Threa

There will come a darkness so dark it blocks the sun from the sky, dyes the oceans black, and stains the earth beneath our feet. Like a sickness across our world, it will corrupt our hearts and twist our minds as it already has countless other worlds.

— Inscription at the base of Maloglash

  A Semi-dark fantasy world for 5th Edition.   In time before time an ancient civilization rose and fell, so long ago nobody knows even their name. Only that their massive bones litter the landscape.   Then the thirteen Empyreals recreated Threa, a world of life and death - beauty and strife. Rarely, these days, do they so much as visit the world. A fourteenth was created to guard the Well of Souls, where the souls of all the dead feed the magic they use to protect multitudes of worlds from their ancient enemy.   Then, after time began, the world was quietly invaded by that enemy - nightmares from Qual'Doren - the world of the dreams. The Outsiders are single-minded in their goals: to corrupt, destroy, and spread chaos as far as they can.   To root out these hidden invaders, the Empyreals created the Netharime - holy protectors imbued with a powerful link to the Well of Souls and a directive to protect the life of this world and guard against the outsiders. For centuries the Netharime watched over and protected the mortal races, but they were unprepared for what Threa would face.    Instead of armies of nightmares from Qual'Doren, floods of refugees began to arrive at Threa, traveling through hidden portals. On the distant world of Tare, a powerful proxy of the Outsiders known as the Katife had overrun entire nations, and there was no end in sight to their conquest. Tare's mages traveled through Qual'Doren in search of habitable worlds to escape to, and in the short time they had, were only able to discover Threa. Though it was already populated, they felt they had no choice, and began constructing magical portals in secret - hidden in deep forests and forgotten dungeons.    As tens, and then hundreds of thousands of Tarans began to pour through these portals, conflict inevitably broke out over land and resources. What followed was a series of wars that spanned over two hundred years. Tarans battled on Tare to rearguard their exodus, while their vanguard carved their way into Threa. The Netherime were conflicted - they had been tasked with defending the world from the Outsiders, and some extended this to these new mortals as well. Several Netherime aided the Tarans - including some who abandoned Tare - while others bolstered the defenses of Threa's natives. After more than a hundred years though, it had become clear the the Tarans had earned their place on Threa. Their portals had been sealed, and any left behind on Tare were considered lost.    The exodus was complete, but the division among the Netherime was not. A faction of Netherime, seeing the chaos among the mortals, decided that they were not equipped to rule themselves and sought to conquer the world themselves and enact their own authoritarian rule. Others contested that the Empyreals had forbade the Netherime from that role and war between the factions broke out - even more destructive than the last.    The war ended with The Sundering - an event so steeped in myth and legend that few know exactly what happened. What is known for sure is that the Empyreals returned and were displeased with their charges. They branded the rebel Netherime as the Netherzine and imprisoned them in Carceran - the moon that circles Threa. The great city that was the seat of the Netherzine rule was destroyed.    Finally, new protectors were brought to Threa - great winged beasts that breath fire, lightning, or acid called Dragons. Barred access from the Well of Souls, the Empyreals need not fear another breaking of the world.    It is now over 500 years into the Fourth Age, but how long can it be before another Era-defining conflict? Only time will tell.