Thousands of years ago, the continent of Sysoliya was discovered by explorers lost at sea. With all hope lost, the crew hopped onto this new land, hoping to find life able to take them home. Instead, they found the island to be teeming with monsters and beasts. Massive beasts of ancient origin had inhabited the continent since its formation. The crew fought to make a small base, and after a few months, the cleric finally connected with their god and was able to send a message to their contacts in Waterdeep on the Sword Coast. The crew was saved, but the prospects of new land, new wealth, and new power were too much to give up on. Over the next hundreds of years, more and more adventurers and settlers traveled to the continent, set on making a name for themselves. 

First Civilization’s Downfall. 

The group of settlers who had come to the continent formed the first city in the land, which became known as Dymrid. It was said to have been set in a deep forest, against mountains, where dwarves and gnomes mined away into the Khazdul Mountains, discovering large caches of gems and raw mineral wealth. The civilization grew and grew, and with each new arrival of adventurers and settlers, the city pressed its outer wall from the mountains all the way to the coast. 

As it grew, powerful knights and nobles left the city, to go and form cities, outposts, temples, and other structures of their own throughout the island. They fought beast and monster, ridding the land as they went, before meeting one of the first of the ancient monsters. A troll lord named Hognan, who wiped out knights, soldiers, and any who passed a certain point. Because of this, the council of Dymrid decided it was time to progress in their plan. 

A Magocracy was formed in the city, with eight powerful archmages ruling over different portions of the city, each with their own specialized school of magic. They become known as the Black Crystal Consular. They began testing their limits, history books would suggest even going as far as testing on their own citizens. Rumors and legends say these mages were attempting to place themselves into the Pantheon, or at least have the power to rival the gods. They created powerful artifacts and weapons to combat these monsters, which were then given to champions as they left the city. 

In time, many of the ancient monsters fell, defeated by the power of the city’s leaders. As they fell, each monster and beast would speak of the coming doom, their day of triumph. They were ignored, until one day the mountains of Khazdul shook violently, the foundations of the earth itself seemed to shift. 

Within the week, an army of beasts, headed by three massive ancient dragons descended on all the cities, outposts, temples, and towns outside of Dymrid, all across the continent. They were all wiped out, annihilated from the land, buried or burned, and the few who managed to survive would run from city to city, in front of this path of destruction, aiming to return to Dymrid. Escaping Sysoliya was futile, as massive sea monsters destroyed any ships attempting to leave. 

The army of monsters and beasts was clearly headed by these three dragons, and the Black Crystal knew it was only a matter of time before the armies set for the city of Dymrid. They prepared the city as best they could, weapons of unimaginable strength positioned to fight. And when the day finally came, the results were catastrophic. 

Dragon, beast, men, dwarves, monster, and elves alike all fell that day, and the destruction of the army and city defenses turned the landscape into a desert, stripping the land of any of the life it formerly knew. This event became known as the Three Dragon Cataclysm and is the most important event in Sysoliya’s history. 

Survivors. 

For the next hundreds of years, the continent of Sysoliya was quiet. Settlers and adventurers learned of the disaster, and, finding no harbor, returned home, not wanting to restart, and seeing the destruction, fled from the ruins. 

But even still, some of the people of the war did survive. They spread out, formed modest towns and cities, and did their best to survive. 

To the North, elven cities within forests receded back to their trees and cut off communication to other cities. The Dymrid ruins were left alone, untouched, the landscaped completely stripped.

To the east, the city of Dolma was founded, as the surviving members of the Dymrid ruling class found themselves in a higher position than once before, although none of the mages survived. 

To the south, the various humanoids who had been used as slaves and beasts of burdens formed their own civilizations, from Kov Ja’ark, where Minotaurs and orcs took down an ancient dragon turtle, forming a city within its bones, to the goblin town of Gobshire, to the Drow city of Villombra, the Shadowed City. 

