A Little History
In ages long past, the entirety of Khorvaire was ruled by goblinoids. Those goblinoid nations were already in ruin when humans first arrived, nearly 3,000 years ago. Humans quickly settled the area that became known as the Five Nations (Aundair, Breland, Cyre, Karrnath, and Thrane). As dragonmarks began to appear and the dragonmarked houses began to grow in power, humankind was also spreading out and interacting with the other races it encountered. Human beings traded and formed other partnerships with the dwarves, gnomes, and halflings they encountered. Humanity also came into conflict with and drove off goblinoids and other monster races. Elves migrated from Aerenal, seeking a new way of life on Khorvaire, and soon allied with the other humanoid races. As exploration continued and other portions of Khorvaire were settled, the Five Nations united to become the kingdom of Galifar.
During the nearly 900-year reign of the Galifar kings and queens, human-settled lands continued to expand and the powerful dragonmarked houses were set firmly in place. The wondrous Korranberg Library and Sharn, the City of Towers, were established and grew in reputation. The lands of the kingdom of Galifar stretched from the Barren Sea to the Lhazaar Sea, covering every mile of the continent, though the government was only able to maintain reliable control of the central region. The closer one traveled toward the outer edges of the continent, the more undeveloped and uncivilized the land, and its inhabitants, became. These frontiers gave rise to missionaries, settlers, profiteers, and other explorers.
In 894 YK, King Jarot, the last king of Galifar, died. With his death, the kingdom of Galifar collapsed as civil war erupted, sparked by the scions of Jarot as each battled for control of the eroding kingdom. This terrible conflict, which became known as the Last War, lasted just over a century and came to an end with the signing of the Thronehold Accords by the twelve standing nations: Aundair, Breland, Darguun, the Eldeen Reaches, Karrnath, the Lhazaar Principalities, the Mror Holds, Q'barra, the Talenta Plains, Thrane, Valenar, and Zilargo. Other regions formed during the war include Droaam, the Shadow Marches, the Demon Wastes, and the Mournland (which covers the land formerly occupied by the nation of Cyre.) These various nations and regions make up the current-day continent of Khorvaire, which you can begin exploring with the aid of this interactive map.
