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About This File
Shaphiyr-Harran wasn't always the serene and peaceful region we know today. Millions of years ago, long before the rivers flowed and the earth rent itself apart, the land was a bubbling cauldron of volcanoes, lava flows and ever-shifting landmasses. Thousands of millenniums have passed since that time and a strange new creature emerged dominant in the area.
Even though the region had, by now, assumed the general shapes and features we recognize today, there was still vast differences. The valleys were filled by glaciers and the eastern mountain ranges had yet to be formed. It was during this ice age that B'nith Vorat became aware he was more than just another man in his tribe. B'nith was always an odd one -- given to introspective thinking, always at odds with the council over what they saw as radical ideas and going exploring across the region on his own. The Tribal Council had tried to reason with him but could not get him to realize he was going against the "good" of the tribe by not contributing his due.
One Spring morning, the tribe was edgy and uneasy. Their animals were jittery and there was a sense of foreboding in the air. The council tried to appease the gods with sacrifices but the unease of the day would not go away. B'nith prophesied the very earth would reject the council's sacrifices and rise up against the tribe. This was too much for the council to bear. How dare this... this commoner think he is equal to the Tribal Council and dare to know what the gods will do!
As one man, the council rushed B'nith Vorat meaning to make him their next sacrifice to the gods. Suddenly, as they carried him to the Altar of Sacrifice, the earth heaved and rolled under them making horrific noises. The ground beneath them opened and swallowed whole groups of the tribe. The earth continued to open creating an ever widening rift. Suddenly, huge chunks of ice started to break free from the glaciers filling the gaps between the mountain ranges. Chaos became the watchword of the day.
Within 1000 years, the glaciers had retreated, carving out the river valleys we know today and leaving behind a land ready to be cultivated and developed. Far to the east of Shaphiyr-Harran, the rift valley finally stopped widening with each massive earthquake. Two mountain ranges had been thrust up as a result of the tectonic activity over the past 1000 years. Finally, the earth's activity quieted; the land grew calm. Man once again flourished and modern times began for Sh
