Post by Admin on Jun 23, 2021 7:48:47 GMT
The Continent of Tao was once a varied land of human culture, a testament to the greatly varied life that existed in the world of Roan. Not only did great empires arise, with strong cultures that had their own beliefs and ideals, these lands grew armies, waged wars, and created art and innovations that changed even the rest of the world. Unfortunately, this was not meant to last. When the northern kingdom of Valera experienced its horrific and violent downfall, the fate of Tao was sealed. Magical accidents near the south border of Sunquan decimated the highlands that held the older tribal human groups of Winterhold, and the necrotic corruption that spread from Valera creeped northwards. Though held at bay by the countries to the south, it was first the Sunquan dynasty that felt the impact of Valera. Harvests failed, rivers dried up, and plagues befell the populace. The land died first, followed by the towns and cities falling into disrepair. Daizan shut its borders, the island nation hoping to avoid catastrophe through quarantine, but it did little to stop the spread. It was when the people began to die that the continent experienced true horrors.
At first it was a single town. The plague appeared to drive men mad, and the infected cannibalized their fellow man. Word was sent south to Aliud by water. But by the time the messenger reached the Kingship of Lusamil to spread the word a couple of weeks later, the rest of the dynasty had already fallen. This was nearly a decade prior present day. Refugees still find their way across the border – the pockets of surviving humans living in squalor or in hiding from those diseased and apparently possessed.
Today, Tao lies as a horrible ruin. Dilapidated structures unmaintained for a decade, with nature reclaiming the land steadily. Ghoulish corpses still shamble around the cities and villages, and pockets of humanity find safety in hidden away settlements or encampment, and often do cocky adventurers and treasure hunters attempt to make way to Tao to attempt looting what they can. Most never return. Refugees from Tao have largely arrived by boat and airship, and have situated themselves in the countries of Aliud, and have been forced to be accustomed to living in refugee quarters hastily built in many of the cities.
Geographically, the continent of Tao is largely the same between the Daizan and Sunquan landmasses - highlands and mountain ranges, with the occasional hillside regions and deep river valleys. Daizan has coastal/tropical regions, but is largely the same otherwise.
