Dawnbreak Isles

The Dawnbreak Isles is one of the major regions of the Hyrivan Empire and where the empire originated. There are four major islands in the archipelago with hundreds of smaller islands. It is home to the Hyrivans. The isles central location make's it an important trade destination. The capital of the Dawnbreak Isles and the Hyrivan Empire is Aranor.

Geography
The Dawnbreak Isles is an archipelago in the Golden Sea. It is south of Skaron Valo, west of Datura, and northeast of Vespari.

There are hundreds of islands in the archipelago with the four major islands being Meveradil, Rilladil, Durrondil, and Tharusdil. Only roughly a hundred of these islands are large enough for any substantial settlements and most are so small or barren that they are uninhabited.

All of the islands are mountainous with basins and plains scattered sporadically. These mountain basins and plains are where most of the population is based. None of these plains however, are extensive in area. The largest is where Aradeth is located. Many of these plains are located along the coast and have been expanded by building levees. Terraces were created all the way to the peaks of the mountains because of the scarcity of flat farmland.

Economy
The isles has two mains sources of income, mines and trade. Mines within the mountains and crags of the isles pour gold and silver in great quantities. Many of the cities have been built on or near the largest mines. Torsis has been built over the largest gold mine in the isles. Settlements near smaller mines can become ghost towns once the mines stop producing ore.

The isles is a common stop for traders traveling between Skaron Valo, Vespari, Ir, and occasionally Datura. The largest trade cities are on the outer coasts of the isles. The only ones who bother to sail into the heart of the isles are native Hyrivans. The largest trade cities are Aranor, Stormhaven, and Detrora.

Pre-Hyrivan History
Not much is known of the people who lived in the isles before the arrival of the Hyrivans. Known as the Men of the Isles(although they were probably Alfkyn), they left no structures that survived the Hyrivans or time. Hyrivan records say there powerful in ancient magics and could use soulweave's to alter the nature of the world. They lived in caves or in small huts made of wood and leaves. They were semi-aquatic and had gills and webbed fingers and toes.

Arrival of the Hyrivans
The Hyrivans arrived at the Dawnbreak Isles from the south. They came from a distant, mythical land called the Silver Lands. Thousands of years ago, the Silver Lands sank into the ocean by some unknown cataclysm. Some say that an evil god sank the Silver Lands into the ocean out of spite, others say that it was the result of Hyrivans experimenting with powerful magic. Whatever happened, the surviving Hyrivans, led by Aran of the Seas, sailed north. They saw no land until they came across a series of islands at the break of dawn.

The Hyrivans first settled on a small island named Landfall. It was not until they Hyrivans settled on Tharusdil that they encountered the Men of the Isles. Although they initially lived in peace, war eventually broke out between the Hyrivans and the Men of the Isles. The war lasted until all of the Men of the Isles ended up dead and the Hyrivans reigned supreme in the Dawnbreak Isles.

Arrival of Humans
After killing all of the Men of the Isles, the Hyrivans spread out across the isles and established several cities such as Kes Vallin, Stormhaven, and Torsis. They eventually discovered gold and silver and began to mine the precious gems. Their first contact with humans were explorers from the Aklea subcontinent. Seeing their gold, the explorers set up several ports on the western side of the isles. The Akleans traded with the Hyrivans for gold and silver and continuously pushed deeper into the isles.

While the Akleans were settling in the west explorers from Skaron Valo arrived from the north. Having a similar greed to the Akleans, the Skaroni desired the Hyrivan gold. They invaded the Dawnbreak Isles and forced Hyrivans to give up their gold and into slavery. The Skaroni took over many of the northern isles and even took most of Durrondil.

War of the Isles
The Hyrivans went to the Akleans and sought an alliance to drive out the Skaroni. The Akleans agreed but only if the isles became a part of Aklea and the Akleans recieved priority rights over any gold found in the isles. Angered by the Akleans, the Hyrivans refused and hatched a plan to get the Akleans and Skaroni to fight one another. The Hyrivans, disguised as Akleans, attacked a Skaroni village and slaughtered everyone who could not escape. The Skaroni demanded the Akleans pay for the crime. When the Akleans said that they did not attack the Skaroni, the Hyrivans disguised themsAlfkyn as Skaroni and attacked the Akleans. This caused the Akleans to declare war on the Skaroni.

When the war began, the Hyrivans remained neutral and were content to watch. The Akleans and the Skaroni fought most of their battles at sea, but many were still fought on land. The Hyrivans disappeared during this fighting and any village Akleans or Skaroni came across was deserted. Several years into the war, after both sides were weakened, the Hyrivans attacked both the Skaroni and the Akleans. Unwilling to declare a truce, the Akleans, Skaroni, and Hyrivans began a three-way war.

While the Akleans and Skaroni fought on the sea, the Hyrivans stayed on their islands. When the Akleans or Skaroni made land, they were attacked and killed by Hyrivans who disappeared quickly into the forests and mountains. The Akleans lost more and more of their land and were reduced to a few ports on the western side of the islands. The Skaroni fared a little better, but they still lost huge swaths of land. The Akleans, far from their home and having no haven, eventually left the isles to return to Aklea. The Hyrivans destroyed the Aklean ports and killed anyone who was left.

With the Akleans gone, the Skaroni turned their full attention to the Hyrivans. But the Hyrivans guerrilla tactics proved just as effective as before and the Skaroni could not gain any significant footholds. At sea, the Hyrivans began with attacks at night, going in small dark ships and burning the Skaroni ships. The Hyrivans were also able to capture some of the Skaroni ships and used these to build their own ships. Unlike the Akeans, the Skaroni did not flee the islands, even when they suffered heavy loses. The Hyrivans killed all of the Skaroni who were on the islands and swarmed any ships that were sent from Skaron Valo.

After the war, the Hyrivans isolated themsAlfkyn from the rest of the world. They turned away any merchant ship seeking land and attacked any warship spotted near their islands. Despite this, smugglers were able to hide in the islands and bring goods and news from the outside world to the islands.

The Isolated Times
The isolation of the isles lasted for over a hundred years. Cities in the center of the islands, such as Aranor or Highstone began to grow more quickly than the trade cities on the coasts. In this time, the Hyrivans also began to farm and create their own goods, instead of mining gold and silver for trade. They cultivated mountains to the peaks and used the trees for building.

It was during this time that the warlords rose. Powerful men in the cities seeking to claim more land and resources. Pirates raiding ships traveling between the islands and father out at sea also became more numerous during this time.

One of the pirate lords, Gevik, ruled the city of Aranor. He was eventually overthrown by Lorhan and his supporters. Lorhan then united the Dawnbreak Isles, creating the groundwork for the Hyrivan Empire.