Tales of the Lance

Contents

Welcome to the World of Krynn

Creating the Flavor of Krynn

 The Iconochronos of Astinus
 Lost Notes of Sir Tracy
 The River of Time
 History of Krynn

Astinus, Scholar and Mystery

 The Creation of Krynn
 All Dragons War
 All Saints War
 Starbirth of Mortals
 Arrival of the Last Gods
 Age of Dreams
 Age of Light
 Graystone of Gargath
 The Second Dragon War
 Ergoth Ascendant
 Kinslayer War
 Swordsheath Scroll
 The Rose Rebellion
 Birth of Nations
 The Third Dragon War
 A Golden Age
 Peace in the Land
 Knight of the Black Rose
 The Fall of Istar
 War of the Lance

Geography of Ansalon

The World That Was

The Cataclysm

The World That Is

The World That Might Be

People of Ansalon (PC Races)

 Barbarians
 Dwarves
 Gully Dwarves
 Elves
 Gnomes
 Kender
 Minotaurs
 Ogre 
 Irda

Character Classes of Ansalon

 Overview of Character Classes
 Class Descriptions

 Warrior Group Classes
 Wizard Group Classes
 Priest Group Classes
 Rogue Group Classes
 Normal Group Classes

Optional Rule: Status

Cast of Characters

 Friends
 Neutrals
 Foes

Gods of Krynn

 Gods in Creation
 Descriptions of the True Gods
 Gods of Good
 Gods of Evil
 Gods of Neutrality

Beasts and Monsters of Ansalon

 Children of Krynn
 Draconians
 Dragons
 Goblins
 Lost Folk of Ansalon
 Monsters of Ansalon

Special Artifacts of Ansalon

 Scroll
 Rings
 Rods, Staves, and Wands
 Miscellaneous Magic Items
 Magic Armor and Shields
 Magic Weapons

Random Treasure Determination

 Individual and Small Lair Treasures

Using the Adventure Map and Talis Cards

 How to Read the Map
 Getting Started
 Descriptions of Terrain and Locations
 Creating Chases

Adventure Generation with Talis Cards

 Talis Deck: Random Role-Playing Notes
 Talis Deck: Random Event Notes

Ansalonian Calendar

Allowable Clerical Spells

Exchange Rates Upon Krynn


                                


                                 ***

      Ten years have passed since the creations of the DRAGONLANCE(R)
fantasy setting. What began as a series of game adventures has grown
into over three dozen novels and anthologies, six calendars, a comic
book series, a number of best-selling computer games, award-winning
miniatures sets, and numerous game materials. Yet, in ten years, we
never offered a clear starting point for DRAGONLANCE campaigns -- an
introduction to the world of Krynn. Now, we do.

      This boxed set guides you through the lands and legends of
Ansalon, the continent where the DRAGONLANCE saga takes place. The
World Book you now hold outlines Ansalon's flora, fauna, nations,
people, heroes, histories, myths, and more -- all the critical
features for starting a DRAGONLANCE campaign. As well as providing a
starting point for DMs who are new to Krynn, this boxed set sums up
the voluminous work of a decade of adventure for long-time fans of
Ansalon. The ten-year lifespan of the DRAGONLANCE world places it
among the most venerable of game settings. The past decade also leaves
the DRAGONLANCE game world in need of revision and summation. This
boxed set fully expands the DRAGONLANCE saga for AD&D(R) 2nd Edition
rules. It also clarifies contradictions, corrects errors, and fills in
information omitted from earlier products. For old and new adventurers
alike, the Tales of the Lance boxed set is the source of information
for the continent of Ansalon.

                     Creatng the flavour of Krynn

      Adventuring in Ansalon differs from adventuring in any other
fantasy setting. The DRAGONLANCE saga is high fantasy -- a struggle of
Good versus Evil and the triumph of heroism in the face of
overwhelming odds. Hope, honor, loyalty to one's friends and gods,
courage, self-sacrifice, and perseverance are the meat and drink of
adventures on Ansalon. This World Book provides the one-of-a-kind
color and flavor of Krynn. From its mundane features, such as exchange
rates and month names, to the esoteric psychology of dragons, Krynn is
unique.

                          Caeatures of Krynn

      On Krynn, you will meet many unique races -- kender, draconians,
minotaurs, gully dwarfs, and high ogres, to name a few. On the other
hand, some stock fantasy creatures do not appear -- lycanthropes,
orcs, half-orcs, and half lings. All of the races and beast of Krynn,
however, are marked by individuality and diversity. Every creature --
even goblins and hobgoblins -- are fully detailed and
three-dimensional. A sense of wonder and amazement surrounds every
creature of Krynn.

      Dragons of Krynn provide a perfect example. They embody the raw
fury of the elements -- wind, storm, fire, cold, and noxious vapors.
The origins of the Good metallic dragons and the Evil chromatic
dragons lie in the foundations of the world itself. The high
intelligence of all dragons of Krynn makes them calculating,
unpredictable, and deadly. Worse yet, Krynn lacks most of the magical
devices and weapons that control or slay dragons, devices all too
common on other worlds. Those few magic items that do exist on Krynn
prove dangerous to employ because of their natural alignment to
dragons.

                            Fallen Nations

      Since the Cataclysm, which disrupted society and remade the
world of Krynn, scholarly knowledge in Ansalon has grown hopelessly
confused. Every journey is, therefore, one of discovery. Once-mighty
civilizations lie shattered and suspicious of their neighbors. Fearful
folk distrust or revile their brightest and best, the mages and the
Knights of Solamnia. Many cities still labor under the draconian yoke.
Clearly, the time for heroes is at hand.

                            Gods of Krynn

      Krynn is ruled by a vast pantheon of gods, each with his or her
own history and motivations. Even so, the peoples of Krynn have
abandoned the true gods, believing that the gods forsook them to the
Cataclysm. Only a handful of priests can still perform the miracles of
faith. But slowly the world rediscovers the truth and returns to the
gods.

      For their part, the gods continue their eternal struggle across
the face of Krynn. They occasionally appear upon the world in avatar
form, but more often shape history through worshippers, omens, and
go-betweens.

                          Stories and Sagas

      The tales of Krynn center around glory, honor, and love of
family, friends, and heart-mates. Treasure and personal gain are
devalued next to justice, truth, knowledge, and freedom. The tales are
epic in scope -- continuing sagas with profound conflicts and
recurring villains. Through personal heroism, adventurers face
overwhelming odds and victor at the last. Fate diverts the lives of
common men and women onto the path of heroism, making their small and
private struggles pivotal in the grand future of the land. In all
cases, the heroic spirit provides the brightest spark of hope in the
darkness. Those who can laugh in the teeth of dragons or, singlehanded
and weaponless, charge a passel of draconian guards, can coax that
spark of hope into a flame. And always behind the grim struggle of
today lies the bright hope of tomorrow.

      A sense of wonder and awe pervades the world of Krynn and the
cosmic struggle in which it is embroiled. Despite, or perhaps because
of, the unending wars, the tapestry of Krynn is richly textured and
brightly hued.

      Lastly, the world of Krynn abounds with diversity. Each monster,
each hero, each villain is unique and individual. By combining the
threads of countless lives, the grand tapestry of the saga emerges.
Create your own tales and help weave the grand history of Krynn!

      The next stories to be sung are about you and your companions.
The Shadow Years press like a weight upon the land and the devastating
War of the Lance has troubled every corner. Now, more than ever, Krynn
needs heroes such as you to right the wrongs of this terrible age, and
usher in the new time of hope.

                   Other Books for Exploring Krynn

Monstrous Compendium, Volume 4 -- DRAGONLANCE(R) Appendix (2105)
The Atlas of the DRACONLANCE(R) World (8448)

                                 ***

      Astinus of Palanthus, the renowned historian, made great efforts
to chronicle the history of Krynn in his scroll set, the Iconochronos.
These scrolls now fill the shelves of the Library of the Ages and the
Master Lorekeeper continually adds to their number. One long scroll
depicts the history of Ansalon as an unravelling river of time in
which famous events form clear currents. Much of this scroll is
illustrated with pictures of these key events. The scroll was
undoubtedly written by Astinus, but the origin of the art is a
mystery. This scroll appears in its entirety in the following pages.

