Editing Xethressan (section)

==History==
In ancient times, Xethressan was home to a powerful empire of minotaur. This empire eventually fell, though its ruins can sometimes still be found across the isles. The reasons for the empires' fall are unknown; even the few minotaurs that still live in isolated villages tell many conflicting stories of its end and cannot say which, if any, are true.

What is known is that somewhere in the eighth century of the Sixth Age, people began arriving in Xethressan from the lands to the east. The Gift of Xethressan soon manifested, and within only a few generations the half-dragons born to these settlers joined together and declared themselves the rulers of Xethressan, forcing all others into slavery. Largely isolated, and free from conflict or interference with other kingdoms, the fledgling nation quickly grew in prosperity. However, they soon came into conflict with one of the two other significant presences on the isles: dragons. The dragons that made the isles their home not only coveted the young nation's wealth, but took offense at what they perceived as a violation of their own territory. The war, however, was brief. With their superior numbers, Xethressan's forces slew several dragons and forced the rest to submit and acknowledge their authority. In the coming years, a number of dragonborn would make pilgrimmages to the island, drawn by stories of the Gift. Though seen as lesser than the half-dragons, their draconic nature was still acknowledged, and they were given positions of status within Xethressan.

As Xethressan expanded, they came into contact with the other significant power, the deep sea elves of A'rvanshy. Unlike the dragons, however, the deep sea elves welcomed their land-dwelling neighbors with open arms and established trade with their undersea city. The benefits of their alliance would become even more evident when a powerful kraken necromancer named Morgawr appeared in the year 1528. Morgawr devastated the half-dragons' fleets, and only the combined forces of A'rvanshy and Xethressan were able to drive him back. In the year 1532 Morgawr attacked the city of A'rvanshy itself, and though casualties were steep the deep sea elves finally managed to defeat the kraken.

Xethressan has largely continued to prosper in relative peace since then, its clans glowing in wealth and power even as they vie against each other for status. Recently, however, two threats have emerged. The first is the return of Morgawr himself. Long thought dead, the kraken reappeared in the year 1981, whereupon he promptly destroyed the city of A'rvanshy and seemingly claimed the entire Abysmal Rift as his domain, destroying any vessels that crossed it. Though the kraken's motives are unknown, he rarely ventures beyond the rift, and Xethressan has largely responded by avoiding him while covertly searching for information on his activities and whether, and by what means, he can truly be slain.

The second issue is that of the sahuagin tribes that dwell in the waters around Xethressan. In the past year, they have grown bolder in their attacks on coastal towns, making more frequent raids and taking captives for some unknown purpose. Lord Rinavarim Shatterwind has attempted to convince the Scaled Council to unify the clans for a war against the sahuagin, though with little success, as the other lords feel that the impacted clans should be responsible for defending their own.