History

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Millenia ago, the "Ancients", a race of of large, technologically advanced beings, settled on the Continent of Gallea. The were there for one reason, to mine an element that was the key to their longevity, their technology and their superiority. They brought with them Humans, a race that were smaller, less intelligent but more physically able for their size to do the manual labor. Humans did not think of the Ancients as their oppressors, they found purpose and unity with the Ancients, they were want for nothing and lived better, healthier lives than they did before. Certain parts of the Continent of Gallea were purposed for different economic or industrial tasks, the City of Centra at the center of the continent, high in the mountains, was the seat of power for the Ancients and resembled their own homeland so much that they made their homes there. Work camps with high walls to keep out predators and adverse weather were made in various arts of the continent to house humans. All work camp populations comprised of mixed races and genders, seeming to be judged on their aptitude to the job and tolerance of the climate more than any form of natural factor, given the ancients did not demonstrate male or female differences, its possible they did not understand the concept.

Centuries of peace befell the humans under the Ancient's rule. One day, hundreds of years ago, they just vanished, loading up into their sky ships in the middle of the night, they abandoned  the capital city, the overseers of the work camps disappearing also.

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The humans did not understand what had gone on, no word was heard from the human workers within the capital city, the gates sealed tight. What ancient technology was left was too advanced and too large for anyone to understand so they went back to their work as if nothing had happened for a while. But the sky barges which would ship resources between the settlements did not return, Mining plantations went without food, farms did not get resources required to fertilize the ground in the quantities needed, so they carved out roads to help with transport, making rudimentary carts. Many of the settlements had internal power struggles to decide who would ultimately lead, the foremen of some came together to form a sort of council to unify the smaller settlements. Some settlements proclaimed themselves Kingdoms, others Empires, and so on. Centuries passed and the memories of the Ancients faded into obscurity. Then war broke out, conflicts over resources, usable land and, ultimately, power and wealth became widespread, civilians and soldiers alike were put to the sword in the conflicts

All of this came to a head 17 years ago when during one of the continent's most widespread and devastating wars, the mechanical horde arrived on the south coast without any warning.

With the nations sill reeling from the wars and with armies scattered accross the land, they could only watch in horror as the mechanical horde, like a tidal wave, left nothing living in its wake. Before people even had time to ready themselves or flee, they were already upon them. Machines resembling a variety of animals, beasts and other horrifying creatures left nothing alive in their wake. They crossed distances in hours what would have taken armies days. Three strong superpowers were wiped out before anyone knew what was happening. They did not rest, they did not consume, they only killed. Just before they reached the mountain ranges of Centra, a human army appeared unlike anything ever seen. They had great big metal beasts of their own and fought the mechanical horde to a standstill, but not for long. Just as the army began to crumble, a great flash was seen across the entire continent, Azure flame burnt the clouds like a sea of lava. Then nothing...

Both the army of unknown humans and the mechanical horde were gone, but not just gone, vanished without a trace. All that was left were a handful of the large metal carts used by the unknown humans filled with an element unknown to most of the continent, Etherium.

Some wildfolk and so called "Magicians" and "Wizards" used this rare element as a source of magic up until this point but many shrugged it off as the ramblings of the mad, but the inner workings of the metal beasts recovered proved that there was truth to it. Experimentation and science boomed in the countries around the conflict zone, the area of the continent now known as "The Southern Wastes". First, it was proven that if put into a circuit made of a special type of either salt or metal, the rare crystalline metal gives off a sort of energy. Small deposits of the stuff were discovered all across the continent by different factions. Some deposits were found nestled in a larger deposit of other varieties of crystal, these crystals were found to resonate with the energy given off to produce different effects, which can be controlled by shaping the crystal to produce specific attributes. Different crystals were noticed to be native to different parts of the continent. The red crystal, found to be native to the mountain ranges near Centra, produced heat, light and when shaped correctly, small detonations. Other types harnessed plant growth, generated wind or water, others even encouraged healing within the body.

