<div align="center"><strong>Common and Public Knowledge</strong></div><br/>Here's what characters playing on the current continent would know, or have access to knowing.<br/><br/><strong>Major Events/Quest Hooks</strong>(Note: that these are available does not mean they are meant for players to investigate. Because this is a living world, stuff is going on all the time)<br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">Overview<br/><br/>Consider the following common knowledge:<br/><br/>At the end of the previous campaign, the Chosen War ended with the race establishing itself as a dominant force. Paradiel, God of Monsters, fled the scene and much of the old technology from the time of the Lords of Helios was suppressed far beneath the ground and beyond most people’s reach. The Shadow Legion has splintered; now possessing free will (and having separate genders, of sorts), the Legionnaires have begun defining their own territory and laws in relative isolation. With the heroes of the Chosen War to guard against the Weavers, the world seemed to be more or less quiescent.<br/><br/>Yeah, right.<br/><br/>Unfortunately, during their adventures, the heroes learned of an inclement draconic invasion, something that they were unable – or unwilling – to stop. In addition, the continent of Wai, home to the enigmatic Jun, has grown silent. Exports of consumable Maya sap, in the form of Gold Water, have shut down entirely. The only communications between Wai and the mainland are through the Monastery of the Fallen Star, run by the four-armed monk-hero said to have mastered the path of the Pivot. To the north and east, near Pervale, ships have been mysteriously vanishing. Reports are that Shadow Legionnaires still loyal to the ideals of Paradiel have been surveying that area.<br/><br/>Beyond these potentially significant events – the kingdom of Under, of the Dwarves, has continued to grow distant from the Empire. Slow trade, an issue for the last decade, continues and few, if any, dwarves are willing to admit the reasons why. If the heroes know, they aren’t telling. Perhaps something to do with the shattered Dwarven war machine? Relationships between the new Chosen King and Queen and the dwarves are terse, at best. The elven kingdom of Grace has closed its borders, minimizing trade, due to some sort of internal conflict that only natives know of.<br/><br/>On Pervale, land of the Golden Lords (also known as the Force Lords), an alliance has been struck between the Mind Flayers and the Beholders. Rumors from that island state that the two have banded together with an unknown third party to help a new generation of adventurers against a foe that threatens the world. Their methods, however, are more than a little questionable.<br/><br/>After their arrival via meteorite and the formation of their metallic island home, the Myregar have done relatively little expansion; there are no known ambassadors, no trade negotiations – nothing. Rumor has it, however, that part of the massive Dwarven war machine, destroyed years ago, had plans to mine out the riches of the foreigners, whether they liked it or not.<br/><br/>The Dragon Kingdoms – since renamed the Unaffiliated Commons (probably due to word of actual dragons…) has been happy and quiet with no issues. Isn’t that lovely?<br/><br/>Gathering – the island of Elementalists and Elemental Knights has seen a surge of power; apparently recent events in the realm of the Gods has further distanced the Gods and enhanced the sway of the elemental planes. This may influence elementally flavored classes and races world-wide, but – so far – no one knows for certain.<br/><br/>Dulona: The Dulosians remain in constant conflict with the land of undead to their south. Locked in endless war, the Dulosians are helpless to aid the other races and their alliances are tentative, at best.<br/><br/>Of the Weavers nothing is known. Ash, King of the Chosen, has since renounced most of his power (once again) and sent it after Paradiel. Word is that he is working on a permanent solution to stop the Weavers, and any number of other Extra-Planar threats from ever invading Ora again. We’ll see how that one goes…<br/><br/>•   Various factions of the Shadow Legion are hiring outsiders to assist them in military duty – holding land, fortifying locations, scouting, etc. The known factions are: The Diamond Spike, Dekal’s Hand, and the Might of The Legion.<br/>•   On Dulona the Mindflayers and Beholders are requiting adventurers for various “experiments” to “enhance them” against a coming enemy. They’ve somehow arranged for fliers to be placed everywhere in the major cities – however, next to them, are fliers suggesting adventurers stay away. <br/>•   Wai and Under are on virtual lockdown; no trade exists from either powerful nation.