Prologue

Creation

  In the beginning, there was only Ymerah, and the infinite voice which surrounded him. This void was just one of an infinite number of voids, all of which exactly the same, save Ymerah's presence in this one. Ymerah wished to fill this void, to give it form, light, life. From a fragment of his heart, he made a sphere of stone and fire, and from his mind he created light to illuminate it all. This would serve as a blank canvas for his grander vision. Next, he covered the sphere in water, and pulled land and mountains from the depths. He filled many of these mountains with metal, and fire. Upon seeing his world take shape, Ymerah would continue to build. He covered the surface of the land, and the bottom of the sea with all manner of plant life. On land, this plant life took many forms, from grass, painting hills and fields green and gold, to trees towering into the sky. In the sea, this plant life took a very similar form. This plant life served the purpose of supplementing and facilitating the stability of what came next. Ymerah crafted walking, flying, crawling swimming and slithering life that would survive off of the plant life he'd crafted. Many of these creations would be empowered by an omnipresent energy and force. He gave this force its own life, agency over what form it takes, who and what employs its power. He called this force Arcana.   Even having crafted all this life, his creation was imperfect. There had yet to be anything that exists to explore, to master his creation. Before he could craft beings with that purpose, his world required preparations. His next creation would serve this purpose. He crafted them from metal, and the Arcana granted a fragment of itself to these new beings. This gave them intelligent and creative minds as well as vast power which would serve as a tool which they'd use to serve Ymerah's instruction. When these beings awoke, they called themselves the Dragons. Immediately, they looked to Ymerah for tasking, for purpose. Ymerah gave them this purpose. They prepared their world for the arrival of what Ymerah would craft next. They created vast gardens, vast forests, facilitated the creations of vast coral reefs, all of which designed with the purpose of hosting whatever Ymerah would create. Ymerah looked upon what his dragons had accomplished, and was pleased. He saw fit to reward his servants with servants of their own.   He put the dragons all into a deep sleep, and from fragments of their hearts crafted a race of lesser beings in their image. When they awoke, they instinctively knew the dragons almost as well as themselves. They called themselves the Draconin, meaning "From Dragons". They wanted to pledge themselves the dragons, as servants. and students, but it was the dragons that swore themselves to the draconin, as guides and teachers. The draconin now looked to the dragons for purpose, for tasking, and the dragons lovingly granted such. With the dragons having prepared their world for Ymerah's next creations, they were permitted a time of rest. This was the purpose of the draconin, to serve the dragons in their time of rest.   With his world ready and fit for exploration, he created beings with a desire to explore. He asked the Arcana for its hand in the creation of these young explorers. The Arcana agreed, and from a fragment of the Arcane, he crafted a race of people with a natural affinity and curiosity for this magic, and all it touches. When they awoke, they called themselves the elves. Just as Ymerah intended, the elves expanded and explored the surface of his world's land masses. However, they had no desire to go where the Arcane was absent. They saw no reason to explore the wonders that lie beneath the earth. Ymerah's next creation would serve this purpose.   Ymerah crafted a race of people from the stone that lies deep beneath the surface, giving them a desire to be among stone. When they awoke, they named themselves the Dwarves. Just as Ymerah intended, they desired to be among stone, and dug deep into the crust of their world. They became masters of metal, and fire. They carved massive spire cities into the sides of mountains, and dug sprawling cities under the earth and stone.   Even with his world being explored, Ymerah saw one final imperfection in it. All his children had no reason or desire to explore each other, to know, and learn of each other, to work together, and advance as one. His next creation would serve the purpose of bringing them all together, draconin, elves, and dwarves. He crafted this next people from the dust that lie on the surface, a midway point between the stone beneath, and the Arcana above. When they awoke, then named themselves the Humans. As Ymerah intended, they actively pursued the other peoples with the desire to learn and share. They shared what they learned from other peoples. It is this through them that all other peoples were brought together.   Ymerah looked upon his creation, and saw that it was good, but like all complex thing, it was delicate. Ymerah believed this to be a part of its beauty. But it still needed a third party protective force, to ensure its stability, and to protect his children from knowledge which they are not ready to learn. His next purpose would serve this purpose. From more fragments of himself, he created seven more children, each embodying the virtues which he wanted all of his children to embody. When they awoke, they named themselves the Aeturan. For a time, they served their purpose, and served the needs of that which was lesser than them.  

