A Shorthand History of Pannithor
You’ve been tempted by Kings of War, you’ve looked at the website, listened to the podcasts and tried to figure out which faction is for you. One of the biggest stumbling blocks for new players is getting to grips with the background of the game. Models and rules may be the foundation of something great but without storytelling they remain lifeless. Should you want the deep dive into the full lore, Mantic have a free to download pdf here. If trawling through 300 pages of text is a bit daunting then fear not. Here begins a series of articles examining Pannithor and her inhabitants in an easy to digest format.
The Primogenitors
In the beginning there were beings of immense power embodying the very elements of the Material Plane. In time you will learn of other planes of existence beyond the Material. For now we will look at the very building blocks of existence and their embodiments. Life, Death, Darkness, Light, Earth, Air and Water. In the early stages Bhanek, God of Life, made endless creations and unleashed them upon the world, delighting in their lives. Shobik, God of Death, would introduce them to change, entropy and even their eventual demise. As brothers they seemed content to continue this cycle of creation and destruction without issue. Meanwhile Darkness and light chased each other across the sky whilst Air and Water formed great storms, shaped continents and painted the sky with clouds. Only Dianek the God of Earth sat alone. There in the depths, miserable and lonely she wept.
Eventually Bhanek started to get bored and his mind wandered. What if his creations weren’t immediately subject to Shobik’s influence? What might they build? What might they accomplish? What new inspiration would they provide? In secret he created the Elves and hid them from the influence of the other Primogenitors. This is widely regarded as the first stupid plan in Pannithor. Understandably Shobik was both hurt and enraged that his brother kept the Elves from him. Rather than destroy the creation that gave Bhanek joy, he demanded a similar race of creatures for his own amusement. Bhanek agreed and quickly shoved whatever junk he had lying around together. This was the second ever stupid plan and produced humanity. Against all expectations the Elves and Humans got on remarkably well and Pannithor was forever changed.
You may be wondering what happened to Dianek. Filled with sympathy at the sound of her sorrows, the Brothers resolved to aid Dainek. Bhanek breathed life into the tears she shed whilst Shobik gave only the lightest embrace of death. Beneath the Earth of Pannithor its newest race came into being. In what might be considered a case of ‘Third time lucky’ the creation of the Dwarves wasn’t actually a stupid plan. Unfortunately Bhanek and Shobik’s previous plans had already doomed the Primogenitors.
The Time of Light
What does a race of super clever, charismatic and all round amazing beings do to prevent boredom? They start exploring anything and everything around them. Elven magic and science looked beyond the boundaries of the Material Plane into the Astral Plane and came to the notice of the beings known as Celestians. More powerful and knowledgeable than the Elves yet free with their secrets it was little surprise the Celestians were given an open invitation to Pannithor. Their influence spread like wildfire, the way they presented themselves tailored to appeal most to whoever they approached. Mentors to the Elves, divine beings to the humans and cordial acquaintances to the Dwarves. On the surface the Elves flourished whilst the humans built their great civilisation of Primovantor. Below ground the Dwarves were happy to keep themselves to themselves.
Exactly what the Celestians were, where they came from and what their motivations were is unknown. Seemingly they were generous with their teaching and support for the inhabitants of Pannithor and enjoyed high regard. Whilst belief and trust in the Celestians grew, so it diminished in the Primogenitors who found their power and prominence fading. Apart from Dianek who remained firmly in the hearts of the Dwarves, I did mention the creation of the Dwarves proved to be Third time lucky.
All went well until a rebellious Celestian named Oskan started to become increasingly disgusted with both the Celestians and Pannithorians. When Oskan crossed paths with the most powerful of all Elves named Calisor Fenulian a plan took shape that would undo everything. Calisor had fallen for a human lady called Elianthora. She turned him down but Calisor was the very worst kind of person who wouldn’t take no for an answer. Oskan confided in him the method of making a mirror that would show Elianthora the wonderful future she could have with Calisor. The creepy and inappropriate Elf immediately set off on a quest to gather the ingredients and produce the mirror. Without seeking her consent he then presented it to Elianthora. Sure their future was a delight but then the mirror showed the awful fates their children would endure. In rage, she cast the mirror to the floor where it shattered. In her last moments of rage and despair she clasped a shard and thrust it deep into her breast.
