Vertani
The Vertani are an aristocratic race of foreign giants, who in the year 379 AF, opened a portal to Sapience and entered as visitors to our world.
Curious about Sapience and somewhat evangelical in their religion, culture and morals, the Vertani went about learning as much as possible about our culture while preaching their own. While most met the Vertani with civility, some immediately attempted to slay them–the first Vertani death was caused by the occultist Rocktamer.
Shallam initiated peaceful relations from the beginning, some of them acquiring a rudimentary fluency in the Vertani's native language. To facilitate the learning process, the Vertani sent a priest named Ralem, who took up residence in Saoghal.
On the 21st of Eros 379 AF, the Vertani diplomat Hingar met with leaders from each of the city-states. After explaining some facets of Vertani culture, Hingar gave each leader a red torc as a gift of good will. He then invited all the city-states to participate in a continent-wide competition called the Game of Eyes.
The Game of Eyes commenced in Aeguary 380 AF, supervised by the Vertani Overlord Estan. Ashtan triumphed, Eleusis took second, and Hashan took third. Following the competition, diplomats, guards, and mages from the House Feranki presented the three cities with impressive silver monuments. Eleusis soon discovered the resurrection capabilities of the monuments, but Ashtan and Hashan were suspicious and refrained from using such powers.
It wasn't long before mysterious golden cubes were discovered in the Dardanic grasslands, and by the power of Feranki mages, a Vertani fortress solidified from these cubes in seconds.
The Vertani quickly sought to ally themselves with Tasur'ke, El'Jazira, and Thera, hinting at a future Vertani Empire. (Whether the villages wholeheartedly agreed to this "alliance" is a subject much debated among mortals.) Once again, mysterious golden cubes were strategically placed, and Vertani fortresses appeared within each town's walls. This was perceived by many to be part of a plan to annex our world to the Vertani Empire, and was met with great hostility, particularly on the part of Ashtan and Mhaldor, who declared war upon the foreigners. Several skirmishes resulted, most of them ending with equitable losses on both sides. After one major altercation–involving a number of Theran soldiers, who had since allied with Ashtan in their fight against the Vertani–the power of the foreigners was truly revealed. In a fiery rain of meteors, Vertani mages brought about the complete destruction of Thera, reducing the village to mere rubble.
The majority of the race was decimated in events following the destruction of Thera during what is referred to as the Fall of the Vertani. A small faction still remains as guests in the city of Shallam.