was a result of chaos, a fact which is reflected in the Humans as they progressed through the ages. The Eldari and the Heanta, creations of Na'Sora and Na'Kora respectively had already begun to dominate the continent. Typhos' last action before leaving from the stars was to create a being known as Erolath, in order to maintain neutrality in the new world. He had already attempted to "neutralize" the other races once, creating the first Dragons. This had failed however, when the four existing races at the time(Eldari, Eldross, Heanta and Orken) had banded together and driven away the Dragons, a result unforeseen by Erolath. His next attempt, he decided, would be a bit more subtle. He created a race that, although appearing weak at first, had superior capacity to learn and overcome and also possessed the drive to expand their reach into the world. This seemingly winning formula was tainted by influence of Zen, the patron of chaos, giving the Humans a more tumultuous trait that caused them to diversify in both the physical and mental.

The Humans first came about during the dying days of the First Age. It was the dawn of the Second Age however, that they truly rose to prominence. The newly established Kingdom of Mondolin's expansion reached the borders of Eldari territory. The initial dialogue between the two powers was amicable at first but the Humans, true to their make-up, decided to begin making inroads into Eldari lands. The Eldari of course would not lie down and let an upstart race go wherever they wanted, so they began to fight back. However, the Eldari were unprepared for how adaptive and resourceful the Humans could be. Indeed, it took the intervention of the Eldross to prevent the Humans from actually gaining the upper hand over the Eldari, who could be accused of arrogance in this conflict. The Humans were driven back swiftly, but the left an indelible impression on their opponents, letting them know that they were not the pushovers they appeared to be.

After several centuries of military inactivity, during which time they rebuilt their kingdom, consolidated their land, and made many technological breakthroughs, the Humans once again turned their attention outwards. A new king had come to power, King Edric Valeron. Valeron was a young king, and as such lacked the seasoning required to temper his more ambitious side. Valeron ordered advances into Orken territory, believing that Humans were meant to be the supreme race in the land. They full strength of the Kingdom of Mondolin moved quickly through the Orken lands, before they were halted at the entrance of the Orken underground. Once there, their front line began to crumble as wave after wave of Orken units spewed forth from the the caves. This danger was exacerbated by the Heanta joining the Orken forces, resulting in the Mondolin forces being utterly broken. The Heanta-Orken forces advanced inexorably, routing units left, right and center.

King Valeron was put to death for his incompetence, and a new king was selected in the form of Tanus Casavir. Casavir was an extremely well-respected military leader and adept strategist. The new king's first move was to retreat his forces to Mith Silvanus, relying on the city's robust defensive design to give his forces the protection they needed. He then sent the Knights of Mondolin, a small elite unit that was the precursor to the Knights as they are known today, to harass and pester the enemy supply lines and reserves. This bought Casavir time for the next phase of the plan. He sent an envoy by the name of Garrik Vasuarian, selected for his eloquent delivery and diplomacy skills, to Gilderan to ask for the Eldari's assistance. Though the Eldari were hesitant at first to sacrifice their own for a previous enemy, Vasuarian's delivery of Casavir's words swayed them, and a Golden Tide swept forth from Endaron. The Eldari forces, led by Dalrodir Shor, reached Mith Silvanus and Casavir rallied his forces for the counterattack. The combined Orken and Heanta force was driven back inside Orken lands, and the Kingdom of Mondolin closed their borders, refusing Eldari aid to rebuild, citing that it was a Human-made mess to sort out.

At this point, the people's opinion began to divide. Some believed that the Kingdom should work with the Eldari, and thus strengthen their position should the Heanta or Orken choose to retaliate. Others believed that real strength lay with those that had driven them back to their own lands initially, the Heanta and the Orken. Ultimately though, the vast majority agreed that isolation was the best policy. However, a group of citizens and soldiers conducted negotiations with the Eldari, independent from the Kingdom of Mondolin. This group became known as the Sunlight Brotherhood, in honor of the Eldari worship of the sun. Another group ventured into Heanta lands, and established Dawnfort, base of the newly formed Knights of the Red Dawn.