Year 0 - Armageddon. Trzdryill the dracolich envoked a powerful spell designed to turn the entire population of The Land Before into undead slaves. However, the citizens of the land rose up against the Lich and his foul creation- a floral scourge of some kind which decrepified all it touched. The legends around the elven communities suggest that intervention by a single un-named Hero caused the Lich to be slain- but in doing so, doomed the world.

Trzdryill's demise caused powerful earthquakes to rock the land. In some places, the oceans rose and swallowed the land. In others, the seas drained away, leaving vast deserts and plains. The landscape of The Land Before was forever changed, it's inhabitants mostly slain. Cities were inundated with water. The mountains of the land became islands, the deepest seas became fertile lands. The briny waters of the deeps washed away all that once lived.

It would seem to be the end... but life is not so easily quenched. 

The races survived- the strong Minotaurs, Ogres, Giants and Sauran banded together and built great dykes around their lands to hold the floods back. 

The Dwarves, Illithids, Gnolls and Gremlins moved completely under the new lands, while an Alliance of Humans, Halflings and Gnomes marched en masse over the top, forging new cities, new lives, new societies in leige with their underground comrades.

Humans are a diverse group. Some disagreed with their fellows in the forming of the alliance, preferring to stick it out on their own. These humans formed their own communities, but were fraught with infighting- they degenerated into savagry, becoming a subrace of their own, known as Nethermen.

The Elves, Nymphs and Faeries either used their magic to form underwater cities, relocated their settlements or moved onto the land to live amoungst the other races. They are welcomed and accepted by all, except perhaps the evil underground dwelling races. 

Some say that a group of elves went underground, turned to worshipping the Dark Gods, forsaking the path of the surface Elves. Talk about this race is discouraged- the Elven community views it as 'disunifying' and it is outlawed in almost any surface or underground communities. However, more and more bodies appear in the underground tunnels each year, hacked and slashed by fine Elven weapons...

The winged Dragons survived almost entirely intact- they simply flew to a retreat in the sky, wherein they lived together, living out their near-immortal lives in peace and tranquility. Occasionally, one or two may send their newborns to experience life among non-dragons, although this is a rare occurance.

The malign races fared the worst- Imps, Goblins, Orcs, Trolls, Raknids and Ferrels were largely unable to form the cohesion that was required to survive the cataclysm and perished in droves. But as is their nature, over the years these wretched creatures have bred and are now strong once again, forming crude communties on the surface lands.

The celestial creatures, Demon and Angel alike, retired to their respective homelands, but are now slowly beginning to return to further the cause of their leaders.

Trzdryill was once a dragon, but achieved a near-godlike power in a state of undeath. How he accomplished this is completely unknown. The Dragonkin have done all they can to erase the knowledge so that it may never be recovered, although it is a secret long sought after by mortals and some dragons alike. There are some who say that the secret has been found, but there are also some who say the world is round, as well.

The effects of Trzdryill were long lasting, indeed. Although often considered a myth, for centuries there have been rumors about the existance of a secret society of sentient undead which exists among Men and other races, feeding from the blood of the living. No definate proof has ever been found and debate about this society progresses at a slow pace... those who claim to have any information about these creatures seem to be prone to terrible accidents right before they are due to meet with any figure of authority.

Little is known of the other races, although two deserve notice. The Weimics of old, deathly afraid of water, moved to the great mountains with several of the local Centaur clans. Over the years, the two races have scratched a living amongst the frozen mountains, surviving as best they can. Their union appears to be more then symbiotic- in some cases, defing all medical knowledge, Centaurs and Weimics have successfully bred, creating a creature known as a Bastet. These beautiful creatures, while rare, possess great strength and agility, serving as the guardians of their communities.

4,430 - Year of the Vulture.

A dragon calling himself "Trzdryill" visited the city of Xenadraa, claiming to be the legendary Dracolich Trzdryill returned to a living state. His claim was not generally accepted, however, a group of Gnolls from the Subterra city of Everglow were convinced to follow him, forming an organization calling itself "The Believers of Trzdryill" but generally acknowledged as the "Cult of Trzdryill". 

4,439 - Year of the Blade. 

According to all known sources, the dragon and all his followers were exterminated by a group of Paladins from the Subterra Dwarven city Boulderglide, although their formation and existance has long fueled speculation about Trzdryill's origins and the possibility of his return.

4,463 - Year of the Evergreen.

Skirmishing begins between the human cities of Northhaven and Passfield over a border dispute. The aquatic Elven city of Ka'zzarli sends reinforcements to the aid of Northhaven, while the Alliance sends Halfling dogriders and many Human spearmen to assist Passfield. Despite a fiece resistance by the elves, the Halfling dogriders break their lines and force a retreat. Northhaven is torched and burned to the ground. A stream of refugees flee to the Silvershadow forest, seeking refuse with their Elven allies. 

An Elven counter-attack comes a month later, backed by powerful wizards and well diciplined cavalry. The resulting battle rages for days, finally resulting in the slaughter of most of the dogriders and the retreat of the survivors, although most of the humans escape unharmed. This sours relations with the normally peaceful Halflings and their Human allies, who protest that they never wanted a part of the "Human warmongering" and place blame for their loss upon their allies. The Human forces retreat to Passfield and establish a permanent garrison there. The remaining Halfling warriors, unable to live with their Human allies and distrustful of their leaders who sent their comrades to be slaughtered, form the new town of Halfmeet- a meeting place for all halflings. 

The battle of Northhaven is a curiousity as it marks the first time two "goodly" races have engaged in open warfare since the Cataclysm.

4,465 - Year of the Jaguar.

The remaining Halfling portion of the Alliance threatens to break away and form their own government. There is rioting in the city of Xen as the Humans turn on Halflings and Gnomes alike, distrusting the "impish wretches". The feeling is mutual. Eventually, Human spearmen are called in to break up the riot, which results in the death of over thirty halflings and two soldiers. The implications are far reaching- reports of "genocide" spread amongst the Halflings and Gnomes in the city, who leave their homes in fear, most moving to the thriving city of Halfmeet. The last Halfling presence on the Alliance resigns in protest, although the Gnomes retain a single seat.

A massive cavein destroys the Subterra city of Deephole, a relatively newly established Gnoll outpost. In response, the Subterra Gnoll capitol of Everglow decrees that the first day of every month be spent inspecting the foundations and structural integrity of each and every Subterra Gnoll city.
