Campaign History and Setting
Eight thousand years have passed since the Ascension War, the world-wide campaign of destruction that the arcane Warlocks led against the divine and spiritual forces of the Druids and Clerics. Historians of present time can not agree on what initially caused the war, but there was a falling out amongst the leaders of the arcane Hermetic order and the acolytes of the spiritual and divine forces. Speculations lead to an escalating disruption among the two forces, and the balance of power was being upset by the growing influence of the arcane powers in the cosmos. This led to growing conflict and the eventual use of aggression against the proponents of each side. Harsh combat led to heavy casualties on both sides, and tension escalated between the two factions.
Eventually what would become known as the “Ultimate Cataclysm” was engineered and then carried out by the Warlocks of the highest influence and power. This was a direct attack against the central powers of the Druidic and Clerical alliance, and the ending result was a catastrophe of such magnitude that the entire material plane of existence was affected. Life was snuffed out on all corners of the world, and surviving members of each race (if any at all) had to search for shelter from the corruption of the deadly arcane forces at work. After some time, the world was again habitable, and the people and creatures that did survive found themselves in a new and changed, hostile environment much different from the one that they had known…
The world is devastated and in a state of global fallout as result of the Ascension War. Climates, landscapes, and life in general have changed drastically for those who populate the harsh world. Many of the races that once dwelled here are either gone entirely or still hidden. Common knowledge and historians indicate that the entire Halfling race is gone, and many of the Elven race have disappeared, only a few remain. The Dwarves, Gnomes, and other mountain folk have endured quite well due to their ability to survive and live comfortably within the earth and mountains. The Humans at first seemed to have a bleak future ahead of them, but their adaptable nature allowed them to adjust to the changes more quickly than any of the other races, and they now strive again. The Goblinoids, Orcs and their like have survived out of sheer brutality, taking what they needed from folk who were more able to produce their own means of living. Aquatic races are presumably unaffected, but there are not many accounts of them in our books or tales. Of the half-breed races, there are few but they are as shunned as ever in most societies.
Society is mostly tribal, with nomadic hunter-gatherer groups dominating most of the land. There are a few more established groups of people dotted about the world, those who have rediscovered or invented new ways to grow crops and maintain a stable lifestyle. The Dwarves and other mountain-folk seem to be the most advanced societies, as result of them being the least affected by the change of the world around them. Life is harsh and short for most people, and few if any can afford the luxury of an ignorant and complacent outlook on things. Most people spend their time of the day hunting for food, and just plainly trying to survive to live for the next day. There is not much hope for anything other than survival.
Magic is all but gone from the world. The arcane Warlocks have vanished and the “Shamans” of today are but a feeble mockery of their elder, Druid counterparts. Belief in any deities have ceased to exist, and their Clerics along with it. Most folk believe now in the spirits of the wild, as once did the Druids of old. Whether these spirits exist or not remain an uncertainty.
Recently there have been strange happenings among the land. Rumors of old powers now awakened, strange sightings across the sea, tales of people in a land far off, of cities and magnificent riches to behold. Every day there seems to be a new rumor sprouting from different encounters of other tribes and societies, and no one can tell for sure which ones are true or not. One thing is certain, however, there is definitely something peculiar happening…