A desert humming with unseen life...

A humbled city writhing in disgrace...

A new kingdom rising from the sand...

RACES

Gnomes

The Temperate Benefactors

• The highest good is honor

• The most honorable person the one who repays his debts

• The most sacred life is the promise

• The most sacred duty is keeping one's word

• The most wicked evil is failing to repay one's debts

• The most heinous crime is breaking contract

OVERVIEW

  The gnomes worked ferociously over the centuries to raise life from the barren ground of the Sahr’Barabor desert lands with glorious success. While the central desert is certainly incapable of supporting life, the gnomes - trading oceans of water in place of the oceans of sand - founded two cities on opposite edges of the continent: Oche’Ebere and Asabh'Olim. 

  While the gnomes may be world-renowned for their control of Amauran trade (in Asabh'Olim, that is) the gnomish race seized its first foothold in the world market by taking advantage of its abundant natural resource: ore. The Great Desert hosts deeps pockets of some of Amaura's most precious most precious metals and ores. Gold, platinum, copper, iron - these are only the first discovered of the menagerie of metals sitting beneath the sands. Asabh'Olim was able to harness and capitalize on this industry much faster than its sister city Oche’Ebere, and it has made all the difference - launching Asabh'Olim into its infamous status as the City of Gold. 

  However, in the years after the Apocalypse, Oche’Ebere experienced an unprecedented societal restructuring. Surging through layers of generational poverty and economic isolation, it has now raced to the forefront of international trade, making it one of the leading world powers of the new Amaura.

Cities

Asabh'Olim: City of Gold

  The city of Asabh'Olim is the only major settlement in its western half of Sahr’Barabor. The only areas outside of this city that host life are the work camps that surround the mines - the source of their incredible financial capital with which they have seized a controlling portion of the world's trade. The nearby desert is also home to some bandit groups and raiders who would try to take the precious gnomish gold. Fortunately, there are the orcs who shipwrecked there centuries ago and found a place among the gnomes as their security force.

  The lifeblood of the city is lending, and this manifests itself even in the politics of the city through the exchanging of favors. Asabh'Olim's chancellor - the Bahal - is a figurehead who is typically a hub for many of these exchanges. The Bahal recognizes that he is more an overseer than a king and exercises his monarchical powers to ensure fair trade and justice in the business practice, but is often swayed by whichever company can provide him with the best deal. Aside from policing business practice, the court of the Bahal is given the duty of managing the city’s image through relief programs, sanitation campaigns, and improving the appeal of Asabh'Olim to draw more tourists and potential business partners to the City of Gold.

   Since its founding, the Nakhada family held the City of Gold in a tight grip. When the family organized Nakhada Industries, their company ruled city (and South Sembre at large) for centuries until their immense power led them into diabolical pursuits. At the end of the Nautilus Crisis, an inquiry into the scientific pursuits of the company in their laboratories outside the city revealed that Nakhada Industries was directly involved in live experiments on Seafolk in a search for their Seafolk Panacea - an atrocity that is said to have prompted the Harvest Massacres. With all their wealth and authority, the organization could not evade the authority of the Pan-Amauran Tribunal. In 1505, Nakhada Industries was compelled to officially disband, given rise to two daughter companies, T'samaan Investment Corporation and Ravajá Benefactor Group.

  Throughout Amaura's Realignment Period, the fierce competition between TIC and RBG served Asabh'Olim immensely, as there efforts to outdo one another led to a reconstruction of Sahr’Barabor’s global reputation and a massive resurgence in Asabh'Olim's role in the world market. In fact, it was the gnomish effort to reopen trade routes with other continents that encouraged the nations to venture onto the sea again. TIC and RBG were impressive rivals, launching the Amaura into the greatest expeditious fervor since the first age, and for a time, the companies were evenly matched. However, when T'samaan negotiated a deal with the Bahal to allow prisoners in the desert mining camps to exchange years of mining for years at sea, TIC garnered a steep increase in willing adventures to pull the company well into the lead.

