— Ch. 1 · The Four Lands Aftermath —
The Sword of Shannara.
~4 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
Two thousand years before the story begins, a nuclear holocaust known as the Great Wars ended mankind's hegemony on Earth. These wars rearranged the planet's geography and wiped out 90% of the human population. Only traces of technological artifacts have been found; most advanced technology has been lost, but magic has been rediscovered. During this time, Mankind mutated into several distinct races: humans, dwarves, gnomes and trolls, all named after creatures from age-old myths. Also, elves begin to emerge after having been in seclusion and hiding for centuries. Man retreats southward while the other races settle elsewhere: the dwarves in the east, the gnomes in the hills of the northeast, the trolls in the north and the elves in the west. Due to this distribution, the territories, which roughly correspond to the Northwestern United States, are called the Four Lands.
Shea Ohmsford Quest
Five centuries later, Allanon, the last remaining Druid, arrives at the Ohmsford family inn in the Southland town of Shady Vale. He warns Shea, a half-elf adopted by the Ohmsfords, that the Warlock King has returned to the Skull Kingdom in the Northland and is coming for Shea. As the last descendant of Jerle Shannara, Shea is the only one who can wield the Sword of Shannara against the Warlock Lord. Allanon departs, leaving Shea three Blue Elfstones for protection. A few weeks later, the Callahorn prince Balinor Buckhannah arrives and tells Shea that the Warlock Lord's servants are pursuing him. Shea and his adopted brother Flick flee with a Skull Bearer on their trail. They take refuge in the nearby city of Leah where they find Shea's friend Menion, the son of the city's lord. Menion decides to accompany the two, and they travel to Culhaven to meet with Allanon and Balinor.