Then in the west, on the other side of the Khuzdul mountains, the lower classes and members of their original towns refounded cities, and formed a republic, the Navarian Republic. 

Modernity. 

In the next hundreds of years since, the surviving civilizations eked out, careful to leave whatever ruins and destroyed cities alone, as they feared the return of the monsters which had destroyed their original lives. 

Three regions began to form on the land, and adventurers started to come back, or travelers and traders from the Sword Coast and other strange places. Further info on the nations is below, but what’s important to know is the three nations have a tenuous agreement to not enter any wars or conflicts with each other, fearing that splitting the nations would provide an opening for them to be destroyed again. 

(Extra Info) 

Emoran Empire 

The Emoran Empire overlooks the North and East of the Continent of Sysoliya. The empire is the remains of those who survived the Three Dragon Cataclysm, and went on to refound some of the old cities and towns. The Empire is a hereditary Monarchy. The king is King Alexander Conrad III. He rules from the capital city of Dolma, with the help of his three advisors, known as the Tribus. 

Religion. Strictly maintained and watched over. Only four deities are permitted for worship: Azuth, Melora, Helm, and Moradin. All other deities are outlawed, on punishment of imprisonment or worse. Every two weeks, a religious tax is taken out of the citizenry, to maintain the local temples or shrines, which are featured in every city within the Empire. 

Racism. Because every noble can trace their lineage back to one of the ruling mages in Dymrid, only those of "royal" and "pure" blood are ever allowed to serve in government, be allowed a trial, and in many places, even allowed inside the city. Humans, Elves, and Dwarves are looked down upon, discriminated against, and in some places, will be arrested on sight. 

Navarian Concord

Those who survived, but did not wish to see Dyrmid return to where it had been, left, crossing over the Khazdul Mountains, and founding small towns and cities to the West and south. These towns came together to form a sort of oligarchy, with each city having local governments ruled by families, with elections, but then each of those leaders would assemble in the city of Portsmouth, to discuss issues about the betterment of the cities together. 

Religion and racial differences are celebrated throughout Navaria, but each city has its own customs and traditions, which the state maintains. There is no forced means of taxing for these things, but instead it is a tradition that the heads of the families put on any religious celebration for their town or city. 

Be’Unji 

Those considered "monstrous" or "perverse" of birth found themselves freed from their previous enslavement in Dymrid, and so fled the area and the surviving nobles. Druegar and Drow, as they had been taken from their home in the Underdark and experimented upon, founded the city of Veymirvich, or the City in Shadow. There is said to be an eternal night over the area, although no one has gone and come back with the tale. Others more suited to a nomadic tribal life, such as more barbaric humans, orcs, some goblins, some hobgoblins, founded small nations of Kel and Kald, where they roam and move with the great herds of the fields. The Minotaurs, Beastmen, and other members wound up fighting a massive Ancient Dragon turtle, as it was seeking food. In their battle, they prevailed, and now have founded the city of Kov Ja'ark, or the Great Turtle, inside its remains. 

The three subnations banded together, for fear of being attacked by the Emorans, and formed the Be'Unji, or the Council of Elders, where tribal leaders, the King of Kov Ja'ark, and the Queen of Veymirvich, hold tenious alliances, in agreement to the better of their survival. 

(End of Extra Info) 

Adventure Now. 

In the last century, researchers from each of the three nations and beyond returned to Dymrid, in an attempt to carefully comb through the ruins and use anything they could find or salvage any wealth which may remain. However, one strange day, the mountains shook once more, and a declaration went out across each nation: excavations in Dymrid were halted immediately and any exploration of ruins must be approved by local authorities, on punishment of permanent imprisonment. 

Since this event, monsters and beasts have appeared more frequently. Traveling became more dangerous, and each nation upped their guards, and the call to adventurers to slay these beasts exists in nearly every town. 

This is where our story starts. As 6 adventurers converge upon the small town of Fairytree. What adventures and dangers await them? What stories will they make? That is up to you!