usirmods | World & History

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Cliffnotes Version The Elven Kingdoms • Elf-Dragon Alliance • The Last Great War • Post-War • Modern Day
🜙 Wild World

	Before the creation of the first kingdoms the world was wild and untamed. Small settlements of different races were scattered and isolated across a fierce and unforgiving wilderness. Dragons soared the skies and monstrous creatures hunted the deep forests and open lands. Dwarves lived isolated in their mountain homes, halflings hid in the foothills, elves built elaborate cities at the heart of the deepest forests and giants wandered across the plains. During this time dragons were smaller and numerous, flying and fighting in the skies and snacking on whatever prey they could spot in the open. The races kept to themselves and the first beastfolk species came to life in the heart of the forest, the magic that created them flowing unchecked from a hidden spring. Gremlins washed ashore from the southern seas in primitive boats torn to pieces by merfolk warriors. Ogres and giants fought, shaking the lowlands and plains under their struggles. Centaurs and Satyrs formed joint herds for protection. Arboreons retreated deeper into the trees to protect themselves from wildfires spread by hunting dragons. Meetings between different races during these times often led to clashes of weaponry, ideals, and beliefs. Smoke rose perpetually from the mouth of Mount Natusmater as deep within its caverns feral kobolds feasted on dragon eggs and were in turn prey to young dragons. These were wild times when the civilized races were only just building themselves up and starting to explore beyond what they already knew.
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🜙 The Elven Kingdoms

	The first great cities belonged to the elves and the dwarves. Up high in the snow-capped mountains, the dwarves built the city of Einjar. The city was constructed deep in the mouth of a massive cavern on either side of a spring-fed mountain river that flowed out of its mouth. They defended the cavern from the dragons that had formerly ruled with aggressive violence over the mountains and their caves and began constructing massive workshops with smelteries fueled by dragon lungs. Dwarves from all clans and professions gathered within the mountain city to help build their impressive fortification up, blocking the exit from the cavern with a large set of metal and stone doors, tempered to withstand dragon fire. Their passion for masonry and stone craft expanded to metal-working, glass tempering, and the cutting of precious gems and refining of minerals from deep in the mountain's heart. Just beyond the mountain's shadow and deep within the eldest and largest forest another city was born. The powerful elf mages who had given life to beastfolk and offered protection to fleeing arboreons, satyrs, and centaurs, began uniting the elves of the deep forest to construct a city among the trees. The city became known as Anamcara and stretched across and through the heart of the forest with a vibrant spring-fed lake at its center, its waters filled with old magic that gave the trees supporting the city a vibrant life that sang through their branches and whistled through the leaves. Elves from all across the world came to visit in the hopes of living in the magic-rich city that sang. The city was ruled by a powerful set of mages. At their head was Lady Chéila, a wise and influential elf who was adored by her people and those she spoke with. Over time more than just elves were drawn to the singing city by its beauty and promise of safety. While the dwarves cut themselves off from the rest of the world, locked in an endless fight with dragons over the mountains, the elves drew other races into their city and built alliances. Arboreons, beastfolk, satyrs, and centaurs all found their way through the darkening wood to its bright center and found themselves welcomed by Lady Chéila. Over time the dragons grew weary of their difficult prey and began hunting further and further from the mountains, leaving the dwarves with only the fiercest and most stubborn dragons clawing at their doors and hunting their cliffs. Einjar grew ever more densely fortified and the dwarves poured their focus into armor, weapons, and construction, intent on creating impenetrable safety within their claimed mountain. More and more kobolds emerged from the mountains as dragons fell and dwarves staked their claim on the former lands of the great, thunderous sky creatures and their lightning-fire. The dwarves and kobolds found common ground in their love of metals and gems and their shared fear and hatred of dragons. The two races formed an alliance and the city of Einjar grew further into the mountain depths. Below, in the ever-growing city of Anamcara, the forest began to buckle beneath the weight of the city's population. The dense and expanding concentration of creatures began to strangle the heart of the forest and tax what its resources could provide. Lady Chéila saw that their city, beautiful and flourishing though it was, was starving and suffocating the surrounding wild wood just as any tree that grew too tall over its peers would. A darkness had begun to grow deep beneath the city, poisoning its roots and creeping up into the soil. The music left the trees and the clear waters of the magical lake began to lose their shimmer, darkening with its influence. Lady Chéila recognized the darkness as one that stemmed from powerful and cursed magic. Their city was dying and if they remained, so would the forest and her people within it. Lady Chéila united her people and set out to build for them a new city somewhere that could better handle the strain of the ever-growing population of diverse cultures and appetites. Scouting parties were sent out to search the world for a place that could handle outward expanding growth and shelter the people who sought the protection