Atûsbalas

Etal fell into despair and mourning following the death of their creator lord. For millennia, the fate of the Etayen had been carefully contemplated and foreplanned by Atûn, and it was he who instructed them on all matters great and small in the world. The Eshan and their machinations were insignificant with those watchful eyes above them, and the powers of foreign creators toppled before the might of Vojûn. These things were calculated, appearing childishly simple to olûndi because of the tireless plotting which made the results foregone. They feared nothing and ruled everything- the domain of Étunas continued to grow and threatened to consume the whole world beneath an inexorable tide of warriors guided by divine providence. This security was the closest thing akin to fate in a world devoid of established webs of occurance and cocurrence. The will and labor of Atûn forged perceived fate itself, just as the achievements of his chosen race created an existence that, while unwritten, became manifest destiny through mere fact of reality. For the Etayen, those words were the creed of Qadal and Vussalas, harbinger of the present and all time to follow. How ruinous must it have been to witness the undoing of those strands of fate and the death of prophecy itself? When Atûn died, more than an Eshanic guardian was lost- the singular pillar of civilization collapsed and crumbled to dust.   Étunas fell swiftly thereafter. With Nathrovas and Jequasghal fallen to ruin, the other domains of the Etayen came under vicious assault. It began in Othos, as all horrid things do. The various tribes of backwards desposition and hideous demeanor, being dwellers of languid villages carved from crooked timber, rose against Zorisghal in the west. A great host was formed for the purpose, comprised of Eurobasar and Vestanir ancestors, along with the Demhezzar who defy historic recategorization. However, these were small fragments of those societies rather than coherent alliances such as were mustered against the Odyrzid during the Awakening. They were led by a northern Othosar warrior named Amerus Illidost who grew up beneath the shadows of the Gondomons. Starting in 203, the Aemar enemies tore apart Zorisghal, laying it low within a bloody decade. Amasghal, the Etayen realm of Nevan, survived the immediate turmoil, but was crippled and unreconcilably divorced from the homeland. All that remained within reach of Etal was Afrasghal, which remained a loyal subject of Amikiras. This said, the Adash communities who once served beneath Etayen rulers began to assert themselves and achieve autonomy. The decline was as if the whole world shuddered and at once died. No one among them knew how to proceed, or if existence without Atûn was possible. The Vishtal Atûsbal fell into shattered silence, barring himself and family within the coastal halls of Amikiras. The thinkers who advised the Atûsbal fared little better, and the aged masters of innumerable crafts were similarly despondant. It is in this context that the formation and development of Atûsbalas must be understood, along with its prolonged absence from global affairs.   The Etûletal of the Etayen homeland remained aloof from the world through the Weeping Era, preferring to secure themselves within the jungles and glens of Etal. It was during this time, then, that the Voletal and Etûletal divided beyon recognition from one another.   After the terrors of Karundar, Etayen support for the Vishtal dynasty diminished terribly. Blame for Nathrovas’ annihilation and the loss of Ácolitus’ gift was thrust upon Nil’phir Atûsbal and his advisors.   In 3411, something extraordinary happened. A family among the advisors of Amikiras rose against the Vishtal dynasty whose ancestors reigned over Etal since Atûn’s first creation. Their military coup brought the end of the Vishtal dynasty, spurred on by the long-term decline of Etal since the death of Atûn. Etayen who held stake in both the Successor kingdoms and Etal wanted a return of Etal's time in the sun. Coup occurred within 40 - 60 years of the coup. The decades after the coup were used in preparation for the invasion of the Ghetunbalastod ast Corgastor in 3451.

The golden era of the Etayen Ghalûn passed with Atûn’s death in the year zero, and for centuries thereafter no great expansion was experienced by their race. Yet, all things that once happened stand to occur once again. In the early 3000s, the Etayen homeland of Etal experienced the terrible confusion of unprecedented rebellion. The Unain dynasty, once a small-time family operating in the lesser regions of Amikiras, now rose to overthrow the weakened Vishtal dynasty and assert power.