Drenorans

The Drenorans were the original inhabitants of Kara. An offshoot branch of cae'adir, meaning dark elf, the Drenorans were infamous for their advanced understanding of magic and technology. They made several attempts at reaching godhood as a species - but were wiped out by Stone Bay during the Drenoran Wars.

History

They were the first people in Kara, whose first strides on the archipelago saw them worship a dark dragon called Valynclex. With the dragon's power, the Drenorans conquered the entire island chain. When Valynclex's powers were no longer needed, they abandoned its worship. Such arrogance was commonplace in Drenoran culture. They viewed other species as lesser than them. As the Drenoran Empire's power and territory grew, they rarely sought to integrate other peoples into their society.

What else is known about their empire is shrouded in mystery. Besides their worship of Valynclex and widespread cruelty, the Drenorans were known for their vast intelligence. Through complex systems of governance and living, the Drenorans built their empire through unrecognisable magics and technologies, even tapping into the well of dangerous power known as Realitas. The Drenoran mastery of magic culminated in their creation of the Karian Curse, which they called the "great work." This is the same curse which blights Kara today. It causes monsters to come at night and prevents people from dying, under most circumstances. How the Drenorans created the Curse is another of their mysteries. And how they’ve managed to keep it around thousands of years after their undoing is a question even the most studious of scholars have yet to understand.

The war between the Drenorans and the Kingdom of Stone Bay began in earnest during a time of drought and famine. The Drenorans, so reliant on their complicated systems of governance, failed to put up a united front against the invading Baymen. It was the Kingdom of Stone Bay who’d seen the Drenorans play with the fabrics of nature and reality. And it would be the Kingdom of Stone Bay who decided that the Drenorans’ tampering with the universe had to be stopped.

Historians have made reasonable assumptions that the Drenorans, in their arrogance, could never have fathomed that another group of people would defeat them. Different soul magics, chronomancy, and attempts at both achieving Realitas and divinity did not save the Drenorans.

With their existence forgotten by the world, the Drenorans faded from most histories and memories. The power vacuum they left behind was ripe for the taking, and Stone Bay was ready to take it.