of the elves. During this time of outward exploration, clashes between the woodland races and the open land races increased as more and more encounters between the two began to occur. Giants, ogres, and gremlins hunted and stalked the scouting parties of elves, beastfolk, and centaurs. Orcs appeared from beyond the mountains, laying siege to the homes of goblins and halflings, raiding and killing scouting parties, and seizing the open lands through enthusiastic conquest. Tieflings began to appear along the edges of the woodlands and claimed them as their hunting grounds. Dwarves and kobolds, now united by common enemies and passions, chased and hunted dragons out of the caverns and down or up the mountains. The dragons, emboldened by centuries of life near the top of the food chain and enraged by the new difficulty of their old prey, began seeking out new hunting grounds across the open foothills, plains, lowlands, and flats where prey had less room to hide. Their size and swiftness allowed them better opportunity there to swoop down and snatch up easy prey with far less frustration or trouble than trying to claw cave dwellers out of their holes. Their size increased with their new diets and growing appetites. This was a time of great change and conflict. Danger blossomed in new and unexpected places, sparking up the formation of new alliances and enemies. The first real wars began to occur over land and cultural disputes. A new age of weaponry, conquest, and strategy developed and flourished. Fire became a much more common tool of great power and destruction, used to burn entire villages out of their homes, trap hunted beasts or war parties in the tall grasses of the plains, and scorch entire sections of forest. Amidst the chaos, Lady Chéila's scouting parties found the land she sought. They discovered a pair of massive hills beyond the forests and just out of the shadow of the mountains. A powerful river cut a path between the misshapen hills, one wide and short while the other stood taller and thinner. The river wound down through the foothills toward the sea. The hills were surrounded by a natural wall of fallen rocks at their bases, rolled there from mountain avalanches and carried on floods. The larger hill's spiraling climb to its relatively flat peak was separated into flat, segmented layers. IT was a location both defensible and capable of providing for the needs of a growing city. Construction of the city began and the elves traded powerful alcohol, intricately spun jewelry, and finely spun fabric to the dwarves in exchange for stone, glass, and metal to construct their city. Construction was fraught with setbacks and ongoing threats from the open land races but the woodland races persisted, construction continuing ceaselessly as elves, satyrs, beastfolk, arboreons, and centaurs defended the workers and the land. The wars between the open land races and woodland races during this time were bloody and brutal, with heavy losses and setbacks on both sides. As the defensive wall went up around the city and construction became less perilous, Lady Chéila extended an open offer to any race that had not wrongfully attacked her people and allies to live in and help build the new city within the walls, offering them protection and equality. The city's construction pressed ever onward despite a repeated battle with the open land races and the dragons. As it grew the stone-built city became more and more fiercely protected by elven magic and burgeoning new alliances. Beyond the woodland races, Lady Chéila extended a hand of welcome to several other races, seeking to add their unique talents to the growing elf kingdom. She sought out the brow-beaten goblins for their clever minds and mechanical knowledge, she extended a welcome to the resourceful dwarves with their metallurgy and masonry skills, and she offered safety to the dedicated and peaceful halflings who knew how to bring forth a bounty of food from the open lands. The dwarves declined the offer, but many from the other races came to join Lady Chéila's growing kingdom, seeking safety from shared enemies and equality among the people of this impressive city. Lady Chéila fell ill not long after uniting the races. Sadly she would not live to see her city completed but her work and her wisdom lived on in the alliances she formed between such vastly differing peoples. Lady Chéila's son continued construction of the city in her name and saw his mother's dream to completion. When the city was finally finished it was named Atrómitos in honor of the many brave lives lost during the violent and endless defense of its formation. Once the newly allied races saw Aisaech's dedication the majority of the united people openly accepted him as their leader. Aisaech saw his mother's endless defense of the city as honorable but insufficient. The newly named elven king rallied his people, demanding vengeance for lost lives and instilling in them the belief that this land they had toiled so hard to claim was rightfully theirs. He re-organized the city's warriors and formed an army of mages, fighters, inventors, and brutes. Aisaech took the fight to more offensive heights, pushing the goblins into building better, stronger weaponry, requesting more and more weapons and armor from the dwarves, and molding the goliaths into powerful but reluctant soldiers. With the help of new tools of war and sheer numbers Atrómitos became a stronghold. Spear-loaded canons attached to heavy iron chains lined the ramparts of the city's walls and towers. An army of well-armored and armed warriors formed ready to follow Aisaech's lead and rallied into self-righteous surety. The city of Atrómitos became a force to be reckoned with and actively beat back the open land races and dragons, advancing on them rather than remaining behind the defense of the city's walls. More and more land was claimed in the name of the elf king's growing kingdom, for him and for his people.