      In this scroll, Ansalonian history has been divided into several
ages, which mark significant periods of cultural change. The ages that
passed before the elven scholars began to write are vast and
uncertain; they may span two to one-hundred millenia. None knows for
sure.

      The telling begins with the creation of the world, the Age of
Starbirth. These accounts came from the Plates of Pakafhas -- writings
of an early historian and religious leader from the Age of Dreams.
While much of that text is considered apocryphal by scholars, Pakafhas
nevertheless seems to be the most reliable source of early written
history.

      Following this age is a span of uncertain years, called the Age
of Dreams. This age was chronicled only in folk songs and ballads
during the Age of Light that followed. These songs were compiled in
the Lifescroll of Song by the elven bard, Quevalin Soth from
Silvanesti. A copy of that scroll was later presented to the Library
of the Ages at Palanthus, and was found therein by Astinus.

      The Age of Light marks the ascendance of the races of elves and
men, as the oppressive ogre empires fell into corruption. The elven
nation of Silvanesti shone then as a beacon of culture and art
throughout the known world. This age marks the "awakening" of magic
through the arrival of the Graystone of Gargath, and the rise of
Ergoth, the first empire of humans. Next, recent discoveries have led
historians to rename the second thousand years of Light the Age of
Right. During this millennium, honest peasant folk rebelled against
the injustice of Ergoth. Thus, Solamnia came into existence, and so
too the Knights of Solamnia. Records of this period have only recently
been unearthed: a cache of silver disks was found sealed away in the
ancient tomb of the legendary knight, Huma. These plates record the
growth and trials of the Knights of Solamnia. They also tell of a
titanic battle against the forces of the Dark Queen, a battle that
ended the fourth age.

      The Age of Might followed the exile of dragons from the world.
This age was well chronicled historically, beginning with the
rulership of Karthay Pah in Istar. It was he who first ordered the
keeping of a chronicle. Scribes etched his deeds on plates of gold and
silver, storing them on rings in his treasury. Two centuries after
Karthay Pah's reign, a scribe journeyed from Palanthus to Istar and
spent three decades transcribing Pah's records onto scrolls.
One-by-one, the scrolls were shipped back to the Library. Though many
were lost, some did survive, and it is from these and from Astinus's
personal recollections that we learn of the blasphemy of the
Kingpriest.

      Finally, the Cataclysm, as recorded here, is a compilation of
many legends and folktales. These stories come primarily from Tale of
the Nightfall Years, a record of personal recollections and letters of
the heroes and many of the Knights of Solamnia. Tale was penned by
Astinus himself.

      History, as recorded by Astinus, is divided into two parts: AC
(Alt Cataclius, or "after the Cataclysm") denotes the history from the
Cataclysm to the present; PC (Prae Cataclius, or "before the
Cataclysm") denotes dates that have been renumbered backward from the
Zero Hour of the Cataclysm. Dating in PC is only approximate.


                       Lost Notes of Sir Tracy

      The Cataclysm itself threw the history of Krynn into shambles.
So many records were destroyed by fire and water that history before
the Cataclysm was at best a series of errorriddled conjectures.

      One night, however, while searching through musty bins of
archives, two boxes were unearthed, holding ancient scribblings by the
noble scholar Sir Tracy, best known for his untiring efforts to
translate Astinus's histories. There, among crumpled and yellowing
pages, historians found a two-page sketch labeled the Iconochronos.
This timeline showed the major events of Ansalonian history over
several thousand years. It also showed the source of the discrepancies
to date.

      Two major differences appeared: a Third Dragon War, which Huma
Dragonbane concluded a millennium later than once thought; and the
dating of the Rose Rebellion of Vinas Solamnus in 1775 PC rather than
1225 PC.

      First, historians assessed the question of the new Dragon War.
Clearly the reason that two and not three Dragon Wars had been
recorded prior to the Cataclysm is that humans were not involved until
the Second and Third (previously named the First and Second) Dragon
Wars. The First Dragon War involved only the elves, who battled to pry
the dragons from Silvanesti. Once this first Dragon War is counted,
Huma would have fought not in the Second but the Third Dragon War,
which took place in 1060 PC. Thus, until now, Huma's legend had been
misplaced by 1,000 years.

      Secondly, a 550-year discrepancy existed between the actual and
the supposed dates of the Rose Rebellion. The reason for this
discrepancy was elusive. Then, while reading about the kender,
historians noted that kender history progressed from 250 PC to 400 PC
to 800 PC -- that is, it went backward! Then historians realized that
this was not a PC dating system, but a dating system of years during
the Age of Light: 250, 400, and 800 Age of Light equal 2750 PC, 2600
PC, and 2200 PC, respectively. The same confusion of dating systems
had occurred in regard to the Rose Rebellion. Vinas Solamnus led his
rebellion not in 1225 PC, but in 1225 Age of Light, which translates
into 1775 PC! At last, the mystery of the missing years was solved!

      The High God Awakens.

      Out of the chaos, there was thought and being; there was the
High God. With celestial hands, the High God drew the plans for a new
realm, a new beginning. These plans were written in a book called the
Tobril, a book that makes gods of mortal folk. The Gods are Called.
Into the Beyond, the High God called. There came an answer from two
beings: one of light, and one of darkness. They were lesser gods,
seeking greatness in the chaos. The king and queen of wyrms, they
were. They abandoned their twining struggles against each other and
worked together to create a new place for them, a place for greatness.
Gilean is Drawn Forth. Out of chaos and out of time, the High God
summoned a third god. He was Gilean, greatest of sages. Gilean alone,
in all of time, was worthy to bear the High God's plans for the
universe. He received the plans, the Tobril. Then, the High God
departed, for the planning was done and the creation was about to
begin.

      Reorx and the Companion Gods Come.

      Together the three gods summoned helpers. Other, lesser gods
came. The greatest of these was Reorx. "Give of yourself," he said,
"and I will tame the chaos." And from the gods, Reorx forged a mighty
hammer. With the hammer, he smote the chaos and it slowed. Sparks flew
from the hammer and lighted the heavens. And there were stars.

      Krynn is Made.

      Reorx shaped a mighty globe and separated the lands and seas,
the light and dark, the heavens and the soil. Then, the other gods
gifted the world, each to his or her own. Krynn was blessed with
plants and trees, creatures of the earth, water and air, seasons and
weather, and untold beauty.

      Dragons are Made.

      Together, Paladine and Takhisis guided the hand of Reorx and
made five rulers of the world. Drawn from the savage elements and
encased in frames of base metals, these rulers became one with the
world. They were the dragons. But the Dark Queen coveted the dragons
and corrupted them. Their metals were tarnished and lost to light.
Good Dragons are Made. Paladine mourned the loss of his dragon
children. He turned to Reorx for comfort and Reorx made five monuments
to the lost dragons. He forged these monuments from precious metals.
But, Paladine longed to behold his children whole, alive again. And
so, he breathed life into the statues.

      All-Dragons War.

      The gods, the dragons, the beasts of the world, and the light
and the dark themselves made war over Takhisis's treacheries. Chaos
swirled at the corners of the world, threatening to unmake it. When
the gods saw the harm they caused their world, they withdrew, light
gods to light, dark gods to dark, and gray gods to gray. There they
agreed to stay. They lived and loved for countless eons; thus were
born the lesser gods, their children.
The Stars are Claimed. In the silence that followed, there
came the sound of chimes, of heavenly singing. The gods
pondered it, and saw that the stars lived. They shone like the
gods themselves, shone as pieces of the gods. And the gods
coveted these countless spirits.

      All-Saints War.

      Once again war erupted in the heavens. The firmament shuddered
with the struggles of the gods. The gods of light sought to nurture
and lead these star spirits. The gods of darkness sought to bind and
control them. The gods of gray sought only to set the fledgling
spirits free.

      The Balance Restored.

      Hearing the battle, the High God returned from the Void. And the
High God knew wrath. From the fire of wrath, the High God forged the
Balance: each family of gods could gift the spirits with one gift.
Afterward, the gods must let the spirits be. The gods of light gave
the spirits physical bodies so they might become masters of the world.
The gods of darkness cursed them with weakness, want, and mortality,
that the fearful spirits might be brought to serve Evil. And the gods
of shadow gave unto the spirits free will, the ability to shape their
own fates.

                            Birthing Age.

