søndag den 8. januar 2012
Aegis
To talk of Aegis is to discuss several distinct regions, known collectively as Regaria. At one point Regaria split into seven different kingdoms, each was its own great realm. When the Great Empire of Resh, and later the Sunshadows arrived on this continent, they encountered the King in the North, the King of Mountain and Vale, the King of the Rock, the King of the East, the Storm King, the King of the Iron Islands, and the Prince of Sands, each dominant in his own lands.
And before there were seven kingdoms, hundreds of kingdoms and different peoples existed. The earliest period of Aegis, long before the Sunshadows, before the first eladrin incursions, and even before the mindflayer empire of Nihilath, is called the Dawn Age. During this era, the children of the forest, ie the wild elves, lived alone throughout Aegis and worshiped the primal spirits, such as the gods of the trees and rocks and streams. This period lasted until the arrival of the First Men, survivors of the collapse of Nihilath, former slaves fleeing the underground feeding camps. They came up through caves from below the mountains of Quibahl. The First Men brought bronze weapons and horses with them, in addition to their own gods. They warred with the children of the forest and cut down their beloved forests.
The war between the children of the forest and the First Men lasted for centuries until they buried their enmity by forging the Pact. The Pact was a great peace treaty that ended the Dawn Age and began the Age of Heroes: Almost two thousand years of friendship between the First Men and the elves as well as general peace on Aegis. They worked together, traded between their villages, and some of the First Men even took on the old gods of the children, adopting the carved weirwoods as their own.
That peace was shattered when the eladrin armies swept in from their fortresses in the Feywild and in a few short years conquered most of Aegis, forming the first of three eladrin empires to dominate Aegis. For almost another two thousand years, the people of Aegis, man and elf, were subjects to the eladrins, living as they always had, in villages and small communities.
Then, when the Cendriane Empire collapsed and the eladrins retreated back into the Feywild, man began to organize themselves more, in bigger communities, in order to better be able to defend themselves. Soon the first citystates were formed.
500 years later, Tomaz Regar, a young warlord, used his sword and his army to unite the city states of the east, founding Regaria and crowning himself as king at the tender age of 22. And his ambition didn't stop there. For another 53 years, He expanded his kingdom, annexing what is Damaria and Valar today. After his death his grandsons and so on followed in his footsteps, and a mere 300 years later, Regaria encompassed all of Aegis.
For about 100 years, there was once again peace on Aegis, but then the Great Empire of Resh invaded Regaria via the southern ports of Quibahl, and 7 years later, Regaria was no more.
For nearly 200 years, the Empire held on to Aegis, but then King Markus made an alliance with the Kingdom, and started the fires of revolution. In a few short years, the Empire was defeated, and they retreated back across the sea.
Regaria was restored, and King Markus spoke of a new golden age to come. Thousands of years with peace and prosperity. Unfortunately, he couldn't have been more wrong. Just 110 years later, King Markus III dies, with no apparent heirs, and Regaria is plunged into a 17-year long very bloody civil war. Peace is made in -734, but there is no winner, no one strong enough to claim the throne, so the Kingdom of Regaria is dissolved and divided into the old seven realms.
For two hundred years, the seven realms continued their semi-civil-war, trying to gain the upper hand, but to little avail. So when the Sunshadows arrived on their dragons, the continent was ripe for plucking.
In -523, the five eladrin brothers and their extensive family came from the Feywild with their green dragons. Rumored to be fleeing a murderous betrayal in the Feywild, they first appeared in a forest in Valar. From there, they quickly built a powerbase and took over Valar, then marched on the rest of Aegis. While usually outnumbered 3 to 1, the green dragons more than made up for the difference. The armies of the other realms were one by one swept aside, until the Sunshadows a mere 5 years later could call themselves rulers of the Empire of the Sun, fourth eladrin empire on Aegis.
500 years the Empire of the Sun lasted, with the Sunshadows ruling with their dragons and iron fists. Never has Aegis had such unpopular and brutal rulers. Executions were every occurrences, and anyone who as much as thought badly off the Sunshadows were dragged away and never seen again. Their secret police, called the Silver Spiders, had eyes and ears everywhere. Or almost. Somehow the Silver Spiders missed the brewing and planning of the Regar family, who led the rebellion against the eladrin overlord. The armies had been gathered in secret, and when they struck, they surprised everyone. Most of the dragons were quickly taken out of the equation, and the Regars thought it would quickly be over, but they had underestimated just how many had linked their faith to the Sunshadows, and a surprising large amount of nobles flocked to the black and gold banner of the Sunshadows. Four years the bloody war lasted, ending with Arim Regar personally executing Emperor Ri'am Sunshadow and his 6 wives on the steps of the church of Bane.
Regaria was once more again whole and under the guidance of the Regar family. And just three years later, the First Great Demon War began.
Now, 250 years later, Regaria is once again no more. The Second Demon War broke the rule of the Regars, when nearly all of them were slain during the incursion of a demon horde. Most of Regaria avoided the demons, or rather, the damage dealt has been repaired, except the fractured kingdom. Regaria is once again the Seven Realms, battling and scheming for the control of Aegis.
The Seven Realms are as follow:
- The North, ruled by the Khim Jensen, King of the North
- Gundar, ruled by the Harald Zork, King of the Mountain and Vale
- The Iron Isles, ruled by the Jack Tempest, King of the Iron Isles
- Valar, ruled by the Emin Moonshadow, the Storm King
- Damari, ruled by the Kegan Andar, King of the Rock
- Regaria, ruled by the John Regar, King of the East
- Quibahl, ruled by the Elisabeth Sunspear, Princess of the Sands
lørdag den 7. januar 2012
Elves
While several of the other races were hit hard by the death of their gods, the elves is perhaps the race that took was changed the least.
Still wild and free, the elves of Macera still guard their forested lands using stealth and showering their enemies with deadly arrows from the trees. They still build their homes in close harmony with the forest, so perfectly joined that travelers often fail to notice that they have entered an elven community until it is too late.
The biggest difference is perhaps that the elves are a bit wilder, a bit more withdrawn and private than before. Thus fewer people accidentally stumbled over elven settlements. Usually they are too far from civilization to just stumble upon, but more often than not, the people who come too close are simply killed.
While some claim it is due to the loss of their patron god, others strongly disagree. After the Second Great Demon War, the elves were quick to pledge themselves to the Primal Spirits. And while some of the other races have had trouble adapting their mindset to their new patron gods, the elves have had no such trouble.
Still wild and free, the elves of Macera still guard their forested lands using stealth and showering their enemies with deadly arrows from the trees. They still build their homes in close harmony with the forest, so perfectly joined that travelers often fail to notice that they have entered an elven community until it is too late.
The biggest difference is perhaps that the elves are a bit wilder, a bit more withdrawn and private than before. Thus fewer people accidentally stumbled over elven settlements. Usually they are too far from civilization to just stumble upon, but more often than not, the people who come too close are simply killed.
