History
The land of Tonori was once covered in dense jungle, but now it is mostly a volcanic wasteland. When the Crystal of Fire shattered, the jungle's canopy burned in what appeared to be a sudden and explosive eruption. The fire quickly killed not only most of the vegetation, but many of the inhabitants, as well. People were scattered throughout an increasingly harsh environment and had to spend most of their time trying to survive, instead of looking for lost friends and relatives; many fled Tonori completely, others began to develop nomadic customs, not conducive to life in a permanent location. Gradually however, most of the remaining Tonorians reconnected and promptly agreed to reorganize as a kingdom, but when disagreements arose about where the capitol should be, the group became divided.
Once coexisting under the cooperative resistance against Keshlam, the old Tonorian tribes had become aggressive toward each other; they constantly battled over boundaries, resources & minor cultural differences. Also, many illnesses that were beginning to ravage the area, were destroyed by the fire, giving people a chance to recuperate. For these reasons, many people were able to perceive the great fire as some sort of a divine cleansing. This group (comprised mostly of Ifriton) wanted their new kingdom to be built around the volcanic mountain-range, where they believed a benevolent but judgmental dragon-goddess resided.
The rest of the group disagreed with this newfound belief, instead seeing the volcano as a threat of nature, that required aggressive analysis. When these 'disbelievers' began to raise questions about the alleged entity in the mountains, fights erupted. After a while of verbal mud-slinging and a few minor physical disturbances, the two groups were only able to agree that they should live as far apart from each other, as possible. This is how the kingdoms of Gispaa and Tulimshar came to be.
Since then, most of the people who chose to remain in the newborn desert, somehow learned to flourish there, continuing their lineage in a place where no one expected it possible.
