Balliz (Continent)

Balliz is an old world seeped in magic and elemental energies. The essence of The Weave is embedded deep within the crust of the earth, smell of the sky, rush of waves, and brimming fire from the core of the world. The planar dimensions shift and settle in various points of the world, though the most elementally charged and magic embedded tend to leak the most.

## History

### Planer Creation Era

The world began in the midst of chaos. The four elemental planes beat against each other in a storm of furious battle, each element attempting to overtake the other in raw energy and force. It was a battle that lasted eons until it finally birthed something worthy of stable life: the Elemental Gods. The water, fire, air, and earth Gods then raised their collective powers to create the mortal inhabitants of the planes: Djinn, Genies, Xorn, Manas, Elnade, and other creatures.

These creatures worshiped the Gods for many eons. It wasn’t until they started evolving enough to become fully conscious of their free will did they start to oppose worship of the Gods. Furious with this heresy, the Gods created the dragons to act as a tormenting middleman to the mortals. Eventually the dragons rebelled against the Gods as well, accumulating worship for their own presence among the mortals. Enraged beyond comprehension, the Gods gathered themselves and their worshipers to fight all heretics. A bloody war ensued. It was only when one of the dragons killed the Elemental God of Earth did the planes shift. Without control of Earth, areas that had previously been locked into strict positions broke and cracked. Pieces of land fell from the Elemental Planes into the empty pocket dimensions nearby, resulting in the solid earth of worlds like the Material Plane or the Shadowfell. As the Elemental wars raged on, air, fire, and water began to fill those planes as well. Life was evolved overtime, free of the reign of the Elemental conflicts.

As the mortals of other realms grew over eons of evolution, the ‘heretics’ finally slaughtered the remaining three Elemental Gods despite the bloodshed and loss of billions. Four new Elemental deities took their place: Istishia (Water), Grumbar (Earth), Kossuth (Fire), and Akadi (Air). These formerly mortal Djinn knew the importance of keeping the Elemental Planes in balance. They prevented the dragons, who were exhausted from their race’s destruction, from leaving the Elemental Planes in order to preserve peace. This limitation was placed on many other pure Elemental races as well. They then sent Djinn who they trusted to the various new planes to serve as protectors of the plane’s divide. However, when they did so, they realized just how intensely the Material Plane had grown...

### Material Plane Development Era

Many races inhabited the world. None more so than the continent of Balliz. A large island, this area had the perfect amount of resources and space to nurture new life to fruition. Humans, Tieflings, Elves, Goliaths, Catfolk, Gnomes, Halflings, Orcs, and other races had risen to prominence through the region. Much of this growth happened much like it would any other fantasy world, but the unique landscape of Balliz had allowed for new developments to occur.

The Material world already had developed a far reaching sea trade system, thanks to the sea faring naval Goliaths and trade-heavy merchant culture of the mixed-race Nogasts. Elves, who had been planted in the world by the Fae, had split into their various High/Wood/Drow subraces after warring with the Dwarves and other mountain races for many generations. The Drow had left the Elven areas behind by now, moving to the South West Shaylin islands for a new home. Humans had created various small nations and microstates across Balliz, claiming their spot as an adaptable yet reliable race who always hungered for more. Orcs were nomadic creatures, generally peaceful in their travels despite the occasional conflict now and then due to cultural differences. Halflings resides within the hills of the West, living in shrines without much strife. Catfolk had taken over the only jungle in Balliz and filled its swinging branches with isolated delight. The nearby Gnomes traded with the Catfolk, and the two races bonded over an endless draw to curiosity. Through a friendly competition to outdo one another came many of the technological advancements of Balliz.

