History of Canaan

According to legend, long before the Millenia of Darkness, settlers of all kinds — elves, dwarves, and humans — came to the land that would become Canaan to seek fortune and adventure. They found a prosperous land, formed, as later tradition holds, by the three divine Children of the gods Melora and Moradin, who shaped its seas, mountains and living things, and they built from it a Great Empire across the whole continent. This empire was singular and unified — one whole — and peace was maintained across it. There was great fortune for all people.

The specific governance of the Great Empire is not described in detail in surviving legends. Its unity is its defining characteristic, and the peace and fortune associated with it provide the standard against which all subsequent eras are measured.

The Era of Prosperity ended with an act of deliberate catastrophe. A group of terrorists — people who wanted power beyond what mortals could claim, who wanted to become as powerful as gods — enacted a plan across the land. Using powerful spells, they overthrew the king of the Great Empire. They killed him in a massive spellcasting battle, then began enacting laws and systems that transferred more and more power to themselves. Critically, they fed off the literal life-force of others, draining people of their power and their ability to resist. With the ability to rebel suppressed, the overlords consolidated control and plunged Canaan into what would become the Millenia of Darkness.

After the liberation from the overlords of the Millenia of Darkness, Canaan went through a period of political reorganisation. Many years passed with relatively little major event as different leaders and communities tried to rebuild. Eventually, two major empires began to grow:

In the south-centre, the Xeamian Empire grew rapidly, drawing on the open sea and plains for resources and expansion. It built its political identity on the ideals of freedom and self-thinking — the same values that had animated the rebellion against the overlords.

In the north, the Zawma Empire thrived in the Upper Basin, protected by the Itumue Mountains. It built its political identity on the belief that the pre-Darkness era of the Great Empire was a model worth restoring: royalty, prosperity for all, and a guarded, religious society.

Arakcadia was first settled as a trading post at the eastern point of Arakcadia Bay, a small but strategically positioned shipping and trade hub.

Arakcadia was formally founded as a civic polity through the creation of its Arakcadian Council. This date marks Arakcadia's transition from a trading settlement to an organised city-state.

As both empires continued to grow, unrest accumulated. Small conflicts began breaking out in border towns, indicating that the long period of parallel development had reached a point of genuine competition.

Trade between the Xeamian and Zawma empires broke down. Tariffs were imposed on many Xeamian goods at rates so high that trade ceased to be viable. This trade collapse created food shortages in Xeamian territories dependent on northern goods.

A small group of Xeamian extremists, described as desperate to regain food for their starving population, attacked an official Zawma ship. This act of political violence — whether representing broader Xeamian policy or a breakaway faction — sparked the Xeamian-Zawma Conflict, the regional war that engulfed all of Canaan.

The Xeamian-Zawma Conflict consumed and destroyed both empires. Both empires destroyed themselves in the process, leaving only the villages and communities that had broken off or survived independently. The conflict ended in 463 AP, concluding the Age of Peace.

The Xeamian-Zawma Conflict concluded in 463 AP, leaving both great empires destroyed. In the immediate aftermath, Canaan underwent a rapid and sometimes violent process of political reorganisation. Three successor nations crystallised from the fragments:

Zilaphelian Kingdom — The largest surviving fragment of the Zawma Empire, organised around the Upper Basin and following the Zawma's general ideals of royalty and religious order. The Zilaphelian Kingdom formed relatively intact from Zawman remnants.

Arakcadian Congress — Built on the pre-existing civic settlement of Arakcadia, which had survived the conflict due to its position and institutional development since 264 AP. The Congress is the institutional heir of Xeamian political values.

Veurim Empire — Emerged from communities that had been part of the Xeamian sphere but chose a specifically revolutionary path — a break not just from the old empires but from what they saw as Arakcadia's continued attempt to dominate the south. Veurim is the most ideologically distinct of the three successor states.

The Sundriam is the standing guard force of Easthills, a large town in the southern Mediata Savannah affiliated with the Arakcadian Congress. Founded around 530 NA, the Sundriam is a professional military and law-enforcement body responsible for the defence of Easthills' walls, the security of its gates, the patrol of its streets, and the enforcement of town council law. The force is immediately identifiable by its distinctive pale yellow underarmour and bright metal chestplates — a uniform that has become one of the most recognisable visual features of Easthills and a symbol of the town's investment in its own security.

As of 588 NA, the continent is in a state of relative calm that is beginning to crack:

• The Zilaphelian Kingdom and the Arakcadian Congress are allies, though the relationship is somewhat asymmetric in Zilaphela's favour
• The Arakcadian Congress and Droshdech are friendly trading partners, though not formal allies
• The Veurim Empire is officially marked as dangerous by Zilaphela, with direct travel forbidden; Arakcadia has blocked the Bronze Track crossing at the Veurim River
• The Veurim Empire has begun aggressive expansion toward villages in the Destitute Lands and has been targeting Droshdech
• Many towns in the Mediata Savannah are affiliated with Arakcadia as part of the Congress structure
• Some critics, particularly abroad, object to the restriction of historical records in Arakcadia, and there are rumours of underground groups in places like Droshdech devoted to preserving what has been withheld