Gorev

The city of Gorev was founded on the southern slopes of Khŭlmozhi's mountains as a military fortress to protect against the giants wich threatened the region. Its founders were a pre-Chardolite people who are only really known for Gorev, so they are known as the Gorevites.

The Gorevite founders were lucky enough to count a powerful mage among their ranks, who created a complex warding spell which would defend the city from giants but also allow humans to move freely. This spell was maintained by a special coating over the walls of the new fort, and worked exceedingly well, projecting a dome around the fort which prevented the entry of giants and anything moved by giants (such as rocks they might throw at the city). Naturally, due to the popularity of living somewhere the giants would not be able to get at, the fort was soon ringed in settlements, and over the years the fort was expanded until the whole city was walled. As a place where the Gorevite people could retreat during crisis, it was also well-stocked, and served as the capital of their nation. The city would survive several attacks by the giants in the decades after its formation, and its mere existence deterred giants from entering the region, with them fleeting the region entirely by the 10th century, and only sporadic raids happening after that.

However, the Gorevites would grow careless over time, with the defenses receiving less and less attention every generation. With the fading of the coatings on the walls, so too faded its defensive spells, and so the city was vulnerable once more. To be sure, it was not defenseless, but with enough effort the giants could maybe, just maybe, break through the spell. And they did.

In 1245 SC, a giantish invasion occurred, the first in over a hundred years. The unprepared Gorevites saw much of their population killed or enslaved, but all remembered the story of their walls, so those that made it huddled in Gorev. Alas, the giantish attack decided to test the spell, and to their surprise they found that the boulders they threw could make it through. Having surmised this, they began testing the walls in as many places as possible, hoping to find a region where the spell had faded entirely, all while flinging boulders. In desperation to prevent this, the ruler of Gorev at the time (queen [tbd]) made a bargain with the succubi which lurked in a shadowy brothel near the walls. It is unknown what she promised, but the demons provided a new spell and coating for the walls, which was applied. Whether or not this spell was ever intended to be fair was unclear, because the giants broke the walls before they were finished being coated, and thus was the end of Gorev.

The parts of Gorev that had been painted by the succubi's spell were immediately teleported into the shadow realm by the spell, creating a sizable tether. They can still be seen there, and are a popular destination for demons. The people were taken by the demons for slaves, and nobody knows exactly what happened to them. The demons certainly aren't saying. However, the parts that weren't coated fared arguably worse, since the people there were either massacred or enslaved by the giants*.

The fall of Gorev opened the region to giantish attacks, severely weakening the other local states. This led to their people living in fear and upon their conquest by the Uthmarid Empire of the Holy Successor, which drove the giants from the region, led to their conversion to the Illahic faith. Gorev, however, was never taken by the Uthmarids, though it later became the home of some Bozlaki, who dealt with and made pacts with demons. These Bozlaki were later defeated and conquered by the orcish tribe of Sulant, who currently control the region. It is highly desired by both the Great Maw and Chardolon, as both see it as rightfully theirs.

*One legend says that the queen of Gorev was granted to the giants by the succubi as a gift, that she was tortured and gave birth to a half-giant son that would later found Chardolon (see Taltas page). It's unsure if this theory is true or made to slander Chardolon (or perhaps invented by them to make others fear them)