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🜙 Elf-Dragon Alliance

	The powerful goblin weapons of defense proved to be a devastating force to be reckoned with for dragons. Those foolish enough to chance their power against the city's might became further trade fodder for the elves to gain more resources from the dwarves. The open land races were beaten back to the coasts and plains. They were forced out of the foothills that held resources and historical significance for many of the races no longer able to claim them as their home. The open land races had to adapt to new environments and travel farther and wider in search of survivable new homes that could support them, chased on their way by dragons that were quickly discovering the new kingdom was too formidable and dangerous to risk their lives as a hunting ground. Frustrated, angry, and defeated, many of the open land races focused on their survival, bitter but uninspired to continue fighting a losing battle. One race refused to relent. The blood of the orcs boiled over their defeat and embarrassment. Their rage further fueled their need for vengeance against Atrómitos and its arrogant king. Their thirst for battle and revenge spurred them to grow more ruthless and dedicated. The orcs became beast tamers and dragon slayers, conquering the wild lands and creatures and forcing them to bend to their will. Refusing to be bested by the elven city, several orc tribes proclaimed themselves dragon tamers and began taking the hunt of dragons to new extremes, killing any they could not catch and hobbling those they could to drag back to their villages, muzzling them and attempting to break them to be tools of war. Orc dragonslayers armed with sadistic and cruel gremlin technology were the worst offenders. Dragon nests were raided and hatchlings and eggs were stolen to be broken and warped into living weapons. Adult dragons were crippled, their wings tattered and destroyed to nullify their threatening speed and aerial dominance and to send a message to others of the species. As a result of orc enthusiasm and strength, dragon numbers in the skies over the open lands began to decline sharply as they retreated back to the mountaintops to escape the shrieking of their tortured kin. Aisaech saw opportunity in the struggles of his enemies. The elf king's city was expanding beyond its lands once more and he sought to start a second city, his desire to grow his kingdom increasing as his popularity and power among his people did. He planned to take the vibrant and bountiful coastal land he viewed as an ideal location from the displaced gremlins and orcs and their misfit allies. He viewed the orcs as brutish and incapable of reason, not worth the effort of attempting to reason with or negotiate for the land. Instead, the elf king sought out a dangerous and powerful ally that no one else dared approach. The king and his best warriors traveled to Mount Natusmater, the birthplace of all dragons, and found the largest dragon any had ever seen, a whispered legend among the people. Aisaech stood unfaltering before the towering blue and red beast whose wings could put the city in shadow when outstretched and who could have eaten him and his convoy in one bite if she had chosen to. The dragon's name was Vronti and she was a terror among her own species with an endless appetite and a size and age unheard of among the dragons. She was a fickle and powerful creature, filled with pride in her brood and disdain for the affairs of tiny, warring prey. But Vronti was amused by Aisaech's gall and bravery and she held a bitter hatred for the orc thieves who had raided her nests and crippled so many of her brood. After hearing out the arrogant king's offer to put an end to the orcs and laughing off his bold claims of strength, Vronti made a deal with the elf king. She was too old and too slow to fight the orcs or chase after them across the open lands, and her eyesight was not what it once had been. If he found and rescued her last clutch of eggs from the orc thieves who had slain her mate and raided her nest, she and her children would provide his city with protection from orcs and dragons alike. As both proof and insurance of Vronti's offer and Aisaech's promise to fulfill his side of the bargain, the great dragon spilled a few drops of her own blood, watching as Aisaech and his warriors drank down the powerful magic that flowed through her veins. Aisaech and his chosen warriors were the first elves to be gifted the protection of Vronti's bloodline. In drinking her blood they became the first of the dragonborn, connected to her by blood magic and made aware of her knowledge and desires. Even as the elf king descended the mountains and returned to his city he could hear Vronti's voice in his mind, assuring him that as long as her blood ran in the veins of the kingdom's leaders, the newly developing kingdom would be undefeatable. The army of Atrómitos set upon the red orc village of self-proclaimed dragon tamers immediately upon the king's return to the city. Aisaech's chosen warriors led the attack, the dragon's blood and rage coursing through their veins. Though it had not yet begun to change them outwardly, the strength and ferocity that coursed through their blood spurred them into a violent onslaught against the orc village. They tore the village to the ground killing countless orcs and chasing the wounded survivors from their coastal lands in a ruthless ambush that would spark a fierce hatred for centuries to come. Twelve eggs were recovered from the village and returned to Vronti. True to her word the dragon made the mountain above Atrómitos the home of her and her brood and protected the city with ferocious dedication for the limited rest of her days. In turn, the city provided her and her soon to hatch children with food and protection from the orcs. The dragon-slaying spear canons were removed from the city's ramparts and dragons returned to the open lands, hunting the skies but never nearing or touching the city. Aisaech claimed the coastal land for a second city that would later be called Thalassa, after his newborn daughter. A third city soon followed, built in the cliffs between a nearby pair of leaning mountains with the aide of the dwarfs. The third city would later be known as Krimnos. Construction of both cities progressed far more smoothly under Vronti's watchful eyes. Following their victory, however, Aisaech and his warriors were made painfully aware of the price they would pay for their newfound strength and the deal they had made with the old dragon. Her