The Echoes of the Obsidian Coast

A Chronicle of the Freeborn and the Marked

123 AE (After the Sundering)

The Shattering. The Great Storms. The rise of the Obsidian Coast, forever scarred by the cataclysm. The Freeborn, those who remembered the Old Ways, retreated to the highlands, clinging to fading rituals and whispered prophecies. The Marked, those born under the shadow of the storm, began to exhibit strange abilities - control over water, whispers of the deep, and a chilling connection to the restless spirits of the drowned.

178 AE

The Founding of Veridia. Driven by desperation and the dwindling resources of the highlands, a group of Freeborn, led by the enigmatic Elder Lyra, established Veridia, a settlement built upon the ruins of a forgotten city. The arrival of the Marked intensified, their presence both a blessing and a curse. They brought knowledge of the deep, but also a constant temptation towards madness and the unraveling of the self.

249 AE - The Crimson Tide

The Crimson Tide. A devastating plague swept across the coast, twisting flesh and corrupting minds. It was attributed to the Marked, though the true source remained shrouded in mystery. Veridia faced annihilation, only saved by the unlikely alliance of a hardened Freeborn warrior, Kaelen, and a young Marked woman, Seraphina, who discovered a way to harness the water's power to combat the disease. The event solidified the uneasy truce between the two groups, a fragile understanding built on mutual survival.

312 AE - The Obsidian Pact

The signing of the Obsidian Pact. Years of skirmishes and uneasy alliances culminated in a formal agreement between the Freeborn clans and the Marked Houses. It was a desperate attempt to prevent a full-scale war, recognizing that the fate of the Obsidian Coast rested on their ability to coexist, however strained that coexistence might be. The Pact established a council, the "Voice of the Deep," to mediate disputes and oversee the sharing of knowledge – though the interpretation of that knowledge was often fraught with peril.

385 AE - The Rise of the Shadow Lords

The emergence of the Shadow Lords. Within the Marked Houses, a faction began to rise, believing that true power lay not in cooperation, but in domination. These individuals, known as the Shadow Lords, sought to exploit the deeper, darker aspects of the Marked abilities, twisting them into weapons of control and destruction. They began to amass followers, sowing discord and threatening to shatter the fragile peace established by the Obsidian Pact. Seraphina, now a respected leader, sensed the growing darkness and began to prepare Veridia for a coming storm.

451 AE - The Siege of Veridia

The Siege of Veridia. The Shadow Lords, backed by a legion of fanatical Marked warriors, launched a brutal assault on the city. The Freeborn, led by Kaelen’s descendants, fought alongside Seraphina and her loyalists, utilizing ancient defenses and the unpredictable power of the storm. The battle was a chaotic maelstrom of water, steel, and corrupted magic, a testament to the enduring conflict between order and chaos, light and darkness. The outcome hung in the balance, dependent on the intervention of a forgotten deity, whispered to dwell within the deepest currents of the Obsidian Coast.

520 AE - The Echoes Remain

The present. The scars of the past remain, etched into the landscape and the hearts of the people. The Obsidian Pact is crumbling, the Shadow Lords are gaining strength, and the whispers of the deep grow louder. The Freeborn and the Marked stand on the precipice of a new era, an era defined by uncertainty, danger, and the haunting echoes of a forgotten world. The question remains: can they learn from the mistakes of the past, or will the Obsidian Coast be consumed by the darkness that dwells within?

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