The Beginning
Nearly two centuries ago when the heathen gods began their battle for the dominion of Goraa, fire and ice rained down upon world. The people of Goraa suffered great losses during this time, but none suffered greater than the city of Segeleta when it was utterly destroyed killing over ten thousand people, save one – Joral Elguld.
Joral, a commoner, was chosen by The One to become his vessel on Goraa. In the midst of a city on fire and the tortured screams of his loved ones and friends, Joral heard the voice of The One telling him that he would be spared if he renounced the gods that destroyed his life and swear fealty to The One. By saving Joral from the power of the heathen gods and certain death, The One boldly staked His claim in what has become known as the Divine War. All the heathen gods fought each other and The One. Their battlerage shook the ground and lit up the sky for years.
Joral founded the Church of The One in Bet Kalamar and, through his own witness, converted thousands to the new faith. He defended his faith and followers from several attacks from heathen god clergy. In one account, he even defeated a cast-down godling.
Throughout the years, the destruction of Segeleta has been called the Tears of Joral. The tears that Joral shed were filled with the utmost grief over his loss and with the utmost joy in The One’s power. The area has been slowly rebuilt, mostly by those undertaking the pilgrimage to the beginning of The One’s miracles on Goraa.
The Present
Today, the ground is still and the sky is blue once more. The voice of The One can be heard through his followers. The heathen gods are silent, but some believe they watch over Goraa, hoping to find a weakness in The One.
As the Church of The One grew, so did its influence over trade and politics. Clerics replaced wizards as the most trusted advisors in most of the kingdoms. Many wizard colleges were pressured by the Church, either through politics or force, and eventually closed. Many mages converted to divine worship while others went underground, practicing and teaching their arcane arts secretly.
The Church of The One has become a military power with its own enforcers, mostly paladins, fighters, and warpriests. The Church has led several campaigns into areas with a high concentration of monstrous and abhorrent creatures, smiting them down with their divine righteousness, in order to protect the followers of The One.
Since their gods have abandoned them, many demihumans seem to have become hostile to those who follow The One, but occasionally you may see agnostic dwarves, gnomes, or halfings in smaller cities trading goods. The Fey have left most of the cities, especially those controlled by the Church, taking to their forests and hills. Their hostility towards
humans have caused many cities to forbid their entrance or restrict their movement once inside their confines.