General History
The Esmerelda Isles are part of what is known as the Old Worlds. The old worlds are a section of universes that are dominated by magic and mythical energies. The world you live in currently (O.O.C) is considered one of the New Worlds; Industrious and modern lands of science and technology. Typically, a majority of denizens that belong in Old Worlds are aware of the existence of New Worlds, but the reverse is rarely true. Unfortunately, many denizens of the Old World know little about their history, as a large majority of the original clans and tribes that lived and colonized most cities and towns are now extinct. Every place has its own legends and mythos however, and the legend of the Esmerelda Isles begins with the War of the Jewels.
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The War Of The Jewels was said to begin when a powerful god known as Sturen mated with a beautiful woman known as Gem. With Gem, Sturen had four daughters; Rubiet, Amathyene, Quartez, and Esmerelda. Sturen was a selfish god, consumed by a thirst for money and power, and -- in a successful attempt to amass countless riches -- he sold his four daughters off to four powerful lords. Rubiet married Coal, Amathyene married Sand, Quartez married Obsidian, and Esmerelda married Stone. What was unknown to Sturen was that each of these men were warring for control of a large chain of Islands in another section of the Old World, and required queens to give their claim to the throne legitimacy. Being beautiful wives was not their only reason for buying the daughters of Gem; each possessed the powers of a Demigod thanks to their father, and each lord wished to use these powers. Coal, Sand, and Obsidian were horrible to their wives, beating them and commanding them to build massive structures and castles to wage their battles from. According to legend, Stone was different; he abhorred the horrible actions of the other lords, and looked to make the isles a peaceful place, away from the dictatorship that would come from the others. He told Esmerelda that she could leave any time she wanted to, but if she helped him defeat the other lords, he would reunite her with her sisters.
Allegedly (thanks to the few documents that could be preserved from this age) the war raged on for a recorded twenty six years; conditions were brutal, and thousands of men, women and children were lost to the fighting and looting that ensued. Eventually, Stone emerged victorious, but gave mercy to the other lords, allowing them to surrender and live the rest of their lives as long as they give up their wives and pledge allegiance to him as king. In the years that followed, Stone and Esmerelda conceived children, and the first city that Esmerelda had helped him create, Kre'Nath, became the capital. Stones mercy was not without consequence, however, as in the shadows, Coal, Obsidian and Sand plotted to work together and overthrow Stone. After five years of peace, they began their attack, rushing Stone in the throne room as he prepared for a day of celebration. He would have died, if not for the daughters of Gem coming to his aid. A fierce battle ensued, but the three lords managed to escape, unfortunately, they killed Esmerelda in the process. In a fit of horrible rage, Stone and the surviving daughters of Gem caused so much destruction as they killed the three lords that all of their islands sank to the bottom of the ocean. Only Kre'Nath, and various unaffiliated islands remained. Since that day, the sons and daughters of Esmerelda (which Stone eventually named the entire Isle) as well as the daughters of the other Gems became the Kings and Queens of Kre'Nath, and that lineage has been ruling for as long as recorded history.
Development Of Modern Kre'Nath
In the years after the war, many tribal groups of mages and mythical creatures left their previous homes to join the city of Kre'Nath, offering their aid to turn the city into what it is today. The city has two primary resources; Fishing and Gem Mining. Fish are reported to be so plentiful on the shores of Kre'Nath that it will slow down shipping vessels as they reach the harbor. As for the mines, it is said that the daughters of Gem blessed the soil of the Islands to be rich with stones, which could be used for a multitude of things, trading and commerce being its largest use. As it stands today, Kre'Nath has expanded into over a dozen Islands, all of which are connected by either large bridges or teleportation pads. On every dock in Kre'Nath, transportation pads bring citizens to other areas of the Esmerelda Isles, such as Ancestor's Rest, The Grand Arena, and the newly created Ulreich University.
As far as the (accurately recorded) records of the royal lineage goes, it is said that the oldest son of Stone and Esmerelda, Gaitu, married a common girl from Kre'Nath. She worked at a flower shop, and they first met when he went to buy flowers for his mother's funeral. Since then, their sons and daughters have been marrying distant members of the other Gem daughters' families, but it is never uncommon or frowned upon for a Royal prince or princess to marry a common person. The current king of Kre'Nath is an old man known as Aedifi, and his wife Partem; they have yet to conceive children due to what appears to be a horrible disease that has left Partem unable to bear children. Because of this, the ancestors of the other Gem Daughters are locked in a heated political debate on who the next King and Queen should be.
To describe the culture of the Kre'Nathian people in a way that a member of the New World would understand, one would explain there is a mix of both Mid European Christianity and old Indian Buddhism aspects. The architecture in many areas of the city resemble large, chapel like buildings, as well as statues of angels and other god like figures. There are over four religions in Kre'Nath, and although church and state are separated, civil dispute often happens in response to the clash of religious ideals. The most common religion in Kre'Nath are those that worship Esmerelda and Stone themselves; they are known as the Masons. Other religions include the worship of Sturen, Gem, the daughters of Gem, and some say that in the shadows, a church devoted to Obsidian and his wicked ways holds court, known as the Deliverers of the Eldritch.
Ulreich University
One of the biggest things that King Aedifi worked towards during his reign was the development of a magic school not far from Kre'Nath. For many years, the healers and Wizards that served the city would have to travel to far off lands to learn their trade, and a noticeable percentage of Kre'Nathian youth never returned. Once the funds were amassed by Aedifi's smart and economical leadership, he told the people of his nation that if anyone was up to the task of creating such an institute, they would be paid handsomely. The only catch was that Aedifi wanted the school to run successfully for an undetermined amount of time before payment would be made. This deterred a lot of potential Headmasters, but a shadowy figure known only as Ulreich stepped forward, proposing that he could create such an institute without a dime from the crown, and would accept no money for it. Aedifi immediately accepted, and although he never met the man who proposed the idea, he'd met with associates of his who showed him the plans and blueprints for the new creation. Within six months the school had been created, but not a single citizen from the Esmerelda Isles knew how. A large section of an Islands rumored to be sunk during the War of the Jewels was brought back to surface, and a massive school was created atop them. Impressed by his quality of work and short time frame, Aedifi sent word to Ulreich, asking him when it would be ready. Ulreich replied that he had hired various teachers to begin preparing the curriculum from all over the world, and he'd invited plenty of potential mages from all over the multiverse to attend, and test the school before the Kre'Nathian citizens could attend. Once Aedifi agreed to this testing phase, Ulreich University was born.