Duvai'neth

''"What do you mean, there art Secessionists behind our lines?!" "We've reports as far south as Dawnbreak that the Drunken Dead, clad in the Traitor's colours, hath assaulted civilians and harried local defense forces." "Where the Bleeding Hells art they sneaking through? Send to General Corvinus to thoroughly examine his access routes, and pull his damned men from Charnel if need be. Send to Admiral Pharos to tighten her patrols along the Stygian. We can't let them get any sort of edge; not after all our victories. Now, damn it!" "R-Right away, Sir. May the Old Blood keep you." ''

Duvai'neth, also known as the Kingdom of Ceaseless Night, is a nation situated off the northwestern coast of Ka'mack Tuma on the world of Arinor. Surrounded by seas shrouded in mist, few know even of its existence; a secret the majority of its inhabitants wish to uphold. Inhabited by the walking dead, it is assumed that those not similarly 'mortally challenged' would meet her denizens with hostility, and there exists enough chaos within her borders already.

Torn from Realms Familiar
Prior to the sundering of reality by The Betrayer nearly thirty millennia ago, Duvai’neth did not exist on Arinor. It existed on another world in a distant realm, under the name of Azyl. The Gallowspire was the regional capital, for Azyl itself was an empire spanning multiple countries. Within the Spire’s darkened, gothic halls wandered myriad forms of intelligent Undead, from Zombies to Vampires to Skeletons and more. Yet they were not of the fabled omnicidal undead; they had strove to be recognized and accepted as a rational nation within not only Azyl, but the world itself. They had proven that Undeath wasn’t irrevocably evil, despite its fell and foul origins. Undeath was simply another state of being, alongside Life and Death. There were already countless other races whom were immortal; what is one more that does not tax the ‘Lifestream’ nearly as heavily?

Upon the throne sat the pallid waif known as Ayren Rivorn III. A vampire from nearly two thousand years ago who once unwillingly fought alongside the Gallowspire’s original ruler, the Lich-King Tar-Baphon, also known as the Whispering Tyrant. Ayren, now possessing the title of Blood-Queen, had lead a crusade against the Spire with the intent of defeating the Lich-King in his faltering prison. Yet even she knew his destruction would be nearly impossible; not even direct intervention from the gods was able to truly eliminate the Tyrant. Thus, rather than defeat him she sought to make use of him in a manner rather unforeseen.

After a gruelling campaign, the Tyrant lay on his knees in defeat once again. It was then that through a carefully-crafted Wish, on top of a small cabal of Necromancers employing their spellcraft, the Whispering Tyrant was turned from Worldly Terror to glorified necromantic beacon. Every ounce of his might, magical or otherwise, would be constantly siphoned out of him and infused into the earth around the Gallowspire. This rendered the region a hotbed for necromancy, but it likewise bolstered the deathless host who lived upon it. Meanwhile, the Tyrant could do little more than howl in agony as every drop of energy was pulled from him just as quickly as it returned.

When the portals began opening to Arinor, it was no small settlement that was pulled through; a great crimson gateway had swallowed up the Gallowspire and the city that had been built around it. Only a deep, perfectly smooth crater would remain within Azyl’s lands. Gallowspire was deposited at the foot of a great mountain, the gateway gouging just as deep a crater as it had taken.

The citizens of Gallowspire were immediately terrified, as they knew not what had just occurred. The world beyond the walls was suddenly very different; the dark thickets of antediluvian trees were replaced with mostly-untouched forests and plains brimming with life. Such tranquility would not last, for the Tyrant’s Cell had been transported with the rest of the city. The foul energies quickly poured outward, tainting the land that had not known its embrace.

Scouting parties were sent out into the surrounding lands, that the nobility within the city may assess the situation properly. Yet from atop the Gallowspire, the Blood-Queen could see ashen clouds and roiling hellfire far to the south and east. The scouts would reveal, to the Gallowspire’s benefit, they were upon a landmass separate from the source of the cataclysm. They all hoped it would be enough to spare them of whatever was occurring so far away.

