A Brief History of Nerath

Nerath is not the first empire to have stretched across the world. Before that was the Age of Fey, when the first Eladrin stepped into this world. And even before that, more than two thousand years ago, was the Age of Dragons, when the dragons and dragonborn together ruled the realm of Arkhosia. Though the earliest recorded history was by the dragonborn, we have evidence of an even more ancient civilizations, ruled by creatures so alien and fantastic that they are beyond imagination by anyone alive today.

It's been almost a hundred years since the fall of Nerath, the Empire of Man. Some say that Nerath was the greatest empire to have existed in the world. It stretched from the tiny fortress of Lands' End far to the north to the ports of the Elemental Seas to the south. The empire ruled for over four centuries, and it's greatest achievement was perhaps its openness and tolerance, bringing together elves, eladrin, dwarves, halflings, dragonborn, and even tieflings in peace and the spirit of cooperation.

However, in the end, people say that it was hubris that brought man's downfall. Unsatisfied with the taming of Oerth, a group of paladins devoted to Bahamut sought to cleanse the planes of evil. With the backing of the emperor and the most powerful wizards and clerics of the land, they assaulted the very heart of the Abyss, seeking to banish evil forever. However, they were betrayed. Some say that they were manipulated by the demon Graz’zt, the dark prince, all along. Others say that it was a betrayal by the emperor himself, having been driven to madness by power and corrupted by Asmodeous, lord of the Nine Hells. Yet still others say that it was simply the nature of the Abyss, and that if even the gods could not drive the evil from there, then the idea of mere humans taming it was pure folly, and the disaster that resulted was just punishment for mankind's hubris.

Whatever the true cause was, the result was clear: the Empire of Man fell within weeks. Once great cities fell quickly beneath the onslaught of demons, devils, and even fouler, unimaginable creatures. It is not clear why the entire world was not overrun within the year. The elves who were alive to witness it say that one day, the monsters just disappeared. However, the damage was already done. Armies that once kept roads safe were decimated, and humanoids such as goblins and orcs quickly multiplied and began raiding what was left. The world fell into a new dark age, and for decades very little changed, with minor nobles and warlords rising and falling over what little civilization was left. However, in recent years, a new force can be felt in the world, uniting the civilized races, reestablishing routes between towns and cities and driving monsters back to the wilderness. Will this force bring about a new age of prosperity and peace, or will the fledgling flicker of hope be extinguished yet again? Only time will tell.

Philel Kivvi'en, Historian residing in Aragoth, the last city of Nerath