      And so, the peoples of the land were formed. The people of the
land were three. Stony ogres there were, cold and beauitiful, strong
but hollow. Wooden elves rose like living trees, tall and regal,
graceful, solitary, and proud. And, least of all, were creatures of
clay -- humans, short and common, simple and bestial. The humans had
the capacity to destroy, and to love. These were the children of the
world.

             Age of Dreams: 9000-5000 pc (foundation Age)

      The People Choose Places.

      Ogres, first to awaken, claimed the mountains. From that lofty
perch they gazed upon the world. Elves withdrew to the forests and
there they lived in quiet harmony, pondering the world. But to humans
fell the plains, and there, exposed to savage winds and rains, they
grew savage themselves.

      8500-5000 PC Birth of Civilization.

      Ogres set themselves to ordering the land. They seized and
enslaved the humans to be their hands in toil. By human sweat and
blood, the ogres built a mighty nation of cold stone. The elves
watched as order grew.

      8700 Favored of Reorx.

      Reorx gathered to himself humans who worshipped the hammer, who
were filled with creation. With these humans, Reorx retired to a
northern land. The clay folk would assist Reorx in his heavy labors.
Over the centuries, these humans became the short Smith folk.

      6320-5980 PC Heresy of Igraine.

      The ogre Igraine failed to slay the slave Eadamm when he saved
Igraine's daughter. Men learned of Eadamm's independence and threw off
oppression. As the humans rebelled, Igraine fled for his life from the
wrath of all ogres.

      6000-5000 PC Decline of Ogres.

      As ogres embraced cruelty and vengeance, humans asserted their
independence. The humans rose up to slay their masters. Civilization
fell and barbarism reigned.

      5000-3000 PC Elves Ascendant.

      Elves discovered the value of cooperation, and together they
sought to create their own civilization in the southern enchanted
woods. Yet this was homeland to the dragons. Over time, they mustered
for war.

      4000 PC Rise of House Silvanos.

      The first Sinthal-Elish, the elven council of high ones, was
convened by Silvanos. The many elf families unified for the first
time, swearing an oath of allegiance to Silvanos. Balif, son of the
second largest family, was made Silvanos's lieutenant. The elves
prepared for war.

      3500-3350 PC The First Dragon War.

      Elves allied to drive dragons from their chosen lands, but the
opposition was fierce. The three gods of magic gifted the elves with
five magical stones, which captured the dragons' spirits. The elves
buried these stones deep in the tallest mountains of the land. The
gods of magic were exiled for their interference. Craystone Forged.
The banished gods of magic had Hiddukel trick Reorx into creating a
Graystone. They said this stone would remind them of faraway Krynn,
from whose lands they were forbidden. Reorx did so, setting the stone
on the moon of Lunitari. There, in secret, the gods of magic filled
the stone with their essence.

      3350 PC Building of Silvanesti.

      The second Sinthal-Elish was held, once again pledging
allegiance to Silvanos. The Kingdom of Silvanesti was decreed and all
the elven families were granted lands. The elves copied the ancient
and long-lost civilization of the now-barbaric ogres.

      The Craystone Released.

      The plans of the gods of magic entered a second phase. They
asked Hiddukel to trick one of Reorx's Smiths into stealing the
powerful Graystone from the surface of Lunitari. The Smith fumbled,
dropping the stone from the sky onto Krynn. With it, magic reentered
the world.

      3100 PC Arrival of the Craystone and Magic.

      Reorx punished and deformed his Smith folk for their pride and
commanded them to recapture the Graystone. They fled their homeland
and followed the Graystone. Wild magic was released into the world
into the hands of some reborn Smiths. They became the dwarven mages
called Scions.

      3100-2900 PC Kal-Thax is Built.

      Fleeing the Graystone's chaos, the other Smiths hid in caves in
the bluffs of Ansalon. There they built the first dwarven kingdom:
Kal-Thax.

      3051 PC Graystone of Cargath.

      A ruler named Gargath captured the Graystone and bound it
between two god-gems. The Smiths demanded its return. Gargath
recruited men and stubborn ogres to defend his prize. Elves,
fascinated by wild magic; joined the smiths to reclaim the stone. When
at last the stone was freed, it escaped, but not before touching those
present and changing their forms to reflect their natures. Thus,
goblins and minotaurs, kender and gnomes came into being. Onward the
Graystone wandered, changing the world as it went.

      2800 PC Thoradin is Delved.

      Seeking to escape the Graystone's ravages, the smiths -- now
dwarves -- became masters of mining, and began to delve the new
kingdom of Thoradin in the Khalkist Mountains. They abandoned Kal-Thax
for all time.

      2750 PC Balif Dies.

      A kender hero named Balif, a close.friend of the elf-lord
Silvanos, died. Balif built the first kingdom of kender in Balifor.

      2710 PC Dragon Stones Discovered.

      The dwarves found the five magical dragon stones that the elves
had buried deep in the Khalkist Mountains after the First Dragon War.
Hating magic due to the Graystone, the dwarves returned the stones to
the surface.

      2692-2645 PC The Second Dragon War.

      The dragons awoke and. struck south at Silvanesti. Accompanied
by great armies of lizard people, the dragons ravaged the land. Three
wildtalent mages, with the guidance of a lone Scion, summoned potent
magics and commanded the ground to swallow the dragons for all time.
The dragons were defeated, but magic ran wild and thousands died. The
three mages, fearful for their lives, called upon their gods. The
tower in which they stood was taken from Krynn to the Beyond. It
became the Lost Citadel.

      2645-2550 PC Magic Defends Itself.

      The three lost mages created the laws of magic. They guided
their brethren to build five bastions of magic in remote regions to
shelter all mages. Thus, the Towers of High Sorcery were built.

      2640 PC Thoradin Closed.

      Ashamed for causing the Second Dragon War, the dwarves withdrew
from the rest of the world. Thoradin's gates were closed.

      2600 PC The Rise of Ergoth.

      Ackal Ergot united Khalkist barbarians after the war to build
their own kingdoms. They pil laged the abandoned ogre homes and, with
their booty, founded Ergoth.

      2600 PC Hylo Founded.

      The second kender nation was founded when an entire kender clan
was trapped in the first floating citadel. It crashed against the
Sentinel Mountains in northwest Ansalon.

      2500-2200 PC Ergoth Dominant.

      The nation of Ergoth stretched from the southern Kharolis
Mountains to the northern shore. These brutal barbarians tried to
learn the ways of civilization. Skirmishes broke out with dwarven
neighbors and an uneasy truce resulted. Ergoth expanded to the borders
of Silvanesti and trade began with elves. Some elves intermarried with
humans.

      2515 PC Death of Silvanos.

      The venerable elf Silvanos died and was buried in a crystal
tomb. His son Sithel assumed command and ordered the construction of a
tower, the Palace of Quinari, in memory of his father. All of
Silvanesti counted their leader's death as the end of an age.

      2150-2000 PC Thorbardin Delved.

      Hill dwarves migrated to the southern Kharolis Mountains and,
after a time, began delving a new home. Thoradin was in decline,
becoming isolated from the outside world.

      2308 PC Sithas and Kith-Kanan born.

      Twin sons were born to Sithel. Sithas was the older by minutes,
followed by KithKanan.

      2192 PC Sithel is Slain.

      Sithel journeyed to the outpost of his son Kith-Kanan to assess
the half-elf problem. Sithel was accidentally slain by humans hunting
on the western border of Silvanesti. The Kinslayer War began.

      2192-2140 PC Kinslayer War.

      Elves tried to drive humans from their border, while humans
resisted fiercely. Half-elves were forced to take sides, brother
fighting brother. Kith-Kanan led the elven war effort, and was pushed
into killing his kin. Finally, Kith-Kanan negotiated a truce with
Ergoth.

      2140-2100 PC Sundering of Silvanesti.

      Western elves, ashamed by the bloodshed they had caused with
their brother elves, sued for social change and self-determination.
The western Silvanesti declared their independence.

      2128-2073 PC War of the Mountain.

      Border disputes between Thorbardin and Ergoth resulted in
skirmishes.

      2073 PC Swordsheath Scroll.

      Kith-Kanan engineered the signing of the Swordsheath Scroll, a
peace treaty between the elves, dwarves, and Ergoth. Elves were
granted a large enchanted forested area as a buffer between dwarves
and humans. The land was renamed Qualinesti, and was populated by the
discontented western elves. Kith-Kanan was their leader. Ergoth agreed
to stop mining the Kharolis Mountains and the dwarves relaxed trade
restrictions.