blood boiled in their veins, steadily and painfully altering them. They were being reborn she explained. Their blood was now one with the dragon's blood, and Vronti's life and magic flowed through them. They were transformed into twisted creatures, part dragon, and part elf. Angry and feeling as though he had been tricked, Aisaech demanded Vronti return him to his true form, but the massive dragon ignored his demands and waited until the curse of her blood drove the elf king and his warriors to near feral madness. Much like any other blood magic curse, dragon's blood was addictive and without it, the dragonborn elves found their veins spidering white hot and their thirst for more of her blood unquenchable. Aisaech and his dragonborn warriors relented, accepting Vronti's terms once more and returning to her in search of an end to the pain and the madness consuming them. Vronti was an old dragon before the pact was made and the slow draining of her blood and magic after its creation did not help her feel any younger. As her brood began to hatch and test their wings the ancient dragon grew sluggish, watching over the new cities as they were built. She foresaw the potential of the elf king's fleeting empire, both the good and the bad, but her focus fell to the protection of her last brood. Vronti collected her newly hatched children and took them, four to each city, to be protected and watched over. Using the dragonborn warriors under her sway, Vronti chose a number of young citizens from each city that she had admired from afar and seen potential in. With a few drops of blood from each of her offspring, she created new dragonborn advisors and priests out of these chosen people to further ensure her own bloodline would continue to be protected after she was gone. These new dragonborn would be linked by the same curse that tethered Aisaech and his warriors to her. A connection that would ensure the continued protection of both the cities and her brood, tying them irrevocably to one another. Before her disappearance, Vronti made one final demand of the kingdoms through Aisaech, the king's health and the health of his warriors fading fast. Aisaech reminded his people of the pact made with the great dragon. If the kingdoms wished to retain the protection of her brood, their blood had to run in the veins of the future rulers. In her final days, Vronti's shadow dwarfed Atrómitos, her body resting curled around the city as she watched over her young. Her health and the health of the elf king faded fast until one day, Vronti, Aisaech, and Aisaech's trusted dragonborn warriors simply disappeared. Those who believe she existed at all believe she took them with her back to Mount Natusmater and that their bones still rest there. The new dragonborn elves saw to the careful protection of Vronti's brood, understanding without fully understanding that their lives were forever tied to these young dragon whelps. Vronti's children were strong and swift, darting through and over the cities in races and games as they grew. When the cities chose their new rulers, each ruler chose one of Vronti's chosen offspring to rule with them. The smallest of Vronti's brood was chosen by Thalassa, Aisaech's daughter and chosen ruler of the city who shared her name. He was a rare white dragon who was nimble in flight but a weak fighter, incapable of creating fire and instead breathing flameless sparks of blue lightning. She named him Logistykon and wherever she went in the city a small shadow flitted overhead. Logistykon thrilled at the prospect of the boundless sea beyond Thalassa's gates. Together the young Lady Thalassa and the nimble white dragon she had chosen helped the city develop a thirst for knowledge, exploration, and ingenuity, strengthening their focus on intelligence and strategy. In Krimnos, an old elf mage by the name of Thaerinn was made the city's ruler. From the four dragons that called the city their home, he chose a strong, swift black dragon with a crimson chest like his mothers. The young whelp's breath could create a fire so fearsome it singed the air around him. He was quick and playful with the nature of a trickster and a heart that burned with the desire to experience life. Thaerinn called the young whelp Thymoeides and together they instilled in the city a playful and enthusiastic vigor for life, developing the city's trades and allowing creativity to flourish behind and around its walls. Aisaech's own grieving city of Atrómitos chose a young elf warrior to replace their missing king. Dárfuil was a strong warrior, accomplished for his age but not particularly wise. He was arrogant but brave and the people of Atrómitos believed he would lead their city further into greatness as Aisaech had. Dárfuil chose the largest and strongest of Vronti's brood. He was a spiny black dragon with crimson wings, hungry eyes, and a unique habit of chewing down rocks and spitting them out molten. Dárfuil named the dragon Epithymetikon and together they strengthened the city's armies and continued to seek to expand their lands and the size of their city, insisting on building it up bigger and better. Despite Aisaech's words and the urging of the dragonborn priests, neither Thalassa or Thaerinn agreed to become dragonborn using the blood of their chosen co-rulers. Thalassa had been horrified to watch her father become a monster and Thaerinn feared what might happen if the young and reckless Thymoeides met an early death. Instead both chose advisors who would take the blood oath for them and act as the mouthpieces for the young dragons. Dárfuil immediately took the blood oath and embraced his newfound strength and power as a dragonborn, scoffing at the cowardice of the other city rulers. The relationship between dragons and their kingdoms was one of a careful balance. The elven leaders handled the political and city affairs while the ever-growing dragons protected the lands beyond the city walls. Over time as the city's rulers died and were replaced, the dragons began to grow restless with the assumed hierarchy, disgruntled with their new partners. They began to demand a role in choosing who would lead with them and it became more common for the dragons to choose the next ruler when the previous one met their end. The original dragonborn priests and advisors died off and less and less of them were made with each new ruler, the dragons preferring not to share their strength or their blood with those they did not deem worthy of it. While Thymoeides and Logistykon focused on creating mouthpieces that would speak to the rulers for them, Epithymetikon