Phal
Phal is the capitol city of Nos Vorm, a Flat Dimension on the Outer Rim. It is the administrative capitol of the region and seat of power for the Phal Fidel Unified Nations, all of which are considered member worlds of the Alliance. Phal is known as "The City of a Thousand Temples" because of all the unique faiths represented there.
History
Officially, Phal was founded in A.Y. 112, but a major metropolitan city had existed on the site since the Age of Darkness at least. Evidence from various sacred sites indicates a stone-age level culture existed in large numbers, so the site is held to have always been inhabited.
Early History
Phal is often compared favorably to Sun's Beacon, being a trade hub and mostly independent. No written history survives from the First Chaotic Period, but Tower Magic arrived in the region sometime around 3600 B.G.A.. Oral histories hold that, unlike Arindell, Nos Vorm was dominated by large nation-states even then, and that Phal stood alone as neutral ground.
In any case, these histories are not much supported, as wide-spread and wildly different tower designs point to a much more chaotic history.
The first written records come from the Dynastic Period, by which time large empires did indeed control all of the explored areas of Nos Vorm. At this time, Phal lay on the borders of three intersecting empires, who had divied the city up accordingly. As a trade hub it was not fought over, and it can be said that Phal formed the seat of a very early alliance.
Marconian Rule
This unity was not to last, however, as inroads by the Marcon Alliance quickly began to devestate the region. The Sack of Phal is generally placed in either 1477 or 1481 B.G.A., depending on which interpretation of the Marconian Calendar one ascribes to. The exact history of Phal during this period will never be known, as the Marcons came to dominate the region utterly.
In 901, Phal was one of the regions hit by Lelerough. As a major seat of power for the Marcon Alliance, it is likely her destruction of the city was complete. The local custom would prefer not to give Lelerough her due credit, but historians generally agree to this series of events. Unlike other regions desimated, the Marcon Alliance was never able to regain it's hold on Nos Vorm. A successful slave-uprising followed Lelerough's attack, and countless new nations formed. Some were still in the Marconian tradition and would remain so until the arrival of the old Gudersnipe Army in 301 B.G.A., but Phal was quickly rebuilt as a hub of trade and comerce, and a lasting symbol of freedom.
Second Chaotic Period
The remaining vestiges of the Marcons were dismantled by the Gudersnipe Army, and several new empires formed during the Second Chaotic Period. A series of campaigns between 50 and 120 B.G.A. established the modern boarders, but these were feuded over until a detachment of Eieber's army arrived in 5 B.G.A. Eieber himself did not visit the region. Unlike Lim Phat, the situation in Nos Vorm did call for a millitary solution, and Lieber's armies were based out of Phal.
The armies of what would soon become the Unity Earth Sphere Alliance banded together with several of the more powerful empires, and were able to bring an end to tower magic by the first year of the Golden Age. Much like the Battle of the Sanguine Gulch in Arindell, on Nos Vorm it was at the Battle of Hait Plateau that signaled the end of the Mage Wars.
Alliance Era
Phal was formally founded in the 12th year of the Golden Age, and established as the administrative capitol of Nos Vorm. Unlike most alliance member worlds, Nos Vorm actually has a separate, smaller alliance of its own: thePhal Fidel Unified Nations. This ultimately acted as an administrative branch of the greater Alliance, but did provide some special considerations for Nos Vorm.
Under the Golden Age, Phal was rebuilt heavily and reconstructed into a glistening, perfect city. One unique attribute of Nos Vorm is a complete lack of geologic activity. This allowed for structures to be built on a truly awe-inspiring scale, and Phal was home to the first sky-scraper known to reach two miles in height without the use of magic.
The heart of Phal was the Pentastat Row, an avenue lined with lofted towers around an enormous promenade.
Ever since the fall of the Marcons, Phal had been known as a melting pot of religious ideologies. While wars had been fought for all of Nos Vorm's recorded hsitory over religious beliefs, in Phal a new kind of battle began. A core tenant of the Alliance is that member worlds my not state-mandate religion; a problemadic credo in Nos Vorm where many of the nations were, effectively, ethno-religious groups. Still, religious freedom being sacred, the various agencies began to compete with the construction of ever more elaborate temples and churches. By the mid-century, Phal was known as "The City of a Thousand Temples".
During the Second Age, Phal became a major center of worship for Mendalla, with many temples and cult sites dedicated to her. The Songs of Mendalla and nearly all religious material was composed here. Worship of the other kings was not nearly so prevalent, but their did exist moderate followings for Ennead and Makbeth. It is perhaps the lack of significant veneration for Sabatoth that led to one of the most signficant changes in Phal.
