Excerpts from Historia Calradia: A Record of Calradian History

Nearly a century ago, the greatest and most destructive conflict in the history of the continent began. From across the Sea of Songs to the east, a great armada, flying banners never seen, began an assault on the beaches of the Republic of Halfholm, and the Duchy of Southshore. The invaders slew great swathes of brave Calradian soldiers, using magics never before encountered and beasts unimagined in the nightmares of sleeping children. Within weeks, the whole of Southshore's navy, greatest in Calradia, was all but obliterated. Halflingshire was in flames, and it seemed the war would be over sooner than later.

Our foes in this war were the Elves of the Direnni Celestial Imperium, a brutal, caste society of the twin races of High and Dark Elf. The cruel and wild magics they employed were unlike any on the continent, making their magisters, High and Dark, feared by all who knew of them. The disparate and divided armies of men, Halfling, and others stood little chance.

It was in this dark hour that the fateful decision was made. Heinrich Andalsfurt, King of the Kingdom of Altford and liege lord of Aberrang and Southshore, proposed the idea of a united Empire. He argued that only by consolidating forces and putting aside petty squabbles could the continent and its peoples survive. Miraculously, the other lords of the continent agreed. First came the Republic of Halfholm, already besieged by a great many foes. Next came the Free City of Adria, for the Gnomes feared the impending danger of Elven domination, and what it may mean for their ventures. Then, the Jarldom of Varangia, in spite of years of animosity and war with Altford. Soon after, the Count of Sylvannia and the Freehold of Stangard declared their support. At last came the secretive Wood Elves and reclusive Dwarves of Grofheim, stirred from isolation by impending doom. It was with this great host that the advance of the Direnni was stopped on the beaches of Southshore and in Halfholm, and in which the war entered its darkest phase.

For the next 71 years, generations of Calradians fought an increasingly nightmarish stalemate against the Elves and their servants. Southshore, with its vast vineyards and villas, was battered into a desolate wasteland. Despite this, a hero of the Great War allowed them to hold strong. The exiled pirate, Umbar Summerstone, came back to his homeland to harry the Elven fleet and organize a defense, later being declared the wartime Duke of Southshore. Though he would die years before the war's end, it is said Southshore would have fallen, if not for him and his family.

This provoked a horrid response from the Direnni. They began great bombardments of sorcery, tearing great holes in the earth and obliterating cities and fortifications. No theater was more affected by this than Halfholm, where great swathes of land still bear great holes in the earth, the most pronounced in the Burial Pits. In conjunction with these bombardments, the Direnni declared the formation of "The Army of Chains", or a vast legion of captured Humans, Half-Elves, and a great host of undead horrors. This horde was let loose on both the bays of Merry and Mathom, as well as swarming Halfholm. It was during this great surge that the Direnni declared The Extermination Campaign, in which they determined to turn Halfholm into the central base of operations for conquering the continent. This would be accomplished via the wholesale extermination of the Halfling race. The marks of the campaign cannot truly be healed, for an estimated 75% of the Halfling population was annihilated, and the land broken by the constant bombardments and ravenous hunger of the undead. The Calradian Imperial Army tried to hold back the onslaught, but failed to save Halfholm.

The war continued like this for another fifty years, of little change and great loss of life. Entire generations of Calradians lived in a world in which there was no peace, and most never lived to see it, when it finally came. The tide turned when a hero emerged. A vagrant-turned-officer with a brilliant mind was forced into a suicide charge on an entrenched position, and was captured by the Direnni at the age of 16. He was made to serve in the infamous Army of Chains. The Elves were surprised at his skill in both combat and command, and after two years gave him command of a large group of Half-Elven and Human slave soldiers, numbering roughly a thousand. After a year of loyal service with his commission, his time came. The young commander cried out "For The Empire!", and charged the Elven command positions. This revolt inspired many more slave regiments, and soon, tens of thousands of slaves were in full rebellion up and down the coast, throwing the Elven line into disarray. The Elves lost their entrenched positions along the length of the coast, becoming isolated in small pockets along the coastline, with only the Southshore theatre remaining stable. The young commander, hero of the war, was only 19. He went on to command the entirety of the Imperial Army for the remainder of the war, later settling into his current position as Grand Marshal of the Imperial Third Army Group. Under his watch, the command by men of high birth was abolished, turning the Imperial Army into a merit-based force. Any and all races were allowed and encouraged to join, for in his time as a vagrant and slave, he knew the value of all peoples. This man, the savior of Calradia, was named Raedric Fordragon.

After their route in the Battle of Esterlond, the Elves consolidated their armies in the south, holding it, but making no forward progress in the war. After 75 years of war, the Elves presented an offer of white peace, the Treaty of Southhorn. The Calradians has survived the onslaught.

The immediate postwar brought triumph and tragedy to the people of Calradia. It seems that the Holy Calradian Empire, as it was now called, would be here to stay for the time being. Its institutions were formalized and Calradia stood united. However, the great helmsman of the Empire, Emperor Heinrich Andalsfurt, passed away soon after the war's end.

It has been but twenty years after the signing of the Treaty of Southhorn, and Calradia has yet to recover. The Empire is plagued with problems and discord. Yet, as loyal citizens of our fair Empire, we must have faith that we shall continue on, standing united against the threats arrayed against ourselves and our comrades.