More Kingdoms of Legend

Ancient History
The first human civilization blossomed in Mesopotamia almost nine thousand years ago during a Golden Age for the elves, dwarves, and gnomes. Slowly at first, then gaining speed with each passing century, the human tidal wave spread over Europe, Asia, and Africa. The old races at first ignored the influx of these short-lived but highly adaptable savages, allowing human settlements to flourish along the coasts and across the plains. Each had long since claimed homelands situated in preferred terrain: mountains for the dwarves, hills for the gnomes, and forests for the elves.

The initial human expansion was peaceful as portions of unwanted territory were willingly ceded to the newcomers. The early settlements of man were frequently raided by orcs and goblins and soon great wars pitted human armies against their vicious foes. The older races, forever hard pressed by the same monstrous hordes, welcomed the reprieve these human efforts granted. Relations warmed between the various kingdoms of dwarves, elves, and gnomes and the scattered tribes of men. Trade and cooperation flourished in some areas as the human population rose dramatically.

During this time the only gods who took an interest in the affairs of the world were the twelve deities worshiped by the old races and a group of nine Primordial deities venerated by the savage species.

The Fall
Around four thousand years ago a mysterious and profound shift in the balance of power occurred. Over the course of a violent decade the original twelve deities were, one by one, overthrown and cast down into darkness. The divine link between the old races and their gods was severed. Claiming the place of divine prominence was a new group of twelve deities closely aligned with the rapidly expanding human race. The Golden Age of the dwarves, elves, and gnomes had come to an end. A new Age of Humanity had dawned.

Ancient Greek scholars came to know the period surrounding the Fall as the Titanomachy, or the War of the Titans. The new pantheon of gods was labeled “The Olympians”.

No one is certain what happened to cause the overthrow. Some credit the ever rising number of human followers for the increased power of the human aligned deities. Some think the rise of humanity was a result of the great celestial realignment–not the cause of the overthrow. Still others suggest that the old gods foresaw their own downfall and perhaps even played a part in bringing it about.

Whatever the truth, the fall of the old gods is a story shrouded in mystery and intrigue. A story which profoundly shaped the world as it is today and continues to influence the world of tomorrow. As the tide of humanity rises the fortunes of the old races decline.

Adventures in the Kingdoms of Legend setting take place against the backdrop of old versus new. Elves, dwarves, and gnomes look on with envious bewilderment at the unrivaled success of the fast breeding, highly adaptable newcomers. In the wake of the fall of their gods, the old races lost direct access to divine magic. They were forced to rely on divinely charged sites where the power of the Fallen gods yet remained. In these precious few sacred locales, clerics of the Fallen can operate normally–as the consecrated objects found there provide a window to the lost power of their deities.

It is these rare shrines and temples that the dwarves, elves, and gnomes will do anything to protect and sustain. The shrinking kingdoms of the old races have consolidated around the most powerful of the ancient temples. As clerics of the Fallen move farther away from such places their ability to call on divine energy wanes. In order to maintain access to spells these clerics have taken to carrying a precious relic with them.

Relics are trinkets or small objects taken from one of the consecrated sites which allow access to divine magic no matter where the cleric may find himself. The exact form of a relic does not matter. What matters is that each functions as an access point to the otherwise unreachable Fallen gods.

Since the Fall, some among the old races have switched their religious affiliation to the new human pantheon in order to re-obtain direct access to divine magic. This is understandably looked down upon by traditionalists. Some even consider such converts to be traitors to their race.

Temples, shrines, and artifacts dedicated to the Fallen still lie scattered around human lands. Most of these religious sites were long ago looted or destroyed but a few, in strategic locations, were preserved. Much as ancient Roman fortifications at times provided the basis for later medieval castles, a few temples and shrines were re-used, re-purposed, or built upon. Frequently the current occupants do not fully appreciate the value of the structures or ruins they’ve inherited. The Relics of the Lost Gods adventure line explores the danger and intrigue of one such situation in more detail.

Recent History
Plagues, diseases, wars, and famine are all too common in the world of Kingdoms of Legend. Sixty six years ago the Black Death ravaged Europe, killing over a quarter of the population. The effects of this lost generation are felt in all areas of life. Large tracts of land, mostly on the fringes of society, are abandoned to monsters. Overgrown farm fields, dilapidated hovels, abandoned temples, and partially ruined castles are commonplace in these forsaken regions.

Travel is difficult and fraught with peril. Roads are muddy and in poor repair. Highwaymen are numerous. Piracy is rampant in the waters off Northern Europe and in the Mediterranean. Even in the face of ever present danger, brave merchants still travel by horse and oxcart between trade fairs and bold sailors still connect much of Europe via the sea lanes.

