However, the involvement of the Celestials in the affairs of Elandar's planet attracted the attention of evil entities from the Abyssal and Infernal Planes. Even though the Celestials rarely made their presence directly felt by the mortal inhabitants of the planet, their indirect involvement was enough to provoke incursions by the Outsiders of the Abyss and Baator. For eons, though, the Celestials easily checked impositions from the evil Outsiders. The Tanar'ri and Baatezu dark lords did manage to corrupt the more savage humanoid species, warping their behavior and appearance (orcs, goblinoids, and giants all took on their current characteristics because of evil Outsider interference), but the Celestials prevented the evil Outsiders from having much effect among the humans, gnomes, halflings, and elves. (An exception is the Drow, who were corrupted by the Bebilith demons and are thus not part of the Tanar'ri sphere of influence.) Competition over the dwarves was particularly intense, resulting in the strange compromise between good and evil in the dwarven religion. Then, after thousands of years of interdimensional warfare between the Planes of Good, the Abyss, and Baator for control of the material-plane nexus connecting with Elandar's planet, the evil Outsiders achieved their greatest success. One of the Baatezu erinyes joined forces with a Tanar'ri succubus to corrupt a faction of high-elf clerics. Posing as Morda, the dark shadow of the omnipotent intelligence of The One, they tempted these clerics with their evil power and sparked the Mordari War of 1221. The Celestials boldly attempted to combat this interference, but it was too late--over the next thousand years, the worship of Morda would spread among most of the races of savage humanoids already corrupted by the evil Outsiders. By the time of the arrival of the "Sea People" in Elandar, the Celestials began dedicating their power merely to keeping any more Outsiders from reaching Elandar's planet. The darkness already in the world continued to spread on its own.
The Z'Hann Dynasty is only the latest repercussion of the ancient Abyssal and Infernal influence in Elandar. Although eons ago the Celestials successfully prevented the Tanari'ri and Baatezu from having much effect on the human species, shortly after the Plainsmen settled in the continent of Elandar the evil Outsiders did manage to crossbreed some corrupted humans with evil dragons. The Celestials destroyed most half-dragons, but a handful survived in secret and mixed with the rest of the species. Throughout the Age of Strife, those carrying the genes of the half-dragons eventually produced a family of unnaturally potent sorcerers. Only the females of this lineage bore the half-dragon genes, and through mystical communion with Baator and the Abyss they learned of their draconic origin. Guided indirectly by Baatezu (prevented from direct involvement by the Celestials), the Z'Hann lineage married into the Hycarean ruling dynasty of Maladorn and eventually seized control of the settlement. The Infernal lords hope Maladorn will be the route to their ultimate conquest of Elandar's world, although the Tanar'ri lords (who have been suffering the brunt of Celestial attacks) jealously plot to subvert the Infernal plan and ravage Elandar for themselves. The Z'Hann Dynasty of sorceresses are merely pawns in this secret battle between evil Outsiders.
The Final Prophecy has grown out of the final message the Celestials gave to their allies in the Unseelie Court of Greenwood before withdrawing from direct involvement in Elandar. They promised they would forever fight against the dark forces and prevent them from forging an evil "third empire" in the world. When the Fairy-Queen of the Wood Elves shared this message with the Gulf Elves, it was misconstrued as a warning that a "third empire" was destined. As this misinterpretation spread across Elandar over the next millennium, knowledge of its origin was lost and it took on the form of a mysterious prophecy.
Around one hundred thousand years ago, when the divine intelligence of The One was still present in the world, the varied humanoid species began to spread out from their point of origin. First to migrate were the elves, who dwelled along the coasts. Developing the skill of seafaring first among all humanoids, they sailed across the Great Middle Sea to Elandar. The first wave settled deep in the central forests, evolving over time into the Wood Elves of Greenwood and the Wild Elves and Drow Elves of Darkwood; the second wave settled along what came to be known as the Gulf of Elan-Nar, becoming the High Elves. Over thousands of years, these elves (who had not yet "awakened" to the ability to keep written records) forgot their distant origins and claimed Elandar as their homeland. Then, approximately 30,000 years before the "awakening" of the elves, Elandar's planet was swept by a rare Ice Age. A massive glacial sheet extending south nearly to the equator connected the Western Continent to Elandar through the islands that would one day become the Hycarean Homelands. It was across this "land bridge" that the Hill Dwarves, Rock Gnomes, and Lightfoot Halflings would migrate, followed by the savage humanoids (orcs, goblinoids, and some giant breeds) as well as the race of humans who would come to be known as the Plainsmen. Eventually, around 10,000 years before the "awakening" of the elves, the Ice Age came to a close, the glacial sheet retreated, and only the three small islands were left between the two great continents. Like the elves before them, these later immigrants forgot their ancient origins and came to consider Elandar their native home.
