Terafa's Ancient History

Here's a brief timeline for Terafa. I should perhaps note that this is very much focused on the continent of Talara, largely because that is where my focus is right now. I should also note that this history essentially stops with the Unheaval, some three hundred years before the present day - everything after that is considered to be more modern history.

Approx 6,000 years before the creation of the world: The rise of the dragonborn empire of Talkalasa, Empire of the Seven Sins. This empire held sway over the whole of Terafa for several hundred years before coming to an end. The survivors are those involved in The Return to the Egg, and consequently know nothing of the exact mechanisms by which the empire ceased to exist. Given that these events occurred prior to Creation, the dates are of course disputed.

Creation of the World: There is remarkable consistency in the dating of the creation of the world: elves, goblins, and even the great dragons who numbered as the very first inhabitants of the world consistently identify it as occurring 5,781 years before the present day.

Passing out of Faerie: Approximately fifty years after the creation of the world, the primal beings who would become elves and goblins (and gnomes) left the Faewild to make their homes in Terafa. They were utterly changed by this transition, and inevitably diminished.

War of the Twins, and The Sundering: Some two centuries after the Passing out of Faerie the elven peoples engaged in a great war between siblings. Elven legend claims that until that point the elves had two great deities, Jolin and Lorissa, who were siblings and lovers. It is said that Lorissa became jealous of the greater love the elves bore for Jolin and so laid a trap, corrupting the inherent magic of the elves to draw them to her side. Horrified by her wickedness and the corruption of the elven peoples, Jolin struck back. Eventually, the elves were sundered into the Solra and Filos elves who followed Jolin, Lorissa's Sirroth elves who were defeated and driven below the surface, and the Ghorn elves who refused to take sides and were therefore shunned by both. Other elven offshoots were the aquatic and avian elves - prior to this point elves could change shape as needed, but this ability was lost at this time, along with the immortality they had previously enjoyed.

Awakening of the Dwarves, and Ascent to the Sky: After innumerable years enslaved by forces unknown, the dwarves awake in the depths with no memory of their past. They then spend many years climbing steadily to the surface of Terafa, leaving behind various offshoots as they climb. Eventually, about a hundred years after the elves are Sundered, the dwarves emerge onto the surface of Terafa.

The Arrival of Man: One of only a few events in ancient history with a clearly fixed date, the Arrival of Man occurred in the 1,656th year of creation. Choriam the morningstar, king of the heavens, was wandering the skies when he chanced upon Man, who at that time was fleeing some unknown catastrophe. In his great love for this new people he guided them to their new home on Terafa, whereupon they promptly multiplied to cover the world.

Shattering of the Gates: Shortly after the Arrival of Man, the Usurper attempted to claim humanity for his own. Launching a great war in heaven, he led fully one third of the angelic host in rebellion against Choriam and the rest of the Pantheon. On Terafa, this event coincided with terribly upheavals of all sorts: tempest, and avalanche, and eruption. Eventually, the War in Heaven was won, and the Usurper and his followers confined to the newly-created Fastness of the Divine. However, the Gates of Heaven were shattered, and they have never been rebuilt.

Alvarost: Starting in the year 2,682 the first human empire of Alvarost was founded. Led by the now-legendary King Tawan, a cadre of warriors carved out a kingdom from chaos. After years of struggle Alvarost finally secured its borders and entered a golden age for the remaining half-century of Tawan's unusually long life. However, almost immediately following the succession of his son Aldar the court collapsed into infighting and jealousy. In the year 2,747, after five years of bitter civil war, the empire formally collapsed. Legend blames the collapse of Alvarost on Pelenor Corariath, who became Tawan's advisor in the final year of his life and then advised King Aldar. It is claimed that his instigated the civil war as part of a bid for power in his own right. It should be noted that the dates of both the founding and dissolution of Alvarost are debated, with many placing these events prior to the War in Heaven.

Elven Wars of Conquest: In 2,786, after two (human) generations of darkness, the Solra forging their own empire, intending to bring order where there had previously been chaos. Perhaps notably, this time saw an inversion of the elven societal order - elven societies are almost universally matriarchal, with each nest presided over by a powerful Queen, but Solrakion was always ruled by a king. During their wars of conquest the elves would enslave the dwarven people, drive the orcs and goblins to the very fringes of Talara, and eventually bring humans to heel under their rule.

Founding of Solrakion: In 2,886, almost exactly a century after their first attack, the elves brought their wars of conquest to an end with the crowning of the first elven King, Rigerion. The empire would stand for almost a millennium in one form or another, though almost never without strife - orcs and goblins would continuously threaten the borders, while the dwarves would revolt several times before finally achieving their freedom.