      2072 PC Hammer of Kharas is forged.

      Thorbardin dwarves forged the Hammer of Kharas, a mortal
artifact made in the image of the immortal Hammer of Reorx. They
presented this greatest dwarven gift to Ergoth as an offering of
peace. The Hammer reinforced the peace.

      2050-2030 PC The Creat March.

      Western elves of Silvanesti migrated to the new homeland of
Qualinesti.

      2009 PC Thoradin is Lost.

      None could find the gates of the great city of Thoradin. It was
lost to time. Age of Right 2000-1000 PC (knights of Solamnia).

      2000-1900 PC Peace and Pax Tharkas.

      Ergoth and all nations prospered. Kith-Kanan strengthened the
peace by convincing men, dwarves, and elves to join together to erect
the fortress of Pax Tharkas. This fortress became a monument to the
peace. The benign and just reign of the Quevalin line began in Ergoth.

      1900-1750 PC Rebellions in the East.

      The end of the Quevalin line in Ergoth brought brutal kings who
sought to exploit the kingdom. After much abuse and taxation, the
eastern counties revolted. Small but brutal battles crushed all
resistance.

      1812 PC Vinas Solamnus Commands Imperial Guard.

      Skilled commander, Vinas Solamnus, assumed the most important
military post in the nation of Ergoth.

      1801 PC Creat Uprising in Vingaard.

      Solamnus marched east with a huge army to crush a rebellion in
the lands of Vingaard.

      1800 PC Year of Waiting.

      Solamnus reviewed the rebels' cause, trying to avoid another
massacre. He discovered that the corrupt Ergothian empire had driven
the desperate people to rebel. Solamnus and most of his army joined
the rebel forces.
    
      1799-1791 PC Rose Rebellion and Fall of Ergoth.

      Nations of eastern Ergoth rallied to Solamnus as their savior.
Patiently, Solamnus trained an army while turning back Imperial
forces. In 1791 PC, Solamnus marched south to Daltigoth,
outmaneuvering Ergothian forces and laying siege to the capital. The
emperor finally sued for peace, granting the northern states
independence. Solamnus honored the Swordsheath Scroll with the dwarves
and elves.

      1775 PC Knights of Solamnia formed.

      After his Quest for Honor, ruler Vinas Solamnus founded an order
of knights who would fight for the cause of Good. The order was
inspired by Paladine, Kiri-Jolith, and Habbakuk -- three gods of Good.
The Crown, Sword, and Rose Knights of Solamnia became the guardians of
the world.

      1750-1300 PC Birth of Nations.
      Sancrist, Solamnia, and Istar arose from independent
city-states. Solamnia prospered and Ergoth declined. The Silvanesti
retired from the world.

      1480 PC Istar Crows as Trade Center.

      Istar grew from a confederation of city-states in the east.
Unaffected by the recent wars, Istar became a nexus for world trade.
Solamnia became the major military power, and the world looked to it
to safeguard the peace.

      1399-1010 PC The Dark Queen Plots.

      With her dragon children buried, the Dragon Queen began a new
plot. Calling on the aid of the lizard people, she seeded the mines of
Thoradin with dragon eggs, which folk believed to be rare gems.
Collectors bought the eggs, which hatched in their possession. The
owners were devoured by the wyrmlings. Over 350 years, these eggs
seeded wyrmlings across the globe. By the time they were discovered,
hundreds of mature dragons had returned to Krynn.

      1060-1018 PC The Third Dragon War.

      The dragonarmies unleashed their fury, first attacking and
conquering small borderlands, but finally turning toward Solamnia. The
Good folk of Ansalon endured the attacks from the skies, barely
clinging to life. Ansalon hung in the balance.

      1020-1018 PC Huma Dragonbane.

      The young Solamnic knight Huma Dragonbane met and fell in love
with Gwynneth, a mysterious elf woman who was really the silver
dragon, Heart. With the guidance of Paladine, they forged the first
true dragonlance and rode into battle. Their victories rallied the
other Good dragons; they produced more lances. At last, Takhisis
herself fell before the enchanted weapon, and she agreed to retire
from Krynn, taking all other dragons with her. Huma and Gwynneth died
as Takhisis departed.
      The Bakali -- the lizard people -- were not seen again.


            Age of Might: 1000-0 PC (Age of the False God)

      1000 PC Hylo Allies With Solamnia.

      Thorbardin reopened Thoradin by driving occupying ogres out of
the delvings. With the nearness of Istar, Thoradin became a major
supplier of metals, coins, and tools.

      1100-800 PC Istar Dominant.

      Istarian trade standards spread throughout the world. Istar
became the moral center of the world.

      980 PC Thorbardin Opens Kayolin.

      In gratitude for their help during the Third Dragon War,
Solamnia granted the dwarves of Thorbardin mining rights in the Garnet
Mountains. The dwarves delved the city of Garnet and set up a kingdom
there. They called their provincial kingdom Kayolin.

      967 and 948 PC Thorbardin Constructs Tree of Life.

      Thorbardin began construction of Zakhalax, the Tree of Life, and
Hillow, an outlying hill dwarf kingdom. Silvanesti and Qualinesti
became more isolationist after the war.

     910-870 PC Ogres Return to Thoradin.

      Exiled ogres united to flush the foreign dwarves from the halls
of Thoradin. The Thoradin dwarves called on their Solamnic allies to
drive the ogres away.

      850-727 PC Trade Wars.

      Istar aggressively imposed and enforced trade standards on
neighboring nations, including the kender of Balifor. The riled kender
began a trade war. After years of attempted military actions and
lawsuits against the kender, Istar admitted defeat and signed an
agreement known as the "Kender Tax," exempting them from taxes and
trade standards.

      673-630 PC Istar and Silvanesti Clash.

      Istar expansion threatened Silvanesti naval merchants. Several
sea skirmishes resulted in blockading of Istarian ports. With the aid
of Solamnia as peacemakers, the elves persuaded Istar to add its
signature to the Swordsheath Scroll. This signing was called Elfmeld.

      530-522 PC Ogre Wars/Dwarfmeld.

      Ogres from the Khalkists threatened trade routes among Istar,
Thoradin, and Solamnia. The dwarves of Thoradin united with Istar and
the Knights to drive back the invaders. The dwarves added their
signature to the Swordsheath Scroll with Istar.

      490-476 PC Barbarian Raiders/Great Meld.

      Solamnia became more dependent on Istarian trade, currency, and
ideals. Repeatedly, they joined the eastern nation in alliance.
Barbarian tribes in the Estwilde, resenting the Istarian trade routes,
raid ed caravans. Istar branded the barbarian tribes as "pagans,
brigands, and villains." Solamnia joined Istar in warring against the
barbarians. Solamnia re-signed the Swordsheath Scroll with Istar.

      460 PC Peace in the Land.

      Istar reigned as the center of commerce, tax, and art.
                     
      280 PC Istar Declares World Righteousness.

      Claiming to be the moral center of the world, Istar set up its
first Kingpriest. Solamnia approved the effort to promote Goodness
throughout the lands. Silvanesti grew increasingly antagonistic toward
the arrogance of Istar, Few others noted the signs of doom.

      260-212 PC Temple of the Kingpriest Built.

      The finest artisans in Krynn went to Istar to build the
Kingpriest a temple that would proclaim the glory of Istar.

      250-100 PC Corruption of Justice -- Elves Shun.

      Istar began to repress independence and anyone who did not agree
with the policies and divinity of the Kingpriest. The elves, reaching
a breaking point in their disgust with the arrogance of humans,
withdrew into their forests and barred commerce with the outside
world.

      118 PC Proclamation of Manifest Virtue.

      The Kingpriest declared that Evil in the world was an affront to
both gods and mortals. A rigid list of evil acts was created and those
guilty of offenses faced execution or duty in the gladiatorial arena.
Priests of Istar began to lose access to high-level spells. These
priests became the Kingpriest's enforcement squad.

      80-20 PC Dominance of Istar Clergy.

      Istar claimed itself the center of religion, and all aspects of
Istarian life required the approval of the priesthood. While the
status of Istarian clergy rose, wizards were hunted as ungodly and
uncontrolled. The priesthood lost all of its miraculous abilities.

