This article covers events that occured on the material plane of Apora. For more information on other planes, visit other pages.  

Rise of Civilization

  It is believed that the first civilized race on Apora was born when the gods Corellan and Lolth each decided to mold beings in their images. The elves and drow lived in the material plane for a time, finding home in the northern forest which they named for a great hero, respected by both their kinds. To this day, the woods are still known as Lamlier's Forest (see The Legend of Lamlier for more details).   Eventually, the elves and the drow were unable to live alongside each other peacefully. Their gods were mortal enemies after Lolth's betrayal of Corellan. Their creations were driven to war that ravaged both the material plane and the feywild. Their numbers decimated, the elves were unable to maintain their hold on the material plane and were forced to take the majority of their civilization back to the feywild to make room for other, more populous races.  

Post Elven War

  With the elves' might diminished, an equally ancient yet less powerful race rose to prominence in northern Apora. Though no creation myth unified them, the humans bound together for the sake of survival. The Clans of Cronvellia managed to live more peacefully than the elves before them. The land had to be shared between seven factions, and since the material plane was their home the humans had nowhere to flee should they destroy their homeland. At other times it seemed that race was the only unifying factor between the Clans. Their territory was and still is shared with halflings and orcs. The former had an almost friendly relationship with humans. The latter hated any race that was not their own. The orcs took the absence of elves to establish themselves as a dominant, brutal race, for neither humans nor halflings could match them in strength or contest them with magic as the elves once did.   Meanwhile, in the south, a mighty civilization arose. Said to be blessed by the gods themselves, the race of uncommonly beautiful humanoids known as aasimar was a pinnacle of culture and technology in their day. Their good standing with the dwarves allowed them to commission the finest craftsmanship in the land. Though the name of their civilization was struck from memory, the ruins of their society still stand a captivating mystery to modern-day archeologists. This is not to say the aasimar are a dead race to Apora. Some survived the destruction of their society, though they live reclusive lives in modern times.   With all the activity in the north and south, someone had to step up to bridge the gap. This came in the form of priestly merchants from across the sea. Originally one society united in worship under one god, Waukeen, the nomadic nature of their society caused the merchants to split into three factions. They became known as the Seer Tribes, each founding their own holy city in the name of their newfound gods.  

The Era of Storms

  Though Apora saw its share of minor wars after the time of the elves, the continent spent several centuries in peace until the rise of Thornik Sekrahd. A wizard of uncontestable might, he seized control of the continent in his mad quest for power. Sekrahd thought himself something of a god, as no mortal managed to so much as wound him at the height of his power. By blocking out the very sun he managed to bend Apora to his will, especially the Clans of Cronvellia. This earned him the title the Eye of the Storm, and Sekrahd relished in the fear he sowed.   In the beginning, the aasimar of the south contested his rule mightily. They were the farthest from his seat of power and the greatest threat to the necromancer. They were a thorn in his side for nearly a decade. However, the Eye of the Storm prevailed against the great society, using his magic to decimate their land and people. What once was a profitable, fertile region became a barren wasteland. The aasimar fled, abandoning their homeland, and Sekrahd struck the very knowledge of their society from the minds of men.   Along with aasimar, Sekrahd held a particular hatred for orcs. He displayed his power by hunting them to near extinction, enslaving those he did not kill to send a message to the rest of the world.   Though his power was indisputable, Sekrahd believed there was more still he could achieve. There were more lands to conquer, more magic to horde, and more vitality to be gained. Becoming more paranoid by the day, Sekrahd tightened his grip on the land until near-constant storms ravaged all in his domain.   As mad and powerful as he was, there was one who was willing to stand up against his might. Nimah Vaden united the Clans of Cronvellia and struck Sekrahd from his throne. The wizard behind them dead, the storms that ravaged Apora dispersed. Apora was freed from the wizard, but not the fear of sorcery.  

The Suspicion of the Arcane

  Though Sekrahd was an outlier of a magic user, the blame for his madness fell upon his powers. The people of Apora regarded arcane magic and any who wielded it with extreme hostility. They wished to purge the land of anything that could potentially suppress them the way Thonik Sekrad did.   However, the Templars of Harmony understood the value of learning from their enemies. Through many years of persuasion, they eventually convinced the newfound kingdom of Cronia to place restrictions on magic rather than erase all memory of it, citing how Sekrad tried to do just that about any who opposed him. The Templars worked tirelessly to collect and seal away all but the most common of magics.   Meanwhile, the elves of the feywild saw the destruction wrought by Sekrad and swore that never again would they allow such a darkness to fall upon the material plane. Though it had been many centuries since they resided there, the elves held a fondness for it in their hearts. They founded the city of Konora in order to combat what they saw as the mortal races failure to curb arcane threats. From there they were some of the most aggressive to root out magic during the purge, believing that only an ancient race as they could handle arcane powers.  

The Revival of the Southern Dominance

  With nowhere else to turn, those with arcane powers who escaped the original purge fled south where there was no one to hunt them down. Over the years, the lands became fertile once again, attracting those with a yearning for freedom and disregard for its cost. Slowly, what once was a great kingdom was transformed into a frontier of opportunity. City-states popped up as the population grew and civilization returned to the land once more, and thus the Southern Dominance rose outside of any pre-established civilizations. The people who reside there live a tough life, but they are free from the politics of the north and West to make a simple living farming or to find excitement in the adventures awaiting them just outside their doors.