The History of Adlatum
“You talk when you cease to be at peace with your thoughts; therefore, those who talk constantly will never be lulled into a false sense of security.” – Talker Gnome Adage
The History of Adlatum is compiled from a number of different sources. Many of the cultures that could provide written works prior to the Drowning relied largely on the Volume of the Prophet to keep a detailed history of their race. Yet among the human Midland nations various records have been kept and before the Drowning bits of elven historic texts have been recovered that tell of a time before the rise of the “civilized” human.
Talker gnomes have the most complete history of Adlatum as they keep meticulous records on each and every ruler served, their decisions, their laws and the ramification of such orders. One advantage of Talker gnome history is that they have established themselves as advisors in the court of every “civilized” culture of Adlatum. So they have records from humans, dwarves, ogres and even the minotaurs. These records however are often filled with many pages of speculation, political intrigue, court gossip, and complex guesswork on alternate scenarios trying to determine what would have happened if rulings had been played out differently.
For convenience the timeline has been divided into the six eras each of which not always having clearly defined edges. The Foundation describes the time in which Adlatum is initially settled by the newborn races of Krynn. The Time of Light tells of the expansion of the elves and the arrival of the Graygem. The Time of Valor described the advance of civilization into the wilds of Adlatum. The Time of the Minotaur describes the expansion of the Minotaur Empire and the terrible events leading up the Drowning. The Time of Dark Tidings relays the dark events that transpired following the Drowning and finally the Time of the Prophet tells of the events leading up to the current day when a modern day prophet has been taken as an icon for a great war. The years are divided into PD (Pre-Drowning) and AD (Alt-Drowning).
The Foundation
c. 9000-8500 PD—People Choose Homes: Ogres settle the mountains of northern Adlatum, and the vast tracts of forest are settled by Valenesti elves. All other regions are home to humans.
c. 8500 PD—Birth of Civilization: Ogres start enslaving human barbarians to build mighty nations. The elves begin an era of enlightenment and a xenophobic lifestyle.
c. 8200 PD—Favored of Reorx: Reorx sees the enslavement and xenophobic actions of the races of Adlatum and gathers humans that he feels can fix the flaws of the other races. He gifts them with a glib tongue and quick wits in hopes of making them the builders of nations. Known as the Favored of Reorx, they begin to find places within the courts and kingdoms of many nations of Adlatum.
c. 6000-5000 PD—Decline of Ogres: Ogres descend into cruelty and depravity. Ogre children begin to be born with deformities as their internal malice begins to show. The ogres enact severe guidelines on having children. Any deformed children are left to die on the plains south of the great ogre nation.
c. 5500-4500 PD—Ogre Expansion: A strong ogre tyrant rallies the ogre nations and leads them in a crusade to the south to expand their holdings. The Ogre Empire covers more than half of the continent after the War of a Thousand Years.
Time of Light
c. 5000 PD—Birth of Gnomes: Disappointed with the failure of his chosen, the rise of the cruel ogre nations, and the actions of many of his followers which had taken pride in their own work and openly displayed their power, Reorx curses his chosen. They become known as Talker Gnomes, short folk who long to do nothing else other than tinker with politics and social engineering.
c. 4500 PD—Arrival of the Irda: Shape-shifting ogres from across the sea arrive in Adlatum; their presence signals the beginning of the end of ogre domination and causes more internal strife. Some ogres move to the north and others remain behind in the south. The mixing of Adlati ogre and irda slows and in some cases somewhat reverses or adjusts the deformities seen. It does not completely stop it however, and the strict requirements for allowing children to remain in their society continue.
c. 4350 PD—Graygem Released: A gnome of a distant land is tricked into stealing the Graygem from Giauzar (Lunitari). The gem escapes releasing wild magic into the world.
c. 4200 PD—Creation of the Volumes: An eccentric human priest transcribes a magical tome, writings that could allow a person to travel the river of time and view events along the shores of the river. The human is only referred to as The Prophet. Upon the priest’s death, an organization known as the Brotherhood of the Prophet claims the tome and splits it into separate volumes. Four of the Volumes are each delivered to the respective leaders of the Ogres, Elves, Humans, and Gnomes. The Volumes appear to have the ability to display the history and divine the future of each respective race.
c. 4100 PD—Hunt for Graygem Begins: Melik Suud (Reorx) gathers together the gnomes of a distant land and instructs them to find and retrieve the Graygem.
c. 3900-3700 PD—Rise of the Nations of Light: The elves, driven by an alliance with humans, begin to push back the borders of the Ogre Empire. The elven and human realms begin to rival that of the ogres. The Midlands are established as the first true human civilization.
c. 3500 PD—Ogres Use Volume: Ogre magi discover a way to use their Volume to gain an edge against the Nations of Light and hold their ground against them. Within a few short years, the Ogre Empire’s victory seems assured.
c. 3475-3470 PD—Mix-Blood Services: The Valenesti forces allow for the conscription of half-elves, however they were little better than slave soldiers and often called Daub’dae’larden (Arrow Catchers). A half-elf named Gildanau distantly related to the Speaker of the Trees leads a mutiny and is arrested. After escaping, human and half-elven warriors flee to the far eastern mountains and begin breaking other slaves soldiers free.
c. 3450 PD—Exodus of Elven Aristocracy: Elven nobles and wizards flee after using their Volume to divine the future of their race. Ripping their capital city of Avanost from the ground, most of the elven nobles flee in the flying city and disappear far above Adlatum, taking their Volume with them. The Nations of Light lose much of their territory except where the followers of Gildanau amassed in large numbers.
c. 3425 PD—The City of God: After receiving a vision, Gildanau has a new city built for the refugees. It is named Elinost, the City of God, in honor of the divine.
c. 3410 PD—Ogre Realms Fight Back: Ogres step up attacks on elves. The elven warriors and workers make preparations to leave Adlatum.
c. 3400 PD—Arrival of the Graygem: The Graygem arrives followed by a ship full of devout tinker gnomes. The tinker gnomes are transformed into kunda, talker gnomes into dwarves, noble elves on Avanost into winged elves, southern ogres into minotaurs and the fleeing elven soldiers escaping on ships into sea elves. The dragons of Adlatum are infused with Chaos Magic from the Graygem. The lands surrounding their lairs are suffused with unnaturally high levels of primal ambient magic. Sorcery is soon discovered.
c. 3390 PD—Seclusion of the Ogre Race: Minotaurs destroy the remainder of elven civilization and claim the lands for themselves. The Ogre Empire is unable to handle the strain of losing thousands of ogres to the transformation of the Graygem and retreat completely back into their northern territories. They gather their slaves to begin work on the Endless Reach, a great wall that will stretch hundreds of miles and divide their mountainous home from the rest of Adlatum. Deformed ogre children are left just outside the Endless Reach to die, but human plainsmen begin saving the doomed children. Closed off from the rest of Adlatum, much of the coming history of the Ogre Empire is lost to outside civilizations.
c. 3300 PD—Last Volumes Delivered: The Brotherhood of the Prophet distributes three Volumes of the Prophet, one each to the Kunda, Minotaurs and Dwarves. They claim these are the Last Volumes of the Prophet.