The God War
The mirror turned out to be much, much more than a window to potential futures, if it ever was at all. Forged from ingredients of spectacular rarity and potency from across Pannithor and said to have captured the light of a star itself. When the mirror shattered so too did the Celestians. Many Celestians were torn apart and destroyed, the more fortunate separated into noble and wicked aspects of one being. Oskan had prepared for this event and immediately cut down his Noble half to claim first blood in the God War. Quickly gathering the Wicked kindred to his side; Oskan armed them with shards of the Fenulian mirror.
Initially most Elves, Humans and Dwarves lent their strength to the Noble aspects of the Celestians. With overwhelming numbers opposing them it looked like the Wicked Ones would fail. The ever resourceful Oskan formed the Abyssal Demons from magic of the Abyssal Plane. Meanwhile his ally, Garkan the Black, twisted sentient creatures into armies of Orcs and Beasts to join the fight. Blood flowed, civilisations crumbled and the world of Pannithor was reshaped for the worse by a conflict between unimaginably powerful beings. All in all a pretty terrible state of affairs.
The final battle of the God War was a sight to behold. Armies of Elves, Humans and Dwarves stood shoulder to shoulder from horizon to horizon. Hordes of Abyssals, Orcs and Twisted Beasts matched them in number. Noble and Wicked aspects of the Celestians clashed in the skies above the slaughter. On this stage the two most notable characters strode out. Oskan the Wicked One armed with his shard of the Fenulian Mirror now formed into a great Black Axe, Domitar the Shining One armed with the Star Iron sword once held by his father (Yeah, I don’t exactly know how the timeline sits on that one, it’s unclear). Two titans locked in mortal combat. Fortunately Domitar had an ace up his sleeve. Though Oskan had collected the shards of the Fenulian Mirror and armed the Wicked Ones, a single piece had escaped his notice. Taken from the heart of Elianthora and forged into the Star Iron Sword. Piercing Oskan, the shard robbed him of strength and his axe plummeted to the ground. The axe cut a great wound into Pannithor itself and broke. The shard from which it had formed unleashing the sorrow of Calisor, the anguish of its mortal victims and the misery of constant warfare. The Unleashed power was death to mortal creatures but took hold of Abyssal and Wicked One alike, dragging them down into the chasm that would become known as the Abyss where the Wicked Ones were sealed.
The Time of Ice
With the God War ended and the Wicked Ones sealed away it looked like Pannithor had time to heal. The Shining Ones had expended most of their power and their numbers were greatly diminished. Unable to do more they retreated into seclusion. All except Valandor who cloaked his true nature and presented as a mortal being. Working tirelessly, he tried to rebuild strained relationships between the Noble races in hope they might regain all that was lost. Unfortunately the world had changed both physically and culturally. Civilisations retreated inwards, resources were few and life became harder. To make matters worse the ice of the north spread across Pannithor. Encroaching further and further with each passing moment. Led by horrifying constructs of Ice and Flesh.
The Elves eventually uncovered the cause of this new threat. The Wicked One known as Winter had evaded the grasp of the Abyss and set out to conquer Pannithor. Battle Lines were drawn once more and under the leadership of Valandor the fight back began. The War on Winter was a harsh one that the Noble races could scarcely afford. Eventually Valandor slew Winter and for a moment it looked like all would be well. With the death of Winter her spells were unravelled. What no one had the foresight to comprehend was the result of so much ice melting at once. The low lying lands of Primovantor, the great cities of the Elves and the subterranean holds of the Dwarves were drowned in terrible floods. Where once the greatest of all civilisations stood, now sat the Infant Sea. Pannithor as we know it today was born at terrible cost.
Conclusion
Hopefully this has served as a primer and overview for the curious. The history itself does have more depth if you have time to dive into it. This core narrative will happily serve as foundation for further articles looking at the factions at play in Kings of War. Tune in next time for a look at a nation built on the few surviving ruins of Great Primovantor, the mighty Basilea.
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