Arbanis

Arbanis is an ancient world entering a period of rebirth after an ancient war and the dark ages that followed.   Five hundred years ago, great empires of elves, dwarves and men spanned the continent of Arbanis. These civilizations thrived under the watchful eyes of the great dragons oathbound to the gods to protect the mortal realm from the primordial threats that lurk in the unseen dimensions that border the mortal world.   This era of peace and prosperity was brought to a swift end when the great dragons were seduced by the minions of a dark god to betray their oaths. The dragons used their powerful magic to open a rift between worlds, allowing the demonic armies of Xarax to invade Arbanis and wreak havoc across the world.   War raged for 30 years until a group of wizards led by the Archmage Jularis Sen-Cin channeled the power of an ancient artifact to banish the demons and their allies to the realms beyond.   Victory came at a high price. The magics unleashed by the artifact obliterated the elvish homeland, instantly scarring the landscape and leaving a desert wasteland in it's wake. The elves were driven to near extinction in the cataclysm. The great human empire collapsed into infighting and wars of succession.   The Arbanis of the present still bears the scars of this ancient war. The world is littered with ruins of once great civilizations and powerful magical artifacts from a bygone age. This is an era of relative stability. Human kingdoms have grown powerful and prosperous once again. The successor states of the old empire have begun to coalesce once more and a new imperial age seems to be on the horizon. This newfound stability is fragile however, as many dark and ominous threats still lurk in vast wildernesses of the world, and in the political machinations of devious men.