While some claim it is due to the loss of their patron god, others strongly disagree. After the Second Great Demon War, the elves were quick to pledge themselves to the Primal Spirits. And while some of the other races have had trouble adapting their mindset to their new patron gods, the elves have had no such trouble.
Gnomes
In the Feywild, the best way for a small creature to survive is to be overlooked. While suffering in servitude to the fomorian tyrants of the Feydark, gnomes learned to hide, to mislead, and to deflect - and by these means, to survive. The same talents sustained them well for many years, allowing them to prosper in a world filled with creatures much larger and far more dangerous than they are.
But with the destruction of their homes in the Feywild, the gnomes were almost exterminated. Those that did survive followed the eladrins to the mortal world, but decided not to follow them into the depth of the forests and be their servants. Instead they moved into city of men, and found themselves a new niche. As if possessed with a singular mind, they picked up the worship of the Raven Queen. Not much is known about why this happened, but it is suspected that it is closely related to the fact that all gnomes now seem to show some sort of ability with regards to prophecy or visions. Or maybe it was the other way around. First came the worship of the Raven Queen, then the power of prophecy.
Today, most gnomes met in the world are servants or advisers, mostly to powerful men. Female gnomes and gnome children are almost unheard off. No one seems to know where the gnomes learn their trade and grow up, but there is still no shortage of nobles and powerful merchants willing to hire gnomes in order to gain an edge in dealings with their competitors.
fredag den 6. januar 2012
Timeline
All of Macera
-12000 (ca): Macera is pretty much divided into two empires. K'harak, Empire of Giants and Aurak, Empire of the dragons. While they dominate the lesser races, only the dwarves are slaves per say.
-9000 (ca): Erathis gathers the greatest tribes of all the races to the isles of Saham, where she inscribes in stone the first laws, using a stylus made from one of her own ribs. She also builds 11 huge bridges, connecting the 7 great islands together.
-8600 (ca): The Dawn War breaks out.
-7300 (ca): The Dawn War ends. Both pre-Dawn War empires are in ruins. The giants are crushed, while the dragons have gone into hiding, sleeping it off after many years of war.
-7280: The Primal Spirits close off Macera to the gods and the primordials.
-6500: The mindflayers arrive from the Far Realms and conquer most of Macera.
-6392: Founding of the Empire of the Mind, also called Nihilath, as the mindflayers enslave most of the world.
-5569: The dragons awaken again from their slumber. They fight the Empire of the Mind and it's mindflayers who have enslaved the world.
-5565: The war is over and the mindflayers flee to other planes of existence and into the Underdark.
Saham
-5393: The Empire of the Sword is founded. From their great city of Xi Kir, the hobgoblins spread both to the north and south, laying waste to any resistance for years. The only resistance they run into, are the dwarves.
-5345: The Empire of Iron is founded by the Seven Dwarves, and as the empire spread, the hobgoblins of Xi Kir are pushed back.
-4309: Total collapse of the Empire of Iron, Xi Kir is taken back by the hobgoblins. After centuries of war, the hobgoblins prevail, with the aid of giants, drow and evil dragons. One after one most of the proud ancient dwarven cities fall, and are sacked. The Dwarven Alliance breaks, and those who aren't enslaved are cut of the rest.
-3976: Empire of the Sword collapses, after years of pressure from the remaining dwarves, human rebels, and increasingly powerful Eladrin armies, striking from the Feywild without warning.
-3711: The Anauli Empire is founded.The Eladrin move in from the Feywild, and conquer large areas of Saham and Aegis
-3365: The Anauli Empire ends when King Yedar Moonshadow dies. 12 children are left behind, and each wants to rule the empire. An internal civil war fought primarily in the Feywild. The war is won by the twin sisters Mir'a and Tika Moonshadow, who promptly embark on forging their own empire.
-2850: While the northernmost isles still are unorganized tribes and small villages, the four islands to the south are conquered by the green and blackscale tribes of lizardmen and their deathpriests from deep within the jungles of Jurak. The Emerald Empire is founded.
-2319: After more than 500 years of terror, the human populace rebel against their scaly oppressors, and the Emerald Tribes are pushed back into the jungles.
-1847: After many years of growth and stability, the various citystates of Saham engage in war for supremacy of the continent.
-1822: After 25 years of war, three kingdoms are founded. Kingdom of Jurak, Kingdom of Zinar and Kingdom of Upolar.
27: King Anoun dies on the field, leading a coalition of armies from Saham and Mika and defending the capital Zenith from a demon horde left unconfined by the immortal armies. The humans inflict a surprising defeat to the demons, who are pushed back, out of the mortal world.
Aegis
-3711: The Anauli Empire is founded.The Eladrin move in from the Feywild, and conquer large areas of Saham and Aegis
-3365: The Anauli Empire ends when King Yedar Moonshadow dies. 12 children are left behind, and each wants to rule the empire. An internal civil war fought primarily in the Feywild. The war is won by the twin sisters Mir'a and Tika Moonshadow, who promptly embark on forging their own empire.
-3278: Realm of the Twin Queens (empire) is founded. The Twins never managed to subdue the amount of land that their father did, nor did they try. Wise from the mistakes of the past, they fought overextension, even though the nobles were screaming for more power and more land.
-2824: Realm of the Twin Queens ends when Kalok Sunstrife wrestles control from the nobles and topples the twins. Both are beheaded, and Sunstrifes commands the Eladrin armies back to the Feywild.
-2801: The Cendriane Empire is founded when Cendria Nightsky allegedly has Sunstrife assassinated and takes control. Focusing on the north instead, Nightsky conquers vast amounts of land near the subartic limit.
-2252: The Scar of Chaos appears after a great earthquake.
-2239: After a 26 year draining war, the Eladrin are finally victorious at what latter becomes known as the War of the Scar.
-2235: End of the Cendriane Empire
-2012: Citystates emerge
-1534: King Regar is first king of Regaria
-1211: Regaria encompasses almost all of Aegis
-1099: The Empire of Resh launches a surprise invasion on Regaria.
-862: After more than 200 years of occupation, the Great Empire of Resh is defeated by Regaria and the Kingdom forces.
-751: With King Markus III dying with no heir, the kingdom is plunged into civil war.
-734: The civil war ends, with no winner. The Kingdom of Regaria is dissolved into nine smaller kingdoms.
-528: The Sunshadows (eladrin) arrive on their black dragons and quickly win over the smaller kingdoms.
-523: The Empire of the Sun is founded.
-7: Rebellion in the Empire of the Sun, lead by the Regar family.
-3: The last Sunshadow is executed, effectively ending the war. Regaria is reborn.
Kine
-1689: Founding of the Auran Empire. More than 10.000 years after it last happened, a dragon rules an empire on Draegor. Aura Goldenclaw rules with a just but very firm hand. His laws are fair, but harsh, and utter loyalty is demanded. One by one, the cities either join him, or are forced to bow before his military superiority. Under the law, all are equal, except of course for slaves. The Auran Empire blossoms, becoming a huge beacon of light in an otherwise dark world.
