The Game So Far (for Gene D.’s “Vanished Lands” heroic fantasy campaign, revised October 2013):

• About 2,000 years ago (in “game time”): The “Kin Strife” or “Sundering” among the demihuman tribes. Humans domesticate horses and begin using the plow. The current era begins.
• About 750 years ago (“circa 1982 B.C.E.”): Nonhumans settle in a portion of Central Asia later known as the “Vanished Lands.” The Chaldean city of Ur is sacked, ending the first true human urban settlement. Minoan Crete and nearby Bronze Age city-states of Harappa and Mohenjo Daro flourish.
• About 500 years ago: Laws of Hammurabi codified; a copy is sent to the early Saganim empire. Bagur dynasty in Ugatton, and Wilef dynasty begins in Hesolin. Negona dynasty builds Gisokuri, while Dwarves and Goblins wage war. Sogewa and Gisar are founded.

• About 300 years ago: Akilu Castle built on Sekonir; Memir makes peace with Hifalendorin rebels [first Player Character parties in Westchester, New York; oD&D-BECMI, 1982 A.D./C.E.]. Zhou dynasty succeeds Shang in China. Phoenicians develop first alphabet. The island of Thera destroyed by a volcanic eruption; the sinking of Atlantis (a few refugees eventually reach the Sea of Nagendwa).
• About 200 years ago: Cities of Tekugi and Nadwi grow on trade routes. Olmec culture begins in Mexico.
• About 100 years ago: The Ebir Sheikdom and Garku Nasit go to war; Transfer Portals first used [SUNY-Binghamton, AD&D1, c. 1986]. Aryans invade India; the “Rig Veda” forms the basis for the Hindu religion and caste social structure.
• 17 to 12 years ago: “Faelonia” [Dexter V.H.], “Tunnel” [Stuart C.G.], and others serve as scouts and diplomats during the Six Kingdoms War, which involved the realms of Gokuri, Gusorin, Hifalendor, Waletku, Zeda, and Zuromm. [AD&D2, 1987 to 1991]. Parties 10/J, 13/M, and 17/R venture east. The Exodus.
• 11 to 9 years ago: The “Children of the Elder Gods” and “Children of Champions” participate in the “Chaos Wars,” among many other adventures. Clan Nakagawa founded. [NYPIRG at Queens College-CUNY, 1990 to 1991].
• 8 to 6 years ago: The crew of the H.M.A.S. Longshot searches for metallic dragons. “The Paragon” restores contact between the Giants and the Zeda kingdom before founding Morbaltek in the Ivory Mountains [GWU/BNA, Virginia, 1993 to 1999]. The Trojan War ends.
• 5 years ago: In the northwestern borderlands, the “Liberators” battle Orcish warlords, retrieve the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords, and discover the lost city of Eagle’s Rest (near Dosh Kar); the Nannuattan seize the Temple of Elemental Evil [CW, Boston area; D&D3.0, 2000 to 2002].
• 4 years ago: The privateers aboard the Dragon’s Bane sail the Sea of Nagendwa, meet aquatic races, and repel the dreaded ghost fleet from Hesolin. Former members of the “Dragonslayers” explore Eagle’s Rest and Tel Silat [D&D3.5, 2002 to 2004]. They later help destroy the Flying Citadel, found the Gargoyle Headlands and a monastery/dojo, and slay the Undead gold dragon Daneira in the port of Gisar.
• 3 years ago: “Mystical Harmony/the Seekers of Lore” fight monsters on the Plains of Sathendo before adventuring through time [2005 to 2006]. The “Broken Chains” wander the Halmed Desert and take control of Emein Island as Goblinoids migrate from Zuromm to the Garku Nasit. “Holy Steel” sets out for the distant empire of Khemet (New Kingdom Egypt) [2007 to 2008]. The exploits of Theseus.
• 2 years ago: The “Faith-Based Initiative” retrieves three relics for the barbaric Gusorin Confederation [TT, D&D4e, 2009]. Gokuri takes control of Tekugi. Ibrahim successfully completes his quest, but Faelonia is kidnapped from the court of Pharaoh Ramses II [ Pathfinder, 2010].
• 18 months ago: The “Uncommon Companions” wander the borderlands between Hifalendor and the Waletku kingdom, encountering the followers of the mysterious Vappu Lahja. Members of the “Broken Chains” reunite, and “Holy Steel” travels the outer planes to rescue Faelonia [FATE 3e Legends of Anglerre, 2011]. Anyang is one of the 16 largest cities in the world, with a population of 30,000 or more.

• 1 year ago: “Vistel’s Circus” travels across the kingdom of Saganim, and some members strike out on their own to fight corruption and monsters [Party 39, Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game, 2012 to present]….
• Present day (“1 March 1227 B.C.E.”): As the latest wars wind down in the east, a new team is tasked with helping to restore order while covertly monitoring various enemies (Party 40, “A New Dawn,” 2013)….

As of “winter 1228 to 1227 B.C.E.,” warfare is subsiding in the northeastern “Vanished Lands.” The kingdom of Gokuri’s expansion has been halted, but at a heavy price to the demihumans of the Zedu kingdom. The Gusorin Confederation exists in name only, with the barbaric tribes of the central Plains of Sathendo scattered and their cities ruled by new overlords. By contrast, life goes on more or less as normal for the human clans of Tong Sheng, also known as the Principality of Silado.

Gokuri straddles the Bamor Mountains and is ruled by the cruel Nannuattan (eastern Dark Elves). Over the past several years, they have surpassed their western cousins, the Drow of Zuromm, by seizing control of Dragon Orbs, the Bracers of Fire Control, and the Temple of Elemental Evil on the volcanic Mount Gruldar. The Nannuattan are aided by hordes of Bakemono (eastern Goblins), Minotaurs, Oni (Ogre Magi), Draconians, and chromatic dragons.

There have been setbacks, of course, including the destruction of the dreaded Flying Citadel by former “Dragonslayers,” the “Faith-Based Initiative’s” stirring up of Barbari tribes and Zedu, and the sack of the port of Gisar by the ghost fleet. Zedu’s doughty Korobokuru (eastern Dwarves) and nimble Spirit Folk (Elves) — not to mention crafty Shan Sao (Halflings) or varied Hengeyokai (beast-kin shapeshifters) — managed to keep most of the fighting underground, limiting the usefulness of Gokuri’s dragon legions.

The Nannuattan had more success “restoring order” to Tekugi than with diplomatic overtures to Tong Sheng. In fact, Duke Kou Fei Seng, the human ruler of Tong Sheng, sent military advisors to aid Hei Wan Ling, the Korobokuru shogun of Zedu. Queen Kagejusko of Gokuri was wily and patient, so she agreed to send representatives to the war-torn border village of Hazokuwi, which is where your Player Characters will meet….

There are people on every side who want bloody battles to continue vs. those striving for an uneasy peace at negotiable terms. Your initial mission won’t be to solve such high-level diplomatic problems; you’ll be travelers and soldiers in the area. Why would you be in Hazokuwi, and where would your allegiances fall?