insisted that only the ruler and the best warriors of his growing kingdom could share the power that coursed through his veins. The culture around the dragons gradually morphed from fearful respect to admiration and into uncertain wariness before finally reaching a point where the increasingly massive and powerful dragon brothers were viewed as deities. At times fickle or generous, they were seen to be unpredictable and unfathomably powerful creatures that had transcended the realm of races and species to become gods. Despite corruption of the transfer of power in the kingdoms and mixed viewpoints and emotions regarding the dragons, the majority of citizens within the kingdoms viewed the dragons as something to be highly regarded and revered. Citizens of each kingdom would often speak with pride about their guardian's particular strengths and quirks, and it was not uncommon for bar fights to break out over which city's deity was superior. Logistykon grew into a brilliant strategist, quick-minded and flexible. His rule was widely viewed as one of justice and reason. The people of Thalassa enjoyed watching him dart across the sea or accompany boats setting sail in the skies high above them, his wings creating powerful gusts of air that sent ships skipping across the sea. He could often be seen flying through and around the city's massive stone arch or under the bridge that crossed the sea at the mouth of the bay. He was a stunning flash of white who could breathe blue lightning, and his temperament was even and steady. Though he remained the smallest and weakest of the brothers, he was undisputedly regarded as the wisest. Thymoeides would often perch on the cliffs and mountaintops around Krimnos, keeping a close, watchful eye over his people. His passion for their culture and their protection was unrivaled and his curiosity was regarded fondly by the people of the cliff city. Though Thymoeides was a playful and passionate guardian, his emotions were known to be unpredictable and his rage had sliced grooves into many of the mountain walls near the city. The dwarves distrusted him but the other inhabitants of the city admired his shimmering scales and beautiful displays of fiery illusions in the skies above their city. His flame helped power smelteries and his unrelenting dedication saved their city from many avalanches and rockslides. He was impulsive and his emotions were quick to change but the people of Krimnos could boast without much competition that Thymoeides was the most dedicated guardian, rarely venturing from the city and always there to defend them from attacks of both outside forces and nature. Thymoeides kept the cliff city warm and prosperous, in spite of its treacherous heights and surroundings. Epithymetikon's boundless hunger for knowledge, exploration, and new experiences inspired the people of Atrómitos. Their inventive and courageous spirits were reflected in the fearless dragon's indomitable strength and spirit. His humor and his unending search for new ways to improve the city kept it growing ever larger, stronger, and better in the eyes of its people. There was little doubt that he was not only the biggest but the strongest and fiercest of the dragons. Over time the cities grew apart, shifting from three cooperative cities to competitive and wary allies that were developing their own cultures and goals. The cities became their own kingdoms and claimed lands for themselves and their people. The larger the brothers grew, the more they and their kingdoms grew apart. Their rivalry became the rivalry of the kingdoms, and their desires became one with those of the cities' rulers. The more the people expected from and relied on their dragon guardians the more the dragons strove to fulfill those expectations. The competitive nature of the people within the kingdoms spurred on competition in the dragons themselves. The greater their kingdom's faith in them became, the more their need to outdo their siblings grew. Insatiable as all members of their species were, the appetites of the brothers continued to grow with them. Their desire for food, praise, and power increased as they grew ever stronger and larger, and the more they fed their appetite the more it needed to be fed. This cycle continued unchecked until their size and hunger far exceeded what the three kingdoms could ever hope to provide for. The brothers grew faster than their siblings and eventually, their growth and hunger outgrew the kingdom's ability to supply them with enough food. The brothers turned back to their roots, feasting on other dragons to satiate their physical hunger. They devoured their own brethren in search of anything to sate their endless hunger until it seemed as if only the three dragons remained, having eaten or chased into hiding all other dragons. They grew to terrifying proportions and with nothing left to satiate their physical hunger, their craving turned toward solely to other appetites Eventually, the dragons grew too large for the kingdoms themselves. Each of the dragons believed their kingdom should have more than the other, but neither the dragons nor the rulers of their respective kingdoms could agree on how the kingdoms should expand and to where. The kingdoms had become too small in their minds for three dragons of their size to rule over. The hunger that seemed to surround the dragons like thick smoke began to pollute the kingdoms, slowly poisoning the minds of their citizens. It was an insatiable hunger that drove even the most reasonable individuals mad with the same impulses fueling the power struggle between the dragons. Their emotions and the emotions of the kingdoms' people were feeding on and being fed by one another, creating an ever-rising flood threatening to drown everyone caught in its swell. The dragons were too large and too powerful. Their own size and hunger were driving them mad and their madness was seeping into all three kingdoms and their people. Some people were afflicted with an insatiable yearning for what they could not have, others were driven by a fiery passion that drove them hard toward everything they ever desired, and still others were driven to seek out answers they could never possibly find the answers to. Across all three kingdoms emotions ran hot and violent outbursts spilled out over mundane disagreements. The more the directionless frustration and rage of the dragons grew, the more irrational the people of the kingdoms became until war broke out across the kingdoms. It would quickly spiral into the bloodiest and most pointless war to ever be fought.