Mika
-4876: The Dragonborn Empire of Arkhosia is founded after more than 145 years of internal wars amongst the Dragonborn tribes. First it expands to the south.
-4851: Nexus is founded by humans driven north by the internal battle of the dragonborns.
-4578: The human empire of Bael Turath is forged in the north. Decadent humans worshipping devils run the empire, but power seems not to satisfy them nearly enough.
-4324: The Pact is made. The Noble Houses of Bael Turath, mightiest city on Macera, make a pact with Asmodeus himself. All nobles are corrupted and turned into tieflings.
-3834: The two empires clash for the first time, in what later became known as the Battle of the Fields of Blood.
-3622: Beginning of the Battle of Razortear, where more than ½ million tieflings and other infernal beings lay siege to the mightiest dragonborn keep.
-3611: The Siege of Razortear ends by it's sacking, when the infernal forces of Bael Turath finalize a enormous tunnel 10 years in the making and penetrate the before impregnable fortress.
-3576: Fall of Arkhosia. The infernal legions of Bael Turath capture and sack the Dragonborn capitol. The Arkhosian Empire is no more, and many Dragonborn flee further to the south, into the desert.
-3303: Explosion of Bael Turath and Sundering of the World, where most of the northern part of Mika are buried beneath the seas.
-3302: Nexus becomes independent.
-2600: After years of internal wars and conflicts, Ul-Tep the dragonborn is crowned first Grand Pharaoh of Resh.
-1983: After many years of expansionism and wars, the Empire of Resh now covers the entire southern part of the continent of Mika.
-1709: Following a long series of peaceful years and content Grand Pharaohs, the Empire of Resh starts looking to the north, and the newly formed Kingdom.
-1700: Start of First Kingdom-Reshian War
-1697: End of First Kingdom-Reshian War
-1547: Start of Second Kingdom-Reshian War
-1540: End of Second Kingdom-Reshian War
-1398: Start of Third Kingdom-Reshian War
-1381: End of Third Kingdom-Reshian War
-821: Start of Fourth Kingdom-Reshian War
-789: End of Fourth Kingdom-Reshian War
-521: Start of Fifth Kingdom-Reshian War
-468: End of Fifth Kingdom-Reshian War
-157: Start of Sixth Kingdom-Reshian War
-77: End of Sixth Kingdom-Reshian War
27: Both the Kingdom and the Great Empire of Resh send troops to Zenith to help defeat the demonic horde laying waste to Saham.
All of Macera
0: Beginning of the First Great Demon War.
23: Several clashes spill over to the mortal world
27: Lots of demons enter the mortal world, especially in the kingdom of Zinar. The humans inflict a surprising defeat to the demons, who are pushed back, out of the mortal world.
31: End of the First Great Demon War. Most of the demon lords are dead, and the demons are pushed back into the Abyss, which is (even more) in a state of total anarchy. No gods died, but the war has taken an enormous toll on their resources.
57: Beginning of the Second Great Demon War. It turns out that Orcus, Grazz't and Demogorgon are not dead. Demons assault the gods, their angels and their worshipers just about everywhere in the multiverse.
66: Turns out Lolth and Gruumsh have been cooperating with the demons all along. Lolth steals and destroys the Spirit Stone.
67: With demons in great numbers in the mortal world, the primal spirits are forced to lift the ban of the gods, so that they can help out Macera.
76: The Triumvirate invades the dominion of Tytherion, looking to add Zehir and Tiamat to their coalition of chaos. Both refuse, and Demogorgon and Lolth slay Zehir, while Tiamat flee the dominion.
78: Orcus and Gruumsh assault Vecna's not so secret lair in Pandemonium and catches him off-guard enough to nail his lich-skull to the floor.
82: Torog is overrun in the Underdark by a horde of demons.
87: Celestia is attacked by the demon horde. With Kord and Bahamut chasing Lolth acrosss the Nine Hells, Avandra and Erathis come to Moradins help but all 3 gods end up slaughtered by Orcus and Demogorgon.
98: Kord, who is guarding Ioun in Hestavar, is tricked by Grazz't to come to Sehanine's help on Arvandor, but she is already dead and when Kord arrives, he finds himself alone, facing a plane full of demons and all 3 demon lords. As Kord is slowly butchered, Grazz't also tricks Ioun out of Hestavar by making her think that she can save Kord and Avandra.
99: End of the Second Great Demon War. The Demons have nearly won. Gruumsh, Lolth, Demogorgon and Orcus corner Tiamat and Bahamut in the Forgotten Fortress where the Two-Who-Were-Once-One fall together, as they were born together. Corellon and Melora catches Lolth and Gruumsh without support, and manage to slay Gruumsh before Lolth slays Melora. Asmodeus, Pelor and the Raven Queen sacrifize Corellon and thus unleash the Spellcurse, an ancient uncontrollable magical force that ravages through the ranks of the demons, decimating their numbers. The three Demon Lords flee back to the Abyss, and as Lolth follows, she is intercepted by Bane and killed. As the demons once again are back in the Abyss, the portals to the Elemental Chaos are closed are sealed off and the war is over.
109: Ten years after it is unleashed, the Spellcurse has run it's initial course, but it's hard to evaluate the full extend of what it has done. Most people or creatures initial affected are long dead. In fact, they died a quick and agonizing death shortly after being affected. But still the Spellcurse linger. Some people are born with it, some are just born with the mark, which may in turn develop into having it. But the Spellcurse of now is weak, and people often live many years before dieing. Although most go insane long before dying.
249: Current year.
-12000 (ca): Macera is pretty much divided into two empires. K'harak, Empire of Giants and Aurak, Empire of the dragons. While they dominate the lesser races, only the dwarves are slaves per say.
-9000 (ca): Erathis gathers the greatest tribes of all the races to the isles of Saham, where she inscribes in stone the first laws, using a stylus made from one of her own ribs. She also builds 11 huge bridges, connecting the 7 great islands together.
-8600 (ca): The Dawn War breaks out.
-7300 (ca): The Dawn War ends. Both pre-Dawn War empires are in ruins. The giants are crushed, while the dragons have gone into hiding, sleeping it off after many years of war.
-7280: The Primal Spirits close off Macera to the gods and the primordials.
-6500: The mindflayers arrive from the Far Realms and conquer most of Macera.
-6392: Founding of the Empire of the Mind, also called Nihilath, as the mindflayers enslave most of the world.
-5569: The dragons awaken again from their slumber. They fight the Empire of the Mind and it's mindflayers who have enslaved the world.
-5565: The war is over and the mindflayers flee to other planes of existence and into the Underdark.
Saham
-5393: The Empire of the Sword is founded. From their great city of Xi Kir, the hobgoblins spread both to the north and south, laying waste to any resistance for years. The only resistance they run into, are the dwarves.
-5345: The Empire of Iron is founded by the Seven Dwarves, and as the empire spread, the hobgoblins of Xi Kir are pushed back.