Time of Valor
c. 3300-2300 PD—Human Expansion: The Midlands slowly expand over the next thousand years due to human and dwarven influence in the west and minotaur development to the east.
c. 3275 PD—Charant Aros founded: The first Ci’tec orchestrates peace between the warring human tribes in the Arosan region near the western fringes of the Midlands.
c. 3250-3200 PD—Creation of the Adlar Clan: A dwarven prophet, Adlar Stonebellow, proclaims he has a vision from Reorx and that he has been instructed to create a path to the center of the world. The dwarves split into factions and the Adlar dwarves settle in lands east of the dwarven capital, depleting the land and turning it into a desert wasteland. They use their earth magic to raise seven huge plateaus and begin a hole to the middle of Krynn.
c. 3200-2900 PD—Trejor and Drejor Founded: The Roanj Tribe becomes dominant over the various warlord led tribes of the grasslands of the northwestern Midlands. The nation of Trejor is founded, but it cannot hold together. In time it fractures in two: Trejor and Drejor.
c. 2900 PD—The Great Rending: The dwarven capital falls more and more under the province of the religious Adlar. Those dwarves that are “non-believers” in the path strike out to the north. The Hartdar clan settles a new city on the mountains just north of the Midlands and takes the dwarven Volume of the Prophet with them.
c. 2850 PD—A Half-Blood’s Legacy: Gildanau dies after setting up the government of his new nation. The human and half-elven people name themselves Gildanesti to honor him. The Gildanesti nation keep relatively closed borders with its hostile neighbors.
c. 2800 PD—Saviors of the Reach Vanish: The human settlers near the Endless Reach who had saved the discarded Igurna children are no longer seen. It is believed they had either died out or had completely merged into the growing half-ogre, Oguna, population.
c. 2700 PD—Gods of Magic Introduce High Sorcery to Shyrsa: Three noble houses of the budding magocracy of the Midlands named Shyrsa are visited by the gods of magic and instructed in the ways of High Sorcery. All nobility begins choosing one of the Gods of Magic to serve.
c. 2650 PD—Ogun’s Tentative Founding: The Oguna population spreads out over a healthy block of land in the north. They take over ruins of a long lost civilization. Although many believe these to be ruins of the Ogre Empire, the architecture appears inconsistent with ogre styles. As new towns are built while others form nomadic bands, the Oguna separate into numerous tribes and clans who argue and battle. Those who settle too close to the human Midlands are fended off.
c. 2610 PD—Kedaltol Founded: The dwarven nation of Kedaltol is founded in the Pullonas Mountains as a safe haven for dwarves. This becomes the home nation of the Hartdar (a.k.a. coin dwarves).
c. 2600 PD—Kingdom of Etlarn Established: Etlarn is established by several noble mage families from the Midlands who grow disillusioned with the magocracy, preferring to pursue their own paths. Setting out on a trek far to the east, they eventually establish new homes in a series of idyllic mountain vales that are rich in arcane energy. Etlarn the Ancient is named their first monarchy, and the newly founded nation is named for him.
c. 2550 PD—The Dragon War: Chaos-touched dragons discover they are becoming bound to their territories and in a frightened effort to escape their prisons they attack humanity. Etlarn makes an alliance with the minotaurs and they work together to battle the dragons. Once defeated, the dragons go into hiding deep within their territories surrounding themselves with Dragonkin. In the following thousands of years “true dragons” are forgotten by all but the Avanesti elves. Dragonkin are what most people think of when a “dragon” is brought to mind.
The End of the Magocracy: Shyrsa finds itself also under attack from the dragons during the war. Many of the magocracy’s infrastructures fracture as regions are divided by lost territory. By the end of the war, many separated regions have no desire to reconnect to other territories they have had no contact with for years or decades. Many smaller nations form (including Solishairon and Isryan), while in other places organized government falls apart completely. The nation of Solishairon is one of the larger nations to come about. Franko Joaneir, a general who led armies against a powerful red dragon, founds Solishairon.
c. 2300-2200 PD—Dwarven Expansion: The Hartdar dwarves flourish and they spread into the mountainous lands of the northeast. They raise a great empire in the east and control trade on the eastern half of the continent and the majority of the Midlands.
c. 1900 PD—Midlands and Minotaurs Expand Peacefully: Human nations flourish and develop quickly as the Midlands expand to the east and north and discover lost secrets and ancient ruins of the ogres and elves. Borderlines are defined and debated with the honorable minotaur empire. The long held alliance with Etlarn helps to smooth over many disputes and the old elven realms become a mixture of human and minotaur territories.
c. 1500 PD—Birth of a Divine Bureaucracy: A new theocracy arises in the Midlands and quickly takes control of many smaller regions, creating the largest power in the Midlands. The power becomes known as both the “Divine Bureaucracy” and the “Tao-Shin Theocracy.” Isryan shows its support for the Tao-Shin by attacking Solishairon, claiming them to be godless and deserving of excommunication. Both Isryan and Solishairon are taken into the larger nation.
c. 1300 PD—The Impassable Door: The Graygem sends a vision to the Adlar High Prophet Ro Stonebellow showing him an impassable door and hints had how to open it.
Time of the Minotaur
c. 1250 PD—Breaking of the Pact: A border dispute between the nations of the Midlands and the minotaurs’ Chôt-tang Empire turns bloody. Etlarn lends aid to the Midland theocracy breaking a long held pact with minotaurs.
c. 1200-1000 PD—Collapse, Expansion, and Withdrawal: The once strong theocracy of the Midlands begins to fall apart from with. The Tao-Shin Theocracy breaks up into smaller nations. The countries of Isryan, Solishairon, and Pelcatis reform once again, and several war with each other. While the human nations of the Midlands squabble and fight with one another, the unified Chôt-tang Empire experiences a renaissance, expands in power, and dominates much of the territory of the Midlands. Without the unified alliance from the Midlands, Etlarn withdraws from the conflict and returns to a neutral state.
c. 1100-965 PD—Guiteger Founded: Gambriel Guiteg, a Tao-Shin cleric of the Path of Power, convinces five other warlords to bend knee to her. Guiteger is founded as a theocracy, reflecting many of the old tenants of the fallen Divine Bureaucracy. After a century of rule according to the Path of Power, Gambriel’s granddaughter Ines Johan converts to the Path of Light. In time all Paths are accepted in positions of power.
c. 1000 PD—Iveraque Founded: Noble humans weary of the battles in the north settle in the west to form the nation of Iveraque.
c. 900 PD—The Empire of Dhu: A collection of city-states along the southern border of Adlatum unify into a single power. Trade with the Corinesti bolsters their economy, and soon the nation expands inland.
