The country of Lochland was not always the ravaged and dangerous land we live in today. Once it was the mighty and proud Cameron Empire, spanning further than it's now reduced borders. The golden age of the Empire flourished under the leadership of a strong line of mages,characterized by their justice and firm rule. The Imperial family was human but the Empire included members and nobility of The Five Races.

This was before "The Great Cataclysm", the horrible Mage War that destroyed the safety and stability that had lasted almost a thousand years. The Empire defended it's borders by force of arms and skillfully negotiated treaties, but it did not gird itself against the most deadly threat of all, royal blood gone bad. The Great Cataclysm was the result of the most tragic of struggles, brother against brother for the right to rule the Empire.

For over 900 years the succession within Empire had passed peacefully from parent to child, always to the eldest child of Royal Marriage. The Imperial family was made up of powerful mages, there was never an Emperor or Emperess who did not produce legitimate issue.

40 odd years ago Emperor Rankar the Third was in his eighties and failing. For the first time in the Empire's history there was a question in the succession. It was not for lack of candidates but rather twin brothers who did not know who the firstborn was. When they were born, 50 years previously, their father decided to hide the birth order and choose for himself which son would be fit to succeed him when the time came. This act of hubris in defiance of family tradition would lead to the end of over 900 years of stability. The twin sons, Trebor and Grimayre, were both powerful mages. Trebor raised his family in the Imperial Palace in Cameron city. He was active in Empire politics, serving his father as an envoy abroad in his youth, and often representing his father in The Grand Council as he grew old. Grimayre on the other hand built his own castle in the Cairn Mountains to the north. This was on the border of the Empire and the wild land beyond inhabited by Orcs, Dragons and even Demons if legends were to be believed. On his few trips to the capitol he brought his daughter Kylara, though no mention was ever made of her mother. These trips were usually related to his mystic research and often resulted with family arguments over the use and deportment of artifacts in the family armory. Grimayre had little use for Imperial politics and rarely aided the family in its work governing the Empire.

For these reasons most people expected Emperor Rankar to one day announce that Trebor would be next in line for the throne. He never did. As the years past more and more pressure was placed from many sources for the Emperor to make his choice. He refused to announce a decision and as he grew older would sometimes mutter that"the old ways aren't always the best ways". Some took that to mean Grimayre was the elder son and the Emperor did not want to turn the throne over to someone with so little interest in it.

Or so it would appear.

At the Birthday Feast celebrating the Emperors 85th birthday Grimayre appeared suddenly and in a booming voice announced to the assembled nobles and ambassadors that he was the firstborn son and would prove it. In a cloud of black sulphur he conjured a shade. An old woman known to the Imperial family. She was Ageara, the midwife who attended the birth of the twin sons, dead for over forty years. Under Grimayre's compulsion the tortured soul revealed to all that he was the elder of the twins. The hall erupted in an uproar of protest and fear. The High-Priest of Apollo released the shade and called for justice against Grimayre for his vile necromancy.

"Silence" shouted Emperor Rankar,"Never will I allow the crown to fall into such base and unworthy hands! I hereby officailly renounce you as my son and disinherit you as heir to the throne."

"To do so will defy the Law of the Land. Do you forswear the Law for your own hasty judgement?" Grimayre taunted.

"I do so swear and command you begone!" Replied the Emperor.

"So be it Once-Father, but know that you have doomed yourself and your clan with your rash words" Grimayre countered and vanished in another cloud of billowing brimstone.

True to his word The next dark moon Grimayre released an assault of High Magics and demon spawned curses against his father, siblings and cousins. These spells of destruction were aimed at all of his blood kin. Grimayre, though powerful underestimated his relatives. Though many were killed or worse by his foul spells, some were able to defend themsleves and counterattack. Allies from the netherrealms and elemental planes roamed loose and out of control. The very earth itself rose in protest to the mystic stress. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions ravaged the landscape. Whole towns were swallowed by earth and water as the geography of the land convulsed in violence.

In the bloody melee, The Emperor, Trebor and Grimayre all perished. The remnants of the Imperial family escaped south to the coast of Loch Maroo. The capitol, Cameron City, was totally destroyed and became what is now called "The Monster Ruins". Survivors fled quickly with tales of horror to avoid the fate of the majority of the cities population. With the upheaval of the government and most Imperial Army forces called to contain the growing threat of monsters and undead coming from the Monster Ruins an oportunistic civil war erupted. The western border of the Empire along the shore of the Indaran Sea broke away and eventually formed into the three countries of Seagate, Marshfield and Arcturon.

Now the question remained, who would rule the Empire? Trebor and Grimayre's younger sister Delilah had married Lord Erowyld of the Elves of Elhalyn. By Imperial law she had given up all claim to the throne during her wedding ceremony. The law stated the Imperial bloodline must remain human. Some people clamored for her to take the throne but she declined. Her husband had been killed in the conflict, she retreated to his ancestral keep to raise her son Tremain.

Though only 21, Trebor's eldest daughter Arella assumed the throne and began the task or reorganizing the Empire. With resources strained and much of the northern lands blighted by dark magic Queen Arella announced the dissolution of the Empire. The Queen declared the Kingdom of Lochland would only consist of lands she could defend. Elven and Dwarven kingdoms that were officially principalities of the Empire were peacefully seperated into their former borders. The halfling communities were divided, some within the new country of Lochland and some in the Dwarven Kingdom of Barad-Dur. The Gnome tribes to the northwest were seperated by default. On the far side of the monster ruins beyond the newly created Dessert of Death, they were geographicly removed and out of contact. With the western coastal cities broken off into other countries the Queen founded Rankar City in honor of her grandfather on the coast of Loch Maroo.

For ten years the people of Lochland toiled to cleanse their lands of the evil beasts and magic released in the great cataclysm. The future looked bright until an envoy from the Cairn Mountains arrived at Rankar City with dark tidings. Grimayre's daughter Kylara had survived her fathers treachery and now ruled from Castle Grimayre. She organized the Orc barbarians and extorted oaths of fealty from most of the Gnome tribes. She called herself the Empress in Exhile and demanded that Arella swear fealty to her or suffer the consequences. As may be expected Arella denounced her cousin and there was a lesser but also deadly attack. Arella and other nobles died and apparently Kylara perished as well. Arella's younger brother Turner ascended the throne and he continues today the work she started, strengthening the Kingdom and gradually clearing the lands of the affects of evil magic. It has been 30 years since Kylara's attack killed Queen Arella and now there are dark rumors coming from the Cairn Mountains.............

Go To the History of the Elves of Elhalyn

Go To the History of the Dwarves of Barad-Dur

Go To the History of the Western Kingdoms