The Thousand Cities Era

Era beginning/end

The scattering of the Molgur tribes after their defeat at Calacia (Caspia) paved the way for Human civilization to flourish across the face of western Immoren. While the Khardic Empire (Khador) expanded as Priest-King Khardovic’s influence spread across northern lands and the malignant kingdom of Morrdh descended into ruin, other nations rose throughout the continent, from Tordor and Thuria to Rynyr and Midar— realms whose shadows can still be felt in modern-day Cygnar, Ord, and Llael, as well as the lands beyond them.

Worship of the Lawgiver was the de facto faith at the beginning of what became known as the Thousand Cities Era, with bonds of pious fealty helping tether Humans together in greater and greater numbers. The Canon of the True Law, which had been inscribed on the stones of Ancient Icthier more than five thousand years before, served as the cornerstone for civilization by laying down the practices and traditions that all Humans were meant to follow, yet times were still difficult. The pious saw these trials as a necessary crucible through which their souls had to pass in order to make them worthy of their creator, but others wondered if the Creator had simply forgotten them.

Although the tribes of the Molgur had been scattered, they still threatened the fringes of civilization, preying upon the towns and settlements farthest from the protection of city walls. Powerful warlords clashed constantly during this tumultuous era, and numerous empires rose and fell, creating the earliest echoes of what would later become the political boundaries of the modern world.

The Molgur were a constant threat, but they were not the only one humanity faced during this time. In the skies above these burgeoning Human cities, Toruk, the Dragonfather, clashed with his offspring. He had created them centuries before from shards of his own athanc—the crystal that was his heart—but soon realized his mistake when he saw in them all of his own cunning and ambition. Even as Toruk sought to redress the imbalance by devouring what he had made and reabsorbing his creations into himself, his progeny aimed to best their creator and gain his power. These epic conflicts blighted the lands they touched and eventually drove a wounded Toruk from the shores of western Immoren to the storm-tossed stones of the Scharde Isles, a haven for pirates and raiders. Toruk wasted no time in transforming the ruling pirate kings into the twelve beings known today as the lich lords, and they became the instruments by which the Dragonfather reshaped the islands into the seat of the Nightmare Empire of Cryx.

On the mainland, the unfettered expansion of Human civilization was at once disrupted and invigorated by the ascendance of new gods. During their time on Caen, both Morrow and Thamar brought incredible new ideas to their followers, and they forged new paths for the faithful upon their ascension. These changes challenged the dominant Menite faith and led to a dark time known as the Purging, when Menite priests put worshippers of Thamar and Morrow alike to sword and flame.

Conflicts between nations were common in these times, as were skirmishes with the scattered Molgur tribes, but for the most part, humanity was growing unchecked—until the first black sails were spotted on the western horizon.