The scouting parties also discovered various regions rich in resources. As far as the nobility was concerned, they were stranded on this new world forever. Azyl was gone. Rather than wallow in this tragic turn of fate, they spurred their subjects onward. They would rebuild, and claim this new world as their own. They were timeless and ageless; it mattered not if it happened tomorrow or in two-hundred thousand years.

Settlements cropped up around key locations, be they for resources or strategic gain. Massive monoliths, referred to as Obelisks of Dusk, were erected all across the islands and charged with a singular purpose: projecting a veil of eternal night. The sun, even if different from the one back home, still spurned many of the resident undead. Rather than seek its destruction, they simply obfuscated it. A great ivory moon would hang in the sky, following the movements of the sun and thus allowing accurate timekeeping.

As time passed, ships would be sent across the rolling waves to what was assumed to be the mainland, that the Blood-Queen’s influence may continue spreading. They knew themselves not alone on this world, and were keen on keeping themselves hidden; but only a fool would refuse to set up forward townships in a world utterly unfamiliar. They would not expand far beyond the shores, relying instead on long-duration scouting missions to learn of the world beyond.

With everything stabilizing despite the apparent hellscape thousands of miles away, the nobility were able to turn their gaze inward. They would require a protected and extensive archive of everything they learned of this new world, and thus the Grand Archive was established. Scouting parties were tasked with jotting down every detail possible, no matter how mundane, and have their journals compiled by the greatest scholars the Gallowspire had to offer. Everything from cartographs to observations of assumedly-indigenous humanoids and animals to ‘culinary’ logs would find its way to the Archive.

Birth of The Hunters and Arrival of the Dar
To the surprise of some nobles, the taint of the Gallowspire’s ‘heart’ reached across the sea and onto the distant shores. Feral undead, both beast and man, began appearing in greater and greater number, much to the Blood-Queen’s dismay. Thus was established the Hunter’s Church, a legion of undead trained and tasked with the purpose of tracking and eliminating any and all feral or depraved Undead. Their methods were as varied as their membership, yet they were all brutally effective.

Centuries would pass, with the various holdings across the islands growing stronger by the year. It was only then that the nobility considered giving their nation a new name; as it hadn’t been deemed prudent before. After some deliberation, they decided upon Duvai’neth, or The Kingdom of Ceaseless Night in the ancestral Elven tongue of the Blood-Queen.

The fires on the horizon would have faded at long last, and a comfortable ease fell over Duvai’neth. Yet just as quickly had such arrived, it was briefly torn away. Great ships plied the waves towards Duvai’neth, running themselves aground before their passengers disembarked. These passengers were a strange lizard-like folk; humanoid for the most part, yet bearing features that were undeniably draconic. At first, the citizenry of Duvai’neth simply lurked out of sight; they did not know if these dragonfolk were hostile or simply lost. They would come to incinerate the ships they had arrived on, after removing all of their cargo. It seemed they were here to stay.

The nobility of Duvai’neth deliberated for weeks how to approach the situation, eventually concluding on attempting diplomacy. A party of ten was formed, with the Blood-Queen herself in the van. They would approach these dragonfolk, prepared for conflict yet doing their best to avoid it. Initial contact was tense, as the dragonfolk viewed the readied shields and spears of the Queensguard as a threat; but with some careful words they were able to calm the waters.

These dragonfolk referred to themselves as “Duroxas’Dar”, and were allegedly the greatest warriors this world had to offer. They were personally forged by the gods to defeat an entity they called ‘The Betrayer’, and after succeeding they sought to discover themselves. They knew there was more to existence than warfare and strife, yet knew little in how to achieve it. The Blood-Queen would offer them a slice of land on the shores of Lake El’danith, where they may live as they see fit so long as it did not impede Duvai’neth. They would be offered whatever aid they requested, within reason, in exchange for knowledge about the world. The dragonfolk agreed to such terms, and thus was Queen’s Gambit established.

