[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/egfd4yh.png[/img][/center]

[h3][center][b]Scale Home: 300-400 A.E, the Great Journey[/b][/center][/h3]

Queen Lilith's reign continued into the fourth century of Scale Home. While she lived Kobold thinkers, devising new ways to use the already lethal Pult, discover how to produce a substance, that when it meets air, explodes outwardly in flames. This liquid chemical, dubbed 'Moons Flame' is a thick and sticky substance that when exposed to air becomes alight with blue fire, the substance easily sticking to flesh and otherwise. Not long after iron would begin to flow from Uthein, and before long in Scale Home bronze was used for little more than jewelry, torcs and pendants set with precious stones. In the year 329 however, Lilith was becoming old, and frail. At the age of ninety two she looked back on all she had done, and in her wisdom made one final edict. The walls of Scale Home, of Far Home, of High Hill, the walls of every mining town and logging village, were covered in the history of the Kobold race. For one single kobold to learn everything they would have to devote a great deal of their life to reading it all, and so the Queen dictated that there should be one single place where any Kobold, Dwarf, human or otherwise could go to learn of the Kobold people. The great record hall of Scale Home began construction, and would be finished in 333 A.E. The record hall contained the whole of Kobold knowledge, held within scrolls and written upon the walls. There any citizen of the Scalethein empire could go to learn of the past. Sadly the Queen would not live to see the completion of her Hall of Records. Queen Lilith reigned until 330 A.E, where she died at the old age of ninety three. Succeeding her would be her daughter Lith.

Queen Lith's early reign was for the most part peaceful and of little note, save for one instance. It would be in 335, the Queen the young age of fourteen, when a large number of Stone Trolls from the west would come. Roughly two thousand trolls, with eight thousand of their spawn, and even more numerous beasts would arrive in Northern Scalethein lands. The Queen, along with the Second legion, begin to mobilize in order to learn the purpose of the Trolls. The kobolds are humbled at the sight of the lead troll, a twenty foot being called High Chieftain Dawnwatcher. The young Queen speaks with the troll leader, and after much debate they come to a decision. The trolls were fleeing their homeland, having launched a failed attempt at revolt. In exchange for protection, the trolls offer their strength, their cattle, and the knowledge and training required to ride upon the mountain goats that the troll spawn travel on.

Nothing of major importance would occur until 347 A.E, during that time Queen Lith grew bored, wishing to be more than her mother, more than a peacetime ruler who simply watched over her subjects. She decided the best way to rid herself of her boredom and be remembered in history would be to undertake a great journey, much like the First Priest's. It took three years of planning, for of course the Queen could not simply leave without warning. She ensured that Scale Home would remain safe during her time gone, deciding to not take an entire legion away from Scale Home despite the begging of her military commanders. Lith would take a measly two hundred soldiers, not even a full regiment. Food would be needed as well, and a degree of planning in order to ensure safe return.

So it would be that the Queen Lith, at the age of twenty nine, would set out north into the mountains. With her came two hundred soldiers, chief among them her preferred lover Ylik, besides from the soldiers many ambitious traders seeking wealth, and many priests seeking to teach and learn of faith would come. On that day in early spring of 350 A.E our Queen, with five hundred adventurous kobolds and dwarves, set off for the lands known as Yossod, the first stop on the great Journey.

In autumn of 350, after few hardships and a single stop for the Queen to stand at the highest point of the mountains to pay tribute to Arill and Zee, would arrive in the lands of Yossod.
The time spent in Yossod was spent under watch. While the kobold visitors were made welcome, there was always Brothers of the Covenant watching. The Queen herself was given a great deal of respect, being granted a meeting with the Prophet himself, though none among the Kobolds got the chance to see a single Ayel. The meeting between the Queen and the Prophet started roughly, the Queen reportedly mistook the prophet for an enemy and attacked the man with a fork in confusion. After the incident however and when the two had a chance to talk they became fast friends, the two speaking at length over many topics, the two nations, the nature of faith, the fate of the Prometheans was even spoken of.
After nearly four years in the lands of Yossod though the Queen wished to see more. Her followers had established trade routes, and learned much from the Yossod. It is said that each day during those four years the kobolds of the journey would ask at least twenty questions each, some kobolds asked the priests of Yossod about their faith, why they worshiped. Kobolds asked the merchants of Yossod why they sold what they sold, why they charged their particular prices. The Kobolds asked the farmers of Yossod why they planted what they grew, why they plowed their fields how they did. The kobolds learned much, but the Queen was not sated.