  In addition to their increased collection of willing sailors TIC also turned its eyes to the old city of Oche’Ebere on the continents eastern edge. In a project headed by Syssilius Aradhana Ravavjá, this defector from RBG planted a rebellion in the city to give the Oceanic Guard "just cause" to plant a garrison in Oche’Ebere and bring it under the authority of the Sembren military organization. In return, TIC was granted immunity from the Oceanic Guard's watch upon the oceans, and the company turned its attention to the Westling Isles. 

  For reasons unknown, Syssilius and TIC were intent upon establishing a trading post on the fringe of the Westling Archipelago. Though the isles and their shallows were beset with monsters and dangerous reefs, Syssilius fervently pushed for an voyage to be made the moment it brokered its deal in Oche’Ebere. Perhaps he should have been more careful with whom he selected for the voyage, for it was the members of this Expedition 40.1625 who would lead to the downfall of Syssilius, TIC, and Asabh'Olim at large in the Apocalypse of 1624. 

   In the Fathom Throne Era, TIC almost faced economic crucification after Avettan Goldemo and RBG slandered their name with an inquiry claiming that Syssilius and TIC were involved in the near destruction of the world. TIC survived the judicial onslaught, but not the public fallout. The entire city lost faith in the company, calling it a "second Nakhada" and the city's trust and assets were transferred to RBG with frightening speed. Today, TIC is but a shadow of its once great name, though it has been gaining traction again under new leadership.

Oche’Ebere: Paragon of Misfortune

  Oche’Ebere was actually the first city ever to emerge from the early nomadic gnomish culture, but has fallen from its old glory to squat - harsh and brooding - in the sand. The discovery of water trickling through the canyons of the Scar empowered the gnomes to establish their first city on the steppes of southeast the desert continent. But when Asabh'Olim rose in power in the west, many of the city's smarter inhabitants fled to the splendor of the City of Gold, leaving Oche’Ebere it die in squalor. 

  The city miraculously survived when scouts discovered that the river had not dried up at all, but rather had been diverted to flow through the bowels of the mountains - beneath them instead of between them. A desperate project was begun to build a waterway system to bring the precious resource into the city. Soon the city was being watered again by an intricate system of pipes and sewer ways.

  In the aftermath of this miracle, the populace recovered in health but not in vigor. The city fell into an epidemic of depression as news of Asabh'Olim's prosperity began to bite the ears of those living in Oche’Ebere. Many seemed to give up on the city. Some were able to escape it and start life anew in Asabh'Olim or the Western Ports of the human realm, but the rest remained in sullenness in Oche’Ebere.

  After the Drowning of Isle Pyros, Oche’Ebere added a particularly vile stain to its reputation when countless Dragonborn refugees took shelter in Oche’Ebere. Of course, the citizens offered no welcoming to the stigmatized race, but apathy was certainly preferable to the harsh persecution the Dragonborn faced in the "moral" civilizations of Amaura. Oche’Ebere became a bastion for outcasts - its crime rates soared until they finally became the law of the land. Now it is a city of the squalid, overrun by crime lords. But at least it beats the the desert. 

Iyad’Dhar: Seat of Redemption

   The Fifth Age turned its eye upon the forsaken city and dragged it out of the sand. In ____ Rekië returned to Oche’Ebere with Torinn Tymanchebar to put an end to Ranokh's hold over the wretched city. With the blessing of both a Tymanchebar and the leader of the current dragonborn population, Rekië swiftly united both ancient and contemporary dragonborn society under his name and swept through the city, quickly deposing Ranokh. Though Rekië had hoped to spare the life of the last black dragonborn, Ranokh was driven from the city into the mountains and never seen again. Efforts to recover the apocalyptic lizard were small as there was quickly greater peril to deal with.