-4309: Total collapse of the Empire of Iron, Xi Kir is taken back by the hobgoblins. After centuries of war, the hobgoblins prevail, with the aid of giants, drow and evil dragons. One after one most of the proud ancient dwarven cities fall, and are sacked. The Dwarven Alliance breaks, and those who aren't enslaved are cut of the rest.
-3976: Empire of the Sword collapses, after years of pressure from the remaining dwarves, human rebels, and increasingly powerful Eladrin armies, striking from the Feywild without warning.
-3711: The Anauli Empire is founded.The Eladrin move in from the Feywild, and conquer large areas of Saham and Aegis
-3365: The Anauli Empire ends when King Yedar Moonshadow dies. 12 children are left behind, and each wants to rule the empire. An internal civil war fought primarily in the Feywild. The war is won by the twin sisters Mir'a and Tika Moonshadow, who promptly embark on forging their own empire.
-2850: While the northernmost isles still are unorganized tribes and small villages, the four islands to the south are conquered by the green and blackscale tribes of lizardmen and their deathpriests from deep within the jungles of Jurak. The Emerald Empire is founded.
-2319: After more than 500 years of terror, the human populace rebel against their scaly oppressors, and the Emerald Tribes are pushed back into the jungles.
-1847: After many years of growth and stability, the various citystates of Saham engage in war for supremacy of the continent.
-1822: After 25 years of war, three kingdoms are founded. Kingdom of Jurak, Kingdom of Zinar and Kingdom of Upolar.
27: King Anoun dies on the field, leading a coalition of armies from Saham and Mika and defending the capital Zenith from a demon horde left unconfined by the immortal armies. The humans inflict a surprising defeat to the demons, who are pushed back, out of the mortal world.
Aegis
-3711: The Anauli Empire is founded.The Eladrin move in from the Feywild, and conquer large areas of Saham and Aegis
-3365: The Anauli Empire ends when King Yedar Moonshadow dies. 12 children are left behind, and each wants to rule the empire. An internal civil war fought primarily in the Feywild. The war is won by the twin sisters Mir'a and Tika Moonshadow, who promptly embark on forging their own empire.
-3278: Realm of the Twin Queens (empire) is founded. The Twins never managed to subdue the amount of land that their father did, nor did they try. Wise from the mistakes of the past, they fought overextension, even though the nobles were screaming for more power and more land.
-2824: Realm of the Twin Queens ends when Kalok Sunstrife wrestles control from the nobles and topples the twins. Both are beheaded, and Sunstrifes commands the Eladrin armies back to the Feywild.
-2801: The Cendriane Empire is founded when Cendria Nightsky allegedly has Sunstrife assassinated and takes control. Focusing on the north instead, Nightsky conquers vast amounts of land near the subartic limit.
-2252: The Scar of Chaos appears after a great earthquake.
-2239: After a 26 year draining war, the Eladrin are finally victorious at what latter becomes known as the War of the Scar.
-2235: End of the Cendriane Empire
-2012: Citystates emerge
-1534: King Regar is first king of Regaria
-1211: Regaria encompasses almost all of Aegis
-1099: The Empire of Resh launches a surprise invasion on Regaria.
-862: After more than 200 years of occupation, the Great Empire of Resh is defeated by Regaria and the Kingdom forces.
-751: With King Markus III dying with no heir, the kingdom is plunged into civil war.
-734: The civil war ends, with no winner. The Kingdom of Regaria is dissolved into nine smaller kingdoms.
-528: The Sunshadows (eladrin) arrive on their black dragons and quickly win over the smaller kingdoms.
-523: The Empire of the Sun is founded.
-7: Rebellion in the Empire of the Sun, lead by the Regar family.
-3: The last Sunshadow is executed, effectively ending the war. Regaria is reborn.
Kine
-1689: Founding of the Auran Empire. More than 10.000 years after it last happened, a dragon rules an empire on Draegor. Aura Goldenclaw rules with a just but very firm hand. His laws are fair, but harsh, and utter loyalty is demanded. One by one, the cities either join him, or are forced to bow before his military superiority. Under the law, all are equal, except of course for slaves. The Auran Empire blossoms, becoming a huge beacon of light in an otherwise dark world.
Mika
-4876: The Dragonborn Empire of Arkhosia is founded after more than 145 years of internal wars amongst the Dragonborn tribes. First it expands to the south.
-4851: Nexus is founded by humans driven north by the internal battle of the dragonborns.
-4578: The human empire of Bael Turath is forged in the north. Decadent humans worshipping devils run the empire, but power seems not to satisfy them nearly enough.
-4324: The Pact is made. The Noble Houses of Bael Turath, mightiest city on Macera, make a pact with Asmodeus himself. All nobles are corrupted and turned into tieflings.
-3834: The two empires clash for the first time, in what later became known as the Battle of the Fields of Blood.
-3622: Beginning of the Battle of Razortear, where more than ½ million tieflings and other infernal beings lay siege to the mightiest dragonborn keep.
-3611: The Siege of Razortear ends by it's sacking, when the infernal forces of Bael Turath finalize a enormous tunnel 10 years in the making and penetrate the before impregnable fortress.
-3576: Fall of Arkhosia. The infernal legions of Bael Turath capture and sack the Dragonborn capitol. The Arkhosian Empire is no more, and many Dragonborn flee further to the south, into the desert.
-3303: Explosion of Bael Turath and Sundering of the World, where most of the northern part of Mika are buried beneath the seas.
-3302: Nexus becomes independent.
-2600: After years of internal wars and conflicts, Ul-Tep the dragonborn is crowned first Grand Pharaoh of Resh.
-1983: After many years of expansionism and wars, the Empire of Resh now covers the entire southern part of the continent of Mika.
-1709: Following a long series of peaceful years and content Grand Pharaohs, the Empire of Resh starts looking to the north, and the newly formed Kingdom.
-1700: Start of First Kingdom-Reshian War
-1697: End of First Kingdom-Reshian War
-1547: Start of Second Kingdom-Reshian War
-1540: End of Second Kingdom-Reshian War
-1398: Start of Third Kingdom-Reshian War
-1381: End of Third Kingdom-Reshian War
-821: Start of Fourth Kingdom-Reshian War
-789: End of Fourth Kingdom-Reshian War
-521: Start of Fifth Kingdom-Reshian War
-468: End of Fifth Kingdom-Reshian War
-157: Start of Sixth Kingdom-Reshian War
-77: End of Sixth Kingdom-Reshian War
27: Both the Kingdom and the Great Empire of Resh send troops to Zenith to help defeat the demonic horde laying waste to Saham.
All of Macera
0: Beginning of the First Great Demon War.
23: Several clashes spill over to the mortal world
27: Lots of demons enter the mortal world, especially in the kingdom of Zinar. The humans inflict a surprising defeat to the demons, who are pushed back, out of the mortal world.
31: End of the First Great Demon War. Most of the demon lords are dead, and the demons are pushed back into the Abyss, which is (even more) in a state of total anarchy. No gods died, but the war has taken an enormous toll on their resources.
57: Beginning of the Second Great Demon War. It turns out that Orcus, Grazz't and Demogorgon are not dead. Demons assault the gods, their angels and their worshipers just about everywhere in the multiverse.
