Golden Reign
From Codex Vocrotha
From Chaos
Little is known prior to the establishment of the Golden Reign of the Kâlindur. Myths and legends indicate that wars, fought largely along racial lines, were constant and bloody on Dalkiar, but there are no physical records left of this time. Even the gold standard of timekeeping, Drakkhozhn Reckoning (DR), stops just before this age, so there is no real way to measure how long this age of chaos lasted.
In the end, it was the Vasriel, acting in what would become their regular role of diplomats and facilitators, who enabled the first foothold of order to be established. Desiring peace more than anything, they identified the Kâlindur as the race most likely to bring order to the land, and so they approached their King, Glir Ironfoot, under parley and proposed alliance. Uncertain of their motives but sure of their power, the King accepted the alliance under the terms that he would be the ultimate master of this formative nation. Concerned but certain that this alliance would be the only way to end the chaos around them, the Vasriel accepted: the date was circa 200 DR.
Alliance and Order
It soon became apparent that the consolidation of power the Kâlindur-Vasriel alliance created had brought an unstoppable military force to bear on Dalkiar. No longer wasting resources fighting each other, the two powerful allies quickly established their shared boundaries, built up their defenses and created a comparative paradise within their new-forged realm. Able to focus on mutual defense and the development of resources, the small Kingdom flourished and grew; news spread of this new-found safe haven, and individuals from all races, tired of incessant conflict and wanting only to live in peace, flocked to the King and his Alliance. The Vasriel shrewdly realized the advantage these fugitives could give the King in terms of production and infrastructure, and counseled him to allow many to stay and become farmers, blacksmiths, and artisans of every kind -- and so they did, glad to have the protection of the Kâlind King.
The centralization of resources and artisans to work those resources rocketed the Kingdom to even greater heights of power. Kâlindur and Vasriel warriors, strong and powerful in their own right, now had access to weapons and defenses their opponents could only dream of possessing. No longer satisfied with holding the barbarians at bay at their borders, the Alliance pressed their advantage, taking rival fiefdoms with frightening ease as their generals marched across Dalkiar. Although several pockets of resistance, notably Wellthane, would hold strong against them for many years, eventually the land was at peace: by 450 DR the last warriors had laid down their arms and submitted to the new King and his Golden Reign.
The Vitki and the Kâlind Kings
Although Gilr Ironfoot was long dead by the time the final battle had been fought, his line persisted for many years, and in fact his grandson, Tarmr Ironfoot, was the King whose final victory in Thurgar heralded the beginning of the Golden Reign. Tarmr died childless, however, and after a long and considered counsel, Kerain Stouthammer was declared King. Under the Stouthammers, the Alliance thrived; Kerain was less interested in mastering his allies than in providing for his Kingdom, so while he retained control of military deployments and defense, he largely left diplomacy and the maintenance of the kingdom in the hands of the Vasriel.
With his Kingdom in order, Kerain turned the Kâlind island home, Thârin, into a bustling city. He researched deep magics and ancient lore in the volcanic forges deep below its surface, and, according to legend, there it was that Kerain became the first Runemaster, forging the first set of Runes in the lava floes of Thârin and bending them to his will. With his success, he founded a secret society of Runemasters with whom he shared the secrets of forging and using the mighty Runes. Very few did he allow into this inner circle, but there is little question that over the years, the Vitki of the King acted as his greatest and most feared agents. At some point, near the end of the Golden Reign, there became some question as to whether the Vitki had become more agents of fear than of peace, but the point would be moot before those questions could be answered.
The Golden Reign lasted for a thousand years, but the amount of information still available to us regarding it is scant. The Golden Reign was ended violently by a force bent on the destruction of the Kâlindur and their allies, and most of the lore of this age, magical, historical and otherwise, is forever lost. What remains comes from the oral traditions of the exiles who escaped Dalkiar before the Twin Emperors ravaged the Kingdom and transformed it into the Nightmare Imperium, so while there is, in fact, much detail still available regarding this time, very little of it can be verified.