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🜙 The Last Great War

	Dragon's blood is widely viewed as one of the most powerful sources of magic in the world. Too much of it in any potion could lead to a number of devastating and deadly effects. The kingdoms of Krimnos, Thalassa, and Atrómitos were suffering from an over-abundance of dragon's blood thrumming and pulsing through the very air around them. As the three brothers grew to titan size, their magic grew with them and began to spill out of them in their breath and in the blood they spilled to keep their dragonborn chosen from losing their minds to the curse. By the time the war began the titan dragons were viewed by most of the world's population, even those beyond the reach of the three kingdoms, as deities. They were powerful and dangerous gods who protected and destroyed on a whim. At the start of the Last Great War, the cause of the rise in violent emotional turmoil was viewed as merely an increase in tension over the proposed expansion of the kingdoms into unclaimed territories. It would be far too late before anyone realized the truth behind the upheaval. A trio of dragons driven mad by their own hunger and power held the people of the cities in their sway, their blood tied to the very lifeblood of the kingdoms themselves. As the dragon madness swept through the kingdoms, the war quickly followed, plunging each kingdom into a chaotic turmoil of violence, assassinations, power plays, endless battles, and ever-mounting death tolls. The war was the bloodiest and most ruthless the world had ever seen and involved more races and individuals than had ever fought together before. No matter how long the fighting carried on, no kingdom came closer to winning the war. For eight years it waged, seeing the fall of countless war-time rulers and well-trained, battle-hardened warriors. The chaos the fighting created only helped to feed into the madness and worsen the war. No matter how many lives or battles were lost, no resolution came. The war devolved, becoming less and less about expansion with each passing year, the focus turning into a desperate struggle for victory and survival. The world was ablaze and the death toll immense. The dead ceased to be buried, their bodies piling up in the battlefields and left there to slowly decay. After eight years of loss after loss on all sides, the war finally reached a climactic and horrible conclusion. The brothers had launched themselves into the fray, targetting each other directly. Thunder and lightning tore the sky apart, fire and ash rained down from the clouds, and the ground was scorched by their furious battles. The sky crackled and rumbled with thunder and grew dark with smoke. The hush and darkness was broken up by terrible roars of hatred and pain. Fighting ceased across the kingdoms as all eyes were turned toward the shadows of the titans, tumbling and thrashing their way through the smoke to occasionally come crashing to the ground in earth-shaking impacts that left behind craters, scales, and broken spikes. Logistykon was the first to fall. Epithymetikon clashed with his far smaller brother above the sea, their battle scorching the ocean and causing a dense misty fog to rise above the waters. Lightning and fire repeatedly colided over the ocean beyond Thalassa's bay. Despite his strategical skill and agility in the air, Logistykon was no match for his brother's powerful rage and strength in direct combat. He had nowhere to flee to and nothing to dart beneath with only open ocean around them. The white dragon put up a desperate fight, managing to deeply wounding the massive titan that was his brother multiple times, slashing open his wings and blinding him in one eye. Sadly, he could not dodge his brother's onslaught of sheer force forever and Epithymetikon caught his darting brother by the throat, using his momentum and strength to snap his brother's neck. Epithymetikon left Logistykon to sink beneath the mist-covered ocean waves, broken and defeated. He planned to retreat and lick his wounds when Thymoeides roar drew him back to his own kingdom. Atrómitos was burning, the entire city set ablaze by Thymoeides' wrathful flames. Always the brother with the largest heart, he mourned the death of Logistykon and took his perch on the burning city, waiting for his surviving brother to bring an end to the suffering and war they had begun. The clash between Epithymetikon and Thymoeides lasted far longer than his first fight. Together they scorched the land, ripping Atrómitos and its kingdom asunder. Their battle lasted through the night and well into the next day, much of their battle landing on top of the city itself, reducing the once great kingdom to a smoldering rubble of crushed stone and embers. By nightfall both dragons were mortally injured, their battle covering the foothills in their blood. Their wings were too badly damaged for either to fly and they fought to the point of exhaustion, both dragons locking their jaws on the other. Epithymetikon attempted to shake his brother off, retreating toward the mountains on three limbs with a slow, hobbling struggle of a walk before collapsing in the foothills. Thymoeides watched his brother as he lay motionless, letting out a final roar before collapsing where he had landed, his body too weak and broken to move. By dawn, all three brothers lay dead, two bodies crumpled across the foothills and one sunken to the bottom of the clearing sea. The war ended with the death of the dragons. Across all three kingdoms that fact seemed an obvious certainty. Their cities lay in ruins. Krimnos was burning, Atrómitos had been reduced to ashen rubble and much of Thalassa was flooded by the wave Logistykon's death had sent sweeping past the shoreline. The survivors were left shell-shocked. Their deities had fallen and lay dead, mortal creatures that had met their end. With the dragons dead, the madness that had gripped the people of the kingdoms slowly began to fade, leaving the world quiet, unsure, and directionless. The sheer quantity of death and destruction brought on by the war began to sink in, and the consequences of it would be long-lasting. With Atrómitos in ruins, The survivors of the war had been left to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives and kingdoms together and find some way to move on from the devastating losses on all sides.