As the Second Age waned into the third, throughout the rest of the known worlds worship of Mendalla, Ennead, and Makbeth diminished greatly, while Sabatoth became recognized as the one true god, and Cardinlism grew into the dominant religion. This did not sit well with the people of Nos Vorm, who by now held that declaring any faith the "one true faith" was an anathema. The Grand Temple of Mendalla(constructed A.Y. 2532) was burned in a massive riot in A.Y. 37. In a riot that would become known as "The Night when the 1000 became 999", the temple was not just razed, but it's very bricks smashed up and carted away. While the actual destruction happened over several weeks, local custom holds that "by dawn the temple was naught but an empty patch of earth".
The riot destroyed many of the most sacred texts and icons of Mendalla.
Cardinalism failed to take hold in Nos Vorm, and while never forbidden by law, it was the one faith deeply shunned within the great city of Phal. It should be noted, however, that this is not without precident in Phal's history. Of the countless religions practiced there and throughout Nos Vorm, the overwhelming majority are polytheistic in nature, and monotheism were often limited to "small, local gods". Indeed, throughout Nos Vorm's history faiths that declared themselves the only valid faith had never gained much traction, this is thought to be a byproduct of especially brutal and violent religious wars early in the region's tumultuous history.
Necromanic Wars
In the early-to-mid Third Age, the Necromanic Wars began. Nos Vorm had had a significant population of Necromancers since at least the Intermediate Period, and this population had exploded during the early Alliance era. In Phal specifically, enormous populations of both grey and green Necromancers existed, with dozens of large, wealthy temples devoted to each.
Officially, "no war" ever actually happened in Phal itself, as Phal had been free of wars since the end of the Mage Wars. "There is no war in Phal" was an oft-repeated expression. Unofficially, the city had to be broken up into several distinct districts and fortifications constructed. The Loss of the Few(see below) was the direct result of these activities. Any battles fought within the city were declared "riots" but there is no mistaking the truth.
Of interesting note is the general level of technology found in Nos Vorm at this time. It was on the whole rather low. With most citizens dedicated to ecclesiastic pursuits and the still high prevalence of magic(preserved in a wide array of religious rituals), the region had not industrialized the way other parts of the Known Worlds had. Small bits of technology, most especially cellular telephones and solar panels, were fairly common, but guns were virtually unheard of. The Gudersnipe Foundation had no presence on Nos Vorm beyond a single GATE hub in Phal, which further contributed to its banal technological standards.
In point of fact, it was the Foundation's inability to intervene that led to such brutal fighting. The one hub in the region was destroyed utterly in the first battle, and no other (known)way existed to travel to and from Nos Vorm. Communication was retained by Ansible, but much like the GATE only one such device existed. This was held in the hands of the Phal Fidel government, who were also the defacto leaders of Phal itself. For the next century, they continued to report that "everything was fine" and no outside help was needed.
This, coupled with the large population of Necromancers and relatively low tech level is believed to be the chief cause of the scale of conflict. Since the end of the Mage Wars, standing armies had been rare on Nos Vorm. The various governments had been chiefly concerned with preventing smuggling and illegal immigration, actual boarder defense had long ceased to be a concern by the start of the Necromanic Wars. Further complicating matters was how the conflict was not between governments. The various nations of Nos Vorm were all still on excellent terms; the problem was the battles between warring Necromancers, their mercenaries, and the massive undead armies they raised to fight for them.
No corner of the explored parts of Nos Vorm were left untouched by the war, and while some cities did hold their defenses, many were razed. The death toll was astronomical, most especially in the late period of the war when both sides resorted to all-out genocide.
Unbeknownst to the Alliance as a whole, the Grey Temple necromancers had retained the ability to travel magically between worlds. This was a power thought lost since the Mage Wars, and in modern times only the Gudersnipe Foundation possessed the capacity(technologically, via the GATE). With only the extremely limited reports from the Phal Fidel government, the situation on Nos Vorm was ignored.
Wars End
If not for the brave actions of Liaka Maru, it is not known how much longer the battle on Nos Vorm would have waged. By the time of the Sasened Mission, Phal was in dire straights. The latest "riot" had destroyed all semblance of order; the city was in flames, and the streets were a constant war zone. The government officials and the one working Ansible were barricaded on the upper floors of one of the great sky spires and were running out of food. While officially no change of power ever happened, it is likely that for a period of at least seven months, no actual government existed.
In A.Y. 3381, the Sasened Mission established a stronghold a thousand miles to the east of Phal, in what was then a remote and un-populated region. With the Green Temple necromancers unified and the remaining free peoples marshaled, a very large war party armed with modern automatic rifles marched on Phal, and took the city. From there, order was destoryed, and the Grey Temple mostly defeated once and for all.
