Knightfall
World of Kulan DM
Introduction
The Lands of Harqual are full of conflict. For generations, the diverse races of the continent have been either fighting amongst themselves or battling the constant threat of humanoid invasion. Ogres, orcs, gnolls, and other evil humanoids roam the wild tracts of land between dozens of countries and city-states of the humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, gnomes, and the rakasta. Twice have the ogres led the humanoid invasions, which became known as the Ogre Wars.
Before that were even darker times. Most of its history, either lost to the ravages of time or in the ancient ziggurats of the Old Sword Imperium, has remained hidden. What the people do remember are what is collectively known as the Black Wars. This dark time saw the rise and fall of petty warlords and kings; brought about by the Divinity War between the North Gods and the Sword Gods.
The North Gods were born of the Lord of the North, Cronn, a pantheon of barbarian gods who, for a time, lived amongst their people. The Sword Gods were born of Hiisi, The Lord of Darkness, a vile and twisted Finnish deity who came to Harqual to take the Essence of Cronn and corrupt the people of the land. The war raged across Harqual, god vs. god and mortal vs. mortal.
Eventually the war spilled over into Outer Planes. Many gods died on each side of the conflict and when the final battle came, the two pantheons clashed on the shores of Lunia while the rest of the Multiverse watched. Hiisi launched a full assault forcing demons and dark followers to throw themselves against the petitioners and angels loyal to the North Gods.
In the end, the North Gods won and the fiends retreated. Cronn’s noble godson, Jaeger, God of Honor, trapped Hiisi in a dueling circle surrounded by the Finnish Gods, in Ympyrä Ristiriita, or The Challenge. Unable to defeat the powerful greater god, Jaeger sacrificed his Essence to the Outer Planes so that Hiisi would remain banished in Carceri, “for as long as my Great Father watches over the lands and people of Harqual”.
The fall of the Sword Gods left the Old Sword Imperium in chaos, which led to the time of the Black Wars.
Now, in current times, the past threatens to tear apart the present. New kingdoms and city-states fight to protect their lands from the dark followers of the remaining Sword Gods, as well as the machinations of the evil humanoids. A third ogre war seems inevitable. Worse still the continent suffers under an ancient & forgotten threat.
As Jaeger banished Hiisi, Cronn beseeched the World Goddess, Mirella, to banish another enemy from Harqual. This other god, Tu, Lord of the Tabaxi, tried to conquer Harqual as the last battle was being fought on Lunia. The World Goddess banished Tu and his people for a 1,001 years. Time passed the people of Harqual forgot about the tabaxi, even the longest-lived of the elves. They passed into legend and myth as the races of Harqual fought each other and the humanoids threatening them all.
The 1,001 years are over. The tabaxi have returned and they bring the vengeance of Tu with them. War breaks out in the southern lands. Then, as if Fate was against Harqual, came The Transformation. A cataclysmic event, which causes strange magical fog to roll across the continent, warping land, creatures, and even individuals. Strange new lands, filled with new people and/or entire races, replace tracts of virgin wilderness or the fog warps the current land into new shapes and forms. Nothing is spared.
Chaos ensues. Alliances are broken, old feuds are renewed. No one is safe. Will the ogres come again? Will they align with the tabaxi and conquer all of Harqual?
Not even the gods know.
Eras of Harqual
Kulan's (and Harqual's) history stretches back over several thousand years but it is the time before, during, and after the Divinity War, which is most important (one should read it in order). This history isn't detailed down to every point but that is what I prefer for my campaign setting.
This is the only place where I could possibly start. Before anything else about Kulan existed there was Harqual. Born out of barbaric beginnings, Harqual is a land rich with wild tracts of land, untamed peoples, and strange magical phenomena.
Harqual's Prehistory
The First Era
The Second Era
The Third Era
The Divinity War
The Story of the Divinity War
Harqual's Recent History
Aftermath: The Third Era Continues
The Fourth Era
The Fifth Era
Timeline
Timeline for Harqual
Gazetteer of Harqual
This section will have its own page.
Geography of Harqual
The continent of Harqual is known for its colder climate, although the Far South is considered subtropical to tropical due to warm air and ocean currents coming up through the Wakuna Sea to the southeast and the Hallian & Valossan Seas to the southwest.
This section will have its own page.
Non-Player Characters of Harqual
NPCs by Region
Sources
Map to be added later.
