History of Hovell
B.A. = Before Adeodatus, A.E.D. = After Elder Drakes
Ancient History [??? B.A. - 1 A.E.D.]
The Empire of Hovell [??? B.A. - ??? B.A.]
The Fall [??? B.A. - ??? B.A.]
Elder Drakes & Civil Wars [??? B.A. - 1 A.E.D.]
Modern Era [1 A.E.D Onwards]
The War of Seasons [445 - 492 A.E.D.]
The Empire of Hovell [??? B.A. - ??? B.A.]
The Fall [??? B.A. - ??? B.A.]
Elder Drakes & Civil Wars [??? B.A. - 1 A.E.D.]
Modern Era [1 A.E.D Onwards]
The War of Seasons [445 - 492 A.E.D.]
Ancient History [??? B.A. - 1 A.E.D.]
Hovellian history predating the modern era.
The Empire of Hovell [??? - ??? B.A.]
There are no myths or legends to explain how Hovell originated. Countless wars throughout the ages have rendered much of Hovell’s history lost to the ages. But, however, what is known is that before the time of the Elder Drakes, Hovell was a gigantic empire that had territories throughout the entirety of the realm and was ruled by the ruling family of Skylord.
The Skylord Family were known for their powerful presence throughout the realm and their magnificent palaces that were said to have ‘pierced the heavens’. They had much power and were adored but with that much power comes with great consequences. Despite their favor from the people, there were those who wanted to see all that the Skylords built come crumbling down upon them and everyone else. They were known as ‘The Usurpers” throughout the empire. No one thought they were much of a threat until they began a century long civil war against the Skylords. Towards the end of the war, Hovell was ruled by Emperor Valentinus Skylord and Empress Valeria Skylord. The pair had nine children, their youngest being an eight-year-old princess who was named Zela. While her family was off fighting in the war, Zela was forced to remain in the safety of their palace. Though she could not help her family on the frontlines, she usually helped others who were affected by the war. Things were soon looking in their favor, but the tragedy had yet to strike.
In one last final attempt, the Usurpers marched on the Skylords’ palace. It was a horrific battle that would claim lives of thousands, including that of most of the Skylord family and the Usurpers. While fighting continued deep into the night, a fire was set ablaze. It swept throughout the palace, making much of the palace inescapable. As people and family alike were quickly dying around them, Emperor Valentinus fled with his last daughter and escaped to the outside walls. As the fire quickly closed in on them,the Emperor made the ultimate sacrifice for his daughter. As they were climbing the walls, he pushed Zela up enough to where she could escape but at the cost of his footing. He fell into the fire below and perished.
While fleeing away from the Palace, she was able to make it to one of her parent’s trading docks, there she attempted to get on one of the departing boats. While jumping through the ship's railing, she lost her footing and fell into the waters below. She was never heard from or seen again. Hope that the Skylords would win the war had faded and the usurper created chaos across all the empire. Until nine years later, where a young orphan girl would soon remember her destiny. After losing her memory and almost dying, Zela was soon saved by an old slave couple who had longed for a child of their own. They took her in and tried their best to give her some sort of comfort.
At the age of eighteen, Zela was a charming young lady who lived with her adoptive parents and worked on their manticore ranch. One day, during a trip to one of the near cities, Zela overheard talks of a secret meeting being held in the name of "The Skylords". For days that name rang through her head and soon, she would start to have dreams. These dreams would show a royal couple with 9 different kids, with her being one of them. Despite the happy events they showed, they all ended the same way - With an image of a burning palace and a familiar face -. Zela tried to ask her parents about it and finally they told her the truth -That they found her washed up against the shore and they didn't know where she had came from-. Zela, frightened by the dreams and her parent's confession, fled. In her search for answers, she went to the location of the meeting where she would soon see the face from her many dreams.
And so she did. As years of fighting, the Usurpers were finally defeated and the Skylord family would rule again, with Empress Zela Skylord on the throne.
The Skylord Family were known for their powerful presence throughout the realm and their magnificent palaces that were said to have ‘pierced the heavens’. They had much power and were adored but with that much power comes with great consequences. Despite their favor from the people, there were those who wanted to see all that the Skylords built come crumbling down upon them and everyone else. They were known as ‘The Usurpers” throughout the empire. No one thought they were much of a threat until they began a century long civil war against the Skylords. Towards the end of the war, Hovell was ruled by Emperor Valentinus Skylord and Empress Valeria Skylord. The pair had nine children, their youngest being an eight-year-old princess who was named Zela. While her family was off fighting in the war, Zela was forced to remain in the safety of their palace. Though she could not help her family on the frontlines, she usually helped others who were affected by the war. Things were soon looking in their favor, but the tragedy had yet to strike.
