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Historical Figures | Timeline | Guilds | Miscellenous
The D'ni empire once spanned hundreds, if not thousands, of worlds. Yet what we know of their history is rather sketchy. They originally lived on a different age, Garternay, which they shared with the Terahnee. The two cultures relation to each other is a bit unclear, but it seems that they lived in relative harmony. At some point, it was determined that Garternay would become inhabitable and eventually destroyed. The D'ni evacuated to a massive underground cavern on earth, while the Terahneee went their own way. Why the two seperated here is unknown, but eventually the two empires sealed the books to each others ages.
Upon arriving on earth, the D'ni declared the year to be 0, in the spirit of a new beginning. They went to work on setting up the guilds, the Guild of Writers being their first priority, presumeably to provide certain neccesaities a cavern can not. A common library was also established, to give the common people access to ages.
One event that seems to have been important in D'ni history was the arrival of the Great King. Very little is known about this man, including his name. It seems that there was a notion among some of the D'ni that Garternay might still be habitable. The Great King convinced them that their future was on earth, which proved to be wise. The Great King is also known for his prophecies, which came to him in dreams.
The D'ni originally lived in a smaller cavern, which they left in favor for a larger abode to the north. Using methods far and above what man has developed, the D'ni built titanic mansions in the rock, a sprawling city without roofs, and an arch that, while it dwarfed man, was itself dwarfed by the city that is stood in front of.
The D'ni were ruled by kings for their first seven thousand years on earth. A successor would first be sent to the southlands to learn the arts of kingship. When they returned, they would sail underneath the aforementioned arch, (later named Kerath's Arch), and after the coronation, all of D'ni would gather for a giant feast.
Years later, a man named Kerath would change D'ni forever. As a prince, he was exiled by his dead father's brother. He eventually reclaimed his throne, returning to D'ni on the back of a great lizard. Kerath took his place as king and ruled over the empire. After he had done all he felt needed to be done, he stepped down from his throne and appointed a council to take the place of the monarchy. The council was composed of Guild Masters, and it was their votes, not the will of one man, that now ruled D'ni.
The tale of D'ni's destruction, (and eventual rebirth) begins with the story of A'gaeris, known as the Philospher. A'Gaeris was a member of the Council who was discharged after he was accused of stealing a book. The details have yet to be uncovered, but we know that he lost the woman he loved in the process, which, when added to his lost of Guildsmanship, made him a bitter man. He disappeared into the lower districts of the city for fifty years, writing pamphlets that strongly influenced the lower city of D'ni.
Around this time, the council approved of a plan to dig upwards to the surface. The process took about three years, (around 9336 - 9338), after which the tunnel was finished, only to be sealed when an earthquake caused the elders of D'ni to changes their minds. Thirty years later, a surface girl named Anna and her father would find this tunnel. Anna went down after her father's death, and eventually wound up in D'ni.
At the time, two Guild Masters were making names for themselves. One of the was Aitrus, who had taken part in the excavation to the surface. The other was Veovis, the son of one of the five great Lords that ruled D'ni. Veovis was a bit of a rising star in D'ni, becoming both a prominent Guildsman and a great writer. The two had attended the same school, where Veovis had a tendenct to taunt Aitrus. Years later, during the excavation, Veovis sent Aitrus a letter and a very expensive scales and compasses. The two were reunited during the festivites when the breakthrough to the surface was almost finished, and later, during the earthquake, Aitrus saved Veovis' life. The two soon became friends and members of the council.
When Anna arrived, there was some dispute over whether or not to keep her in D'ni or send her to a prison age. Veovis believed quite strongly that those not of D'ni blood were incapable of rational thought. Despite his protests, Anna was allowed to stay, and lived in the house of Kahlis, father of Aitrus. Veovis met Anna, and while he took some liking to her, still considered her inferior.
Aitrus felt an obligation to show Anna an age, despite the fact that it could get him stripped of his title. He soon was showing her how to write, and it wasn't long before Veovis found out. Naturally, he informed the Maintainers, who took both the book that belonged to Aitrus' family, Ko'ah, and the book he and Anna were writing, named Ederat. With the help of Kedri, an legislator Aitrus met during the excavation, they avoided punishment. Despite this, Aitrus still stepped down for the council, saying that he had enough of votes and meetings.
Naturally, Aitrus and Anna got married, a fact that enraged Veovis, who belived that their marriage violated the sanctity of D'ni blood. Aitrus had rejoined the Senate, and now had a son, Gehn. Veovis, still bitter about Aitrus, was introduced to A'gaeris by Suahrnir, a Guild Master in the Maintainers. A'gaeris used Veovis and Aitrus against each other, and got Veovis imprisoned for life by forging illegal ages in his hand. A'Gaeris freed him, and the two spread a reign of terror over all D'ni. Veovis was recaptured, and sentenced to death. Anna, who had played a part in bringing Veovis into custody and had also stolen A'Gaeris' diary, spoke for Veovis, telling the council how A'gaeris had warped Veovis. It was no excuse for what he had done, she said, but he sould be trapped on a prison age. As she later told Lord R'hira, head of the Five Great Lords, "Vigilance, not vengence, should be your byword." The plan was agreed on, and maximum security went into writing the age. This did not stop A'gaeris from losing a valuable ally.
A'Gaeris freed Veovis, and the two spread a poison gas through D'ni, destroying the land that they belived destroyed them. They then spread their disease through the ages, destroying the people who had fled there for refuge. A'gaeris later killed Veovis when he refused to write an age where they would reign as gods. Veovis was found in his last moments by Aitrus, who had been infected by the disease. Veovis told Aitrus how and where to stop A'Gaeris. Aitrus was able to destroy A'gaeris, but it cost him his life. Ti'ana took Gehn up to the surface, where they were to live for some years.
Gehn left the cleft when he was fourteen, going into the world that his father had wanted so much to explore. He married, and his wife, Keta, of a tribe called the Amad, fell ill while pregnant. He brought her to his mother, but it was to late for Keta. She died after giving birth to Gehn's son. Gehn, in agony over his wife's death, left Anna to watch his son, who she would name Atrus. Fourteen years later, he came back to claim his son, (against Anna's will), and brought him into D'ni to teach him how to write. Over the years, however, Atrus began to learn of his father's insanity, and eventually trapped him on The Fifth Age of Gehn, Riven.