Civil War
While the Necromanic Wars were brought to a close, the devastation across Nos Vorm had been near-total, and the population was reduced to an even lower technology level than had existed before. This was made even worse by surplus weapons brought in to help restore order, which soon fell into the hands of roving gangs and warlords.
While relief in the form of food, tools, and seeds was imported in great quantities, the Phal Fidel government refused to allow Crimson Blade soldiers access to Nos Vorm to restore order, and the region entered a long and bloody period of civil war. Phal remained as a central hub of trade and travel, but was only a shadow of it's former self.
The modern weapons did not last long as ammunition was scarce and could not be produced locally. They lacked the technology to copy firearms and most of the mages had been killed during the Necromanic Wars, so by the end of the 4th century, steel swords and armor had once again become the chief ways of war.
By A.Y. 3450, the political divisions of Nos Vorm had been completely redrawn. The small bands of warlords had grown into mighty empires, and large, highly-organized armies were a common site. Remembering the huge advantage of the old "guns" they had once had, development of new firearms began. Cannons and soon muzzle-loading smooth-bore muskets saw action, and once again the political landscape changed radically within a few short decades. Essentially, the first group within a region to develop firearms rose to power, and spread unimpeded until they reached another group with similar capacity.
It took until 3611 for the boundaries to stabilize, and for the Phal Fidel government to reassert power. The old boarders were completely gone, but, strangely, much of the character of Nos Vorm had survived. It seemed that, through all the generations of fighting, the one dream at the back of everyone's eyes was that they could one day put down their weapons and go back building temples and worshiping their many gods. This is why Phal Fidel, which had remained unbroken as an entity ruling the city of Phal, was able to so quickly bring back the old ways. Once the boarders had been drawn and agreed upon, most nations were quite happy to return to peace.
What followed was an interesting trend. Technology, not the failings of the Phal Fidel, was blamed. For whatever reason, it was generally agreed that guns, not necromancers, were at fault for the centuries of bloodshed, and technology was outlawed. Until the end of the Third Age, the only device more complicated than could be built by a village blacksmith, was the now ancient Ansible, through which the Phal Fidel continued to transmit reports to the Alliance that "everything was fine".
Fourth Age Revelation and Reconstruction
By the start of the Fourth Age, the existence of the rest of the known worlds was largely forgotten. The bulk of Nos Vorm existed as a series of quiet, agrarian hamlets. In Phal, work had long been underway to rebuild the old temples and restore the many schools of thought. Philosophy had become distinct from religion, and the many great cities(most especially Phal) were lively places of discussion and debate.
It had long been a great enigma that certain items of great antiquity and unknown provenance were held within the reliquaries of many temples and shrines. These queer items were thought to be the work of the gods, for no mere mortal could reproduce things of such complexity and wonder. Many such objects had large and powerful cults associated with them, among these were the Secret Order of the Phal Fidel Ansible, which nightly carried out special ceremonies around their most sacred relic.
In A.Y. 43, a young inductee of the cult, who's name is lost to history, entered the reliquary of the much reserved Eul-Speak, and began to examine the secretive, ancient device very carefully. Being a mechanically-minded chap, he concluded that the sacred artifact was but one part of a whole, and began a systematic search for the rest deep warmth, and who's secrets no living man was meant to glimpse".
The cult remained a powerful force in Phal for the rest of the Alliance era, and far be it from any historian to disagree with accepted doctrine. The version of events celebrated in song and story holds that the unamed cultist entered the vault, looked upon the Heart of Light, and cried out such that his voice was heard across time and space.
The less dogmatic series of events is as follows. The vault contained two things: Nos Vorm's Ansible, and a nuclear reactor. The Ansible, a testement to the incredible design faculties of the Gudersnipe Foundation had continued to function perfectly despite over a thousand years of neglect. The only slightly newer receiver, which was kept in the temple, communicated with the Ansible wirelessly and was itself powered by a small atomic battery. Nightly, the cultists had said a prayer to the receiver, which was in fact a long-handed down status report to the Unity Earth Sphere Alliance saying that everything on Nos Vorm was fine and not to bother them. While the Ansible was still in perfectly serviceable order and indeed remained in use, the reactor had not fared well over ten centuries of neglect. Operating at only a fraction of it's original power, the unit was days or possibly even mere hours from a catastrophic meltdown, and had in fact been leaking dangerous levels of radiation for centuries. Inside the vault, and rapidly sucumbing to accute radiation poisoning, the cultist had found the control panel for the ansible and had enough sense to activate the machine and enter the technical support number helpfully printed on the side of the console. Throughout the rest of the known worlds, this is regarded as the most important trouble ticket in history, and is helpfully remembered as "The Sev One".
