The world on which D.R.E.A.D. is based
Mythology:
Once upon a time, in a plane far far away, humanity was losing a war against the Infinite Horde. The Kingdoms of the world of Panares had not been able to rally themselves against the Infinite Horde, at least not until the Conference of Urbarin, the Capital of the greatest human empire. Sadly, the attendants of the Conference could only come to one conclusion: That it was already too late to win this war, even if they were to fight with all their combined forces together. They had not listened to their experts and now it was too late. Having reached that consensus, Alamuna, a high Priest of the minor Goddess Uhrta, goddess of Famine and Sacrifice, stepped in front of the assembly and let her goddess incarnate herself in her body to speak directly to the delegates.The gods too, had a summit. Their situation was precarious, too, since their believers were disappearing in this losing war. Their recommendation was quite relentless: since the Fight reaction did not work, their flock would have to flee, not only far away but out of reach of the Infinite Horde. The only place where the Infinite Horde could not grasp humanity easily would be another Plane of existence.
The method proposed by the god was extreme: They would bring 2 planes of existence to collide and tear a part Panares and paste it on the other plane of existence. The price would be high, too. Arin, the Patriarch of the gods, God of the sun, Reincarnations, Soul Transmigration and High Arbiter of the gods, would have to sacrifice himself and every 10th planar traveller.
This was seen as the last chance of humanity to survive and so it came to be.
Humanity from all around the inner sea moved onto Arkaion, the biggest island on the inner sea, and the Gods started the Severance.
The Severance was a catastrophe of planar scale for both concerned planes. The whole Island of Arkaion was wrenched out of Panares and dropped into the Valmerian Sea of what will be called by the human refugees "the Perfu Continent".
Gigantic waves broke out and devastated the coasts and their inland. Storms raged for months until the temperature and pressure differences compensated. Ley Lines were pulled, some even ripped, creating major Wyld Magic phenomenon (rains of frogs, random portal openings, meteor showers, volcanic eruptions, etc.)
The first year was bad for everyone, on the island and on the continent. Humanity decided to rename their Island and the continent around it Perfu, a word for Hope and rebirth in the language of the old Urbarian Imperium, that spanned around the complete inner sea.
The only spark of hope was that the old gods seemed to have survived and still were at the side of humanity.
After the Severance:
Old Urbanian society structures were reused to organise life on the Perfu Island, and person of noble extraction were granted land on the island. Land was scarce, though, and a lot of nobles took to the seas to conquer lands on the continent or the other islands around Perfu. Those were easy targets for the Urbarian nobles, the devastation wrought by the Severance having weakened the locals.New baronies, provinces and even states were created around the Valmerian Sea (as the locals call it). Caletria, the biggest city of the island formerly known as Arkaion (now Perfu), was renamed Neo-Urbarin, soon known only as Norbarin, the Enlightened city, capital of the human world.
Time passed, and humans carved themselves new kingdoms on the coasts of the Valmerian Sea.
They met new races, some friendly, a lot of others frankly hostile.
Contact was made with the long-living elves and the subterraneous Dwarves. A guerilla war against the halfling kingdom of Odovar was quickly lost and a reconciliation treaty was signed. A goblinoid invasion was stopped at the gates of Nidilarum.
Nowadays:
We are now 250 Years after the Severance, and humanity is still alive, always trying to expand like a parasite, only slowed by the constant infighting between the rival powers.The Continent of Perfu is still undiscovered and full of monsters.
Humans have brought technological advancement to their allies and discovered the rudiments of arcane architecture from the halflings, the base of alchemy from the elves and the lowest secrets of dwarven metallurgy (Steel).
Alchemy has proven very effective and potent and its wonders has kindled hope in the Perfuan civilisation, which started to intensely research this new science.
More on the world another time