Liberation of Khalvarlock: In the year 3,682, following decades of hard struggle, and several previous failed attempts, the dwarven people finally gained their freedom from Solrakion. The final treaty was signed by the six elven king, Odeskian  the Second, and the first dwarven Thane, Retorik. However, the animosity between the peoples would continue for an age.

Fall of Solrakion: The first elven empire came to its end in the year 3,747 with the destruction of the citadel of Naris by orcish hordes. Concurrently, humans who had long chafed under elven rule threw off their shackles, and the empire very quickly buckled. The final elven king, Galandia, was succeeded by Queen Hemmanis the Just. She led her people into a great retreat, from which they would not emerge for decades.

The Ride to Tharok: Fifty years after the fall of Solrakion the same orcish hordes that sacked Naris had overrun the entire eastern empire, and proceeded to the very gates of Tharok, foremost of the cities of men. As hope seemed lost, a great elven host arrived at the city, with Queen Hemmanis at their head. In light of this rescue, the first treaty of accord between men and elves was agreed.

Founding of Invala: In 3,880 central Talara saw the emergence of a new force as a legion of humans arrived. None know whence they came, but they proved almost uncannily adept at defeating orcish forces. Quickly securing a wide swathe of territory they established what would become the Invalan Empire, an empire that would stand for thousands of years - indeed Invala still exists to an extent, although it is irretrievably diminished.

Loosed Chaos, and the Rebirth: Around the year 4,000 the Usurper broke free from the Fastness of the Divine. Although eventually contained, he caused great havoc in the interim, slaying the sister of Shallanah (and thus passing portfolio of money to the patron of the halflings), seeding all manner of monsters across the land, and shattering the city of Telanos. The years following the recapture of the Usurper are known as the Rebirth, and are also considered the start of the Age of Empires.

The Second Elven Empire: In the year 3,911 the Solra saw the demise of Queen Hemmanis the Just in unusual circumstances. She was succeeded by her daughter, but Manterris was little more than a figurehead - the major power in Solrakion was her consort, King Algonian. He founded the second empire of Solrakion and began the wars of conquest again. The dwarven citadel of Khalnerak was quickly overrun and renamed Khaelum Nahl - the Thrall State. The second elven empire would span from the coasts to North and West to Khaelum Nahl in the East and the city of Tharok to the South. It never achieved the majesty of the first elven empire, but certainly rivalled it in terms of the brutality of its rule.

War of Elven Succession: While the Solra were engaged in their wars of conquest, the Filos had largely retreated to their kingdom of Mulhacen. In the year 4,012 the Queen Mallial died leaving no clear successor. Two claimants were quickly championed, one by the Solra and the other by the dwarves of Khalvarlock. This proved the spark that woke the long-dormant tensions between the kingdoms, and the War of Elven Succession began. This would run until the year 4,020, and consist of eight years of futility and waste before ending in exhausted stalemate. During the course of the war both claimants would be slain in battle, and Mulhacen itself became a republic of sorts, governed by a council of elven Lords and Ladies. The Queens of the nests would thereafter serve in a purely advisory capacity.

Reunification of the Sol: In 4,053 a great invitation was issued from Solrakion, that saw a gathering of Queens from all branches of elvendom - the Solra, the Filos, and the Sirroth, plus also the aquatic and avian elves. Only the Ghorn were not invited. Following this great gathering a ritual of enormous power was enacted that bound the elven peoples together once again, and the Sol were reborn. The ritual was not without a cost, as although the Sol were once again immortal (or, rather, ageless), and glorious in their pride and power, they did not regain their previous malleability of form. Worse, a great trap was sprung, as the Sol found that their Queens were no longer fertile. And so with no new generation to be born, they were doomed to eventually fade into extinction. Today the only elves that remain are the descendants of the Ghorn elves who had been shunned by all.

Rise of Moritovia: For most of its existence Moritovia was a kingdom of little significance in the far east of Talara. However, around the year 4,500 the archmage Drachias persuaded Prince Adrion to marry his daughter Sacha. Their union was short-lived, with Prince and Princess, as well as the final king, dead within two years. Drachias assumed the throne of Moritovia and engaged in a series of reforms that transformed the nation into a modern and powerful state. Moritovia would then expand rapidly, culminating with it subsuming the entire eastern portion of the Invalan Empire in 4,970.

The Upheaval: In 5,460 the Usurper broke free of the Fastness of the Divine once again. This event would see the end of the Age of Empires and the breaking of Talara, as portions of the Fastness of the Divine crashed to destroy eastern Talara. The kingdom of Moritovia ceased to exist, although Drachias was elevated to godhood. Invala was permanently crippled by its losses. Meanwhile, the last of the Sol died out, and with them much direct memory of the past. The modern age begins.

