The current campaign running in Ilisara began on 11/03/18 with two level 1 characters, Jard Stonebrook and Kallix Erendwain. It is called Drums of War.
Contents
Drums of War Overview
Chapter 1: Selune's Chosen
The world is poised on the edge of a new age. Arth, disembodied after the creation of the Dark Below, has finally found a new host: a young orc from Thes. Isandor's armies march under banners of Vandun and Arth, the gods of shadow and blood, ready to take Hellan after a new eruption from Mok'gram.
Meanwhile, in Hellan, our heroes Kallix and Jard have witnessed a divine event where Selune, Duros and Hejong confronted Vandun for inciting war, improperly seizing Hejong's domain. Selune blessed the pair and they have taken it upon themselves to right the wrong perceptions the Dark Elves hold about Selune. Kallix and Jard encountered desecrated shrines of other gods and goddesses in Thornwall and retrieved a prophecy stone showing Vandun's vision for the world: all of the other gods enslaved or dead, while he ruled in chaos. Jard's sister Sarah was killed.
Kallix and Jard met with Ravielle Riversong, the wood elf leader, and marched to Winterheart where they caused a schism between Vandun-worshippers and Selune-worshippers. This resulted in all-out war. The Vandun-worshippers slaughtered many of the other dark elves.
At this point, the Confederacy stepped in and offered aid to the Selune-worshiping dark elves via Markus Thrain and Asgarion Dawnwalker. The Selune-worshipers, now calling themselves star elves, agreed. They received a seat on the Confederacy. The star elf refugees have moved mostly to the Crescent Islands. The Confederacy's human and sun elf armies marched on Winterheart to clear out the remaining evil dark elves and took heavy casualties, while the dwarven army moved to Hellan's southern border, as reports of an imminent orcish invasion have been circulating.
Chapter 2: Battle at the Border
A massive battle at the border occurred. The dwarven border forces took heavy hits as orcs advanced on the great border wall. Star elf reinforcements arrived, then wood elves, but the battle was looking like a loss for the Confederacy until Thrain and Vestia's armies arrived. With the united Confederacy, the orcs had met their match.
Arth and Vandun appeared in person on the battlefield to rally the orcs. Markus Thrain made a transformation in secret, and took his place as Hejong the grand arbiter on the battlefield. He fought Vandun and Arth and banished them both: Arth to the Dark Below, Vandun to the heavens.
Veladriel, Ahellion, and the united forces descended on Fort Burmos, which orcs had overrun. Veladriel used Ilterendi to destroy the city. Queen Tristia Renbran retreated with her dwarvish forces. In the end, the Confederacy won the great war.
Chapter 3: Ascension
In the wake of the war, several characters want to reach greater heights of power. Queen Veladriel, King Ahellion, and their child Aster Dawnwalker all desire divinity. With Hejong's identity revealed to all three, they hatch a plot to marry Aster to Hejong and uncover Hejong's godly secrets. Aster makes every effort to woo Hejong, and is successful: he agrees to be her boyfriend.
In the meantime, Veladriel seeks guidance from Varos and at long last is made Varos' Chosen. She gains immortality, but sleights Varos by not submitting to his desire for her heart. She and Ahellion begin plotting ways for Ahellion to gain immortality so that they never need to be apart. Veladriel learns that the pantheon is displeased with Hejong giving mortals forbidden knowledge about ascension, and vows to protect him. She also tries to seek out Arilos -- the Chosen of Hejong -- but he is missing.
Campaign Timeline
Drums of War begins in the year 700. See the calendar page for more information about how years are divided into days and seasons.
Day 40 — Jard and Kallix meet
Day 42 — Divine intervention at Riverbrook; Kallix and Jard are blessed by Selune
Day 45 — Jard and Kallix arrive in Thornwall and acquire prophecy stone; Jard’s sister is killed by Kallix
Day 50 — Kallix’s Birthday / Winter Solstice
Day 56 — Jard and Kallix arrive in Rivelin
Day 60 — Jard and Kallix leave Rivelin
Day 62 — Ravielle flies for Vestia
Day 72 — Winterheart Massacre
Day 74 — Zekhan, Ravka, Tristela decide to join the Confederacy and accept their aid
Day 75 — Markus sends word to Thrain. Asgarion departs for Vestia with Kallix, Jard, and ~300 star elf refugees
Day 77 — Thrain responds. Its army begins marching to Winterheart. Ravielle arrives in Vestia. Ahellion and Veladriel inform her of the state of the border, and ask her support in the war. Ravielle sends a message to Rivelin asking Myneria to call all off-duty guards, sentries, etc. to gear up for war and head to the southern border.
Day 78 — Zekhan, Ravka, Tristela start moving the star elves to the Crescent Islands
Day 80 — Wood elf emissaries meet the star elves and invite them to come to the Redleaf Woods. 5,000 star elf refugees depart. Queen Tristia Renbran and dwarves reinforcements head south towards the border.
