The World of Krynn

The Age of Might

The Age of Might was the golden age of Krynn. It lasted nearly a thousand years, and was a time of power, glory, and achievement. Eventually The Empire of Istar created the first government to rule all the continent of Ansalon. Silvanesti joined the Empire of Istar in the Treaty of Elfmeld. Under heavy pressure from neighbouring states, the dwarven kingdom of Kal-thax agreed to join. Finally, Solamnia and Ergoth submitted to the Greatmeld. The glory of Istar had now triumphed.

An unlimited future of peace was at hand. The forces of evil seemed to have been completely vanished, dragons were no more, and the ogres had been broken. In the 959th year of the Age of Might the High Kingpriest of Istar decided to rid the land of even the vestiges of evil by summoning one of the Gods to do his bidding...

The Cataclysm was the result.

The Cataclysm

The Gods were angered at the pride of the High Kingpriest, as a parent is angered by a wilful child. A fiery mountain was flung from the heavens to destroy the city of Istar. The very face of the land was changed. Mountains raised up, land sunk into the sea. Thus did the Gods punish the behaviour of their children, and thus did the gods hope their children would return to the path of righteousness.

Unfortunately the peoples of Krynn did not understand the lessons the Gods taught. They did not see that their own pride had brought catastrophe. They saw only the wrath of the Gods. Feeling abandoned, the people turned from the worship of the true Gods, and searched for other gods. Men came to worship false gods, and clerics lost the power to work divine magic. Everywhere the people of Krynn turned on their champions. Even the once-noble Knights of Solamnia lost favour because they could not undo the Cataclysm.

Chaos reigned throughout Krynn in the shadow years that followed the Cataclysm. The dwarves of Thorbardin, blaming humans and all other races for the tragedy, shut the doors of their kingdom against all, including their own kin on the outside. The wizard Fistandantilus, the most powerful mage of his time, led the armies of dwarves and humans in the Dwarfgate War. When his defeat became certain, he loosed a spell of such destructive power that both armies were destroyed. The wave of magic that flowed from the event washed over the surface of the world destroying enchantments.

The Innfellows

It is now the three hundredth and fifty-first year after the Cataclysm (351 AC). Dragons have not appeared in the world of Krynn for over a thousand years. Indeed, most people of Krynn, except for a few scholars, believe that dragons are but children's tales. Flint and his friends have pondered for many years if the gods and divine magic really existed. When they heard rumours about priest performing miracles they would often investigate.

