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The Third Age - Might.
Time of the Knights
In the eastern-most province of Ergoth, in the foothills of the Dargaard Mountains, a new religion was growing. This took the concepts of Ergothic religion and the religions of the local barbarian folk and combined them into a new blend. No longer did the people have to accept that the forces of Light and Dark would struggle eternally. The new religion, so called the Darian Heresy by Ergoth, taught that Light could ultimately triumph over Dark, and that the common people could call upon the gods to help them as well as the priests.
The Rose Rebellion
The Quevalin line of Emperors ended with no clear line of succession and a series of dynastic wars rocked Ergoth. One way to gain control of a country is to provide a new enemy for the people to focus on, and the Darianist eastern provinces became that enemy. A series of religious crusades led to open rebellion by the east, and eventually the Praetor of Daltigoth, a man named Vinas Solamnus, was sent in to crush the revolt, now known as the Rose Rebellion after the symbol of Dargaard Keep.
Solamnus was, however, a forthright and honourable man, and he began by parleying with the rebels to try to understand their reasons for revolution. As far as he was concerned the Empire was perfect. No-one should want to leave and the fact that someone did puzzled him. He soon learned terrible tales of atrocities committed, and also heard the gospel of the Darian faith and was converted. Solamnus turned his back on all he had sworn to uphold and joined the rebels.
The resulting War of Ice Tears was a difficult and bloody one. Vinas managed to win the eastern provinces and the land along what later became known as the Vinas River with ease. He set up his headquarters in Mishanthia (later Vingaard), but it was around Thelgaard that the fighting was strongest. Vinas was Ergoth's best commander and with him opposing them, and with the rebels getting financial backing from Istar, the Empire stood no chance. Ergoth was forced to sue for peace and to grant the eastern provinces independence, an act that broke the spirit and health of the Emperor, and ultimately the Empire herself never recovered from such a devastating blow (after this point it enters Late Ergoth Period). The new land became known as Solamnia, and Mishanthia was re-named Vingaard Keep.
Formation of the Knights
Solamnia was troubled by the birth pangs typical of a new nation for fifteen years. Vinas himself undertook a holy quest for guidance, and received a vision whilst on Sancrist that formed the idea of the Knights of Solamnia. These guardians of justice would ensure that the rights of the people were never again abused. In Vinas' absence, the ruling families of Solamnia set up a Senate, and Vinas' Knights were forced to work within that system. Things worked fine for a long time, however, and Solamnia became renowned thorughout the world as the home of justice. When Vinas died, a pilgrimage was taken to Sancrist to find the Glade of the Whitestone where he received his vision, and here the Solamnic folk made first contact with the Gnomes (on the "Day of Rotten Eggs").
Of course, the financial assistance given to Solamnia by Istar during the Rose Rebellion had an ulterior motive. With Ergoth greatly reduced, the city-states could expand their net of trade. In a short time the new nation of Istar had developed some very complex economic theories which it used to great effect to increase its national influence. Istar entered into good relations with Solamnia, and was seen as a rich cousin to Solamnia by other powers. These two young nations felt a kinship and tended to join forces against older powers like Ergoth and the elves. During this time, Darian beliefs entered Istarin society, but Darianists were still a minority.
The Third Dragon War
With Istar and Solamnia increasing in importance, the world was shaken again as the dragons reappeared. The reasons are unclear, with blame being apportioned to the ogres, dwarves, magi and kender with equal measure. What is known is that the war was long and bloody. In the early stages the Magi of High Sorcery created the dragon orbs - mighty artifacts for controlling dragons. The High Clerist's tower and other fortifications were modified to include a "dragon-trap" that made use of the powers of the Orbs. However, the orbs became corrupted and dangerous to use. Huma, a Knight of the Crown of humble birth and low-ranked within the orders of Knighthood, found the favour of the gods through his piety. Through a series of quests and tests he demonstrated that he possessed the Five Virtues - Courage, Joy, Knowledge, Love and Wisdom - and through this the Noble Dragons were able to enter the world to battle the Base Dragons. A Silver Dragon named Heart taught him the secret of forging Dragonlances, but Huma's tale had a tragic ending. He fell in love with the dragon in her human form even though both know that their love was doomed. Huma eventually sacrificed himself for the world by driving back the Dark Queen herself and sealing her (and himself) in the Abyss.
The Base Dragons were driven away with their Queen, seemingly for good. Most of the Noble Dragons departed the world of mortals in order to maintain balance. A few remained for a time as teachers, and for personal reasons. The silver dragon Heart built a tomb and a great monument to her lost love, before leaving the world. This tomb is said to be in the mountains beyond Daltigoth.
The Rise and Fall of Istar
The bulk of the fighting was done in the west, causing further destruction to Ergoth and great damage to Solamnia. Istar, relatively untouched, climbed to world dominance and the Orders of High Sorcery built a Tower in her capital city. Istar supplied funds to many nations to aid in rebuilding, and also ploughed money into arts and magical research.
Coincident with Istarin growth was a period of dwarven renaissance. Also relatively unscathed by the Dragonwar, the dwarves undertook to re-open Thoradin and formed the colony of Kaolyn near Thelgaard Keep. At around this time the Hammer of Reorx passed into Solamnic hands and then into dwarven hands again as a reward for helping against ogres from the Kharolis mountains. The Zhakalax (Life-Tree) was begun in Thorbardin. The elves, meanwhile, withdrew from the world to sleep the "sleep of seasons".
From this point onwards, Istar came to fully embrace Darianism (thanks, perhaps, to the heroism of Huma) and became enthusiastic converts. So enthusiastic, in fact, that they proselytised more than Solamnia. The Solamnic Knights became the official arm for internal justice of the Istarin Empire. With expansion came tension. Istar fought a series of trade wars and defended its borders from ogres, Khurman and Estwilde raiders. But Istar's rise was unstoppable. Around about the 5th century PC Istar installed the position of Kingpriest - supreme secular and clerical power in one post, and with that move entered the Late Istar Period. With the aid of the Orders of Sorcery and through the institutionalised worship by the people, the Kingpriest gained considerable magical power. In order to justify persecution of the ogre race the Kingpriest called down a curse upon them, turning them into the monsters that he claimed they were. Even in Daltigoth, where ogres had long been accepted as Ergothic citizens, the unfortunate people found themselves mutated and outcast.
Although there were periods of enlightenment, the reign of Istar became more and more oppressive as it aged. The last Kingpriest prolonged his natural life with magic until the Orders of High Sorcery refused to help him in his megalomania any longer. This called down his wrath upon them and they became his latest target in his never ending purges. Convinced of his immortal greatness, the Kingpriest called upon the gods to make him one of them, and the Cataclysm was the result.
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