Eberron

Every child knows the story of the Progenitor Dragons: Siberys, Eberron, and Khyber. In the dawn of time, these three cosmic beings created thirteen planes of existence, each embodying a concept. Their final work was the Material Plane, where all ideas would become manifest: a realm that could know war and peace, life and death, order and chaos. But cruel Khyber sought ultimate dominion over this new reality. She struck Siberys without warning and tore him apart. Eberron wrestled with Khyber and bound the traitor in her coils but could not defeat her. So Eberron became a living prison, a world that would forever contain Khyber’s evil.   Almost every culture in the world shares this story as a myth that explains the world. Shattered Siberys became the ring of golden dragonshards wrapped around the planet, said to be the source of magic. Eberron is the world, the source of all natural life. And Khyber is the Underdark and the source of aberrations and fiends, forever struggling against her bonds and yearning to destroy the world above.  

The Last War

  For hundreds of years the continent of Khorvaire was united under the Kingdom of Galifar. This came to an end with the death of King Jarot in 894 YK, just over a century ago. Conflict over the succession spiraled into outright war between the Five Nations.   The Last War was a bitter struggle that forever changed the shape of Khorvaire. It was a century marked by shifting alliances, with years of stalemate interspersed with periods of intense conflict. This grueling conflict left deep scars on the land and the people, but there was worse to come. On Olarune 20, 994 YK the nation of Cyre was consumed in a magical cataclysm now known as the Mourning. The cause of the Mourning remains unknown, and many fear that it was a consequence of the extensive use of war magic. Shock and fear brought the nations to the negotiating table, and the Last War came to an end in 996 YK with the Treaty of Thronehold.   While many celebrated the end of the war, others remain unsatisfied with its outcome. No one won the war, and deep scars remain. War-torn villages and towns are still rebuilding. Once fertile farmlands are scorched and ruined. There are refugees in every major city. And even though people optimistically refer to it as the Last War, most believe that it’s only a matter of time until it begins anew. The mystery of the Mourning is the only thing holding the warmongers at bay. If the secret of the Mourning can be uncovered — if it can be proven that the Mourning couldn’t happen again, or if its power could be harnessed as a weapon — the Last War could begin again. As such, the nations remain in a cold war as each makes preparations and seeks advantages in the conflict that could lie ahead.