Image Credit: Larry Elmore	Name: Caramon Majere
	Class: Fighter (Eldritch Knight)
	Background: Caramon was born to Gilon and Rosamun Majere in the town of Solace in 326 AC and named after his great-grandfather Caramon. He is Raistlin's twin and Kitiara's half-brother, He could not be more unlike his siblings. He is honest and open where Raistlin is cynical and reserved, friendly and compassionate where Kitiara is wild and passionate. Although the twin brothers were nothing alike, Caramon loved his brother Raistlin dearly, and frequently protected him from bullies. When Raistlin discovered his natural aptitude for magic, no one was more pleased for him than Caramon, even though Raistlin's new studies made him a poor companion. The twins were born when Kitiara was eight. One twin was strong and healthy, but the other nearly died at birth. Because their mother was frail, it fell to Kitiara to raise the two. Caramon, the first-born twin, showed himself to be a warrior born. He quickly acquired fighting skills, and was soon a champion swordsman. Caramon accompanied Tanis and Flint on trips in the Solace area, and grew into a powerful fighting man. At the age of twenty, he and Raistlin met with their companions for what would be the last time in many long years. For Raistlin had been granted an opportunity to take The Test of High Sorcery an experience that would make him into a powerful mage. Flint organised the transport to take them south to Wayreth. At the Tower of High Sorcery in Wayreth Caramon learnt some minor magics to help protect his brother. With the Test of High Sorcery under his belt, Caramon and Raistlin slowly travelled north for the next five years, selling their services as mercenaries to whoever might grant them employment. The twins were able to successfully mix magic and steel surviving many a campaign as a result before returning to their home town of Solace.
Image Credit: Clyde Caldwell	Name: Flint Fireforge
	Class: Fighter (Champion)
	Background: Flint is a Neidar Dwarf, born in the wilds of the Kharolis Mountains in 203 AC. His father fought in the Dwarfgate Wars against the mountain dwarves, and told Flint many stories about that terrible conflict. After the Cataclysm, humans and Neidar sought refuge in the ancient Dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin. The mountain dwarves, fearing they would be overrun, shut the gates of the kingdom, shutting out their kin, the Neidar, in the process. War raged for years, and both armies were obliterated in the final battle. The mountain dwarves who remained closed Thorbardin forever. The Neidar dwarves, shattered by the war, broke up into small clans. Flint was born into the poverty and hardship of his people, and grew up with a deep hatred of the mountain dwarves that had so betrayed his people. Flint had a near-brush with drowning that left him terribly afraid of water. Flint learned his trade as a metalsmith from his father, and set out into the world when he became an adult. His official reason for leaving was to find a more lucrative place to ply his trade, but secretly he dreamed of returning rich and powerful to reunite the Neidar Kingdom. Eventually, Flint moved to Solace, since that town was located near all the major trade routes (and had one of the finest inns in the known world). His work was much in demand because of his skill, and he became one of the few dwarves welcome in the elven kingdom of Qualinesti. There he met a young half-elf named Tanis, and they formed a fast friendship. When Tanis left Qualinost, he came to Flint in Solace, and Flint took the young half-elf on as a business partner. Together, they roamed the Solace region, and even traveled west across the mountains. They never went south, for Flint was not yet ready to face his own people again. Although Flint grew increasingly crotchety as he aged, Tanis seemed to attract young, energetic people such as Caramon, Kitiara and Tasslehoff. The Companions formed around Flint and his young assistant. Flint, though always gruff, became much fonder of the Innfellows than they ever realized and organised transport to take Caramon and his brother to Wayreth on the southern side of the Qualinesti kingdom.
Image Credit: Larry Elmore	Name: Goldmoon
	Class: Cleric (Life Domain)
