More than fifty years ago celebrations spread throughout the eastern seaboard, as news of the battle of the Rose Plain reached the towns and villages. The battle marked the end of the Second Orc war, which had lasted twenty three years. As often happens, the exact number of beasts killed in the battle was greatly exaggerated, and after a few retellings was ranked in the millions. One thing was sure, though - the evil cleric who lead the attack, Abbe Bussoni, had had his life force trapped by the clerics of Lladmieh. Descriptions of Bussoni's soul prison varied, some saying he had been trapped in a large ruby, others saying he was in the eyeball of a black manticore, while still others told the touching story of a unicorn who gave her life so that Bussoni's soul could be captured within her horn.
During much of the war the bands of smelly beasts and grizzly, chattering trolls held the upper hand on the coast. In fact, the entire Eastern seaboard is dotted with ruins of castles, towns and under-grounds which have been destroyed in the war, either by the forces of the Kronian Alliance or by those of Bussoni. Pockets of resistance still remain, and travel is dangerous. However, trade is ensured by IBM, DEC and Apple, the three major caravan companies of Kron.
According to the elves, the history of the most recent war follows the same pattern as the wars of the past. Nieman's forces in the west rear an army, bring it across the mountains and attack the humans. The humans, who seem to have a very short memory, are taken by surprise and many cities are lost. Finally a coordinated contingent of Elven, Dwarven, Halvling, Human and Gnomic armies attack the supply lines of the enemy.
This war was more unusual and cruel than previous ones because of the resurgence of magic. Magic had been nearly dead since the Gods were banished, and no-one is sure why. Some say that the magic left with the Gods. Others say that the Gods have no control over magical energy, and that the reason magic has been weak in the past was due to the massive amount of energy used to construct the homes of the gods. However, recently the magical potential energy has increased. Skeptics who monitor the situation warn that the extra magical energy may be needed for some great task, just as the magical energy was used in the past in order to banish the gods.
These Orc wars have caused hatred between the Eastern Races and the Western Races. However, not all Orcs, Goblins, and Kobolds are evil. Some of these races live in Kron, and are not impossible to find at demi-human establishments. Usually these races tend to be found in places where like races frequent. Nearly everyone who lives in Kron has seen and dealt with Goblins, Orcs, Gnolls, Kobolds and Lizardmen (rarely). Well known creatures, such as Dragons, are often the theme of popular artwork, and hence can be recognized by the dumbest peasant.
Strange monsters are the subject of other artwork and often end up in guilds. In fact, guild training for thieves, fighters and clerics provide a basic knowledge of some of the more common creatures found in Dreadl-Kal. Though Gargoyles, Trolls and Ogres are never found in the city (they are too violent and ravenous and evil), a Priest, Thief or Fighter would have a good chance of accurately identifying any common monster encountered, even if the character has never seen one before. Wizards have a choice of choosing "Monster Knowledge" proficiency. If a mage does not have this proficiency, he/she has spent too much time reading books, and does not know the difference between Ogres and Trolls. If he does have the he may be able to remember key combat statistics or other useful information when encountering a monster.
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