Highborn (Race)

History
The Highborn, prior to being ruled by Kings, Lords, and Councils, were slaves to the Great Highborn Dragon. The dragon made his home on the mountain where the Highborn Palace and City of Arcos were later built. The Great Highborn Dragon was the champion of the entire Highborn valley, destroying any person who stepped out of line. Any person who attempted to defy the Highborn Dragon was soon swept up and devoured by him. Being of direct descent from Pythious, he was able to bend the wind and create storms at will. Such storm were claimants of many of the Highborn peasants' lives. The Highborn Dragon was also able to see into the future slightly, using chronomancy.

On the eve of the fourth moon of 522, a hope for the Highborn arrived in the land. His name was Arcos the Champion. Wielding his Blade of Courage, he marched up Mount Misery and confronted the Highborn Dragon. After a long fight, he was able to kill the dragon. Unfortunately, he suffered many wounds from the dragon's soul fire. Arcos was unable to recover from his wounds and died soon after his victory against the dragon.

With the Valley of the Highborn liberated from the Highborn Dragon, the Highborn were able to collectively rise up together and begin building the Great City of Arcos, named after the man who gave his life to destroy the greatest threat to the Highborn people since the Rise of Sulfuron.

The City of Arcos was finished in the year of 541 and the Highborn crowned their first king, Salva Canor. Canor, through his elected throne, united the Highborn villages through the City of Arcos and structured the Highborn Government into one of Kings, Lords, and Councils. Before his death in 596, he had established a fully functional Highborn Army and helped Arcana create an order to guard the city from the threat of dragons.

With the rise of King Garani Canor in 663, many changes were made to the government of the Highborn. The most drastic change was the creation of the Expeditionary Force to explore other lands outside of the Highborn Valley. Garani became loved by his people when the Great Fires of 672 began. By organizing his people, he was able to help the people of the outlying villages and offer them homes in the City of Arcos. By doing this, he gained massive support by the peasantry and the council and was able to convince the council to continue providing money for the Expeditionary Force's campaigns in the Southern Wastelands, Northern Wastelands, and in Vicaria. The Expeditionary Force's campaigns did not sit well with the Republic, however. The Republic, responding to a potentially hostile enemy in their land, sent many ambassadors to the Isle of Vale to speak with King Canor in Arcos. When the ambassadors demanded that the Highborn pay in gold to be allowed to explore the lands of the republic, King Canor responded with his famous statement, "These lands belong to all of us, not only you. This world, created by Atheros himself, belongs to all mortals. You do not own the land, so we can explore it as we please. If you have a problem with this, i'd be happy to meet with your King on the field of battle." The message was taken back to High King Vicial, who responded by sending a force of one hundred thousand soldiers to the Isle of Vale. However, the Arcane Blades had already assembled. Before the Republic could make a beach landing, the Arcane Blades were able to call upon the power of the light to repel the Republic Navy. The Isle of Vale was saved from attack by the Republic, however the Expeditionary Force suffered heavily from constant attacks by the Republic. Stories were told of a champion who was able to protect his army from an invading Republic division single-handedly. This champion's name was Smaar. As the first person to lead men into the Northern Wastelands flying the Highborn Flag, Smaar's story was written in history as one of defending his people from the barbarians.

On the first day of 689, the Republic invaded the Isle of Vale with numbers which easily outnumbered the Arcane Blades forces. They were able to reach the beaches and deploy heavy artillery. Within four months, they were able to fight their way to the Mountain and surround the base of the mountain where Arcos was located. Vicial, who was on site, asked the Highborn King to meet with him in a neutral area, between their two armies. Garani, out of respect for the King, decided to meet with the king. Vicial, demanding that Garani surrender his city immediately, became recipient of Garani's second most famous statement, "The Republic will know, this day, that the Highborn people are the proudest people you will find anywhere on this good earth. We are a magical race of hard-working people who have risen up against our oppressors before. We have beaten out Dragon Slavemaster in the past, what makes you think we cannot ward off your armies. Your men will grow tired while trying to break through my walls, King Vicial. I suggest you stop now, we will not retaliate."

King Vicial, upon receiving such words, walked angrily back toward his armies and demanded that the siege begin. Garani, from his throne room, witnesses the destruction over the next six months. The siege came to be known as the Fall of Arcos, as by the end of the year, Arcos was out of food and water. The soldiers and citizens of Arcos, after many months of fighting, were dying in waves of hundreds per day from starvation and disease. The Great City of Arcos, while the Republic could not break through its walls, had defeated itself from the inside out. Facing the truth, Garani made a deal with Vicial. Garani, surrendering himself to the Republic, was able to make a deal with Vicial - the people of the Highborn Valley would be allowed to move into the lands of the Republic in Imperium City without charges. The soldiers would not be prosecuted with crimes, but the officers would face prison time. Garani himself agreed to be publicly executed for his resistance against the Republic, however Vicial ended up having Garani executed in private out of respect for what he once was.

New Highborn
The "new highborn" are the generation of Highborn survivors who have survived the attacks on Isle Vale by the Imperium Republic. They, while silently despising the Republic for the actions taken against the Highborn Kingdom, support the fight against the Lich King.

Many Highborn take up the heavy study of Clerical magic due to the natural imbuement of Highborn with Clerical magic upon birth. A few talented Highborn are selected each year to join the Guardians of the Crest, a group of Semi-Immortal Spirits which defend the name of Athalos.

The Guardians of the Crest
The Guardians of the Crest are a group of Highborn who seek to purify the world by ridding it of corruption. Under the leadership of Kyranos, Protector of Athalos, the Guardians of the Crest use extremely powerful, almost godly clerical magic to purge darkness and corruption from the world. Currently, they protect the northern border of Imperium City.