Corruption

  There was peace, perfection, for a time. Alas, it was not to last. The Aeturan were granted immense power, and had no way to wield it at their leisure. Their desire for ambition outgrew their virtue, and they grew tired of serving that which was lesser than themselves. They called these lesser beings "Mortals" and among themselves decided they would no longer serve them. Instead, they would have the mortals serving them. Ymerah had left to craft the rest of his universe, allowing the Aeturan to make their advances on the mortals. Alas, when the mortals declined, and said they serve Ymerah, the Aeturan lashed out.   The mortals had a far inferior willpower that made them vulnerable to outside influences. The Aeturan would become this outer influence, and would plant dark thoughts into the mortals' hearts. The eldest of the seven Aeturan was the first to act. He planted a sense of false superiority in the hearts of all mortals. This would serve as the basis for all his siblings' influences. These dark thoughts were called Sin, and this sin was named Pride. And this was the name the eldest of the Aeturan took for himself.   The second of the Aeturan would give the mortals the urge to turn their frustrations away from themselves, and towards others out of this pride. This sin was named Wrath, and this is the name he took for himself. The third of the Aeturan would give the mortals a desire to accumulate wealth in all its forms. To take, and to hoard beyond any reasonable satisfaction. This sin was named Greed, and this is the name he took for himself. The fourth of the Aeturan looked upon the intimacy that once lived among man, and woman, and how it would bring the two closer together. She looked upon it, and saw a weapon. She gave the mortals a dark desire to force themselves upon others. A desire to do so between man, and man. Between woman and woman. She perverted what was once a gift. Turning what was once a product of love, into a sin. This sin was named Lust, and this is the name she took for herself.   The fifth of the Aeturan planted a desire none too dissimilar from that of his brother, Greed. He planted a desire to needlessly consume beyond any sense of satisfaction. This sin was named Gluttony, and this was the name he took for himself. The sixth of the Aeturan refused to provide any contribution to the cleansing of his world, and demanded a time of rest. However, it is his inaction that created this sin, and spread it unto the mortal hearts. This sin was named Sloth, and this is the name he took for himself. The seventh, and youngest of the Aeturan desired the corruptive skills. This desire only harmed him, destroyed him. This desire became his sin, and this sin spread itself unto the mortal hearts. This sin was named Envy, and this is the name he took for himself.   All seven of the Aeturan succeeded in corrupting much of their father's cration. Sin had pierced the hearts of all mortals, and set its roots deep. However, there was one people that sin had not yet touched. The dragons' will was reinforced by their connection to Ymerah, making them impervious to the Aeturan's influence. Because of this, the dragons became a threat to the Aeturan's plans. They planted yet one more desire in the hearts of the mortals. A desire to strike down every last dragon. The only race that resisted this urge was the draconin, who were made from the dragons, and were now their protectors.   The sin the Aeturan had planted infected not just the mortal hearts and minds, but the hearts, minds, and bodies of the Aeturan as well. The sin they forged turned the once perfect forms of the Aeturan into dark, and twisted perversions of themselves. Ymerah returned, and looked upon the destruction, and the forms which his children now took, and knew they were responsible. When he questioned them, the Aeturan did not answer, but instead lashed out at their father. Ymerah rebuked them, and cast them into the next void of a realm. In this realm, the chaos, and sin of the Aeturan combined, and gave to the Aeturan an even greater power. Together, all seven of the Aeturan would forge for themselves a greater world separate from the world the mortals now infect.  

