long ago - the fall - etra and the exodus - northern church - recent history - now
Tanaloth is the last city. It is the center of a small land, that runs south over the fens to the borders of ancient Sendar, and north into the scattered isles of the inner and outer sea. Tanaloth is the kingdom of the people that worship Atur and Asha, twin gods of the sun and moon, who protect them from the evils of the outer world and of the Dark Gods who seek to consume them all. On the rocky shore of the sea of storms, hidden from view by the high cliffs over the Tanaloth river, the city looks out over the wave wracked sea. To the South the hamlets and villages huddle for shelter against the cold wind that blows from the Tarnmere and the Fens, all the way from the barbarian lands. All eyes look upwards towards the great Cathedral of Atur and the empty temple of Asha for protection, and to their priests for leadership.
Long
AgoLong ago the world was in darkness. The Old Gods ruled over the kindoms of men, enslaving them to their demons, demanding their worship in great temples of brass and fire. These old kingdoms, Sendal, Tenebria, Hrkun, Orkan and others were ruled over by corrupt kings who opressed the people and who slew all who opposed their rule. But in the far north, on a deserted shore, the twin Gods Atur (the Sun) and Asha (the Moon) were born. Atur and Asha made war on the Old Gods, until eventually the Old Gods were defeated, and forced to flee from Atur and Asha.
With this victory the true Gods spoke to a man named Cerastus, who lived in the lands of Hrkun. They reveled their godpel to him, and sent him forth as their prophet, so that the people could know that the Old Gods were defeated and embrace the new. Cerastus spread the world of the lord but was put to death by the King of Hrkun. Before he died, however, he taught the word to his disciple Alhedra. Alhedra brought the words of Atur to the first people, but was beheaded by the King for preaching the dominance of the true faith. After her death the people rose up and destroyed the King's forever. Her words were set down to form the Canons.
After St. Alhedra came other prophets (such as St. Kerios), and eventually all the Kings were overthrown and the lands of the old kingdoms were united together in the worship of Atur and Asha. The temples to the Dark Gods were torn down and churches of the faithful raised in their place. Writings call the the Golden Age, when the church of Atur ruled all the known lands. The Golden age lasted a thousand years or more, and much wisdom and learning was produced and set down in books and prayer.
The
FallAll things come to an end, however, and the lands of the golden age grew complacent and corrupt. In their lust for power and knoweldge some of the people made deals with the fallen gods, allowing them to gain power over the world of men once more. At first only a few worshiped the Old Gods in secret, but as time progressed their heresy became greater, and the old kingdoms, consumed by decadance and indolence, did nothing to stop them. Soon the kingdoms began to fall once more to the darkness, and Atur and Asha judged that they were not worthy of their grace any longer.
Atur came to a man named Etra, the last Prohpet, and taught him the signs of the end times. They told him that he must gather those who were still faithful to the true religion and lead them by secret ways to the far north, to the sacred birthplace of Atur and Asha where they would be safe from the fall of the Old Kingdoms. They told him that when the Old Gods returned there would come a thousand years of darkness, in which the faithful must hide from the world in their new home. Only after this time would Atur and Asha defeat the Old Gods forever at the battle of armageddon and lead the chosen to the lands of heaven.
Etra
and the ExodusEtra gathered about him disciples who could aid him in his task, Dumas the warrior's saint, Lud, and Akur, called the Lawmaker. Together they sought out the faithful t lead them to the new land. At the same time the armies of the old gods, lead by the Giant Maloch, came from the barbarian lands to consume the Old Kingodms. As the cities of the Old Kingdoms fell Etra and his followers gathered their belongings and set out on the exodus road, to take them from the south to the hidden land. At last they came to a Northern coast far beyond Senal, which was named Tanaloth. Here the exodites saw a miracle, as a great Cathedral sprang from the rock. Around this they founded Tanaloth, the last city.
Three more times Etra and the others returned to the Old Kingdoms to find more of the faithful to take to the north lands. On the firth journey, however, they found the last lands of the Golden Age in flames. St. Lud and St. Dumas died fighting the armies of the Dark Gods so that no trace of the Exodus might be found, and Etra himself was caught by the servants of the Old Gods and burnt alive. Even now images of him shows him burnt and consumed by the flames, hands clasped in prayer for serving the Lord's work.
