The Post Disaster Years
The Great Disaster changed many, many things in the world. Society was slow to develop, but eventually the free races managed to regroup. Population was very thin for all races; all suffered a huge loss of life. Human society first emerged in the southern lands. Dwarves and gnomes regrouped in what remained of their delves in the mountains, while the elves did what they could to rebuild their own woodland sanctuaries.
Elves
The lives of elves in particular have been badly hit. Elfish people live far longer than the humans or dwarves; and their numbers do not recover as quickly as dwarves and men. The natural end to their lives is different indeed. It is still possible (and indeed has been common) for elves to sail to their own heaven at a time of their own choosing. This was a way that many elves escaped the worst of the Disaster. Many more left shortly after, the elfish population in Arthea has been desperately small since then. Elf children are very rare these days; it is thought that their strong affinity to magic has meant that the Disaster weakened their species.
The places where the elves lived were often protected by magical warding and other protections. In some cases these helped save the elves from the worst of the Disasters effects, but in some places, the magical fields focussed in the unleashed magical energy into their homelands, making things even worse.
Few elves now live in Arthea that remember the Disaster first hand. Most have fled from this land, departing to their elfish heaven, leaving this world for good.
Dwarves and Gnomes
Living underground when the Great Disaster struck was a sorry situation for the dwarfish and gnomish communities. Huge delves were completely demolished during this time, and the great shared realms that some of the dwarves and gnomes had built have been lost for ever. Those near the surface managed to escape, but deeper down, whole communities were buried and cut off from the surface. Some people survived underground for long years, their deep farming lands had been established for many centuries, maintaining food and water supplies for the deepest of delves. Many of these small sanctuaries were eventually reached by the flurry of digging that went on for long years after the Disaster. But whether all such underground survivors have been reaches is still unknown. There could be whole societies of dwarves and gnomes that have lived while completely cut off from the surface.
Immediately after the Disaster the livelihoods of the dwarves changed; they became outcasts on the surface. They became farmers, fishermen, businessmen, traders. They grouped together in new communities, building wooden houses, while likely sites for new permanent homes were sought.
Even when suitable natural caves were found, it took years to turn them into something they could move into; delves are not quick homes to build. It has taken these people a very long time indeed to recover anything near the magnificence of their forefathers. Their skill levels have not dropped, though, and these new builds are of impressive quality - rivalling their old homes in all but size.
The Halflings
Little is known of the survival of the halflings. There is little to suggest that the race even existed before the Disaster, some sages have even suggested that halflings were the product of the magic used at that time. The halflings themselves have always refused to believe this. It is thought that the race split three ways with each community moving for shelter with the race with which it had closest ties. There is mention in some halfling songs and stories of times spent beneath the ground with the dwarves, and in the woodland with the elves. It is thought that the period of the disaster could be the one referred to in those songs. It is clear that the halflings were not involved in the affairs which brought about this state of destruction they never appear in any songs or poems of humans except for those old stories known as “fairy tales” which indicates that they would have had very little, or possibly no warning at all of the great danger facing the world.
Humans
The situation after the disaster was worst of all for the humans. Their huge population suffered the heaviest of losses, and their whole society was wiped from the face of the world. This society slowly regrouped. By the year 400, many new towns had been born, and trading was beginning to grow in popularity. Eventually councils and rulers appeared, kingdoms were formed, and trade grew into new markets and new areas. The human heart began to come to the fore again, the thirst for power grew; wars were fought, small nations became larger nations and society developed.
Not all such leaders sought power for their own ends, and some had an impact beyond just making war. As a rich landowner, William Corgart was one such leader. He used his influence with the church to take control of power in four north-western kingdoms. He was a benevolent ruler in his newly formed nation, but his most important contribution was the establishment of the modern calendar, based loosely on an elfish model. Although he began counting years from the beginning of his reign, this was changed 150 years later, when the date of the Great Disaster was calculated and used instead. Because of its importance for trade and contractual negotiations of all kinds, it was soon adopted across all kingdoms.
In the 1400 years since the Great Disaster, society has risen and fallen many times and in many forms. Currently, the lands are suffering a period of severe unrest, with order being maintained with the use of armed might. The curse of mankind, it seems, is the desire for power.
Other Surface Dwelling Races
The mountains and plains in the centre of Arthea are still wild lands, and despite the wars between the human settlements, there has been no proper expansion into these areas. Occasional raids and sometimes more serious conflict have shown that many species have survived the disaster. Orcs, Bugbears, Gnolls, and Giants have attacked human colonies before. Other beasts such as Minotaurs and Trolls have been seen in these areas, and there are known to be numerous Goblin colonies scattered throughout the wilderland. There are probably other races that have survived too.
The Underdark
Little was known about the underdark races until the last 150-200 years. Dark elves and duergar have been encountered by dwarves and gnomes while expanding their underground dwellings. An uneasy peace seems to have ensued, but little is known of their lives and colonies. The very fact that they seem unwilling to fight against their racial enemies suggests that their numbers are small.
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