From the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States to the Chu-Han Contention—The Interaction History of Deities and Mortals in the Forgotten Kingdom (Part One)
On the continent of Faerûn, human civilization exists in two major systems: the eastern and western regions. The east developed first, with the elven forces being relatively weak, several thousand years ahead. However, it was later caught up and surpassed by the western region, reminiscent of the fable of the tortoise and the hare
Before the advent of human civilization, elves and dwarves vied for world dominance, while gnomes acted as a swing vote. However, direct confrontations between the two dominant races were relatively few, as the world was vast, and the key was how to develop their own civilizations and populations. In the struggle for living space, the elves clearly held the upper hand, leading to this era being referred to as the Age of Elven Civilization. Nevertheless, the elven civilization of this era consisted merely of a series of small city-states, with no unified empire emerging; its center remained on the continent of Faerûn, with little influence on other continents and a limited total population. In the struggle for living space, the elves clearly held the upper hand, leading to this era being referred to as the Age of Elven Civilization. Nevertheless, the elven civilization of this era consisted merely of a series of small city-states, with no unified empire emerging; its center remained on the continent of Faerûn, with little influence on other continents and a limited total population. In contrast, barbarian tribes were widespread across the globe, holding a significant numerical advantage. The elven hegemony was, in fact, merely a colonial regime, lacking stability. However, they were unaware of this reality. The elven hegemony was, in fact, merely a colonial regime, lacking stability. However, they were unaware of this reality
The Birth of the Turel World
This story serves as background material for the novel, explaining the reasons behind the transformation of the Torrel world from the medieval period to its current state in the book
With the emergence of planar portals, many foreign races have entered this primitive world, such as orcs, gnomes, dwarves, treants, elves, and wraiths. Among all the arrivals, dwarves and elves have proven to be the most resourceful. Each race has learned culture, craftsmanship, and commerce, establishing powerful kingdoms on the surface of Toril and other continents. This event and the related documents are referred to as the First Flowering, which laid the foundation for the various racial civilizations that still exist in abundance today. Each race has learned culture, craftsmanship, and commerce, establishing powerful kingdoms on the surface of Toril and other continents. This event and the related documents are referred to as the First Flowering, which laid the foundation for the various racial civilizations that still exist in abundance today
The deities of the elves adopted a policy of appeasement during the war, only intervening in the Fourth Crown War. However, their response was excessive, pushing all the dark elves to the side of the Spider Queen, Lolth, further weakening their own power. By the end of the war, only two elven kingdoms remained, unable to even contend with the surrounding human nomads. The outcome of the Crown War was the disappearance of elven hegemony, with the crown being seized by humans. By the end of the war, only two elven kingdoms remained, unable to even contend with the surrounding human nomads. The outcome of the Crown War was the disappearance of elven hegemony, with the crown being seized by humans. (This evokes the wave of decolonization following World War II)
The most powerful race is the dragon, which possesses immense strength and can attack the major cities of other races without suffering any harm. Dragons once ruled the surface world, occupying vast territories, and fought among themselves for territory, mates, and status. However, their long lifespan and low reproductive capacity resulted in a sparse population, while their individual strength led to a lack of cooperation and ambition, akin to a local tyrant holding an atomic bomb without knowing how to use it. Additionally, the absence of natural enemies contributed to the slow development of their civilization, with social organization reaching at most a tribal state. Yet, their long lifespan and low reproductive capacity resulted in a sparse population, while their individual strength led to a lack of cooperation and ambition, akin to a local tyrant holding an atomic bomb without knowing how to use it. Furthermore, the absence of natural enemies contributed to the slow development of their civilization, with social organization reaching at most a tribal state
Human civilization appeared relatively late in this world, following the elves and dwarves. In the world of Toril, there are two types of humans: indigenous and foreign. Due to long-term interbreeding, they have now completely merged. Historically, humans have long existed in a primitive tribal state
Imaskar Civilization
The earliest race was the Lizardfolk, who preferred to inhabit coastal areas and established a vast yet short-lived civilization (it is said that the Scrolls of Neth are their creation, akin to the mysterious disappearance of the Maya in Earth's history). Most survivors evolved into Nagas, Lizardmen, troglodytes, or other beings (which can be seen as a form of degeneration)
The era before human civilization
3. Human Civilization
In my novel, the elves, in deep reflection and pain, strive to establish a unified and powerful regime in the future. However, they still face numerous issues—elves are certainly not good colonizers, nor are they effective conquerors. The fact that the elven army burned down an entire forest during the Crown Wars, achieving victory yet gaining nothing, suggests that their capabilities are at best comparable to those of the Spaniards.
Although these two portals lead to the same world, the captured slaves belong to two different ethnic groups, namely the "Muhammedans (seemingly Egyptians)" and the "Enserians (seemingly Sumerians)". These slaves refuse to accept their bondage and pray day and night for their deities to save them. Originally, these so-called deities were merely products of imagination, but in the magical world of Toril, the faith of the slaves transformed them into real entities. These rebranded deities descended upon Imaskar, claiming to be the "God-King", and led the slaves in a rebellion. The unprepared Imaskar Empire thus met its demise.