The Blackhold Secession
Millennia would pass, with Duvai’neth and their unforeseen allies living in peaceful isolation. Yet even for timeless creatures, peace was a fleeting notion. Members of the nobility who could trace their lineage to the ancient Crimson Court during Tar-Baphon’s reign grew tired of sitting in their castles and wished to roam the lands sowing terror and death like the days of yore. Most of the others balked at such a notion, citing how much they’ve done to abandon those habits, but some were gradually swayed by promises of euphoria and unmatched power. This would culminate in the Blackhold Secession, where the smaller northern island of Duvai’neth dissolved all ties with the rest of the nation and sought to indulge in their basest desires.

This would give rise to the bolstering of the Hunter’s Church, for now they had a truly dangerous foe. The bridge known as Charon’s Ferry would serve as the battleground for this conflict, with Loyalists fortifying the southern end and Secessionists the northern. The Ferry itself became a No Man’s Land, both sides having countless weapons and traps poised to obliterate anything that came close.

Gallowspire
The capitol city of Duvai’neth and origin of the Undead on Arinor’s western shores. It houses the Grand Archives, as well as Melania’s Cathedral.

Dragonfall
A small port town built where the Duroxas’Dar first made landfall in Duvai’neth.

Queen’s Gambit
A section of land gifted to the Duroxas’Dar to do with as they please.

Cainhurst
A large port city built as one of the main paths into Duvai’neth proper. It possesses a church to Melania, as well as docks large enough to support most of the Ethereal Fleet.

Wraith’s Landing
More a naval base than a city, it is designed for providing maintenance to the Ethereal Fleet as well as constructing new vessels to patrol Hades’ Breath.

Fogholm
Much like Wraith’s Landing, Fogholm is more akin to a base than a city. It services the ships that patrol the Sea of Mists.

Ilyana’s Light
A port city built with the intention of allowing trade. Sitting well within the Brightlands, it is where most of the agricultural products are sent before being shipped across Hades’ Breath.

Sunscour
Akin to Ilyana’s Light, Sunscour is a trading port aimed to service the south-western shores of the mainland.

Dawnbreak & Twilight
Both cities rest along the artificial terminator line between the Shadowlands and Brightlands, and thusly serve as the primary waypoints for those traveling to and from either region.

Death’s Head & Charnel
Fortified cities that lay on either side of the Charon’s Ferry.

Helegyr
The last remaining Duvian city in what is now Ka’Mack Tuma. It serves as a staging point for Outlander expeditions, as well as assaults on Orcish holdings.

Yharnam Cove
A secluded port built inside a massive cave on the western shore of the region known as the Wildlands, it serves as a staging point for Outlander expeditions, as well as the primary route for information to reach the Grand Archive.

Darrowmere, Dusktide, & Zura
Former Duvian cities along the shores of what is now Ka’Mack Tuma. They were heavily assaulted by Orcish warbands, suffering enough continued damage to require withdrawing wholesale.

Duvian Faith
Faith among the Duvians is a curious thing, for being 'unholy abominations fueled by fell energies', they have long since abstained from more demented deities. Zura, Ruithvein, and Lorcan were all once held in reverence on the Old World, but with the transdimensional void tearing Azyl's capital to a distant region of reality, the responses from them grew faint.

In their place, the nascent Duvians put their faith in the Eternal Queen, seeing her as a crimson beacon to guide them through the unknown. Somewhere within the first millennium, the faith shifted from the Eternal Queen and towards an entity known as Melania. Records within the Archives call her the 'Goddess of the Long Night', and that the Eternal Queen has become her Herald of a sort. Those same records describe Melania as The Warden of the fallen god known only as The Betrayer. It is believed that these records served as a basis for the goals of the Hunter's Church, viewing feral and blood-drunk Undead as adherents of The Betrayer.

The Blackhold and Faith
Secessionists of Blackhold worship a debased echo of Zura, First of the Vampires. A lust for power and their unending hunger drive them to commit atrocities in Her name, reveling in the chaos that follows.