Inspired by the rise of these new races, several Abyssal devils and demons began capturing races from the Material Plane to use in experiments to create new breeds of lesser demonic races. Their experimentations succeeded through demon and human breeding, and the Teifling was born. Their creators set them onto the Shaylins with the intent to conquer, but they found their test to fail. The humanity of the Teiflings drew them to a quick rebellion and they allied with the Drow and other Shaylin races to drive off their creators. The Teiflings then settled into certain parts of the Shaylins surface or Underdark as their new home. Other types of Teiflings were created too through rogue demons/devils looking to recreate their superiors experiments, but their offspring were often killed or put into circus shows as a result of their isolation.

Other races lived as they felt was right.

Each of these races had small pantheons already. They, much like the new Elemental Gods, were originally mortal and had risen to power through worship. They were understandably shocked when the Djinn practically crash landed into the Material Plane, spreading the world of the Elemental conflicts and proclaiming themselves the new guardians of the Planar boundaries. Many of the Gods were ready to wage war on this population, but others stopped them to hear out the Elementalist’s pleas. Eventually various twisting agreements were made, and the Djinn were allowed to settle in very specific areas of Balliz to perform their duties. Over several generations, these Djinn began to morph into Genasi through mixed-race procreation, the lessened connection to raw elemental energy, and the general influence of the Material Planes magic.

### The Dragon Era

It was some time later when the Dragons came. Having taken the Djinn’s transformation as a sign of a weak barrier to the Material Planes they attacked, seeking to reclaim territorial domination as a ‘reward’ for their fight in the Elemental Wars. The Elemental Gods did their best to stop them, but they had underestimated the Dragons centuries of careful manipulation and were forced to focus on containing their planes chaotic forces lest it destroy all the others. The Dragons landed on the Material Plane and began to claim it as their own; viewing the mortals there as a hearty replacement for their previous subjects.

A powerful Ice Dragon named Essitiviia lay claim to the Northern mountains. This was done peacefully at first, as she offered protection to the Dwarven King from the other Dragons. He accepted. Essitiviia did as she promised and protected well, slowly convincing the mountain races to follow her over the span of several years. When she asked to be given rule over the Dwarven race the monarch accepted. She then enslaved the Dwarves, Giants, and other mountain folk under an ice cold rule for 200 years. She led several wars against the Drow and Duergar that lived within the Northern mountains as she tried to control more and more territory near completely eradicating them in the process. The High and Wood Elves managed to flee from Essitiviia’s rule, creating their culture of isolation that remains in effect today.

The East fared no better. Lawfully aligned Dragons began to weave themselves into Nogast politics and trade, enforcing an economic takeover of Balliz’s sea trade. The wandering Orcs, along with the Goblinoid races, became either fighters under various Dragons control or rebels against the totalitarian regimes. Crystal Dragons invaded the Underdark and fought with the Drow armies over territory, indirectly aiding the Mind Flayers in their conquest of Deepdark control.

The West saw an attack on the Halfling people. An Earth Dragon by the name of Gemmeric the Great forced the Halflings to turn their shrines into mines. He had sensed the presence of something great and powerful underneath the surface and craved it above all else. The Halflings toiled for nearly 75 years, many dying in the process. When they had finally found with Gemmeric desired, they all realized the true horror they uncovered. It was a pit of Purple Worms; deadly creatures that began to tear through the land. Many of the Halflings fled in terror, but a select few used the chaos to their advantage. Taming the Purple Worms, the Halflings lead a successful revolt against Gemmeric and threw his remains down the deepest mine shaft they could. Those who remained began to rebuild their lands in pits underground, much like moles, while those who left emigrated to other lands and entered into the other nations to leave behind their suffering. Some Halflings also went on to help kill other Dragons later on.

Similarly, the Catfolk fell under Dragon influence as well. Their worship of the old Cat pantheon was shredded by the destructive claws of Qoiduth, Lord of the Jungle. Qoiduth established a new Draconic based religion, forcing the Catfolk into new roles as his house pets. The Gnomes, dismayed at this turn of events, began to fight against this rule. A strong underground rebel culture was formed in the Jungle and the Gnomes and Catfolk threw away their rivalry to become truly bonded in unity against Qoiduth. The rebellion went through many rises and falls over the 165 years of Qoiduth’s reign. It changed Catfolk culture forever and grounded the Gnomes in at least one aspect of the mortal world.