   Though known for their constant treachery and enmity, the Sand Kings put up a remarkably unified defense against Rekië's Liberation Army. Rather than turning them against each other, Rekië was forced to contend with the Sand Kings as a collective, and it almost cost him the city. In the end, the Sand Kings finally fell not as a result of military strategy but from social strategy. Rekië's forces were able to infiltrate the impoverished populations living under the rule of the Sand Kings with the most powerful weapon of all--the truth. The truth that Rekië represented a king from over the sea, the God himself, whose love for the Terra had been proving in the averted apocalypse and who now supported Rekië's crusade to free the City of Thieves from the rule of darkness and deception.  Truly, Rekië's liberation effort was made victorious by the good news of the God of the Sea, not his own military prowess. With their subjects in revolt and Rekië's dragonborn closing down on them, the Sand Kings surrendered. In a symbol of lasting peace, Rekië adopted the daughter of one of the Sand King’s as a peace-child while the Sand Kings and their allies were banished to Exile Island for the rest of their days. But there was still much work to do.

   The city of Oche’Ebere was freed from her shackles, but it would be a long time before she would be able to walk and run again. Rekië's first edict was to rename the city Oche'Ebere, which is "Redemption Seat" in Fathom Tongue. Next, he promised safe passage to any who wished to leave, for Oche'Ebere would be a place where law was obeyed by virtue of heart, not of sword. Rekië also had help in the form of an old compatriot - the gnome Avettan Goldemo - who became Rekië's Royal Treasurer and Chief Architect in the reconstruction of Oche'Ebere's infrastructure. 

   Today, Oche' Ebere is prominent in the minds of all Amaurans. To some, she is a beacon of hope, to others a mere novelty. Yet all have an opinion. 

history

  The gnome families roamed the sands of South Sembre in as nomadic hunters in constant hunger and fear of the giant scorpions that dominated the central desert. There wandering could have lasted for ages to come had it not been for Bramah Bárabor. When his clan came into a lush pocket of oases in the eastern desert, Bárabor was able to transcend nomadic nomadic lifestyle with his family and establish the first gnomish city: Sahr'Barabor. The settlement became a beacon of hope and ingenuity in the wilderness for gnomes across South Sembre, and for a time, the city flourished both in culture and in commerce. But as more and more clans rushed into the city, family feuds reached a perilous boiling point. Seeking a quick end to the rising bloodshed in the city, the Bárabors convinced the other clan leaders to banish the Nakhada family - longtime rivals of the Bárabors - from the city. In a matter of days, the entire Nakhada family became a societal cur and was swiftly pushed out into the bitter sands. Together, the family Nakhada turned their back on Sahr'Bárabor and resolved to make a treacherous trek across the desert to build a new city as far from their cruel brethren as possible. 

  As the rest of Amaura was enjoying the first years of the exciting Age of Exploration, the Nakhada family found themselves on a death march across the Great Desert. They should not have survived the journey. Many believed that the Nakhada made deals with the wicked desert spirits in exchange for safe passage. At any rate, the family survived the desert journey only to arrive at the western shore of South Sembre and find the area plagued with giant scorpions. The Nakhada were almost wiped out by the monsters until fate provided them an opportunity for survival.

  Even after they reached the western shore of South Sembre, the Nakhada were far from safe. The exiled family face numerous skirmishes against the monsters of the desert--battles that were slowly whittling their population to a critical low. Yet the Nakhada were not without allies. In their search for resources, the gnomes found various precious stones in the sands, which turned out to have great value to the local Westling mermaid pod. Trading with the mermaids for food gave the Nakhada family a taste for aquatic cuisine that has lasted to current age (and later became a symbol of stratification from the Sahr'Bárabor in later years). Even with the mermaids' food, the gnomes would have perished on the desert shores had it not been for the other gift the mermaids brought to South Sembre: the Dire Orcs.

  In the 273 year of the first age, the mermaids brought the news of visitors coming to South Sembre from across the sea. Though already deep into the Age of Exploration, the humans of Middle Sembre had largely written South Sembre off as a desert waste - incapable of supporting life or lucrative venture. They would go to great lengths to rectify this mistake in the future. So it was, that only the orcs - bravest and most curious of all races - were willing to explore even the desert lands. It would have been far better for them to have never come.

