The Tale of our Lands.

Appalachia is an ancient land, full of the wonders and beauties of Nature. We are but one part of this great land, and this is our tale.

For countless centuries we were one with the land, where our villages began and the woods ended was often hard to see. Countless tribes lived among the mountains and valleys of the Appalachian Ridge, in days past called the slumbering green dragon. Each tribe had the spirit of an animal they followed, wars were common but as was alliances and friendships. Despite the wars, we never lost sight that we were all a part of the land, and thus each being worthy the respect we paid the land.

The eldest chestnut trees remember the winds of change that came from the north. The mighty sentinels were but saplings then. Golden haired invaders came from the north seas to the head of the green dragon. They destroyed tribe after tribe till one son of a fallen tribe called on his brothers to make a pact. He led an alliance of the remnants of the tribes and won a great battle against the invaders through his cunning. Even the spirit of the fox would be jealous. Seeing his victory, more tribes joined his crusade and fought back the invaders. An uneasy peace was made. That year was a harsh winter in the north lands. The invaders grew desperate and traded some of their knowledge for food that had been grown from the smoking mouth of the dragon, where the fire rises from the ground. At a moment of desperation the strangers found they could work with the tribes and not against. Years later they lost contact with their homeland, but we added them into our fold of brothers and sisters. To this day the tribes of their descendants go by the names of the spirit animals of the cold north lands.

Our new brothers taught us the secrets of metal working, it was a time of great learning. Smaller tribes united and peace reigned. It was a golden age.

Little over two centuries ago it came to an end. Again invaders from across the sea came to our home and desired it. They were peaceful at first, but we saw how they treated their servants and knew they could not be trusted. Their weapons though shot forth fire like that which is found at the mouth of the green dragon. Tribe after tribe fell to this marvel.

Our people seemed doomed to being conquered and forced into servitude, but like before, one hero rose to unite us. The descendants of the one that held back the first strangers had created a tribe, their spirit the raccoon. The chief of that tribe called for all remaining tribes to unite. He had found a way to soften the bite of their weapons. Metal and cloth were placed upon our mammoths of war. Our best archers on their backs. We broke their lines of fire and our archers rained arrows on them.

The chief was not done yet. He freed the slaves of the invaders and formed a pact with them. Help fight and they would be free. The victories of the great chief won the respect of a nation of pirates that were profiting off the wars of these colonial powers, but they yearned for a chance to carve their own path, but to do that they needed allies to be safe from the colonial powers. The pirate king and his daughter sailed to meet with the great Chief. Their goal aligned a Union was made between the tribes and the chain of free islands of the pirates that lay south of the tail of the dragon, separated by the sea. The Chief took the Pirate King’s daughter to marry, considered by many to be the Queen of Pirates as a symbol. The Queen was every bit as capable as her husband. The two proved to be an unstoppable force. The strangers that invaded our land met their match and were sent away.

Some of the more peaceful strangers were allowed to remain, as they were seeking religious freedom or freedom in general. Eventually they became one with us like the strangers before them had. Those that had been slaves formed their own tribes as well and became as one of our brothers. Under the guidance of the Pirate Queen, the nation of of Pirates became part of our community also.

The great Raccoon Chief taught us that we must stay united in order to persist as a people. The alliance he formed has remained strong to this very day. We honor him and his tribe by the animal of our alliance being a Raccoon, the spirit animal of his tribe.

Now we are an alliance of many powerful tribes, stretching from the cold mountainous north of the horns of the dragon to the tropical rainforests and swamps that make up the tail of the green dragon. We will show the world the greatness that can be achieved by working with nature and man.