The Millennium War is a cosmic conflict being waged across many realities and planes. It is waged by an entity of vast power and evil named Balor, whose footsoldiers are demonic Fomorians. Balor has moved from world to world, conquering realms and breeding new Fomorians from enslaved populations.
The Fall of Avallach
The Millennium War took on a new dimension when Balor found a portal to the Fey realm of Avallach. Avallach is a plane inhabited by powerful fey, in which Balor's power was dwarfed and his Fomorians easily checked. However, it is a spiritually unstable realm, in which forces of Light and Darkness contend. Balor, routed, allied himself with the Fey Darkness known as the Unseelie Court and came into possession of a dark relic, the Cauldron of Rebirth.
The Cauldron possesses transformational magic powerful enough to reshape worlds and its energies elevated Balor to god-like status. Balor's rejuvenated Fomorians launched a huge assault, demolishing the citadels of Avallach and forcing its fey peoples to submit or flee. A heroic rearguard action was fought by the Fey Lords, resulting in the creation of the Hollow Hills.
The Cauldron possesses transformational magic powerful enough to reshape worlds and its energies elevated Balor to god-like status. Balor's rejuvenated Fomorians launched a huge assault, demolishing the citadels of Avallach and forcing its fey peoples to submit or flee. A heroic rearguard action was fought by the Fey Lords, resulting in the creation of the Hollow Hills.
Fey Exiles & Collaborators
The Fey Lords opened portals for their people to escape to other worlds, which is how the fey entered Ocumene. Because time in Avallach does not relate to time in other worlds, some fey arrived in Ocumene centuries ago, others are arriving now fresh from the experiences of war and defeat.
Most of the fleeing fey were of the Seelie Court, beings of beauty and grace and servants of the Light. Others were the misshapen and brutal creatures of the Unseelie Court, the followers of Darkness. However, the Millennium War has upset the balance of the two courts. Many of the Unseelie Court are collaborators with Balor, looking for ways to open the portals to Avallach from this side and bring their master through. However, many more are simply fugitives who regard Balor as the Usurper. Most of the Seelie fey defy the Usurper Balor and hope to return to Avallach and free it from his grasp, or die trying, but others have opted out of the Millennium War and seek only peace and freedom in a new and untouched world.
Most of the fleeing fey were of the Seelie Court, beings of beauty and grace and servants of the Light. Others were the misshapen and brutal creatures of the Unseelie Court, the followers of Darkness. However, the Millennium War has upset the balance of the two courts. Many of the Unseelie Court are collaborators with Balor, looking for ways to open the portals to Avallach from this side and bring their master through. However, many more are simply fugitives who regard Balor as the Usurper. Most of the Seelie fey defy the Usurper Balor and hope to return to Avallach and free it from his grasp, or die trying, but others have opted out of the Millennium War and seek only peace and freedom in a new and untouched world.
The Elves
The High Elves are those who remember most clearly the Millennium War and their lost home. Arriving in Ocumene, they built fortresses in imitation of their otherworldly homes and set about rebuilding and training for the Reconquest of Avallach. Many have been preparing for centuries, others have arrived only recently, traumatised and bloodied. The High Elves seek out these mnew arrivals and nurse them, then train them to return to the War.
Not all High Elves hold true to this calling. Some reject the Reconquest as an impossible dream and travel Ocumene as wanderers, adventurers and lovers, or set up their own domains in paranoid isolation. Some regard the highly militarised and fervent High Elves of the Reconquest as little better than a fascist death cult.
The River Elves have largely turned their back on the Reconquest to travel, trade and luxuriate in this new world. They devote themselves to wealth, pleasure and exploration, resisting entreaties from the High Elves to join their cause. The River Elves elevate Chance to the status of a Goddess and believe in never looking back. From a High Elf perspective, the entire River Elf nation suffers from collective Survivor Guilt and needs to be awoken from a futile dream.
The Wood Elves retain the closest ties to Avallach and are rumoured to know the Paths and Portals that lead there. They are usually the ones who intercept the new arrivals, known as the Fugitives, and pass them over to the High Elves or River Elves, according to their assessment of the newcomer's needs. Some Fugitives they take into their own ranks or encourage to strike out on their own.
The Dark Elves, of course, serve the Unseelie Court. This makes many of them Balor Loyalists, but not all. Some see themselves as protectors of the Unseelie fey and seek to lead such creatures, keeping them safe from both the Usurper and the fanatics of the Reconquest.
Not all High Elves hold true to this calling. Some reject the Reconquest as an impossible dream and travel Ocumene as wanderers, adventurers and lovers, or set up their own domains in paranoid isolation. Some regard the highly militarised and fervent High Elves of the Reconquest as little better than a fascist death cult.
The River Elves have largely turned their back on the Reconquest to travel, trade and luxuriate in this new world. They devote themselves to wealth, pleasure and exploration, resisting entreaties from the High Elves to join their cause. The River Elves elevate Chance to the status of a Goddess and believe in never looking back. From a High Elf perspective, the entire River Elf nation suffers from collective Survivor Guilt and needs to be awoken from a futile dream.