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🜙 Post-War

	After the war, blame was placed solely on the dragons. Many found it far easier to convince themselves the madness was entirely the fault of the titan dragons and in no part something they themselves had willingly contributed to. This grim determination led to a renewed hatred and fear of dragons. The dragonborn had died with the dragons. In the aftermath of the war sorrow, confusion, and anger that hung over the broken kingdoms like a heavy fog. As efforts to rebuild began many felt a directionless rage that they could not put to bed. Someone needed to pay for all the destruction that had come about as a result of the war, but no one wanted to fight each other after everything that had happened. Without some kind of resolution or retribution, many survivors were left not knowing how to cope or what to do with themselves. The death of the cannibalistic titan dragons had caused the remaining dragons to emerge from hiding and they quickly became the new target for that directionless anger. The remaining warriors and anyone with the strength and courage to do so began hunting down the surviving dragons and half-dragons across the lands. They were hunted down and slain, their bodies often burned to keep their blood from tainting the cities. Scavengers picked dragon skeletons clean to the bone across the lands. Half-dragons caught up in the vindictive reclaiming of the world from dragons were hunted and slain whether feral or civilized until no trace but skeletons remained of the dragons ever having existed. As the last of the blood drained from the slain titan dragons, seeping into the soil and trickling into the rivers, the madness that had held the kingdoms in its grip finally dissipated. The survivors of the war were left with nothing but bloody memories, battle-scars, scorched lands, and broken cities. Regret tugged at the corners of the minds of some, while others rejoiced over the extinction of dragon kind, believing their absence would prevent a repeat of the war ever happening again. Krimnos and Thalassa were rebuilt once the fires and floods died down and receded. The ruins of Atrómitos were claimed by a diverse group of aimless and homeless races who renamed their new city the City of the Free Peoples in honor of their freedom from both rulers and dragons (This city is now known as The Free City). It was populated almost exclusively by those who had never lived in the kingdoms before, due to the fearful distance most of the people of the newly rebuilt cities kept from the two titan skeletons that held that city in their sightless gaze. Following the war dragon's blood saturated the land and from that blood: magic, more powerful than any the land had felt in a long time, fed its roots and filtered into its waters. The wild magic filled with the dangerous truth of violence, passion, yearning, and war in the hearts of the living clawed its way across the world, spreading like wildfire. The world grew wild and dangerous, the land and all the life it supported turning feral with an overabundance of spilled magic. In their death, the dragons had sewn the seeds of chaos further than they had in life and the consequences of the Last Great War would continue to warp and plague the land for a long time to come.
