The Early Dunael
by James MishlerPrior to the Great Rain of Fire in 3000 BC, there were two
major civilizations extant in the Dawn Territories; the most
powerful was the Thonian Colony of New Thonia (little more than
corporate owned and controlled plantations worked by thousands of
Oltec slaves). This colony consisted of the Dawn Territories
south of the River Kend (which bisects the modern County of
Kendach)[Also note that the Great Escarpment did not exist at
this time; it would be created in the upheaval following the
Great Rain of Fire]. The second major civilization was the Giant
Kingdom of Gandhar, which held the northernmost portion of the
territories (precariously creating a political balance of
interests between the Draconian Empire, the Free Dwarven
Principalities and the Kingdom of Blackmoor). There were also
isolated groups of Rock Men found in the mountains that now form
the western edge of the Great Escarpment.
Then in 3000 BC the Great Rain of Fire destroyed the
civilization of the Thonians of Blackmoor. With the end of
support from the motherland, the Thonians were slaughtered by the
Oltec slaves (some few escaped to the west and joined their
brethren who founded the Taymoran culture). The Oltecs of the
Dawn Territories reverted to a stone-age culture (these peoples
are known as the Oltec Savages); they spread out throughout the
territories obliterating any remnant of Thonian occupation (and
any remnants of Thonian population, as well). The Giant Kingdom
of Gandhar was also decimated by the catastrophe, and the Giants
reverted to a more primitive technology. The Great Rain of Fire
caused a planar "shift" (or, rather, the Immortals caused a
planar shift in order to assist in the recovery of the Mystaran
ecosystem); the Otherworld (known as the Spirit World by the Ethengar and the Atruaghin Clans) was brought into closer
conjunction with Mystara (this conjunction is stronger in some
places than in others, notably on the Plains of Ethengar, the
Isle of Dawn, the Isle of Ochalea and the lands of the Atruaghin
Clans); the Oltec Savages were eventually contacted by the
Spirits and the shamanic worship of these spirits formed the
basis of the Oltec Savages religion.
Another notable event occurred in 3000 BC; seven clans of
Elves passed through the Territories en route to the west (where
they believed that they might find refuge in the unspoiled lands
of Brun; they were wrong, of course). Three of the Clans (the
Finadiel, Goristyr and Falador) remained in the Dawn Territories
and settled among the remaining Giants of Gandhar; four of the
clans (the Celebryl, Porador, Felistyr and Gelbalf) continued on
to the west. The Giants and Elves were contacted by the Spirits,
who saw in them a kindred "spirit" and love of life. A strange
new society grew up between the two worlds; by 2700 BC, the Elves
had removed themselves from Mystara entirely and founded new
cities in the Otherworld; several clans of Giants had also done
so by this time, most notably the Muroch clan (four cities were
founded in the Otherworld; Findias by the Finadiel Clan; Gorias
by the Goristyr Clan; Murias by the Muroch Clan; and Falias by
the Falador Clan).
The movement to the Otherworld was spurred on by the
migration of the Oltec Savages into the northern lands of the
territories; though the Giants and Elves could have easily
resisted any intrusion (being at this time not only magically
more powerful, but also armed with bronze-age weaponry), the
alliance between the Spirits, Elves and Giants would have been
sorely tested by interference with the Human followers of the
Spirits (especially when the Elves and Giants were more than welcomed in the Otherworld).
In 2500 BC several clans of Dwarves and Gnomes migrated east
across the Hardangar Isthmus; they bumped straight into the
Giants and Elves of the north, were made distinctly unwelcome,
and retreated to the south, where they settled among the newly-
emerging Stone Folk. [This year also marked the foundation of the
Empire of Taymor to the west; ruled by Priest-Kings, or
Necromancer-Kings under the leadership of their overlord, the
Eternal Emperor of Taymor, who ruled from the City of Night,
Colhador on Hadas.] By this time, the Oltec Savages had settled
over the entirety of the Dawn Territories. They built huge
earthen mounds which were centres of worship (as well as the
burial sites of the clan chiefs and shamans); they carved huge
animal-shaped forms in the earth at points at which the space
between Mystara and the Otherworld was "weak" (which were centres
of worship for the totem in question); and they erected huge
menhirs and stone circles at the major loci of these mystical
points.