In one last final attempt, the Usurpers marched on the Skylords’ palace. It was a horrific battle that would claim lives of thousands, including that of most of the Skylord family and the Usurpers. While fighting continued deep into the night, a fire was set ablaze. It swept throughout the palace, making much of the palace inescapable. As people and family alike were quickly dying around them, Emperor Valentinus fled with his last daughter and escaped to the outside walls. As the fire quickly closed in on them,the Emperor made the ultimate sacrifice for his daughter. As they were climbing the walls, he pushed Zela up enough to where she could escape but at the cost of his footing. He fell into the fire below and perished.
While fleeing away from the Palace, she was able to make it to one of her parent’s trading docks, there she attempted to get on one of the departing boats. While jumping through the ship's railing, she lost her footing and fell into the waters below. She was never heard from or seen again. Hope that the Skylords would win the war had faded and the usurper created chaos across all the empire. Until nine years later, where a young orphan girl would soon remember her destiny. After losing her memory and almost dying, Zela was soon saved by an old slave couple who had longed for a child of their own. They took her in and tried their best to give her some sort of comfort.
At the age of eighteen, Zela was a charming young lady who lived with her adoptive parents and worked on their manticore ranch. One day, during a trip to one of the near cities, Zela overheard talks of a secret meeting being held in the name of "The Skylords". For days that name rang through her head and soon, she would start to have dreams. These dreams would show a royal couple with 9 different kids, with her being one of them. Despite the happy events they showed, they all ended the same way - With an image of a burning palace and a familiar face -. Zela tried to ask her parents about it and finally they told her the truth -That they found her washed up against the shore and they didn't know where she had came from-. Zela, frightened by the dreams and her parent's confession, fled. In her search for answers, she went to the location of the meeting where she would soon see the face from her many dreams.
And so she did. As years of fighting, the Usurpers were finally defeated and the Skylord family would rule again, with Empress Zela Skylord on the throne.
The Fall [??? - ??? B.A.]
By the age of forty, Empress Zela had moved into a new palace with her husband and children. She had given birth to five children - three girls and a pair of newborn twin boys-. After the Usurpers were defeated, things had gone great for the renowned empress and the people of Hovell. With her eldest daughter set to inherit the throne, Zela did her best to make sure that her daughter would be set up for success.
She destroyed the old empire of Hovell and tried to make Hovell into a legitimate kingdom just like the rest of the realm, crowning herself as ‘Queen-Archiducissa’. She hoped that as long Hovell could focus on its people and not on territories that were already abandoned and unused, they would recover what the usurpers had caused. This, however, only caused a repeat of history. The usurpers rose up again, this time more powerful and under a new leader - Maris -. Unlike the usurpers before him, Maris wanted something different. His motives were not filled by hate for the Skylords or the decisions the Empress had made, they were filled by the need for chaos. Maris believed that the empire had lost touch with what it truly was, a world of selfish humans and dragons who would do anything to come out on top. He believed that the world needed to be reborn and led by those who were not afraid to ‘embrace their true purpose in life’ and tear down those who chose to ‘live under a cruel but sweet lie.’ He wanted to create chaos everywhere but like all villains, he had to start somewhere.
War erupted all across Hovell. Cities were raided, local governments had fallen, and all Queen Zela could do was watch helplessly from the walls of her palace. After the first war, Zela and her allies had already exhausted all their resources just to regain her throne. They did not have the time or resources to fight in another long war. So, with great disappointment, Zela stayed within the walls of her palace. She forced herself to watch as the people and places she knew burned around her like wildfire. Those that did survive what was happening took refuge in her palace, being the least she could do after not being able to hold off Maris. After two years of being locked inside the palace, the revolution had finally reached her doorstep and she had to answer for the choices she had made.
It was a long battle fought in the night, and Zela’s forces did the best they could to protect the queen and her family but alas, they could not start Maris. As a last resort, it is legend that before Zela’s death she sent away her young children - her newborn boys - in hopes that one day that they would do what she had done years ago: Take back Hovell. No one knows what happened to the boys or to even Maris. It is rumored that Maris attacked their caravan while leaving the palace but the crumbling walls of the palace got the best of them.
The Queen was dead, the revolution was shattered, and all of Hovell had fallen. The survivors did the only thing that could help them pick back up the pieces: survive.
She destroyed the old empire of Hovell and tried to make Hovell into a legitimate kingdom just like the rest of the realm, crowning herself as ‘Queen-Archiducissa’. She hoped that as long Hovell could focus on its people and not on territories that were already abandoned and unused, they would recover what the usurpers had caused. This, however, only caused a repeat of history. The usurpers rose up again, this time more powerful and under a new leader - Maris -. Unlike the usurpers before him, Maris wanted something different. His motives were not filled by hate for the Skylords or the decisions the Empress had made, they were filled by the need for chaos. Maris believed that the empire had lost touch with what it truly was, a world of selfish humans and dragons who would do anything to come out on top. He believed that the world needed to be reborn and led by those who were not afraid to ‘embrace their true purpose in life’ and tear down those who chose to ‘live under a cruel but sweet lie.’ He wanted to create chaos everywhere but like all villains, he had to start somewhere.
