The History of the Old World

Once there was a world without time. The world was nothing but white light, inhabited only by people and five dragons. In that world, there was only eternity, and a sun that burned without beginning or end. And because there was only timeless eternity, nothing was ever lost … yet nothing was ever gained. One day, the people began to wonder why their world had no beginning or end, so they asked the dragons.

The dragons opened their mouths as if to answer, but from their mouths poured water instead of words. It rushed out in streams to create the sky and the oceans, and the dragons swam away. The dragons swam to the center of the ocean and there they began to transform into an island. One dragon sank into the sea and became the land. One dragon lifted its gaze to the sky and became the mountains. One dragon stooped low and became the lakes, and scattered its scale to create the rain. One dragon fell into a deep slumber and became the forests. The last dragon climbed far into the sky to become a Star of Sapphire Blue, shining brightly above the island.

The people could not understand why the dragons had left, or why they had transformed. Eventually, a lone youth decided to go to the island to seek the answers from the dragons themselves. He donned a simple cloak, climbed into a simple boat, and cast off alone into the murky seas. At last, guided by the light of Sapphire Star, he reached the Island of The Five. Some time passed, and the youth returned.

“Did you speak with the Dragons?” the people asked. “Yes, I spoke with them,” he replied. “Then tell us, why did they create the island?” But the youth did not answer. Instead, he reached into his cloak and pulled out five Dragon Scales, which he gave to the people. And then, before anyone realized, the youth disappeared.

The people left their white world and sailed across the ocean. Using the five scales, they created their own lands, their own mountains, their own lakes, and their own forests.

Last of all they created a bright moon, so that the Sapphire Star, which had guided the youth during his voyage to seek the dragons, would no longer shine alone in the sky.

The land grew large enough to obscure the sun, and day and night were born. The mountains, lakes and forests breathed together, and the seasons were born. The moon casts its light on the ocean, and waves were born. And thus time was also born.

Swept up on the almighty current of time, the people came to know death. But the people also came to know life.

Countless days and countless nights have passed since people first came to live on the islands they had created. As time passed, they lost their memory of the Five Dragons, and even the memory of how Time itself had been born.

But deep in their hearts there dwelt a quiet knowledge of the Island of The Five, the most sacred place in the world, which to this day sleeps in the middle of the ocean, uninhabited by people, and unchanged even by the relentless flow of time.

As the hand of time ticked its first second, the five looked down on their creation and found it empty. Vast oceans, islands, mountains, and forests filled the world, but it contained only humans.

Thus, the Five formed the first creatures, the Elder Dragons, created with physical power reflecting the Five themselves. The Elder Dragons had the power to shape the land, adapt and change it to fit the Five's image. As the first minute went by, the second creatures were molded — the leviathans, amphibians, and other sea creatures; including the ancestors of the desert piscine wyverns who lived in the sea at this time.

As Jhen Mohran and Ceadeus's ancestors modeled the seas to provide its new occupants a place to dwell, islands dotted the landscape and enormous coral reefs that seemed to stretch forever into the depths formed, creating a colorful display beneath clear ocean waves. The sea flourished and the humans who set sail began to take notice. Believing the mohran's and ceadeus to be the sea architect of the Five, the humans began to pray and worship the Elder Dragons.

Touched by the humans’ worship of the dragons, the first of the Five Dragons infused its worshipers with the power of the sea, creating the first tritons, or sea people, as they are commonly known.

As time continued to tick, the second of the Five Dragons wrought the elves. Worshipers of Kirin and other powerful and beautiful Elder Dragons, the elves have an unearthly grace and fine features, that is sometimes compared to the Five's own divinity.

The Five continued to create as the day went on. Creatures began to appear in the sky and large beasts patrolled the land. Many races were formed as the human's continued to discover new Elder Dragons to worship.

Satisfied with their creation, the Five departed this world, but not before leaving aspects of themselves as the new gods, or The Aspects as they are typically known to the common man, to watch over the world from the Outer Planes.

In the time after the five dragons, ancient species of monsters ruled the world. The world was at peace, many species of Elder Dragons thrived in their environments, living in harmony with other creatures. Nature was truly at peace with itself in this age.

It is unknown when the age of the ancients began, but most researchers and scholars believe it started when the first races experienced death for the first time. Having been immortal before time began, the first races feared this unending sleep and prayed to the Five who blessed them with these forms to save them. The Aspects heard their plight and were crushed to see the pain in the hearts of the first races, and so the Aspects sought to ease their suffering. First, by extending the life of the halflings by a hundred years or so, hoping that this extended time would ease their pain before the unending sleep. To their dismay, it only prolonged the inevitable. The Aspects continued to experiment, extending the life of dwarves, gnomes, elves, and lastly the wyverians far beyond that of humans, but they found it was not within their power to extend the life of the first races indefinitely, but they could mold it. Death was not the end, but instead it was the beginning and end of a cycle. When a creature died, the Aspects welcomed the first races and all other creations of the five to the Outer Planes where they remained until they were infused with new life and returned to the material plane. This is commonly referred to as "The Great Wheel."