During this time of science, many worried that these technological marvels would be turned into weapons of unparalleled destruction, this coincided with an experiment gone wrong which leveled a small town. This town, Attraxa, that was leveled accidentally and killed hundreds of civilians as part of an arms race was the key element which brought about all the leaders of the various parts of the world coming together to sign an accord. The Attraxan Accord was signed which set down guidelines as to how to go about using this technology. Nobody expected war to end, it was an impossible feat, but the damage could be lessened with the agreement of all involved. The only ones not in attendance were the northern bandit tribes who sent the messenger's head to the accord signing as an act of defiance. The Accord was written with the understanding that nobody wished to see civilians die as a result of war and that if the mechanical horde were to return, the number of humans left was insufficient to hold them off. These rules of war prohibited the victimization of civilians, the ban of use of large scale weapons of mass destruction and various other Rules of Engagement. 

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The Attraxan Accord

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We, the assembled leaders of the various nations of Gallea, hereby agree to the terms of engagement set down by the Attraxan Accord. We do this to preserve the quality of life for our citizens and to ready ourselves for whatever the rest of the world has in store for Gallea.

• No weapons will be used that cannot be directed toward the enemy. No explosives will be abandoned in the field where it can damage civilians in the future. No chemical or disease based weapons will be against an enemy that may risk bleed-out into the civilian populace or local wildlife.

• No military engagements or acts off aggression will occur within 3 miles of a civilian settlement. No civilian is an acceptable casualty of war. No civilian may act on behalf of a nation, any military asset must wear uniform at all times. Anyone found masquerading as a civilian or using civilians as tools will be found in breach of the Accord

• No civilian settlement will be subject to recompense for acting to the benefit of an opposing force whilst under occupation. If the territory is under occupation of a enemy nation, those civilians are officially citizens of that nation for as long as they control that territory.

• Medical assistance will be available to all troops in the field. Medical Triage Centers will be set up near fronts by members of the Attraxan Accord for the assistance of casualties of war. Surgeons will be subject to the Hippocratic Oath and will work to save the lives of all troops equally.

• Full quarter will be given to fallen enemy troops recovered in the field. Medical assistance will be given to enemy troops recovered where possible. Recompense will be negotiable for the release of troops recovered from the field but they must ultimately be released. Soldiers will not be incarcerated for more than 3 hours for taking action against an opposing nation.

• All military personnel  are still subject to all laws of their respective nations. They may still be subject to corporal or capital punishment but all proceedings must be observed by an outside Attraxan representative to ensure humane treatment is observed.

• If any action is taken against an opposition which breaks the Attraxan Accord, a tribunal will be called to trial against the accused. The tribunal will consist of a representative of both the Accuser, the accused and a neutral third party. These must also be authorized Attraxan Representatives. This will be known as a Triumvirate Tribunal

• Attraxan Representatives will be voted in during the Annual Summit of the Attraxan Delegations, based on their service to the people and their appreciation of the word of law. Attraxan Representatives will wear a white armband bearing their nation's sigil as proof of their role. Anyone caught masquerading as an Attraxan Representative will be brought to justice with impunity.  

• Ambassadors in foreign nations are under full protection of Attraxan Law. Ambassadors may take no acts of aggression against opposition forces or members of an opposition nation whilst in their territory. All nations are liable for the protection of foreign nations' ambassadors and must grant them access to their country but may deny them access to areas deemed off limits due to sensitive military information.

• Any person under a white flag is to be shown full quarter and are under the protection of the Attraxan Council. Taking aggressive action against a person under a white flag is to be considered a war crime, punishable by an Attraxan Triumvirate Tribunal

• Etherial beings are under the protection of the Attraxan Accord but are also subject to it. No acts, either by them or on their behalf, may be in breach of the Accord.

• Further additions, edits and clarifications of the Accord will be discussed at the Annual Summit.

• If 3 or more nations call for the assistance from the other nations concerning a threat to the continent from outside influences, all military resources will be redirected to assist. All wars and conflicts are to be put on hold for the duration and for 2 years afterward. Attraxan delegates will record the current boundaries of territories and position of front lines. This information will be used in collating where troops are allowed to be redeployed after the engagement.