	Background: Goldmoon was born Chieftain's Daughter in the Que-Shu tribe of plainsmen in 322 AC. She was a priestess and her father's confidant after the death of her mother. At the age of eight she was an accomplished diplomat. Her people worshipped her as a goddess. She loved the plains, and had a special rapport with animals. Her childhood was very happy. But then she fell in love with a shepherd. She was destined to marry the son of the village shaman, whom she hated, but her heart belonged to Riverwind, the child of a family exiled for refusing to worship the tribal ancestors and believing in the old gods. It was the law of the Que-Shu that a man who challenged a lawful betrothal must undertake a quest to prove himself worthy. Because Goldmoon's father was determined that the princess should not marry beneath her station, he sent Riverwind on an impossible quest to find evidence of these ancient gods. He hoped Riverwind would die or fail, or that Goldmoon would learn to love another. Riverwind was gone many years, and Goldmoon became an adult. Her father was sick in mind, and Goldmoon took on many of the Chieftain's duties. Her love for Riverwind never diminished. One day, Riverwind returned, half-dead and feverish. In his hand, he clutched a staff made of blue crystal. He raved about a dark place, a broken city where death had black wings. He remembered a woman, dressed in blue light, who gave him the staff. Goldmoon's father looked at the staff, and commanded it to do something anything. Nothing happened. And so Goldmoon's father proclaimed Riverwind a fraud, and ordered him stoned to death for blasphemy. Goldmoon rushed to his side as the tribesmen threw stones and then suddenly they were teleported away! They found themselves far from home with only the staff to aid them. In her dreams Goldmoon has had visions of Mishakal, the Healer and learnt of the true gods. The magical staff acts as a Medallion of Faith and allows her to channel divine magic. She has become the first true cleric in over 350 years.
Image Credit: Vera Gentinetta	Name: Raistlin Majere
	Class: Wizard (Evoker)
	Background: Raistlin is a magic-user of great natural talent, but he has paid a heavy price for his skill. Raistlin is Caramon's mirror-image twin brother and Kitiara's half-brother (they share the same mother). He could not be more unlike his twin, for he is secretive, cynical, and distrustful. Nevertheless, he loves his brother perhaps Caramon is the only thing Raistlin truly loves. The twins were born in 326 AC when Kitiara was eight. One twin Caramon was strong and healthy, the other Raistlin was born sickly and frail. It seemed for a while that Raistlin might die in infancy, but Kitiara's nursing saved his life. Their mother died when the twins were young, and Kitiara took over their upbringing. It was clear from the very beginning that Raistlin was a weakling, and Kitiara despaired of him. Caramon blossomed into a healthy, powerful fighter, and frequently protected his younger brother from bullies. Raistlin grew to a bitter hatred of all bullies, and developed a strong desire for justice. The experiences of his childhood soured him on most people, and he grew cynical and bitter at an early age. He showed promise as a scholar and learned to read before he went to school. When Raistlin was five, his father took him to a village fair, where he watched a local illusionist perform. The illusionist was not very good, but Raistlin was totally absorbed in the performance. When the boy returned home that evening, he could perform every one of the illusionist's tricks. His family was amazed. Magic, his father realized, was Raistlin's key to survival in this world. He was taken to a well-respected mage and presented as a prospective pupil. The mage was not overly impressed with the boy, especially because of his weak health and his unlikable personality. But while the mage and Raistlin's father talked, the boy wandered into another room and began to read a huge book. The mage was about to take the book away, but then realized that the boy could read magic without study! And so Raistlin was accepted as a pupil. He learned rapidly, and quickly outstripped the other students. At an unusually young age, he was invited to present himself for the Test he would come back a powerful magician, or not at all. Caramon accompanied Raistlin on that fateful trip. Raistlin never talks about what happened there, but the terrible ordeals broke his health, turned his skin the color of gold, and changed the pupils of his eyes into hourglasses. His eyes are a terrible curse for through them he sees time rushing past, and everything die and wither in its time.
Image Credit: Clyde Caldwell	Name: Riverwind
	Class: Barbarian (Totem)
	Background: Riverwind was born to a disgraced family of the Que-Shu tribe of plainsmen in 319 AC. His family had been cast out of the tribe years ago for refusing to worship the tribal ancestors. His grandfather believed in ancient gods who had existed before the Cataclysm, although he could find little evidence of such gods in the world. The young boy became a shepherd, and spent many long, lonely nights tending his flock in the plains. He grew quickly into a young giant of a man, and became an excellent hunter and tracker. When he came of age, he was accepted as a Que-Shu because of his skills, and became a Far Hunter for the tribe. Although a member of the tribe, his family heritage kept him at the bottom of the tribal hierarchy. Then he fell in love with the Chieftain's Daughter. Goldmoon was a young beauty, worshipped as a goddess by her people. She fell in love with him as well. He felt that his life was blessed beyond all measure. Unfortunately, Goldmoon was betrothed by her father to the