History

The Creation

This world used to be a wild physical manifestation of the material plane. It was a world dominated by active vulkanoes, endless storms, wild seas and gigantic forests. It was a young and primal world, inhabited by elementals, dragons and other magical creatures that could withstand the violence of the planet.

At some point in this world's lifecycle, known as the Birth of Gods, the world caught the attention of seven different deities. Rather than competing for the ownership of this new world, they decided to share it, each deity focussed on its own aspect. Over time they created a lush world, filled with flowering life and beauty. It was dubbed the name: 'Zulthan'

The shattering - "age of divine turmoil"

During the creation and reshaping of Zulthan, each god had an equal share of work and influence. However, Cydric was not happy with his part. He was tasked to make changes to the work of the other deities, so to make everything look more natural and chaotic. To induce randomness to the world such that it did not look artifical but like it had grown by itself.

Though this task was very important, Cydric didn't feel satisfied with it. He wanted to create as well, not just make changes to others work.

 

Cyric made a plan which would allow him to become a creator of something. It started by convincing Umberlee that the balance between land and ocean was wrong. Too many island had been created he said, and the goddess believed it.

She send a giant wave towards the south of the main continent, flooding the rich magical forest there. This angered both Silvanus and Mystra who both claimed this forest to be their favorite place of the world.

 

This started a series of events which broke the peace between the seven elder gods. Cyric managed to set all events in motion the way he wanted to, deceiving and lying his way through it all.

Whilst the other six were bickering amongst themselves, Cyric began his last scheme. He pulled energy from multiple different realms and began his creation. He created a dozen of unique sentient creatures, and at least a hundred of each kind.

Thus the races of humans, elves, goblins, orcs and many others were created.

the slaughter - "age of divine turmoil"

The Elder gods ended up being so busy fighting each other that their power over Zulthan began to dwindle, as did their individual powers. Their battle with each other was endless and exhausting. Cyric took his chance and began slaying the other elder gods. They were too weak to fight back so they fell one by one. In the end only Myrkul, god of entropy remained.

It's unknown what happened during their battle, but is is generally believed that Myrkul used the power of the other slain gods to defeat Cyric and the revive the other Elder Gods. This event granted Myrkul the title: "God of Death". But it was Cyric who would have the last laugh in the end, for he put a curse upon Myrkul with his dying breath, twisting his mind into pure destructive chaos. Upon resurrection, the gods were bound to Myrkul's will and turned into his harbingers of death. Using their power, Myrkul began trying to wipe out all races that had been put on Zulthan by Cyric.

Slaying so many souls so quickly overwhelmed Myrkul with immense power. Just his essence alone was enough to send nearby matter into an immediate state of decay. The lush fields and forests of Zulthan withered away with each passing day, reducing them to mere dust. A force of pure entropy was tearing the world and even reality apart.

Lathander was the first god to break free from Myrkul's influence. Each life that he had taken shook him at his core, he felt there was so much wrong with deeds that he committed. Though these creatures were created by the Great Deceiver, they themselves could not be held accountable for his deeds, they were innocent. This doubt gave him the little push he needed to break free from this genocidal god. He vowed vengeance against the evil deeds of Myrkul, vowing not to rest until Myrkul's schemes are laid to permanent rest.

Thus began his campaign of freeing the other gods and stopping Myrkul's onlaught. There are many version of this story, each praising one god more than the others. No matter which story you choose to believe, the result is always the same. Myrkul defeated, the gods left in a weakened state and a world scarred in many irreparable ways.

The gods had lost a majority of their power in these conflicts, this started the Age of Divine Silence. A period in which the gods are in slumber to regain their power, thus leaving the world without their influence or schemes.

The ancient civilization - "Age of Divine Silence"

In the absence of the gods, the other still remaining sentient races rapidly devolped into societies.

For thousands of years, three large societies lived together on the central continent of Zulthan. The Hadi-yah, the Illrad-yah and the Vecti-yah. Each with their own culture and specialty.

These three societies were ruled by the Ori-yah council, a collection of leaders from these three soceties that oversaw the growth and safety of their people.

The Hadi-yah were known for their mighty warriors, said to be capable of defeating a bulette single-handed. They are blamed for the near extinction of dragons. They were also in control of most mines and other forms of resource gathering.

The Illrad-yah were known for being craftsman of near godly skill. They could create weapons with perfect balance and edges sharp enough to slice a speck of dust in half.

The Vecti-yah were known for their vast knowledge of everything magical and non-magical. They wielded magic of near limitless power. They invented a primal form of writing and came up with the Ori-yah council.

The golden age - "age of divine silence"

After the creation of the Ori-yah council, centuries of peace fell upon the world of Zulthan. The forces of light and darkness respected the humanoid races, who stood at the center of their conflict. Neither side wanted to brake the peace, knowing what the Ori-yah council was capable of.

What followed next is known as the golden age of Zulthan. Aliances between all living beings were forged. Magic and technology bloomed, progress was made at rapid pace. New inventions were presented every week on great sience fairs. Magical discoveries were shared and build upon every day.

Society grew and expanded, moving out of cities and out into the uninhabited world. Vilages popped up all over the world, many grew into cities, a select few turned into massive metropolisses.

The Apocalypse - "age of divine rebirth"

All good things come to an end. The same goes for the golden age of Zulthan. As the years flew by, vigilance declined, the concept of evil had been forgotten. But it hadn’t left, it had been dormant, waiting for it’s time to strike.

Demons were craving for power, a hunger that had been eating away at them. They wanted the world for themselfs, and they would wait no longer. Their corruption took root in the world, recruiting followers and forming hidden cults.

The peace was about to be broken down from the inside. A seed of hatred and anger was placed in the minds of many Zulthanese. Conflicts over lands and property became common, escalating into armed conflicts, sometimes even wars.

The Ori-yah council was powerless to stop any of it. They had lost their power and wisdom due to laziness. No one could stop the growing conflicts.

Over a period of  500 years, the Ori-yah council started to lose it's focus and slowly collapsed.

The celestials and devils both saw a chance to sieze power now that the Ori-yah council was no more. The remaining Zulthanese that had survived the conflict returned to a nomadic culture. Most sought protection from higher beings, mainly celestials, some turned to the devils or even demons.

Over the years, a handful of cities and a few dozen villages have come back into existence. Society is far from what it was at its apex, but it has managed to develop a decent amount.

Present - "age of the new divines"