Shattered Dynasty

Over four hundred years ago, the bloodiest civil war in Elonian history came to an end. Almost sixty years beforehand, a series of pretenders to the throne attempted to unite the nation. Some claimed to be the descendents of legacies reaching back to the time of the Primeval Kings. Others raised the banners of long-lost dynasties, attempting to resurrect the ideals and beliefs of the past. Historians now call this period the Shattered Dynasty Era, a time when empires rose and fell in bloody conflict.

Warfare brought suffering, weakening civilization against unseen horrors. By some accounts, widespread bloodshed and warfare strengthened malefic forces in the world. A few arcanists claim that such evils could very well have been the cause of such strife—yet wherever there is shadow, there is light. The Shattered Dynasty Era was a time when holy warriors roamed the countryside, learning the chants and prayers of the first Dervishes to drive back the darkness. Paragons speak of a time when gods chose them as a select few: champions who would fight in conflicts more vital than the petty struggles of warring defenders.

The end of the Shattered Dynasty Era offered a time to rebuild. At this turning point in history, Elonians dedicated themselves to the ideal of a nation untroubled by the horrors of war. In 840 DR, long after the Exodus of the Gods from the world, the modern nation of Elona was born—a union between three provinces that has survived to this day.

Since then, each province has been equal but separate, answering to its own provincial government. Each one depends on its neighbors for trade and defense. Save for a few golden ages in Elona’s history, the land has suffered each time one ruler has attempted to control all three kingdoms. The Order of the Sunspears has helped maintain this compromise, acting independently of the three allied provinces. Its heroes know that the stability of this alliance keeps the country from returning to an era of chaos.