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The history of the Unicorn faction if the
history of Mauritanja, its lands. Mauritanja is a new
nation, born after the cataclysm and populated by the
traders, explorers and travellers of other lands. Where
the islands currently lie was once little but water, a
relatively shallow oceanic shelf that teemed with marine
life of all kinds. The written history of the Unicorn
faction and what we now know of Mauritanja only began
after the Cataclysm.
The Cataclysm caused destruction throughout the Heartlands,
but in Mauritanja it triggered a shift in the volcanic
understirings that made the area such a warm home to so
much marine life. These stirrings rose into huge volcanic
eruptions which created rocky, bare islands devoid of
any form of life. It also sunk and rearranged some of
the islands that doted the area before the cataclysm.
Many of these tiny islands have become part of the current
Mauritanja and others disappeared completely.
It is thought that at this time a group of Elves arrived
in the island on their floating island that is now known
as Grynd. The Elves planted trees and grasses over the rocky
islands and brought their great magic to bear to transform
the barren islands into life supporting homes. They started
to colonise the islands, but the Elves were not many and
their influence did not spread far out of the channel between
North and South Isle known as the Solent.
It was at this time that Cadrus Cornus gave the mists that
defended Mauritanja for a long time to come over to the
Elves. This was the first time that the Unicorn creatures
(as opposed to the Faction) are mentioned in the Elven histories,
but they are referred to as if they had been there for a
time. The Elves tied the mists to a powerful source of magic
and they became strong and permanent and cut Mauritanja
off from the dangers of the Heartlands. The Unicorns retreated
to a place beyond sight of prying eyes and magic and only
appeared upon rare occasions.
The Elves then started to draw others back to their
islands. They gathered humans and other races from all
across the Heartlands to live on their lands and it soon
became known that the dis-possessed and homeless were
welcome to populate Mauritanja. Mauritanja was peaceful
and prosperous and all people upon it lived in harmony.
The harmony was spoiled, however, by the building conflict
between the elder and younger races. The Elves and Fey were
opposed by the humans, orcs and other races. Tensions mounted
until war erupted all across Erdreja. Knowing that they
could not stay hidden behind their mists for all eternity,
the Elves sought magical protection, and with the help of
a human by the name of Bari.
With Bari's help they drew in the power of Dark Trade and
used its power to create the Shadow Realms. Not knowing
that Dark Trade would corrupt them the Elves began their
move into the Shadow Realms and became the Shadowkin.
Angry with the younger races, and twisted by Dark Trade
the Shadowkin became bitter against the younger races
that populated Maurtianja. They threatened the surface
dwellers with the sinking of the islands if they did not
abide by the rules of the Shadowkin.
The people that now populated Mauritanja came together during
this time. Already travellers and wanderers by nature, they
grew into traders and from their home in the mists they
became known as the greatest traders on Erdreja. They continue
to gather together things of wealth and beauty, for themselves
and for the Shadowkin, and formed the Unicorn nation, named
after the ancient creatures that once held the land.
In the last few years, the Unicorns and Shadowkin have
given over the defenses of Mauritanja to its people, in
return for it becoming a Monarchy. Its people have grown
from the small trading faction it was, into one of power
and it has taken its rightful place as one of the major
powers of the Heartlands and all Erdreja.
Now, with the death of the late Queen Adelena, with the
destruction of the Shadowkin and the conquering of Shadow
Isle, the Unicorns have declared themselves an Empire
and continue to expand their influence around Erdreja.
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