      19 PC Siege on Sorcery.

      Urged on by the Kingpriest, the people of Krynn laid siege to
the Towers of High Sorcery in the Lost Battles. Two of the towers
nearly fell into the hands of the uninitiated. Unwilling that novices
should unleash the fury of magic, mages destroyed the two towers.
Fearful of rampant, unordered magic wielders that might arise if all
five towers were destroyed, the Kingpriest granted the mages sate
passage to exile if they left the remaining towers intact. The
Kingpriest took the Tower of Istar for his abode.

      6 PC Edict of Thought Control.

      The Kingpriest asserted that evil thoughts equated to evil
deeds. The priesthood used renegade mages to cast ESP spells at random
on all Istarian subjects. A reign of terror and degeneration ensued.

      0 Cataclysm.

      The Kingpriest tried to elevate himself to godhood and command
the other gods. He used their gifts to the world to control them. The
gods were wrathful. True priests disappeared from the world. The gods
sent thirteen signs to warn the people of the coming Cataclysm. The
Solamnic Knight Lord Soth, although given the chance to save Krynn
from the Cataclysm, refused. On the thirteenth day of Yule, the third
of the new year, the sky burned and a fiery mountain fell from the
heavens. It dragged Istar to the depths of the ocean.


              Age of Darkness: i-??? AC (Age of dragons)
   
      1-300 AC Shadow Years.

      The world was reshaped. New mountains arose; elder mountains
fell; seas rushed in. Famine and plague spread across the world. Krynn
became a place of distrust and hatred. Every fallen race blamed others
for the world's pain. All Good priests, knights, and mages went into
hiding.

      3-140 AC The Dark Queen Finds Istar.

      The Temple of Istar was not destroyed, but gated to the Infernal
Realms where Takhisis found it. For years she pondered the
possibilities, sending agents abroad through Krynn to gauge the
opportunities in the world.

      39 AC Dwarfgate Wars.

      The men and hill dwarves of Xak Tsaroth fled southward, seeking
refuge in Thorbardin. The mountain dwarves barred their gates and
turned back the refugees with sword and spear. Then the evil mage
Fistandantilus built the magical fortress of Zhaman in the shadow of
the mountains. From there, he waged war on Thorbardin. When at last
his defeat was certain, he obliterated his tower with spell power,
forming Skullcap.

      141 AC The Stone is Planted.

      Using the Foundation Stone from the ruined Temple of Istar,
Takhisis opened a gateway back to Krynn. She carried the Stone from
the Blood Sea and planted it in the remote vale of Neraka. There, it
grew into a dark version of the Temple of Istar.

      142-152 AC Dragons Awakened.

      For ten years, the Dark Queen wandered the lands in disguise.
She delved into the remote netherlands and depths of Krynn to find and
awaken the Evil dragons and prepare them for her dark work. Then she
returned to Neraka and, from there, to her home in the Infernal Realms
in the Abyss.
  
      157 AC Berem Finds the Stone.

      The young hunter Berem and his sister Jasla discovered the
Foundation Stone. Be rem coveted the gems in the stone and pried one
lose. Jasla counselled him against it. They struggled and Jasla struck
her head on the foundation stone. She died. Fearing discovery, Berem
fled with the gem hidden in a pocket of his tunic. The gem bonded with
the man's flesh, becoming imbedded in his chest. Jasla's spirit was
drawn into the Foundation Stone, occupying the void left when Berem
stole the stone.

      210 AC Takhisis Finds the Gate Barred.

      Because the Foundation Stone stood incomplete, Takhisis could no
longer use it as a gate. Her sleepless senses searched through the
land to discover the reason for the stone's disfunction. She soon
tracked down Serem and learned of his capricious acts.

      287 AC Dragon Eggs Stolen.

      Evil dragons raided the homes of Good dragons and stole their
eggs. They hid the eggs beneath the flaming mountains called the Lords
of Doom.

      296 AC The Oath.

      Takhisis awakened the Good dragons and presented them with an
ultimatum. They would remain out of the coming war that Takhisis had
planned, or have their precious eggs crushed. Knowing they could not
hatch such a store of eggs for another century, the Good dragons swore
noninvolvement in the coming war. Takhisis promised the return of
their eggs once the war had concluded.

      300-320 AC Agents of Evil.

      Takhisis sent secret minions and worshippers to search for the
gemstone man. She needed him to complete the Foundation Stone so that
she could reenter the world. Berem fled from Takhisis, entering Tarsis
and Barter and Thorbardin. In the last of these, he was caught by
Daergar and thrown in a dungeon to rot. But the gem sustained Berem
for nearly fifty years in the dark. In those dungeons, not even the
Dark Queen could find him.

      332-340 AC Dragons Cather; Dragonlords Made.

      At their queen's direction, the Evil dragons formed an unholy
alliance with wicked men and ogres. These barbaric men and brutal
ogres became the dragons' commanders and masters.The Highlords, as
they were called, proved as willing and able to torture their own
forces as well as those they conquered.

      337 AC Sanction and Estwilde Corrupted.

      The blight of darkness in Neraka verged into the neighboring
nations. Takhisis established the lava-besieged town of Sanction as
her major port city. The Evil humans and humanoids of Estwilde became
reluctant reserves for the Dark Queen's armies.

      341 AC Dragonarmies Offer Alliance.

      The dragonarmies offered alliance to the lands of Kern, Khur,
Blode, and the Pirate Isles, an offer they swiftly accepted, knowing
refusal meant death.

      342 AC Draconians Created.

      Takhisis taught a dark mage and an Evil priest the ceremony for
creating draconians. By corrupting the stolen eggs of Good dragons,
the mage and priest raised an army of dragonmen from a single egg. The
first to be created were the baaz and the kapak; the bozak, sivak, and
aurak came later.

      343-347 AC Evil Marshals its Forces.

      Takhisis and her generals trained their army of human rogues and
cutthroats, goblins, hobgoblins, and ogres. Violence occurred among
the allies of Evil, fights that weeded out the weak. At last Takhisis
judged her troops ready.

      348 AC War of the Lance Begins.

      In spring, the Dragonarmies poured eastward from the Khalkist
mountains to overrun Nordmaar and Balifor and to threaten lands
beyond. Silvanesti accepted emissaries of the Highlords, who swore
that the elves need not worry for the safety of their lands.

      349 AC Silvanesti Betrayed.

      Flushed with victories, the dragonarmies turned south on a
"routine patrol" and attacked Silvanesti's northern border. Losses
were heavy on both sides. Elves lured their foe into ambush. Takhisis
committed the rest of her troops to the battle and the forest border
was ravaged. Supplies low, the elves retreated to Silvanost, where
they stood a good chance of outlasting the siege. However, King Lorac
of the Silvanesti had become enchanted by the Dragon Orb of Istar, an
artifact he had rescued from the lost city before the Cataclysm. Lorac
ordered the evacuation of Silvanesti. The elves fled in ships, heading
for Solamnia and Qualinesti. On the last day of the year, the
dragonarmies reached the edge of Silvanost. Then, Lorac commanded the
Orb to destroy the dragons. However, Viper, the Evil spirit residing
in the Orb, seized control of Lorac. The elven king's mind went mad.
The Dragon Orb projected Lorac's nightmares out into the land he
loved. Silvanesti became a spiralling nightmare. The dragonarmy
abandoned its conquest, which had grown worthless and corrupt.

      350 AC Evil Rearms Itself.

      Licking its wounds, the dragonarmies rebuilt their forces from
the Evil folk they had conquered. Takhisis controlled all of eastern
Ansalon, save Saifhum. The minotaurs of Mithas and Kothas harried the
retreating Silvanesti refugees.

      351 AC Evil Turns West.

      With the coming of spring, the dragonarmies began skirmishes on
Solamnia's eastern border. The Blue Army struck across the Dargaard
Mountains, aided by goblins. The Knights of Solamnia, in recent
disarray, could not repel the attack. The Blues occupied Kalaman,
Hinterlund, and Nightlund. They pressed the borders of the Plains of
Solamnia and Gaardlund.
      Lemish betrayed humankind, opening a door in the south for the
dragonarmies to enter Solamnia. The dwarves of Kayolin, however,
proved an insurmountable bulwark against the advancing dragonarmies.
By autumn, the Knights responded and Solamnia became entrenched. The
Red Army led an amphibious flanking assault along New Sea and across
the Plains of Abanasinia. The barbarians fell to their advance and the
war verged upon Qualinesti.
      The Qualinesti elves fled to join their cousins in Southern
Ergoth, but not until first delaying the foe's advance. The
dragonarmies marched against the dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin, laying
siege to its northern gate.
      A wing of the Blue Army then struck south around New Sea to
Tarsis and the Plains of Dust. They marched then toward Kharolis to
cut off all retreat for the dwarves. By year's end, much of Ansalon
had fallen beneath the dragons' shadow.

