Abdera

Abdera has just entered its Third Age. The First Age was a time of seemingly no magic. Humans lived in a world utterly oblivious to the existence of any other races. Science was supreme, and those few sorcerers with a small grasp of the magical undercurrent coursing through the prime material plane were shunned and branded "Freaks."   That all ended when an evil Green Dragon named Bala tore down the magical barrier that separated humans from the rest of the world and thrust Abdera into the Second Age. In a mere moment, everything that Humans knew to be true was sundered. At a severe disadvantage and thrust into an apocalyptic war between Bala's undead hordes and the living, Humans fought back. They quickly adapted to the new rules of magic and mystical beasts. Great wizards rose from the ranks of Men, and champions of the gods sallied forth to wage war on the evil that befell them. Through a combined effort and many lost lives, Bala's forces were defeated, she was exiled to an adjacent continent known as the Hinterlands, and a magical barrier akin to the one that used to protect the humans was erected to seal her away.   "The Last War", as it came to be called, left Abdera desolate and ruined. Scattered to the four corners of the continent, the races of living creatures began to work together to rebuild. Humans saw the opportunity to rise in power and gain a foothold in this new world. Four factions emerged from among them: the Qiodi, the Mordians, the Falksif, and the Curanthians. Humanity's uncanny ability to adapt to almost any situation caused them to surge ahead of the other races and nearly subjugate them. Seeing this and fearing an uprising, the leaders of the human factions pulled back and took a more philanthropic strategy. An open border policy and generous trade routes served to quell the rising tensions and restore order. Abdera entered a time of prosperity and peace.   Banished but not destroyed, Bala grew in power once again. Through persistence and a shrewd intellect, she discerned how to siphon energy from the cage that sought to contain her. As the world of Man rebuilt and prospered, Bala continuously consumed the very essence of the Hinterlands until she tore a hole in the barrier and burst forth back into the world that had so disrespectfully tossed her out. In her rage, Bala went straight to the realms of the gods and began a slaughter that would be talked about for millennia to come. This "Great Reckoning" shattered the world as clerics and priests lost connection to their gods. Once more, the heroes of Abdera surged forth and waged war with the engorged dragon. Of the thousands of men and women that went to battle, six survived.   Those six heroes became legends of folklore. People began to pray to them for power and protection. Churches and monasteries rose in worship of them. And eventually, upon the death of their mortal bodies, they ascended to godhood. Their ascension marks the close of the Second Age and the start of the Third. It is a time of High Magic and political conflict as governments and institutions try to figure out how to survive without the gods walking the Realm.