Unlike later nations, Imaskar is a land of non-believers (I estimate that at that time there was no Wall of Non-believers, as even the oldest deity, Yg, of the Naisian pantheon, did not exist. Does anyone know what other death gods were there before that?). There are no deities worshipped, which means there is no Imaskar pantheon. This serves as a basis for my belief that in Dungeons & Dragons rules, one can also oppose deities—Imaskar has existed for such a long time; can one not survive without deities? It seems they worshipped demons for a while, but it appears that trade was more common (attempting to construct a permanent planar portal to connect with the Abyss where the demons reside). In other words, there is no Imaskar pantheon. This serves as a basis for my belief that in Dungeons & Dragons rules, one can also oppose deities—Imaskar has existed for such a long time; can one not survive without deities? It seems they worshipped demons for a while, but it appears that trade was more common (attempting to construct a permanent planar portal to connect with the Abyss where the demons reside)
This historical period is quite distant and is not significantly related to this book, so I will briefly mention it
Imaskar was an ancient human empire located in the eastern part of the continent of Faerûn, and it may have been the first powerful human civilization. At its height, it ruled over vast lands in the southeastern part of Faerûn, with a territory far exceeding that of the later Netheril Empire. It was established over 10,000 years ago (approximately during the time of the Fifth Crown War) and was destroyed between 4,000 to 5,000 years ago
In order to nurture life, Shar pleaded with Sune to bring warmth to the world. Sune retrieved the sun from the elemental plane of fire, reminiscent of Prometheus stealing fire, and the world of Toril began to show signs of vitality. Shar, representing darkness, opposed this and erupted into a war of light and dark with Sune. In the fierce battle, the magical essences of both sides were stripped away, merging to give birth to the original goddess of magic, Mystra
Subsequently, in order to achieve unification, the Elven nations erupted into five "Crown Wars," drawing all Elven kingdoms into the conflict. This was originally a process for the Elves to transition from a primitive city-state society to a centralized empire and a scholarly nation. However, the issue was that Elves have long lifespans, a small population, and low reproductive rates, resulting in insufficient blood to expend (in specific battles, deploying thousands of warriors is considered a major conflict, at most comparable to the level of the Japanese Warring States period, but the territory of the Faerûn continent is over 100 times larger than the Japanese archipelago). Consequently, the negative implications of the wars far outweighed the positive ones, compounded by the absence of agreements akin to the Geneva Conventions, and the brutality of the slaughtering methods led to a sharp decline in the Elven population, the decay of civilization, and a lack of blood to expend (in specific battles, deploying thousands of warriors is considered a major conflict, at most comparable to the level of the Japanese Warring States period, but the territory of the Faerûn continent is over 100 times larger than the Japanese archipelago). As a result, the negative implications of the wars far outweighed the positive ones, compounded by the absence of agreements akin to the Geneva Conventions, and the brutality of the slaughtering methods led to a sharp decline in the Elven population, the decay of civilization, and created space for other races (imagine the battlefields of Europe during World War I and II, where both sides desperately unleashed highly infectious Ebola viruses or SARS, and even engaged in nuclear warfare, resulting in the deaths of entire nations, making it easy for colonies to gain independence and potentially occupy Europe)
The two new nations of Muhammed and Enser divided the territory of Imarska, ruled by the divine kings. Since ancient times, the unity of politics and religion has always been synonymous with conservatism and backwardness. To prevent the resurgence of the Mechanists, the divine kings of both nations destroyed as many records of Imarska's civilization as possible, leading to the loss of numerous skills (similar to the Qing Dynasty's destruction of texts, prohibition of firearms, and the rise of literary inquisition). Only a few legends, such as the "Seven Secret Artifacts of Imarska," have circulated among the people. As a result, human civilization in the eastern part of the Faerun continent stagnated, becoming like a sleeping rabbit in the arena.
At the dawn of creation, the world existed only as isolated realms of light and darkness, separated by a misty domain of shadows. The essence of these shadows ultimately merged to give birth to a pair of beautiful twin goddesses: one, Surun, representing light, and the other, Shaar, representing darkness. Together, the two goddesses bestowed life upon the Mother of the Earth, Cha'tia, who embodies the world of Toril
In the later period of the Imaska civilization, a great plague swept across the entire nation, resulting in a massive loss of life and nearly causing the collapse of the empire. In desperation, the emperor of Imaska mobilized the entire nation to construct two portals, crossing the crystalline barrier to reach a material realm devoid of magic (resembling Earth), where they plundered a large population as slaves. With these laborers, the empire finally emerged from its predicament and temporarily regained prosperity, but this also sowed the seeds of future troubles.
In addition to their expertise in crafting mechanical constructs, the wizards of Imaska are also highly skilled in spatial magic. They have established a network of teleportation portals throughout the country and are even capable of opening pathways to other dimensions for interplanar travel
After the origin of life, many highly intelligent races rose in Toril, establishing great civilizations one after another
Misriel is composed of both light and darkness, but she prefers her first mother, who played a balancing role in this conflict and enabled the two sisters to establish a tenuous truce
This country is renowned for its magic, and the wizards of Imaska are referred to as "Machinists." The emperor of the empire is also known as the "King of Machinists," serving as the leader of all wizards in the nation. They are skilled in the creation of magical items, particularly adept at crafting magical puppets and various wondrous machines, which is how they earned their name. Furthermore, their magic appears to have little connection to that of the elves, suggesting it may have developed independently.
Subsequently, a number of deities began to emerge one after another. The world started to become lively.