The History of Arr-Kelaan

The world of Arr-Kelaan, from its creation to the time where the Player Characters currently adventure, has a history of more than 70,000 years.  These years are divided into six Ages;  the Age of Creation, the Age of Stone, the Age of Bronze, the Age of Iron and Magic, the Classical Age, and the Modern Age.

Before Creation
Somewhere in the vast infinity of the Prime Material Plane lies a private universe. The entirety of this universe was brought into existence by a Supreme Being named Kel. Like Supreme Beings everywhere, Kel was omniscient and omnipotent -- commanding infinite powers of creation and destruction. Kel delighted in creation; a task of mixing the five basic Elements -- Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Magic -- in the presence of the two Primary Forces -- Law and Chaos. And so, bringing into existence an infinite universe of galaxies, stars, and worlds, Kel began the Great Experiment.

Though it was well within Kel's power to simply create an infinite variety of Life, Kel's Great Experiment was to watch and enjoy the spontaneous generation of Life in all of its infinite diversity. Kel watched with interest as the Elements and the Forces interacted without the direct guidance of a Supreme Being. For infinite Kel, there was immeasurable joy and there was immeasurable pain as worlds rose and fell, as Life evolved and was destroyed.

However, on one world in all Kel's infinite universe something happened to the five Elements that had not happened before. Instead of combining in interesting ways to create a world and Life, they actually became alive! They became living beings of tremendous Elemental power who, went fully awakened, began search for their Creator in a way no other living creature had ever done before.

Seven of these Elemental beings were awakened, born with the powers of gods. Thuddar Enn-Terros was the Elemental Sovereign of the Earth. Nerrander Enn-Stratos, the Elemental Sovereign of the Air. Arrikol Enn-Pyros was the Elemental Sovereign of the Fire. Weshtal Enn-Oceanus was the Elemental Sovereign of the Water.

Unlike Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, Elemental Magic exists simultaneously as Good, Neutral and Evil. Because of this, the Element of Magic awakened as three separate beings, each with a third of the power of the other Elemental Sovereigns and in control of a single aspect of the elemental Magic. The three Elemental Sovereigns of the Magic were Lunarhynn Enn-Magicos the Good, Zethrynn Enn-Magicos the Neutral, and Synestrynn Enn-Magicos the Evil. The inevitable hostilities between the extremes of Good and Evil were tempered, in the three brothers of Elemental Magic by the fact that Lunarhynn and Synestrynn were perfectly matched in power. Taken together, the Elemental Sovereigns of the Magic remained in Balance.

Kel found them, and loved them, for they were as children to the Supreme Being. For a thousand years, Kel explained to them the purpose and meaning of the Great Experiment. Then, Kel encouraged them to engage in an experiment of their own. Kel charged these Elemental beings with the task of building a world of their own.

Working together, the Sovereigns of the Elemental Court crafted a world. The fruit of their labor was Arr-Kelaan; a World to the Honor of Infinite Kel.

The Bones of the World
For five hundred years, Arrikol Enn-Pyros heated the WorldForge of Thuddar Enn-Terros as the world of Arr-Kelaan took shape beneath Thuddar's mighty hammer. The Elemental Sovereigns understood that Life needs variety and crafted a world with high mountains and rolling hills and broad flat plains, large continents and small islands, deep oceans and shallow seas.

When the bones of the world were forged, they were quenched by Weshtal Enn-Oceanus as she filled the basins of the world with her element. Now that Arr-Kelaan had water, it was then wrapped in a blanket of life-giving air by Nerrander Enn-Stratos. When the structure of the world was complete, Lunarhynn Enn-Magicos, Zethrynn Enn-Magicos, and Synestrynn Enn-Magicos, sent their essences into every part of the world. And, with magic, came good and evil as well.

Life -- Plants, Animals, Dragons, and Intelligence
Now that the world was ready to receive Life, the Elemental Court set about creating it. First, they filled the sea with a vast variety of plant life. For a thousand years, they watched what flourished and what failed. Then, they populated the lands with plant life, using what they'd learned in the seas. Again, for a thousand years, they watched what flourished and what failed. Gaining confidence in their abilities, the Elemental Court now brought animal life to the seas and watched it flourish or fail for a thousand years. Next followed a thousand years of animal life upon the land and in the skies. The pinnacle of animal life was the dragon.