They were still in the stone-age, however, and had little
reason to "advance" technologically, as population was still
relatively low, and they had little competition (except from the
Stone Folk and the new population of Dwarves and Gnomes, whom
they gave wide berth). Then in 2400 BC the moderately peaceful
lifestyle of the Oltec Savages was destroyed by the invasion of
clans of bronze-age Antalians, who came out of the northwest
across the Helskir Land Bridge; the Antalians were fleeing the
depredations of the Beastmen of Urzud [this was the same movement
of peoples that caused the Urduk Neathar-peoples to settle in the
lands that came to be known as the Urduk Plains, in modern Sind].
The Antalians bring with them numerous clans of Faerie Folk;
Alfar (AKA Sidhe), Sprites, Pixies and others also retreat across
the Helskir Land Bridge, eventually to mingle with the Giants,
Elves and Spirits. It is only through the interference of the
Giants, Elves, Spirits and Faeries that the Antalians did not
conquer the entire region; they were limited in their settlement
to lands north of the Kendach Plateau (the Spirits had come to
depend on the Oltec Savages as much as the Oltec Savages depend
on them). Over the next two hundred years (with the sponsorship
and active participation of the Giant/Elf/Spirit/Faerie
Alliance), the Antalian clans began to assimilate the northern clans of Oltec Savages; the Antalian/Oltec culture evolved and
swiftly diverged from its antecedents.
Not all of the Giants and Elves agreed with the foundation
of the new peoples, or even with the basis of the Alliance of the
Giants, Elves, Spirits and Faeries. In 2300 BC, during the
formation of the new Human society, this group of dissident
Giants and Elves, led by the Fomor Clan of Giants, migrated west
across the Hardangar Isthmus. There they joined the forces of the
Necromancer-Kings of Taymor, and learned the darker ways of magic
and power.
By 2200 BC, the combined Antalian/Oltec people had evolved a
new language, culture and society; they called themselves the
Dunael (simply "The People", in the Dunael tongue). They were, at
this time, a bronze-age society, ruled by chieftains and led by a
caste of Druids (Danoian Druids are/were mostly male and either
Lawful Neutral or True Neutral). They followed the ways of the
Spirits and Faeries, but revered the Immortals as well (most
notably Danoia (Terra), Cernuinn (Faunus) and Arduinn
(Diulanna)). [Note that Danoia was the Patron Immortal of the
Giants of Gandhar, and remains the Patroness of their descendants
to this day]. In 2200 BC Finnegar, the Chieftain of one of the
clans of the Dunael, and First King of the Dunael, led the battle
against an invading horde of Fomorian Giants and Elves.
Backed by groups of Human warriors from Taymor and armed
with Taymoran wizardry, the Fomorians and Taymorans were
attempting to regain a foothold in the Dawn Territories (the
Taymorans already had some minor colonies in the south, among the
Oltec Savages on the modern Shadow coast). The Dunael, united for
the first time under Finnegar, and allied with Giants, Elves,
Spirits and Faeries from the Otherworld, were able to throw the
Fomorians back across the Hardangar Isthmus. Finnegar went on to
create his Golden Throne high in the mountains which now bear his name (the Golden Throne, among other things, provides the person
sitting in it with a clear view of anything within the horizon;
perfect for watching for invading Fomorians).
The battle with the Fomorians convinced many of the
remaining Giants, Elves, Spirits and Faerie that their presence
on Mystara was as much a bane as a boon to the Dunael, whom they
now considered "their" people; thus, they retreated further into
the Otherworld, though a number of Giants remained on Mystara as
guardians. These Giants were led by the Firbolg Clan, and they
settled in the south central region of the territories (in the
modern province of Redstone, right on the "gates" to the
Hardangar Isthmus). From 2200 BC through 2000 BC the Dunael and
Firbolg (with assistance from the Otherworld patrons) resisted
several additional attempts on the part of the Fomorians to
return to the territories, but none of these attempts was ever
remotely successful.