In the Southwest region came the constant fighting of Dragons looking to claim land. Several of them took pieces of the growing human nation of Mulan. Some good aligned or lawful dragon's didn’t take control of Mulan land, instead defending it from the monarch dragons who tried to take over. By protecting the Mulan people, the culture began to morph their ancestor worship to also include Dragon worship as well. Many of these dragons, good and evil, also began to interact with the humans more intimately. It was out of Mulan that the first Dragonborn were created. They quickly came under the control of The Red King, a red Dragon that had amassed a large amount of power in a seemingly short time frame. A large amount of Red King devote Dragonborn traveled further South to the tip of the ‘mouth’ of Balliz. There they eradicated the people living there, slowly creating the capital city of Draconia and its neighboring villages in honor of their King.

War soon hit the Shaylins. The War of Ivy Lashes occured in the name of economic gain that seeked out the Underdarks many riches alongside expanded territory. It was a bloody battle between the Drow and several Dragon lead armies of humans, Orcs, Goblinoids, and other races. The Shaylins became Common-ifed as the Shadelands and established several colonies in the Upperdark. The invading armies also discovered the other side of the Drow run islands; the islands of Lazo and Difri. These islands held Tieflings, which had been almost entirely unaware of the Draconic infestation as none of them had seen the race through the thick over brush of the islands natural environment. Though the armies retreated from these islands due to exhaustion and fear of the Tiefling infernal presence, the Dragonborn got wind of this new discovery. Almost immediately The Red King ordered them to the islands and began to take the Tiefling people to use as slave labor to construct Draconia and other Draconic monuments.

This era had a surge of Aasimar, Clerics, and Paladins as the Gods did their best to fight against the Dragons this way in order to protect themselves and their people. Other Celestials did exist as well, but in far fewer quantities. Sorcery magic came into popular awareness as people born in these Dragon ruled lands became influenced through the raw energy of these beings and Draconic bloodlines were formed.

Various adventuring parties all over the world overthrew Draconic rule across Balliz. It was, however, the defeat of the Red King that is said to have ended the era. This final blow to the Dragon was because of the Genasi. Their most powerful druids, wizards, and magic users traveled to a colony the Red King was visiting to check in. Using all their might they tried their best to kill him. When that failed they did the next best thing. The remaining members of the group unified their souls to call upon the Elemental Plane itself to reclaim its original spawn. Out of the sky came an outpouring of Elemental power. It sucked the Red King through the sky into a portal back to the Elemental planes. Every single one of the Genasi that used their powers to seal him were sucked in as well, never to be heard from again. Essitiviia was killed several years after The Red King’s sealing after the Dwarven people collectively attacked her in a mass riot and slaughtered her without mercy. Essitiviia let out an eternal curse on the Northern mountains before she died, however. Thus the Show Shine region gained its name, as it is doomed to always have snow on its ground for as long as the land remains intact.

### Modern Era

Scholars debate if the sealing of the Red King was the end of the Dragon Age, or if the killing of Essitiviia was the true end. Others still label its end as the renaming of Draconia to Korsica, after its first Dragonborn monarch took the throne and formally released the Tiefling slaves from their shackles to roam the world freely. Either way, the last True Elemental Dragon monarch rose and fell in the span of around 250 years. A variety of dragons still exist today, but their attempts at taking control of any ‘civilized’ lands is met with intense backlash and several adventuring parties to quickly cut down the monarch in action. The good aligned dragons, or the lawful ones who don’t attack others, are often met with suspicion and distrust- though they are recognized as separate entities from the previously fascist rulers. Dragon slaying is considered a high honor, and to tame a dragon is (in some cases) an even higher one.

After the Dragon Age the races began to reclaim their cultures. Balliz as it is now stands 150 years after the last Dragon fell.

*Good luck, players. Don’t let the world burn this time.*