5001-HârnWorld/3rd Edition/38

THE EARTHMASTERS
Almost nothing is known of what are believed to be the first inhabitants of Hârn; even their name is lost. They are now referred to as the Earthmasters or Ancients. Surviving murals portray figures of diverse stature and configuration. This might indicate they were either shape-changers or several distinct species. When and from where the Ancients came is unknown. Legends tell of an empire flourishing on Hârn 15,000 to 20,000 years ago. There is physical evidence to suggest their presence in Lythia and many believe that the Ancients controlled all of Kethira. Persistent legends claim the Earthmasters could travel vast distances instantaneously, change the weather, and control the minds of lesser creatures.

Earthmaster Sites
Stories of the Ancients are so incredible that their very existence could be easily dismissed were it not for the sites and artifacts they left. Scattered across Hârn and elsewhere are mysterious ruins. Considering their antiquity, it is remarkable that anything survives at all. Known sites tend to be remote and physical evidence of roads linking the sites has never been found. Although above-ground remains tend to be poorly preserved, most sites have extensive and well-crafted underground chambers and tunnels. One legend describes the lost city of Lahr-Darin, said to exist in pristine form beneath some mountain on Hârn.

Known Ancient sites have been repeatedly sacked and several outstanding artifacts have been secured by persons of power. The King of Evael is said to possess a Sli-Hordah, King Hazmadul of Azadmere is rumored to own the Kyn-Assard, and the King of Kaldor is known to keep the N’Garith. Diverse Earthmaster artifacts are also in the keeping of several mages of Melderyn. The most enduring and mysterious artifacts of all are the Godstones found at all Earthmaster sites (see Godstones, COL #4915 and Earthmasters, COL #4037).

The Departure of the Earthmasters
Approximately 15,000 years ago, the Ancients suddenly vanished from the face of Hârn. Their departure remains a subject of uneasy conjecture. Why did they leave? Where did they go? Will they return? Some have claimed that the Earthmasters never left, but merely withdrew to the Isle of Melderyn, where their descendants reside to this day.

The Lost Years
The period between the departure of the Ancients and the arrival of the Sindarin is generally referred to as the “Lost Years.” No contemporary records or artifacts survive from the period. Hârn may have been totally uninhabited, although some claim it was “an age of dragons, trolls, and fell beasts that defy description and harm the eye.” A few talk of great floods and earthquakes that separated the Hârnic Isles from the continent of Lythia.

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