c. 800 PD—Creation of the Neskudar: A dwarven clan in the Path discovers a terrible secret—the Chamber of Chaos. An earthquake traps members of the Earthslasher clan with the horrors of Chaos. Massive casualties are taken before a few escape. The High Prophet tries to bury their story in order to prevent panic and a work-stop on the Path. Before he can have the clan murdered, they escape. The dwarves take their findings and leave their homeland, dwelling in the eastern deep marches. They become the Neskudar, the mysterious Mist Dwarves. The Adlar declare them unbelievers and try to hunt them down. Combat occurs, and the Adlar are repelled.
c. 750 PD—Guiteger Becomes a Monarchy: The Archcouncil shows itself to be a bed of corruption. High Priest of Alnath, Rainer Nadlis, holds onto his personal faith in the Path of Power and in the Tao-Shin, but he resigns his post within the church, dividing the church from the state. Over the next eight months Guitger is turned into a monarchy with himself as king.
c. 700-500 PD—Iveraque Collapses: An era of avarice, domination, power, and glamour comes to an end as smaller territorial factions struggle against each other to try and gain ruler of the nation.
c. 600-500 PD—The Great Empire of Narstedh: The human nation of Narstedh economically and militarily prospers in central Adlatum. Some believe the empire was able to discover the secrets of the Human Volume and put it to proper use. Around 510 PD Narstedh enters into border disputes with the Empire of Dhu to the south. The territories in question side with Narstedh and after a seven-year conflict, the Empire of Narstedh has expanded its territories and surpassed the Dhuish Empire in strength and relevance.
c. 400-200 PD—Minotaurs Dominant: The skirmishes between the minotaurs and the Midlands increase. Minotaurs began using human slave labor and attack human towns along their borders. Several Oguna tribes are conscripted into service for the Chôt-tang Empire.
158 PD—Discovery of the Power of The Volumes: Minotaur sages learn that by combining the Volumes of the Prophet additional powers can be unleashed. They send a legion of minotaurs into the Valley of the Kunda along the border of Etlarn to retrieve the Kunda Volume. Only a handful of the legion returns bearing the Kunda Volume and tales of their narrow escape.
123-117 PD—Guiteg Civil War: Rebellions against Queen Chrystan begin when Karole Elverd is forced away from the queen’s daughter after making indecent advances. Elverd forms a band of those wanting to overthrow the “corrupt and murderous throne.” The war ends when Elverd beheads Chrystan himself. The princess escaped the city during the final siege, and Elverd forms his own dictatorship.
112-2 PD—The War of Houses Begins: King Rodeli of Drejo is assassinated. The bloodiest conflicts for the royal throne begin.
100-70 PD—The Canon War Begins: Unlocking the power of the combined Minotaur and Kunda Volumes, the minotaurs of the Chôt-tang Empire begin an all-out war against the Midlands to capture the Human Volume. The humans form an alliance with the dwarves of the west and they join in the fight. The Oguna initially side with the Minotaurs, but they switch sides when they realize they are being used solely for fodder. They spend the bulk of the war are a slave-race conquered by the Chôt-tang Empire. The war goes on for a century, with the minotaurs capturing the ogres’ Volume and the dwarves taking the Volumes of the humans and gnomes. Eventually all nations are caught up in the bloody war.
89-53 PD—The Militias War: The hostilities between the Families of Iveraque reach an all time high. The war ends when an explosion of unknown origin, presumed magical, destroys the Ravaldi Estates where six of the Family heads were meeting.
89 PD—The Battle of Roden: Mauritand’s Lord Emperor Ude leads a charge against the minotaur forces. During the battle, the Lore Emperor sacrifices his own life to save the life of a minotaur he had just taken prisoner. The Mauritand forces are cut off from the main battle lines as a result of treachery conducted by an agent of the Empire of Dhu. The minotaurs swarmed their enemy, and the battle lasted for two weeks with non-stop fighting. Ten of thousands of the Mauritand forces die. As the minotaur commander, Jorkef, was about to desecrate the Lord Emperor’s body, the young minotaur prisoner Kol stands against him. The act causes division in the minotaur ranks, and the battle continues for three more days, minotaur fighting minotaur. In the end, Commander Jorkef is forced to retire after losing an eye and leg.
69-29 PD—Kunda Valley Taken: The Chôt-tang Empire occupies the Kunda Valley, but eventually kunda warrior Zachar Tressife organizes multiple strategic attacks against the minotaurs, damaging their hold on the Valley. In three years the minotaurs are ejected from the city, and two years after that the kunda reclaim the entire valley.
7-4 PD—Iveraque Withdraws: The Families debate the need of sending their own children abroad to fend off an enemy that has yet to impede on Iveraque’s soil. Over the following years, surviving sons and daughters are brought home from the Canon War. This angers many nations in the Alliance. The Empire of Dhu even threatens Iveraque with military force, but nothing comes of it.
2 PD—The War of Houses Ends: The Drejori civil war ends when Lord Madred Heratecin and Lady Emecia Heymelion agree to marry their grandchildren together, thereby unifying the competing bloodlines. The nation enters a multi-year celebration signifying the end of the century old war.
0 AD—The Drowning: During summer, on the eve of the longest battle of the Canon War, the world comes crashing down around the armies with flooding and earthquakes, as the Drowning washes them all away forming a new and silent sea. A majority of the Midlands is submerged beneath the sea dividing it from Etlarn far to the east.
Hroce’s Cry: Six months before the Drowning, a young teenage Oguna named Hroce instigates massive slave riots in the minotaur occupied Ogun territories. Over the next six months, the Oguna are able to reclaim the eastern half of their former home, breaking off supply chains for the Chôt-tang Empire forces in the west.
Fallen Empires: One of the strongest empires of the Midlands, the Empire of Dhu, is directly hit with the full force of the Great Wave on its southern borders. Most of the nation is sunk beneath the waves as the Sargassi Sea forms. Other parts of the nation are lost and cut off from the rest of civilization. Only a tiny fraction of the Empire survives in the southeastern corner of the reduced Midlands. The greater power, the Empire of Narstedh, is completely sunk to the bottom of the Sargassi Sea with only many islands that were washed clean remaining. Surviving Narstedhi settle on Pelcatis’ new shoreline.
The Kundamarsh: The Valley of the Kunda becomes a marshland and the kunda are split into two tribes: the Voda who remain in the marsh and honor the dead, and the nomadic Hoda who become children of the elements and travel the lands. Both tribes erase the name of the god blamed for the devastation from their histories.
Damiyo’s End: The knightly forces of Mauritand are all destroyed in the wave, regardless of their location. Lord Emperor Urati comes to believe the Great Wave is a punishment from the gods because he failed to save his injured sister from a group of human mercenaries working for the minotaur army. Many of the remaining Damiyo honor their fallen Lord Emperor by standing guard over his body against the coming water.
