General Setting

This campaign is set in a homebrew land called Forlunhein. Creatures of all sorts, Elves and Dwarves, Goblins and Orcs, lived in these lands for time untold, building civilizations, fighting wars, making peace, and experiencing times of prosperity and of hardship. 3,000 years ago, however, when Humans arrived on the shores of the Elvish kingdom of Elysenas, the land of Forlunhein would be forever changed. These travellers, haggard and worn, were no army sent to invade, but refugees fleeing across the sea from war-torn lands, and the Elves took pity on them, carefully collecting them from amidst the wreckage of their ships, which had been dashed to pieces upon the jagged rocks along the coast.

The Elves took the Humans into the heart of their kingdom and protected them from a hard winter, learning to speak their language, and instructing them in the arts of healing and craftsmanship. Many of the Humans, too, learned the language of the Elves, and they grew both prosperous and numerous over the course of the next century, living alongside the Elves, and learning from them. In time however, under the leadership of a wise and charismatic man named Mildor, they set out to establish their own kingdom in lands south of Elysenas. These lands pleased the Humans more than the forests of the Elves, for they were green, plains and pastures, sloping down to quiet shores by the sea, and under Mildor's leadership, they established the beginnings of a civilization, which they called Telathiron. Yet, although they no longer lived with the Elves, they maintained close ties, and many intermarried, settling in Half-Elven towns that grew up along the borders of the two kingdoms.

The Human kingdom established diplomatic ties with the other peoples that lived in the land, such as the halflings and gnomes who lived even further South, and the Dwarves who lived to the North. However, their alliance with the Elves remained the strongest, and they often marched to battle and fought and died alongside the Elves against enemies both old and new, such as the dark Dwarves of Narn Todir, and the Orcs and Goblins of Zurdrard.

No good thing can last forever, however. In time, some Humans began to envy the Elves and lusted after the power and knowledge of the Elves, who could accomplish so much more over the course of their long lifetimes than any Human could with their ever present mortality. They began to look for ways to extend their lives, and some began to experiment with dark and unnatural methods to gain power over death itself. The Kingdom of Telathiron fell into civil war, and although 'the fallen' as they were called, were eventually defeated, many of them survived the war and fled to the far East, where they worshiped dark gods and built temples where they could experiment and conduct their rituals and sacrifices undisturbed. Rumors abounded that these Humans actually bred with fiends and devils, selling their souls and their offspring in exchange for power. Some who were particularly ambitious, were whispered to have performed a ritualistic curse that changed their original lineage to that of Asmodeus himself.

The truth of all these rumors are disputable, but over the next many years, a new race emerged in the East, Humanoid creatures with horns and tails and strange eyes. These Tieflings, as they were called, eventually established their own Kingdom, which they called Daimaini. Despite all the stories of their evil origins, the Tiefling kingdom was, by and large, relatively peaceful, establishing neutral ties with all civilizations regardless of their overall orientation. While the earliest Tieflings may have sought to align with evil in exchange for power, most of their descendants chose a different path, and the city became a well-established center of arts and trade, where peoples of all kinds, from Elves to Orcs, could be seen in the markets, standing in the shadows of the beautiful buildings and ornate architecture of the country's capital.

However, darker elements of society did remain, and were largely allowed to exist due to the value Tieflings placed on individual freedom and independence, and despite pressure from the elvish and Human kingdoms, the Daimaini's leading council stubbornly refused to impose any sort of restrictions or laws against these non-mainstream activities, provided they did not interfere with the trade and general prosperity of their cities.

In this way, the balance of power in Forlunhein remained relatively unchanged until about 50 years ago, when a new king sat on the throne in Mildoran, (the capital city of Telathiron, named after the country's first ruler.) His name was Kilthais, and after the death of his father, he took for himself a beautiful wife named Silathi, inherited the throne at the age of 45. From the first, he seemed to be consumed with the pursuit of righteousness, and personally vowed to exact judgement and vengeance against anyone who did evil. Strict laws were enacted against the worship of any other gods but Torm, draconian measures were taken against the practice of magic in any form by anyone other than the clergy or the military unless given a certificate of permission from the government.

However, over the next 30 years of his rule, his growing zeal also led him into increased confrontation with the Tieflings, and his heightened demands for them to root out evil, along with their continued refusal to accede to such demands, led to Telathiron declaring an economic embargo against Daimaini. When the Tieflings embargoed Telathiron in return, King Kilthais called on his elvish allies to join him in war against the Tiefling kingdom, which they did, though with great reluctance. The combined might of Elysenas and Telathiron was too much for Daimaini, and they sued for peace. Upon their surrender, King Kilthais razed their cities, slaughtering many, and taking the rest into captivity, except for a small few who were able to escape. The Elves were horrified, and returned to their own kingdom with dread in their hearts.

That dread was soon to be realized as the new king, eyes blazing and enraged by the condemnation of the Elves, which he saw as a betrayal, turned his gaze towards the other peoples and kingdoms of Forlunhein, declaring a holy war against all who did not recognize the justice of Telathiron's laws, and his own governance as the rightful, lawful ruler of not only Telathiron, but all of Forlunhein. The Elves, grim-faced, began to prepare for war, as Telathiron conquered much of the previously free-held Human towns and provinces that were scattered across the outskirts of the kingdom.

When Kilthais died at the age of 80, he was survived by his younger wife, the queen mother, and his seven sons. Caildiron, the eldest, took up the throne in Mildoran at the age of 37, and the rest were made governors of the kingdom's provinces, and commanders in the army. Any hope, however, that things would be better under the new king, was quickly shattered. Caildiron followed in the footsteps of his father, and over the past twenty years, began his reign by conquering the Half-Elven towns along the borders of Elysenas. He introduced laws that privileged pure-blood Humans above all other races, and reduced the rights and freedoms of non-Human citizens, exacting high taxes from them, especially the newly conquered and subjugated Half-Elven peoples.

Now, at the age of 57, fully established with an heir to the throne, he has turned his eye upon the Elven kingdom itself. When this campaign begins, the Elvish kingdom is preparing for war. After Kilthais' betrayal of their alliance, and his blind pursuit of a 'lawful, righteous justice' administered across the land, the Elves looked with scorn at the Human kingdom, and turned their backs on the Half-Elvish towns, as somehow tainted by the weak, fallible blood of Humanity. But now that the Half-Elven towns have fallen under the shadow of Telathiron, the complacency of the Elves has been shaken, and they realize the danger, though perhaps too late. Telathiron now has an army unmatched in size by any other kingdom in Forlunhein, an army of conscripts and willing recruits, led by experienced commanders, including the King's younger brothers. Having long been allies, Elysenas is especially vulnerable, since it was the Elves who instructed the Humans in the arts of war and magic, openly sharing their lore and knowledge.

But it is not merely the Elves. Alliances of other kingdoms, even those that are old enemies, may be built, out of the necessity to survive. Orcs and Goblins, Gnomes and Halflings, all look with unease to the ever expanding borders of Telathiron, and seek to preserve themselves and their people against subjugation and domination by King Calidron, and his brothers - the Seven Serpents of Forlunhein.