      352 AC Whitestone Council.

      Representatives of the surviving nations gathered on Sancrist at
Whitestone Glade and forged an uneasy alliance. The secret of the
dragonlances was rediscovered and these supreme weapons began to be
forged anew.
      With the arrival of spring, the Blue Dragonarmy besieged the
High Clerist's Tower in Palanthus. They were repelled by the Knights,
using the new-forged dragonlances for the first time.
      A special force made a surprise stab at Sanction and discovered
the blackmail that kept the Good dragons out of the war. With the aid
of the silver dragon D'Argent and the copper dragon Cymbol, the
special force rescued the Good dragon eggs. The Good dragons swiftly
entered the war.
      In the summer, the armies of Whitestone began to strike back.
They reclaimed much of fallen Solamnia. The dragonarmies responded by
bringing five flying castles into the battle. But already the dragon
alliances and conquests were slipping away, The siege of Kalaman by
Whitestone forces marked the beginning of the end.
      Released from years of imprisonment in the dwarven kingdoms,
Berem, the gemstone man, was sighted again. Takhisis moved agents to
find and capture him. Thus, she might open the gates of the Infernal
Realms and bring her armies of dread to reinforce the flagging
dragonarmies. But Berem constantly evaded her best efforts.
      In a desperate ploy, Whitestone forces marched across the
Estwilde and assaulted the vale of Neraka, stronghold of Takhisis's
might. The Heroes of the Lance, by Fate's hand, found Berem and
journeyed to Neraka. As Evil rallied its forces around the crippled
form of the dark Temple, Berem reunited the gem with the Foundation
Stone. Whole, at last, but now inextricably linked with Jasla, the
Temple healed itself. Then, as Jasla's spirit fled the stone, the
Temple crumbled. Takhisis's gateway was destroyed.
      Evil turned in on itself. The weak alliances of Evil fought over
the dropped crown of rulership. The War of the Lance faltered to an
end.

      353 AC The War of the Lance Ends.

      The former armies of the Dark Queen fragmented and fled to
remote regions of Ansalon. The dragons, in their retreat, entered
lands with climates harsh to them. They grew weakened.

      353-357 AC Harrying the Foe.

      The Whitestone forces continued to scour the land, driving out
the last pockets of darkness. Even after the last pockets of
resistance disappeared, the dragonarmies still occupied large regions
of central, eastern, and southern Ansalon.

      356 AC The Master of Past and Present.

      Raistlin Majere and his brother Caramon used a time-travel
device to journey into the past. They reached the corrupted Istar,
intent on changing history and challenging the Dark Queen herself.
Raistlin became one with Fistandantilus. He journeyed through the
years and into the Abyss, hoping to defeat the Dragon Queen.


      357 AC The Blue Lady's War.

      The Blue Lady, one of the most powerful and ruthless Dragon
Highlords, made an unholy pact with the death knight, Lord Soth.
Together, they led a dragonarmy from Neraka and, with a flying citadel
above, attacked northern Solamnia.
      They besieged even Palanthus, but the effort was doomed. The
Blue Lady and Soth were defeated.
 
      358 AC Sealing the Gates of Hell.

      Raistlin Majere made the ultimate sacrifice to bar the return of
Dark Queen Takhisis. In order to seal the gates of the Abyss, Raistlin
surrendered his own life. His brother, Caramon, and all the Heroes of
the Lance grieved the loss of the great mage.

      358-369 AC Changing of the Cuard.

      A new generation of Knights worked to reclaim the peace and aid
in rebuilding of the wounded nations. The Heroes of the Lance were
replaced by youthful counterparts.


                                 ***


      Many years have been spent compiling this paper for the
enlightenment of the world. Numerous scribes spent countless hours
poring over yellowed manuscripts, ancient scrolls, and record disks.
The newly found clay tablets of Khur, with their old-world Istarian
record of time, have also informed this document. While this work is
far from completed -- and perhaps may never be finished -- it is the
best effort of Ansalon's brightest minds in this present age. Only
Astinus of Palanthus politely declined a request for aid in this work.
But Astinus did agree, with a faint smile, to open the annals of the
great Library.
      We have worked to be ac-curate and open-minded about each
discovery and enlightenment along the way. Whenever we had cause to
believe that traditional histories had erred on some point or other,
we were cautious about such assumptions. In some extreme cases, we
chose to record these new insights into Ansalonian history. The reader
may accept or reject them at will. We hope not to offend anyone's
sense of past events, but would like to remind readers that history is
not an exact science. Histories result from the interpretation of past
events using one's own experiences and prejudices. Many of the
revelations and revisions present in this document arise from two
previously unknown sources. The Knights Annals, recently found in
Huma's tomb in Southern Ergoth, detail the history of the Knights
through the early years of the Age of Might. Likewise, the clay
tablets of Istar, discovered in sunbaked Khur, shed light on Istarian
history from the Age of Light through 200 PC.
      Before beginning the history proper, we wanted to investigate
the origin and past of arguably the most historical figure in Ansalon:
Astinus of Palanthus.

                     Astinus, Scholar and Mystery

      Speculation abounds on just who the mysterious scholar Astinus
of Palanthus is. Certainly since the time of the Cataclysm, he has
been with us. Some tales even tell of times before the Cataclysm when
he lived, forever ensconced in the musty Libraries of Palanthus. And
none foresee his demise in the near future. He seems ever the same,
ageless man. An uninformed rumor claims even that Astinus is eternal,
immortal, or one of the gods (perhaps Zivilyn, who is said to have
branches in every realm, or Gilean the master of knowledge). Rumors
aside, the following account records what we, as scholars, have
deduced.

      There was indeed a time when Astinus was not around. No records
are known of his presence during the Age of Dreams, and indeed his own
Iconochronos references the works of scholars more ancient than he:
the historian Pakafhas, the elven bard Quevalin Soth, and the first
king of Istar, Karthay Pah.

      Further, we know that Astinus possesses the globe of present
time passing, a mystic artifact given to him by the Master of Past and
Present. With a hand on this globe, one can travel the face of the
world in spirit form, searching out the bravest deeds and recording
the acts of greatness that weave the tapestry of history. Clearly,
this is what Astinus has done.

      Our research further speculates that Astinus's mastery of
history and his iron will allow him to use this mystic globe to walk
even the River of Time. Thus, Astinus has viewed past events as if
they were present. The more distant the event, however, the more
uncertain that Astinus's spirit can find its way back to his mortal
shell. To our knowledge, none but Astinus has used this device in such
a fashion, and he has explored only a millennium or two from his
current time. Even so, the use of such a device would explain his
detailed histories from before the Cataclysm as well as the apocryphal
sightings of Astinus a millennium ago.

      Three other theories may explain Astinus's longevity. (He,
himself, declines comment). First, there are those who believe he is
god-touched, the right hand of one of the old gods of Krynn (Zivilyn
or Gilean). Such speculators appear unable to believe that a mere
mortal could accomplish what Astinus has. Perhaps they are correct.

      Second, some hold that Astinus is not a person, but an office,
filled in serial fashion by one historian after another. Tales tell
that during the Age of Dreams, a race of scholarly dragons called the
Astini existed. Some claim that Astinus shares dragon blood, and is
therefore somehow eternal. Perhaps he shares an office with a dynasty
of dragon-blooded men.

      The third theory is ours. We have observed that Astinus appears
ageless. We have never seen him with a beard or facial hair and
suspect he has none. This leads us to believe that he is either elven
or shares elven blood (the latter is more likely, for we detect no
hint of pointed ears). If he shares the blood of that incredibly
long-lived race, his seeming immortality might be explained, along
with his preference for solitude and his unending patience with the
slow progress of time. Whatever the truth, Krynn and our meager
efforts would be impoverished without the works of this renowned
historian.