  The Nakhada family - whose existence teetered dangerously on the edge of extinction - struck a swift bargain with the mermaids. Under the gnomes direction, the mermaids attacked the orc ships on their approach to Sembre, marooning the explorers on the desert sands. On the third day, the Nakhada dispatched a party to rescue the orcs from the desert wilds. Immensely grateful for the gnomes' hopsitality, the orcs swore to repay their kindness. When the scorpions returned to carry off more of the Nakhada, they were sorely shocked to find themselves battling the grey giants of Low Dûrdn instead! The orcs drove the scorpions away from west Sembre, deep into the central desert, before returning to the western shores to live alongside the Nakhada.

    Free from monster affliction, and with protection on both land and sea, the Nakhada began building their civilization and eventually came to establish Asabh'Olim. The city flourished under the guidance of its founders, the Nakhada family. Even as many other gnome clans came to settle and multiply in the city, Nakhada remained at the forefront of the city's development - perhaps too much so. Soon, Asabh'Olim became the world's foremost exporter of mineral ores and a rising hub for global economics, but the clash of private companies began to strangle the city's lower classes, Asabh'Olim elected to create a political office to wrangle the corporations (namely Nakhada Industries). Thus, the Bahal - a collection of a few citizen governors was quickly assembled to bring the companies in line. As a show of goodwill, Nakhada Industries acquiesced to the whims of the new ruling body, but the Bahal swiftly fell under rule fo bribery, and the City of Gold belonged again to the industries.

  Meanwhile, Sahr'Bárabor continued its steady erosion into a city of thieves, a process that was helped along by the growing population of Dragonborn citizens who found Sahr'Bárabor to be the city "most like home," among all the other continents.

  Near the beginning of the Massacre Harvests, rumors began to circulate of repulsive experiments conducted by Nakhada Industries in secret facilities. It is said that the Sea Draught's identity was revealed because of the gnomes' experiments on living Seafolk!

  Thus, when the Nautilus War was resolved and justice began to be dealt to the criminals of the genocide, Nakhada Industries came under heavy prosecution. Pax the Magnificent actually defended the organization, insisting that "witch hunts" against the leading powers of the different continents would only lead to anarchy. He was able to forestall Nakhada Industries' trials for a time, but when he was killed, the increased fervor for justice led to the condemnation and dissolution of Nakhada Industries per the ruling of the Oceanic Guard's Pan-Amauran Tribunal. 

The Border Embassy

  Straddling the border of the North and South Sembres is a strange building of monumental import. The Gildeerious Nakhada Embassy serves as a symbol of Human and Gnomish cooperation after the Border Skirmishes that brought the globalization of Amaura to a standstill. Feeling threatened by the aggressive expansion of Asabh'Olim, the humans of North Sembre began causing havoc for the gnomes at sea and at the amibiguous boundaries of their two nations. 

  The gnomes reacted with their measured temperance and simply began to overtake the human trade posts one at a time, inching up the coast with ravenous fury. The humans, in turn began moving by land deeper and deeper into the coastal regions of Western Sembre, upsetting labor camps and crippling the gnomish mining industry. This strange dance of military conquest and economic lock-out finally piqued at the battle of Stormhenge in which the navy of the Dire Orcs(since the gnomes did not actually send their own warriors) was flattened against the mighty SeaWalls. 

  Gildeerious Nakada was the head of Nakhada Industries at the time, and though he was a primary benefactor of the war against the humans, the heavy blows he had received in his mining outposts, and the routing of the Orcish Navy convinced him to advise the Bahal to seek a truce with the Humans. The Bahal obediently acquiesced and soon an armistice was being discussed. The Humans - weary from their exhausting campaign in the ruthless desert - were overjoyed to be reaching an end to the battle (though of course they did not admit it). 

  As a lasting memento of their newfound peace, Gildeerius suggested that the River Superior be diverted from its eastward course out of the southern rim of the Crown to flow into Asabh'Olim instead. Gildeerius congenially argued that this would increase trade and goodwill between the gnomes and the humans. King Travian the First agreed to this seemingly docile project and construction was begun on the Travian Waterway that would collect the water of River Superior in a man-made lake then shunt them westward along the Travian River. The Travian River would also serve as the permanent territorial boundary between North and South Sembre. 

