On the old continent of Corath, fragile peace rests between 2 large kingdoms after a long and horrible war, but for how long?
Score: 146762 | 4/21/24 |
On the ancient continent Corath, life began as it did on the continent of Faerün but different from it's sister continent, Corath was more wild, lush and dangerous. Elemental rifts were many and large and nature and chaos were in a constant inharmony and the battle of terrain was continuos. Years later, the elemental decendants, the first humanoids to ever roam Corath formed into a group and called themselves the Cailan, and lived as nomads for many years and then, one day, began to settle where the Elemental Planes had bled into the Material Plane. That day was the day when the gods finally destroyed or exiled the Primordials. The Cailan, who eventually split into four groups, Air, Earth, Water, and Fire, made it their duty to guard these portals, ensuring that nothing dangerous is able to pass between the planes. Each of the four groupes specialized in their respective elements and protects the rift that fits their element.
Shortly after, the first Dragonfall War began when Tiamat wanted to control the Material Plane, Bahamut stod up and fought her and it resulted in many versions of dragons and drake's who fought on either side against each other, after some time Tiamat was defeated but was still lingering and licking her wounds, preparing a new assault on the prime material plane.
During the first Dragonfall War, Corellon Larethian sent his creations, The elves to help as part of an effort to undermine the power of the dragons. The green elves continued to live contentedly as small, scattered tribes and worshiped the Faerie gods, rather than the then-unknown Seldarine). The elves fought with the Cailan, the dwarves and Bahamut's dragonborn against Tiamat and her minions and .
The dwarves came to Corath along side the elves and settled in the far east, there they build a vast underground city fortress, they also established a fort dug out in a mountain to the north but due to a short war with The Frost Giants that had come to live there, they lost the fortress and was pushed back to The plains of Corin as it came to be named later on.
The Dawn of Humans had begun some time ago on the far away continent of Faerûn, they grew into a large, chaotic and unpredictable race that fractured into different factions. Some, with the aid of elves, first learned the beautiful magic the elves had in their posession and later, when the humans found a series of mythic items knowwn as the Nether Scrolls, grew into the Magocratic Empire called the Netheril and hunted the elves to such a time where some elves banded with each other and build the large empire of Illefarn, and later, during the fall of Illefarn, fled to Corath and settled various places on the vast and lush continent, they named themselves after one of their cities of former glory and was thereforth known as The Arvahnian Elves or simply The Arvahnians, they worked with The Dwarves and build many beautiful cities, harbors and fortresses and lived for some years in peace.
Though, the Netheril would not stop pursuing them, and sent one of their flying cities after the fleeing elves in the pursue of more magic knowledge.
The Humans began their expansion shortly after the elves, the first humans to settle this continent was from the Rauthym, they went ashore at The Hammerdeep Docks and were led to The Plain of Corin later on, it is the place where dwarves build ships to sail The 3 Seas and it is the primary place where dwarves import and export goods between Corath, Faerûn and Maztica, though the journey from Faerûn to Corath is a dangerous one to say at least. The dwarves also trades heavily with Corin and Raenaath, and is one of the prime exporters of precious metals like gold, iron, silver, copper and precious stones.
Due to unknown events, The Elves fell into multiple infighting and civil wars now known as the Crown Wars that lasted for hundreds of years, which resulted in the elves completely disappearing from Corath and all that is now left are the ruins of once magnificent and beautiful cities, all of which is now covered by nature, taken by one of the various dangers or humaniods or scavenged for building materials, treasure and magic items, their legacies forgotten by most and haven't been looked upon by many non-elves.
Some time prior to the Year of Sundered Webs -339, The Arvanians was threatened by Netheril. A human wizard whose name is lost to time volunteered to sacrifice himself to a magical ritual to create an effective deterrent. The Guardian that resulted was a being of pure Weave magic.
In the year -339 (3520 in Netherese reckoning), the Netherese archwizard Karsus took it upon himself to defeat the phaerimm that were threatening the Netherese empire. He had spent years researching Karsus's avatar, the only 12th-level spell ever created, which was designed to temporarily rob a deity of their power and grant it instead to the spellcaster. Karsus chose to rob Mystryl, and when her godly essence poured into him his mind and body were overwhelmed and he found that he was incapable of wielding such power. Mystryl's hold on the Weave was weakened and it began to unravel. Magical effects doubled in power briefly, then became wild and chaotic. To save the Weave from permanent damage Mystryl chose to sacrifice herself, which broke Karsus's connection, killing him, and stopped all magic for a short time. In the time it took for the Mother of All Magic to reincarnate herself, most of the floating cities of Netheril crashed to the ground.
When Karsus's avatar was cast, the Weave was interrupted momentarily, which would have destroyed the Guardian. It chose to change its power source to the Shadow Weave and became The Great Evil. The Arvanians sent warriors to destroy it, but failed. They then bribed the great dragon Nolaloth. The Great Evil struck him down, but was sorely wounded and retreated to the Plane of Shadows.
When the goddess of magic was reborn—this time as Mystra—she used as a vessel a beautiful peasant girl who was just learning cantrips but who had the capability of one day becoming an archwizard. She immediately took control of the Weave and magic returned to Toril. In the aftermath of the Fall of Netheril, the new goddess took a much more Lawful view of magic use and laid down some rules, including a decree that the most powerful of spells would fail utterly....
Now in the Year of the Star Walker's Return - 1490, life is usually simple, people goes about their business, though not long ago, in the Year of Rogue Dragons - 1373, a fierce war raged throughout the continent, between dragons and humanoids at the behest of The Chromatic Dragon, Tiamat. During the war commonly known as The Dragonfall war, thousands died, whole cities was destroyed, and parts of the continent was smashed apart. Broken remnants of history speak of battles between gods and Dragons leveling mountains and sinking islands.
Chosen heroes rose up to accept the artifacts of their patrons to combat the tide of death their adversaries harnessed. Powerful archmages harnessed the surging arcane powers of the war to forge incredible objects of potent strength and ability, further arming every side of the conflict. Relics of Netheril and Arvahn were further enhanced, creating unheard-of magical capabilities.
When the battle climaxed in a wave of aberrant destruction, leaving much of civilization in ruins, many of these artifacts were buried among the ashes with their wielders. Some were locked away, the fear of their power giving temples reason to keep them from mortal hands, while a handful still see use to this day by great warriors or proven killers.
These mighty echoes of the last great war, and the divine banishment that followed, are known as the Vestiges of The Dragonfall War.
Now some hundred and seventeen years after The Dragonfall War, people haven't forgotten those dreaded days, and the two large kingdoms have held the much needed, though fragile peace, and have even arranged a pact of combined strength and aid in the time of need though not all agrees with the peace and alliance.
Sages and bards tell and sing the stories of the Dragonslayers, the Heroes of old, who drove Tiamat and her horrors into hiding. One could maybe even think that the tombs of those heroes can be found by listining carefully to those songs and stories.
Although some stories of worried times to come and the peace shattered to pieces once more, have found their way, some even tells stories of Tiamat and the return of the dragons.
Who knows what to expect on this large continent, maybe a mysterious plot to overthrow a ruler of a country or as the stories tell, the return of Tiamat and her armies, well... Only time will tell...
Welcome! To the Rise of Corath.