History

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In the beginning, the Great Mother existed in darkness. Feeling alone in the blackness, the Great Mother began to sing. From her ballad, a great rumbling filled the void. She breathed stars into being and her voice called forth dry land from nothingness. And as her constantly changing tune turned melancholy, her tears formed rivers and seas, dividing the cracked earth. And though a new world lay before her, it was barren and empty. It lacked life.

The Great Mother plucked a single hair from her head and planted it in the dry soil. Just as she had formed the rivers and seas, her song and tears fed the earth. From her single hair, a mighty tree grew. Its branches stretched across the heavens, the width of its trunk measuring several leagues. The tree blossomed and bore many fruits. The Great Mother plucked an apple from its boughs. Its skin was red, the white flesh sweet and crisp.

After eating of its fruit, the Great Mother lay among the tree's roots and fell into a deep slumber. As she slept, she gave birth to a son--cheeks as rosy as an apple and skin as fair as the fruit she had eaten. She called him Ardynn. Exhausted from her labor, the Great Mother picked from the tree a pomegranate. Breaking open the dark fruit, she ate of the seeds, savoring its slightly sour taste. Again she fell into a deep sleep beneath the tree. And once more, she gave birth to another son. His hair was as dark as the fruit had been. She called him Kier. Tired once again, she plucked another fruit from the tree--a peach. Its skin was soft and fair, the flesh juicy and sweet. Her appetite satisfied, the Great Mother laid down to rest. This time she bore a daughter. The girl's skin was fair just as the fruit had been, her hair golden and soft. She gave her the name Elah.

Seeing that her creation was good, she tasked her three children with bringing new life to the barren world she had made. She gifted them with the Twelve elements, from which all life was derived. The eldest wove together space and time, creating the linear life-flow by which all mortals would be bound. Ardynn bestowed light unto the world and gifted knowledge to those who would dwell upon the mother's earth. The second son took the more chaotic elements--creating seasons that followed his brother's cycle. Kier brought darkness to balance the light. He governed the lifeforce of mortals along the flow his brother had established, ushering the spirits of dead mortals to the afterlife. The youngest, however, took fire, water, earth, and air, breathing life into the mortal world. She carefully crafted forests and mountains, sprouting thousands of plants, creating animals, and shaped the peoples of the world. She poured her own life into her creations, bringing the mortal lives a richness that neither of her brothers had achieved. To aid her, Ardynn bestowed the gift of intelligence and rationale to her creations, while Kier gave them energy and magic.

The new world now filled with life, the three returned the Twelve elements to the Great Mother. The two brothers were content to let the new world take its course, gently guiding the mortals only when needed. However, Elah sought more for her beloved creations. Despite no longer possessing the life-giving gifts of her mother, she continued to nurture the peoples--pouring her own life force into them. And as the earth prospered, the creatures she so lovingly cultivated began to drain away her life. Her slow death went unnoticed by her brothers for a millennia. And by then it was far too late.

Kier noticed the change in his sister first. Realizing what she had done, he tried to stop her death. But having poured so much of her life and immortality into the earth, Elah had become bound to the mortal cycle. Ardynn and Kier were heartbroken. At the base of the great tree, Kier laid his dying sister down gently. Having existed before the bounds of time had been woven, he know it was a place where time had no hold. Using his own immortality as a catalyst, Kier encased her in lachryma--halting her slow decay. He pleaded with the Great Mother to save her. Though saddened by her daughter's approaching demise, she refused. Elah had willingly used her own life to let the mortal world prosper, and The Great Mother would not corrode the flow of time and the cycle of life. It would destroy the mortal world her daughter loved so dearly.

In a fit of rage, Kier tried to steal the Twelve elements back from his mother. The elements, which were sealed in a single gemstone, was shattered in the conflict and the twelve fragments fell to the earth. As punishment for his transgression, the Great Mother banished Kier from the heavenly realm. He was sent to the world of mortals, forcibly bound to the cycle he had desperately wished to break. It is there that he unceasingly searches for the Twelve elements. Fearing Kier's desires, the Great Mother sent Ardynn to retrieve the Twelve fragments so that balance might be restored. Only when the Twelve are brought together under the same sky can harmony truly be restored.

Key Events

* The gift of life having been bestowed upon Alesia by Ardynn, Kier, and Elah, the peoples of the world were born. Humans, Drynar, Johte'ir, and Tashba began to form their own clans and tribes. The world was full of creatures of all sizes including dragons, , phoenixes, Tashba, and many others. Magic was commonplace, flowing freely through the earth. Many of the peoples could use the natural magic freely (primarily nature and primitive casting magic). Over the next 500 years, the study and development of magic grew rapidly. The Tashba, being particularly adept and skilled in arcana, offered guidance to the other races, teaching them new ways to control the natural energy gifted to the world by The Great Mother and her children.

* Early city-states and towns have begun to form. Competing with one another for resources, small scale conflicts ensue. Little by little, tensions begin to escalate, leading to widespread war on the western continent which became known as the Warring Clans Period. Brought together by common goals and beliefs, some of the early city-states and towns banded together. As society started to grow and the cities grew larger, they vied for power and dominance. This infighting caused the destruction of many villages and towns, leading up to the 100 Years War.

* This period is known as the 100 Years War. As the war came to a close, the races divided, secluding themselves from one another. The earliest borders of the current kingdoms are drawn.

* For several hundred years after the war, thanks to the guidance of the Tashba race, language, arts, and magic flourished. However, due to the Tashba's advanced knowledge and raw power, many of the peoples of the world began to fear them. Jealousy stirred within the hearts and minds of many. Some Johte'ir clans begin to see the Tashba as more than mortal--deifying them.