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The Shadowkin have fallen into war with
the Unicorns, since the power struggle between Valdrazar
and the rightful heir to the throne his sister Vikaria
burst from the Shadowrealms and onto Erdreja. Vikaria
supported the Unicorn people, but Valdrazar saw the Unicorns
as ants and desired to be Lord over them all.
Until recently the Shadowkin lived in
the Shadowrealms. Little is known about the Shadowrealms,
except that they existed along side the mortal realm of
Mauritanja and is the home of the Shadowkin that once
resided on Mauritanja. They are believed to have been
constructed by the elves that became the Shadowkin with
the help of a human by the name of Bari. The powers of
Dark Trade were used in their construction and many have
theorized that this has caused the slow corruption that
has affected the Shadowkin.
The Shadowkin use their own forms of magic
called Shadowmagic, though often its powers mirror spellcasting
in many aspects it also gives them access to powers beyond
that of most mages. While the Shadowrealms were in existence
the more powerful Shadowkin could shadowshift to the Shadowrealms
with ease and appear almost anywhere. Since the Shadowrealms
destruction the Shadowkin have become less powerful, but
their King, Valdrazar, still has the ability to tap the
remaining power of the Shadowrealms and move vast numbers
of Shadowkin via magic.
As noted in the construction of the Shadow
realms, Dark Trade has played a large part in the history
of the Shadowkin. Its discovery, or at least its naming,
was made by the Elves (those that were to become the Shadowkin)
early in Mauritanja's history. Quite how the Shadowkin
handled it is not known, but after the construction of
the Shadowrealms their king gave into the power of Dark
Trade and became the Dark Trade Demon of Bankruptcy.
After that time the Shadowkin seemed to
have mostly turned aside from Dark Trade, its corruptive
touch now becoming more evident. However, the Shadowkins
latest Queen, Vikaria, seems to also have been tainted
by the touch of Dark Trade which has spread to Queen Adelena
as well. Though purged of its taint repeatedly the Shadowkin
still seemed to be tainted by its touch.
In recent times the Shadowkin King, Eldrazar,
decided that the Shadowkin would give the lands of Maurtianja
over to the Unicorn people. After negotiation he gave
the isles and the control of the defenses of Mauritanja,
the Mists, to Lady Adelena on condition that she would
become Queen. Lady Adelena agreed, with the backing of
her nation, and Mauritanja became the Monarchy of the
Unicorns. Eldrazar then decided to step down as king and
let his daughter, Vikaria, succeed him.
Queen Vikaria had become the rightful
ruler of the Shadowrealms and she supported the Unicorn
Faction's claim to Mauritanja. However when the defenses
of Mauritanja were destroyed her brother Valdrazar claimed
the Unicorn people were incompetent to look after them.
He seized power against Vikaria and then managed to bind
her to the Shadowrealm.
With the destruction of the power source
that kept the Shadowrealm in place, the Shadowrealm merged
with Mauritanja and Vikaria, shackled as she was, merged
with the Monarch of Mauritanja, Queen Adelena. Since then
Valdrazar has reclaimed the power of his people and taken
the Shadowkin to the Shadow Isles on Mauritanja's North
West border. There he has raised defensive mists once
more and demands the Unicorn people's fealty and the lands
of Mauritanja to be turned over to him. He also wishes
his sister returned to him, difficult as she still lies
within the pattern of the Unicorn Queen.
*Update*
At the Gathering 1102 AF, Valdrazar managed to kidnap
Queen Adelena. He took her to Shadow Isle and ripped Vikaria's
pattern from her, leaving her pattern corrupted like that
of an unliving. He then proceeded to attempt to recreate
the Shadow Realms with Vikaria's power, unknowing that
a pattern of Fair Trade now lay within the womb of Vikaria,
via Adelena and her latest husband Field Marshall Grimbold.
The ritual went hideously wrong, devastating Shadow Isle
and annihilating most of the Shadowkin. Valdrazar was
hideously injured during the devastation and was flung
into the void. The Unicorn forces then invaded Shadow
Isle and destroyed the last of the Shadowkin troops. When
Valdrazar emerged from the void once more, his power had
faded so much that he couldn't escape and he was slain
in the ritual circle by Field Marshall Grimbold and the
gathered Unicorn forces. With Valdrazar died the last
of the power of the Shadowkin, and any survivors were
scattered to the winds. |
