World History

This was how things existed for eons and eons. Then, due to reasons yet unknown, the Realms partially merged into a third realm. With this merger came a realm full of what some call Ordered Chaos. The mixture of the two extremities allowed for the creation of the universe, with chaos changing what order sought to stablize.

This universe started out as a void, full of magical energies. Slowly, two separate entities began to form, each an extension of the two forces creating the universe. Mitrill, the supreme deity of Order, and Balthildis, the supreme deity of Chaos. As come be expected, these two forces immediately went to work against each other. The universe was quickly filled with all manners of things. Balthildis introduced light and heat, forces that can bring changes on other forms of matter in this universe. Mitrill counters with the introduction of a vacuum in space, and coldness, seeking to make the universe uniform. Mitrill brings about the planets in their stable orbits, and Balthildis places stars in the center of their systems, bringing the planets slowly towards their own doom. So the war continued for many, many ages, until the introduction of life.

Life occurred as an accident. Neither deity had any direct hand in its creation, but as their war continued, a fluke of sorts occurred. Just as the realms had merged long ago for no reason and spawned the deities, the universe randomly aligned in just the right pattern for a spark of life to appear. This spark first appeared on the planet now known as Alora, and for many years the deities in their war never noticed.

Soon though, primitive species that had a small sense of consciousness were born. A minor civilization grew up, and quickly this culture formed its unique set of deities and rituals. The prayers of these creatures finally caught the attention of the two deities, and a new era began in the war.

At first, one might think that Mitrill would seek to snuff out all life, since it is not ordered or uniform in any sort of way. But instead, Mitrill turned to the task of making it ordered. Soon, life that barely existed flouished, as Mitrill made and balanced the ecosystem. A more advanced civilization formed, with laws and rules of conduct. But Balthildis was not idly sitting by. Soon disputes and corruption became apparent in this early civilization. Its leaders became greedy, its poor became angry, and the small culture barely held together.

At this time, another change in the universe occurred. Fueled by the beliefs of all life forms, new deities, weaker than the first two but tied to them, were born. Love, hate, peace and war. Freedom, oppression, truth and dishonesty. The eight children deities fed off the major facets of emotion and civilization. They quickly sided with their respective parents, and the war continued on as always, but with higher stakes.

The explosion of religion in the civilization on Alora escalated the culture's problems. The deities had more power than ever, and in their war used the mortals as pawns. Soon, it was over. The civilization collapsed in a great war, and the race all but disappeared. This sudden disappearance of their followers greatly weakened all of the deities, and they began to lessen their meddling in the universe. This first race was that of the Phasians. Though they have survived this war, they have lost nearly all of their glory, with the remains of their once great empire seen as relics of the past, forever lost.

In time, the cycle of life began again, and new races were born. All of the deities waited, ready to renew their war, but not eager to lose the power mortal's beliefs gave them.

It was more than three hundred years ago that everything changed.

Back then, everything was different. The nations of today did not exist, and the strife between them was also nonexistant. The elves and dwarves were friendly with one another, and their human counterparts. The great human nation of Humania controlled most of the continent, but did not pressure the borders of the elven and dwarven kingdoms.

In those days, magic came from one source, not many like today. There were no prisms of power. All who were capable of the arts drew their power from the Stone of the Gods. It was said that long ago, Mithrill, the God of Order, had sought to create Magic as a tool for us to shape the world. At first, the Stone was pure crystal, and had no capabilities for destruction. It could reshape, but not destroy. Civilization leaped forward, using the power of magic to further itself. Huge cities were constructed, using magical forces to carve and place heavy stone.

But things did not last so. Oh, it lasted a long time in human recording, but in the lifetime of the planet it was but a blink. I remember the day everything began to change. Balthildis, the God of Chaos, was the cause. As always he sought to destroy what was created by Mithrill. He added impurities to the Stone. The center grew dark, the Stone becoming a crystal carapace holding in darkness. Destructive magic entered the world then. Magic that twisted life, deformed it, destroyed it. Good magic became less reliable.

At first, this only caused minor alarm though. Councils were convened, none were to use the dark magic, it was decided. But anything forbidden has a lure.. Soon, black wizards and dark necromancers were becoming known in the world. Where possible, they were hunted, but some grew too powerful. As one could expect, there would have to eventually be a mighty clash between the two sides.

It finally began near three years ago. I was sent with a large group of my fellow White Wizards to confront the most powerful of the Necromancers. So dark was this man's reputation, so horrible his crimes, that none spoke his name, and I shall not right it here. He was merely the Necromancer. And foul were his deeds.

We confronted him that winter. Even expecting resistance, we still did not know the truth horrible that awaited us. Under the flag of truce, seeking to bring our misguided brother to justice, we were attacked. Hordes of creatures never seen before, like a man but deformed, hideious. That winter was when the races of the Orcs and Trolls became known to the world. Ogres as well, though they would come later, a horrible throw back from Trolls and Orcs inter-breeding.

The Great War began then. Humans, elves, and dwarves rallied together, but too slowly. The Necromancer's forces were greater than we could have ever imagined, and he had gathered many of his dark brothers to him. The Years stretched on, fighting causing heavy losses on both sides, but the forces of White Magic being pushed ever back. Soon, few places were still free from the evil. Our final forces rallied in the Citadel of Mithrill, where the Stone of the Gods was kept.

I do not know if we won or lose the Great War. I do not think anyone won at all. Finally the dark forces came against us. We held out long, but soon the fighting was in the citadel itself. The Necromancer himself came to fight, seeking to capture the Stone. That was the true turning point, the end of our era, and the beginning of a new one.