The great journey marched west, and south. They passed through the land of more humans, before finding themselves in the lands of the Suga trolls in 356. The kobolds stared up at the great stone forts of the northern trolls, and looked up at the trolls themselves. The Queen would be welcomed warmly, the news of the safety she gives Dawnwatcher a great relief to the Suga. Trade routes are established with the trolls, and several meetings are held. Lith and the trolls came to an agreement after much talk. The trolls who held Five Stones, led by Undermountain, would be better off replaced by the Suga and Dawnwatcher. The kobolds taught the trolls what they knew of weapon and armor crafting, and the Queen would discretely promise the Suga her aid when the day came to liberate Five Stones. It would be during this time that one of the daughters of Lith and her lover Ylik would go missing. It was winter of 357, and it was that year that many blizzards came down upon the mountains. The child, named Liika, was out exploring alone when such a storm came. The young princess, only seven, would walk blindly in the snow for several hours until finding herself face to face with a troll. The troll was of a clan called the Snow-sleepers, and upon seeing the poor kobold child offered the princess aid. Liika was kept in the Troll's hibernation womb, and when she emerged a few months later she was changed. She was larger, sturdier, and healthier. While not a true troll-spawn the child clearly showed signs of relation to the beings. Upon returning to the rest of the kobolds Lith was overjoyed to have her daughter returned to her. However the journey would not wait. The kobolds would see Five Stones, or at least, the lands surrounding it.
Queen Lith met with the High Chieftain Undermountain, and the two spoke. During the conversation the trolls led by Dawnwatcher, the trolls living in Scalethein lands, were brought up but the Queen deftly replied that those trolls were residents of Scalethein, and that the Scalethein empire wished nothing but peace with the Trolls of Five Stone. After easing the High Chieftain of his doubt the Queen was presented the chance to speak with many truly ancient stone-trolls, three hundred and older. The Queen learned of times long since passed, and of matters that were long forgotten by any save the trolls. The Queen would have these words written down by the priests among her, the scrolls now gracing the Hall of Records to this day.

The great Journey continued south, into lands that were controlled by humans, and ran rampant with beings known as Grogar. On the road to the Human empire of Bet Aybar more than one band of Grogar attackers were fended off, though not without losses. At one point a female Grogar was captured, however unlike the other brutes she was shorter, sleeker, and clearly more intelligent. The Queen would have her fed, and several times attempted to speak with the grogar woman. When the grogar was finally willing to believe that she would not be killed she spoke to the Queen, and the two learned of each other. The bloody city of the Grogar was placed upon the maps being drawn, the knowledge that the Grogar too had wooden sailing ships, and even some information regarding how to build such a ship. The traits of the Grogar, their strength and power. In return for this knowledge the Queen gave the highborn knowledge of smithing, of agriculture, of writing and reading, of how to organize soldiers and fight effectively as groups, and the faith of the Goddesses of the Twin Moons. It would be then that the highborn was released, allowed to return to her life.

