The Flash

 

The Flash took everything from the world. Cities were laid in ruins. Underground dwarven strongholds shook and collapsed, burying the underdark. Creatures from beyond the dimension came in, and began hunting people in the ruins of the cities. Great leviathans rose from the deep and began attacking ships.

They say that it was the Wizards of the Silver Circle that caused the doom- performing some ritual to contact outer planar characters. What we do know is that civilization never recovered.

Setting: We are 150 years after the cataclysm. Few are alive who remember it- mostly the long-lived races. Many races began to segregate with their major trade hubs destroyed, mostly small out of the way

 

0 AC- The Flash happened. Violent earthquakes as well as a huge series of flashes in the sky erupted all at once. People were burned alive who were near the sources of the flash, and underdark areas collapsed in the quakes. Sinkholes destroyed towns and buildings, and sleeping sea leviathans rose up and began attacking ships. Strange creatures came forth and began devouring people in the cities. Areas of high magic concentration exploded into series of living spells, and some areas were scarred into wild magic zones. Some areas became littered with undead and became necropolises.

1 AC- Most of the major population centers were destroyed, but most of the small outlying communities were not as disrupted. While some went blind from the flash, most were far enough away from population centers to avoid largescale tragedy. However, with the major trade routes no longer protected or secured, bandit activity amongst humans became common. Mages were sought out and killed by witchfinders, and many large churches were abandoned. The small communities were thrown into political upheaval as bandit lords began to claim them as their own. Without major trade hubs, the races began to segregate.

5 AC- As nature began to flourish, other creatures began to fill the power void, mostly Illithids, Beholders, Dragons, Sphinxes, Fey, and the undead began to filter out, and enslave or devour mid-level civilizations. Some were able to survive, but most were destroyed. Nomadic bands of humanoids became common and small tribal civilizations popped up in areas where they could hide or defend themselves against the new creatures. With the lack of worked materials and skilled labor, buildings fell into disrepair, knowledge became more difficult to pass on, and spell components were more difficult to come by.

20 AC- The intelligent creatures began establishing their territories, and the wilderness became very difficult for humanoids, whose main evolutionary advantage had been tool making and society. The common and undercommon languages fell mostly out of use (though common became “human”). Literacy became uncommon as daily survival became a struggle.

90 AC- some small areas of relative safety were established where humanoids could fortify, though there were at constant risk of being discovered by some of the more powerful races. Some humanoids willingly went to live in cities run by dragons which most closely resembled the old society.

150 AC- Skirmishes and all-out war broke out as territories started bumping into each other, especially between rival dragons, who had interest in hoarding wealth and historical artifacts. Draconic cities became even less safe for humanoids, who did not possess the movement or power of dragons, and who were generally taken by spoils of war (either as slaves or food) by the victors. The people of your area think that this might be an opportunity for humanoids to regain their place in society.