Wedding Disaster: Officials from all over the Midlands and beyond who are able to take a respite from the Canon War meet in Drejor for the wedding of Roric Heymelion and Pharaceilia Heratecin. The celebration that marks a peaceful future, internally at least, for the nation after a century of war turns to tragedy as the Great Wave of the Drowning strikes before the end of the ceremonies.
Hammervald Smashed: The dwarven homeland of the west, the great Hammervald Empire, is submerged. Hundreds of thousands of dwarves drown beneath the water except for one mountain homeland that is stranded out at sea. The Shattered Sea is formed.
Galachot Founded: A legion of minotaurs is visited by a golden minotaur, who is truly a gold dragon in the service of the goddess Mah-jor (Majere). The golden minotaur persuades them to leave before it is too late. They listen and head to the east escaping the wrath of the gods and following the teachings of this new minotaur.
Gnomorrah Changed: A gnomish ship carried by the Great Wave is washed ashore in the northern Thunderhead Mountains. When gnomes return to the region they begin to learn aspects of steam power mechanics.
Artifacts Lost: The remaining Starmetal weapons of the Midland nations are swept away in the waters. All of the Volumes of the Prophet are likewise lost as well.
Time of Dark Tidings
1 AD—A Land Taken: The Teusten sailors take control of a small amount of mainland between Blight Bay and the recently enlarged Lake Borlesko. The land is so riddled with small lakes, rivers, and streams that all settlements have direct access to the ocean. The nation of Teusten is founded.
2 AD—A Land Broken: The minotaurs fighting in the westernmost front of the war find themselves cut off from any remnants of their destroyed society. Over the next forty years they are slowly forced out of the “Bad Lands”, which soon forms the nation of Bhadlum, and over the following decades take to warring the Oguna tribes to their east and the Midland nations to the south. In time their chain of command collapses, and they fall to a collection of warring tribes. Their barren territory becomes known as Sakkaras.
3 AD—FyxZharar Moves to the Mountains: Humans and other races move into the Thunderhead mountains hoping the high elevations will help if another Great Wave would ever come. The nation of FyzZharar moves westward on the map and encompasses most of the mountains in the region.
4 AD—Warring Over Mercy: The city of Avanost returns to Adlatum to survey the damage done by the recent catastrophic events. Horrified by the devastation, a large portion of city argues that aid must be given to the unfortunate lesser races. Others demand that the city continue apart for its own safety. Debate collapses and civil war erupts.
5 AD—Kingdom of the Corinesti: The sea elves discover the Silent Sea in the middle of Adlatum and settle there, creating an underwater kingdom in the lands they once inhabited. Seeing an opportunity, the elves avail themselves to human villages and towns along the coastlines becoming traders and moving goods from one port to another.
6-8 AD—Heaven at War: The magical warfare in Avanost forces the city to land in eastern Adlatum. Avanesti are slain over a wide range of area. Many Adlati believe the gods are at war and angels were being thrown from the sky. Morale of the people continues to fall. Eventually the war ends, and those supporting reconnecting ties with the land and sea-dwellers are cut of their wings and exiled. Avanost takes to the skies again but is now bound to remain over Adlatum. Only after the city was among the clouds did they discover that their Volume of the Prophet was missing.
10 AD—The Teusten Civil War: Havadman Markan of Trojssan dies without an heir. Two Regels battled for the leadership position, plunging Teusten into chaos. The fighting ends abruptly when one of the Regels dies in a dwarven raid near Faste Ckold. Aanon of Karssan becomes the new Havadman.
12 AD—Old Hatred Averted: The Gildanesti make treaties with the Corinesti, descendants of the Valenesti who enslaved them long ago, in order to have peaceful trade through the Sargassi Sea. Marriages between Corinesti and Gildanesti houses mingle the blood and strengthen the inter-cultural alliance.
15-23 AD – Mining Rights Wars: A series of battles breaks out between the Midland nations of Isryan and Solishairon. Ending with the defeat of Solishairon by Isryan at the Battle of Crotili. Two legions of Isryan defeated three from Solishairon. This allowed Isryan to have the premier mining rights on the edge of the Afanstein Mountains near the Kedaltol border.
20 AD—Corinesti Deal: Havadman Aanon of Teusten strikes a deal with the Corinesti elves saying that Teusten will not raid the Corinesti cities in exchange for unhindered access to the seas. Regardless of a number of loopholes, the Corinesti Trading Guild lets the agreement stand.
26 AD—Dhu Rebuilds: The pirate Gussun gathers a fleet of seven ships run by seven competitive sea captains. Under the direction of Gussun (“The Admiral”) sailors constructed many new towns on Dhu’s new shoreline. The town of Gussun’s Port becomes a base of operation for pirate attacks against those sailing in the southern Sargassi Sea and a major seafaring stop.
30 AD—Magocracy Warned: A silver wolf (a silver dragon in disguise) appears to the kingdom of Etlarn to warn them that they should avoid the evil practice of necromancy and other wicked magic, and follow the path of good. This will prepare them for their greatest trials far in the distant future.
36 AD—For Hire: A Gildanesti cleric of Rosmera (Shinare) founds a Mercenaries Guild. With the aid of the Lord Marshal of Gildanesti, they successfully acquire several long-term contracts with neighboring Etlarn and Onar.
39 AD—Creation of the Reef Dwarves: A messenger of Moli (Zeboim), a dragon turtle, appears to the stranded Nordar dwarves and offers them a way off their mountainous island home in exchange for their worship. The dying and starving dwarves agree. In turn, their fear of water is removed and they turn into the pirating “reef dwarves”. They name their growing nation the Ironvald Empire.
40 AD—Damiyo Law: The Damiyo of Mauritand are reformed after a fashion under Ashina Nugosh as his personal bodyguards, now called Damiyo Law.
51 AD—Trejor Breaks Further: Urzai Lanla, cousin of Bhadlum’s leader, seeks to gain the northernmost districts of Trejor and have them claim independence under his rule. Without enough security in the region, and believing that Bhadlum would come to the aid of the newly formed Vjenor’s claim of secession, Trejor grudgingly allows the lands to depart. Relations between Trejor and Vjenor will take centuries to heal.
52 AD—North Watch Founded: King Urzai of Vjenor’s daughter, Romau, organizes the North Watch in secret. The force is designed to repel the minotaur threat in the north. Upon learning of the success, Urzai gives credit for the force to his son and heir Gaulav, against his wishes. Romau, insulted by her father’s actions, flees the state. Rumor claims she sailed westward beyond the far shores of Adlatum to a land accessible to only the Corinesti.
53 AD—Rebuilding Ties: The old alliance between Trejor and Drejor is rekindled when a blood tie between the lost house of Durde and the Trejoran royal family is found. Count Kalis Durde of Drejor changes his name to Kalis Durandae and becomes the new king of Trejor.
56 AD—Seafaring Conflict: The reef dwarves start exploring islands in the Shattered Sea for lost villages of their nation. This leads to fights between the Nordar dwarves and Teusten humans as one nation or the other claims land. The Nordar pull back, giving the Teusten more territory, however the dwarves are able to secure what islands they do have.
