Makhavireth

The western landmass of the Big Three, Makhavireth is the birthplace of human civilization, a major site of elven history, and deep beneath the surface may be found the oldest and strongest surviving fortifications of the dwarves. The land has a long and weathered history, resisting the titanic battles of the ancients, long wars, the struggles of empires, and most recently the largest demonic invasion of mortal memory.

Makhavireth’s ancient origins are shrouded in mystery from the mortal races of the modern world, but there are those who remember its creation – Namely, the dragons are the most reliable (Yet least sought-after) source of information for the creation of the world and its landmasses. Others, including the fey and ancient demon lords, may be bargained with for the information, but are quite unlikely to give up anything to be taken at face value.

The landmass that claims the birthplace of humanity began its long history as the home of a great dwarven clan, dwelling far beneath the crust of the planet and raising entire continents as they carved out and created their subterranean homes. If one delves deep enough, the highest caverns of the dwarves can be found, with riches older than even the elves themselves. The elves, in fact, also claim history with the landmass, their own ancient cities found scattered across its surface in the deepest woods and highest mountain peaks. Legends tell the greater deity Valorikan had his origins on the central continent, battling the primordial evils of the world so that his people may be freed of their tyranny.

Nearly a thousand years before the invasions began, a man rose up within the ancient kingdom of central Makha, claiming ancestry linking his family line back to the Greater Deity Valorikan himself. This man rode astride a massive red and blue dragon, casting down his rivals and beating back the enemies of the nation he was building. Within a mere decade, this young man had grown to be an incredible military genius and conquered the entire continent around him, raising entire regiments of dragonriders from his own dragon's brood. Soon after, most of Makhavireth was claimed under the man's rule, and an empire was born that would last for centuries. For roughly seven hundred years the man's empire ruled Makhavireth, even when the man himself had died almost a century after its founding. The three continents and the people within had been conquered and consolidated under a single banner, unifying the various cultures and powers within. Around three hundred years before the Infernal invasion, the empire was weakened from infighting and political squabbles, the royal family splitting and fighting amongst itself. Brother fought brother, sister slaughtered cousin, and sons killed their own mothers. The political landscape of the empire combusted into a cacophony of war and chaos, shattering the once great unifying rule and ending a golden age that had brought such peace the world had rarely seen. Since then, the various royal families have largely claimed ancestry from the imperial family and not until the Infernal invasion did other powers rise to the top.

The current political climate, while far less chaotic than that of the broken empire, is nonetheless quite a mess. The Nine Bastions are the strongest powers that be, with various powers beneath them. Towns, villages, and independent military companies all claim power in their own corners, while the Infernal legions wage constant war against them, burning and corrupting lands once rich and beautiful.

Related: Pantheon, Bastions, Power Groups, Key Characters

Etymology
The name Makhavireth originates from the Teluna Empire's name for the landmass under its rule. The name incorporates the three continents that make up the bulk of the landmass: Makha, Vikar, and Rethil. The name was first penned in a biography of Camilia I, who is credited with the first of the Teluna emperors to have unified the entirety of the three continents.

In present day, the term is generally used to refer to the mainland of the three continents, as well as the island nation of Senix and the entirety of the Coxani Archipelago. Whereas once the name referenced the entirety of the lands under the Teluna Empire's control, it has changed since the fall of the empire to a more centralized usage.