Day 85 — By order of the dwarven Queen, all tunnels beneath Snowpeak are collapsed. Ravielle's message arrives in Rivelin. Myneria begins marshaling wood elf troops.
Day 86 — The star elves start to camp and clear the Crescent Islands to be lived upon
Day 87 — Asgarion, Kallix, Jard, and the star elf refugees arrive in Vestia. Star elf refugees arrive in Rivelin.
Day 88 — Valindra Qintoris begs forgiveness from Veladriel and Ahellion. Ahellion gives Veladriel the right to Valindra's life, and Veladriel nearly has her executed before Varos guides her otherwise. Veladriel instead sets Valindra a penance: to recover Hestia and return her to Vestia. Arilos promises to help Valindra with this when the war is over, unbeknownst to Veladriel.
Day 89 — Queen Veladriel and King Ahellion leave Vestia with Arilos, and begin moving towards their army.
Day 93 — Thrain’s army arrives outside Winterheart and begin making battle preparations.
Day 94 — With a human emissary or two, 10,000 star elf refugees set out for Thrain.
Day 96 — The armies strike Winterheart together, led by Markus Thrain, King Ahellion, and Queen Veladriel. Fighting begins.
Day 101 — Winterheart is conquered on the first day of Spring. Markus Thrain meets with the Knezi. As new members of the Confederacy, they are obligated to send forces to the border. After some negotiation, Clan Erendwain sends its entire Crescent Island military force, leaving only a handful of their military in Winterheart to hold the civilians in check.
Day 106 — The armies have mobilized in the lowlands beneath Winterheart and prepare to head south to the border.
Day 110 — The Dwarves arrive at the southern border
Day 111 — The star elves have makeshift buildings set up on the Crescent Islands
Day 115 — The wood elf forces are marshaled, and Myneria sends them towards the border. Ravadi takes notice and invokes her right as Ravielle's daughter to take charge of their forces.
Day 118 — The star elf refugees arrive in Thrain
Day 132 — The first strike of the Orcish Warlords at the southern border occurs.
Day 135 — The star elf reinforcements arrive at the southern border.
Day 139 — The wood elf reinforcements arrive at the southern border
Day 142 — The armies have made it to their respective places on the southern border at their forts. The big battle commences. Hejong appears in the flesh, as do Vandun and Arth. Hejong banishes Arth to the Dark Below and Vandun is shackled in chains and locked in the pantheon's "heaven".
Day 145 — The great battle wages on, and the orcs breach the wall in several places. Veladriel, Ahellion, Markus, and others head to Fort Burmos.
Day 146 — Queen Tristia Renbran abandons the battlefield after Queen Veladriel uses Ilterendi to destroy the overrun Fort Burmos. Hejong appears in the flesh, and appoints Arilos his Chosen one. Hejong and our heroes help win the war.
Day 147 — Without their gods, and having taken heavy casualties, the orcs finally retreat. The war is over. Everyone begins to head home. Arilos sustained heavy injuries and has lost some of his memories, specifically how to use his magic.
Day 165 — Everyone has returned to their respective homes. Hejong (posing as Markus Thrain), Veladriel, Ahellion, Ravielle, Asgarion, and Arilos are reunited in Vestia. Valindra has spent the time preparing, snooping, and learning about the new world she is a part of. She has spent time with Kateran Dawnwalker, and is eager to get going on her mission to find Hestia.
Day 167 — Aster is made heir to the crown as part of a plan to marry her to Hejong, and have a god to rule Vestia and produce divine heirs. Asgarion proposes to Ravielle and runs away with her.
Day 170 — Aster and Hejong meet.
Day 172 — Aster takes Hejong to a resort in western Vestia, where he agrees to be her boyfriend.
Day 173 — Varos visits Veladriel and makes her his Chosen one, thus rendering her immortal and imbuing her with divine power. He grows angry that she will give him nothing in return, and vanishes.
Day 175 — Veladriel and Hejong speak about what it means to be "Chosen", and how a mortal can ascend to godhood.
Day 176 — Arilos sneaks out of Vestia with Valindra to hunt Hestia down.
Day 180 — Arilos and Valindra arrive in Enmore.
Troop Numbers
Original Border Forces: 200k Dwarves, 100k Humans, 100k Elves
Day 110: 600k Dwarves arrive at the border
Day 132: Orcish Attack
Day 135: 50k Star Elves arrive at the border
Day 139: 90k Wood Elves arrive at the border
Day 142: 100k Humans, 450k Sun Elves arrive at the border
- Dwarf forces remaining in Snowpeak: 100k.
- Human forces remaining in Thrain: 100k.
- Sun Elf forces remaining in Vestia: 100k.
- Wood Elf forces remaining in Redleaf: 10k.
- Erendwain forces remaining in Winterheart: 30k. (0 in Crescent Islands)
Ilisara's History Through Our Characters' Eyes
Ilisara's official Timeline includes the world's lore, but our special Character Timeline includes the history that relates specifically to our characters.