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A History of the Land
he world on which exists the kingdom of Xanaria consists of only two large continents, with nearly infinite numbers of islands and other smaller land masses. The two major continents are separated by a vast ocean called the Sea of Partition, which is so named because its tumultuous waters prevent all but the most sturdy of vessels from crossing it. For this reason, the cultures that dwell on either continent have been for the most part isolated and have developed independently of each other.
Intelligent life came into being at approximately the same time on both continents, and both cultures developed at roughly the same rate until the Feudal Era. During this Era, nations and kingdoms did not exist. In their place were individual estates, usually owned by a lord who set his or her estate's own governmental hierarchy and/or caste system. Since there are no feelings of nationalistic unity within such a system, estates constantly fought and bickered with one another.
On the continent of Xanaria a race of mountain-dwellers known as the Charia took advantage of feudal disunion. While the estates fought with one another, the Charia slowly grew their own army and resources, poised for an all-out war of conquest. When they finally struck, the quarreling estates were no match for the Charia's superior forces. Headquartered at the fortress-like Castle IronGate, the Charia swarmed over the continent like a voracious swarm of locusts, devouring everything in their path, growing stronger all the time. Eventually, the Charia conquered all but the most powerful estates. Lord Ethor, master of one such estate, realized that only as a unified whole could the remaining estates hope to defeat the Charia. He gradually convinced the other lords, and in doing so gave birth to the first nation the world had ever seen. Ethor was recognized as the leader of the new nation, and his coat-of-arms, a hissing snake, was the basis for the nation's name: SerpentHead. The combined might of the former estates was enough to stop the spread of the Charian Empire, but was insufficient to completely defeat it. The two forces continued to periodically wage war on each other, neither one emerging a clear victor.
Several years following the first clash of SerpentHead and the Empire, a mysterious woman came before the Charian Emperor. The woman was an immensely powerful sorceress who, mistakenly believing the Charia to be benevolent leaders, had come to help the Emperor improve the living conditions of his subjects. The Emperor saw a grand opportunity to exploit her power, thereby increasing his own might enough to defeat SerpentHead and expand his rule over the entire continent. The sorceress was given the grandiose title of S'hi Sharim, which in the language of the Charia means "Imperial Mage." Although the title was impressive, it actually gave her no political power whatsoever. All power continued to rest with the Emperor, who instructed the sorceress to perform various feats of magic (under the guise of helping the citizens of the Empire) that were, in truth, engineered to further his own interests. After some years, the sorceress discovered the treachery of the Emperor. Furious that her magic had been used for evil ends, she vowed to leave Xanaria never to return, but not before she furnished Ethor with some powerful enchanted weapons that would enable him to defeat the Charia once and for all.
Ethor's army, now augmented by the sorceress' weaponry, launched an attack on the Empire. The ensuing war was won quickly, but at a high cost. Many of Ethor's soldiers fell, and every last member of the Charian Imperial race was slain during the battle. The oppressed were now free, however, and the oppressors were no more. But what had happened forced everyone to realize that they could not return to the old feudal ways. Overwhelmed with a feeling of togetherness unlike any ever felt before, the people of Xanaria decided to unite under one ruler. That ruler, they decided, would be the hero of the war, Ethor. In order to show that his leadership would be nothing like the Charia's, Ethor abandoned most everything associated with them, such as Castle IronGate and the title "Emperor" (however, he liked the idea of having an Imperial Mage, so he did in fact appoint one, but changed the title to "Royal Mage"). So, in an elaborate ceremony, Ethor was crowned King of Xanaria at the newly-constructed Castle SerpentHead, which was named after the land's first nation.
The sorceress, who by that time was known only by her title, decided to retain that name but remove the imperial S'hi from it. Following that, the Sharim (or "the Mage") traveled to the other continent, whose inhabitants were still experiencing the constant quarreling of feudalism. By teaching them the ways of peace and diplomacy, she united the fragmentary estates into a single nation. Under her great leadership, the nation has prospered and has not experienced the horror of war in over two hundred years. Although she was never a Royal Mage, her actions on SerpentHead's behalf have earned her official recognition as The First Royal Mage. She is honored as a great hero by the people of Xanaria, who often pay her homage by naming their first-born child after her ("Sharim" for girls, "Mharim" for boys).
What became of the Sharim's weaponry is in question. It is known that many of the Sharim's weaker weapons were broken in battle. Others were pried from the death-grips of fallen soldiers by Charian looters. It is not known where these weapons are kept, but they are rumored to be in a hidden armory at IronGate. Since the war, many have ventured to IronGate and some weapons have been recovered, but the location of the armory, if it exists, is a mystery.
An interesting footnote to this story: The Dark Sorcerer's ultimate goal is conquest of the entire world, but even his sorcery is no match for the power of the Sharim. For this reason, the Salorann seeks the SerpentScepter -- the very weapon which could destroy him -- in hopes of turning its power against the Sharim. However, he has been unable to find it. This is why he allows adventurers into Castle SerpentHead in the first place: It is his hope that one of them will discover the Scepter for him, in which case he will kill the adventurer and steal it for himself. Therefore, it is likely that he closely watches all those who enter the Castle. Your only hope for victory in SerpentHead is that he has grown lax in his vigil after so many years.
© 1996-2001 Pharos Games. All rights reserved. SerpentHead, Cendric's Quest, Cassidy Software, SerpentHead Software, and all related trademarks ©2001 Pharos Games.
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