The Corruption

The force of the Corrupted gather

The once peaceful world of Elandra has been laid low by strife and warfare orchestrated by forces now known as The Corruption. This movement worships a tetrarchy of deities, that they claim to be the true Pantheon of Elandra, and that the remaining free peoples of the world know as “The Four”. The direct and most powerful mortal servants of The Four, the generals and high priests of the Corruption, are known as “The Crowned”. They are masters of treachery and deception, and have enacted an assault upon the history and cultural memory of Elandra itself, causing the Fading of Knowledge.

The beginning of the Corruption was subtle, like a cough that heralds a plague. In the waning days of the Age of Legends a new religious movement was founded by a disparate group of fringe priests and mages claiming to have received a divine revelation. Such movements were not uncommon during the Age of Legends, as churches split due to mortal squabbles or theologians reinterpreted the aspects of the deities. The followers of this New Path sought to live in accordance with four precepts;

This is what knowledge of the Corruption has survived the Fading…

I shall seek the Plenty that is my due, I shall win it from the undeserving and keep what is mine safe from thieves and parasites.

I shall reject received wisdom and all those who hide behind comfortable lies, I will not allow my Truth to be stifled.

I shall rise to my true potential through the power of my Will, and stand unflinchingly against any who oppose me.

I shall cast aside old ways, I shall never let the expectations or achievements of others diminish me, I shall achieve Freedom whatever the cost.

Through the machinations of the Crowned and the growing influence of the Four in Elandra the New Path offered tangible benefits to its initiates in a way that other movements could not. By that same growing power there arose a series of “natural” disasters, calamities, and conflicts that the followers of the Pantheon were hard pressed to explain or to deal with. The advocates of the New Path preached that the Pantheon and their servants were falling short of their duty to protect the Realms. Soon the New Path had a foothold in every Nation, people disillusioned with the Pantheon and looking for answers to these frightening new developments.

Thus began the Age of Calamity. Once the Crowned at the heart of the New Path had acquired a large enough following to enact their fell schemes then they performed a series of apocalyptic rituals at key locations of power across the Realms. The Four, whatever they truly are, were at last able to take direct action in Elandra. The New Path then raised the first of the monoliths, its transition into the Corruption now complete, and the voices of the Pantheon fell silent.

With the priests of the Pantheon no longer able to communicate with their deities or wield faith in their name, there was chaos among the nations. None were spared the effects of the droughts, hurricanes, wildfires, and earthquakes which redoubled in intensity. Those trusted to lead in times of crisis seemed to lose their wits, or succumb to despair or paranoia. Monsters ran loose from rifts to the elemental planes, Realms threatened to split apart, the cries of the people went unanswered.

In these disasters only the New Path retained its power. They preached that the Pantheon had abandoned the world and that all the Nations needed to cleanse themselves of the corrupt old ways if there was to be any hope for the future. People flocked to their temples out of desperation and anger, leaders pledged their fealty to the New Path or were overthrown, many of those with reservations surrendered to spare their people from warfare. One-by-one the New Path assumed control of communities, then regions, and then whole Nations. Some fought against the conquest, either out of loyalty to the now silent Pantheon or simply in defence of their own freedom. Those who took up arms were defeated in battle or slain by treachery, the champions of resistance against the New Path were forced to either flee or hide.

As the New Path assumed dominion over the world they brought the monster attacks and natural disasters somewhat under control. Those calamities that continued to occur were proclaimed to be just punishments for the continued wickedness of the world, or acts of sabotage by followers of the false deities. The rule of the New Path was a crushing weight on the Nations; its sacrifice hunters and tribute collectors were intrusive and demanding, its preachers sowed fear and suspicion from the pulpit, its informants were ever present, its enforcers were without mercy, and its iconoclasts set to tearing down anything and anyone that honoured the old Pantheon. The New Path has raised a network of monoliths across the Realms, the Pantheon remains silent, for nearly everyone this has become the way things are.

Of the tragedy that was the Pact of the Nine and the great crime that was the Fading of Knowledge more shall be written elsewhere…

Yet in the bleakness of these reversals remains a glimmer of hope. Through secret ways in the mountain passes, shaded inlets, crystal caves, and living archers in the deep forest arrives a diaspora of disparate peoples fleeing the tyranny of the New Path. Although the refuges they have sought should be hundreds of miles apart, these folk of scattered nations find themselves emerging upon the same unspoilt field before a mighty standing stone. As the refugees seek respite in preparation for a last stand, the remaining priests among them discover a revelation – the voices and power of the Pantheon can still be felt at this monument to their ancient departure from the world. The message from the Pantheon is one of hope. The deities have not abandoned the world, and they are far from powerless to oppose the forces that have wreaked such destruction. This Haven and its monuments will be the beginning of the Reclamation..

The Corruption are a collection of Four Gods. Very little is known about their exact origins and powers and theories appear from every shadow with the same frequency as their agents. They seem to have distinct forces and personalites while working together but the exact relationship between then is unknown like so much else.

• The Fallen
• The Void
• The Tyrant
• The Terror