<br/>•   Accord is reliant on outside forces for aid; it needs help feeding and clothing its people. The massive city has been 60% rebuilt, but seeks architects, people with the ability to create things magically, or adventurers willing to use their Creation Stone visit to quest for gifts/artifacts to help rebuild and fortify the city. <br/>•   Several posters offer public bounty on all Chosen heads – these posters are often put in plain view of the Chosen, who ignore them. The bounty starts at 50 gold for a child and goes up to 10,000 gold for a King or Queen, or any of the children of a King or Queen, no questions asked. A 10 million gold bounty is on the head of the Chosen King Ash. These posters are often removed by the local populace, but are quick to reappear. No one knows who is putting them up. <br/>•   The Myregar have not expanded or made connections with other races. <br/>•   The Elves have let everyone know they are under attack, but that they have the situation under control. They’ve continued trade but closed their borders. Approach carefully. <br/>•   The Chosen Queen Aralyn has made it public knowledge that a Dragon invasion is eminent – within the next 12 years, she claims. No further details have been provided. <br/>•   Word of an Island appearing and disappearing to the North East has spread to most locations. <br/>•   Dulonia is at war with the Chosen; a relatively “peaceful” war that has gone on for the last 5 years with zero casualties. Few understand the motivation behind the war, but even among those few, no solution to the situation is obvious. <br/></div></div><br/><strong>Accord (Capital city of the humans, home of the Creation Stone)</strong><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">   Four years ago Accord was sieged by the near-combined might of the Shadow Legion for several months. The landscape was laid fallow by the most horrible of curses the army could muster – of which there were dozens. Over half the population was murdered, with the vast majority being in the low, or lower-middle class. Sixty percent of the city was also destroyed (primarily protective walls, infrastructure, and housing). <br/>   At the end of the war the Shadow Legion simply vanished. Some in Accord believe that the Chosen ended the war, but most, including the head of the Council in Accord, vocally oppose this view. At the time of the Shadow War, there were no more than 30 Chosen left alive on the entire planet. Despite the sudden surge in Chosen population after the end of the war, there is, in the dissenter’s words, “No way in the Hells of Under that the Chosen could have stopped the Legion.” <br/>   Nevertheless, the new Chosen appeared within a month of the war and began offering aid to the city’s abused poor. The exact details of what was said is unknown, but the dissenters claim that the Chosen Queen offered the farmers of the city free room and board, in addition to prime real estate, in return for vacating the city. Eighty percent of the farmers left, forcing the already stressed city into an acute state of famine. Already on the brink of starvation from the siege, people began dying, even the rich.<br/>   A month later, the Chosen returned. This time baring food, casting spells to help provide the population with sustenance, cleaning some of the cursed land around the city, and assisting in the rebuilding process. Some people embraced the Chosen’s actions, but an equal amount questioned their interests: with the Creation Stone in Accord, keeping Accord safe makes perfect strategic sense. What if the Chosen wanted to take over the city?<br/>   Three months into the “Chosen Occupation” (again, as the dissenters’ say), the Arch Elemental Mage Flameweaver brought in a large contingent of Blooded (estimates count them at around 3,000 – made sterile to keep them from breeding and “concerning” the people of Accord. The Blooded are also not considered citizens and have no access to the Creation Stone). He told the community that the Blooded came from the Old Wars, but that they were completely under his control and safe. To prove it, he demonstrated his ability to “program” simple skills into them; they could farm, help rebuild, even guard and police the city to some extent. Over the next year the Blooded became incorporated into almost all official city functions: most guard troupes function with 6 Blooded to 1 regular guard; the same can be said for the few existent farms around the city (Blooded do the grunt labor). <br/>   The Blooded now perform most, if not all, menial tasks for Accord with any volunteered Chosen contributions being rejected by the ruling Council. That said, the city still cannot feed its own (Blooded enhanced) and re-growing population, so it still accepts a Chosen presence and food assistance, albeit begrudgingly. <br/><br/>   Accord is still in a state of disarray. The exterior wall and all of the most important dwellings in the city were rebuilt by the Chosen before the Blooded took over. Under the less skilled abilities of the Blooded reconstruction, particularly skilled reconstruction, has gone much slower. Entire quadrants of the city remain in rubble, tent housing, or dilapidated buildings that are unsafe to stay in. The “middle class” and up all have rebuilt buildings. Note: Middle class in this case means someone with skills, investments, or Gifts that produce revenue. <br/>   Ambassadors from other communities are re-joining Accord, including those who distrust the new Chosen power. This has somewhat enhanced the perception that Accord is aligning against the Chosen.