Dragons were more than animals ... much more. Dragons were intelligent and self-aware, able to choose their path through life as either good or evil. Dragons were also aware of the magic around them, and learned to use it. The concept of intelligence in their own creations was blissful to the Elemental Court and they delighted in the success of the dragons for four hundred years. However, they were disheartened that there were so few dragons and that they took so long to grow. Dragons were large and powerful, but they required much food to sustain them and too many dragons could not live in the same area.

So, the Elemental Court returned to the sea and created many more forms of intelligent life; small like the other animals but intelligent like the dragons. Many of these creatures had forms similar to that of the Elemental Court, being symmetrical beings with two arms, two legs, a head, and capable of walking upright. These would later come to be called Humanoids.

When, after five hundred years, it seemed that intelligent sea creatures were doing well, the Elemental Court bent their attention to the lands once more and brought forth the intelligent land dwellers. Again, many of their creations took a form similar to their own.

The Time of Watching
Convinced that they were done, the Elemental Court settled back to watch their creation grow and prosper for more than ten millennia. Each of the Elemental Sovereigns chose a place to make their home.  The Sovereign of the Earth made for himself a huge underground fortress at the south pole, amid the largest mountain on the planet.  The Sovereign of the Air constructed a city of marble spires and graceful bridges which floated atop a cloud.  The Sovereign of the Fire burrowed into the heart of the world and build a sprawling castle at the flaming core of the world.  The Sovereign of the Water constructed an immense palace of coral deep beneath the waves.  Though these dwellings were in the world, they were made slightly out of phase with it so that no mortal would ever be able to find them.  Only the Three Brothers chose to remain visible to the world and took the form of Arr-Kelaan's three moons; forever affecting the ebb and flow of magic with their waxing and waning.

During this Time of Watching, however, the Elemental Court was dismayed by the things they saw. The Humanoids learned quickly that there is power in Evil. These creatures seemed to live by simple harsh laws; The Strong Rule The Weak, Do What Thou Wilt, and Might Makes Right.

They burned the beautiful trees for fuel. They slaughtered far more animals than was necessary to feed them.  They scarred the land to make their homes. The stronger Humanoids did terrible things to the weaker ones and the weaker ones joined forces with other weak ones to do terrible things to the strong ones.

The Elemental court hoped that the dragons might check the growth of these Humanoids, but most of the dragons wished only to be left alone in the isolate aeries.  When Good dragons did become active against the Humanoids, Evil dragons attacked them and fought alongside the Humanoids.

Saddened by what they saw, the Elemental Court decided that they still had work to do. They gathered together to create new races of beings. Races of beings who would work harder to be Good, offsetting the Evil that had infected their earlier creations. The Elemental Court believed that Balance in all things was at the heart of a successful world.

Awakening of the Races
Thuddar Enn-Terros developed a race of small and sturdy beings, created even more in his own image than any creation before.  A tough, hardy people who would love the land and the mountains and would do great things with the gifts of the Earth. In the vast mountain ranges of the world, Thuddar Enn-Terros brought to life the Dwarves.

Weshtal Enn-Oceanus developed a race of slender graceful beings, also very much in her own image, who would love the oceans and the seas and the water, but who could also love the land -- especially the shifting boughs of the deep forest which, with it's movement before the wind and its effect on sunlight was so similar to the realm beneath the waves.  In the shallow coral seas and the deep forests of the world, Weshtal Enn-Oceanus brought life to the Elves.

Watching his Dwarves prospering in the mountains, building and carving their homes out of stone and winning battles against the Humanoids, Thuddar Enn-Terros worked to bring life to two more races. Smaller than Dwarves, but possessing a love of the rich earth and the fertilevalley, Halflings came forth. Though small, the Halflings were sturdy and skillful and would hold their own against the Humanoids. Also smaller than Dwarves, but possessing a similar love for mountains and hills, came the Gnomes. Thuddar watched with brief apprehension as the Dwarves and the Gnomes engaged in wars over the rights to live in the mountains. However he was soon relieved when the wars ended and the Gnomes settled more peacefully in the foothills where they too stood fast against the Humanoids.