The kobolds and their Queen would arrive at Bet Aybar in 363 A.E to the sight of great splendor. With the arrival of the Lith and her kobolds a great festival was had, every street was lined with dancing and food, and the palace of Bet Aybar, where the Queen herself met the Emperor, was guarded by a legion's worth or more soldiers armed in full metal gear. The festivities lasted for a month until they winded down, and at this time the Queen would get the chance to have her first real conversation with the Emperor. The two spoke, however Lith saw the celebration and armed guards for what they were, an attempt to both wow and humble the visiting kobolds. After much debate Lith left the table, no longer seeking to even speak of the emperor. She would instead speak through one of the priests, a male kobold named Rall. Rall would become the first Kobold ambassador to Bet Aybar, and he would remain in that city the rest of his life. However the Queen would not. A few trade routes are created with the humans, but only after three years in Bet Aybar the host of Kobolds would leave, save for Rall.

The Kobolds journeyed east, into lands that were once Promethea. Arriving at the ruins of the city itself in 368 the Kobolds settled down for a short time in order to rest and scavenge anything of use from the once great city. The kobolds went wild in the ancient city, relics would be gathered yes, but graffiti would find it's way to many walls, the symbols of the twin moons defacing many once temples to the old master's great ape. Then, the Queen and her party would find a statue still standing from the battle. Standing at twenty feet tall, an onyx statue of a tall ape long since dead. This statue would be toppled to the sounds of cheering, and much food gathered from the nearby jungles and the last of the kobold's alcohol would be consumed.
After the rowdy affair the party would march north, not for home, but for other lands. Indeed while several Kobolds did indeed return to Scale Home with the knowledge, the maps and the relics claimed during the journey most of the Great Journey, including Queen Lith herself, would instead head towards Far Home. It would be there that the Queen would learn of the troubles the pirates presented first hand.

The Queen, with her remaining party of roughly one hundred, were fishing upon the shore. It would be then by chance that two ships would appear, and from them the Saurian would pour forth. While the Queen's party tried to defend themselves, most were not soldiers and they were either killed or captured. The Queen herself would have taken a fatal blow had her lover Ylik not thrown himself in front of the blade meant for her. The Queen, along with roughly fifty other kobolds and dwarves, was taken to Zaqir to work as slaves.
The Zaqir did not know that one of their newest slaves was a Queen, and Lith did not inform them. So instead of being held prisoner or some other fouler fate she was made to work, digging the great canal of Zaqir. It would be during this time that the Queen would learn personally how to build, becoming somewhat skilled in the art of architecture. However before she could serve any longer as a builder a raider of some fame set her eyes on the kobold. The once queen was made the personal assistant of the raider leader, and during this time she learned a great deal concerning war. Mazarism, a school of combat philosophy was in particular something Lith learned of. During her time with the raiders the kobold took another lover, a saurian male. Their children were a mixture of the two races, larger than kobolds but not as large as the saurian, with the children of the union having bouts of colorful scales on their body, standing around four to five feet in height, and thin but short snouts.

Lith would however seek freedom to return to her home, even if she had learned so much from the Zaqir. Indeed it was in her blood, only one descended from the first Queen would rule Scale Home. So began a year of intense training, preparing Lith for the Ring of Valor, where she would fight for her freedom. In 385 A.E Lith would enter the arena, and with a dagger in each hand fought the hordes of warriors, beasts and monsters. The Queen grew to love the Ring of Valor, the roar of the crowd, the blood of the enemies pooling at her bare feet. She would earn her freedom, and with it a chest of silver, gems, weapons and helms. And also a ship to call her own. Lith took this ship, packed it with every free kobold of Zaqir, with her new lover, and with her half-breed children, and sailed homeward.

And so it would be, in the year of 387 A.E, at the age of sixty six, would return in Scale Home. Much like Rei before her, the Queen was now humbler, wiser, and greater for her journey. Within the first month since her return she would right away commission the building of an arena, much like Zaqir's Ring of Valor. The battlefield would be called the Arena of Scales, and it would be one of the greatest architectural wonders of Scalethein, equaled only by the great mining achievements of Uthein. The Arena held at capacity forty thousand attendees, with a box where the Queen could personally watch the matches alongside her favored. The battlefield itself was a pit filled with sand, however it was not flat. The arena was filled with small rises and falls in the terrain, forcing one to think of the ground they walked on as well as their foe. The construction of the arena took many years, ending in 398 A.E

By that time a Almurzani would come, and the Queen along with many brave kobolds and dwarves would attend. It would only be then that the saurian learnt of her identity as queen, and Lith, remembering the arena quite fondly, even partook in a few bouts herself. The kobold and dwarve soldiers preformed best in the group engagements, putting up a lackluster performance in the single combat save for Lith's battles.