66: Turns out Lolth and Gruumsh have been cooperating with the demons all along. Lolth steals and destroys the Spirit Stone.
67: With demons in great numbers in the mortal world, the primal spirits are forced to lift the ban of the gods, so that they can help out Macera.
76: The Triumvirate invades the dominion of Tytherion, looking to add Zehir and Tiamat to their coalition of chaos. Both refuse, and Demogorgon and Lolth slay Zehir, while Tiamat flee the dominion.
78: Orcus and Gruumsh assault Vecna's not so secret lair in Pandemonium and catches him off-guard enough to nail his lich-skull to the floor.
82: Torog is overrun in the Underdark by a horde of demons.
87: Celestia is attacked by the demon horde. With Kord and Bahamut chasing Lolth acrosss the Nine Hells, Avandra and Erathis come to Moradins help but all 3 gods end up slaughtered by Orcus and Demogorgon.
98: Kord, who is guarding Ioun in Hestavar, is tricked by Grazz't to come to Sehanine's help on Arvandor, but she is already dead and when Kord arrives, he finds himself alone, facing a plane full of demons and all 3 demon lords. As Kord is slowly butchered, Grazz't also tricks Ioun out of Hestavar by making her think that she can save Kord and Avandra.
99: End of the Second Great Demon War. The Demons have nearly won. Gruumsh, Lolth, Demogorgon and Orcus corner Tiamat and Bahamut in the Forgotten Fortress where the Two-Who-Were-Once-One fall together, as they were born together. Corellon and Melora catches Lolth and Gruumsh without support, and manage to slay Gruumsh before Lolth slays Melora. Asmodeus, Pelor and the Raven Queen sacrifize Corellon and thus unleash the Spellcurse, an ancient uncontrollable magical force that ravages through the ranks of the demons, decimating their numbers. The three Demon Lords flee back to the Abyss, and as Lolth follows, she is intercepted by Bane and killed. As the demons once again are back in the Abyss, the portals to the Elemental Chaos are closed are sealed off and the war is over.
109: Ten years after it is unleashed, the Spellcurse has run it's initial course, but it's hard to evaluate the full extend of what it has done. Most people or creatures initial affected are long dead. In fact, they died a quick and agonizing death shortly after being affected. But still the Spellcurse linger. Some people are born with it, some are just born with the mark, which may in turn develop into having it. But the Spellcurse of now is weak, and people often live many years before dieing. Although most go insane long before dying.
249: Current year.
The Second Great Demon War
Barely 200 years ago, the Second Great Demon war began. After the (First) Great Demon War, which had ended 26 years before, scholars, wizards and religious leaders were sure that the three main leaders of the demons, namely Orcus, Grazz't and Demogorgon were dead, along with most of the other demon princes. As it turns out, that was not completely true. In a subterfuge masterminded by Grazz't, they had faked their own death and instead hidden in the Abyss, siphonating the power of the other demon princes that perished in the war.
They were now back, stronger and meaner than ever before. It also quickly became painfully obvious that the 3 demon lords had made an alliance, setting aside they eon-old paranoia and enmity to wage war on... well everyone else.
No one knows quite where exactly the war started, because it was not one assault on one place, but instead a multitude of demon hordes attacking many different dominions in the Astral Sea. And while the assaults started in the Astral Sea, they quickly spread to the rest of the multiverse, with demonic hordes attacking places like the City of Brass and even both the Feywild and the Shadowfell. The numbers of the demons seemed truly infinite, while those of the defenders definitely weren't.
For almost 10 years, the gods warred against the demons, then came Dark Betrayal. Lolth tricked one of the Primal Spirits into telling her where the Spirit Stone was hidden away. The Spirit Stone is the ancient artifact crafted to keep demons lords out of the material plane on a permanent basis. She then destroyed the Spirit Stone with the help of Gruumsh and then suddenly, the mortal world of Macera was ripe for conquest by her demonic allies.
The Triumvirate won't yield to reason nor threats, an no attempts to destabilize the alliance is even close to succeeding. The relentless assaults are starting to take their toll and many of the defenders. With the power of the Spirit Stone broken, the demon hordes started to invade Macera in great numbers and the primal spirits are forced to lift the ban of the gods, so that they could help out Macera.
The war continued this way for another 10 years or so, with the demons slowly grinding down the gods and their armies.
The Demonic Triumvirate invaded the dominion of Tytherion, looking to add Zehir and Tiamat to their coalition of chaos. Both refused, and Demogorgon and Lolth slew Zehir, while Tiamat fled the dominion. So Zehir became the first god to die.
The next year, Orcus and Gruumsh assaulted Vecna's not so secret lair in Pandemonium and caught him off-guard enough to nail his lich-skull to the floor. Another god was dead, and the war seemed to only go one way.
About three years later to the day, Torog is overrun in the Underdark by a horde of demons, and is ripped to pieces. Another 5 years later, Celestia is attacked by the demon horde with only Moradin home, working hard on creating some new weapons to slay demons. At the time, Kord and Bahamut are chasing Lolth acrosss the battlefields of the Nine Hells, so Avandra and Erathis come to Moradins help but all three gods end up slaughtered by Orcus and Demogorgon.
After the death of Avandra and Erathis, it became obvious, even to the gods, that they were being picked off one by one. They began to take less changes and fortified themselves when not together.
Eight years later, the war was still raging on at least four different planes. Kord, who was guarding Ioun in Hestavar, was then tricked by Grazz't to come to Sehanine's help on Arvandor, but she is already dead and when Kord arrives, he finds himself alone, facing a plane full of demons and all three demon lords. As Kord is slowly butchered by the horde of demons, Grazz't also tricks Ioun out of Hestavar by making her think that she can save Kord and Avandra.
And then the world came to the end of the Second Great Demon War. The Demons had nearly won.The Feywild had been ravaged by demons, the empires of the fey crushed beneath the demonic boots. More than half of the original gods were dead, their dominions sacked and their armies nearly broken. Gruumsh, Lolth, Demogorgon and Orcus corner Tiamat and Bahamut in the Forgotten Fortress, an ancient giant fortress in Saham where they have been sent by Bane. For weeks, the demons assaulted the two gods and their angels, before the Two-Who-Were-Once-One fell together, as they were born together.
Meanwhile, Bane, Asmodeus, The Raven Queen and Pelor were working on an ancient magic that could turn the tide of what seemed like. As the demon horde moves on, Corellon and Melora catches Lolth and Gruumsh without support, and manage to slay Gruumsh before Lolth slays Melora.
Shortly thereafter, Asmodeus, Pelor and the Raven Queen sacrificed a willing Corellon and thus unleashed the Spellcurse, an ancient uncontrollable magical force that ravaged through the ranks of the demons, decimating their numbers. The three Demon Lords fled back to the Abyss, and as Lolth followed, she was intercepted by Bane and killed.