Arrikol Enn-Pyros knew that places closer to his element were difficult for Life to master and he built a race of LizardMen who were strong and resilient. Larger and more powerful than the Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, and Halflings, the LizardMen were able to stand against even the largest and most powerful of the Humanoids who had taken to dwelling in the deserts and volcanic badlands.

Nerrander Enn-Stratos chose to make no other races of his own as he proudly noted that the few Humanoids who were capable of flight had not been seduced by Evil.

The Elemental Court watched their creations settle into the niches they seemed best suited for and decided to try one more creation; a race that could thrive in any environment. Thus, Humans were created. They were made numerous, but with brief lives offset by a powerful desire to succeed and to do great things. Humans spread across the land encountering the elder races and, for the most part, befriending them.  They forged alliances to hold fast against the encroaching darkness of the Humanoids. Their only disappointment in Humanity was that it seemed as if a higher percentage of this race, as compared with the elder races, possessed the same capacities for Evil as did the Humanoids.

During this period of thirty-six thousand years, the races of Arr-Kelaan made their tools and their weapons from the same materials as had the Humanoids before them, things readily available from the natural world; stone, wood, hide, horn, and bone.

It was a time of tremendous growth and change. The Elves learned to build boats which could sail upon the waters and they taught this skill to the other races. The Halflings learned how to take wild plants and animals and grow them for the benefit of the people; thus was agriculture begun and taught to the other races.

Attraction of Powers and Gods
The sudden appearance of so many intelligent, sentient beings, all of them with questions about their creation and the expectations of their creators, created a tremendous buildup of what can only be called 'belief'. The belief of these thousands of intelligent, sentient beings attracted the attention of the Powers in the multiverse. These Powers came to Arr-Kelaan and began to make themselves known to the people. Different races adopted the tenets of different gods, and there were gods for everything; gods of the sun, gods of the night, gods of storms, gods of luck, gods of life, and gods of death. Some were good, some were evil, and some were neutral.

At first, the Elemental Court was pleased by the appearance of these new gods ... for they seemed to bring the people some comfort. However, it wasn't long before the newly arriving Powers began to take credit for the work of the Elemental Court and began to pit their followers against each other like pieces on a game board. This brought new suffering to the people they had created and angered the Elemental Court.

Working together, they began to expel these extra-planar Powers from their world.  For every Power ousted, however, there many more waiting to step into its place.

Development of Magic and Technology
As the religions of these extra-planar gods spread across the world, some particularly wise members of these early societies were granted magical abilities by their deities.  These people, called shamans and priests, wielded the power of their dieties to help their own people and harm their enemies.

At the same time, however, the Elves became aware of the natural, elemental Magic around them and began to use it for their own purposes. They came to understand the differences between magic which came from the world and magic which was granted by Powers.  With this knowledge, they bent their intellects to finding the extents to which elemental Magic could be harnessed.

The Elves tried to teach this skill to the other races, but Dwarves and Halflings seemed, by their very natures, incapable of learning it. Gnomes, however, with their quick wits and love of humor found themselves able to command the magic of Illusion. Humans, however, learned magic very well and soon it became apparent that Human apprentice spellcasters would eventually wield Magic even more powerful than their Elven teachers.

Instead of magic, the Dwarves improved their stoneworking skills and learned more about building and construction. They discovered a way to use the soft red metal called copper and found it superior to stone and wood for many things. They shared their knowledge with the other races and taught them how to find deposits of copper and how to work it into shapes with hammers of hard granite.

Armed with copper weapons and magic, the races were able to make their first major advances against the Humanoids.

Nations Form
Continually looking for ways to strengthen their copper tools and weapons, the Dwarves discovered a mix of metals called bronze. Easy to work yet harder and stronger, new weapons were created which could hold an edge longer. Thus began the Age of Bronze.

Armed with bronze weapons and protected by the first lamellar armors of leather and bronze rings or plates, the Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Halflings, and LizardMen were able to push the Humanoids to the fringes of the new nations which were forming.

However, as the nations of the races grew and began to prosper they attracted the attention of the ancient dragons.

