The Kingdom of Ederon
Long ago Humankind barely scratched a living, cowering in the shadow of Dragons.
Then King Edwin, the first of his name, was born. Edwin knew that for his people to flourish, the Dragons would need to be driven from his lands. After decades of struggle Edwin and his Knights finally drove off Karn, the last of the great dragons, whose lair and hunting grounds dominated the centre of the Ederon. In Karn’s lair atop a great mountain the King discovered “The Tome of Auroria”. This ancient book unlocked the secrets of the arcane and propelled humankind into a golden age of prosperity.
King Edwin II followed in his father's footsteps by pouring his nation’s resources into educating their brightest in the ways of the arcane. They would become known as Magi. The Magi constructed Sharn, a glorious city of towers, a place where learning and bettering Humankind was prioritised. For decades the Magi made life simpler for the common folk, using magic to enhance crop yields, minimise manual labour and protect them from the danger and darkness that hid in every corner of the land.
King Edwin also sought to strengthen relationships with his neighbours, in particular, the Elder races. He established trade routes to the north; the Ogre Warlords in the great plains, the Dwarven Kings in Loch Modan. An uneasy alliance was even formed with the Drow, Dark Elves who had recently emerged from the Underdark and taken residence in the ancient temples of Aln’s sweltering jungles.
Perhaps his most astonishing accomplishment was forging a culture of acceptance and tolerance. All who entered Ederon had, under law, the right to trade and practice their religion freely. The latter caused great friction with High Cleric Benedict who believed humanity should follow the one true God; Tichondrius.
It was a time of uninterrupted peace. The Kingdom of Ederon flourished.
The Inquisition
25 years ago that all changed. On an official visit to Sharn in which the King’s newly born daughter and heir was to be blessed by the Archmage, Edwin II was assassinated. His daughter Kaitlin vanished. With no clear line of succession a power struggle began between the most powerful Houses of Ederon, a struggle that almost tore the Kingdom apart. The people were distraught. Left leaderless the future looked bleak.
As the violence grew worse, High Cleric Benedict took advantage of the power vacuum. He Declared that the One true God “Tychondrias” was punishing Humankind for accepting the worship of lesser gods, embracing the arcane and mixing with the Elder races and that failure to change their ways would lead to the return of the Dragons.
Benedict’s influence spread rapidly, gaining followers in towns across Ederon, all proclaiming the same tale of how the Magi, working with the Elder races had killed King Edwin and taken his daughter. Benedicts propaganda led the common folk to fear the Magi as well as look at non-humans with suspicion. Many Dwarves, Elves and Magi fled or went into hiding.
One bloody winter Benedict made his move. He and his followers marched on Veritas, quickly claiming the capital, declaring it the holy city and himself the “High Inquisitor” and “Steward of Ederon”. What resistance remained was rapidly purged with cleansing fire. Soon after began “the grand inquisition”. Ederon’s Magi, were hunted down like dogs and imprisoned without trial in what would become known as “The Mage Hold”, an isle north west of Veritas city. Benedict cut off all relationships with the elder races, closing the Kingdom's borders and forcing those remaining who had established lives in Ederon to register with the Church of Tychondrias. Any who resisted were torched in the streets, a warning for others to tow the line.
His position cemented, Benedict outlawed any religious practice other than the worship of Tychondrias who he declared “God of Gods”, burning churches and the sacred places of the so-called “lesser deities”. The church of Pelor was the last to fall, its followers forced underground. Benedict’s followers began taking the youngest sons and daughters from families across Ederon to serve Tychondrias. Although some would be be trained as Clerics or spies, the majority were brought to Veritas to begin building a great temple in the city centre to honour Tychondrias.
What had once been a progressive multicultural society focused on knowledge and tolerance was now paranoid, fearful and suspicious.
The darkness that the mages had kept away began again to creep across the land...
Long ago Humankind barely scratched a living, cowering in the shadow of Dragons.
Then King Edwin, the first of his name, was born. Edwin knew that for his people to flourish, the Dragons would need to be driven from his lands. After decades of struggle Edwin and his Knights finally drove off Karn, the last of the great dragons, whose lair and hunting grounds dominated the centre of the Ederon. In Karn’s lair atop a great mountain the King discovered “The Tome of Auroria”. This ancient book unlocked the secrets of the arcane and propelled humankind into a golden age of prosperity.
King Edwin II followed in his father's footsteps by pouring his nation’s resources into educating their brightest in the ways of the arcane. They would become known as Magi. The Magi constructed Sharn, a glorious city of towers, a place where learning and bettering Humankind was prioritised. For decades the Magi made life simpler for the common folk, using magic to enhance crop yields, minimise manual labour and protect them from the danger and darkness that hid in every corner of the land.
King Edwin also sought to strengthen relationships with his neighbours, in particular, the Elder races. He established trade routes to the north; the Ogre Warlords in the great plains, the Dwarven Kings in Loch Modan. An uneasy alliance was even formed with the Drow, Dark Elves who had recently emerged from the Underdark and taken residence in the ancient temples of Aln’s sweltering jungles.
Perhaps his most astonishing accomplishment was forging a culture of acceptance and tolerance. All who entered Ederon had, under law, the right to trade and practice their religion freely. The latter caused great friction with High Cleric Benedict who believed humanity should follow the one true God; Tichondrius.
It was a time of uninterrupted peace. The Kingdom of Ederon flourished.
The Inquisition
25 years ago that all changed. On an official visit to Sharn in which the King’s newly born daughter and heir was to be blessed by the Archmage, Edwin II was assassinated. His daughter Kaitlin vanished. With no clear line of succession a power struggle began between the most powerful Houses of Ederon, a struggle that almost tore the Kingdom apart. The people were distraught. Left leaderless the future looked bleak.
As the violence grew worse, High Cleric Benedict took advantage of the power vacuum. He Declared that the One true God “Tychondrias” was punishing Humankind for accepting the worship of lesser gods, embracing the arcane and mixing with the Elder races and that failure to change their ways would lead to the return of the Dragons.
Benedict’s influence spread rapidly, gaining followers in towns across Ederon, all proclaiming the same tale of how the Magi, working with the Elder races had killed King Edwin and taken his daughter. Benedicts propaganda led the common folk to fear the Magi as well as look at non-humans with suspicion. Many Dwarves, Elves and Magi fled or went into hiding.
One bloody winter Benedict made his move. He and his followers marched on Veritas, quickly claiming the capital, declaring it the holy city and himself the “High Inquisitor” and “Steward of Ederon”. What resistance remained was rapidly purged with cleansing fire. Soon after began “the grand inquisition”. Ederon’s Magi, were hunted down like dogs and imprisoned without trial in what would become known as “The Mage Hold”, an isle north west of Veritas city. Benedict cut off all relationships with the elder races, closing the Kingdom's borders and forcing those remaining who had established lives in Ederon to register with the Church of Tychondrias. Any who resisted were torched in the streets, a warning for others to tow the line.
His position cemented, Benedict outlawed any religious practice other than the worship of Tychondrias who he declared “God of Gods”, burning churches and the sacred places of the so-called “lesser deities”. The church of Pelor was the last to fall, its followers forced underground. Benedict’s followers began taking the youngest sons and daughters from families across Ederon to serve Tychondrias. Although some would be be trained as Clerics or spies, the majority were brought to Veritas to begin building a great temple in the city centre to honour Tychondrias.
What had once been a progressive multicultural society focused on knowledge and tolerance was now paranoid, fearful and suspicious.
The darkness that the mages had kept away began again to creep across the land...