Overview

Cyril consists of several nations competing for power since the break up of the Empire of Cyrilia 1,400 years ago to the day. Eight years prior to the start of this campaign The Great Wars ended--a Seven year period in which several wars broke out that eventually coalesced into one great battle that destroyed a section of the continent and created what is known as the devastation or The Mournlands. No-one knows what exists in the lands afflicted with the devastation, as the lands are now surrounded by a dark miasma. Whatever created the Devastation prevented the spirits of the soldiers and inhabitants of the lands from returning to the afterlife. Some spirits did escape at the initial outset and possessed some people within Cyril. The possessed people are now known as the afflicted and share a symbiotic relationship with their new roommates (this is the Kalashtar race). Any who have entered into the Devastation have not returned.
No nation takes responsibility for whatever dark magic or evil science created the Devastation, but everyone suspects their former enemies. The cataclysm of the devastation forced a peace treaty among the nations, but it is an uneasy peace. The only thing preventing war is the fear that whatever caused the Devastation could be used again by the power that used it before. This has led to a magical and mechanical arms race.
Shortly after the Great Wars ended Cryrilian cities found themselves the homes of new residents--War refugees and the more mysterious Clockwork Automaton. The origins of the Clockwork Automatons remain a mystery to everyone--the Automatons included. Within a year, The Kingdom of Alba (Also called the Empire of Sharn) created the first Warforged, reverse engineering them from the Clockwork Automatons. Ever since most nations have incorporated these "mage killers" into their war forces, leading to an arms race. Unlike Clockwork Automatons, Warforged only have enough intelligence to be effective soldiers on the battlefield. In addition, they are more mechanical than magical.
To most Cyrilians one thing is clear, another war is inevitable. Old rivalries and the struggle for mastery over the continent still exist. But there are those that question this, and question the true nature of the Devastation and the mysterious arrival of the Clockwork Automatons that led to the creation of the Warforged. Perhaps there is someone behind all this pulling the strings, trying to intentionally provoke another war?