A Visitor's Guide to Nokt: Overview: A Brief History

It is one year after the Second Illithid War came to an end (230TY), and twenty-one years since the Great Illithid War ended. Nokt, the city where the first battles of the war took place, has grown out of the chaos that was left when the smoke cleared, and Lennotia still stood in defiance against the Mind Flayers. The original ruler of Nokt, Draven, departed his city for the wilderness and the company of the bugbears he became so affectionate towards shortly after the war, leaving his son, Azzure, in charge of things. Nokt has more than doubled in size under Azzure's guidance, and Old City is still the hub of the place. An additional ring of city has been added to the settlement, the docks increased, and more farmlands claimed from the wilderness.

Tybbaal's Academy still exists, protecting Nokt and training more Slayers in the tradition that served so well during the war. Though the Academy initially saw a huge upswing in the number of applicants after the war ended, the last eight years or so have been rough - and with Tybbaal's disappearance during the final, climactic battle of the War twenty years ago, the leadership of the Academy has been less than firm as a council of instructors (calling themselves The Council of Twelve) plays petty power games, with each member trying to assert dominance over the others, looking to take control of the academy.

Several heroes of the war have returned to their former lives in Nokt, notably Kieran the Perturbed (who opened a new custom magic item shop), and Alaric the Twice-Dead (who still heads up the Town Guard, despite his size and appearance - he now stands almost twice the height of a normal man, including his wings!). Azriel Half-Demon and her demon-chain is seen from time to time, though sightings have grown more infrequent as time has gone by.

The High Cliffs Ruins still stand, and, as one of the largest battle sites of the war, they have become a destination for pilgrims on the anniversary of the war's end (even though the final battle did not occur there, the Ruins are easier to reach and more "dramatic" a place to visit).

Enders Prison has been sacked, though rumors of a malign presence taking residence there have begun to filter back to Nokt, and some sort of force is organizing the evils in the area...

Foerl has withdrawn from Ereland completely, leaving its colonies to fend for themselves. As the Illithid War progressed, Foerl became more and more introverted, perhaps fighting its own battles on home ground, though they never called for assistance from the colonies or Taggartian forces.

Things in Taggartia have reverted to their pre-war status, and the people have tried to put the memories behind them. Only a few places in Taggartia have been scarred by the war, though a large number of refugees found their way there following the war; they have settled, for the most part, in Fellixland, straining the nation's economy and cities to the breaking point.

Ereland, as the main battleground of the war, was affected much more profoundly. The Crystalline Arch was shattered in the largest psychic battle the planet has ever seen (and is also where Tybbaal - and Cornelius, his Awakened warhorse companion - is rumored to have gone missing), and it is not unheard of for travelers across the land to encounter wrecked "skyships" of the Mind Flayers, Taggartian airship crash sites, and even some Foerlian wrecks. Odd, shimmering "curtains" of gray color have been seen in the wilderness, and those that approach them report the feeling of weightlessness overcoming them.

Strange creatures can often be found near the Illithid crash sites, and, indeed, the bugbears of Ereland whisper tales of strange beings walking the woods when they sit around their campfires at night. Creatures they had never encountered before the war...

Ereland is taking a breath, enjoying a moment of overall calm in the aftermath of the War. Yet all is not safe and peaceful, as corruption and danger sleep just beneath the exterior...

Calendar of Events

230 TY - Present Day
229 TY - Second Illithid War; the setting for the old campaign Nokt, Nokt.
209 TY - The Great Illithid War takes place.
208 TY - Draven goes missing.
207 TY - Tybbaal's Academy opens. Alaric becomes Captain of the Guard in Nokt.
195 TY - Centralia joins the "neutral territory" accord.
192 TY - Tired of war, representatives of Taggartia and Foerl declare Ereland "neutral territory."
188 TY - Centralian colonists encounter already-established Foerlians on Ereland. War erupts.
187 TY - Centralian colonists land on Ereland and establish themselves.