Champions of the Dawn

The Champions of the Dawn were a group of adventurers active primarily in what was previously the dwarven kingdom of Belsimar.

Membership

 * Orodeth - Female high elf wizard. Killed by hill giants in 2291.
 * Meerain - Male air genasi fighter. Built Feathergale Spire. Died in battle against Keldan in 2318 when a conjured whirlwind got out of control.
 * Borak Forgefist - Male dwarf monk. Built Sacred Stone Monastery. Killed in 2307 in a surprise attack by Meerain's gryphon riders.
 * Keldan - Male human druid. Built Scarlet Moon Hall. Died in battle against Keldan in 2318 when a conjured whirlwind got out of control.
 * Lindon Underbough - Male halfling paladin of Yondalla. Built Rivergarde Keep. Tried to mediate between his former companions, but was killed in 2299 by a flash flood.

History
How the Champions of the Dawn first started adventuring together has been lost to history. What is known, they is that they arrived by ship in Drakkengarde in 2288 with the goal of reclaiming the former dwarven kingdom of Belsimar from the giants, ogres, trolls, and orcs who now dwelt there. By 2291 they had succeeded in driving off the monsters, though their elven wizard, Orodeth, perished in the final battle. Having reclaimed the land, they declared their intention to found a new kingdom, including the cities of Northeron and Drakkengarde, and honored their fallen comrade by naming their new kingdom after her.

Unfortunately, Keldan, Borak, and Meerain proved incapable of sharing power and quickly fell into bickering and in-fighting; within a year, they had descended into all-out war. Each constructed a separate keep within the heart of their new kingdom, from which they commanded small armies of mercenaries and followers to fight each other in what came to be known as the War of the Dawn. Lindon also built a keep, though with the purpose of guarding the river against monsters.

As a paladin of Yondalla, Lindon initially tried to mediate between his companions and try to find some common ground by which they could rule jointly. However, he was killed in 2299 when a flash flood overtook his fortress of Rivergarde Keep and he was swept from the ramparts into the river. Meerain and Borak both blamed the druid, Keldan, for the flash flood; from that point on, it became clear that none would rest until the others were dead. Borak died in 2307 when he was caught out in the open by Meerain's gryphon riders, leaving Meerain and Keldan to wage war for the next nine years, ultimately meeting each other in a mighty clash of armies in 2318. It is unclear which side conjured the magical whirlwind (though most scholars suggest the druid Keldan was most likely the culprit), but it somehow got beyond the control of its caster; when the storm finally abated, both armies had been utterly destroyed and both Meerain and Keldan were dead.

The Mercantile Alliance of Northern and Drakkengarde quickly took control of the region, meeting with overwhelming support; the organization had made a concerted effort to maintain trade during their leaders' feud, and promised peace and prosperity rather than warfare and bloodshed. The four keeps were quickly abandoned following the respective deaths of their masters.