                        The Creation of Krynn

      Before the beginning was Chaos -- without form, without purpose.
A maddening silence blanketed the swirling mists. Into that Chaos
there entered thought, and with thought, being. And there was the High
God. And the thoughts multiplied. There were many, but the many were
one. The High God moved through the Chaos, and patterns grew where
there were none, forms took shape in the formlessness, purposes imbued
the meaninglessness. The One-Who-WasMany determined to make it so, and
accordingly, the High God formed plans. He and She fashioned words and
thoughts and held them in their mind. When at last the work was done,
the High God turned to find those who would help in creation.

      The High God called into the Beyond, speaking words from the
plan of creation. There came an answer. Two beings responded: one of
light, one of darkness. Twined and inseparably linked they were, two
halves of a whole. These gods, who were lesser creatures in the
Beyond, answered the call that they might be greater. They were to be
the Mother and Father of the new creation, the King and Queen of
glory. They were Paladine and Takhisis.

      Yet as the High God gazed on them, he saw their eternal clash:
though neither could live without the other, they pulled and tugged as
if to consume each other. The High God pondered: To whom should the
plans for creation be given? Neither of the lesser gods were whole.
The High God needed a balance to fill the void between the two, to
keep them from consuming each other and the creation to be.

      The High God searched through the realities: they searched the
Void; he searched Time; she searched Space; they strove to find one
who was balanced, who could let the plan fill his or her being and be
all. And, searching through the depths of time, the High God found one
such creature. Only one in all time and space was so suited. He was a
creature, not a god, but he had godly potential.

      Out of Chaos and out of Time the High God summoned the scribe
Gilean. To him the plans for creation were given, the plans called the
Tobril. And the creature became the plan, and the plan was all that he
was. The knowledge of all creation made him a god.

      Then seeing the task complete, the High God departed into the
Void, into the realms beyond. The three other gods considered the plan
and knew it was good and complete. But they needed help to build such
a creation. So together they spoke the words and named the names, and
this time many answered. There came Majere, who is hope and dream to
the world; Chislev, who is nature; Sirrion, the transforming flame;
Reorx, the forge; and Mishakal, who is life and compassion. The Dark
Queen cast green eyes on the last, for she coveted the King for
herself.

      The new gods surveyed the sphere and the plan that was Gilean
and they saw it was good and complete. But they knew not how to tame
the Chaos. It was decreed that a new time and place would come to be.
Time would begin again and the spirits would be created to live within
the course of time.

      Then Reorx, greatest of the companion gods, said, "I will
reshape the Chaos for us, and all will help. Give of yourselves and I
will fashion a tool." So, from the godstuff, Reorx shaped a mighty
hammer. With this hammer, he smote the Chaos. And it slowed. Again and
again he struck the Chaos. With the fires of Sirrion he reshaped it.
And as he worked, sparks flew from the hammer and lighted the sphere.
And there were stars.

      Then, Reorx fashioned a home for the gods, one for each and for
those who would come later. These became the constellations, the
planets, and the moons. Then, he fashioned the world, hammering out
the ball that was to be Krynn. He formed it and hung it in the heavens
to cool.

      Then, the other gods joined the Creation. Together, Paladine and
Takhisis guided Reorx in the shaping of the lands, separating the
lands and seas, the light and dark, the heavens and earth. Then the
companion gods gifted the world. Chislev brought forth the plants and
forests of the lands and seas. Sirrion granted the flora infinite
diversity and change. Mishakal gave the plants beauty and made them
fertile that they might multiply. And Majere gave them order and
purpose that they might enrich the world.

      Paladine said, "We need creatures to enjoy this world that we
have made." So Chislev took the clay of the world, that these beasts
might be one with the land, and fashioned creatures in the forms of
the King and Queen of the gods. There were lizards and serpents and
wyrms of every size and shape. Turtles and leviathans filled the seas.
Great striders, toothy snappers, horned juggernauts, and gigantic
grazers claimed the land. Winged gliders and feathered fliers took the
skies. Then the gods rested.

      All Dragons War

      The gods pondered which creature should have mastery over their
world. Takhisis said, "Let us make rulers in our own image, that they
might know their makers and obey us." "Yes," said Paladine, "Let us
make them in our own image that they may know compassion and learn to
love us." The two gods united. From their essence and their passions,
Paladine drew forth colored strands of elemental fury. He weaved five
spirits of exceeding power. Reorx crafted five shells, made from the
stone of Krynn, for the five children. He made their forms from the
base metals of the earth: iron and copper, nickel and lead and tin.
And into these shells the five were given form, and Mishakal made them
fertile that they might multiply. But they were rebellious children,
these dragons, all save the copper dragon, who was true and dutiful.
Then the gods sought to teach their dragon children about gods and the
ways of gods. The gods created lizardmen, the bakali, to worship and
obey the five, that they might better understand how to worship and
obey the gods themselves.

      The world belonged to the five. It was an age of serpents and
mighty lizards. Still the dragon children did not obey. So the gods
chilled the lands and blighted the world, and many of the creatures
died, that the five might learn loss. But Chislev and Sirrion, who
grieved for their creations, taught their creatures the ways of fur
and of fire. And the races of Krynn survived.

      Now the Dark Queen regarded the spirits of her five children.
She saw their strength of spirit and resolve. She witnessed their
unfettered powers and coveted the five to be solely her own. And this
covetousness became a hard place in her heart, a dark festering boil.
When she lanced that boil, there stood a soul-sibling, a dark and
hooded pustule. And the Dark Queen called him Morgion.

      "Help me my sibling," she hissed. "Help me to make these five
mine and mine alone." The darkened sibling nodded and smiled, for they
shared their thoughts and minds. The Dark Queen went to the five
dragon children and hissed lies in their ears. "Your father fears your
power. He would see you destroyed!" Morgion hovered in shadow and
whispered, Your father covets your glory. He would see you enslaved!
The five dragons growled and snapped at the lies, feasting on the dark
meat till it poisoned their hearts. "We are betrayed," they shrieked.
"Sut he shall never enslave us; better to be cast out than to be so
loathed by one's own parent." Morgion's dark hand seized their spirits
and corrupted them. They all pledged allegiance to their mother,
forsaking their father, save for the copper dragon, who argued for his
king. Then, the dragon of nickel seduced her copper brother with a
clever tongue. Then, too, did the copper dragon agree to follow his
siblings into the darkness.

      Morgion twisted and bent the spirits of the dragons, tarnishing
and corrupting the metals from which they were made. And thus were
born the chromatic dragons. Iron became rust red, hot with anger.
Copper became blue as the cracking storm. Nickel turned green,
venomous like the snake. Lead turned black, stained and marked with
its tongue of acid. And tin turned white, the brittle bite of frost.
The Dark Queen's wicked laughter echoed in the heavens. Hearing the
laughter, Paladine discovered her handiwork. He was sorely aggrieved
at the loss of his children. Cursing his queen's name, he retired for
a time.

      Majere, seeing Paladine's pain, devised a plan. He sent Reorx
and Mishakal to comfort the king of gods. "Come, do not grieve," Reorx
thundered, "I shall make a thing like no other to fill your grieving
heart. I shall make for you five monuments to your five lost children,
so you may remember who they are." "Yes, dear one," Mishakal
whispered, "Together we will forge a miracle, that your loss shall be
the universe's gain."

      So together were forged five statues of precious metals -- gold
and silver, bronze and brass, and least of these, copper, who might
have been redeemed save for the corrupting tongue of his sister. When
Paladine saw what had been wrought, his heart leaped within. He was
filled with love, and the sight of Mishakal quickened his love unto a
raging bonfire. Then Reorx heated his hammer in that fire until it
glowed white-hot. He struck the metal shells. The five monuments
shivered and quaked and quickened into life. Thus, the five dragons
were born in love, their passions refined and guided by their parents.
So, the good dragons were born.

      "Betrayed!" hissed the Dark Queen Takhisis. Her spittle melted
an opening in the Void, and the two-headed serpent Hiddukel answered
the summons. "This is unseemly, my queen. Your love, which is greater,
has been slain. Call now my brother, who has been cast into the Void
from the Beyond, for his devotion is true and undying. The Dark Queen
spoke the words, and there came the goat-headed god of life's
betrayal, and in his wake came the darkness of unlife. So entered
Chemosh to Krynn, to build a steadfast army for his queen.

