The Rangers(series)

THE HISTORY OF ADRASIL

The world of Adrasil is a vast one…one rich with history.

To begin this tale, one must start from the beginning. Magic some say is from the gods. Some a curse and to others a blessing. The more vicious the dark arts hold - the more the user must pay. The light ages the user rapidly as it is said to be a blessing to quicken your step to stand before God.

Elyrion, God of Light, Creator Of All Things, fashioned all races of the world. His most favored and one of his first creations were the Elves. They held a special place in the order of things and maintained a celestial, almost angelic, quality about them.

Elyrion blessed his Elves with a long life, some have been said to live for as long as five millennia, but he rarely granted them offspring. Eons passed and Elyrion was silent, enjoying his creation. It was the time of the Elves, known as the Age of Light. During this time of silence, there are those that began to doubt in Elyrion, challenging him, wondering if he really even existed at all. A Noble, Lord De’grun declared himself a god and set about playing it as he too was able to create, but his creations were flawed as he could not create from nothing. He created the creatures of Shadow; races known as Orcs, Goblins, Trolls, and the other foul things.

The creatures of Light and Darkness began to fight and in their clash Magic was born into the world. Magic is the essence of the world; there is Light and there is Dark. There are only two kinds of Magic and they can be harnessed by words that are spoken or bound to artifacts through carved Runes. Casters found that you can enhance the magic through the use of a focus object, like a staff. Magic is subtle but powerful. The command words can be taught, but not the harnessing of the power, it takes years of practice. Most humans do not have the patience, or live long enough to learn, though some do, and they are well advanced in age by the time they “catch” the Magic. The Magic of the High Elves is beauty, their craft is sleek and finessed. A Dwarven enchantment is hard etched, and concise, like the Dwarven way, Magic matches its maker. Each race's craftsman strove to outdo the other, with form and function, or diabolic guile in their use of runes on weapons.

Lord De’grun crafted a blade of Darkness to harness ultimate god-like power – known as “Etcher of Souls” and it cut deeply into his soul. You see, you are either “blessed” by the Light, or “indebted” to the Darkness when you use Magic. Dark Magic’s energy is easier to access, but it is unreliable, difficult to control, and there is always a great and terrible cost.

De’grun formed an army with his creations and the race of Elves was split. Giving rise to the High Elves, the followers of Elyrion, the Shadow Elves who worship De’grun, and the neutral Wood and Sea Elves. The Shadow Elves and De’grun’s creatures of Darkness desired to snuff out the Light, and so, the world descended into a time of chaos and war, known as the Fallen Age. Lord De’grun, who became known as the Father of Shadow, had a son, Prince Korlan, The Shadow Prince. The Fallen Age was especially hard on the High Elves as many of the male heirs, and in fact, entire family lines were wiped out. They do not procreate quickly, so Elven Shield Maidens sprang up, and became the defenders of their realms.

Even as the Light flickered and victory seemed within his grasp De’grun began to lose control over his creatures, and thus powerful rivals grew out of the Shadow, a civil war occurred amongst the forces of Shadow. The Age of Rebellion was born. Lord De’grun sent his son into hiding with the Shadow-Ganga, his elite shadow guards. Lord De’grun fought against the rebellious minions he had created, but too many had turned against him and Lord De’grun was torn to bits by his clamoring hordes, and his great sword, “Etcher of Souls” was cast into the Dark Lake of Sand.

With the forces of Shadow in disarray the Light prospered, but not for long. In the Light grew shadows, and the races of Light became jealous of what each had built, and they began to fight each other. The Shadow races rallied and started to spread their influence, thus the Shadow grew once again in power.

As the ancient races raged in war, the race of man, with its seemingly short and brutish life, spread covering most of the world. War culled the ancient races, allowing the human kingdoms to rise, they grew and established borders. The Age of Man had come of age.

Chieftains in Olaran arose holding of the Golthanian desert people of the south at bay and the Arkadians to the east.

A great and wise king arose, King Aenarion, The Unitore, High Lord of The Kingdoms of Olaran. Aenarion would set forth to first bring war and then bring peace. He established the heart of his army, the shock-troops known simply as the Hearth-Guard.

Knowing that the years of men are measured in decades not millennium, King Aenarion declared that his days of conquest were over and the lands of his rule had reached its maximum. The great ambition and lust for battle of his youth became the strength and hard-earned wisdom of the great king. He brought peace and stability to The Kingdoms of Olaran. Once the Kingdom was consolidated Aenarion began to guard and protect its borders. He went on to establish:

KINGSMEN

King Alirion surrounded himself with loyal lords and they became known as the Kingsmen. They are his royal guard and the administrators of the kingdom. Many of the high houses send their best and bravest young to serve in the capital. Where they are educated by scholars from all over Adrasil and steeped in the ceremony and protocol of the court.

