Tides of Chaos

For half a millenia, the continent of Kharotar sat united in chains beneath the Great Tyrant, the Endless Bastard, The Invincible Overlord and his Last Empire. This forced peace was shattered by the Black Iron Rebellion and the Pact. Conflict which the world had not seen since the time of the Domination, Kharotar erupted into a 100 year war.   The ruthless conflict changed the face of Kharotar and beyond. A century long state of total war which began with the spark of rebellion and resulted in the Nine Great Houses we see today fighting for power. After half a millennia of trampled freedom each faction fought one and other with the same cruelty they dealt the Invincible Overlord. War consumed the many lands of Kharotar and its people, a century of chaotic infighting as the once impenetrable Last Empire crumbled piece by piece. Only held together by the iron claws of the Invincible Overlord, within the City of Blades, Vinthadel.   The war ended the day the Overlord was destroyed, while some say trapped it is hard to discern the difference. The largest city known to the world, Vinthadel was engulfed in a magical catastrophe. Vinthadel and the entire south of the Vandran province cast in a crystalline ice, frozen, before falling into the sea. The cause is unknown. The cataclysm ended the war and ended the seemingly Invincible Overlord.   Many celebrated the end of the Last Empire, others unsure whether it had only been delayed. While the Black Iron Rebellion dethroned the Overlord, the many conflicts which had erupted as these Nine Houses took independence may prove to be a far greater threat than any one man. While total war is held at bay by the uncertainty of the Vandran Cataclysm and its cause, whether it was a freak event, weapon or sign from the Gods, the Great Houses are held in a tenuous cold war.