71 AD—Hoda in the West: One of the smaller Hoda tribes settles in Oguna, forever forsaking their old ways and the Kundamarsh. They start to adopt Oguna customs and become close allies to many of their half-ogre neighbors. They assist in the on going battles against the Sakkaran minotaurs to the west.
76-80 AD—The War of the Reefs: A clan of Nordar dwarves uncomfortable with the barbaric lifestyle of the Nordar split from them over philosophical differences. They rename themselves the Sundar and dwell in the cliffs along the Shattered Sea. They are later known as “cliff dwarves”. The Nordar attempt to reclaim the Sundar and the supplies they took with them. The Sundar fend off the Nordar attacks.
90 AD—Historical Correction: King Gaulav of Vjenor corrects his nations history by giving credit of the founding of the North Watch to his sister Romau.
108 AD—The Meditative Bulls: The former noble manor homes of the Chôt-tang Empire are converted into hilltop monasteries. The peaceful meditative minotaurs of Galachot become known as the Mahjorans.
121-146 AD—The Impassable Door Found: The Adlar diggers find the door foretold a thousand years ago. A riddle is discovered that leads them to discovering the key to the door is the hidden pick known as the Pick of Aenor.
130 AD—Rise of the Dragons: Rasala Hage (Takhisis) awakens the hibernating dragons, and a new generation of eggs begins to hatch. Each dragon is instructed by Rasala Hage to act in her stead until her return. The dragons discover that they have the ability to manipulate the ambient magic of their region and can supply magic to humans. The tainted magic slowly transforms the user into a dragon-like creature. They work in secret, granting spells to followers from their ambient magic. These followers secretly call themselves the Scalebound and often use illusions to mask their altered appearances. Five elder chromatic dragons take on the illusion of the gods of the Midlands, foregoing Rasala Hage completely. “Divine” (mystic) magic can only be performed within the “Holy Lands” (a.k.a. the magic-soaked territories of the Elder Dragons). The White Elder Dragon also learns of artifacts buried deep and hidden in the caves under FyxZharar, left over from a long forgotten civilization.
132 AD—Plague of the Black: A plague develops in Sundalin where victims develop a black rash and die in four days. It is discovered that the plague was being caused by a black soot produced by a group of draconic eagles called the Telniva. The Sundar slew the eagles, by the plague ends up taking the life of King Uloc.
133 AD—The Etlarnic Wars: A wave of dragonkin, believed to be true dragons by most mortals, attack Etlarn. The assault appears to originate from the southwest, but nothing confirms their creatures’ origin. The Etlarn Defenders, a legion of knightly spellcasters, is established to rally the people and stop the threat.
140 AD—Midlands Rebuilds: With the loss of the Gods, “clerics” with this new source of divine magic rebuild and rule the Midlands. A new Tashrama appears lead by these new clerics.
141-148 AD—Tashrama Expands: King Andras of Solishairon welcomes the Tashramadic church and becomes a middle ranking priest for the church. Relations turn sour when Andras’ decisions don’t always please the Tashramadic Council. Andras’ dies at sea in 148 AD. His son Petre takes steps to try to keep the Tashrama isolated to around Brimstone.
147 AD—A God’s Warning: Reorx sends a dream to all Adlar dwarves in Azoine telling them he does not want the door in the Path unlocked. The High Prophet Aoc Stonebellow decrees that a false Reorx has tried to interfere with the true Reorx’s wishes.
221-247 AD—Sundalin’s Goblin War: Goblin clans gathered under the banner of the Wyvern attack Sundalinian dwarves. With the eventual aid of the legendary Kedaltolian Ice Legion, the dwarves are able to drive the goblins to the north of their kingdom. Goblin forces are rebuilt for dwarven use.
233-249 AD—Iveraque Leadership: The Nilonè Family gains enough control over the lesser territories of Iveraque to eventually move into the royal palace. The head of the family, Michela Nilonè, declares herself queen.
238 AD—Pelcatis Renamed: The Tashrama consolidates Pelcatis’ power into a small board of religious spokesmen (possibly the Tashramadic Council). The nation is renamed Tashramada to honor the church.
271 AD—Nordar Expansion: The reef dwarves of the Ironvald Empire launch surprise attacks against various Teusten colonies. Havadman Radac orders all ships into the Shattered Sea to wage war.
275 AD—The Battle of the Red Coral: The Teustens are able to trick the Nordar into crashing half of their fleet into a hidden reef the dwarves did not know about. It did not sink most of the ships, but it left them stranded and prime for easy defeat. The Nordar surrender the island of Haskoddpad.
279 AD—Unique Alliances: The Teusten humans somehow are able to approach the Igurna of Terragrym and strike a very strict yet very advantageous trade agreement with them. Teusten ships are now allowed to dock on Terragrym’s southern shore so long as non-Teusten slaves are kept below deck and out of view. The Teusten are very tight-lipped about what they have learned and gained from the Igurna. No other nation learns that the trade agreement has even been made.
288-289 AD—Sea War: The Ironvald Empire battles the Corinesti in control over certain areas of the sea. Battles are light and no actual war is declared. The Corinesti drive the dwarves back, and the Nordar declare an uneasy truce while secretly vowing that the sea elves would pay for their acts of violence. Unknown to the Nordar, one of the battles results in the death of the Speaker of the Tides.
290 AD—Unwanted Leadership: The regulations on who can become Speaker of the Tides are so restricted that only one Corinesti, Lias “Wavestrider” Ambrodel, qualifies for the position. The Guild Council does not wish for him to take the position, but no other candidate is available. Tension between the merchant houses build.
291 AD—Disaster Delayed: Reorx convinces a human rogue named Talin to steal the Pick of Aenor after the Adlar discover the pick in the ruins of Tandarton. The human hides the pick on a distant island.
300 AD—Corinesti Trade Wars: The merchant houses of the Corinesti begin warring with one another. A trade embargo against Gildanesti is declared, ending good relations between the Corinesti and Gildanesti. Three Corinesti houses were based out of Isryan, and the much economic and physical destruction occurred in the capital and coastal cities. The Isryan Premier threatens to kick all Corinesti out of the nation. The sea elves take their conflict outside of Isryan’s borders. Many nations fall into an economic depression. The Black Branch of the Tashrama assists Trejor in trade, softening the blow.
302 AD—A New Speaker: After the end of the Corinesti Trade War, the Trade Guilds unify and reduce the power of the Speaker. The rules specifying who can be the Speaker of the Tides are relaxed a little, and Quvaresh Thylosathen takes the seat.
308 AD—Vjenor Struck: The Midland nation of Vjenor is attacked by a horde of Sakkaran tribes. The citizens of Vjenor were underestimated and fought back hard. The Sakkaran invasion paid with many lives for the small part of land it gained.
