ZEITGEIST - The Ashes of Khyber

The nation of Cyre was once the heart of the united kingdom of Galifar. The Last War took a heavy toll on Cyre and its citizens, serving as the battleground where all of the Five Nations crossed swords. But no one was prepared for the disaster that struck in 994 YK.   Accounts of the Mourning vary. Some say that a blinding light engulfed near the Saerun Road. Others say that the dead-gray mists began in the capital city of Metrol and spread out from there. What is known for certain is that within the space of one day the nation of Cyre had been engulfed in a wall of mist, and that anything caught within the mists was horrifically transformed. Over a million Cyrans were killed on the day of Mourning. Those who survives were the soldiers fighting in the enemy territory, those living on the borders who were who were able to escape the interior through magical means. On Olarune 20, 994 YK, the nation of Cyre ceased to exist.   The Mourning threw Khorvaire into a state of shock. Who could unleash such power? Was this a weapon, and if so, when would those responsible issues their demands? Were its borders stable, or could they expand at any moment? What was to be done with the Cyran refugees surging into every adjacent nation?   Fear of the Mourning brought the Five Nations to the negotiating table, and in 996 YK the Treaty of Thronehold ended the Last War. But all of those questions remain unanswered. No one knows the cause of the Mourning or whether it could suddenly expand anew. Breland opened its borders to refugees, and Prince Arden serves as de facto ruler in the territory now called New Cyre. Despite its grand name, New Cyre is little more than a vast refugee camp. Other refugees are scattered across Khorvaire; some are treated with pity, others with suspicion or anger. And fear of the Mourning hangs like a shadow across Khorvaire.   Times are turning. The ancient skyseers – fabled dragons since time immemorial – witness omens in the starry wheels of Siberys and prophecies within the Dragonmarks of the lesser races that warn of the coming of a new age. But what they cannot foresee, hidden beyond the steam and soot of the night sky, is the face of this coming era, the spirit of the age. The zeitgeist. But who is the zeitgeist? What is the zeitgeist? And are they coming with good intentions or are they a harbinger of something more foul and sinister?