First Rising

In ages so long past, remembered as little more than legend by all but the most ancient of peoples, a true horror made itself known for the first time. Creatures known primarily as mind flayers emerged from the deep dark of The Warrens and threatened all of the Twin Worlds. The history of these worlds would never be the same again.  

Kirris

For the most part, no civilization existed on the world of Kirris. This, naturally, makes documentation on the invasion's effects on that world difficult to ascertain. It is believed that nomadic peoples such as the tabaxi and tamblin merely fled, while more sedentary peoples, like the ursil fought.   Based on the legends of the minotaurs of Voror, some scholars believe the city of Labyrinthia was already founded and fought the mind flayers. Almost no proof of this exists beyond the oral accounts of the minotaurs, however. As a result, most official histories omit this theory.     One definite and long-lasting result of the First Rising's activites on Kirris was the founding of what would become the great metropolis of Hnng'yar. The gnolls that had begun to settle had fled to the southernmost point of the continent of Hr'ask'r. There they took shelter in seaside caves and fought against the invaders. When the beasts were finally defeated, they remained and built their civilization there.  

Amaun

Like Kirris, much of the world of Amaun was bereft of civilization. Unlike Kirris, this lack was not completely absolute. The continent of Vald did have one civilization, and this was more advanced than every nation that came after. This was the Ancient Elven Empire.   Their magic was so powerful that their dominance was unmatched for millennia. This was starting to change with the arrival of humanity. The two races were engaged in a bitter war known as the First Imperial War. That war was long and bloody and seemed destined to end in a stalemate.   This was the when the mind flayers first emerged. The new, alien invaders created pandemonium at first. Both sides believed the other had released these unspeakable horrors, and meant to enslave the other side. Large populations were enslaved before they truly began to realize what was happening.   Humans and elves met, not on the battlefield, but in peace talks. The enmity between these peoples were so great that even the threat of mutual enslavement nearly wasn't enough to get them to cooperate. Still, they fought side by side, and even retained an uneasy peace after the conflict.  

Victory at Last

Even the alliance of the humans and elves seemed as though it wouldn't be enough to stop the fearsome powers of the mind flayers. Their psionic abilities could reduce all but the strongest of minds to mindless thralldom, and they were so organized they seemed to be operating as though the had only one mind of their own.   It was the clever mages among the elven empire that came up with the solution. They created artificial soldiers, animated by magic-- the precursors to modern golems. These creatures had no minds of their own, thus they were immune the the psionics of the mind flayers.   Now at last, the defenders of the Twin Worlds could strike back at the beasts in their own homes. They knew nothing about their enemies, so these first forays into the Warrens showed the first glimpses beyond the initial horror of the mind flayers.   These alien creatures truly did have one mind. They had created large brain-like creations that ruled their kin. These were the elder brains. Powerful as these things were, they still weren't enough to explain the invasion. Something was behind even the elder brains, and this was the Overbrain.   This creature was more than powerful enough to control even the mighty elder brains, but even its immense psionic powers could not protect it against the mindless constructs. Upon its destruction, a psychic scream rang out in the minds of every being in the Twin Worlds. The mind flayers retreated underground, and the 1st Age had begun.