The Lands of Harqual are full of conflict. For generations, the diverse races of the continent have been either fighting amongst themselves or battling the constant threat of humanoid invasion. Ogres, orcs, gnolls, and other evil humanoids roam the wild tracts of land between dozens of countries and city-states of the humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, gnomes, and the rakasta. Twice have the ogres led the humanoid invasions, which became known as the Ogre Wars.
Before that were even darker times. Most of its history, either lost to the ravages of time or in the ancient ziggurats of the Old Sword Imperium, has remained hidden. What the people do remember are what is collectively known as the Black Wars. This dark time saw the rise and fall of petty warlords and kings; brought about by the Divinity War between the North Gods and the Sword Gods.
The North Gods were born of the Lord of the North, Cronn, a pantheon of barbarian gods who, for a time, lived amongst their people. The Sword Gods were born of Hiisi, The Lord of Darkness, a vile and twisted Finnish deity who came to Harqual to take the Essence of Cronn and corrupt the people of the land. The war raged across Harqual, god vs. god and mortal vs. mortal.
Eventually the war spilled over into Outer Planes. Many gods died on each side of the conflict and when the final battle came, the two pantheons clashed on the shores of Lunia while the rest of the Multiverse watched. Hiisi launched a full assault forcing demons and dark followers to throw themselves against the petitioners and angels loyal to the North Gods.
In the end, the North Gods won and the fiends retreated. Cronn’s noble godson, Jaeger, God of Honor, trapped Hiisi in a dueling circle surrounded by the Finnish Gods, in Ympyrä Ristiriita, or The Challenge. Unable to defeat the powerful greater god, Jaeger sacrificed his Essence to the Outer Planes so that Hiisi would remain banished in Carceri, “for as long as my Great Father watches over the lands and people of Harqual”.
The fall of the Sword Gods left the Old Sword Imperium in chaos, which led to the time of the Black Wars.
Now, in current times, the past threatens to tear apart the present. New kingdoms and city-states fight to protect their lands from the dark followers of the remaining Sword Gods, as well as the machinations of the evil humanoids. A third ogre war seems inevitable. Worse still the continent suffers under an ancient & forgotten threat.
As Jaeger banished Hiisi, Cronn beseeched the World Goddess, Mirella, to banish another enemy from Harqual. This other god, Tu, Lord of the Tabaxi, tried to conquer Harqual as the last battle was being fought on Lunia. The World Goddess banished Tu and his people for a 1,001 years. Time passed the people of Harqual forgot about the tabaxi, even the longest-lived of the elves. They passed into legend and myth as the races of Harqual fought each other and the humanoids threatening them all.
The 1,001 years are over. The tabaxi have returned and they bring the vengeance of Tu with them. War breaks out in the southern lands. Then, as if Fate was against Harqual, came The Transformation. A cataclysmic event, which causes strange magical fog to roll across the continent, warping land, creatures, and even individuals. Strange new lands, filled with new people and/or entire races, replace tracts of virgin wilderness or the fog warps the current land into new shapes and forms. Nothing is spared.
Chaos ensues. Alliances are broken, old feuds are renewed. No one is safe. Will the ogres come again? Will they align with the tabaxi and conquer all of Harqual?
Not even the gods know.
Eras of Harqual
Kulan's (and Harqual's) history stretches back over several thousand years but it is the time before, during, and after the Divinity War, which is most important (one should read it in order). This history isn't detailed down to every point but that is what I prefer for my campaign setting.
This is the only place where I could possibly start. Before anything else about Kulan existed there was Harqual. Born out of barbaric beginnings, Harqual is a land rich with wild tracts of land, untamed peoples, and strange magical phenomena.
Harqual's Prehistory
The First Era
The Second Era
The Third Era
The Divinity War
The Story of the Divinity War
Harqual's Recent History
Aftermath: The Third Era Continues
The Fourth Era
The Fifth Era
Timeline
Timeline for Harqual
Gazetteer of Harqual
This section will have its own page.
Geography of Harqual
The continent of Harqual is known for its colder climate, although the Far South is considered subtropical to tropical due to warm air and ocean currents coming up through the Wakuna Sea to the southeast and the Hallian & Valossan Seas to the southwest.
This section will have its own page.
Non-Player Characters of Harqual
NPCs by Region
Sources
Map to be added later.
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