The Rise of Humanity

After the Fall was a time of lawlessness. The Sylvan armies had been largely made up of orcs, so there were few to resist the dismantling of the Empire. Those who did best stayed safe behind city walls. The problem was not primarily a military one—the elves had kept the empire secure through rule of law and belief in their nobility. The shattered tower cracked the second, and the first fell soon after.

During this time, though the orcs large kept to themselves around the ruined elven cities many gangs of thieves or plunderers began roaming the wilderness, and travel became very dangerous. Former trading partners were unable to send caravans to each other and each town and city had to become more self-sufficient.

Humans have always been adaptable, and over time some human cities prospered. They were able to send troops out to protect towns and villages around them, and in return these were able to trade with them. Prosperity and security began to propagate out from these cities. Most of the people near to a large city began to pledge themselves to its lord in exchange for protection. We now call these the city-states of Myrnia—each city controls some area around itself, but its core is a single city built in the time of the Sylvan Empire, but now ruled by humans who have named themselves kings.