  Gildeerius and Travian barely lived to see the completion of their project, but the two were able to assemble (along with the new Bahal) at the Border Embassy, a structure of gnomish and human architecture combined that symbolized the long-needed cooperation of the two of Sembres. With the sunlight glinting off the golden domes and the granite edges of the Crown, the gnome Bahal and the human King signed a pact to promise peace and hospitality between their peoples for all time. 

The champion of Sahr’barabor

Shkûrn

(Born in 1470, Peace Keeper, Champion of South Sembre in the Oceanic 8**, 

  The gnomes are very clever, but they are not very brave. When Pax called upon Asabh'Olim (he did not even bother to ask the citizens of Sahr'Bárabor for acts of altruism) to submit a champion to represent their continent, Gildeerius Nakhada insisted that the Bahal send a notable Dire Orc name Shkûrn to represent them in the Oceanic 8. While one may argue the Dire Orc was chosen for his strength or his skills of intimidation, the truth of his selection is much more condescending. The gnomes required their Champion to be someone "dim-witted" and "suggestible" - someone who would report faithfully and unthinkingly to the whims of the Bahal (and therefore Nakhada). But little did Nakhada realize that in selecting this Dire Orc to be his Champion-slave, Shkûrn would finally find his freedom. 

  Shkûrn faithfully served the Oceanic 8, working as Pax' muscle to quell arguments both in foreign continents and within the band of heroes itself. For a time he conducted himself as the brainless brawn. But Vyttía, Noldür, Sirena and Matthias embraced him as their equal and encouraged him to recognize his place as a worthy member of their group, not a servant of the gnomish corporations. In one short Nautilus Crisis, Shkûrn discovered his agency in the world and it was that agency that finally toppled the Nakhada's machinations. 

  When the Oceanic 8 emerged form the Sea with the Nautilus Pieces in tow, Shkûrn knew that returning to Asabh'Olim would be the death of his new-found freedom. Rather than submit himself to a life of servitude, Shkûrn defied the orders of his master, Gildeerius, and (with the help of Vyttía and Noldür) secretly made his way back to the land of his ancestors: the mythic, ice shelves of Low Dûrdn. When he arrived at Dûrdn and said his farewells to the halfling and dwarf who helped reshape his life, they asked him what he planned to do with this Nautilus Piece. Shkûrn only shook his head with a grin and replied, "Gone." 

  With his Nautilus Piece disappeared and his ties to the other continents beautifully severed, Shkûrn met a lovey orc, married into her clan, raised a happy family, and died an old and satisfied orc in the embrace of his community - never again tormented by the corrupt dealings of Nakhada or the Continental Alliance.

**Though the Bahal stripped Shkûrn of his titles after the Nautilus Crisis of 1500, they were returned to him by Ava' Rekië in year 1658 of the Fathom Throne Era.

Avettan Goldemo

(Born in the 109th year of the Fourth Age, Heir of Goldemo Ore Inc., Chief Architect of the Sahr'Bárabor Restoration Directive, Hero of Amaura, Servant to the God of the Sea, Died in the 60th year of the Fifth Age)

   Avettan was once no more than a spoiled princeling. As the youngest of eleven with no inheritance to his name, he fled his family’s wealth on his fourteenth birthday to find his purpose in the wide world beyond the City of Gold. What he found instead was an adventure of apocalyptic proportions when the God of the Sea called him into the adventures of Expedition 40.1625.

   While Avettan offered little in the throes of combat, his education—even at such a young age—trounced that of many of his compatriots, and his knowledge of the economic and political structures of Amaura’s affluent societies proved invaluable. When Avettan arrived on the victorious side of the ordeal, he was disappointed to find himself much the same person that he was before. But now he at least had friends.