      "Vengeance!" shrieked the Queen, and the universe grumbled. The
land melted and out of the seething inferno there stepped a black god
of hate. A new god. And in this volcanic being, the Dark Queen found
her foul heart's desire. He was a consort of vengeance. He was
Sargonnas.

      "Let us wage war," he bellowed. And the Dark Queen echoed his
cry. So war descended on the world of Krynn. Takhisis, her gods of
Evil, and her Evil dragons fought Paladine, his gods of Good, and the
Good dragons. The forces unleashed by this warfare were horrible to
witness and they devastated the world of Krynn. Seas boiled. Forests
burned. Land split asunder. The glorious creatures of Krynn died in
droves, died for the grief of Paladine and jealousy of Takhisis. All
were burned and swept away, save for those few who hid within the
bosom of the world.

      And when the gods saw the destruction they had wrought upon
their precious creation, they were pained. They ceased their struggles
and withdrew to mend their aching hearts. Each went to his own: light
to light, dark to dark, and gray to gray. And there, in their
seclusion, they lived and counseled to restore what they had
destroyed. New alliances were formed in that silent and empty time and
new loves grew.

      From these loves came offspring to fill the void. To Paladine
and Mishakal were born twin brothers: KiriJolith, champion of justice,
and Habbakuk, bounty of life. When the two were born, the song of
creation swelled in beauty, and Habbakuk laughed. His laughter
multiplied and filled the song, bringing to life Branchala, who would
be Habbakuk's playmate and companion.

      To Takhisis and Sargonnas was born the temperamental girl-child,
Zeboim, mistress of tempests, weather, and dark seas. She was moody
like her sire and violent like her dam. Gilean, too, desired a
companion, and so he spoke to his shadow for council and advice. With
Chislev's aid, Gilean formed a brother and friend from his shadow. He
was the tree of life, Zivilyn. And Chislev took Zivilyn as her
consort. Only Sirrion had no heart-mate. Determined to change this
fact, he set to sculpting his ideal mate from the finest alabaster. He
adorned his creation with precious metals and gems. When she was fully
formed, he embraced her, and the fire in his bosom quickened the
stone. Thus Shinare was born. But her industrious and pragmatic temper
opposed that of the sculptor, Sirrion. They have fought to this very
day.

      Together with Zivilyn, Gilean engineered a treaty, a truce
between the dark and the light. Through this truce, the gods rebuilt
Krynn. Each god granted the reborn world a gift of his or her own,
over which they alone had dominion. And so came the time of rebirth.

      All Saints War

      The world was remade. Sargonnas burned away the debris, and
Reorx reshaped the mountains and the valleys. Chislev rerobed the land
in a mantle of ochres and greens, trees and flowering plants and
fruits of every kind. Habbakuk, to the strains of Branchala's music of
life, crafted the creatures of the world from the wood of Chislev's
trees and the soil of Krynn. He made birds for the sky and fish for
the seas. Cattle and beasts of the wilds he made also. Then Majere
touched the fallen leaves and twigs, animating them to become the
gardeners of the world: the insects. Kiri-Jolith strengthened the
creatures' hearts to make them strong to face adversity, and Mishakal
blessed them so they would bear young. And Zeboim stirred the air with
her storms, cleansing the lands and washing the ruin into her dark
bosom.

      Paladine shaped a light for the sky so plants could grow, whilst
Takhisis made the black shawl of night so creatures could rest and
resist the light. Gilean gave all things knowledge of themselves, and
Zivilyn gave them the wisdom to use that knowledge. Yet three of the
wicked gods did naught to strengthen the world. Instead, they created
pain and suffering, which they said would teach the world obedience.
Paladine did not turn back their gifts, for he saw that in adversity,
the folk of Krynn would learn greatness. Morgion gave pain and
sickness to the world, Hiddukel gave greed and pride, and Chemosh gave
death. Even in these curses lay goodness, for the new mortality taught
the creatures to cherish each moment of life.

      To make sure the world would never again suffer the ravages of
the All Dragons War, the gods weakened the dragons, requiring them to
rest after they unleashed their destructive powers.

      Starbirth of Mortals

      At last, when all was made, the gods fell silent. But across the
heavens arose the singing of a glorious choir. Then the gods saw that
the stars themselves lived and were like unto the gods. Indeed they
were pieces of the gods that had scattered from Reorx's hammer when he
smote the Chaos.

      And the gods forgot their oath not to war upon their world. They
bickered over who might rule these star spirits. The gods of light
wanted to nurture the spirits and teach them the paths of
righteousness. The gods of dark wanted to make the spirits slaves who
would bow down and worship. The gods of gray sought only a balance, to
give to the spirits the chance and the wisdom to choose which path
they would tread.

      Sargonnas raged that the gods of darkness should never be
challenged. Kiri-Jolith stood firm in defense of justice. And so the
battle lines were drawn. Again war was waged in the heavens and upon
Krynn. The winds and waves, frosts and fires wreaked great havoc upon
the weary world. Only the return of the High God saved the world from
a second destruction.

      So awful was the damage that the gods of light and shadow were
dismayed and heart-sore. They swore an oath even unto the High God to
never again make war on the world. The High God decreed a solution to
the matter of the star spirits. Each family of gods would be permitted
to give the star spirits one gift. The Gods of light and Good bestowed
life, giving the spirits physical form that they might gain mastery
over the world and become more like the gods themselves. The gods of
light hoped that the spirits would bring peace and order to the world
and take the path to righteousness.

      The Gods of darkness and Evil bestowed the gift of mortality, so
the spirits woul hunger and thirst, toil and sweat, fall to illness
and at last enter the grave. The gods of darkness hoped that the
spirits would trade their freedom to Takhisis in exchange for the
removal of their sufferings.

      Lastly, the Gods of gray and Neutrality gave the spirits the
gift of free will. Thus the spirits could choose freely which path to
follow. The gods of Neutrality hoped thereby that the star spirits
would maintain the Balance of the universe. Then each family of gods
fashioned the star spirits into their own peoples. The gods of Good
fashioned the elves, forming their bodies from the trees of the
forests. Slender, individual, and long-lived, the elves were one with
nature. They wielded the life power to reshape the land according to
their will. The elven folk were formed to bring change to the world,
but to change very little themselves.

      The gods of Evil formed ogres from the bones of the world. These
folk had the sturdiness, beauty, and coldness of stone. The ogres were
formed to desire order and utter obedience, taking their orders from
Takhisis and the gods of Evil. The gods of Neutrality formed humans,
casting them from the clay and waters of Krynn. Humans were malleable
and impermanent. These short-lived folk had the greatest potential for
Good or Evil, and the greatest freedom to choose between these. Their
short lives upon Krynn made them quick to act, often without thinking.
Humans gave motion to the pendulum of history, and thus formed a
dynamic balance for the world.

      And last, the High God formed the Children of Krynn -- guardians
of the beasts and of the world's bounties. The High God made centaurs
and satyrs, pegasi and griffons, unicorns and chimera, And these, too,
had the freedom to decide their paths. They chose, as was their
nature, to protect their lands. And so, the balance was restored to
the world, and Krynn as we know it came into being.

      Arrival of the Last Gods

      But the Age of Starbirth did not end here, for three gods
remained to be formed. To seal their agreement to nevermore make war
upon Krynn, each family of gods agreed to create and raise a child who
would become blood-brother to the child created by the other families.
And because their wars had wounded Krynn, the gods agreed that these
three bloodbrothers would bless the world of Krynn by their creation.
The blessing granted Krynn by the brother gods would be magic. To
Paladine and Mishakal was born a son of light, Solinari, who gained
dominion over quiet and constructive magic.

      Meanwhile, from Gilean's majestic and beautiful thoughts sprang
forth a daughter of Neutrality, Lunitari, who gained domain over
illusion and reshaping magic.

      And last, from Takhisis and Sargonnas, came a brother of
darkness, Nuitari, who gained domain over commanding and destructive
magic. This dark-haired child of Evil suffered from a throat
impairment, which made him speak in hoarse whispers.


                            Age of Dreams

      When the people of Krynn were made they were scattered across
the face of the world. Elves sought the enchanted forests for their
homes, each to live in harmony with the land. Ogres claimed the lofty
mountains and from that per