330 AD—The Great Invasion: After multiple harsh winters, the Sakkaran minotaurs gather themselves enough for a single massive push into Ogun, hoping to get to the Fertile Lands near Ogun’s eastern shores.
333-334 AD—The Hope of Helris: An Oguna battlemaster named Helris gathers many of the Oguna into the Army of the Unified-Blood, enabling him to slays three minotaur clan-leaders and break the back of the Great Invasion. Helris reclaims lands almoost up to the western shore of Glisemegh Lake. Helris refuses to let the alliance break apart and founds the capital city of Zorhasic. The capital’s authority was not completely recognized by all Oguna tribes, but it birthed the hope of a unified nation of Ogun.
340 AD—The Fall of Hope: Two independent Sakkaran armies simultaneously sack Zorhasic. Helris is slain and the city is torn down into ruins. The act puts the Oguna people in a rage. Maddened by the loss, they charge westward slaughtering any and all minotaurs they find. The minotaurs are again pushed back west, and the Oguna grieve.
350 AD—The True Gods Return: Proclamations of the return of the Gods are met with a lukewarm reception in Adlatum. In fact, the Elder Dragons that have long ruled in the Midlands do their best through the Scalebound to suppress the knowledge of the gods’ return. Many deem this “new faith” a form of heresy.
351 AD – Isryan Premier Assassinated: The Tao-Shin faith, a religion formerly popular during the time of the Midland’s Divine Bureaucracy, begins again. With Premier Eleah Dayne siding with the Tashrama, she is eventually assassinated. After her death, a new Premier was elected by the name of Yulii Nelens, who happened to be a new cleric of Erraii (Paladine) of the Tao-Shin faith. Isryan support for the Tashrama collapses.
353-359 AD – Oguna Presence: A group of Oguna who had fought the Sakkarans after the fall of Zorhasic reaches Vjenor. The nation allows them to build their own town near the northern border in exchange for helping defend the country against the minotaurs. The town is named Helris Heart, and in 359 AD they successfully repel a minotaur invasion.
368-374 AD – Gnomorran Civil War: Political and legal loopholes result in two separate government bodies being formed. Although the civil war between the governments is fought entirely on paper, thousands of gnomes die before the conflict is resolved.
368 AD – Memorance Searched: A group of adventurers vent into Memorance Lake in Dhu and find artifacts in the lost city of Voen. The lake draws many people who hunt for treasure lost in the Drowning.
374 AD—Pick Almost Found: The Adlar dwarves find a descendant of the thief who stole the Pick of Aenor. The man, a bard named Telnor, almost leads the dwarves to it until Reorx warns him off at the last moment. The bard takes the pick and hides in the Midlands.
382 AD—Days of Darkness: Just before the end of the year, the Adlar find Telnor and murder him. The pick is retrieved and is used to smash the Impassable Door and uncover a chamber deep within the Path. As the Adlar entered the chamber, eyes of fire open upon them and darkness rushes out of the Path into the world. Dragons of fire, black-skinned daemons, dark translucent spirits, and a host of other terrible creatures pour forth from the Path across Adlatum.
The End of Light: The Premier of Isryan, Yulii Nelens, resigns his post. As soon as he does, the horde of Chaos descends upon him. The Premier vanishes, and the rest of Isryan comes under direct assault.
A Possible Hope: Montegron, a powerful warrior in the Midlands stands up to the forces of Chaos and rallies the nations of the Midlands together to defeat the Darkness. Unknown to all, the man is also a devout follower of Rasala Hage.
Forgotten Reign: When an entire army is launched against the evil of Chaos in Drejor, all memory and record of a king who ruled the nation between 374 and 383 AD were wiped clean. Queen Lenyan, not remembering her own king and the father of her newborn daughter, descends into madness. She takes her own life three months later.
Damiyo Reborn: The Lord Emperor of Mauritand’s son Abuyk sees the Damiyo Law fighting the creatures with every ounce of being, for the purpose of defending his father and sisters. He dreams of returning Mauritand to its days of honor and nobility, and eventually re-establishing the Damiyo of old.
Gildanesti Command: Calhan Mar’troon, a nobleman in Gildanesti, defeats the corrupt Lord Marshal Cadminian Levardus in a duel. Calhan is poisoned in the fight but assists in leading the nation’s forces against the Disir summoned up by Chaos. When Elinost is freed and the Disir Queen is killed, Calhan collapses from the poison just outside of the Synod. A strange elf of unusual coloration touches Calhan Mar’troon soon after his collapse. Flames coat the fallen hero but do not burn him. Mar’troon is brought to full health and the elf vanishes in the form of a blue phoenix. Mar’troon is made Lord Marshal.
Elder Freedom: For a brief period of time the surge in ambient chaos magic “snaps together”, overlapping dragon territories. Several of the Elder Dragons discover they are able to leave their lairs. The White Elder Heriacious, who is not recognized by most as a dragon, assists in defending the world from the creatures of chaos. The Red Elder Traxus is tortured by Chaos directly and is almost killed. The Black Elder Xyvren has his Holy Land destroyed. The Blue Elder Almissaive is slain, and his consort Seresayon is bestowed with the Elder status. The forest of the Green Elder Glastious grows in size.
Time of the Prophet
383 AD—Starfall: Rasala Hage steals the world on New Year’s Day and is greatly weakened.
Elders Rebound: The dragon territories are returned to their previous size and dragons are forced back into their bounded lairs. Only the Black Elder Xyvren does not return, but he is bound in a different location, effectively moving the Holy Lands of the Black Branch. Once again the Scalebound preach the word of their respective gods calling the true gods charlatans and liars. The church of the Tao-Shin, without their own gods around, dissipates and vanishes again.
The Fall of Wings: Upon the moment of the Starfall, the winged elven city of Avanost falls from the heavens and crashes into the Dwarfsea. A silver dragon promises to guard the ruins of the lost shining city, and the surviving Avanesti reach the mainland. By the end of the year, they discover the ruins of what they believe to be the ancient elven city of Sirenethel. The ruins are torn down and construction on the city of Helionost begins.
Etlarn Struggles: With two-thirds of the Etlarn Defenders suddenly powerless, the Dragonkin Horde is able to break stalemate. The Horde begins to dominate a majority of the nation.
Gildanesti Reborn: Calhan Mar’troon slowly begins to rebuild the fractured alliance with the Corinesti.
A Legendary Friendship: Montegron saves the life of Jermon Cavlin. Cavlin pledges himself to assisting Montegron in protecting and rebuilding the Midlands. Cavlin begins to gather those he finds who are expert soldiers in their field and show a great loyalty to the Midlands. This group is what eventually forms into the Midland Guard.
384 AD—Offer Rejected: The Tashrama offers the great hero of the Days of Darkness, Lord Montegron, a chance to become leader of the entire Midlands. The position would be as a puppet to the Tashramadic Council. Montegron, a secret follower of Rasala Hage, rejects the offer. Montegron begins plans on a unified Midland Sovereignties without the Tashrama’s influence. Bhadlum’s High Sheriff Mendel Haeg backs the concept if other nations agree.