   Upon returning to his home in Asabh'Olim, Avettan begged his parents to launch an inquiry into the dealings of T’samaan Investment Corporaiton. While Goldemo Ore was reluctant to incur the wrath of TIC, Avettan found a willing legal combatant in Marlocusious Açhana Ravajá. But even with RBG's backing and numerous testimonies against the organization, the Bahal refused to face the economic consequences of TIC’s downfall. The corporation withstood the inquiry, and Avettan was forced to flee Asabh'Olim to escape the ensuing bounty placed upon his head.

   But Avettan’s banishment was not in vain, for the God of the Sea weaves purpose into every ebb and flow of the world. Avettan took refuge across the desert in Sahr’Barabor where he used his knowledge of civil engineering and his family’s resources to help the newly crowned Emperor Rekië build Oche'Ebere into a city of global repute. Through his exile, Avettan not only found his place of purpose in the world - he helped rescue a crumbling city and dying race from sinking into the sands.

Torinn Tymanchebar

(Born in the 42nd year of the Fourth Age, The Last Tymanchebar, Serpent's Bane, Kingmaker, First Counsel to the King, Hero of Amaura, Servant to the God of the Sea, Died in the 47th year of the Fifth Age)

  Raised in the sharp desperation of South Sembre’s perilous city of thieves, Torinn quickly proved himself to be the most logical and clever of the Apocalyptic heroes. His deep suspicion, massive strength, and cunning observation rescued the heroes from countless dangers. However, his intense stubbornness and abrasiveness also pushed the heroes into a number of perhaps unnecessary battles as well.

  Along his journey, Torinn encountered many Amaurans who challenged his weathered edge against the world. Ceric, in particularly, helped Torinn discover the quiet strength of kindness and compassion that propelled Torinn to later seek out and reclaim the lost dragonborn heir, Rekië, and discover that the God of the Sea was much more than balance and wrath but also mercy and justice. And that Mercy made Torinn stronger.

  With the world saved, Torinn returned to Sahr’Barabor to confront the last remnant of the Apocalypse: Ranokh the Black. Upon the sands of Sahr’Barabor, Torinn and Rekië infiltrated Ranokh’s domain and rallied a revolt against the ancient serpent. Their revolution was a success, and Torinn himself dispatched the wicked Ranokh. But the old sage was not without his own victory. In their final battle, the sorcerer's magic cursed Torinn with fatal illness. Torinn survived to see his city set free from the rule of tyrants and even set Rekië upon the throne as the new lord over the Eastern Waste. But he was forced to retire soon after, as the disease slowly took his body over the years.

  It was fitting that a Tymanchebar should crown the new leader of the dragonborn peoples, and though Torinn remained in Sahr'Barabor to serve in Rekië's court, he sheltered on the edge of the sea. For even as his body betrayed him, Torinn's memory never dimmed. And with every daybreak, he could see in the places where the dawn hit the sea, the faces of his friends and the God who kept them safe until they could be together again.

  The last Tymanchebar, passed quietly in the night under a full moon in the company of old friends and beloved countrymen, and there are some who say they saw Valsis himself escort Torinn's soul to his new home beneath the waves.

Rekië Drahlgor

The Serpent of the Sea, Lord Rekië - as he fashoined himself - was rumored to have been born from the love of fire and water: the last dragonborn princess, Arcia, and a wayward Seafolk prince. A castaway from the drowning of Isle Pyros, Rekië was brought to Dysmiridia to train in the ways of the monks of Tower Solus where Galymbrilis and Ranokh kept watchful eye over him. Poisoning his mind with proximity to Galymbrilis’ Casket stashed aboard the hidden Halcyon, Rekië grew in power, malice, and loneliness until his pent up rage exploded upon the members of Tower Solus. He escaped Dysmiridia and began his hunt for the Nautilus Pieces, intent on fulfilling the prophecy of the Seafolk’s Fathom Throne prophecy and wipe the world clean in a global flood. Rekië’s catastrophic quest was thwarted, however, by the interventions of Ceric, Oceanus, and the other Apocalyptic Heroes. Castaways all, these men showed Rekië a new way to navigate the cruel world through forgiveness. Rekië nearly fell to his own misery, but he was rescued by his encounter with the God of the Sea who fished him out of the ocean, surrounded him with loving community, and pointed him toward a higher calling.