Collapse

  The sin the Aeturan had planted within the mortals set its roots deep within the mortals, and deeper still within the world they walked upon. This corruption slowly rotted away the world's core, bringing it closer, and closer to collapse. Ymerah needed a way to save his creation. He looked to other realms, and saw the realm in which the Aeturan had crafted their world, and saw that it was perfect to host his own creations. He knew full well what lie in the next realm, but saw no other way to save what little was left.   Much more, the elves, dwarves, and humans that were corrupted by the Aeturan have all but wiped out the dragons, leaving only four standing. There was Tillian, ancient male, and holder of vast wisdom. At his side there was Matrias, ancient female and holder of vast arcane power. There was Belon, young male, and one of only two dragons capable of reproducing. At his side was his beloved Arotha, young female, and the second of the only two dragons capable of reproducing. Ymerah reached out to the last of the dragons, and instructed them to gather what few good people were left, and to prepare to leave this world, and step onto the next. The dragons asked how they would leave this world. Ymerah answered them, saying how their combined power could bend, and tear a hole in this reality. It is through this tear that they can enter the next realm.   The dragons did as Ymerah commanded. They gathered what few good people were left, about a quarter-million per race, and led them to a valley between two mountains. It is here, that the dragons combined their arcane might, and opened a rift between worlds. The draconin were supposed to be the first to step through the portal, and onto a new world. However, they all refused to set foot on a world which the dragons did not enter first. Running out of time, the dragons would do as the draconin wished. It was not until TIllian, Matrias, and Belon had entered before Arotha could convince the draconin to step through the portal, allowing the refugees to flow through the portal, and onto the new world.   Not long after the crowd moved towards the rift, two armies charged over the two mountains. Arotha immediately took flight to defend the refugees. At her side, was a draconin man, with scales of copper, and eyes blue, named Horoth. They were the only two in the writhing sea of refugees who could fight the hoard. As Horoth drew his sword, Ymerah granted him a divine might, which manifested itself in an eruption of golden flame. It is this power that allowed him to fight the hoard as the refugees fled this world, and entered the next.   The hoard would not stop. With each foe Horoth and Arotha struck down, it seemed six more would crest the mountaintop, and descend upon them. Still, they fought. Just as they were overrun, the last of the refugees escaped, and the rift closed. And the valley in which the rift was opened was flooded up to the knees with the blood of those who sought to strike down what little good was left. Neither Horoth, or Arotha would live to see the new world, but it is through their sacrifice that they both earned a place at Ymerah's right, and left hands. Horoth would become the Arbiter, and Arotha would become the Guardian.  

A New World

  The new world was none to dissimilar from the Old World, and it was now called. The air to breathe was the same, the magic which surrounded the world was very similar, the skies above were a very similar shade. Within the first days, the new world received the name: Eternity, in the hopes that unlike the last world, it would be eternal. Naturally, the peoples would split away from where the rift had opened. The draconin were the first to make the journey south, the elves north, the dwarves to the east, and the humans stayed, and planted their capitol precisely where the rift opened.   The draconin, on their journey south crossed a great canal, and stepped onto a southern mass of land. It is there that they forged their nation, Fafnia. The dwarves, on their journey west, crossed a very similar canal, and found a mountainous western land. It is there that they forged their nation, which they named Midor. The elves, did not cross a canal, but rather stopped at the northern end of the first-known landmass. It is here that they forged their nation, Brimbaria. The humans did not venture outward at all, but rather planted their flag at the point of landing, where the rift opened, and closed. It is there that they forged their nation, Heodar. As these nations grew, they discovered the landmasses they first explored are actually three landmasses. One central landmasses, and two more spiraling around the central landmass. The dwarves, and draconin shared a landmass, and the elves and men shared a landmass, with none occupying the western landmass.   The Aeturan had left their world to let it flourish, just as they had the previous world. They returned to see the mortals infecting their new world just as they did the old. They saw these mortals rapidly expanding outward. As a measure of containment, they Aeturan created a storm that would orbit the three spiraling landmasses, and filled the western landmass with a people to call their own. A hoard of pawns, incapable of love, or virtue. A people that called themselves the orcs. These measures proved effective in their purpose. The mortals are contained, and the world is prepped for a new plan, set in motion by the Aeturan. And the mortals now look to Ymerah, and his right and left hands for strength.   The War of the Aeturan has begun.