Vanguard History

((All information is from a Vanguard perspective, and may or not be true. It should be regarded as official lore))

Vanguard History
The Vanguard started out as a nomadic race of people, guided by their gods (see Vanguard Religion for the creation story) through the world. All stories of the early Vanguard show no war or trouble, only their forager and traveler nature. At that time, they had a god called Lumius whose purpose was to guide them as they developed. Through the centuries, the Vanguard discovered the gods Mearla, Sephor, and Arhgo who joined them in their travels. Eventually, they arrived in a snowy place that Lumius had let them to. Here, Sephor descended on them and laid out more detailed laws of conduct for the Vanguard people, and explained that they had been prepared for this very time since the beginning of the world.

Sephor then took the other gods up with him onto a massive cloud that hovered near the Vanguard camp, where they met together for 30 days. When the cloud disolved, the gods came upon the people and told them that they were to be the light bringers of the world and the purifiers of the land. Sephor then took Lumius into his arms and re-formed him into a blazing blue flame that was placed on a nearby mountain. The people were told that Lumius' purpose had been fulfilled, and that his spirit would once again be found upon a mountain by the Vanguard. From then on, this place was called "The Mountain of Passing" and the camp "The Plain of Revelation".

Sephor would not appear to the Vanguard as Lumius had, but would communicate with the priests who relayed his words to the people. The Vanguard then moved north, and were told to settle in a flat spot just past a tall mountain. Sephor told the people that they were to begin to mine from the earth, grow crops, and build strong homes here. The Vanguard obeyed, and found that they were most industrious when they put themselves to work in building things that would last.

After living in this place for 3 years, the Vanguard constructed their first temple to the gods. The day after it had been dedicated to all the gods, a great rumble came from the earth all around them, and wide shafts of light shone from the ground in a wide circle around their camp. Great rock formations rose to the sky, creating what was to be called the Shireguard mountains. Sephor's voice projected forth and named the Vanguard city "Regalshire", as the seat of the Vanguard for generations to come.

In the two years after this, the Vanguard discovered that they had settled in the land of the Arcanians: a powerful race fluent in magic. At first the relations were friendly, that is until the Vanguard saw the evil that was taking place within their cities. The sacrifices and sins that happened alarmed the Vanguard to a point where they were afraid for their own safety with such horrors nearby. They then build a stone wall around Regalshire upon request of Arhgo.

The Ten Year War
Sephor then revealed that this was the Vanguard's purpose: to cleanse the land of the Arcanians to prevent their spread. Immediately, secret fortresses were built and weapons were forged. The priests invited a small group of Arcanians into Regalshire to see if they could convert them to the Vanguard faith and save them from the war, but the Arcanians considered this a kidnapping and an act of war itself. The Arcanians stormed into Regalshire and tried to take back their people, but an accident caused them all to perish and forced the attacking group to retreat. That very day, a new god came forth within the Shireguard valley: Arcos. In the next week, Arcos taught the people about magic and how it could be used to defeat the powerful Arcanians. When the Vanguard attacked the next waves of Arcanians, the enemy was surprised at the Vanguard warrior's new abilities and lost many to this victory.

The next 10 years were bloody and hard, but developed many important things within the Vanguard. A government was formed around a central emperor (Emperor Orial Ventificus) and a system of money was created: the Trion. Eventually the Vanguard gained the upper hand due to brilliant strategy and the help of the gods, and offered that the Arcanians surrender and go into the Nether: against the advice of Mearla and Arcos. The Arcanians refused, and the war continued a few months until the Arcanians were forced to run into the Nether and seal themselves within.