With the Nautilus Pieces and Galymbrilis removed from the world, Rekië’s path was clear. The God of the Sea tasked him with returning to the deep ocean - where the Seafolk dwelled in captivity - and teach them the way out of inner slavery. When Rekië lamented what might become of the dragonborn if he were to leave, the God of the Sea granted him a second task: to crown the next king over the dragonborn with a scared artifact called a Kingmaker, then return to the sea. Rekië enthusiastically accepted this role, but he found it hard to complete.

Rekië returned to Sahr’Barabor with Torinn Tymanchebar and Oceanus to free the Dragonborn from Ranokh’s scourge forever. Proving himself the true heir of Isle Pyros and winning large factions of Dragonborn to his side, Rekië and his forces drove Ranokh and his denizens from the city into the mountains beyond, sealing them in a dark tomb of stone. With the city saved, Oceanus reminded Rekië that he ought to choose a king over the people and leave quickly before the power seduced him to remain. But Rekië did not heed Oceanus warning. The Dragonborn convinced him that he needed to stay and lead them, and so he did. With incredible fervor, Rekië rallied his people to drive out the Sand Kings - the cancerous core of thief lords who still ruled much of the city - and engage in a restorative fervor and reestablish the Dragonborn Empire with a new identity. Rekië insisted he had not abandoned his calling to the sea. He buried the Kingmaker deep beneath his new palace for safe-keeping to one day obey his call. Oceanus left disappointed in the Dragonborn Lord, and this wounded Rekië who longed for Oceanus approval. But the songs of the people quickly drowned out that disappointement, and Rekië set his efforts to carving an immensely prosperous nation from the bones of Sahr’Barabor with the help of his friend Avettan Goldemo. Rekië renamed the city Oche’Ebere (Remption’s Seat in Fathom Tongue) and took a wife from among the old empire seed, a beguiling Red named Miluvu. Together, they led their blossoming city and a period of unprecedented success. But their kingdom of sand could not last.

Like so many other monarchs, Rekië’s kingdom was ruined by his children. His firstborn, Shauku, proved to be a cruel and malicious predator with all his father’s ferocity and none of his self-control. Buried under a thin veneer of propriety, Shauku managed to conceal much of his savagery from his father and earned favor in his eyes as a strong leader. Na’kevu - Rekië’s second son - was scrawny and moody and despised his father. Intuitive and sensitive, the younger son sensed something wrong in his family and was loathe to leave the palace when Rekië ordered Na’kevu to join his diplomatic cruise to the local nations of Sembre to win their alliances. During their travels, Rekië’s relationship to Na’kevu mended ever so slightly and it seemed the two might actually be coming to appreciate one another. Then they returned home.

At the Hundred Sails Ball, Rekië welcomed countless diplomats and dignitaries and nobles into his magnificent palace to display the civility and grandeur of the New Dragonborn. All his aspirations were dashed, however, when Na’kevu - influenced by Ranokh’s Old Empire fascinations - challenged his brother Shauku to a primeval trial by combat and torn his older brother’s throat out with his own teeth. The assembly quickly devolved into bloody chaos as Old Empire enthusiasts rallied to Na’kevu’s coup and slaughtered the beautiful visitors from the foreign ports and cities. Miluvu died saving her husband from an assassin, Shauku bled out on the floor, and Na’kevu retreated into the Black Mountains beyond the city with a quarter of the city’s population - enthralled to his rebellious cause. In one night, Rekië lost his entire family and was left a city on the edge of extinction.

