History of Pelagia

The adventure begins on Arcata Island in the year 1642 AC - After Cataclysm.

During the First Age, Pelagia was a world of a few large continents and was dominated by a race known as the Ancestors. A magical ritual that went wrong changed all of that - shattering the lands and forever changing the Ancestors so that, as a single race, they existed no more.

The full details of the ritual are not known, however most scholars agree that it was an attempt by the Ancestors to weaken the god Chaenth's hold on death. In the First Age, before the Great Cataclysm, once you were dead, it was almost guaranteed you would not be able to return to life. (Life restorative magics such as Resurrection and Raise Dead were not commonly available to Clerics back then.) Ever since the ritual's casting, stronger souls have been able to leave Chaenth's Paths and return to life. Thus, in a way, the ritual was a success.

However, due to the unforeseen magical backlash, the world of Pelagia was devastated and most of the Ancestors were killed. Those few who survived were changed by the magic into the various humanoid races we know today: Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Goblins, etc. There have been rumours of sightings of Ancestors, but no credible evidence of their modern existence has ever been found.

These changed survivors began almost at once to build anew and have created civilizations with a rich diversity of cultures that the Ancestors never knew and could never have known. Where once there were only a few large continents separated by shallow, peaceful waters, there are now a vast number of islands, some large, some small and all separated by deep and dangerous oceans. Where once there was only one race, there are now many - each developing their own distinct language and way of life. Some civilizations are simple technologically, but rich in magic; others have magic, but are also highly developed technologically and progress along the path of science. One such group, supported by the god, Laurendi, has managed to create a city in the clouds, serviced by a small fleet of airships.

Even though Pelagia has become divided in many ways, its people - no matter their location or race - will forever be united by their common past. The Great Cataclysm is central to all teachings and is always a symbol of the Ancestors' greatest achievement and greatest mistake.

The epicenter of the Great Cataclysm and site of the ritual is thought to be somewhere in the Darklands on Arcata Island, or in the Dark Sea that's just to Arcata Island's north-east. These areas are so named for their eternal darkness and gloom and they are almost universally infested with vast numbers of undead - another legacy of the Great Cataclysm. In the First Age of Pelagia, undead did not exist.

Not of all Arcata Island is infested with undead. The Tallorian mountain ranges form a natural border that undead can't or won't cross. There is only one way through the mountains and the undead expansion efforts has been focussed on Twilight Pass in an attempt to invade the southern reaches of Arcata Island. From time to time, undead would pour through the pass, only to be fought back, sometimes at great cost to the peoples of Arcata. The Church of Jador proposed the construction of a fortress at Twilight Pass to permanently hold back the undead. The fortress was built across Twilight Pass in 791 AC, mostly by members of the following churches: Jador, Tanusto, Daireen, Umilja, Verec and Kotuzin. Knights, mercenaries and adventurers from a number of different Regions were also amongst the founders. In the following 800 years since its construction, Twilight Pass Fortress has been assaulted frequently by hordes of undead, but it has repelled all attacks thus far.

Periodically, a very charismatic leader has arisen and gathered up an army to take the fight against the undead into the Darklands itself in the hope to permanently cleanse the world of their horror. Initially these armies do very well, sometimes driving back the undead great distances. Yet as the armies of the living do so, the cost in lives always grows and those that fall, if not properly taken care of, will rise as undead to join the foul ranks to fight against the living. Thus, as the living forces diminish, the undead forces only grow. Most of the invading armies have been destroyed completely with, at best, only a few lucky survivors managing to escape to tell the story of their inevitable downfall.

Many others have also entered the Darklands, quietly and with equal strength of purpose. They search for the lost knowledge of the Ancestors that is said to be left deep in the ruins of their long dead cities. Some have returned triumphantly with tantalizing scraps of knowledge, but most have vanished silently, never to be seen again alive.

Read a Story: The Birth of the Second Age