There was once a forest known as the Arylmoor. A great forest which had allegedly stood since the dawn of time. It was said to be a paradise. Full of towering oaks and bountiful lands. In it lived ancient creatures, fauna unlike any other. And preserved within its thick bush were secrets so powerful that those who found them held the power to shake the world.

Among the wildlife of this great forest were a certain woodland people. What they looked like and what they were called are unknown to history for their existence is preserved merely in legend. It is said that they lived peacefully in the Arylmoor. They discovered the secrets of this ancient land and from it they drew powers and gained abilities unlike anything ever known. They lived in relative harmony with the ancient creatures that they shared their home with and founded a quaint society that thrived amidst the trees and the bush.

Or at least that was the legend. But legends are often misleading.

What we do know about these forgone people is their ultimate fate. For all was not bliss in the lands of the Arylmoor. From the unknown depths of existence came another type of man. One who had no abilities but one that had the will and the determination to expand and thrive, no matter the cost. And such men came in droves. And they soon made their presence known to all the other creatures of the forest.

Sensing that their way of life was approaching decimation the woodland folk of the Arylmoor launched a desperate campaign against these perceived invaders. But while they held the natural advantage the invaders used their sheer numbers and superior tactics to defeat the ancient woodland folk in battle. This defeat led the conflict to be known by their descendants as 'The Forsaken Fight'.

Having realized that the destruction of their old way of life was inevitable the woodland folk abandoned their old lives and decided to go into hiding, letting their old home fall to the invading men. The woodland folk hid amongst the ranks of their enemy and learn to follow their ways. They wore the same clothing, lived in the same houses and even aided in the destruction of their old home which was to be made nearly unrecognizable. All for the sake of survival.

It wasn't long before some gifted woodland folk made it to the upper echelon of this new man's high society. Eight such families banded together to form the Great Houses who proceeded to influence the creation of hidden community, a sanctuary for the old inhabitants of the now destroyed Arylmoor. They took control of eight of the Nine Boroughs that made up the new settlement. They founded Hamlets that would house their people and built institutions that would govern them. Including the Guilds, the School of Scribes, the Order of Knights, the Court of Justice and the Court of Nobles. Together these institutions came together to form one large entity, The Circle. With the Table of the Great Houses situated above all else.

The founders of these Great Houses became barons of industry. They bought the remaining forest lands in one last attempt to preserve the last bits of their heritage. And while they did this they also used their immense wealth to build the city that now housed them, the great city of Hatlynshire.