The aftermath of the godswar changed the very face of the land, wiping out entire civilizations and races. The few survivors searched desperately for safety from the chaos and violence that ensued in the absence of the gods. Most did not survive.
Those that did often possessed an advantage the others lacked. Such was the case with the family that became House Teophilus. They were founded many, many centuries ago by a woman named Teophilus. She led the straggling survivors of a long forgotten people to the placid waters of the of the Endless lake, which had only recently appeared.
Teophilus commanded her people to cut down the surrounding trees. They fashioned them into boats, and used them to sail to the island at the center of the lake. The island was covered in rich forests of oak, ash and elm, which the people used to create homes for the impending winter.
Food was scarce and Teophilus despaired that most of her people might not survive. They had no talent for fishing, and few weapons with which to hunt the abundant game in their new forested home. The people used their few tools to fashion crude structures to protect them from the winter snows, but it did nothing to fill their bellies.
They would likely have starved if not for the intervention of the Elfen who lived in the forest. The Elfen took pity on the starving humans, and brought them enough food to survive the winter. They taught the humans how to make bows, how to hunt and how to dig for the island’s edible roots.
Teophilus and her people survived the winter, and as spring arrived they thanked their saviors profusely. The Elfen accepted their gratitude and asked only one thing in return. The humans must keep to the northern side of the island, and could not venture south of Mount Ekessiar, a large peak that dominated the island.
The humans had no issue following the Elfen edict. They found the forest strange and hostile, so instead of exploring it they cut a swathe of trees down along the beach and built themselves a city in a small sheltered cove. The people began building boats, and within a generation bad become adept at fishing and sailing.
A generation later their small settlement had become a town, and the people had grown to depend on the waters of the endless lake. A generation after that if you told a member of Teophilus that their people had once not known how to swim they’d have looked at you as if you’d grown a third eye.
During this time the human’s relationship with the Elfen deepened. The humans gave their neighbors gifts of fish, and in return were given venison and pork. The humans often invited the Elfen into their city, and the intermingling soon led to children of mixed birth.
As decades became centuries the two races intermingled until nearly every citizen in Teophilus had at least a little elfen blood. This bothered many of the Elfen, who splintered into two factions. The first was the purist faction, who believed intermingling with humans was desecrating their bloodline.
The second were the more tolerant and often younger elfen who enjoyed the company of the humans. They saw no reason to separate themselves from the humans, who’d always been friendly and dealt fairly with them.
Eventually this schism became violent. The old guard refuses to allow any Elfen who associated with humans to pass through their forest. Those who chose to stay with the humans were killed on sight if they tried to pass into the southern side of the island.
Being the minority they didn’t attempt to win through force. They simply accepted the edict and joined the city of Teophilus. This is how the city became the first to have a large Elfen population, one nearly as large as the human.
As the elfen no longer had access to the forest they joined the humans as fishermen and sailors. The elfen’s natural dexterity made them perfect for the role, and before long they adapted to their new life.
Teophilian sailors dominated the endless lake. Many took to pirating, which became an accepted part of their culture. Teophilians were loyal to each other, but all others were outsiders and thus fair game. The piracy grew worse over the years, until no vessel save their own was safe.
All this changed after the Elentian’s constructed their canal. They ruthlessly hunted the Teophilians until the pirates learned to steer clear of their vessels. This forced them to find a new means of making a living, something utterly foreign to them. They became merchants.
The Teophilian’s knowledge of the Endless lake meant they knew who wanted what, and who would pay the most to get it. So they began trading across the lake. They set up fast, efficient trade routes that quickly blossomed into a lucrative network.
This network brought their island great wealth, and over the next few centuries Teophilus became one of the grandest cities in the west. It became a port of call for travellers from Elentia to the fledgling city of Hasra, which further swelled the city’s coffers.
By the time of the fall Teophilus had become a well connected economic powerhouse, and the city itself was home to a quarter of a million humans and elfen. They were virtually untouched by the sudden disappearance of the Elentians, especially since the Hasrans took their place within a short span of years.
They remained their independence for another century, but when Enestius finally joined they decided that they had no choice but to do the same. Teophilus feared losing the economic might, and knew that if Enestius and Hasra worked together they could circumvent the Endless Lake almost entirely.
Hasra was all too pleased to have Teophilus join, and gave them full control over the waters of the Endless Lake. In the three centuries since Teophilus has remained their economic might, and still live much as their ancestors always have.