Vast sections of the world are untouched by civilization and remain as true wilderness–wide open and lawless. Mountains, deep forests, and trackless hills are largely left alone by humans. In these areas the remaining kingdoms of the old races thrive. Human societies are mainly agrarian. The complex structures of the feudal system keep most common people working the land, vassals to a series of lords ultimately sworn to serve a king. Fierce battles occur frequently in an effort to gain territory and expand holdings. It is commonplace for the sprawling kingdoms of men to be so absorbed in their petty struggles for power and land that they ignore the old races completely. Human nobility tends to consider the old races irrelevant and powerless in this new age.

While such a line of thinking irks many elves, dwarves, and gnomes, they ultimately prefer to be left out of the incessant squabbling common in human lands. At times, however, warriors of all races from across Europe put aside their differences, and answer the call to battle monstrous uprisings or evil armies. The resulting campaigns usually succeed in beating back the common enemies of civilization.

Numerous crusades have occurred over the centuries. The first was two hundred years ago in response to a mass infestation of orcs invading human lands of the Eastern Mediterranean. After decades of struggle the orc hordes were finally subdued and beaten back into the mountains. Years later a well coordinated army of Sahuagin emerged from the waters of the Aegean to overrun Athens and the surrounding region. This caused a second wave of crusaders to take to their ships and battle the hordes. Recently the Carpathian Mountains disgorged a vast array of undead under the control of a powerful necromancer and once more the roads and ports were filled with volunteers willing to travel, fight, and die to defeat the opponents of the civilized world.

The Old Races Today
The dwarven empires remaining in Europe are largely confined to three mountain ranges: the Alps, the Pyrenees, and the Scandinavian Mountains. Elves claim the deepest forests of central Europe as well as the coniferous expanses spanning far northern Europe and Asia. Gnomes have significant holdings in Ireland and Scotland as well as the Mediterranean island of Sardinia.

Centers of Power
Europe’s largest country in terms of land area is the sparsely peopled Kingdom of Poland and its vassal states the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Principality of Moldavia, and the Principality of Wallachia.
The most populous country in Europe is the Kingdom of France with 12 million inhabitants. Blessed with rich farmland and fertile vineyards, France is embroiled in a war with their neighbor across the Channel, the Kingdom of England.

Republic of the Archmage
The Collegio Arcanum (College of The Art), founded two thousand years ago in Rome, is the center of excellence in matters arcane. Seated at the heart of the Republic of the Archmage the College acts as a tightly run guild of magic users and operates the most famous school for arcane study in all of Europe. The ancient Greeks did much to lay the groundwork for humankind’s early knowledge of arcane magic. It was
the ancient Romans, however, who developed and perfected most of the arcane spells still in use today. The Roman influence on the history of magical study is still evident, as Latin is the predominant language used in arcane writings and discourse.

As time went by, the College grew into a small network of universities in the area surrounding Rome. Through the centuries talented wizards from these top universities were so sought after that the College began expanding. New arcane schools run by the College sprouted up all across Europe. These foreign schools now act as diplomatic embassies for the Republic.

There are schools of magical training not aligned with the Republic, but they are rare. Sorcerers exist outside this hierarchy of magical study completely; untrained, undisciplined and unsafe users of The Art in the eyes of the guild.

Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire dominates the European continent north of the Alps. The Empire claims to trace its roots back to the glorious days of ancient Rome, even though the actual city of Rome has not been within the Empire’s borders for centuries. The HRE is made up of hundreds of different small states aligned by a dizzying array of treaties and political arrangements. Kings, dukes, counts and clergymen all have a say in the governance of the land and the appointed Emperor wields only as much power as he is granted by these factions and sub factions.

Teutonic Order
The Teutonic Order is a state of warrior zealots supposedly committed to the defense of the Twelve. The organization was formed to support the first Crusades and has been gaining power, land and wealth ever since. While not technically a member state of the Holy Roman Empire, the Order usually finds itself open to the suggestions of the Emperor. For years the Teutonic knights have been locked in a vicious religious war with the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League, also known as the Hansa or Hanse, is a loose federation of merchants and trading houses based in Lübeck. They act as a powerful merchants guild and, in many locales, they have been granted exclusive rights to the trading of various commodities. Some of the cities on Hanseatic trade routes are full-fledged members of the League. Others are more loosely affiliated, having only trading outposts called kontore. Kontore appear in cities all along the coastlines of Northern Europe. Virtually all trade in Northern Europe is controlled by the League, making it a very powerful political and economic force. The League maintains its own army and navy to keep its merchant ships and warehouses safe from the constant predation of pirates and coastal raiding parties.