History

Past, Present, and Future

Tayda is an ancient land. It was founded approximately thirteen centuries ago by the great and powerful wizards Leofric and Shakti (however, some history and religious texts insist there was a third mage involved: the mage Valery. No one has been able to confirm this). The pair invested a huge amount of their magical power to build a massive complex in the middle of unclaimed wilderness, making it their home and eventually a school for the enterprising- and generally foolhardy- wizards that tracked them down. This palace- quickly named Tayda for reasons beyond mortal ken- expanded as need demanded, and the beginnings of a town grew up around it to provide extra homes and vacations spots. At its height, Tayda and its town rivaled many cities in size (most if it being the palace itself), and beat many in terms of grandeur, wealth, and especially magic.

From the days of Leofric and Shakti, magic has been the lifeblood of Tayda. Since most who journeyed to Tayda had some sort of magical talent, an entire culture grew up around this single factor. Those without magic were the lowest form of cripple. It entered into every aspect of life, making the mundane abnormal. It heavily factored into trade and the creation of goods.

Politically, magic was also a key component. After the death of the two founding mages, Tayda was ruled by the most powerful triumvirate, then called the Triptych. Triumvirates were fairly common- it was found that people could sometimes combine their magics with others in groups of three (Taydans are rather fanatical/religious about the number. See the culture section for more information on both the obsession with the number 3, triumvirates, and the Triptych).

Much of Tayda's history remains quiet and therefore undocumented. There were several wars when surrounding countries thought it'd be a good idea to control such a large population of mages, but between a small standing army and the magical abilities of volunteers, those were quickly and rather easily won by Tayda.

Things get rather interesting several centuries into Tayda's history. A triumvirate of great power swiftly arose, displacing the previous Triptych with shocking, almost fatal savagery. They were hailed as the greatest wizards in memory. Nia, the only female of the group, literally controlled the earth, as well as its derivatives such as metals and crystals. Komen held equal control over all dead creatures. Most powerful of them all was Balthazor, whose power seemed limitless. His only known lack of ability lies in the arena of healing.

This Triptych held power longer than any other before or since, easily defeating any and all challengers. They settled into the palace, leading mostly quiet lives. Nia and Komen chose spouses amongst the population and had quite a number of children, while Balthazor remained unwed. However, he too had a child by a surrogate mother, and it was common knowledge that the Triptych was training their three eldest children- all daughters- to be the next Triptych.

This plan met a sudden, brutal halt when one night, all three girls were found dead in a hallway. Things seemed to fall apart for the Triptych as they led a fruitless hunt for the murderers. While various people claimed credit and were subsequently executed, many believe the killers had escaped unscathed. The leaders turned their attention away from ruling and focused on some project- many speculate it involved revenge- leaving things to descend into anarchy. Just over a year and a half after the girls' deaths, the end came. One night the Triptych locked themselves in the highest levels of the palace, creating some sort of magic spell that lasted over a week of horrendous weather and darkness. No one knows just what they did, or the purpose behind it, only that on the dawn of the ninth day, the upper floors of the palace exploded.

The Triptych was dead. Whatever they had done, it had taken most of the magic from Tayda. All the lands claimed by the mages seemed drained of magic, all the inhabitants were suddenly powerless, and chaos was the master of it all.

Since that day, Tayda has been recognized as its own country- and thus has been invaded and conquered innumerable times. It is currently independent, and struggling with the concept of a council of nobles. Magic has slowly come back into the land, but magic users are still rare and weak in power. In comparison of other lands, Tayda still produces the strongest mages, but it is nothing compared to the old days.

In all ways, Tayda suffers from the shadow of the past. The grand palace of Leofric and Shakti still stands, though much of it has fallen to ruin. The nobles use it for their councils, the mages and bureaucracy use it as both school and workplace, and the people near worship the miles of portraits of the mages of old that line the palace halls.

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