Welcome to the World of Krynn
Krynn, the River of Time
The history of Krynn is currently divided into four ages.
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The Age of Dreams (9000 PC to 960 PC)
The Age of Might (961 PC to -1 PC)
The Age of Despair (1 AC to current)
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Astinus of Palanthas (the master historian of Ansalon), in his work Iconochronos, divides the years of Krynn into PC (Prae Cataclius or "before the Cataclysm") and AC (Alt Cataclius or "after the Cataclysm).
Age of Starbirth - Age of gods
The Age of Starbirth is the first of Krynn's ages, and is said to begin with the High God. The High God accepts the offers of Paladine, Gilean, and Takhisis, and lets the three gods select their companion deities. Paladine and his companions become the gods of Light. Takhisis and her companions become the gods of Darkness. Gilean and his companions become the gods of Balance. One of the companion deities of Gilean, Reorx The Forge, shapes Krynn and the first dragons under the guidance of Paladine and Takhisis. The other gods aid in the creation of Krynn as a habitable world.
All-Dragons War
Takhisis corrupts the first dragons in her image, creating the first red, blue, black, green, and white dragons. A grief-stricken Paladine asks Reorx to craft monuments to his lost children. Paladine gives life to these monuments, thus creating the first gold, silver, copper, bronze, and brass dragons. Takhisis's treachery causes a great war on Krynn known as the All-Dragons War. The gods withdraw from Krynn before their war destroys the world. The gods of Light build the Dome of Creation, the gods of Darkness create the Abyss, and the gods of Balance create the Hidden Vale.
All-Saints War
The three pantheons discover the potential of the stars, which are spirits in reality, and the All-Saints War begins. The fighting is stopped by the High God, who proclaims that each pantheon may offer one gift to the spirits. The gods of Light provide the spirits with physical forms so as to enjoy Krynn’s pleasures. The gods of Darkness "gift" the spirits with ambition and desire. The gods of Balance give free will to the spirits. The spirits are born into the world of Krynn as ogres, elves, and humans. Each family of gods creates one god to honor the truce, and the gods of magic are born: Good Solinari, Neutral Lunitari, and Evil Nuitari.
The Graygem
Reorx is persuaded to craft a powerful gemstone that will contain the essence of neutrality. Reorx tries to infuse the gem with a portion of Chaos, but entraps the god himself. Reorx gives the gem to Lunitari, who puts it in the red moon that shares her name. The gemstone becomes known as the Graygem.
The Age of Dreams
(9000 PC to 960 PC)
The Age of Dreams is often considered the beginning of recorded history, and runs from 9000 PC to 960 PC. Three time periods collectively form the Age of Dreams. The Foundation (9000 PC to 5000 PC), the Time of Light (5000 PC to 2000 PC), sometimes referred to as the Age of Light, and the Time of Knights (2000 PC to 960 PC).
Foundation
Ogres, elves, and humans establish homes and the beginnings of civilization. Reorx gathers a select few creative humans and teaches them his craft. Ogres begin enslaving humans. An ogre governor named Igraine learns compassion and is declared a traitor by his race. Igraine and his followers call themselves the Irda and move to a distant island. The ogre empire descends to barbarism as human slaves revolt and elven civilization comes into its own.
Time of Light
Reorx curses his chosen humans for their arrogance, changing them into the first gnomes. Centuries later, a gnome is tricked into retrieving the Graygem from the red moon. The Graygem escapes immediately after touching down on Krynn and brings wild magic into the world. The gem's chaotic nature transforms animals, plants, and races across Krynn, resulting in the eventual creation of dwarves, Kender, and many other races.
The First Dragon War begins when the elven king Silvanos brings his people to a forest inhabited by chromatic dragons. The dragons fight the elves for control of territory. The three gods of magic provide the elves with five dragon stones, which capture the spirits of the first dragons. The dragon stones are buried, stopping the war, but the other deities punish the gods of magic for their interference.
Dwarves and minotaurs conflict as the new kingdoms of Kal-Thax and Mithrandus are built. The minotaurs are enslaved until a dwarven civil war causes the abandonment of Kal-Thax and the creation of Thorin. The kingdom of Ambeoutin is built in honor of the minotaur who led his fellows to freedom. As Balif leaves the elven kingdom of Silvanost to establish Balifor, the twin minotaur realms of Mithas and Kothas are formed when Ambeoutin's sons fight to a draw for control of the empire.
