![[Runera Banner.png]] # **Welcome to Runera** Runera is a violent, untamed land where only the strong survive and suffering is the norm. Kings and lords wage petty wars against one another and permit countless atrocities in service of their greed. [[Elves]], [[Dwarves|dwarves]], and other abused [[Races|races]] gather in miserable ghettos where they are tormented by [[Men|men]] who despise them. Slaves bound by collar and chain are forced to labor day and night for masters who see them as little more than cattle. Bloodthirsty bandits roam the countryside, killing and robbing any who are foolish enough to cross their path. Vile [[monsters]] dwell in the dark and forgotten places of the world, preying upon both [[Men|men]] and beasts. To live in Runera is to forever be in search of peace and civility, and to always be met with nothing of the sort. Some might think to beseech the [[Gods|gods]] for aid, but even in the direst of circumstances they will be met only with deafening quiet. For over a millennia ago, the Dark Lord Balcorion brought about their everlasting Silence when he raised his fell stronghold of the Godspire and attempted to breach the Heavens to slay the [[Gods|gods]] themselves. To see his vile will done, the Black Prince shattered the [[Mantle]]: the firmamental barrier protecting Runera from the [[Magic|Chaos]] of the Beyond and all other worlds. This began the [[Coalescence]], during which the land itself was torn asunder, the [[Magic|Chaos]] of arcane [[magic]] seeped into Runera for the first time, and civilization was overrun by hordes of [[monsters]] from other worlds. To save the [[Gods|gods]] from the Dark Lord’s wrath and end the tumult rending the land, Balcorion’s brother, the great hero [[Andar]], joined in divine union with Alor the Allfather, god of light and master of creation, to sacrifice themselves in one final act of service. In doing so, they created the [[Veil]]: a new but imperfect barrier that sealed off Runera from the Heavens and all other worlds, permanently. After this Severance, only a rare few are privileged enough to hear the waning whispers of the Greater Powers for themselves, while the rest of mortalkind speak their prayers onto seemingly deaf ears. For those that would seek to explore and perhaps settle this unforgiving land, they are met with the ruins of the world’s ancient powers destroyed during the [[Coalescence]], now reduced to scarred and mutilated stumps of vestigial civilization. The [[Dwarves|dwarven]] [[Kharadrim]] lie infested with hordes of [[Men|man]]-eating goblins and savage dragonmen; the [[Elves|elvish]] realms of the Elderwood are profaned by accursed baenn sí and bloodthirsty ghûls; and [[Old Ildir]], once the greatest empire of [[Men|man]], is tormented by the restless wraiths and shades of the past. All of this serves as a stern reminder that, in Runera, the story of civilization always ends the same way: with catastrophic collapse. Many had hoped that heroes would arise to eradicate the countless [[monsters]] that plagued the land after the [[Coalescence]], but they never came. Instead, the [[Glints|glints]] did: unscrupulous and itinerant monster hunters named for the bright glinting of the silver weapons they carry and the coin for which they lust. Gathering in unruly gangs, they wander from village to village, hearing the pleas of the downtrodden who have hidden themselves behind feeble palisades and crumbling barbicans for fear of what lurks beyond. Yet not matter how desperately these folk beg for the aid of [[Glints|glints]] and their silvered weapons, they will only offer it if a contract is signed and a sum of gold for the monster's head is agreed upon. Such is the unfortunate truth in Runera: "heroism" comes at a price. In place of the fallen empires has risen the [[Hand of Alor]], a religious order of unparalleled power. The [[Hand of Alor|Hand]] is led by the prophetic Exarch and his Oracles, who have reclaimed the Godspire as the seat of their power and declare to have heard within its depths the waning whispers of the [[Gods|gods]] themselves. With their legions of fanatical Templars, they violently enforce strict doctrine while enacting atrocities against those they deem “heretics” and “degenerates.” To eradicate the many monstrous remnants of [[Coalescence]] that even [[Glints|glints]] cannot slay, the [[Hand of Alor|Hand]] employs the Vigilant Brothers: a zealous order of monster slayers who are also responsible for “Cleansing” any pagan sects, heretical villages, or rebellious towns that deny the [[Hand of Alor|Hand's]] authority. Who then can the people of Runera call upon for aid? The [[Gods|gods]] do not hear their prayers, their kings and lords care only for their vast treasures, and the common [[Men|man]] solely concerns himself with his own ambitions. The simple truth is this: the people of Runera are on their own. # Continue Reading > [!column|flex 2 no-t] > >[!recite|title-center bg-red] [[Campaign Intro]] > [!column|flex 1 no-t] > >[!recite|title-center bg-blue] [[World Map|World Map]] > [!column|flex 3 no-t] > >[!recite|title-center bg-orange] [[Races]] > > >[!recite|title-center bg-green] [[Cultures]] > > >[!recite|title-center bg-yellow] [[Gods]]