🜙 Modern

	A century after the end of the war, the new cities are flourishing and their people are happy and spirited in spite of their sorrowful pasts. Goblins, dwarves, and gremlins have come together to provide the modern world with amazing inventions that vastly improve quality of life, such as airships for travel, crystals that charge with the sun's light and emit a bright glow when its light is absent, automated, steam-powered farming tools, mills, and production equipment. Steam-power and magic have been combined to create prosthetics that allow fuller lives for those who have lost limbs or eyes. Weapons have been made more efficient, lighter, more accurate and readily available to all. Theaters and entertainers have begun building stages and taking up residence in city buildings to provide a distraction to those with extra time on their hands. The atmosphere in all three cities has an infectious life and energy. An upbeat tone that has been carefully crafted to suffocate and smother the fear, sorrow, pain, and misery of the past. Smiles can be found on most faces, and good humor has spread like a plague. The cities are colorful, active, and bustling with trade, conversation, and life. Krimnos, the cliff city once rulled by powerful elf mages is now in the large and capable paws of Sitka. It is a flourishing city, new life pumping through its mineral veins with the advent of new technologies. The city is the most advanced when it comes to technology. Its modern professions and feel have attracted a large population of dwarves, goblins, gremlins, and humans. Its standing as the first city to have a member of the beastfolk in charge has attracted a large number of omnivorous and carnivorous beastfolk, as well as herbivores comfortable with the heights and dangerous ledges present all around the city. A sizeable number of tieflings and elves call the city home, and a few orcs have recently joined the population. Krimnos is a prosperous city, dealing in metal and stone craft and the development and research of technology and science. They were the first city to successfully sail an airship and now use their small fleet of four airships to transport people safely between the cities and to distant villages and locations where airship docks have been built. The city has a rich culture of celebration and their fireworks can often be seen and heard across the three cities. The wine and mead brewed from the rare frostberries that grow along the city's cliffs are two of the city's greatest treasures and highly sought after by the other kingdoms. It is currently the second largest city. The narrow ledges and dangerous paths required to reach the city in the cliffs make it one of the safest to live in and most dangerous to visit. Meat and vegetables are scarce in Krimnos as a natural resource but their trade district is booming and the crafts produced by the city are in high demand for both the Free City and Didymos. Relations between Krimnos and the Free City are strained. After the war, two mea spirit trees were planted at the graves of King Corlo and his daughter Queen Corani atop the stone archway that crossed over Thalassa's bay. The city was renamed Didymos in honor of the twin sapling by the young Princess Caeraura and her father King Caeratio. Queen Caeraura would eventually take over the rule of the city from her father, and after suffering the deaths of her her husband, her daughter, and her daughter's husband, the grieving queen would go on to raise and groom her grandchildren to take over the throne from her. King Corlo's great-great-grandchildren, Adira and Ardis, took the throne of Didymos seven years ago when their grandmother, Queen Caeraura, passed away at the age of 98. The roots of the mea spirt trees now trail down to the ocean bay below and their trunks and branches tower above the city like watchful guardians. Didymos' history and culture are rich with pride and attachment toward the city's royal family. Most who live in the city can tell tales of the harrowing lives and amazing accomplishments of their former leader's 80-year rule. Queen Caeraura helped pull Didymos out of the fires of history and took the throne at only 25. Though many in her family died of curses, assassinations, and misfortune, Queen Caeraura remained strong and loyal to her people. She helped the city grow back into a thriving community built on reason, honor, and justice. Since Adira and Ardis took the throne the city's reputation has suffered some. The sibling King and Queen have divided the city into the ocean quarter and the overlook quarter and separated their rule to avoid conflict. The ocean quarter is home to entertainers, craftsmen, hunters, the navy, fish markets, trade districts, music, farmers, taverns, the docks, and a shady underground market. The overlook quarter is home to mages, wizards, alchemists, researchers, the military, temples, and the airship dock. Although the siblings get along and rule the city as joint leaders, their approach to leadership is very different. Adira is a warrior and a scholar, choosing to lead her half of the city with logic, reason, and a firm hand. She is a fair but demanding Queen and expects her people to abide by the laws of the city. In contrast, Ardis is a free-spirited who can more often be found wandering the streets than occupying his throne. He's a good-natured and silver-tongued rogue who mingles with his people and sees to it that their needs and disputes are met and settled. He immerses himself in the life of his half of the city and spends some of his time leading expeditions into the wilderness or out to sea. The ruins of Atrómitos rest beneath the colorful and mismatched Free City. Constructed by a disorganized but determined amalgamation of races and displaced people, the river city has the most diverse culture and makeup of any in the world. The people are leaderless and function in separate but linked societies, with mingling between races and muddying of cultures widely accepted. Children play in the fields and along the river banks and the overall atmosphere is laid back and lackadaisical. The Defenders of the Free City are an assortment of strong and brave individuals with a variety of talents more than a traditional group of knights or army. They patrol the ruins surrounding the city, protecting its inhabitants from the feral and wild things that live in the world beyond. Covered in dirt and grass, bits of the titan dragon skeletons peek out of the foothills, caked in a layer of mud that makes them almost look like statues. Their frightening forms provide an effective deterrent that keeps the city largely undisturbed despite its lack of solid defenses. Bandits, thieves, and unsavory characters frequently pass through the city but rarely linger for long. The unusual mix of architecture, cultures, races, and professions make the Free City simultaneously the most disorganized and the most self-sufficient city still standing. Tensions run high and uncomfortable between the land-locked river city and the bay city of Didymos. The people of Didymos see their chaotic lifestyles as a threat to the uneasy stability and alliance of the rebuilt cities, but no one is currently interested in starting another war over a band of misfits. Especially not when the uncomfortable reminders of the last war still watch over the land Atrómitos once towered over. Beyond the three cities, other villages and the ruins of fallen village and cities are scattered across the wildlands. The world outside the cities has soaked up the rage-touched magic of dragon's blood and grown feral and hungry as a result. Travel through the wildlands is hazardous. The people, plants, and animals that still live out there have become warped and twisted by the dark influence of it and the spread of wild magic still continues with no signs of slowing or stopping.

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