Dwarves find the buried dragon stones and return them to the surface, ignorant of the stones' history. The first dragons are released from the stones and strike at Silvanesti, beginning the Second Dragon War. The war ends when three mages command the earth to swallow the dragons. Their magic is successful but thousands of lives are lost in the backlash, and the gods of magic take the three mages into their tower. The three mages become the first Wizards of High Sorcery and help to found the Towers of High Sorcery. The dwarves, realizing the havoc they unleashed, close Thorin. By this time the dragon stones are again lost to the world.
Ackal Ergot founds the Empire of Ergoth, while misplaced Kenders found the nation of Hylo. Ergoth's influence expands and the empire opens trade with the elves. Sithel's mysterious death leads to the Kinslayer War, which pits Ergoth against Silvanesti. Dwarves leave Thorin to build Thorbardin and are drawn into the conflict. Thorin is renamed Thorbardin after its decline. The lawless town of Bright Horizon is founded. The Kinslayer War ends with the signing of the Swordsheath Scroll and the founding of Qualinesti. Thorbardin dwarves forge the Hammer of Honor and present it to Ergoth as a peace offering.
Time of Knights
Kith-Kanan, king of the Qualinesti, convinces dwarves, elves, and humans to erect Pax Tharkas as a declaration of peace. The remaining dwarves of Thorbardin disappear without cause. Ergoth bears witness to a succession of brutal kings looking to exploit the empire for their own ends. Vinas Solamnus rises to the rank of Praetor and marches on Vingaard to quell a rebellion. He becomes sympathetic to their plight and thus begins the Rose Rebellion. He marches on Ergoth with a mighty army, forcing the emperor to grant independence to many states. Shortly after, the nation of Solamnia is founded, Vinas forms an order of knights dedicated to the cause of Good. This knighthood is known as the Knights of Solamnia.
Vinas brings order to Bright Horizon, which is renamed Palanthas. The High Clerist's Tower is built and Palanthas is redesigned by dwarves. The Great Library is built and the historian Astinus makes his first known appearance. The nations of Istar and Sancrist are formed. Ergoth continues its decline as Silvanesti withdraws from the world.
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Takhisis begins the Third Dragon War by sending her dragons across Ansalon in massive numbers. The Wizards of High Sorcery create the dragon orbs to defend their towers. Huma Dragonbane and the silver dragon Heart sacrifice their lives to defeat Takhisis, who agrees to depart Krynn as long as the world is whole.
Age of Might
(961 PC to -1 PC)
The Age of Might focuses primarily on the rise and fall of the empire of Istar and runs 961 PC to -1 PC. A cleric of Paladine protects the city of Istar during the war, endearing the populace to the church. Dwarves return to Thoradin and open trade routes with Istar. Solamnia allies with Hylo and grants mining rights to the dwarves of Thorbardin. The Thorbardin dwarves found the kingdoms of Kayolin and Hillow and begin work on the Tree of Life. As the elves continue their self-imposed isolation, the Ogre Wars occur as ogres attempt to drive the dwarves from Thoradin.
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Balifor begins a trade war with Istar over the empire’s trade laws, and the Kender's tax is signed. Istar expands into Silvanesti naval routes and is blockaded. Shortly thereafter, Istar signs the Swordsheath Scroll (agreement to end the Kinslayer War and War of the Mountain). Thoradin follows suit after a second conflict with ogres. Barbarian raiders from Estwilde raid Istarian caravans and are confronted by Solamnia, which re-signs the Swordsheath Scroll.
Istar's expansion continues until it becomes Ansalon's major power, and claims itself the moral center of the world. The first Kingpriest takes power in 280 PC. The empire of Istar begins enforcing the Kingpriest's policies and repressing freedoms. Frustrated elves withdraw into their forests. The Kingpriest of 118 PC gives the Proclamation of Manifest Virtue and draws up a list of evil acts that result in execution or arena time. Istar’s priests begin losing their clerical powers. The Kingpriest of 94 PC adds to the Proclamation by declaring that certain races are evil. The empire of Istar conquers the minotaurs and forces them into slavery. Istar becomes the religious center of Ansalon. Tensions mount between the Istarian clergy and the Wizards of High Sorcery, until Kingpriest Beldinas starts the Lost Battles by sending Istar to war with the Towers of High Sorcery in 19 PC. Two towers are destroyed but the wizards agree to exile themselves to the Tower of Wayreth, ending the conflict. Istar begins using mind readers to ensure that no one is thinking evil thoughts.
