History of The Realms

The first war to ravage the realms since The Great Planar Shift, and the first of several conflicts caused by the scheming of the Fey. While historical records show that various noble houses spearheaded and fought in this conflict, the true powers behind the war were the Summer and Winter Queens; through various means of manipulation, the two pulled the strings of those mortals in power in order to battle for control of Raen'dor. Based on historical accounts, the war was ended by the onset of the Everwinter.

The Everwinter brought hardship, but with that hardship came a easy excuse for peace; Raen'dor enjoyed roughly 50 years of such peace as the Fey Queens receded (mostly) into the background. Named the Time of Melting Snow to celebrate the end of the Everwinter, this was a time for the realms to grow and recover. Historical records show that various settlements and noble houses trace can trace their roots back to these decades; in particular, the cities of Nelenor, Embereth, Almaaz, and Remthyr were all founded during this time.

The constant scheming of the Fey Courts could not remain in the background forever; the Queens still coveted what was not theirs, and to some it was surprising that they did not start a conflict sooner. This war shattered the peace that Raen'dor had enjoyed for so long, proving to be far longer and bloodier than its predecessor-- several conflicts spanning this time collectively make up the Second Fey War.

As the people of the West rebuilt and recovered, the King in the East and his nobles began to plot: what better time than now to finally best their rival, and gain the plentiful resources of the Western realms? In 462, those plots can to fruition and war once again ravaged the realms. The bitter rivalry between the Andarian and Keltumel lines gave way to hatred, in some ways mirroring the conflict between the Fey Queens of old. The mortals of Raen'dor did not need Fey behind the curtain to cause bloodshed and ruin-- they brought it upon themselves.

While no period of Raen'dor's history is without conflict (monsters, Fey, and squabbling nobles have always seen to that), the fall of the two Kingdoms gave rise to many more recognizable locations and houses. Eiderloch was established in the Western Midlands as a new hub for trade, Myrefall rose as the survivors of the Frostfens banded together, and several villages were founded that would later become areas of great import (Veruda, Duhem's Stand, Vanshire, and the town of Nightcrest all trace their origins back to this span of time.

This period of time could very well have also been titled "The Realms Rebuild" again; rebuild they did, though the shadow of the Undying King now hung over the people of the realms. The phylactery was not recovered despite the best efforts of the heroes of that time, and the cult that Vasvadan had garnered during his initial rise now lasted in some pockets even beyond his defeat. They prophesized his return, and the people in turn feared it. Still, they persevered, and time began to heal the wounds inflicted by the Undying King. This period is presently notable for the rise of many of today's High Houses to their first levels of prominence, and other houses with long historical legacies being displaced in turn (thus, title of this entry into Raen'dor's history). As the wheels of history turned, the Undying King again nursed his wounded pride-- and swore that next time, all of Raen'dor would be brought to heel.

Perhaps the most influential decision of Queen Imogen Duhem's reign was the founding of the Adventurer's Guild, and Nightcrest Academy soon after. The new Queen's vision was of an independent organization that would stand apart from any Noble House, devoted to protecting the people and working towards the betterment of all realms. The structure of the Guild was also influenced heavily by the Evenlights' own adventuring party, which had led Raen'dor to victory without a noble sponsor or army behind them. Thus the Adventurer's Guild was born, with Nightcrest Academy being established soon after. Just as Queen Duhem had relied on Indigo Teasong to guide the creation of new magical law, she called upon two of her fellow Evenlights to head this new organization: Gawain Cadwal was appointed the first Guildmaster of the Adventurer's Guild, while Theodas Wildemere became Nightcrest Academy's first Headmaster.

In the Year 1028, the realms lost its first queen and greatest hero. Queen Imogen Duhem had battled illness for several years in the leadup to her death, but had kept this fact (like much of her personal life) out of the public view; and so, it came as a great shock when Duhem's death at the hands of her illness was announced. This news came with a question: who would sit upon her throne? She had never married and had no children (which most had assumed would change before her death) and her final wishes had simply been for Gawain Cadwal to "help find Raen'dor its next leader." Luckily the peace within the realms held, although there was a good deal of tension surrounding which House would be allowed to ascend to royalty; after some deliberation and squabbling, it was Harbren Eladel-- one of the wisest of Queen Duhem's advisors-- who became the Queen's successor (thanks primarily to the backing of Gawain Cadwal). House Eladel would be the Royal House from this point forward; always generally popular as they worked to keep the peace, but never as revered or universally loved as the late First Queen.

Unbeknownst to students and faculty, Headmaster Odym Idolin had been completing a hidden maze beneath Nightcrest Academy in search of a powerful artifact-- one that he found on this day, triggering a magical event that opened a huge Shadowfell crossing and shifted the entire school onto that plane. Several professors and students were lost in the Shadowfell during this event, with the rest of the 98th and 99th classes displaced and forced to relocate with guidance from the Adventurer's Guild. Idolin claimed that Castalia Nightcrest had been buried beneath the school within the maze, and that the artifact he now possesses-- an Eye, which replaced his own-- once belonged to her. According to Idolin, Nightcrest was herself a powerful necromancer and would have wanted this shift into the Shadowfell to occur. Before the school fully planeshifted, the Wild Hunt appeared above Nightcrest Academy and seemed to ride directly into the school-- hunting Idolin, perhaps, or one of the monsters that accompanied him during his ritual.

On the eve of a realm-wide holiday-- the Victory of the Evenlights-- House Vangrim used the undead forces gathered by Seraphina Onyx to launch a surprise attack on the city of Kesgrave. Using tunnels through the Underdark to move forces unnoticed and the mines of Kesgrave's Down-Town to access the city, Onyx's undead forces completely blindsided the city guards. Before Lord Ferdinand Wildemere could issue commands or even escape his home, he and his wife Diana were killed by a dracolich under Onyx's command. Their children escaped due to the efforts of the House's first knight, Nils Verrik; however, control of the city was seized by sunrise. This first act of war would plunge the Realms into war for the first time in a century, and is considered on of Kesgrave's darkest days since the reign of the Undying King himself.