Campaign Background

Yes, I've been crazy enough to attempt to run a complete campaign. Here is the background I came up with.

For thousands of years, Idera was a normal world. Good and evil both existed and then something changed. A thousand years ago, a darkness spread across the land that nothing could combat. Great warriors rode into battle, never to return, Powerful wizards and warlocks banded together to combat the evil, but to no avail. Even the mighty metallic dragons were no match for the vile evil that perpetuated the darkness.

In the hopes of saving some remnant of what had been, a secluded valley, located on a far away island, was populated by what remained of the civilized races. Humans, elves, dwarves, eladrin, halfings, and dragonborn, all races except the Tieflings hid away there. Always mistrusted because of their heritage, the Tieflings were left to fend for themselves.

Over time, the dream of saving what was, gave way to survival. Elves and eladrin slowly disappeared, no one knows what has become of them, now only a handful remain and are rarely seen. The dwarves moved underground and few are seen outside of those who travel with merchants selling their wares. Honor bound and feeling as if they ran from a fight, the dragonborn patrol the mountains that lead into the valley. No one has ever been allowed to leave the island for fear of discovery.

When the island was initially populated, numerous settlements were setup in an attempt to provide better chances of survival. Originally ruled by a council of elected officials from each settlement, Idera is now ruled by an elected spokesman and one representative from each race. Unfortunately, this arrangement has resulted in little advancement or change in the valley. Old prejudices have led to feuds and almost war. Military service has always been mandatory for all inhabitants of the island, however, recently racial prejudices have been boiling over and causing greater friction than ever before between the different races.

Each of you has received a summons from the ruling Council. This is where we will begin.