The Dragon Wars
Most powerful of Arr-Kelaan's creatures, with lifespans measured in millennia, the dragons insinuated themselves into the societies of lesser mortals. They called upon their powers of shape-changing to infiltrate the power structures of the nations of the Humans, Gnomes, LizardMen and Elves. However, because of their decidedly non-magical nature, attempts of the dragons to infiltrate Dwarven and Halfling societies were largely failures.

As the powers of dragon-led nations grew, so did the greed of the dragons. As they began to struggle over the wealth of the world, they began to reveal their true nature.  Thus began the Dragon Wars; initiated largely as civil wars as the people sought to overthrow their dragon emperors. Some nations, mostly those that had profited from dragon control, began to fight to preserve the rule of the dragons and sparking even greater conflict.

In many cases, the nations of Dwarves and Halflings were carried along on the currents of war, though they themselves remained untainted by the stain of dragonsblood. By the end of two hundred years of war and strife, most of the dragon nations were defeated and their scaly emperors and minions driven into seclusion in the most remote regions of the world. All that remains of the once-mighty dragon nations are isolated Cult of the Dragon enclaves. Today, dragons are largely solitary creatures. There are, however, still a few of the great ones surviving from the times of the Dragon Wars. These mighty beasts remember the nearly unlimited power of their past and plot in secret for their majestic return.

It took eight hundred years for the nations of the world to recover from the Dragon Wars and this time saw the rise of numerous small Human and Halfling nations and the consolidation of the isolated Elven nations into larger and more cohesive societies. Humans and Elves begin building larger and more capable ships and trading over long distances began. And, long-distance trade began to initiate the free exchange of ideas and both technological and magical advances are made.

It was during this period of expansion after the Dragon Wars that the three most enduring nations of the world began to form; the Nidoshran empire on the southern shores of the Taal Immerisan, the Rhinnish Empire on the northern shores of the Taal Immerisan, and the Vaal-Entorr on the central continent's western shores of the Sea of Fury.

The Arrival of the Traveler Gods
It was a night like any other when the skies above the world of Arr-Kelaan were torn asunder and a burning, gleaming object flashed down to crash into the violent, dark-blue waters of the Sea of Fury. Though none knew it at the time, the Traveler Gods had arrived.

Inhabitants of another dimension -- another universe, in fact -- these strange travelers immediately caught the attention of the Elemental Court. These men, women, and humanoids quickly found themselves faced with the most unusual of choices -- become gods to rule over and guide the lives of the mortals of this world, or be instantly destroyed.

Why it was that the Elemental Court chose to gift these strangers with godhood has long since been lost to obscurity. It is widely surmised, by those who study such events, that the Elemental court needed some form of intermediary between themselves and the vast diversity of Life they had created. However, their true motivations remain their own.

Suffice it to say that the travelers accepted godhood and Ascended. The remains of their vessel, actually a luxury ship designed for traveling through the empty space between different worlds, was lifted into the air to form a floating city. Here, many of these new gods made their dwellings.

Upon their Ascendancy, the new Traveler Gods were faced with the daunting task of ridding the world of all the other extra-planar powers that had been attracted to the numbers of intelligent beings living upon Arr-Kelaan. The precise relationship between Power and worshipper is obscure, but one thing is true ... gods need worshipers.

The GodWar
The Traveler Gods immediately began an epic struggle to unseat those Powers that had taken root here. Mortals were involved, of course, and the struggles on the surface mimicked the struggles in the heavens.

After decades of bloody battles, the Traveler Gods were ultimately victorious. And, to this day, no other greater or lesser Power has significant influence on the world of Arr-Kelaan. However, worship of many minor (or demi-) Powers has continued. And, although the pantheon of Traveler Gods is supreme, there are various cults scattered over the face of the world dedicated to other extra-planar Powers.

Near the very end of the GodWar, Dwarven smiths introduced a new kind of metal; iron.  An iron sword could cut through bronze armor and shatter bronze weapons.  Soon, most of the other races were smelting iron ore and forging weapons and armor of iron.

Nations Expand, Technology and Magic Advances
Armed with new iron weapons, the three major Human empires began to expand, drawing the other races along with them.

