Historical Notes - D
Dorvar, City State of: During the heyday of the Empire Of Saltar, the City State of Dorvar was the most powerful of a number of free cities near its northern flank. Located at the intersection of two major trading roads and also an important fresh water port, Dorvar was a prosperous place. The lands about were wild but surprisingly fertile for such a northerly latitude; and the climate was much warmer. Many tens of thousands of people called themselves citizens, and the benevolent rulers built for themselves a magnificent summer palace on the island of Abbots Ripton.
When Saltar collapsed, though, the trade along the roads and rivers withered. At the same time, orcs and other fell humanoids moved into Urguth and assailed Dorvar's eastern borders. Simultaneously, the climate began to turn colder. The country declined rapidly. Its population fled, with most falling victim to monsters in the wilds, chilling winters, or into slavery in Urguth. Very few made it to other areas of civilization with the tale of the city's demise. In 602 TA, a triumphant army of orcs entered the city of Dorvar, and slew the few remaining defenders.
Now, the city has been abandoned for over 700 years. For a time Urguth held it, but in 664 were driven out by a large army of giants and trolls. They, in turn, retreated back into the mountains, leaving the city a mouldering ruin. The orcs fell back to their old borders along the Slave River, before turning their attentions to the southern borders of their fell kingdom. Since then, Dorvar has been a favoured lair for renegade bands of humanoids, giants, and even humans; not to mention a home for a growing population of monsters.
Drow (on Earth): The races of the surface elves and the drow
have never fared well together, apparently. There are myths of
outright wars between the two subraces, back in the days when the
only Men living on Earth were primative barbarians who could neither
read or write. By the time Greater Men returned from the stars and
reestablished human civilisation here, the drow had been driven
underground. Occasionally, stories about them surface, usually from
adventurers who have ventured far underground into their gloomy
realm. They tell tales of fantastic drow cities where acts of
unspeakable cruelty, depravity and decadence are practiced; of
feuding drow families; places where demons mingle and copulate freely
with the dark elves. The drow have both enemies and allies in the
underworld, for other races live there, too. They compete and battle
with the race of ithilids, the mind flayers. Deep gnomes do not agree
with them, either. The declining race of the kuo-toa are not friendly
with the drow, either, though the two races are not at war. The derro
and the duergar, though, are allies if the drow, as are many evil
humanoid creatures.
The drow worshipped Lolth until she was killed on her home plane
by a party led by the arch-mage Stiff . After that, the drow
civilisation - always disorganized even at the best of times -
completely broke down into chaos. Other races took advantage of the
situation, and the drow lost control of large areas of the underworld
before matters began to stabilise perhaps five years ago. Many drow
continue to worship the dead spider goddess, for they know that
through their devotion she will eventually reform and reward the
devout. Others have taken to serving other gods, demigods and
powerful demons in the meantime. These drow and their new masters are
eager to expand their influence, it is rumoured, before Lolth
returns.