Lustria - History of Lustria

History of Lustria

The Slann record that Lustria was originally attached to the Southlands, just as real world South America was attached to Africa. As part of the Old Ones plan, the two were separated and changed from barren wastelands into fertile jungles. It was around this time that most of the Lizardmen Temple-Cities were founded and populated.

Skaven were the first of the younger species to vie for control of Lustria. There Clan Pestillens infected many Lizardmen, particularly the larger species, with a plague that weakened their power and caused many of their cities to fall into ruin. This was only reversed with the rise of the snake god Sotek, around the Imperial Year 0, who drove the Skaven out of Lustria.

Before the discovery of Lustria by the Norse, a trading vessel from the Old World was caught in the fierce currents off the coast of Araby and swept into the swirling waters of Ulthuan. The wrecked ship was washed up months later on the south eastern shore of Lustria. Unbeknownst to the crew, one of their passengers, Luthor Harkon, had been a vampire and although all the humans died in the disaster, the vampire and his off-spring lived and founded a new realm of undead in the New World, known as 'the Vampire Coast'.

The first human to reach Lustria (and survive) was the Norse seafarer Lost Erik, who recorded landing on an island just off the coast of Lustria and looting gold from Lizardmen. He failed to realize the extent of the land and it was drawn on maps as a small cluster of islands. This story is based on an amalgamation of real world events that led to the European discovery of the Americas; first the Norse expeditions to North America, and the voyage of Christopher Columbus, who failed to realize he had discovered a new continent.

Lost Erik's son, named Losteriksson, was the first Old Worlder to reach the mainland of Lustria. After trekking inland in search of treasure, Losteriksson and his men left Lustria as rich men, only to return and settle down where they first landed, naming the settlement Skeggi, after Losteriksson's daughter, the first human to be born in the New World. The name 'Skeggi' is perhaps a joke by the writers on the name of the British coastal resort of Skegness, often referred to as 'Skeggy'.

Since Losteriksson returned with gold and riches, Lustria has been a popular destination for adventurers seeking to make a fortune and this has resulted in several Lizardmen cities being looted. The increase in traffic to Lustria has also increased the number of ships wrecked on its coast, which has served to swell the number of helpless victims the undead of the Vampire Coast can add to their ranks.