At the same time that new technology was being developed, magical research was increasing at a great rate. Wizards began to band together forming groups for trading ideas and new spells. The first large consortium of Wizards came to be called the Conclave.

The goals of the Conclave were innocent at first, develop magic for the benefit of the people. However, magic was power and, as it is well known, power corrupts. As the Conclave began to ascend in power and influence, an era of magic research dawned upon Arr-Kelaan. One of the greatest discoveries of this age is that of the properties of SongCrystal; a physical form of Elemental Magic.

These beautiful crystals come in colors that span the rainbow and have unique sonic properties. When properly tuned, like a piano-forte tuning fork, a SongCrystal will continue to resonate and will produce a single clear tone for an indefinite period of time. While singing, a piece of SongCrystal draws magic (or, perhaps, simply releases it) which can then be used for innumerable purposes. SongCrystals can be used in a tremendous variety of magical items and can produce anything from light and heat to eruptions of magical energy. The effects of SongCrystal can be amplified by tuning sets of 'Crystals to sing in harmony.  One particular style of 'Crystal highly sought after, even today, is called a Stone of Power and has an unusual effect on the casting of magical spells; when a spell is cast in the presence of a singing Stone of Power -- that is, if it is included in the material components of a spell -- the spell is cast as if the caster is 1d4 levels higher than their current experience level.  Stones of Power have 'charges', typically less than ten, and sing a lower note each time they are used until they fall silent (when no more charges are available).

While many Human mages and craftsmen have a talent for working with this volatile and dangerous Elemental substance, and the Dwarves are unsurpassed gemcutters, the people best suited to working with SongCrystal are the Elves; they seem to have a particular balance of manual dexterity, magical ability, and musical talent which makes working with SongCrystal an easier task.

With new sources of magical power behind them, the Conclave of Wizards wielded tremendous political power. It wasn't long before the less honorable among them used their great powers to manipulate and control their populations. As had the dragons before them, powerful wizards insinuated themselves into the power structures of the nations and sparked conflicts throughout the world. The rampant use of magic against the common people was devastating.

During this time period, as the power of wizards was growing, the Dwarves worked continually to create better and more powerful weapons. They improved iron by mixing it with carbon and created steel. Deep beneath their mountains, they discovered a metal as beautiful as silver but even harder than steel; which they called mithril. And, even stronger than that, they discovered a dull dark-grey metal as hard as the purest diamond; which they called adamantite. They also discovered that their race did have magical talents; magical abilities that allowed them to work with this mystical metals.  The Dwarves called this talent ForgeMagic because it only functions within the demesne of creating weapons, armor, and similar items of strength and power.

The War of Magic
When the War of Magic erupted, Dwarven weapons of exceptional quality and power were made for the greatest warriors of the land. Armed with these weapons, and by gradually learning their weaknesses, the Conclave of Wizards was destroyed.

The two hundred years of chaos caused by the War of Magic was not easily forgotten by the common people who were caught in the midst of such colossally destructive forces. For twenty-seven hundred years, Arr-Kelaan suffered a great reduction of magical power. The towers of the Conclave were razed and spellbooks or any book even mentioning the subject of magic were burned in great pyres. Throughout the world, the practitioners of magic were persecuted mercilessly. In many lands, the practice of even sleight-of-hand magic became a capital offense.

Of course, there remained those to whom the lure of The Art was too great. In hidden enclaves tucked away in remote mountain vales and across scattered islands, the practice of magic survived.

Nearly three thousand years after the War of Magic, wizards began to research, again, and began to gradually re-learn what had been lost.

Expansion, Exploration, and Empire Stability
During these four thousand years, the world of Arr-Kelaan saw a time of great expansion. The major empires grew, consolidated, and stabilized. Great advances were made in the fields of architecture, agriculture, and exploration. New weapons and armors appeared on the battlefields of the world as one nation tested its strength against another. The three largest empires -- Nidoshran, Rhinnish, and Val-Entor -- stabilized.

The two empires of the Taal Immerisan, Nidoshran and Rhinnish, after a brief period of wars under the greatest general the world had ever known -- Kashran Sithuraman -- settled into a peaceful co-existence. Both nations continuously dealt with their own internal problems as they dedicated themselves to trade and exploration.