<br/>   The presence of prophets and clergy in Accord is at relatively slow but stable levels. Word is that the Distant Gods are, well, still distant (if not more so), but that has not dramatically influenced Divine Powers or Premonitions that anyone knows. <br/>   The Adventuring Guild of Accord was destroyed but has been rebuilt as the front of the Bardic College (as it was before). The Guild is a skeleton of its former self, though it is known to have its funds supplemented by numerous external sources and thus is offering greater payouts to those who work through it. <br/>   Merchants in Accord are doing surprisingly well. A large influx of population and investment from the Chosen and Flameweaver have made Accord seem to run with gold, attracting tones of goods – most of which is going to the aforementioned middle or upper class in the city. Unskilled labor has little chance in the city, other than to leave and go to Melk, where training is cheap or free (but only comes from the Chosen). In addition, the remnants of the Shadow Legion army have begun investing in the city in the form of reparations and cheap trade, unraveling their own curses, distributing food, and offering services. Their merchants often offer steep discounts, but are not solidly trusted: the Legion hasn’t unified under a single leader, so each merchant of the Legion is known to be out for his or her own. <br/>   The temple holding the Creation Stone is as it has always been, save that it is now guarded by 2 Chosen, known as the Dread. Several citizens of Accord also aid in this (there’s almost a sense of rivalry), but there have been no incidents of the Dread mistreating anyone who deserved to enter the temple thus far. <br/>   The Mage University and the Bardic College are largely untouched, with a caveat: lack of a fresh influx of information has left both somewhat stagnant. They are mostly up-to-date as of 10 years ago, but lack in some of the most recent legends and lore. With the recent reparations payments of the Legion, the Bardic college is now offering high bounties on legends and lore that are verifiable. The Mage University is also hiring new teachers and offering high stipends to students and recruiters. It is well known that the remains of the previous University’s President and her Husband are on the premises with a massive reward for anyone capable of bringing them back. (Note: True Resurrections have a 91% chance to fail due to the inaccessible nature of the Divine planes for all souls who have passed over 24 hours. In addition, some have a more difficult time being brought back).  <br/></div></div><br/><strong>Grace (Elven Kingdom) - Elves/Dryads Only</strong><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">Elves and Dryads know that Grace is under siege off the cost, by some sort of underwater army. Members of the Elven kingdoms are encouraged to adventure and find the source of these attacks, perhaps even using others to assist them in this (though they request information about the war be minimized)</div></div><br/><strong>Alternative Continents/Locations: Dulonia</strong><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body"><br/>Dulonia is West of Aeyun by about two weeks journey by the most advanced ships. Part of a dual-continent, possibly fused together at some point in its history, the Dulonians are a people ruled by serene passion. A large race(compared to humans), the Dulonians have an innate supernatural ability to infuse their creativity and skill into anything that they do.<br/><br/>Their continent is well known for its aesthetic beauty; a true contrast to the lands south of it – rumored to be filled with the undead.<br/><br/>The Dulonians are currently at war with the Chosen for reasons unknown.<br/></div></div><br/><strong>Alternative Continents/Locations: Pervale</strong><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body"><br/>Pervale is a small continent known to house the Force Lords. Their cities, founded around the time the Lords of Hell were banished, run on a unique substance that they call altrichar. Ancient and very powerful, the Force Lords are reclusive, domineering, and extremely powerful.<br/><br/>Force Lords are not known to breed true; their offspring, called “Imbued”, reflect but a shadow of their parents’ great powers.<br/><br/>South of the Force Lord capital, Iomed, the land is wild, dominated by massive beasts, Beholders, Mind Flayers, and other, even more dangerous, monstrous beings.<br/><br/>2 ranks in Knowledge: Pervale are required for details about its history.<br/></div></div><strong><br/>Alternative Continents/Locations: Wai</strong><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body"><br/>Wai is a large continent near the equator, South and West of Dulona. Home of the mysterious and enigmatic Jun, Wai is one of the foremost producers of Maya sap and its related products (including a form of goldwater.<br/><br/>Practitioners of inscrutable politics and reality-twisting magic known as Potentialism, the Jun keep themselves aloof and distant from most other races.<br/></div></div><strong><br/>Alternative Continents/Locations: Gathering</strong><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body"><br/>Gathering is a small continent north of Aeyun, and is the center of elemental disturbances on Ora. It is on Gathering that the Elementalists and Elemental Knights are at their prime; it is also on Gathering that elementals are vastly more dangerous.<br/></div></div><br/><br/>