History of Andros

The history of Andros begins with three civilizations of old: That of the Telks, the Lancasters, and the Korschers. Whaldo Alexander, of the Telks, set out from his lands in search of glory. He took ships and travelled across the sea. He found land and took refuge in the land. Others joined him, and this became the first of the landings on the new land: Whaldo’s Port. In honor of the current Telk king, King Andros, they named the land after him.

Meanwhile, the Lancasters had long lived in the forests of the Lancaster Lands. They had no clue that to the West, people were beginning to inhabit the land. They continued merrily hunting game, but then catastrophe struck. In something none of them could understand, the land shook with violent anger. The animals expressed their anguish through their roars and squalls but were drowned by the sound of vibrations. The land split, and the Lancaster Lands became two: the half that remained locked with the land became known as the Lancaster Forest and the other half was the Lost Forest, of which naught is known.

The same cataclysmic event shook the Korscher people. They lived in their mountains, so the violent shaking of the land caused the tops of tunnels to cave in, and everything was crushed by rocks. This shaking of the land had not been so strongly felt before; the Korscher people abandoned the mountains that had killed so many people. They went back to their lands, East of Andros. However, there were those who could not make it back, since the rubble had blocked their passage home. Instead, these ventured westward, towards Andros. Upon exiting the mountains, they walked forth and didn’t know where to go. To their left, they saw a massive formation. They knew it wasn’t a mountain, for they were experts on that subject. They didn’t know what it was, but they were afraid and turned rightwards, whilst putting the mountains behind them.

The Telks continued travelling to Andros, creating many a settlement. Eventually, they came across the forested lands of the Lancasters. The Telk people wanted to cut down the forests and make more boats. Upon hearing the commotion of trees being cut down, the Lancasters swiftly made their way over to the Telks; they had already lost half their lands, and they weren’t about to lose any piece of their other half. Naturally, the Telks did not want to give up their new-found source of wood so easily. What the Telks didn’t realize was that there was another more precious prize in those lands; a rare metal was abundant there. The Lancasters used this metal to create spears and metal-tipped arrows. This metal was stronger than the steel with which the Telks forged their swords. The Lancasters pushed the Telks back to Whaldo’s Port, but they could do nothing against their boats or the settlement. The Lancasters left Whaldo’s Port—some remained in the lands to make sure the Telks didn’t try to attack again. They inhabited the settlements that the Telks had built, and they protected the lands. These are the people from which most people on Andros descend. The other Lancasters returned to their forest and continued hunting. Few venture into the forests to this day out of respect for the forest and the people in them. Only the Banesworths in Bravania go into the forest, hunting game and—supposedly—treating with the original Lancasters.

The Alexander family name, having brought shame and disgrace, were exiled. They went on their ships and went to Whaldo’s Port, the only Telk controlled place on Andros. Whaldo Alexander then established the Wise Ones, to learn about this metal that the Lancasters had used. They were also to learn about other mysteries of the world, in order to help them prosper. Not wanting further quarries, the Alexanders made a pact with the Lancaster people. The Lancasters decided that they could keep Whaldo’s Port, but they were not allowed to travel towards the Lancaster Forest, nor inhabit any of the conquered lands. Instead, they would be allowed to travel south, away from their lands. This, however, came at the condition that Lancaster people accompany them and co-ruled the settlements—so as to ensure that the Telks weren’t amassing an army to invade. The Telks—or Alexanders it should be said—had little alternative, and they agreed. What little Telks there were were soon outnumbered by the ever-increasing Lancasters. In only one group did the Telks outgrow the Lancasters. This group had travelled far and south and east. The Telks had little to lose, but the Lancasters had little incentive to follow. Many decided to stay behind in the forming cities and castles. Finally, that group came upon a giant volcano. The group of travelers thought of this not as an imposing landscape that promised gloom, but of a symbol of their future stature. This is where the group of Telks settled: what would later be known as the Alexander Castle.

The Korschers had instead decided to go north, towards the desertic lands. Having no use for this land nor any reason to raise conflict, the Lancaster people allowed them their stay. The desert lands became to be known after the leader of their group, Chordola Bender. Chordola led his people mainly to a settlement known as Chordica, the first city-castle established in the dunes of the desertic lands.

And so it came to be that the Alexander Castle became the center for the Telks on Andros, whereas Chordica was the center for the Korscher people, and the Banesworth Castle of Bravania ruled everyone else. To ensure peace and security, Theobald Banesworth travelled to Chordica, where he met with Chordric Bender. They both subsequently travelled to the Alexander Castle to meet up with Abigail Alexander. The three travelled to another location, a place that would become the center to Andros. The three travelled to a large settlement due west: the Capital. There, the three leaders would decide how to rule. Abigail Alexander told the other two rulers that she was not fit to rule the lands. She said she was too young and inexperienced, being half the age of the other two rulers. She also said the Telks were a minority of the group, and that the people would benefit from a more representative ruler.

It came to be, then, that Theobald Banesworth and Chordric Bender tried to gain control of the land. Each used under-handed tactics and slander to win the masses. The resulting conflict dissatisfied many, so the people decided who would be the leader. It was decided that every male and female Lancaster, Korscher, and Telk who had lived past sixteen name days would cast a vote on the anniversary of the Great Shaking. The people would decide which of the leaders would rule. On that day, they chose the leader that would provide security and who would not overstep their power. For this, they needed a humble leader.

On the day of the Great Shaking, having tallied all the votes, it came to be that the new leader had been decided, and Abigail Alexander was not shocked at the outcome, for she knew what the result of the voting would be before there had been a decision to vote. She was now the Queen of Andros. This event established the continued rule of the Alexander House. Having control of the Alexander Castle and the Capital, they set their eyes on the other great castle in the south. Through bribery and false accusations, Garrisbrough came to the control of a staunch ally to the Alexanders, and to this day, the Bastion Castle of Garrisbrough is one of the strongest proponents of the Alexander Crown. Whaldo's Port, having always been Telk controlled, naturally supported the Alexander control. They had the Alexander and Bastion Castles, the Capital, and Whaldo's Port, four of the main settlements. Bravania, along with two other castles—Faldenheim and Vernatia—supported the Lancasters, while Chordica and Markai supported the Korschers. The other main castle, Arastaud, held no allegiance. Soon, Markai lost their interest in the Korscher people and abandoned them. With the Alexanders in charge of the Kingdom, and the Lancasters in charge of the Wise Ones, and the majority people, the Korschers soon were outlived. They abandoned Chordica, mingling amongst the others. Some turned to the mountains, after generations, and lived there. The Telks however had only two settlements: Whaldo's Port and the Alexander Castle. The Capital was made up of Lancasters, but the Telks ruled. Garrisbrough were Lancasters who supported the Telks, with a little Telk blood given through marriage. Whaldo's Port held no Alexanders, and when the Firion Calamity happened, and Firion exploded with fiery wrath, the Alexanders were reduced to only two of the Royal Family.