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Vita
8th of Nightal, Year 6, First Age
After the conclusion of a dramatic battle between an unknown villain and a hero known only as The Monk, the god of Order known as Pholtus saw that the villain would triumph and permanently alter the fate of the realm known as Mori. The Monk was a strict adherent to the principles of Pholtus, and through divine accord The Monk gave his soul energy to Pholtus in order to intervene on this world-ending catastrophe. All sentient life was transmitted to a dimension of pure order and placed into a stasis known as timelock. Those in timelock do not experience the passage of time; from their perspective, time is still on pause, stuck at the moment they were teleported. When they are released from timelock, the next thing they will experience is being on Vita, with no memory of being in timelock. This event would come to be known as The Shunt.
Pholtus deliberately Shunted the world so that wherever life may land, it will be in either an independent, self-sustaining environment or a symbiotic, communal relationship depending on each creature. For example, a band of Orcs might be released into a great plain so that they can form a small tribe, as this is their natural state. A night hag, which is a truly solitary creature, would be released somewhere away from other creatures that viciously guard their territory so that the hag can establish a lair. Most "civilized" life (basically any playable race from the Forgotten Realms) is released from a single portal that would come to be known as The Beacon. In some races, there are a mix of civilized and uncivilized creatures, such as Orcs and Goblins. The Shunt naturally sorts those who would be better off being released at The Beacon and which ones would be better suited to be placed into a tribal environment. Generally, creatures who lived in hordes or tribes before The Shunt will be placed into hordes or tribes on Vita, randomly dispersed across the land. Because Pholtus was the god of Order, all sentient life was transported to Vita, both Good and Evil.
Those who are Shunted are teleported with everything they are wearing or carrying. The luckiest were wearing backpacks when they were Shunted, as they had a small stash of supplies or tools to aid them on Vita. A craftsman that was wearing a toolbelt would be a very useful asset indeed, and a student with a pack of textbooks is suddenly holding a bag worth its weight in gold. To the dismay of many, all Magic items are left behind on Mori. The most powerful artifacts were sent into the Astral Sea to be forever lost and hopefully never recovered. Potions, magical armor, magic-infused tools, wands, spellbooks, and anything even remotely magical is not Shunted. If a Wizard was wearing magical robes, he will be Shunted nude. Furthermore, nearly everyone who arrives on Vita finds that they are not naturally attuned to the magical Weave of Vita, as they are not native to this realm. Most magic-wielders lose their magical connections and powers after arriving in Vita - magical bloodlines are rendered inert, patrons cannot be contacted, divine spellcasting fails, wizard knowledge does not apply, and druidic connections to the Fey are severed. The populace of Vita is effectively rendered mundane and forced to rebuild society. This abrupt shift in power is the basis for most political movements or conflicts on Vita, and drives a significant portion of the Campaign.
Some adventurous people take advantage of this second chance at life. Prisoners on Mori are suddenly freed and teleported to Vita, peasants are removed from their positions of oppression, Kings and Lords become nameless strangers, previous magic-users become researchers or unskilled laborers, and political powers crumble completely. The history of Vita holds many secrets, and evidence of a previous people that are apparently now extinct is being uncovered. As the Party is released from the Shunt, a long winter is finally coming to an end and expeditions are being made to re-take the wilds and seek adventure. Even more, a prophetic twin-tailed comet soars across the sky at the exact moment they are released - this comet signals strife and victory to come, but only the actions of the Party can dictate the true outcome of this prophecy. Settlements will be created, dungeons will be conquered, alliances will be forged, and trade routes will be established as soon as the weather allows. The future of Vita is up for the taking. Discover the true nature of The Shunt and the disaster that was narrowly avoided. Adventure awaits!