The
Northern ChurchAfter Etra, Dumas and Lud did not return St. Akur declared the borders of Tanaloth closed. The thousand years of darkness had begun, and the people of Atur were to hide themselves in their Northern home so that the heathens that now ruled the kingdoms of old would never find them. Akur knew that armies of darkness waited in evey direction, that would surely destroy Tanaloth if they found it. Akur set down the laws of Tanaloth, basing the liturgy of its church on that of the Scriptures of Apat (a city in Tenebria). In his system the church was headed by the Archpriest of Atur (as it had been in the old kingdoms) who had to serve him a number of Archons (originally 6). These Archons ruled areas of the city, and from their number the next Archpriest would be chosen when the last passed on to Atur's arms.
In time the lands of Tanaloth grew out from the Holy City. New towns were built nearby to Tanaloth, over the west marches, and down along the last stretch of the Exodus road, and these lands were divided amongst the Archons. In the north the people expanded into the scattered isles, fighting off the barbarian pirates and converting the scattered people they found there. On these islands new churches were founded, and the Bishops who controlled them were eventually added to the Archons to form the council of the mother church.
Always the doctrine was held, the writings of Cerastus and Alhedra studied and the wisdom of the ancients venerated. The people of Tanaloth knew that they must always live apart from the rest of the world, a world ruled by the heretics, and so knightly orders were founded by warriors who took an oath to defend Tanaloth and the church. Of these the most mighty were the Knights of the Holy Temple and the Knights of the Order of Atur.
Recent
HistoryMany centuries have passed since the exodus. In that time Tanaloth has endured plague, conflict with the heathen pirates, heresy and civil war, but the Church and its lands have always survived. Tanaloth itself now fills the narrow valley at the mouth of the sea with a crowded jumble of buildings. Never wanting to build too far from Atur's Cathedral or encroach too much on the farming land outside the walls (a precious commodity in Tanaloth) the builders of the city have always added more storeys, or dug more basements, when room was needed. Now most of the buildings in Tanaloth stand five, seven, sometimes even eight floors tall, with basements and sub-basements below them. The knight's fortresses on the west and east banks scale the steep rock faces that bound the city, while more houses hug the city's outer wall.
Tanaloth is dominated by the Church. Though there are noble families, those that inherit a family name (instead of the more common olaf-son or olaf-dottr that most Tanalothi adopt) there is no noble class. The government is run by the Church. On all sides in Tanaloth you will find shrines, churches, priests, monks and religious buildings. The Church dispenses law, collects taxes, officiates on every aspect of life from birth to death, while the knighthoods see to the phyisical defence (and policing) of the people.
Spiritually all is well, politically Tanaloth is a hotbed of intregue and bribery. Within the church priests plot to obtain richer churches, better followers, finer goods, or to ascend to the position of a Hierarch, the chief servants of Archons and Bishops. Hierarchs in turn plot to take an Archon's seat, while the Archons watch the Archpriest's throne and vie with each other to take it when the last Archon passes on. Historical fueds and political factions have divided landbound from islanders (the Archons and Bishops traditionally form too opposing political factions), and the West bank of Tanaloth from the East. On the East Bank sits the Cathedral, on the other the Church of the West Bank, built almost in emulation of the Great Temple.The West bank complain the east is closer to the seat of power and their parishes richer, the east bank retort that the west bank has four seats on the council of Archons to their three. Such shifting politics is a fact of life in Tanaloth.
Tanaloth
NowIn the last couple of years of the reign of the currnet Archpriest things have changed in Tanaloth. From the North, across the inner isles, an army of Trolls has appeared. Trolls are creatures held to serve the Dark Gods, or worship them. The last encounter with trolls was so long in the past that most of Tanaloth thought that they were nothing more than legends to scare children. These Trolls have occupied the isle of Eregal, abandoned centuries ago when it fell under a curse. To prevent the Trolls from striking further into the lands of Tanaloth a great army has been raised to fight them. For two years the battle has raged on Eregal, as ground is won and lost. At one end of the island is the stronghold of the trolls, at the other the knighthoods are building the Trollguard fortress to forever protect the northern isles.
In the last few months a new threat appeared at the other end of Tanaloth, in the far south. Here a small army of heathens attempted to invade the lands of Stenabrek, the most southerly town, but were repulsed by an army gathered from all the southlands. In the process priests of the Holy church have started to convert the heathen woodsmen who live in the southern forests, expanding the lands of Tanaloth for the first time in centuries.