Shocked with grief and despair, Rekië struggled to lead his city. Though his forces managed to drive the Old Empire beyond the high walls, Na’kevu and Ranokh’s forces choked supply lines into the city, driving a vicious siege. Pockets of ships from the Thieves’ Isles attacked ships fleeing the city and harassed the harbors. With his city on the brink of starvation, Rekië begged the God of the Sea for help, remembering for the first time in decades, the duty he had buried beneath his palace. Retrieving the Kingmaker from his vault, Rekië called a council of his closest confidants at the time - an eclectic union of renegades who had grown close to him and Na’kevu over the year - and sought their wisdom for selecting the new king over Oche’Ebere who would lead them out of their squalor. Before the decision could be made, the palace was attacked from below. Na’kevu, Ranokh, and his entourage demanded the Kingmaker from Rekië who instead incinerated his own palace and escaped into the sea with his friends. The Kingmaker accidentally became bonded to the insufferable gnome child, Gandy, and Rekië’s new purpose became clear - he was to safe-guard Gandy until the true king could be found.

Rekië suffered much in protecting and teaching Gandy. Though Gandy seemed to reject all Rekië’s lessons and training in seeking a true king, the Dragonborn king finally got through to the young princeling in the attic of Valice House where the dethroned Dragonborn orphan rescued Gandy from the wicked, elf necromancer, Rahele. In his teaching, his protection, and his ultimate sacrifice for Gandy, Rekië finally fulfilled his role as a father - inspiring Gandy to take responsibility as the Kingmaker and go on to rescue the city of Oche’Ebere and the world with it from Na’kevu and Ranokh.

Ganderabas Alma Hazaiah

Better known as “Gandy” to his friends, Ganderabas the Kingmaker was instrumental in helping the long-lost prince of the desert return to power over the Eastern Sands. Born eleventh in line to the fortunes of the Hazaiah mining family, Gandy had no realistic claim to power, but he was well-versed in the affects of his wealth and status and loved to dangle them before anyone he could afflict with his presence. His servant, Tork, in particular was a consistent victim of his arrogance and belittling slurs.

When Gandy was swept up into adventures alongside Rekië and the Renegades, Gandy found something he never thought he would enjoy let alone have - friends. They taught him patience, humility, and sacrifice. Compassion and courage. And when Gandy lost his parents and several of his siblings in the massacre at the Thousand Wails Ball, it was these friends who comforted him. Gandy’s self-important and immensely puffed up persona had just begun to crack when he accidentally became the Kingmaker and was granted access to incredible, ancient power and status in the blink of an eye.

Gandy’s hubris returned as he reveled in his new powers and delusions of his own grandeur flooded his young mind and heart. But the gravity of his new station fell heavily upon him when Ranokh’s Sentinels pursued him and his friends into the haunting Valice House of Cinder Lake where Gandy found himself alone - facing down the terrible necromancer, Rahele. With little training and no support, Gandy lost control of the Kingmaker and it shattered. Powerless, he was easily bested by the evil elf and as Rahele was about to snuff out his life, Rekië intervened, rescuing Gandy and sacrificing his own life in the process. Gandy had much time to consider all that Rekië had done for him when - separated from the Kingmaker - he was captured by the Sentinels and thrown into the dungeons of Oche’Ebere where Na’kevu sat on his father’s throne.

There in the cells, Gandy discovered that Brom - the Dragonborne paladin - had also been captured. Both of them endured torture as the Sentinels tried to extract the Kingmaker’s whereabouts from the two. Finally, they were brought before Na’keu in the ruins of the throne room overlooking the sea. Na’kevu - mentally ravaged by his lust for power and Ranokh’s poisonous influence - tried to kill both Brom and Gandy but again they managed to escape by diving into the sea.

When they washed ashore, only Gandy had survived the fall. Brom had sustained great wounds from his battle with Na’kevu in the throne room and Gandy had once again been saved by the selflessness of a brave hero. Taking up Brom’s sword, Gandy vowed to do just the same and set out to defeat Na’kevu.

After multiple skirmishes with Na’kevu, Gandy nearly died but survived to find and reunite the pieces of the Kingmaker - kept safe by his old friends, the Renegades - and regained the power to defeat the false-king Na’kevu. Together, they triumphed over Na’kevu and Gandy was able to recognize the heart of a true king within the exiled genasi, Iroh, and restored him to his rightful body and station as King over the Eastern Sands.