The Wood Elves retain the closest ties to Avallach and are rumoured to know the Paths and Portals that lead there. They are usually the ones who intercept the new arrivals, known as the Fugitives, and pass them over to the High Elves or River Elves, according to their assessment of the newcomer's needs. Some Fugitives they take into their own ranks or encourage to strike out on their own.
The Dark Elves, of course, serve the Unseelie Court. This makes many of them Balor Loyalists, but not all. Some see themselves as protectors of the Unseelie fey and seek to lead such creatures, keeping them safe from both the Usurper and the fanatics of the Reconquest.
The Hollow Hills
After opening the Paths and Portals, the Fey Lords created a demi-realm within Avallach, cut off from the rest of their world, where the Usurper could not reach them. It is here that Nuada Silverhand rules, Lugh Longarm trains for battle, Goibniu heats his forge and Oengus Mac Og delights with his poetry. Some suspect that, in cutting themselves off from Avallach and the Cauldron, the Fey Lords have preserved thir purity at the cost of stepping outside time itself and they are now frozen in bliss, untouched and untouchable, an inspiration to those who fight against Balor but no longer able to act.
But it might not be so. Arriving in Ocumene centuries ago, the first Fugitives discovered a human nation who already knew of the Millennium War and worshiped the Fey Lords as gods. These people are the Danaan and their Clerics insist that the Fey Lords are still active and involved. Perhaps, by transcending to a higher plane, the Fey Lords confront the Usurper across all of time and space.
The Elves and the Danaan have prickly relations. For many fugitives, it seems ridiculous and disrespectful for ignorant humans to worship as gods the Lords and Ladies that the Elves remember fighting besides, perhaps not long ago subjectively. The notion that their former Lords might commune with humans, having abandoned their own people, is a distressing notion.
Yet legends persist of Paths into the Hollow Hills where the Lords dwell, of travelers who find themselves in the Blessed Halls and return to Ocumene finding years or centuries have passed. There are tales that Morgain Warcrow at least roams free, bringing destruction to the Usurpers forces, for she at least never sort to live in peace.
But it might not be so. Arriving in Ocumene centuries ago, the first Fugitives discovered a human nation who already knew of the Millennium War and worshiped the Fey Lords as gods. These people are the Danaan and their Clerics insist that the Fey Lords are still active and involved. Perhaps, by transcending to a higher plane, the Fey Lords confront the Usurper across all of time and space.
The Elves and the Danaan have prickly relations. For many fugitives, it seems ridiculous and disrespectful for ignorant humans to worship as gods the Lords and Ladies that the Elves remember fighting besides, perhaps not long ago subjectively. The notion that their former Lords might commune with humans, having abandoned their own people, is a distressing notion.
Yet legends persist of Paths into the Hollow Hills where the Lords dwell, of travelers who find themselves in the Blessed Halls and return to Ocumene finding years or centuries have passed. There are tales that Morgain Warcrow at least roams free, bringing destruction to the Usurpers forces, for she at least never sort to live in peace.
Danaan Clerics: The Danaan Clerics stand aside from their tribal background (hence their Neutral alignment) and the Seelie/Unseelie rift, attempting to deal with all fey according to ancient compacts. In practice, of course, it's easier to deal with the honourable Seelie than the duplicitous Unseelie. Moreover, since they worship the Fey Lords, they oppose the Unseelie fey who serve Balor. In practice, the Danaan Clerics respect the Unseelie, but judge whether to trust or aid them on a case-by-case basis.
Druids: The Druids are a more peculiar group, drawing members from many non-Danaan barbarian peoples of the West and South. The Druids see themselves as the guardians of Ocumene's reality. They police the ancient Paths and Portals and try to drive back many fey trying to enter this world. Fey who make their home in the natural world are respected, but the Druids want no part of the Millennium War and resist the activities of the High Elves to draw other peoples into it. It is rumoured that some among the Wood Elves and River Elves sympathies with the Druids and assist them
Gorgadia and other Exiles
The Fey are not the only exiles of the Millennium War. Other worlds fell to Balor in ages past and exiles escaped through portals of their own, ending up in Ocumene where they hid themselves away. Many of the monsters have their origins in such fallen realms. Since Balor acquired the Cauldron, his conquests surged, because the Cauldron enables him to reshape reality, corrupting entire species and eco-systems.
The world of Gorgadia was a cultured paradise that existed in innocence and isolation, but Balor discovered it and used his Cauldron to make it into a dismal swamp and transform its people into the hideous Medusas. Some Medusians escapes, bearing Balor's Curse on their bodies but able to control, somewhat, they petrifying gaze and monstrous urges imposed on them. To avoid becoming like their monstrous kin, many of these Exiles pluck out their eyes, preferring to 'see' through their serpent-crowns.
However, something seems to have changed. Balor's conquests seem to have stalled. No new worlds have fallen. Perhaps something happened on Gorgadia to set back Balor's lust for conquest. Perhaps the Exaltation of the Fey Lords has indeed brought god-like power to counter Balor's Cauldron. Or perhaps the Fomorian hosts are merely massing for a final assault and will burst through into Ocumene to lay waste to the world where the Exiles and Fugitives have gathered...
