Age of Turmoil

It is the year 1000 of the Lammisarean calendar. Roughly fifty years ago, strange ships carrying strange people arrived on the island of Lennai. The foreigners came from a land south beyond south which they call the empire of Luya and they brought guns and gunpowder with them.

Shortly after the early visits from Luya and still before the Three Empire War, a terrible plague swept across the lands. The enormous loss of life caused great turmoil; priests and nobles died unexpectedly, causing fights for succession. So many peasants died that there were not enough left to till the fields and dig the graves. The survivors of the plague seeked new answers to the big questions and new preachers were quick to provide them. Many different cults started to emerge and the church of Wiktar was shaken in its foundation.

As the clergy recovered from the plague, the newly crowned pontiff proclaimed an inquisition to root out all heresy and many followed the call. The cults were attacked and some disbanded, while others started to meet in secret. However, the most influential heretical preacher Zor-Heleukim had already gathered support from nobles to reform the church under their dominion.

Meanwhile, both the empires of Dal-Niram and Baltara competed to strike a trade deal with the foreigners. Ultimately, this led to the Three Empire War, where Luya and Baltara went to war with Dal-Niram. After a decade of fighting, an uneasy peace was accepted by all parties. The terms dictated that the island of Lennai was to become a protectorate of Luya and Baltara would gain preferential treatment in the gun trade.