War erupted all across Hovell. Cities were raided, local governments had fallen, and all Queen Zela could do was watch helplessly from the walls of her palace. After the first war, Zela and her allies had already exhausted all their resources just to regain her throne. They did not have the time or resources to fight in another long war. So, with great disappointment, Zela stayed within the walls of her palace. She forced herself to watch as the people and places she knew burned around her like wildfire. Those that did survive what was happening took refuge in her palace, being the least she could do after not being able to hold off Maris. After two years of being locked inside the palace, the revolution had finally reached her doorstep and she had to answer for the choices she had made.
It was a long battle fought in the night, and Zela’s forces did the best they could to protect the queen and her family but alas, they could not start Maris. As a last resort, it is legend that before Zela’s death she sent away her young children - her newborn boys - in hopes that one day that they would do what she had done years ago: Take back Hovell. No one knows what happened to the boys or to even Maris. It is rumored that Maris attacked their caravan while leaving the palace but the crumbling walls of the palace got the best of them.
The Queen was dead, the revolution was shattered, and all of Hovell had fallen. The survivors did the only thing that could help them pick back up the pieces: survive.
The Elder Drakes & the Civil Wars [??? - ??? B.A.]
In this time following the fall of the Skylords, Hovell experienced many civil wars.
For over thousands of years, Hovell would be nothing but war and chaos. People would fight for the little resources that they had and others would fight for dominance over the rest. There would come to be many attempts to secure a new government for Hovell, even a King named Justus who ruled for over fifty years but his legacy would never continue on. Other kings, queens, and emperors would later try to come to power and some did manage a somewhat legitimate rule but none would ever last long. After a while of constant powershifting, those that held the most power and influence would come to be known as the Warlords - those who had proven themselves capable of ruling their share of Hovell by standing out on top - and they worked for the Elder Drakes until their extinction.
Unlike much of the Realm, Hovell had a... symbiotic relationship with the Drakes. They were given free rein to attack and kill and rob whoever they pleased, so long as they gave half of what they stole to them.
During the period of Drake rule, Hovell was at its most dominant in the Realm, and no one could fight back for fear of angering the Drakes. This all came crashing down on the Night of the Red Moons, when their rulers turned on them and caused significant damage to the country in their rampage.
For over thousands of years, Hovell would be nothing but war and chaos. People would fight for the little resources that they had and others would fight for dominance over the rest. There would come to be many attempts to secure a new government for Hovell, even a King named Justus who ruled for over fifty years but his legacy would never continue on. Other kings, queens, and emperors would later try to come to power and some did manage a somewhat legitimate rule but none would ever last long. After a while of constant powershifting, those that held the most power and influence would come to be known as the Warlords - those who had proven themselves capable of ruling their share of Hovell by standing out on top - and they worked for the Elder Drakes until their extinction.
Unlike much of the Realm, Hovell had a... symbiotic relationship with the Drakes. They were given free rein to attack and kill and rob whoever they pleased, so long as they gave half of what they stole to them.
During the period of Drake rule, Hovell was at its most dominant in the Realm, and no one could fight back for fear of angering the Drakes. This all came crashing down on the Night of the Red Moons, when their rulers turned on them and caused significant damage to the country in their rampage.
Modern Era [1 A.E.D. Onwards]
Hovellian history following the Night of the Red Moons and fall of the Elder Drakes.
The War of Seasons [445 - 492 A.E.D.]
A notes doc on the War of Seasons can be read here. In the future, there will be a lore update expanding on specific events in the war.
A quite long war between Hovell and the far away northern kingdom of Dutoria. The people of Hovell have always raided and looted most of the realm’s nations and kingdoms but one always stuck out the most: Dutoria. It never had a good military and never fought back unlike the other nations that did. For centuries, Hovellians would constantly raid Dutoria for any resources they needed. It wasn’t until one of their leaders, Lord Gunnar, did Dutoria finally fight back the incoming hovelians. This sparked a long war between the two nations and ended up with Dutoria reigning victorious.
While there was a clear victor, there were casualties on both sides. While the warlord of Lux claimed the lives of Dutoria’s king and queen, Dutoria claimed the lives of the warlords of Idothea and Darkhaven - Andromeda Adored and Sol The Mighty -. It is said that the warlords did their best to prove that Hovell is strong and nothing will change that.
While there was a clear victor, there were casualties on both sides. While the warlord of Lux claimed the lives of Dutoria’s king and queen, Dutoria claimed the lives of the warlords of Idothea and Darkhaven - Andromeda Adored and Sol The Mighty -. It is said that the warlords did their best to prove that Hovell is strong and nothing will change that.