Kuo Toa, Yuan-Ti, and Lizardfolk are the rulers of this continent. The Yuan-Ti are masters of dark wizardry, deceit and cruelty, no longer content to inhabit the lightless caverns and passageways beneath the cities of others and remote corners of the world. The Kuo Toa channel the forces of primeval gods of water, earth and blood, the stars are right for their return to power. The Lizardfolk, once the undisputed masters of this land, have retreated to terrains unfavorable to the other races and still maintain their alliance with the Great Dragons who guard the gateways to other worlds.
Humans are a minor primitive race using stone age technology and dwell in cold inhospitable mountains and as slaves and as food by the three dominant races. Other minor races include ophidians, grippli (dragon 324), vermin lords, sivs, poison dusk lizardfolk, bullywugs, asaatth, meazels, dark trees, blackscale lizardfolk, dracotaurs, werecrocodiles, alligator warriors, miredwellers, jenicks.
In the cooler areas and mountains dwell alahis, fang dragons, mountain giants, frost giants, arctic dwarves, yak folk, immoths, oreads, wendigo, neanderthals, uldras, frost folk, snow goblins, yeti, goliaths and anthropomorphic polar bears, arctic wolves and snow leopards.
The Lizardfolk spread to all but the coldest lands and have kept their alliances with the dragons to secure this world from outsiders, but only advanced in technology as far as the bronze age. They have always used sheer numbers and the ability to quickly settle their differances with ritualized duels to unite against common foes.
Having long ago defeated and enslaved most of their enemies underground the Yuan-Ti have learned many dark secrets and arcane lore from their enemies and through communing with daemons. With the blessings of their foul daemon gods they have arisen from their secret places, infiltrated the Lizardfolk slave pits, and after converting them to their dark gods led bloody revolts in the twelve greatest cities of the Lizardfolk empire. Now the humans have new and crueler masters including those of their own race who swear allegiance to the Yuan-Ti and their gods for the power of arcane knowledge.
The Kuo Toa have always kept their altars bloody with sacrifices and after seven milleniums an old star begins to shine brighter then the rest in the night sky, the time of the god of water and earth is nigh and its oldest priests awaken and harness the growing power from the lake bottom temples and hilltop shrines. The surge of divine power over the last century has caused the Kuo Toa to overwhelm their Lizardfolk oppressors and begin taking back the lakes and swamps they once ruled. Their god could be Dagon or Cthulhu or whatever fits your campaign.
Timeline (BP=Before Present)
2.3 million BP Kuo Toa form their first tribes
2 million BP Kuo Toa hero forms first swamp kingdom, others soon follow
300000 BP Yuan-Ti form their first tribes in the jungles driving pre-humans into the plains
65000 BP Kuo Toa kingdoms expand into the jungles subjugating the Yuan-Ti
40000 BP Lizardfolk tribes led by a half-dragon hero arrive through the one of the Dragon Gates fleeing wars of genocide
32000 BP civil war (the heretic wars) amongst the Kuo Toa allows Yuan-Ti to rise up and form a kingdom of their own
24000 BP Lizardfolk form kingdoms, domesticate giant lizards and begin enslaving and driving other races to exstinction or migration to colder climes
20000 BP wars between the kingdoms of the three races
9000 BP Lizardfolk hero unites kingdoms and begins conquest of the Kuo Toa kingdoms and Yuan-Ti kingdom
8200 BP the Yuan-Ti kingdom falls to the Lizardfolk and are driven underground
7000 BP the last Kuo Toa kingdom is conquered and the reign of the Lizardfolk empire begins
4000 BP Yuan-Ti enslaved by underground race
1800 BP Yuan-Ti hero leads unsuccessful revolt, but many escape and live beneath Lizardfolk city
1603 BP underground wars weaken the Yuan-Ti masters and revolt finishes them off
1510 BP Yuan-Ti spread to other Lizardfolk cities
1224 BP unsuccessful Kuo Toa revolt
1050 BP Yuan-Ti enslave rival underground race
870 BP last of the Yuan-Ti slave race die off
650 BP Yuan-Ti enslave second underground race
512 BP last of Yuan-Ti second slave race die off
280 BP Yuan-Ti infiltration of slaves in Lizardfolk cities is complete
110 BP Kuo Toa god of water and earth begins to grow in power
50 BP Yuan-Ti assassinate Lizardfolk emperor and overthrow capitol
0 BP Swamps, jungles and lakes ruled by Kuo Toa, Yuan-Ti rule twelve largest cities and rely on slaves to hold back Lizardfolk counter-attacks, Lizardfolk kingdoms are still united and continue to rule the deserts, plains, hills, and coasts, but still have no emperor.
Dragon's Blood, HP Lovecraft's gods and a pretty picture
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