With the demons once again back in the Abyss, the portals to and from the Elemental Chaos were closed and sealed off, and the war was finally over. Asmodeus, Pelor and Bane headed back to the the Astral Sea, the Raven Queen stayed in the Shadowfell, and the Primal Spirits left for the Feywild.
Unfortunately, the war was over, but the Spellcurse had just begun...
mandag den 2. januar 2012
Days and Months
Days:
Mansday
Teersday
Onsday
Torsday
Freeday
Lordday
Sonday
Months:
Yanoar (winter)
Phebroar (winter)
Mahrs (spring)
Apryyl (spring)
Mey (spring)
Yuny (summer)
Yully (summer)
Awgost (summer)
Zeptambor (autumn)
Auktaubor (autumn)
Nauvambor (autumn)
Deecambor (winter)
Mansday
Teersday
Onsday
Torsday
Freeday
Lordday
Sonday
Months:
Yanoar (winter)
Phebroar (winter)
Mahrs (spring)
Apryyl (spring)
Mey (spring)
Yuny (summer)
Yully (summer)
Awgost (summer)
Zeptambor (autumn)
Auktaubor (autumn)
Nauvambor (autumn)
Deecambor (winter)
The Dawn War
The obyriths, an ancient and inherently evil race from another place almost completely annihilate their own universe. Seeking more wanton destruction and corruption, they send a shard of pure evil into a boundary between their universe and this one and themselves cross the boundary. Tharizdun finds the shard and grabs it. He is corrupted by the Shard of Pure Evil and falls mad with a desire to unmake reality. Luckily, he has enough sense left to partially repel the whispers of the shard, telling him to put it in the Astral Sea, and instead plants it in the Elemental Chaos, resulting in the creation of the Abyss, as the shard descends in the vortex of pure evil.
Primordials, Tharizdun and the surviving obyriths all pummel towards the bottom of the Abyss, and battle for control of the shard, and the use of it, but the two forces reach a stalemate.
Obox-Ob, a mighty Obyrith, claims the Shard of Pure Evil and becomes the first Prince of Demons. Seeking to replant it in the Astral Sea, he is soon unseated by a combined effort of the newly transformed demon lords Demogorgon, Orcus, and Baphomet, who blast him down into the surface of the Elemental Chaos, creating the Blood Rift of the Abyss. The Shard of Pure Evil still burrows deeper to this day, creating more layers of the Abyss.
The Elder Elemental Eye, an alias of Tharizdun, marshals the primordials and other denizens of the Elemental Chaos in order to try to overwhelm the combined might of the new Demon Princes. Some, such as Codricuhn and his chief lieutenant, Miska the Wolf-Spider, join Tharizdun in the Abyss and are corrupted into demon princes. Others, such as the Elemental Princes, have no knowledge of his true form, and continue to spread his cult from the Elemental Chaos proper. The cult believes that if the Elder Elemental Eye could gain the shard of pure evil, he could lead them to victory over the meddlesome gods and immortals of the Astral Sea.
As forces are marshaled, both sides begin to recruit troops. Giants ally with their primordial creators and the titans. Djinns and Efreets also side with the primordials, who create elementals out of elemental spirits. On the other hand, the gods have support from the angels and the enigmatic astral giants. Both sides also create abominations, to be used as mindless but lethal weapons in the war.
The Dawn War lasted for countless years, and many gods and primordials died during the war. To recount the entire war would take way too long, but the highlights were as such:
Moradin comes late into the war, but when he does, he does it to liberate the dwarves from their elemental masters. He frees the dwarves, who in turn deliver a blow that cripples the giants, and unleash the fury of a hundred generations of repression.
Minotaurs are created by Baphomet, once a great primordial or fallen god with ties to the natural world, as his soldiers in his bid to replace Melora as the god of nature.
Medusas are believed to be made by Zehir from reshaped elemental spirits.
Primal Spirits such as Stormhawk help keep the world from being destroyed. Other Great Elders protect the people caught in the crossfire, allowing the humanoids' survival.
Io, who also tried to stay out of the war, finally realizes that unless he wants creation unmade, he needs to join the war. Io enters the fight and defeats many primordials in the Dawn War. but in his arrogance, Io decides to face Erek-Hus, the King of Terror, alone. The primordial cleaves the dragon god into two halves, becoming Tiamat and Bahamut. The dragon gods proceed to slay Erek-Hus, then battle each other until Tiamat flees.
Nerull, the god of death, chooses a mortal queen who died of plague as his consort. She slays the god and usurps his throne. The other gods rise up to stop her, and she becomes the Raven Queen.
Lolth descends into the Abyss, hunting demon lords, or perhaps in search of power and become corrupted by the Shard of Evil. She leads her chosen against the other elves, creation the fractioning of the elven race..
The elven race splits in three, with Lolth leading her drow into the Underdark, the elves leaving the Feywild for the natural world, while the eladrin stay behind, close to Corellon, and to rebuild their ruined kingdoms.
He-Who-Is and other gods overwhelm and chain Tharizdun away in a deep layer of the Abyss, naming him the Chained God, and strike his name from the annals of history. His armies scattered, but not defeated, and led by Miska the Wolf-Spider they fight on. Tharizdun's essence is sealed away in his prison, guarded by the angel Asmodeus, first among He-Who-Is' servants.
Pazuzu, an Obyrith Demon Prince, whispers words of deception and corruption into Asmodeus' ears. Asmodeus grows proud and hateful of his position as prison-keeper, and seeks out the Shard of Evil nstead, abandoning his duty. Claiming a sliver of the shard of pure evil at the bottom of the Abyss, he creates his Ruby Rod and fights his way back to the Astral Sea. Asmodeus convinces He-Who-Is to allows him back into his forces. Asmodeus becomes adviser to the general of the divine armies, Bane.
Asmodeus betrays He-Who-Is and slays him (and thus becoming He-Who-Was). With his dying breath, He-Who-Was curses Asmodeus, transforming him and his followers into devils, and biding Asmodeus to an eternal prison in Baator. Asmodeus seizes his former overlord's divinity and creates a rigid hierarchy of power. Having devised a way to subvert and harvest mortal souls, the devils also require infernal pacts to breach the bindings of Hell. Even still, he hungers for a larger fragment of the shard of pure evil
Zehir (who may have aided Asmodeus against He-Who-Was, or even killed the god himself) claims humans as his own. The other gods defeat Zehir and free the humans from his control.
The gods, desperate for Asmodeus' skills, compact with the archfiend, granting him autonomy in return for his aid in defeating the primordials.
After much fighting, the war is over, and the gods have won. The Chained God is imprisoned, his allies are dead or in hiding.
The Primal Spirits realize the danger to the world and decide the world must be protected from both elemental and immortal influence. They declare the mortal world free from both sides of the conflict.
Erathis assumes dominion over the minotaurs.
The Raven Queen abandons her dominion in the Astral Sea to inhabit a grim winter fortress in the Shadowfell.
Genesis
In the beginning, there was nothing, except for the Pillars of Creation and the Living Gate. Then a tiny disturbance in the nothingness between the pillars caused it to split in two, creating what is now known as the Astral Sea and the Elemental Chaos. Out of the Astral Sea arose the gods, created by their own will, and out of the Elemental Chaos the primordials form themselves.
