The First Years of the First Age: The Fall of Rethren

As the Arch Demons fell Rethren built himself a kingdom. He stood here and ruled until his assassination by a political rival. He was a corrupt leader, selling his own people to slavery in barbaric lands that were still recovering from demonic rule. Scholars made great strides in these first few years, copying what was left in the Demons’ ruin. This should have guaranteed the Rethren Empire a place in the heavens themselves, but for their leader. He spent the treasuries of Rethren on drink and lustful endevors, importing consorts and whores for his own pleasure. Soon the people revolted and threw down the shackles of their oppressor. His name has been stricken from the records and no one to this day knows the name of the man who brought down the Empire.

The spring after the First Revolution, the quickly rising Yetereth Empire stormed the borders in hordes, slaughtering the poorly managed Rethren armies and claiming it as a province of its great new power. The people of Rethren would be subjected to the will of this powerful empire for many generations to come.

Blood Rituals

Magic, or as it’s definition see it as, does not exist in this world. What does exist is a series of laws passed down by the Gods themselves. These are used through ancient scrolls and rituals which have the Gods’ touch on them. One section of these are the Blood Rituals, a dark and evil art set forward by the Creator of Demons: Jerith. Jerith believed that if one was willing to give up a piece of himself to the Gods, then he should be entitled to a reward. From this came the Blood Rituals of Power, allowing the Arch Demons to bind their enemies, and enslave them to further their own gains. Such knowledge has been lost in this age, though some carefully conceal what they know, seeing that this might save them another day.

The Chained

The Chained were once known as the Arch Demons. They ruled the known world before the time of the First Age. Humans then were as simple as any other animal. They were wild game, livestock, and simple slaughter. This continued until The Unification. This was the one time in history Ledre ever united under one flag. Humans, led by the High King Rethren, hence the name of the province now bearing it, confronted the Hordes of Arch Demons at the Plains of Harrowing. It was here, that Rethren, sacrificed his eldest son, to invoke a blood ritual, whose history is older than the demons even recall. In this ritual the demonic powers that kept the Arch Demons bound to their bodies were severed, binding the souls to the Royal Blood instead. This should have been an unbinding contract with the Gods, however this has not been the case.