After the close of the Ice Age, other species remaining in the Western Continent learned the skill of seafaring. From the far south of the Western Continent, the sentient reptillian kobolds built primitive boats and sailed to Elandar, settling throughout the northern mountains as long ago as 5,000 years before the "awakening" of the elves. The most famous ancient mariners, however, are the Hycareans, the humans who sailed to the three islands in the Great Middle Sea and made them their native homeland for countless generations; it would only be after a devastating drought around the Year 1700 that the Hycarean tribes would begin their epic journey to Elandar. Unlike the other races, the Hycarean-speaking humans have never considered themselves native to Elandar--they have always known their native lands lay to the west across the sea. Also sometime after the Year 1700, breeds of giantfolk who did not cross the land bridge during the Ice Age took to the seas in gigantic rowing ships, conquering the Isle of Drakir. In later decades, these conquering giants would command the construction of Ur-Gul. The Southmen, too, are ancient mariners. During the Ice Age they traveled the same route as the Plainsmen, at first passing through Elandar to settle their own isle off the southern coast; only shortly after the arrival of the Sea Peoples did they return in small numbers to settle in the Desert Coast. Most of their ethnic stock (fully ten-times their population in Elandar itself) still resides in their southern home island, similar in climate (if rather more fertile and bountiful) to the Desert Coast.
The Western Continent is not abandoned. Not every tribe and clan among the ancient species migrated to the east tens of thousands of years ago. Clans of elves, dwarves, gnomes, halflings, humans, and savage humanoids in every variety remain in the Western Continent, evolving their own unique cultures, societies, and ways of life. Especially in the northern half of the continent across the Great Pass separating it from the Southlands, complex cultures are developing. The specialized breeds of dwarves, gnomes, and halflings can be found there, along with the aloof Gray Elves. But some groups of humanoids still remain south of the Great Pass, never having migrated from their species' point of origin. The humanoids of the Southland Valleys tend to be very primitive, still living their species' original tribal lifestyle; they are also swarthy in appearance, adapted to living in the tropical, equatorial environment.
Dragons and lizardfolk are indigenous only to Elandar; they never evolved in the Western Continent. However, the prehistoric reptillian beasts (known on Earth as dinosaurs) which roamed the super continent back when all of the land masses were joined together never died out in the Southland Valleys of the Western Continent. The giant reptillians became extinct in Elandar millions of years ago, and their only surviving descendants are the dragon kin and lizardfolk. They became extinct north of the Great Pass millions of years ago as well, but they live on in the Southlands (where the kobolds evolved from them). The few primitive humanoids still living in the Southland Valleys have adapted to sharing an environment with such dangerous beasts.
Simmhi ("Spirits"; Simmha is the elven singular)
Lantern Archons are called Simmha-Kel ("Light Spirit")
Hound Archons are called Simmha-Kur ("Wolf Spirit")
Avorals are called Simmha-Pri ("Bird Spirit")
Ghaeles are called Simmha-Nui ("Our Spirit")
Planetars are called Simmha-Kai ("Sky Spirit")
Solars are called Simmha-Rei ("Sun Spirit")
(Trumpet Archons and Astral Devas are unknown to the people of Elandar.)
Mordriri ("Shadows"; Mordrira is the elven singular)
Succubi are called Mordrira-Nym ("Beautiful Shadow")
Bebilith are called Mordrira-Dri ("Spider Shadow"; known
to the Drow Elves only)
Balors are called Mordrira-Durlar ("Shadow Lord")
Imps are called Mordrira-Bir ("Bat Shadow")
Erinyes are called Mordrira-Senra ("Seducer Shadow")
Pit Fiends are called Mordrira-Kenra ("Shadow Conqueror")
(Other demons and devils are unknown to the people of Elandar.)