Following the incident, the Foundation rebuilt the GATE hub and set about(somewhat forcibly) normalizing relations with Nos Vorm. The original Ansible was left in place, a new one added, and ten others along with ten other GATE hubs, constructed in citys all over Nos Vorm.
The Mass Migration
High technology was still slow to come to Nos Vorm, who's older residents preferred a quiet, idylic life. However, young people, all over the world, were eager to explore what else the verse had to offer. What began as excursions quickly turned into a mass migration, as natives of Nos Vorm spread out all over the known worlds. These were all, with exceptions, almost exclusively young people between the ages of 18 and 35. Back home, it came to be known as "The Lost Generation"(see below:)
But Nos Vorm soldiered on. With the GATE hubs came the Gudersnipe Foundation, who were eager to explore mineral resources in the largely untouched region. Metals and coal were still being mined with extremely primitive technology, and the sudden loss of a workforce left Nos Vorm primed for a long-delayed industrial revolution. Mining had long been regarded as a dangerous, highly undesirable profession; an industry which existed only because of the necessity for it. With most of the young people having left to settle on other worlds, the mine-owners were eager to adopt labor-saving machines, and even more eager to employ the hitherto before unknown concept of "safety standards". This was accompanied by an influx of off-worlders, as skilled underground miners were imported to train the locals on the equipment and procedures. Many of these miners brought their families, and were happy to stay. For the Foundation's mining community, Nos Vorm was remembered as a wonderous windfall. Men and women from all over the known worlds who had expected to labor for years were suddenly able to become foremen and overseers. Many even bought mines and became quite wealthy.
Yet the off-world influences did little to change the character of Nos Vorm. It's culture, forged through eons of turmoil, was so strong that it changed the invaders, and not the other way around.
The Foundation's presence on Nos Vorm did not grow much. GS Towns were established to service the GATE hubs, but by the end of the first century of the Fourth Age, the locals had gained enough experience to operate the mines without assistance. Technology was still slow to catch on. While cellurar telephones and computers were popular again, these were mostly manufactured off-world and powered by solar panels. A network of railways and canals serviced the burgeoning mining industry, but most citizens still preferred to walk. The automobile never caught on outside of the GS Towns.
Fourth and Fifth Ages
Throughout the rest of the Fourth and across the Fifth Age, Phal led Nos Vorm in regaining it's former spender. The Pentastat Row was rebuilt to an even grander palisade, and once again the city's thousands of temples and belief systems flourished. Along with the miners had briefly returned Cardinalism, but again outside GS Towns this was not popular.
By this time, polytheism was the rule, if not by law than by the order of public opinion. Religion, as it was widely practiced offworld, had given way to a sort of pseudo-religious philosophy, wherein the practice of ritual and tenants of belief had become more important than faith itself. To be a proper citizen of Phal, one had to obsessively memorize and practice as many religions as possible, with the preservation of the oldest belief systems being of greatest importance.
Sixth Age and Succession Wars
The dawn of the Sixth Age brought about the Kamian Succession Wars, a tumultuous era for all of the known worlds. While the Succession Wars were primarily fought in The World, Nos Vorm's strategic value was recognized early on. Since it was initially believed it could only be accessed through the GATE, the Foundation began building factories and aggressively exploiting local resources to produce war materials. With much of Nos Vorm still being agrarian, their biggest export was food. The Foundation paid farmers to use modern fertilizers and powered equipment to increase their yields, which they in turn purchased, processed, and used to feed the Crimson Blade.
However, the strategic importance of Nos Vorm was recognized by the Kamians as well. While they lacked GATE technology, the Kamians were keen star-mappers, and had unlocked the secrets of the Domains to a degree of which the Foundation and Alliance were unaware. Two-way travel would not be possible, but by visiting certain regions of The World that shared a domain with Nos Vorm, the Kamians could punch a sort of hole in the fabric of Aether and send things through. They dispatched a sizable invasion force who were able to establish a beachhead in what was then a remote region on the edge of Nos Vorm. After digging in and building up a power abse, they began to enslave the sparsely-populated region, and began a full-on invasion of Nos Vorm's core.
Pentastat Row
where all the temples live(mostly)
The Loss of the Few
The Loss of the Few is the name given to a specific event in Phal that happened early in the Necromanic Wars. As the city was divided into districts and fortifications hastily built, many small temples and religious shrines were destroyed. In Phal, where religous diversity was itself cosnidered sacred, the loss of any shrine or monument was significant. Even if no truly faithful existed, small religions were kept alive as a matter of course.
The hastily-built walls destroyed hundreds of small cult sites. Entire religious sects, some of which had existed for thousands of years, were wiped out. Though the total number of people impacted was ultimately small, the loss of so many faiths and traditions was seen as a huge blow to the city.
The Lost Generation
Mass migration era.