Elite HEARTHGUARD

In his wisdom, he created an elite fighting unit, known as the Heart-Guard. They would be the tip of the spear. Drawn from all over the kingdom, social standing would not carry any weight among them. Trained with the discipline of his seasoned warriors they have been instrumental in keeping stability and have proven themselves countless times against enemies of the crown both foreign and domestic.

SEA LORDS

Alirion first found the maneuverability of ships highly useful on the Kelldaran River, fighting in Lannock and the Grey in his early years, but it was his campaign against the Sea Lords of Throi that taught him the importance of a strong naval force. The Sea Lords were originally raiders from the west, that settled along the coast of Throi. In years past hey had occupied first the coastal cities, then dominated the surrounding territory with their fast strike capabilities. On the open sea, they were impossible to defeat. King Alirion was only able to bring them to the treaty table, and into the kingdom after he won their respect through brilliant tactical maneuvers that trapped the Sea Lord’s fleet in the Coldfell River. He allied himself with the daring raiders by appointing the Earl of Throi the First Sea Lord of Olaran, giving him wide powers to hire private warships and warriors to uphold the king’s rule on land and sea.

"Sea-blue dawn tinged the sky and sea-blue eyes were bright. And the Lords of the Sea took the beach and stormed the battle-hight. The cries of gulls and song of swords drowned out the crashing waves, And men of the ships had made a name to last 'till the End of Days." ~Song of the Sea Lords, from the Records of the Kingdom of Olaran, The Second Chapter.

RANGERS

He brought peace and stability to The Kingdoms of Man, but once the Kingdom was consolidated, Alirion needed to guard and protect its borders and the lawless tracts between its villages, towns, and cities, and so, the Rangers were established. Elite warriors, they are handpicked for service from the ranks of the kingdom’s forces and trained in the ways of wilderness survival and tactics. They are the law and order to the distant boundaries of the realm. The eyes, ears, voice, and hand of the King in the wilds. Patrolling the provinces and set on the frontiers to guard and watch the borders of the kingdom. They are the beacon lighters, the first line of defense. They are the Rangers.

OATH I swear to defend this land from all enemies near and far, I promise to bear truth and allegiance to the crown, That I will uphold the creeds of the kingdom and the lay of the land, I promise to listen and obey, without question those appointed above me, I will give my life to the defense of the kingdom, the land, the people and my fellow rangers, And I will discharge these duties with all that I am and have until my last breath, So help me God of Light.

CREED We are the watchers in the woods, The protectors of the realm. We are the heralds of warning, The beacon lighters of hope, Violence prowls the land, And hard men must meet it. We are the judges... We are the executioners... Never will we fail, Never will we give in. The first to stand, And if need be, the first to die. We are the guardians. We are the iron hand of the King. The Body that fights, The Mind that guards, The Soul that endures. We are the Rangers.

KNIGHTS OF THE REALM

Alirion reigned for over 60 years. In his reign, he upheld the ancient code of chivalry. He established the Knights of the Realm an order he created to foster bravery, courtesy, honor in the kingdom, and recognize great gallantry. He charges these Knights to seek out trouble and defend the weak. They are his champions. They represent what is best. What the Rangers are to the wilds, the Knights of the Realm are to the rest of the kingdom.

MORE ON THE FACTIONS HERE: [1]

TIMELINE

AGE OF LIGHT (FORMATION)

GOD of Light creates the world. GOD created the race of Elves. GOD steps back from his creation, where there is peace and harmony. This too became known as the Age of Light. The elf lord King De’grun turns to the darkness. De’grun creates the Shadow Races. Split within elf race. Umbrans Elves follow Dagrun. High Elves follow GOD’s will.

FALLEN AGE

War between Light and Dark Races. High Elf population reduced by the war. De’grun forges the sword Etcher of Souls. Pours a lot of his power into it. Degrun son born: Korlan. Rebellion within the Shadow Races against De’grun, known as the Age of Rebellion. Battle between the Shadow Races. Etcher of Souls is lost. De’grun is thought to be killed (just weakened so badly that his body is gone and his soul disappears). Korlan goes into hiding with a remnant of his loyalists. Shadow Races are splintered by this internal war. They recede into the fringes of the world.