385 AD—Grip of the Tyrant: After defeating the Chaos creatures released by the dwarves, Montegron proves to be an influential leader and he casts an iron grip over the Midlands to protect them from outside threats. He discovers the nature of the Elder Dragons and their “divine” magic and uses this to his advantage to obtain more power and control of the Midland nations. Montegron becomes increasingly paranoid with the temporary loss of the fatigued Rasala Hage. He surrounds himself with human and dwarven warriors and gnomish advisors.
The Ironvald Siege: The Nordar learn of the destruction the Days of Darkness inflicted on the Sundarin navy. The Nordar make a temporary alliance with the Teusten in hope of destroying the Sundar cities. Many Teusten ships joined in hopes of getting into a good fight. The Sundar are able to turn back the ships at Portswind. The Nordar went home defeated. The Teusten returned home with tales of great battles.
387 AD—Wedding at Sea: Lord Marshal Calhan marries his daughter off to the Speaker of the Tides, Emeranta, in order to further reconcile relations between the Gildanesti and Corinesti.
388 AD—Iveraque and Mauritand Joins:
Iveraque’s Dark Secrets: Montegron learns that the many of the creatures summoned by Queen Ombrarra to fight the hordes of chaos during the Days of Darkness are the beasts roaming the darker places of her nation, or leftovers from Chaos itself. Montegron blackmails Ombrarra into joining the Sovereignties. Ombrarra summons a demon to kill the Sovereign Lord, but the plot backfires. The demon guises itself as a Mauritand lord and begins to court the queen. In time, the queen’s soul is extracted from her body while the flesh continues to live. At the end of the year, Ombrarra gives birth to her son Gianvuoto. Ombrarra’s brother Reniar is given the crown.
Mauritand’s Need: Montegron assists Mauritand in their conflict with the Sekhnesti on their border and convinces Lord Emperor Umaka to join the Sovereignties. Montegron also convinces him to change his title to Lord King, believing the title Lord Emperor was too glorified when compared to his own title. Prince Abuyk’s pride in Mauritand is diminished.
389 AD—Port Clearing: The High Sheriff of Bhadlum, Mendel Haeg, sends a small fleet of ships up the coastline of Lake Borlesko to destroy any boats the Sakkaran minotaurs might be using or building. After wipe out many fishing villages, they discover a port further north where the minotaurs were building warships based off of an old Chôt-tang vessel damaged during the Drowning. The Bhadlum fleet destroyed two ships and razed the village. One of the Bhadlum ships was lost, but the mission was shown successful.
390 AD—Two Sides Build Strength: Both the Tashrama and Montegron begin to accelerate their control over the Midlands.
Expansion of the Holy Lands: Priests of the Tashrama discover that they are able to cast spells outside of the Holy Lands. It is declared a miracle that magic is now available all over the continent of Adlatum. Worship in the “gods” reaches a new high.
Isryan Stabilized: Montegron alters the democratic process in Isryan to build a more stable government. Premiers now are automatically elected to lifetime positions instead of a ten-year term. Dulasa Avex, a former carpenter who had returned to her old life of rebuilding destroyed homes, is elected Premier.
391 AD—Nations Stabilized and Cleansed:
Guiteger Stabilized: Montegron stabilizes the nation of Guiteger after almost being hung and devoured by a violent populace. One of his followers, a half-dwarf named Auger “Sawblade” Ington, remains behind to firm up the region. Montegron offers Ington the crown of the nation. Ington declines and instead becomes an advisor to a new oligarchy.
Solishairon Cleansed: Lord Montegron finds King Fered of Solishairon to be incompetent. He successfully ousts the slothful king. The dukes of the nation try to put Montegron in the throne, but the Lord refuses. Eventually Montegron appoints Duke Stefan Hendurg as Archduke of Solishairon. The Archduke is said to rule Solishairon while their “king” fights to rebuild the entire Midlands.
392 AD—The Pinnacle City Expands: Lord Montegron chooses Karsuhon as his seat of power across the entire Midlands. FyxZharar officially joins the united sovereignties. Construction on Montegron’s palace begins immediately.
393 AD—Unstable Magic: Magic becomes more unreliable as lost souls trapped on Krynn by Rasala Hage start stealing magic from mystics and sorcerers, and buzz annoyingly around the dragon territories of the Elder Dragons, siphoning power.
394 AD—Dhu Joins the Sovereignties: Seresayon grows worried about the steady rise of Lord Montegron and sends representatives to the young King Luciten. In an effort to broker a peaceful relationship, the king is secretively informed of the Blue Elder Dragon’s existence. Unfortunately this frightens the king and harms negotiations. Montegron learns of the diamonds found in the Munest Mines of Dhu, and he forces King Luciten to join the unified sovereignties and slay the representatives of Heaventide. Followers of the Blue Branch are arrested for failure to pay taxes. Montegron then orders the construction of a naval port at Gussun’s Port, which is renamed Emperium Gate. Gussun’s descendent, Troverhon Keelright, is put in charge of the navy’s construction.
395 AD—Army of Darkness: The Voda begin to notice a buildup of souls and discover that the gate to the world beyond has been barred. One of them goes to notify the people of the Midlands and is brought into the employment of King Montegron to make contact with them. Montegron receives instruction from Rasala Hage that he is to build an army of undead to take down the Elder Dragons that have forsaken her. Montegron employs distant necromancers to start creating an army of spirits and undead.
396 AD—The Prophet: During this time a strange prophet comes to the Sovereign Lord Montegron with knowledge of an old legend concerning the Volumes and an army of the dead. She believes that the restless souls of late may have something to do with this. Montegron immediately takes in this prophet and is surprised to discover she is an elf, not a blue-skinned Corinesti but a light-skinned creature of exquisite beauty. She is a fallen elf of the Avanesti. The fallen prophet does not realize the true nature of the King and is only doing what she can to discover the whereabouts of the Volumes. She garners the interest of the king (in more way than one), and he assigns people to help her discover the Volumes that he plans to use for himself of course.
397 AD—Charant Aros Joins the Sovereignties: Ci’tec Orla Mievley agrees to bring Charant Aros into the Sovereignties in return for many concessions. Not all details are made public.
Change in Power: Lord King Umaka of Mauritand dies of a stroke. Abuyk succeeds his father and begins plans to replace a nation of businessmen with a nation of knightly men of valor. Abuyk also begins talks with the bakali of the Vacant Lands in order to settle their problems with the Sekhnesti.
398 AD—Mines Flooded: Seresayon tries to hurt the flow of diamonds being sent to Montegron from the Munest Mines and has millions of gallons of water flood into the tunnels. When sections of the mines are isolated and cut off from Dhu’s miners, she has her own people begin to mine the diamonds for their own needs.