Soon after, angels arose formed out of the astral essences as divine assistants to create mortal races during this time, while the slaads began to exist in the Elemental Chaos.
Moradin creates the first Maruts from the stuff of the Astral Sea and the souls of unborn angels to serve as impartial arbiters of divine disputes and, eventually, enforcers of divine pacts.
Djinns and titans are created by the primordials to populate the Elemental Chaos.
Macera, the mortal world, is created by the primordials and their newly formed titans using the creation-stuffs that eddied between the Elemental Chaos and the Astral Sea by discarding bits which are too bright or too dark. The world was then one of elemental fury, engulfed in an endless cycle of destruction and rebuilding. The bright pieces of creation-stuff detritus coalesce into the Feywild while the dark pieces of creation-stuff detritus coalesce into the Shadowfell.
The gods look down from the Astral Sea and see what the primordials had created. They covet Macera, because they understand how it can be improved. They create natural life, tame the churning elements, and create the sun and moon in the world.
In the Feywild, the primordials create a new race of titans, the fomorians who in turn create cyclopes as servants and gnomes as slaves. About the same time, death Giants coalesce out of the Shadowfell as the world begins to know mortality. The Shadowfell becomes a focus for the souls of mortals, to which they travel before moving on to their eternal rewards. Falling in love with the mortal world, some angels make a deal with the newly awakened primal spirits and give up their immortality, becoming devas.
Io fuses astral spirits into the raw elements. The greater spirits become the dragons, while the lesser spirits become the dragonborn to serve the dragons.
Corellon discovers the Feywild and creates the elves (then a unified race) to inhabit it. Shortly after, He Who Is creates humans and Moradin soon follows suit, when he chisels dwarves from the bones of the earth. Melora and Sehanine then create halflings. With the creation process done, at least as far as the gods are concerned, Erathis gathers the greatest tribes of all the races to the isle which is now known as the Deadlands, where she inscribes in stone the first laws, using a stylus made from one of her own ribs.
Inspired by the many creations of the gods, the titans create giants to serve them.
A nameless god kills the Living Gate's guardian and opens the gate, releasing the defiling energies of the Far Realm. In order to seal the Living Gate again, Ioun and Pelor shatter it at the cost of Pelor's dominion of Verdant.
Envious primordials demand dwarves of their own. Pleased that the primordials appreciate his creations, Moradin gave the dwarves to the primordials and returned to his work. The primordials gave the dwarves to the giants as slaves, which the giants used to carve the first empire on Macera. For unknown reasons, Moradin doesn't react to the pleads of his people.
søndag den 1. januar 2012
Tieflings
Heirs to an ancient, infernal bloodline, tieflings had no realms of their own but instead lived within human kingdoms and cities. They descended from the human nobles of Bael Turath, who bargained with dark powers, and long ago their empire subjugated half the world. But as Bael Turath was destroyed and the empire was cast down into ruin, tieflings were left to make their own way in a world that often fears and resents them.
That all changed with the Demon Wars. Thrust into the wars by a burning desire to vanquish the demons, many tieflings played prominent roles and showed that not only can they be trusted, but they also had a lot to give the world, despite their unusual appearance and despite their infernal alliance and worship of Asmodeus. In fact, things have change so much that being tiefling is no longer seen as a curse, but instead as a blessing. Many bloodlines of tieflings have risen to prominence and power, and they quite a few noble tiefling families around Macera. Except in the Great Empire of Resh, of course. There they are hunted and enslaved on sight by the dragonborns who can't and won't forget the atrocities perpetuated on their people during the days of Bael Turath.
That all changed with the Demon Wars. Thrust into the wars by a burning desire to vanquish the demons, many tieflings played prominent roles and showed that not only can they be trusted, but they also had a lot to give the world, despite their unusual appearance and despite their infernal alliance and worship of Asmodeus. In fact, things have change so much that being tiefling is no longer seen as a curse, but instead as a blessing. Many bloodlines of tieflings have risen to prominence and power, and they quite a few noble tiefling families around Macera. Except in the Great Empire of Resh, of course. There they are hunted and enslaved on sight by the dragonborns who can't and won't forget the atrocities perpetuated on their people during the days of Bael Turath.
Dragonborns
Born to fight, dragonborn were once a race of wandering mercenaries, soldiers, and adventurers. This is still the case on Aegis, where most dragonborn belong to rootless clans, employed by the various noble families.
On Mika, they are primarily a race of priests worshiping the Raven Queen, running one of the greatest empires on Macera, the Great Empire of Resh, which almost compares to Arkhosia, the empire they once thought would rule the world but instead was crushed by the infernal armies of Bael Turath.
On Saham, they are also fairly organized, but as in the rest of the world, except for on Mika, the dragonborn worship Bane and are very martially inclined. While they are still considered honorable, the dragonborn of today are much harder, some would say more evil than they used to be. Rumors even speak of another dragonborn-lead empire, called the Ebon Empire, east of the known lands.
On Mika, they are primarily a race of priests worshiping the Raven Queen, running one of the greatest empires on Macera, the Great Empire of Resh, which almost compares to Arkhosia, the empire they once thought would rule the world but instead was crushed by the infernal armies of Bael Turath.
On Saham, they are also fairly organized, but as in the rest of the world, except for on Mika, the dragonborn worship Bane and are very martially inclined. While they are still considered honorable, the dragonborn of today are much harder, some would say more evil than they used to be. Rumors even speak of another dragonborn-lead empire, called the Ebon Empire, east of the known lands.
Eladrins
Creatures of magic with strong ties to nature, eladrin used to lived in cities in the twilight realm of the Feywild. Their cities were close enough to the world that they would sometimes cross over, appearing briefly in mountain valleys or deep forest glades before fading back into the Feywild. Any if they didn't, then at least the eladrin would visit the mortal world.
That changed for the first time many years ago, when especially Saham and Aegis were dominated by different eladrin empires for more than 1500 years. Again and again the eladrin armies swept onto the mortal realm of Macera, installing the fey elves as overlords to the humans. A little more than 2000 years ago, the last eladrin empire, at least the last eladrin empire in the mortal world, crumbled and the eladrin withdrew back into the Feywild, leaving the mortals to the mortals for the most part. That changed a second time when all cities in the Feywild were destroyed during the Second Great Demon War by hordes of demons led by Orcus and Lolth. As their realms were destroyed around them, the last eladrins fled to the mortal world.
Today, not even 150 years after the shattering of the Feywild and the death of their creator-god, the most noble of elves live a fragmented life on Macera. Spread out all over the place, most are living in the deepest forests, some even fighting their woodland cousins for territory. Though unlike the elves, who now worship the primal spirits, the eladrins follow the Raven Queen and dream of repopulating and rebuilding the Feywild.