Ultimately, Kingpriest Beldinas prepares to ascend to godhood with the aid of the Disks of Mishakal. The people of Istar applaud the effort and are sent Thirteen Warnings by the gods to warn them of their folly. True clerics vanish, trees weep blood, and the city of Istar is battered by a continuous storm. The citizens of Istar and their Kingpriest mistake the signs as being the work of Evil. The Kingpriest continues his preparations, and on the third day of the new year, the Cataclysm occurs. On both Ansalon and Taladas, lands are torn asunder, new bodies of water form, and innumerable lives are lost. The empire of Istar is destroyed, Ergoth is separated from the mainland, Thorbardin becomes Zhakar, and the New Sea is formed. Most clerical power vanishes from the world.
The Cataclysm
(Year 0)
Although known universally as the Cataclysm, the event of the Zero Hour in fact saved rather than destroyed Krynn. The power of the Kingpriest of lstar had grown more destructive than that of the fiery mountain that fell upon the world.
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The center point of the mountain’s impact, the capital city of Istar, went from being the commercial, political, and spiritual center of the world to being the bottom-most point of the sea. The force of the impact also reshaped lstar and the lands around. The eastern arm of the nation shattered into six islands. Balifor in the south segmented into a ragged peninsula. The narrow Bay of Balifor widened into a broad strait, with a new sea at its northern reaches. To the west, the already impressive Khalkist Mountains roiled into an impassible series of ranges. And in the north, the floor of Thorbardin Bay was thrust up violently, sending a tidal flood rushing from the new land.
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Farther west, the lands cracked like the end of a whip. The bays that extended up from the south Turbidus Ocean and down from the north Turbidus Ocean came together, snaking across the sunken plains of Ergoth. Once inland, the water surged onto the flattened midlands, cutting Qualinesti in half and seeping all the way to Sanction in the Khalkist Mountains.
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The central depression that split Qualinesti in the east also ran west, splitting Ergoth into northern and southern islands. The backlash of the impact caused volcanic activity on Sancrist that doubled the size of the island. Luckily, Mount Nevermind itself did not erupt. And, in the south, the sea bed rose, growing shallow enough for a continent of ice to cover the land.
Age of Despair
(1 AC to current)
The Age of Despair begins with the Cataclysm and runs from 1 AC to today. Two time periods form the Age of Despair. The Time of Darkness (1 AC to 331 AC) and the current time (331 AC to today).
Time of Darkness
The fallout from the Cataclysm lasts for centuries. Plague and famine wreck the lands. Knights of Solamnia are unjustly persecuted as scapegoats. Lawlessness and banditry run rampant. The Seeker movement begins as people look to new gods. Beleaguered hill dwarves and humans attempt to gain entry to Thorbardin for food and begin the Dwarfgate War. The archmage Fistandantilus destroys both armies as well as the fortress of Zhaman, but disappears. The dwarven hero Kharas, sickened by the acts of his people, takes the Hammer of Honor and departs Thorbardin. He leaves a prophecy saying that no dwarf will rule Thorbardin without the hammer, which becomes known as the Hammer of Kharas.
Takhisis brings the sunken Temple of Istar to the Abyss, and takes the temple's Foundation Stone to Neraka to be used as a gateway for her and her forces. The Temple of Neraka is created as a result. She secretly awakens the chromatic dragons before returning to the Abyss to gather her might. While Takhisis is away, a man and his sister find the Foundation Stone. The man, covetous of the gems on the stone, accidentally kills his sister, whose spirit takes up residence in the stone. One green jewel from the Foundation Stone embeds itself in his chest, granting him immortality. Takhisis cannot re-enter Krynn until the stone is whole, and dispatches her forces to find it.
Current Time (Unnamed)
At this point in time, only rumors are circulating that evil armies are forming in the north of the continent, and that some terrible evil is at the root of these events. In order to prevent the spread of evil, a group of companions pursue separate leads in search of the lost gods. Perhaps the true gods will be able to assist the people of Krynn in the next chapter of trials and tribulations.