Kalrathi History

Backstory
For centuries dragons ruled Kalrathia. While they were not brutal overlords, their petty squabbles cost the lives of millions of mortals. Eventually, the humans of Kalrathia banded together in a rebellion against dragonkind. As the conflict dragged on, many of the other mortal races joined their cause. Races such as the Gnolls, Orcs, Goblins, and Hobgoblins continued fighting for the dragons, along with some loyalist factions of the united races. This rebellion is now known as the Scale War. Kalrathia’s first king, Cathel the Silverknight, won the first major victory on a hill north east of the Red Hills. This hill has become known as Cathel’s Bulwark; the future capital. The war carried on for two more years. Neither side was defeated; one day the dragons quit the field and never returned. Those dragons that were left behind were unintelligent and brutal breeds, eventually being hunted into obscurity.



It has been 387 years since the dragons left Kalrathia. The bloodshed did not stop. In fact, the mortals fought even harder over the spoils. By now the nation of Kalrathia has lost a number of regions. The northwest and northeast are barbaric wastelands, now controlled by ever changing chieftains. The elves have taken ownership of the woods east of the capital and most kings do not care enough to reclaim the forest. The dwarves’ once great underground cities are mostly ruins after the Scale War and numerous conflicts with other underground races such as the Gremlins. However, their remaining territory had been given to them by a king 4 generations back. Most recently, the sand men of the west rebelled 27 years ago. While their freedom was won, the border has not been peaceful since the conflict began.



Your adventure begins after an asteroid hits the kingdom’s capital. Every living thing within 50 miles is dead from the blast. Areas even farther out are ruined and scarred. This includes the mage’s college and the largest temples in the kingdom. In addition, magic storms are destroying the kingdom. Eldritch fires, green lightning, acid rain, and blue firestorms are devastating the kingdom’s main farming area. The storms appear from nowhere, kill the unlucky, destroy the land, and disappear as mysteriously as they arrived. The land that isn’t destroyed by the arcane disturbances is in chaos. Neighbors are killing neighbors for firewood. Banditry has run rampant. There is no authority. It is the end of days...



You were lucky enough to be out of the blast zone. You have tried to return to a normal life after the strike. You hoped that the storms would end, a new king would be crowned, and your life would regain order. However, it has been 18 days and no relief has arrived. If you remain you will either be killed by the Arcane Storms, killed by rioting peasants, or die of starvation. You have found out that kingdom officials have begun evacuating people out of the fortress city of Soffrengate.