AGE OF MAN

King Aenarion unites majority of men into Kingdom of OLARAN. Beyond the borders of OLARAN is: King Aenarion establishes the elite Hearth-Guard, Kingsmen, Rangers and Sea to guard the borders of OLARAN. King Osric 4216 (400 years since its formation)

The Kingdom is that of Olaran is broken down by 9 provinces, established long ago at the ending reign of the Chieftains.

MAP HERE[2]

The kingdom of Olaran, using their unique set of wilderness skills to bring justice to the Borderlands. Founded many years ago by King Alirion who saw the need to have a force of warriors loyal to the crown, outside of the highly political royal court and aristocratic knights of the military, as a first line of defense. A force that could be the eyes, ears, voice, and hand of the king in the wilds. They are the beacon lighters, they are the law and order to the distant boundaries of the realm, set on the frontiers to guard and watch the borders of the Kingdom.

COINS are history…

The Rangers Coin Set has been forged for the film project The Rangers: A Shadow Rising. It is a world of myth and legend and The Rangers Coin Set invites you into that world of wonder, Adrasil. They add color to the canvass of your adventure, offering you a tale or two to tell around the campfire for each intricately detailed coin. Find out more HERE: [3]

Upon your purchase, should you chose The Rangers Coin Set, the team over at The Forge Studios would like to offer you two items, free of charge, to add to your adventure. This offer is only valid for this Kickstarter campaign. You will receive a copy of the official film poster for The Rangers; A Shadow Rising AND the official Map of Adrisil to explore, which will bring the history of the land to life, both presented in high resolution digital format. Once again, this offer is only valid for this Kickstarter campaign.

Each Coin tells a tale of the kingdom of Oloran. Many years have passed in the land of Adrisil and the artwork on the coins offers a brief glimpse into its thousands of years of history.

The Face of Each Coin: Depicts the tale of the creation of the Kingdom of Oloran. The Four marked areas serve to remind the king’s subjects of the vastness of the realm. This realm is crossed by the clash of two ancient blades. One is the “ The Etcher of Souls” forged long ago by the Shadow King, Dagrun, in his attempt to master the land. The other, is it's mirror "The Sword of Hope,” which kept the shadow blade at bay.

The BRONZE Coin: In the year 3998 the Prince of The House of The Falling Suns sounded the great Horn of Olaran to amass his banners at the famous battle of the Cloverfields. There his 1,000 horses charged the great host of the southern invaders defeating them in a single vicious battle. Though the Prince breathed his last breath that day in the charge, his blood purchased lasting victory. The enemy was never able to recover and so settled for peace within the southern lands. Even to this day, no clover grows on that once bloodstained land. The coin is marked to be broken into “bits” if needed.

The SILVER Coin: Emblazoned upon this coin is the Dwarven rune that means “Tribe”, it rests on a bed of interlocking rings. The interlocking rings indicate the eternal commitment of the united peoples of Olaran to one another. Eventually, the Olorian Rangers would use this symbol as the basis for their mark, which came to mean “With You”.

The GOLD Coin: Two great serpents are pictured devouring one another, and centered in their midst lies the head of “Gamorian: the Great Dragon”. During the legendary Fallen Age, two great houses clashed, nearly destroying them both. The Gamorain image depicted is a reminder of an ancient myth, the famous story of the gold dragon that saved the maiden from her noble, but evil captor. Some claim it was her lost love, Bashtune, reborn. The Kings of Oloran often claim to descend from this mythical pair. It is one of the most renowned tales of Oloran, though the claim is likely dubious.

Join the adventure, and unleash the power of the world of Adrasil.

THE MAKING OF THE TWO SWORDS

Was reported by Ranger 1st Class Bezbuetan of the Soaring Eagles in the 75yr of the 1st Age of Men, taken from fabled Elvin stories.

When the light was challenged Darkness began to arise Lord Dagrun started a journey That would take all light from him Powers were brought forth The ones he could not control He gained in stature but was not able to hold Looking in ancient manuscripts He found a way to harness his power It would be an ancient way, a lost way He sought and worked and finally learned the craft That would allow him to harness what he had An ancient ritual he bound his soul To an item that would bind his essence The birth of the sword of the Etcher of Souls was forged Lord Dagrun had done what no one else had He created and harness what he gained and had.

The light took notice of the darkness that arose And in its own way, the light made its own A Sword of Hope was said to have been made But none were able to find where it had been laid Harnessing the wielders power would not be the only thing But to have the light to help find their way

The two would one day battle and decide the wielders fate Who would harness the power and learn to make the way

Ancient are these tales, no one truly knows But one day we await to find out if there is truth Until then we abide and seek the lesser known Will we find a small gift of the powers that be May we one day find if there's anything left for me