Academy Anthology: Hail and Well Met

This section is a hierarchical representation of the “eras” of time. Nested within each “era” are a number of events, including the groups, personages, and places that are significant.

The Dead Gods create the world of Aperta-Mundi out of a chaotic cloud of deity-stuff. There is no reason or agenda that can be understood about why this is done. These beings are less deities in the conventional sense and more of elemental forces or building blocks. These unknowable beings are the furnace from which the world was born, and Aperti-Mundi could be melted away just as easily as it was forged by these alien beings with no care or any concept of mortality. These “Dead Gods” perhaps never lived, and they can never truly die.

The Dead Gods ignore Aperta-Mundi long enough that a new order of deities develop.

These beings, known in the common era as the Old Gods, fight off the threat of the Dead Gods destroying Aperta-Mundi and lock these beings away so that they are unable to harm or build more chaos. Mortals are created in this era.

Kingdoms of mortals rose and fell, with fortunes changing often within a generation or two.

New deities rise, fueled by leftover deity-stuff hidden after the fight between the Old Gods and Dead Gods. Many of these were once mortals who were able to rise to apotheosis. During this period, there were many of these newer deities who came to join the heavenly pantheon.

Elves immigrating from the Feywild and the Shadowfell settled the world of Aperta-Mundi, mostly on the continent of Civorea. Those that stayed traded eternal life for a great empire powered by strange magic that stretched across much of the oceans of the world.

At least two Elven Empires, and a number of smaller states controlled much of the mortal population of the world of Aperta-Mundi.

One of these smaller states was known as the Elven Monarchy of Redflame. They had created scores of diadems that throw the Scorching Ray spell that are still in use today.

The Principality of Drudge grew, flourished, and then collapsed during this period.

At one time, there was a war between these two kingdoms of elves which created a number of powerful artifacts that had to be dealt with following that conflict.

These far-flung kingdoms ruled by mortal elves faded and fractured, allowing many new nations to rise.

In this long-forgotten age, city-states of Civorea were hostile with one another.

This era ended as powerful adventurers from disparate states worked together toward a common cause. In at least one case, the demon lord Jubilex appeared on the mortal plane of existence on the continent of Civorea. Luckily, this alien monster was driven off to the Feywild where it was subdued and locked into the Swamp of Oblivion after wreaking havoc throughout the plane.

During this period, an empire of soldiers and laws ruled much of the world of Aperta-Mundi. It was very much like the Roman Empire in our world.

Arcane magic was suppressed and only maintained by a certain few within the Empire. The empire was based on the continent of Civorea.

The Empire had several military installations on Biomia, but all fell into disrepair. One of those will later be re-populated and become the city of Welmet.

The Order of the Silver Stars had a monopoly on arcane magic.

A meteor falls, casting much of the world into shadow. An age of darkness ensues.

The meteor is known as “The Visitor” and its appearance came with ill portents. Its appearance heralded the end of the Civorean Empire. Whether that was because of the meteor or if the meteor was just the final straw is unclear to history.

As the empire unravels, the secrets of magic are re-discovered.

During this period, portions of the world were controlled by self-styled monarchs who were little more than warlords.

These powers were little more than petty tyrants who fed off of the leavings of the Civorean Empire. One such monster was the ogre warlord Vregu the Hushed, a murderous plotter who managed to unite many of the various tribes of humanoids on the continent of Biomia.

Before Vregu’s demise at the hands of one of his lieutenants, he had conquered much of the swamps and hills, and set it under his rule. Fortunately, Vregu’s success was never duplicated and the humanoids’ unification quickly fell apart.

Another draconian pretender was Queen Aberyst, a hag who usurped the power of her forest coven and controlled the minds of her enemies.

The “Awakened Kingdoms” were a number of city-states that rose up and ruled just as the Civorean Empire had in the past.

Many were the result of the Barbarians and Pirates adopting titles and taking on rulership of their own. This “Awakening” refers to the fact that the arcane magic that was once monopolized and hidden away by the Civorean Empire was once again re-discovered. Magic schools once persecuted or destroyed are rebuilt.

One of the “Awakened Kingdoms” was the Sanguine Order. As they begin to rise to become the most powerful naval power in Aperta-Mundi, the common era begins. The campaign starts about three elven lifetimes “since the dawn” of the order - 3,524 SD.