son of the village shaman. Riverwind then exercised his right as a tribesman to challenge the betrothal. Under Que-Shu law, he then had to undertake a quest to prove that he was worthy of Goldmoon's hand. Because Goldmoon's father did not want Riverwind to marry his daughter, he gave the Far Hunter an impossible task to find evidence of the ancient gods. Riverwind traveled far to the north, reaching the shores of the Newsea. He followed the sun and the moon and the stars, aimlessly searching. Finally, he came upon a ruined city and found himself in an evil dream... He remembered little of what happened to him in that dark city. In his nightmares he dreamed of death on black wings, and of a woman dressed in blue light who saved his life. That woman gave him a staff of blue crystal. Delirious and half-dead, he returned to Que-Shu and presented the staff as fulfillment of his quest. Goldmoon's father commanded the staff to do something anything but nothing happened. Enraged, he threw the staff back to Riverwind, proclaimed him a fraud, and ordered him stoned to death for blasphemy. As the plainsmen began to throw rocks, Goldmoon rushed to his side to die with him, if need be but then the blue crystal staff showed its power, and the two were teleported away...
Image Credit: Larry Elmore	Name: Tanis Half-Elven
	Class: Ranger (Hunter)
	Background: Tanis was born in 249 AC during the terrible Shadow Years that followed the Cataclysm. His mother was a Qualinesti elf who was assaulted by a human plainsman. She escaped to Qualinost, but died giving birth to a halfbreed: Tanis. The elves of Qualinost, who revere life as sacred in all forms, raised Tanis as one of their own. Nonetheless, the mixture of human and elven blood was unusual. Tanis felt the difference between himself and his elven cousins strongly. As a ward of the Speaker of Suns, the ruler of Qualinost, Tanis grew close to the Speaker's three children Gilthanas, Porthios, and Laurana. Laurana developed a childhood crush on Tanis. He felt he loved her, too, but she remained a child when he began to feel the stirrings of adulthood. To avoid conflict with his adopted family, and to learn about his human side, he felt the time was right to leave the elven realm and see the world. A bitter conversation with Gilthanas helped clinch his decision. Tanis, journeyed to Solace to visit Flint Fireforge, a dwarf who had been his friend for many years, and became Flint's business partner. Solace became his home, although he and Flint traveled throughout Abanasinia on business. In those years, he became a seasoned adventurer, a fighter, and a natural leader. Slowly, a group of companions formed around Tanis, including Tasslehoff, Caramon, Raistlin and Kitiara. Kitiara, half-sister to Caramon and Raistlin, was an alluring dark-haired beauty, passionate and wild. They fell in love Tanis, because he had never met a woman as strong and self-assured, Kitiara, because she had never met a man who could stand up to her. Many of the roads became impassable In those years with rumors of growing trouble from bandits, ogres, goblins, and even worse creatures in the land. Business fell off. With the twins heading to the tower of Sorcery the Innfellows each found other quests and one day they parted. Each of the companions swore a solemn oath to meet at the Inn of the Last Home again in five years time. Tanis set out to find evidence of true gods in the land. For five years, Tanis roamed the known world, finding much that was strange and evil but nothing of the true gods. Finally, discouraged, he returned to Solace to meet his companions once more.
Image Credit: Larry Elmore	Name: Tasslehoff Burrfoot
	Class: Rogue (Thief)
	Background: Tasslehoff Burrfoot is a Kender, a diminutive race found throughout the world of Krynn. Like all kender, he left home at the age of 18 because he was stricken by wanderlust, the uncontrollable urge to travel and make the great map of every land. No kender in wanderlust has ever completed the great map, but most kender have great collections of maps some useful, most obsolete. Tasslehoff is no exception. Tas's map was especially confused by an unfortunate incident with a magic ring of teleportation that kept transporting him to unknown lands without notice. No one but Tas ever saw the ring or believed the story, either. Tasslehoff was born somewhere in northern Ergoth in 313 AC, and is a member of the Stoat clan of kender. His parents traveled in the Solace region, where they studied the lives of the plainsmen. What the plainsmen thought of the kender is nowhere recorded. Tas acquired skills as a handler (the word thief is considered impolite), and used it extensively to satisfy his curiosity about everything. It was that curiosity that led to him taking a bracelet from Flint Fireforge's stall at a market. Flint was outraged, but Tanis decided he liked the little kender, and so they all became friends. (Flint, although he has never said a nice word about the kender, actually likes him a good deal.)