The Present: The current year is 5,781.

Terafa's Fallen Empires

The continent of Terafa has seen the rise and fall of several empires, each of which has left ruins to be explored and treasures to be found. The five major empires, and the order in which they fell, is as follows:

Talkalasa: There is much debate about the dragonborn Empire of the Seven Sins, largely due to dating - the dragonborn insist that their empire lasted for some twelve thousand years before the cataclysm that led to the return to the egg. However, ancient sages have calculated the age of the world at 5781 years, leading to an obvious contradiction.

Regardless of the facts, it is unquestionable that artifacts of lost Talkalasa are out there to be found, and seemingly in increasing numbers. The ancient dragonborn empire was a place of obvious martial and magical might, and so those ruins that can be found are often the resting places of powerful items of interest to many adventurers.

Alvarost: The first human empire was founded in the centuries after the Arrival of Man, and lasted for scarcely a generation before being brought down by betrayal and infighting. The purported villain of this piece was the archmage Pelenor Corariath, who was said to have insinuated himself into the court and made a bid for power. However the truth is rather simpler - the court simply tore itself apart in a whirl of lust, jealousy, and betrayal.

Despite its short existance, Alvarost is viewed as a brief and shining golden age for Man, and the artifacts of the few remaining ruins from that antiquity reflect that - such artifacts tend to be both powerful and dedicated to the gods of the Pantheon as it existed in those days. (And, indeed, legend suggests that at that time the Pantheon was yet to become Unbalanced.)

Solrakion - the first Elven Empire: The elves have had two great empires, both named Solrakion. It is the first of these that has left extensive ruins. This was a place of peace and wonder, albeit bought through the sweat and exploitation of dwarves, humans, and orcs. It lasted for several centuries, but it waned in power considerably over that time as the elves grew ever more arrogant and ever less vigilant.

The might of Solrakion was significantly bolstered by their mastery of mithral. Consequently, many of the ruins of that time form the resting places for weapons and armours made of that metal.

Invala: The Invalan Empire still exists to an extent, but its reach has been diminished beyond rebuilding - at its height it covered almost the entirety of Talara, before the entire eastern empire was subsumed into Moritovia. Now it covers scarce a few hundred miles.

Invala was an empire founded on military might. Consequently, there are few places better for finding powerful weapons, both magical and constructed through artifice.

Moritovia: For most of its existence Moritovia was little more than an isolated kingdom in the far east of Talara. However, the final ruler of that empire was the archmage Drachias, who seized power and then held it for centuries. He agressively expanded the kingdom, founding a four-part empire ruled by his four satraps - now known only as the North, South, East, and West. Such was Drachias' paranoia that he implanted a mystical compulsion in his four lieutenants to remain always a hundred miles apart. At its height, Moritovia was able to annex the entire eastern portion of the Invalan empire.

At length, Moritovia was brought down by the Upheaval, which saw that entire region shattered as a great rock from the Fastness of the Divine thundered to the ground. In the chaos, Drachias was elevated to godhood, two of his of lieutenants were slain outright, and the remaining two each attempted to take control of the empire. However, the breaking of the world thwarted them both - each still exists and is plotting a bid for power, but for now they remain obscure.

The entire eastern portion of Talara is the ruin of Moritovia, and the treasures of an empire remain there waiting to be found and claimed. But few would dare such an expedition, for who knows what terrors may guard those treasures?

Slice of Life: The Rule of Three

Scenario: the PCs find themselves as the crew of a Spelljammer vessel. In order to provide some grounding in the setting there should be some sort of play dealing with the mundanities of running the ship, but the truth is that much of that is largely routine and therefore of little interest. So, what to do?

Musing on this, I have come to the conclusion that you want to cover this three times, but with a different experience and emphasis each time.

The first time out should occur pretty much right away. The PCs should encounter each of the key parts of running the ship, should have a scene involving each, including the relevant rolls, and should gradually accumulate XP for doing so - just as with any other challenge. These are likely to be short and fairly dull scenes, but that's okay. But be sure to intersperse them with more interesting events.

The second time should come a level or two later, but certainly in the next few sessions. This one should take the form of a cut scene, highlighting that the PCs are now expert in running the ship and all this is now second nature. The idea here is to highlight progression, while also noting that all that stuff hasn't just gone away.

Then the third (and subsequent) time(s) should be those rare occasions when something interesting happens. Perhaps the crew has to manage the ship when the helm fails, or in the teeth of a storm in the Flow, or while under attack, or... In a campaign of a decent length you probably do want to include at least one such scene, given that you're running this type of campaign and not some other, but it should also be reasonably rare.

And that, basically, is that - the rule of three.