When the Almurzani was over, and when the Arena of Scales was completed Lith was nearing the end of her life. It would be then, on the first day of 400 A.E that the Queen would declare who would succeed her. The Arena of Scales very first games would be held that day, and the final battles would decide who was fit to rule Scale Home. Among Lith's many daughters the one who was victor would be crowned. And so the games would begin. By the end of it, only two warriors remained. Liika the Stone blooded, equipped with heavy iron armor and a massive shield, wielding a blunt metal mace, a newer weapon design created by Kobold weapon smiths not long before the games, and Maza the Rainbow, a crossbreed of the Queen and her saurian lover, Maza wearing next to nothing and wielding a savage ax. It was a long, and beautiful battle, song of by the bards even today. In the beginning Maza threw herself at Liika, hacking and cleaving. If not for the heavy armor of the Stone blooded she may have fallen there, but over time Maza's strikes became slower, held less impact. After ten minutes of intense fighting Liika would smack Maza across the face with her shield, and the half blood fell, defeated, though not dead. It would be discovered the Queen Lith had died watching that battle, quietly and peacefully, knowing that Scalethein was in good hands. It was that day that Queen Liika was crowned, and the tale of Queen Lith, friend of prophets, ally of the Suga, mother of half-breeds, recorder of knowledge, and champion of the arena was burnt upon a massive pyre in the center of the Arena of Scales. Her ashes scattered across the Arena, so that all that fight there would fight with her blessing.

[hr]

[u][h3][b]Major Events of Scale Home, Fourth Century[/b][/h3][/u] 

[b]Cultural:[/b] Faith, in general, is explored. The priests of the Twin Goddesses of the Moon, equipped with knowledge of religions from across the entire continent, go about figuring out how it all fits together. They finally decide upon the this.. There are six Earth gods, the mountain father and the five ancients. The sky has two goddesses, in the form of Arill and Zee, and there are also many lesser gods who rule over minor things. There are also somewhere between one and three gods that are of nothing but apparently everything, these being the Divine, the Yossod god, and the Tall ape. Further information on the three nothing gods is sparse.

[b]Militarist:[/b] After the return of Queen Lith a force is assembled in Far Home to properly combat the saurian raiders, or failing that give them a worthy fight. The legion that had been posted there was more or less torn apart and posted across the entire area, 'squads' comprising of eight to sixteen kobolds and dwarves living in small bunkers dotting across the jungle and shoreline. These men were dubbed the 'Lighting Legion' and could be made to mobilize extremely quickly. While they couldn't repel the larger raider fleets the small fast moving kobold units could easily deal with the smaller bands of raiders that attacked.

[b]Technological:[/b] Early in the century the invention of 'Moon's Flame' makes the already dangerous Pults far more deadly to large groups of infantry or wooden structures.
The creation of the Hall of Records would mean the advancement of Kobold knowledge, in the form of a single place where all knowledge could be contained.
The Great Journey meanwhile caused an explosion of knowledge in Scalethein. The pestering nature of the kobolds resulted in a great deal of information being gleamed from everywhere the kobolds went. Mathematics, philosophy, riding, animal husbandry, all this and more became known to the people of Scale Home.

[b]Governmental:[/b] Queen Lilith dies, replaced by her daughter Lith. Queen Lith, after many adventures and advances, died peacefully in the Arena of Scales, replaced by her daughter Liika the Stone Blooded, who was previously nurtured in a Stone Troll's hibernation womb.

[b]Territorial:[/b] There are no new territorial advances, however maps of most of the continent are created.