The Great Cataclysm

Five thousand years ago, the two great nations of Elothra lived together in reletive harmony. Though the great Serrin Mountain range still kept them mostly separated, their interactions were still peaceful. It was the splitting of the God's Eye that brought about the chain of events that would drive a wedge between the Beastfolk of the north and the races of Mankind to the south. This splitting of the mountain happened toward the end of a devestating event that would come to be known as The Great Cataclysm.

The Astral Gateway, a portal to the Astral Plane and the many planes beyond, once rested within the God's Eye. This gate, once guarded fiercly by elemental champions, began to spew forth monsterous creatures from the Hells and the Abyss. These devils and demons brought their feud to the material plane. Any who were caught in the crossfire were killed. The devils won their battle but the lords of the Hells turned their eyes to Elothra.

Mortal races stood no chance against the devils. In the end, it was decided that the Astral Gateway must be destroyed. Two ancient dragons, along with five mortal champions, fought to push back the forces from the Hells while making their way to the Astral Gateway. The arch wizard Del'tarr gave her own life to shatter the gateway while her companions made off with the keystone that operated the gate, which they had no means of destroying. The destruction of the gateway caused a shockwave that cut through the very mountain itself, nearly killing the other champions.

The two dragons, too great in size to go into the caverns, waited and guarded the entrance. When they felt the shock of the gateway's destruction Kayrion the Jade Sovereign attacked and poisoned the Golden Queen, Rydrael. Weakened from poison, Rydrael could do little to stop Kayrion's ambush. One by one, Kayrion attacked the champions, demanding the keystone. Maldaeus, who himself had been plotting a similar deception, handed over the keystone. Thaddos alone survived the attack while hiding a near perfect forgery that Maldaeus had swapped for the real thing.

While Kayrion fled with his prize Rydrael summoned the last of her strength to fly Thaddos home, discovering too late that the stone he held was a fake. Before reaching Thaddos' island home, the two decided to conceal the truth of Maldaeus' deception, allowing the people to believe that the Keystone was safe. Rydrael succumbed to the poison in her veins, her brilliant golden body sinking into the sea that is now known as the Sea of Heroes. Home at last, Thaddos enshrined the false keystone and set about planning the next leg of his ordeal, retrieving the real one.

Thaddos gathered four new companions and traveled north, past the Serrin Mountains and into the lands of Lagorn. The Silver King, Tor'Diveth, was more than eager to lend aid in avenging the Golden Queen, though he refused to make the journey himself. Never the less, Thaddos had a veritable army at his back when he crossed the Thundering Sea to the island of Everdark Tangle. They met the Jade Sovereign in his home turf, overwhelming the dragon with sheer numbers. Before he parished Kayrion made sure to that Thaddos met his end as well, and since no one else knew of Maldaeus' trick the true keystone was never found.

While the southern regions dealt with devils and the sealing of the Astral Gateway, the northern lands of Lagorn were plagued by demons who fled their feud with the devils. No single demon could match the might of the ancient dragons who ruled Lagorn, but their sheer numbers proved difficult with both the Golden Queen and the Jade Sovereign assisting with the Gateway. Lagorn, however, had their own champions to quell the demon incursion. Throck, a Bugbear warlock who held a Shard of Chaos, led five other heroes. Tali, Arnus, Wrath, Greck, and Onyx each brought their own battalions to assist the dragons.

Volodon, the Crimson Dread and Rondru, the Azure Storm were by far the most powerful dragons remaining in the north who would fight the demons. Together with Throck's band, the dragons whiped out the remaining demons. Volodon and Greck both fell in the battle, while Rondru fled to her island home once it was clear that victory was assured. The remaining five would eventually join Thaddos as he sought revenge against the Jade Sovereign after thge splitting of the God's Eye.

Kayrion would not be alone when the group confronted him though. He had his own army of Kobolds and Lizardfolk worshipers. The heroes' numbers, however, were still greater. The assault of Everdark Tangle was a fierce and bloody affair. Throck, Wrath, and Tali all lost their lives before the great green dragon was finally put down.