That First 3e Campaign

Thinking back, my first full 3e campaign had a distinctly different one from the rest - at that point we didn't really have a full appreciation of the system and so we played it basically like we had 2nd edition - in particular, PCs didn't make or buy magic items, they found relatively few such items, and they were consequently much less powerful.

By midway through that campaign, and certainly by the time we began the next, we had a much clearer idea of the system, and everything was much more optimised. And so we played the game the way it "should" have been played.

Thinking back, though, my feeling is that that first campaign was probably the most satisfying of them all, and it was precisely because of that "2nd Edition" style of play. (It's also worth considering that 5e plays an awful lot like a "better 2nd Edition", which is probably one of the reasons that I find it both so satisfying and so frustrating!)

The thing is, the initial 3e offering was balanced on the assumption of 4 PC parties consisting of the "big four" classes, and with no particular assumption of particular feats or magic items. Which held reasonably true at low levels, held in that first campaign, but was very quickly made mock of both as more books were released and as players learned the game. And that "emergent gameplay" was actually something built in to the game.

Except that that "emergent gameplay" didn't actually make the game more fun overall. Yes, it was satisfying for players to learn how to optimise their characters, and theygot the benefits that came from more powerful characters. But they advanced at different rates, harming balance, and it meant that the internal balance of the game really suffered. And that in turn meant that the DM had to disregard the mechanisms built in to try to build encounters and had to work hard to be at least as good with the mechanics as the best of his players.

3e started off as a fair amount of hard work, and only became harder to run as time went on.

That first campaign had its problems, and it was somewhat fortunate that it ended when it did (which turns out to be 9th level - with the PCs rising to 10th after the last session, if we had ever bothered to level up the characters), but it was also probably the most satisfying 3e campaign I ran, at least in terms of the ease of running the game.

Lair Actions

One of the few things I really liked about 4e was the monster design - the division of monsters into roles and the Minion/Elite/Solo was extremely helpful. Consequently, one of the things I find most dissatisfactory about 5e is that same monster design, which feels very much like a retrograde step.

However, I do really like the use of Lair Actions in the game - certain key monsters, when encountered in their lair, have the ability to trigger a few extra actions or events, and thus proide a heightened challenge.

And yet...

I should note that I really like Lair Actions in theory only, because I've never actually had occasion to use one. The problem being that the key monsters that feature Lair Actions are inevitably the more powerful ones in the game, and as I'm yet to see a group reach double figures in terms of level I have therefore never been able to pit them against such a creature. Which is a real shame.

One thing I would ver much like to see, therefore, is much earlier use of Lair Actions in new monster books (although I'm unlikely to see them), but also the use of Lair Actions in the published Storyline books - and not just right at the end while facing the eventual BBEG. Indeed, there's little reason they shouldn't feature right from the start of the game, albeit with appropriately weak Lair Actions for much lower CR opponents!

Tome of Beasts II

This post may seem somewhat familiar...

I was all set to skip this book - as I said in my review of "Tome of Beasts", I really have enough monsters for 'general' use, and wasn't really in the market for a sequel. However, a lack of ideas for a good Christmas present brought this book to my attention.

As the third monster book from Kobold Press, this one follows a very familiar format - 400+ pages of monsters, rendered in glorious full colour, and all at a fairly competitive price. So if you liked "Tome of Beasts" and "Creature Codex", you'll probably like this one for the same reasons. If you didn't like those books, don't bother with this one. And if you don't have those books, then get "Tome of Beasts" first, "Creature Codex" second, and then decide. (Each book assumes that you have and can reference the earlier ones. They can certainly be used by themselves, but do work a little better taken together.)

If making recommendations for 'monster' books for 5e, my order of recommendation is as follows: "Monster Manual", "Tome of Beasts", "Monster Manual Expanded", "Creature Codex", "Monster Manual Expanded II", "Tome of Beasts II", "Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes", "Volo's Guide to Monsters", and finally "5th Edition Foes". Indeed, at this point I would stop well before the end of that list - I don't regret any of the purchases, but I just don't need all these monsters.

My recommendation here is necessarily conditional. If you're looking for even more monsters, this book is an excellent buy. If you're looking for specific WotC-owned monsters, then of course this won't do the job for you. Likewise, if you're looking for monsters that will appear in WotC products, or on the DM's Guild, this book isn't going to help. And if you're looking for anything other than monsters, this isn't the book for you. It does one thing, but does that one thing extremely well.

And that's that. As I said before, I'm now not in the market for any more 'general' monster books. I may pick up another "Guide To..." book from Wizards of the Coast, depending on the specific monsters that are present, and would certainly consider a 'themed' book of monsters. But for general use... well, I suppose there's always Christmas...