402 AD—Drejor Gains a Queen: On Luminecei Keymelion’s nineteenth birthday, she is crowned queen of Drejor. Settlements outside of Glastious Forest are harassed. When Queen Luminecei sends him her second cousin, the former Regent Moresi, to negotiate with the forest cult, the lead negotiator returns with his fingers cut off and a message warning them not to cut the trees on the forest edge.
405 AD—Assassination Attempt: Gianvuoto is coroneted king of Iveraque, but the ceremony is interrupted when a mage attempts to incinerate the young man. A member of the Midland Guard, Qialna, impales the would-be assassin through the heart as he released a fiery spell. Both died. Qialna is revered as both a national hero and a hero to the Sovereignties.
406 AD—Brimstone’s Defeat: The red branch of the Tashrama trains and army made up of mercenaries, faithful, and battle-hungry Oguna from the north. Before the attack, Rasala Hage, who had sent an aspect to manipulate the tactics that the red branch would use and insure that the Elder Dragon Traxus was kept out of the conflict, warns Montegron of the coming battle. Montegron brings the armies of Solishairon, Isryan, and Guiteger together and utterly decimates the church’s army. The church denies any involvement in the event and successfully campaigns a fictitious rumor claiming the army was an invading force from Ogun that had penetrated to Solishairon’s southern border.
409 AD—Hudiechia and Tashramada Join: A small body of people from the wild lands of Hudiechia meet with a surprised Montegron. Hudiechia joins the Sovereignties in return for help in stabilizing their region. Dalys Thal becomes Montegron’s selection for position of Regent. Lord Montegron also sneaks a large contingent of mages and guardsmen into Tashramada. A noble named Rejada Harshall opens up his mansion to the Midland forces. According to the Sovereignties, the body operating in Harshall’s mansion is the true official government of Tashramada.
410 AD—Training in Shadows: The Midland Guard discovers that the horrors hiding in the wild lands of Hudiechia are as if “the Days of Darkness never ended.” Elite trainees are sent to Hudiechia to toughen them with harsher dangers.
415 AD—The Return of the Dark Queen: Rasala Hage appears to the aging Montegron and tells him that the time to act is drawing near. Once the Elder Dragons have been removed, there will be only one power in the Midlands and, from there, the rest of the continent. She intends to use the power of the Volumes and instructs the king to use the Prophet to his best advantage to find the Volumes. The king begins to tell his subjects that there will be an impending war divined by the Prophet, using that excuse to build up his own forces.
416 AD—Glastious Advances: The Glastious Forest begins to grow again. The Road Watch is formed in order to insure that the route between Sharathen and the east is kept clear.
417 AD—Quiet Replacement: Unknown to most, King Tojra Durandae of Trejor dies. Using dark magic, the Black Elder Dragon Xyvren finds a way to impersonate the king. Xyvren slowly begins moving the nation’s policies away from the good of the Midland Sovereignties.
419 AD—Shifting Alliances:
Firming Defenses: Not pleased with the escalation of events in the Midlands, Gildanesti begins trying to build stronger ties with Etlarn and Onar, hoping to protect the east if the west ever turned its attention their way.
Royal Treason: “King Tojra Durandae” of Trejor has begun publicly supporting the Black Branch of the Tashramadic church and speaking against Montegron’s hold across the Midlands. With most Trejorans loyal to their king first and foremost, Montegron may be on the verge of losing the nation.
420 AD—First Sparks:
High Murder: High Sheriff Mendel Haeg of Bhadlum is murdered after a card game while disguised as a commoner. The drunken killer Philan Tel goes insane upon learning the true identity of his victim. At Tel’s execution two weeks later, he screams that the Gray God of the North demanded the royal blood of Bhadlum. Mendel Haeg is succeeded by his son Jessup Haeg.
Guiteger changes governments: Sick of the selfishness in the Guiteg government, Auger “Sawblade” Ington throws out the current government and replaces it with a democratically elected system (partially in spite of the former rulers). Montegron is initially furious of the change to mob rule, but over time he had decided to let Ington’s experiment play itself out.
Secrets Revealed: In order to undermine the Tashrama, Montegron sends proclamations out to every Midland nation revealing that the Elder Dragons are the true powers behind the church. Over the following months, after the announcements are read, segments of the church confirm the allegation. This results in the loss of many followers and priests, however the damage varies for each branch. The Red branch’s numbers are decimated, while the Blue branch’s numbers actually slightly climbed.
Guard in Transition: Jermon Cavlin, founder of the Midland Guard, dies. As the Guard mourns, Seresayon tries to have her arrested followers freed from Karsuhon’s dungeons. Jermon’s successor, Noragaen Veliya, discovers the attempt and sounds the alarm. Half of those attempting to escape were lost. The others are grateful to have their lives.
Secrets Revealed: In order to undermine the Tashrama, Montegron sends proclamations out to every Midland nation revealing that the Elder Dragons are the true powers behind the church. Over the following months, after the announcements are read, segments of the church confirm the allegation. This results in the loss of many followers and priests, however the damage varies for each branch.
421 AD—The Nexus of Events:
Denying Involvement: Politicians and nobles of Etlarn accuse the Tashrama of being behind the Dragonkin Horde assaulting their nation. The church steadfastly denies involvement in the attacks on the foreign nation, claiming they do not have the ability to continue such a long-term war on the other side of Adlatum.
A Cursed Son: The 23 year old son of the Ci’tec of Charant Aros, Gornintom Mievley, falls gravely ill. Rumor runs rampant in the nation that his illness is a punishment for so many turning away from the “true gods” of Krynn, the Elder Dragons.
The Gods Return: The true gods of Krynn, the gods of the Tao-Shin, struggle to find loyal followers and new clergy in Adlatum, but their influence over events is currently far too small to stop the momentum that has been building for decades during their absence. Former Etlarnic ambassador, Deloun Var Silverwolf, becomes the head of the Path of Light and travels to the Midlands to bring the Tao-Shin to the Midlands.
Leaderless: The Dragonkin Horde launches a major siege against Etlarn’s capital hoping to bring the war finally to an end. The Etlarn King Andoja Uranjos vanishes along with his eldest daughter during the assault. The rest of the royal family has no knowledge as to what happened to their ruler and heir.
The War of the Prophet: Just when Montegron is prepared to take on the Elder Dragons, the lost souls disappear. He is cheerfully told by a Voda advisor that gates have been opened and the souls have been allowed to continue their journey. He is devastated and can feel that Rasala Hage is gone. The Prophet disappears, spirited away by the secret order of the Brotherhood of the Prophet. Old, scared and paranoid, Montegron re-evaluates his plans but determines that there is too much friction between the Sovereignties and the church to ease off now. Seeing the Tashrama in a weakened state after his reveal of the Elder Dragons, he instigates warfare against the White Branch of the Tashrama in FyxZharar while making additional preparations against the church’s other branches. Still this instigates civil war through the Midlands.
The War of the Prophet begins.
