A Brief History of Palanvaid

by Embrin, God of Knowledge

In the distant reaches of the cosmos, separated from the other planes, resides Palanvaid. When the god Zed, creator of Palanvaid, crafted this world, his intention was to make it practically unreachable by any other realms so it would stay unique and unaffected by the conflicts of external forces. His elder sister, The First, seeded Palanvaid with life that sprouted into primitive intelligence.
Over time, several intelligent races grew into sprawling empires, great kingdoms, and rich cultures. Zed’s plan to keep Palanvaid unconnected to the rest of the cosmos did not go as planned. Five powerful deities, myself among them, along with many minor deities, discovered this world and influenced the masses. Religions grew, and wars broke out. Zed and The First defend Palanvaid from most direct influences, forcing us to use indirect means of influence. The world’s distant nature also made summoning allies (be it angels, demons, aberrations, elementals, or others) difficult.
The High Elves formed the first empire to conquer Palanvaid. After thousands of years, Humans rose to the height of power, conquering much of their known world while the High Elves receded behind a massive wall. Centuries passed, and the reign of Humans had fallen to a new power. The Empire of the Reborn, a large empire of Orcs and Dragonkind, defeated the Humans, humbling those who survived. These civilized Orcs have since been seen as one of the strongest forces in the world, though today, many nations would challenge their claim.
Over 125 years ago, a new continent was discovered east of The Vast Sea. The Colonial Age had begun. The Halflings who discovered this land called it The Grand Expanse. They set up a staging point for further exploration and adventure. The Orcs soon followed, in far greater numbers. The Empire of Reborn’s new colony grew swiftly, destroying and/or absorbing small tribes of indigenous peoples. Eventually, the people of this new colonial region of the Empire grew discontented with their distant ruler and their ruthless policies towards the natives. A revolution broke out, and just over 15 years ago, The Dominion of The Expanse won its freedom with the help of their native allies and the distant Kingdom of Night.
Presently, exploration and adventuring is growing within The Grand Expanse, using the Orcs’s Dominion of the Expanse, and the Halflings’s League of Expansive Exploration as staging points to venture into the new wild territory. Back in The Old Realms struggles are on the rise. The secluded High Elven Empire are rumored to be mustering their forces near The Elfwall. Tensions between the Dragonkind nations are rising, and the Empire of the Reborn faces the threat of another civil war on the horizon. In The Eastern Edge, the Dwarves plan a new excursion into the lost ancestral caverns of their people. And in The Southern Reaches, pirates are ramping up their assaults on various people and villages. No matter where one lives on Palanvaid, there are fresh adventures and grand events that await them in the very near future.