Freed from the restrictions of the DragonMist mountains and the wide ocean, the people of Val-Entor spread across most of the east of the central continent. Vaal-Entor, or The Bright Kingdom, stretches from the icy arctic wastes down to the sweltering jungle Kingdoms or Marakii. And, from the west of the Dragonmist mountains and the vast southern plains of The Kerestral Veldt in the east to the stormy Sea of Fury in the west.

The heart of power in Vaal-Entor is the palace of the HighKing in Eldrath City, the largest city on Arr-Kelaan. Built on both sides of the falls along the River Eldrath, Eldrath City is so large that each of its many districts would classify as a city in their own right if they existed alone.

Rise of the Wizards' Guild
Late in the Classical Age, when the power of mages was on the rise again, the Wizards' Guild was formed. No longer dedicated to the growth of magic at any cost, the first Guild buildings were erected in lands that weren't openly hostile to magic use. The wizards made sure to project an image of friendliness and to inform the public that magic would be developed to make life better and not to make war more deadly. Many people, in almost every land, live comfortably with magical devices which heat and light their homes. That is not to say that some lands aren't still superstitious of magic use, and some have even gone so far as to continue outlawing it.

Most Wizards' Guild buildings are strongly constructed; tall towers, sturdy walls, and deep, expansive underground passages. They are typically built on or near ley lines or close to the megalithic circles. The interiors of Wizards' Guilds are usually lavishly decorated with the finest furniture and provisioned with the finest wines and foodstuffs. Each contain extensive libraries and laboratories.

Dwarven Steam Power
For millennia, the Dwarves harnessed the power of the deep, fast moving, underground mountain rivers to turn great wheels and power their forges and furnaces. Nearly nine hundred years ago, they discovered that steam could be put to similar use and the first simple Dwarven steam engine was built. These early steam engines burned coal or wood to generate steam, and were capable of little more than turning millstones, pumping water, or powering simple machinery. They kept this steam-power technology a secret beneath their mountains as they improved upon it.

Later Dwarven steam-engines were put to use powering large wagons and pulling the oars of specially designed galleys. As the powered wagons grew larger and larger, a new form of road was needed. The solution lead to the development of the RailShip, a large wheeled vehicle which could travel at speeds greater than that of a galloping horse following twin rails of steel or iron. Later designs of the steam ships revealed that all of the oars could be arranged around the circumference a wheel and the wheel could be turned with similar effects, reducing the number of moving parts and without having to worry about snagging multiple oars on submerged debris.

But the Dwarves quickly realized, as their steam engines grew larger and larger, that their need for fuel would quickly outstrip the ability of forests and mines to provide it. Their need for a clean, non-depleting heat source was eventually provided by the Elves; in the form of SongCrystals tuned to draw magic and generate heat. The Dwarves quickly learned methods of controlling these magical heat sources.

However, because of the nature of the heat sources Dwarven steam technology cannot exist away from great sources of cooling water. Dwarven RailShips haul their own water in tank cars, and RailShip lines basically run from one water souce to the next. Overheated Dwarven steam engines explode with spectacular results rivaling any magical explosion and eclipsing even a retributively-broken Staff of the Magi.

Within the last twenty years, the RailShips have grown larger and far more powerful; capable of pulling long trains of passenger and freight cars at high speeds over great distances. Enormous Dwarven SteamShips have been sighted in the waters of the Taal Immerisan; catamaran-hulled ships of wood and iron many times larger than the largest wooden sailing vessel.

Magical research is on the increase, again, lead by the power of the Wizards' Guild. Powerful new magicks have been unleashed upon the face of Arr-Kelaan for both Good and Evil. As always, empires and kingdoms struggle with one another over trading routes, natural (and magical) resources, land, and power.

One of the greatest problems affecting the larger cities of Arr-Kelaan is an 'epidemic' of controlled substance abuse. Organized crime families and rogue governments smooth the flow of these dangerous substances into the larger and more civilized areas, both for the high profits and -- in the case of rogue governments -- for the destabilizing effects these practices are responsible for.