In 2000 BC, the Empire of Taymor destroyed itself in a
cataclysmic battle between the followers of Thanatos and Nyx
which caused destruction of the Taymoran lands as well as the
collapse of the Helskir Land Bridge. The resulting earthquakes
and upheaval destroyed much of the infrastructure of the Dunael
civilization, and collapsed numerous gates between the Otherworld
and Mystara. The Fomorians, fleeing the destruction of Taymor,
were able to take advantage of the chaos in the Dunael
territories, and conquered much of the southern lands of the
Dunael, including all the lands held by the Firbolg (modern
Redstone, plus East and West Portage, Kendach and southern
Westrourke). They then instituted a reign of terror that lasted
for 400 years (2000 BC through 1600 BC). During this time they
converted many of the Firbolg to their way, and through their
magical power were able to keep the Otherworldly Giants, Elves,
Spirits and Faerie from regaining a foothold in the Fomorian held
territory.
Around 1800 BC, the Fomorians learned the method for the
smelting of iron from captured Stone Folk and Gnomes (by this
time the Dwarves of the High Land of the Hruka had died out;
Kagyar had recreated the Dwarven race, but did not place any in
the High Land). The Fomorians achieved even more success against
the Dunael with the use of this new technology, but before the
Fomorians could press this advantage to its maximum extent (the conquest of the entire Dunael peoples), there occurred yet
another invasion of Antalians from the north.
In the 1720's BC, whole clans of iron-age Norse-Antalians
from Norwold took to the seas to escape the depredations of King
Loark and his Great Horde (the Antalians of the Norwold coast had
assimilated migrating Nentsun Reavers in the 2200's BC; the
Nentsun brought iron working to the Antalians, among other
things; but that is another story). These Antalians eliminated
the advantage of the Fomorians and erode the Fomorian grip on the
Dunael folk; the Antalians raided both the Fomorians and the
Dunael indiscriminately, though the Fomorians were the richer
targets. Battles raged across the land for over twenty years
until 1700 BC, when a great battle was fought on the Western
Plains (where now stands the Dust Reaches).
The Battle of Dust and Ashes raged for a week, yet none of
the three armies ever gained an advantage over the others. The
Fomorians were armed with ancient Taymoran wizardry and iron
weapons; the Antalians were armed with iron weapons and grim
determination; and the Dunael were armed with hearts of steel and
Druidic magic, as well as what little aid they could acquire from
their allies in the Otherworld. Then, during the height of a
similar battle over a thousand miles away (the Elves of the
glacier-haunted Highlands were resisting the attack of King Loark
and his Great Horde), members of the Elven Shadowstrider Clan set
off an ancient Blackmoorian Device. This Device (the mystical
equivalent of an Atomic Bomb of massive proportions) set off a
chain reaction of events, physical and mystical, that would end
both conflicts and cause much death and destruction worldwide.
The Device set off a series of earthquakes and volcanism
that resulted in, among other things, the creation of the Broken
Lands; the destruction of the Hardangar Isthmus (the Isthmus sank
over a period of ten years, from 1700 BC through 1690 BC); the raising of the Ostland Isles from the Northern Sea of Dawn (over
the same period of time); the destruction of the Isle of the
Serpent in the Sea of Dread (the modern Ierendi Isles are the
remnants of Setu-Kha's isle); and the creation of the World
Mountain in the Plains of Ethengar.
The Dust Reaches of the Isle of Dawn were created by the
uplifting of the plateau that they now stand on; unlike the
creation of the Ostland Isles or the sinking of the Hardangar
Isthmus, the Dust Reaches were created very suddenly. The Battle
of Dust and Ashes was ended most decisively by the destruction of
all three armies in the sudden and violent creation of the
plateau. Very, very few Antalians, Fomorians and Dunael returned
home from that battle...
And thus ends the tale of the Time Before the Flood... and the end of the tale of the Early Dunael, Following will be the tales of the Reign of the People of Parlann, the arrival of the Sons of Nemed, the rise of the Tuatha de Danoia, and the invasion of the Milenians, which constitutes the Middle Period of the History of the Dunael, and the Ancient History of the Danoia of the Land of Aran. Finally, the Reign of the Lords of the East, the Reign of the UiNeala, the Reign of the Lords of the West, and the Time of Lost Lords will bring us to the current day; but those are tales for a later day...