In the final battle, which I can recall no details but the result, the world was nearly destroyed. The decision was reached to destroy the Stone, rather than let its powers fall solely in the Necromancer's hands. But, we were too confident. Why did we ever think we could destroy what the Gods had created? The final battle between the White Mages and the Necromancer was in the very chamber of the Gods. Realizing what we planned, he struck out at us, using powerful spells meant to drain our energy, and our very souls.

The result could not have been more devastating. His spells and ours tangled, and combined into something to this day I do not want to dwell on. The crystal was shattered in a huge flare of magical energy. The shards seperated, multiplied. Two colors now, dark and light. The light spread outward, destroying anything that was in their path, rampant magic that ripped apart reality in its passing. The dark gathered into several larger crystals, their inherit power for control drawing them to each other.

Into the large the Necromancer was..pulled. His soul was ripped from his body and drawn into the crystal, which then fled as the Light Crystals had. Into each of the Dark Crystals one of my fellows were drawn. I expect that I live today only because the crystals numbered one less than us.

The Dark and Light Crystals were scattered everywhere. The Light eventually became one with the planet, while the dark were scattered far and wide, beacons that drew in all things evil to them. The world was changed, continents shifting. For two hundred years total chaos reigned, until the world settled and the nations of present day came into being. The Light Crystals are now called Prisms by the mages of this era. Each with a unique power, and coming from the planet itself. The Dark are scattered and forgotten, but I still sense them in the world, moving the hands of the orc, trolls, and the ogres. The Great War is not over, in truth; it is merely waiting.

The First planet, Hoenix, Also called Life's tear, is a small planet in an unstable orbit around Eo. Continuesly bombarded with the Rampant energy, new lifeforms are created and destroyed on this planet without any chance for survival. Being so close to the sun, Hoenix has been found unfit and even hazardous to scry via magical exploration.

The Asteroid beld was formed from the torn remnants of a long lost planet, surrounding Eo like a giant hula-hoop. Scrying has shown that the Asteroid belt harbors a docile form of space faring creatures, which extract minerals from the belt.

The third planet, the Mother of the Numerous Dead, or Sarnossos, contains At least a dozen satellites, if not more. Sarnossos has been given its name due to its large number of dead moons. It closes the row of known planets in Eo's solar System.

Orbits ago, an unexplained abundance of foreign lifeforms started to exit from the Nexus mists. Some died within days, unaccustomed to an alien environment, but others survived either by Alliances with the natives or by pillaging the nearby communities. The land, unable to support both natives and aliens, became scarce in food, causing famine which ultimately ended in war.

One story goes that a Queen on the main continent valued her Empire more then a piece of land, and during 25 Orbits the Nexus and a huge shard of her land was shattered from her Empire and artificially relocated. Others think part of the main continent broke off on its own due to the stress the Nexus was putting on the land, and regard the story of the moving of the land as pure propaganda. Whatever is the case, the shattered island became forbidden territory, reasoning being 'if we leave it alone, it will leave us alone'.

Orbits later, Baltazar Weezebottle, a human merchant. sick of the saturated market and craving for fresh customers and new goods, bought two Elven Tri-sail explorers, gathered a crew of 81 and sailed towards the long forbidden Island.

Balthazar found the Island, found no signs of intelligent life at its coasts and dropped anchor. Observing the natural wealth of the land, Balthazar sent one of the Explorer ships back with instructions to start up a supply line. It was there the first settlement of the Continentals was founded, growing into the trading haven now called Balthaz.

News spread about of Weezebottle's find.. Before long, the whole island was claimed by various kingdoms, which made it their priority to get the biggest chunk of the valuable land. Relations soured, Wars erupted. Various kingdoms turned into nothing more than stories, fighting over a piece of land nobody had even seen yet.

A truce was declared and borders drawn, and so the isle was divided... that was what the map said anyway. Borders were borders, even on paper. Hundreds of ships set sail in a great migration to the Nexus Island, filled with serfs to claim their prize, their own plot of land in name of Country and Belief!

As the Nexus' island had seperated, the inhabitants endured Orbits of utter famine and terror... Until the Celestials came. Due to dedication and sheer luck, they succeeded in enticing a large group of Gerps to help them entomb the Nexus. Word spread about the grand structure being built at the center of the island and hundreds of thousands gathered to observe, and eventually, help. With the power of the masses and the leadership of the Celestials the Nexus was quickly entombed in a bright self sustaining metropol of curves, arches and coloured glass.

In the majestic glass-floored room built on top of the Nexus, a covenant was signed by all the major tribes on the island- a pact to help, protect, and educate all those who originated from the Nexus, but most of all a pact to find a way to reverse the Nexus, allowing everyone to return to their own home.

Under the Celestial leadership the Nexus island turned into a true paradise, rich with life and capable of sustaining the Metropol the limits of eternity.

Aware of the founding of Balthaz by their Grugach scouts, it was decided at the Metropol to passively observe. It was a small settlement after all and although they where harvesting some resources they seemed no threat as they where settled in a secluded part of the island.

Intrigued by the impressive sea-faring ships, the Celestials placed some pixie spies on the ship to investigate their origin, and a possible connection to the Nexus.

One of the Pixies returned years later, stown-away on one of the hundred ships from the Main continent. The pixie flew off and reached the Metropol long before any of the ships reached the island's coast. Bearing a message stating a desire to be left alone, the Celestials sent the Pixie to the lead Continental ship to demand their immediate departure. Having lost so much to gain the Island, the Continentals dismissed the message and stripped the pixie of its wings, throwing it into the sea. However, they were not fit nor equipped for battle, and in underestimating the power of the Islanders, the expedition's ships were destroyed and the serfs killed upon landing.

And so, the Islanders found themselves in a war, a war to protect their island from... a Dark Legacy.