The world of Khandar (incidentally also the name of
the god of earth and rocks) features a large continent, shaped as a landmass with two distinct arms that run from east to west. One arm is called the
Northern Arm, where the elves first arrived to this world, eons ago.
Right now, the Northern Arm is home to many species, including the industrious gnomes. Mimicking the elves, they started a kingdom, which then evolved into the machine known as the
Labarean Empire -- a machine that is powered by slave labour and that has been slowly expanding across the Northern Arm to subjugate others.
The Labarean Empire is religiously driven towards knowledge and technology and has taken up the creed that magic is anathema to this goal. It does not permit wizardry or magical produce and through that latter prohibition it entered a conflict with the multicultural magic subcontinent
Zhai. In the year 903 LC (which is 903 years after the Labareans organised themselves as a kingdom), the gnomes invaded Zhai from the north, putting the legendary city of
Lloridan under siege before entering and occupying it.
These and other actions prompted a response from the elves. The elven
Kingdom of Laeryll had begrudgingly accepted the loss of one of their former provinces,
Silimanis and old wounds opened up as the Empire besieged the Zhai city that had great historical and religious significance to the elves. At the end of 903 LC, the elven king
Olyxx the Young closed off the
Festival of Light by
declaring war against the Labarean Empire.
The declaration was a rash decision, as the necessary alliances were not yet in place. An emissary was still underway to the dwarves, the secessionist wood elves had not been consulted yet and mercenaries were still to be hired. However, King Olyxx (or rather, queen
Ceanna the Wise) had welcomed Zhai refugees to his kingdom and he ((or rather, the royal academic
Valthyx the Evoker) was confident he would them to good use while figuring out the rest of his strategy.
Unbeknownst to most of the factions involved in the war, an ancient claim to the elven throne was also waking up from a historical slumber. Former queen
Morsyana, widely considered to have died after her expulsion from the elven kingdom, had been gathering demonic alliances to once again claim the Northern Arm. As an unexpected additional party in the ongoing geopolitical turmoil, her appearance is likely to frustrate plans -- for everyone.
