The+First+Empire+of+the+East

**__The First Empire of the East__**
With the backing of the dragons and Hel, the drow were aided and quickly grew to become a powerful empire about 3000 years ago. It was based among the islands off the eastern coast, but their power expanded across this continent also. They formed an alliance of 3 races, with the drow controlling the upper crust, the mindflayers (Illithid) controlled the Underdark, while the XXX controlled the oceans. Uncivilized lesser races were found throughout the land, and for the most part the drow let them be, capturing and enslaving only those they needed for the work they wanted to do. They set up a criss-crossing network of portal stones connecting scattered forts and other places of interest into a system where armies and supplies could travel quickly to wherever they were needed. They ruled unopposed across the continent. The drow became experts at planar magic, and used it for many purposes. In addition to the travelling portals, they travelled throughout the planes, gaining power and knowledge. Some connections to the Shadow Plane were established at this time. They also created portals connecting the positive and shadow planes. A powerful mage could tap into the energy flowing through those portals and over a lifetime, gradually gain enough power to become a god. Vecna, the first Emperor of the East, became a god of magic, evil, and trickery though the latest information says it was not through shadow planes, but other mages began using them to try to follow Vecna.. Vecna's paranoia and greed for power kept any other drow mages from ever achieving his level, but many gained immortality and great power as demigods, etc. Hel welcomed these new gods as needed to fight Ragnarok, since the other gods had forsaken their duties.

As Vecna's power grew, he first broke away from the control of the Dragon Council, and then later challenged Hel herself for dominance. A great war ensued between Hel and Vecna, and between his worshippers and hers. Eventually Hel won, but was greatly weakened. Vecna escaped destruction by somehow cloaking his home island, the Isle of Magic, from anyone finding it. Meanwhile, the Empire collapsed, slaves ran away, and for awhile the drow lost control of most of their empire. A great deal of information, especially magical, was lost in the general destruction.

On a side note, one attempt to open a portal between the Positive and Shadow planes,(the first attempt?) unleashed a ball of energy that killed the mages and others nearby. That ball of energy slowly, over centuries, formed into a being, gained intelligence, and then godhood. Thus, Ardneh was born. As he existed and grew, he was also formed and influenced by the pain and suffering of the slave races that was all around him. He began aiding those races, protecting, healing, and eventually fighting with them for freedom, but most of that was during the second Empire. Finally, a lowly slug crawling near the master portal absorbed enough energy and it too began a long climb to godhood. It remained hidden in that very complex for millenia, long after the drow had moved out, and only recently exerted his power to take over the place and make it his own. We recently learned that this portal exists beneath the halfling lands. His power is tied to the portal, and he protects it from any and all. Thus Tepes too, achieved godhood through these portals, and with their closing (see party logs) Teeps has begun the slow decline back to being a slug. .