Great Continent
The Great Continent was a large landmass east of the Great Ocean. It was home to a variety of races, including drakes, dwarves, elves, humans, orcs, and the undead.
History
Before Wesnoth
| Then, one day, the strong-hearted Crown Prince of Southbay returned home from a long voyage with a fabulous tale. He said that there were lands to the east that could be reached by aggressively sailing to the east and north, to compensate for southern pull of the ocean. |
| —Lore describes the Crown Prince of Southbay's discovery of the Great Continent. |
The Great Continent lay on the eastern side of the Great Ocean.[1] The continent's large size accommodated various natural features, including forests,[2][3] mountain ranges,[4][5] plains,[6][7] and swamps.[8][9] Through the center of the continent ran the Great River.[10]
The continent was originally inhabited by elves and trolls,[11] some time after which the dwarves emerged from caves and settled in the hills and mountains of the continent.[12] The undead also had a minor presence on the continent in its early history.[13] In the sand wastes to the south lived the dunefolk, a collection of nomadic humans.[14] Over time, the continent became home to a diverse population of races, including fire dragons,[8], nagas,[15] ogres,[16] orcs,[17], saurians,[8] and woses.[18] For a long time, there was no noticeable orcish presence on the Great Continent,[17] and most conflict existed between the dwarves and elves.[19]
Human colonization
| Some changes were good. The Elves, awakened as from a long dream, began to increase in population. But some were very bad, and the worst of those was the coming of the orcs, the wreckers, the tree-killers. The years of their long childhoods were a golden age, and the last time of untroubled peace. |
| —Lore describes the descent of the Great Continent into warfare. |
After refugees from the Green Isle, including Prince Haldric's people and the Wesfolk, immigrated to the Great Continent,[10] they were given a portion of elvish land in which to settle.[19] There they established the Kingdom of Wesnoth.[20] They were followed to the continent by the orcs,[21] much to the alarm of the elves.[17] Also during this period, the undead gained prominence on the continent.[13]
Though the orcs were initially defeated at the hands of the humans,[3] they later returned in greater numbers from the north and attacked the elves and humans.[2][22] A large number of drakes also immigrated from Morogor to the continent, allying themselves with the saurians,[23] then settling in the Heart Mountains.[24] In the years to come, Wesnothians came to occupy a large portion of the center of the continent.[25] The elves, meanwhile, occupied the Aethenwood, Wesmere Forest, and Lintanir Forest with the woses,[11][18] while the dwarves remained in the Heart Mountains.[26] The orcs settled in the north with their naga allies where they tricked the trolls into combat.[27] While the ogres lingered in the wildernesses of the Great Continent,[16] the saurians resided in various swamps with their capital in Saurgrath.[28][29] Though rare,[30] fire dragons dwelt in various caves throughout the continent.[31][32][33]
After centuries of conflict on the Great Continent,[34] peace was eventually reached between the dwarves, elves, and humans, while a second sun was magically raised into the sky. Though this period lasted for many years, eventually the factions reignited hostilities and became vulnerable to the orcs and undead one more. When the Great Fall occurred, the environment also began to change, such that the plains and forests became deserts, further exacerbated by orcish logging. The elves left what remained of the forests and became known as the Quenoth,[35] before eventually leaving the Great Continent altogether to live with the merfolk on Zocthanol Isle.[36]
References
- ↑ A Summer of Storms, The Rise of Wesnoth
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Uprooting, Legend of Wesmere
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Defend the Forest, An Orcish Incursion
- ↑ Together Again, Secrets of the Ancients
- ↑ End of Peace, Son of the Black-Eye
- ↑ Glory, Liberty
- ↑ The Drained Plains, Eastern Invasion
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 The Dragon, The Rise of Wesnoth
- ↑ Mal-Ravanal's Capital, Eastern Invasion
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 A New Land, The Rise of Wesnoth
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Elves (race)
- ↑ Dwarves (race)
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Undead (race)
- ↑ Dunefolk (race)
- ↑ Elves' Last Stand, Legend of Wesmere
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Ogres (race)
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 A Spy in the Woods, The Rise of Wesnoth
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Walking Trees, Secrets of the Ancients
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 The Ka'lian, The Rise of Wesnoth
- ↑ Epilogue, The Rise of Wesnoth
- ↑ The Vanguard, The Rise of Wesnoth
- ↑ News from the Front, Legend of Wesmere
- ↑ Wesmere, Wings of Victory
- ↑ Heart Mountains, Wings of Victory
- ↑ Kingdom of Wesnoth (geography)
- ↑ The Ford of Abez, Heir to the Throne
- ↑ Northerners (faction)
- ↑ Saurians (race)
- ↑ Costly Revenge, Legend of Wesmere
- ↑ Fire dragon (unit)
- ↑ The Dragon, The Rise of Wesnoth
- ↑ Ray of Hope, Northern Rebirth
- ↑ The Dragon, Scepter of Fire
- ↑ Son of the Black-Eye (main)
- ↑ Descending into Darkness, Under the Burning Suns
- ↑ Epilogue, Under the Burning Suns