That changed for the first time many years ago, when especially Saham and Aegis were dominated by different eladrin empires for more than 1500 years. Again and again the eladrin armies swept onto the mortal realm of Macera, installing the fey elves as overlords to the humans. A little more than 2000 years ago, the last eladrin empire, at least the last eladrin empire in the mortal world, crumbled and the eladrin withdrew back into the Feywild, leaving the mortals to the mortals for the most part. That changed a second time when all cities in the Feywild were destroyed during the Second Great Demon War by hordes of demons led by Orcus and Lolth. As their realms were destroyed around them, the last eladrins fled to the mortal world.
Today, not even 150 years after the shattering of the Feywild and the death of their creator-god, the most noble of elves live a fragmented life on Macera. Spread out all over the place, most are living in the deepest forests, some even fighting their woodland cousins for territory. Though unlike the elves, who now worship the primal spirits, the eladrins follow the Raven Queen and dream of repopulating and rebuilding the Feywild.
Dwarves
Carved from the bedrock of the universe by Moradin, dwarves endured an age of servitude to giants where they toiled as slaves, before winning their freedom during the Dawn War. Their mighty mountain fortress-cities testify to the power of their ancient empires, especially the Empire of Iron. While the Empire of Iron only lasted 1200 years, a great many impressive buildings were achieved during that period.
However once, even the dwarves who lived in human cities were counted among the staunchest defenders against the darkness that threatened to engulf the world, but today, that has changed a lot. With the Second Great Demon War, the dwarves lost their muse, their god, their Moradin, and since then, they haven't quite been themselves.
Devastated by the loss of their god, the dwarves of Macera have become reclusive, almost exclusively living in their mountain-fortresses, keeping away from the rest of the world. On Mika they have fortresses in all three mountain-ranges, while on Saham they are mostly contained to the isles of Peloria and Nekeb. A dwarf is a fairly rare thing to see these day. They have also become fatalists, thinking that the death of Moradin was a preclude to the end of the world, and turned, at least as a race, to the worship of the Raven Queen. Lately, more and more death cults have sprung up, and dominate dwarven society. Quite a few have also turned to the worship of Bane.
The Raven Daughters
Also called the Daughters of Death, the Raven Daughters is allegedly a branch of the Raven Queen's church, whose members have a touch that kills. Swept in black, wearing cloaks of raven feathers and black and gold masks, they are said to be sent out by the Queen herself to help those who cheats death transition to the Shadowfell. At least that is what myth, hearsay and rumors claim.
The Lightbringers
With the church of Pelor and rising to prominence in many realms, certain members found that they sometimes needed to deal with (potential) enemies in a swift and harsh manner. On a dark and stormy night, a group of high-ranking priests of Pelor met in a small shrine to a now dead god, far away from prying eyes. Thus were the Lightbringers founded. The sometimes brutal arm of an otherwise peaceful clergy.
Over the years, the Lightbringers became more and more brutal and autonomous, and eventually, the church of Pelor no longer felt it could be closely associated with the Lightbringers, and all the members were excommunicated by the Grand Pope.
However that hardly seemed to bother the Lightbringers. They quickly reformed with their White Captains becoming White Generals. Staying in the shadows, they kept dispensing the divine justice of Pelor as they saw fit.
And that is how things are today. Officially the church no longer has any ties at all to the Lightbringers, but many doubt that to be true. Pelors' chosen often turn the other cheek if insulted or attacked, only for the attacker to run into the Lightbringers and experience their special brand of justice, which often involves their radiant spears.
Over the years, the Lightbringers became more and more brutal and autonomous, and eventually, the church of Pelor no longer felt it could be closely associated with the Lightbringers, and all the members were excommunicated by the Grand Pope.
However that hardly seemed to bother the Lightbringers. They quickly reformed with their White Captains becoming White Generals. Staying in the shadows, they kept dispensing the divine justice of Pelor as they saw fit.
And that is how things are today. Officially the church no longer has any ties at all to the Lightbringers, but many doubt that to be true. Pelors' chosen often turn the other cheek if insulted or attacked, only for the attacker to run into the Lightbringers and experience their special brand of justice, which often involves their radiant spears.
The Church of Pelor
Pelor.. also known as the All-Father, The Creator, Father Sun and a host of other names, is the de facto god for the common man all over Macera. Every human (and most non-evil, non-human) city, town and hamlet has at least either a temple or shrine dedicated to Pelor.
With such a widespreadness comes influence and power. The Church of Pelor is perhaps the single most influential organization on Macera, spanning countries, empires and even continents. In the most civilized regions, Pelor's priests function as judges, executioners, lawyers, city administrators, advisers to nobility and many other things. In short, they are the gears that make the civilized run more or less smoothly. However, the fact that Pelor covers so many portfolios also ensures that the church is rarely completely unified. There are many smaller fractions within, and while the Grand Pope technically rules them all, the fact is that most churches of Pelor are more influenced by whoever runs that particular church than by what design the current Grand Pope has. Also, while Pelor is rightly considered a good god, far from all his clerics and worshipers are. While evil clerics of Pelor are extremely rare, neutral ones are quite common.
Portfolios: Justice, honor, protection, arts, civilization, skill, creation, sun, agriculture, summer and humans.
Death of the Gods
After the Second Great Demon War, which led to the liberation and later the death of Tharizdun, only four gods were left standing. The four remaining gods divided most of the leftover portfolios between them, although quite a few of the portfolios passed over to the primal spirits, who are once again actively and widely worshiped in the world of Macera.
The old portfolios/spheres of influence are now divided as such:
The old portfolios/spheres of influence are now divided as such:
Pelor: Justice, honor, protection, arts, civilization, skill, creation, sun, agriculture, summer and humans.
Raven Queen: Knowledge, prophecy, winter, death, fate, arcane magic, gnomes, eladrins and dwarves.
Asmodeus: Trickery, illusions, tyranny, domination, shadows, lies, secrets, poisons, assassins, tieflings and drows.
Bane: Battle, war, conquest, destruction, wealth, greed, undead, necromancy and dragonborn.
Primal Spirits: Change, spring, beauty, luck, storm, wilderness, sea, moon, autumn, halflings and elves.
Welcome
Welcome to Macera, a world which will be built for Dungeons and Dragons 4th edition. In order to try something new, I have connected my Blogger account with my Google+ account, so if you are in my DND-circle, you will be able to follow as I add things to my world. I have (of course) done this, because I think worldbuilding can at times be a lonely exercise and I am therefore hoping for at least a little feedback.
I don't claim, think or even imagine myself as being anything near a good writer, so I have a tendency to steal, yoink and otherwise use other peoples work. At times more or less unchanged, at other times twisted and manipulated to suit my group and I.
The process will probably be very unstructured. Plan is to just write ideas as they come, categorize them using etiquettes, then fill out the empty holes later on.
I don't claim, think or even imagine myself as being anything near a good writer, so I have a tendency to steal, yoink and otherwise use other peoples work. At times more or less unchanged, at other times twisted and manipulated to suit my group and I.
The process will probably be very unstructured. Plan is to just write ideas as they come, categorize them using etiquettes, then fill out the empty holes later on.
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