But the Great Wheel was flawed. Unknown to the Aspects, the twisting and contorting of the Five's original creation had corrupted it. This corruption slowly seeped into the pores of the Outer Plane, forming the Fatalis, the lord of the newly formed Lower Planes. Thought to be created by the mixing of energy between Limbo, the Abyss, and the Nine Hells the Fatalis sought to destroy and recreate in its own image. In the beginning it started small, first influencing small monsters making them rabid and territorial. The harmony of nature had been broken, but the Aspects did not take notice. Their concern for the first races blinded them to small changes in the world. As the wheel turned, the Fatalis grew in power and began twisting and contorting the monsters under its command into the first demons.

Next it moved its sights to the first races, offering power and knowledge to the weakest of them. The ones who accepted the Fatalis's offer became the first devils. The ones who attempted to resist the Fatalis but failed, were twisted into the monstrous races like the orcs, goblins, or kobolds.

The Aspects looked on in horror as these abominations to nature invaded the Five's creation. Monsters and humanoids alike were being slaughtered, forests were burning, mountains were demolished, and seas became sand. The War of the Ancients had begun.

The War of the Ancients threatened to undo everything the Five created. The battle took place across all creation and the Aspects were unable to focus their assistance in just one area. So they shared their knowledge with the first races, showing them how to fortify themselves by creating walled settlements. They taught them how to harness the nature around them to fight, how to bend the earth to their will, use the bodies of fallen monsters to strengthen themselves, harness the destructive power of the magic they possessed, and work with the uncorrupted monsters of the world. A century went by, but inch by inch the monsters and first races forged ahead together. They pushed back the corruption from the world, winning skirmish after skirmish until the emergence of a new threat.

The Fatalis released its generals across the Material and Upper Planes. Created from granting its most powerful warriors fused with its own essence, the Archdevils were the ones to invade the Upper Planes in an attempt to break the Wheel and spread the corruption further. On the material plane Demon Lords, created from elder dragons under its influence of the Fatalis, trampled armies and once again threatened the existence of the Five's creation. With hope waning, the first races once again turned to the Aspects again, praying for assistance.

It was never in the Aspect's power to grant immortality to all of the first races and they knew that, but it was within their power to gift it to a select few. In doing so they would weaken themselves, but it was what was required. And so, the Aspects called upon the most faithful, wise, and powerful of the first races and ascended them to godhood. These lesser pantheons of gods took to the battlefield against the Archdevils and Demonlords, pushing them back into the Nine Hells and the Abyss. The Aspects themselves took the fight to the Fatali's lair where they sealed Fatalis away, preventing it from ever physically leaving its lair for eternity, but at the cost of the first Aspect Io's life.

Heaven's Mount

In the small village of Cathar, old folktales are told of Heaven's Mounts creation during the War of the Ancients. It has been said that the peak of Heaven's mount is a gateway to the Upper Planes and was guarded by a number of elder dragons known as dalamadur. When the Archdevils attacked the Upper Planes, they used the gate atop the mountain to invade, but not before the dalamadurs massacred much of the Devil's army. Now the mountains have markings all over them, showing where each of these elder dragons dug. In the present, chunks of the mountains are falling to the ground and the formations don't look natural in the slightest. It is said that these giant elder dragons went underground under the mountain and still guard the gate to this day.

Great Forest Brawl

In the War of the Ancients, a brawl took place in the Great Forest. This fight was between an espinas and an unknown elder dragon, believed to be the first of many created by the Fatalis.

Espinas was the ruler and protected its home with all of its might, even going as far as taking on the elder dragon solo to stay. Through determination and power, espinas was able to defeat the elder dragon and claim its title as Lord of the Great Forest. This made espinas one of the few monsters equal to an elder dragon during this age, but there is no known sighting of espinas in recent years.

The Great Seas

In Ancient times, the desert region of the Old World was covered by a great sea filled with the ancestors of some monsters seen today. The Jhen Mohran's ancestors ruled the region and defended it with the tritons against the Demon Lord Dagon and its army during the War of the Ancients.

These sea battles did untold damage not only to the sea itself, but it remained in a constant stalemate between the two forces until the end of the war. Whenever one side would win a battle, the other would counter attack somewhere else, canceling out the territory each gain. It wasn't until the lesser gods entered the battle that Dagon was forced back to the abyss, but not before he opened a portal to the Shadowsea that would consume the entirety of the region's water before vanishing. For centuries after the war, the region remained an inhospitable barren waste of sea creature bones and decayed vegetation until the Sand God, Odibatorasu transformed the region into the deserts found in the present.

The war finally came to a close when Fatalis and its generals were finally pushed back to their respective planes. The second Aspect, Pelor, filled the void that the First Aspect left behind, becoming the leader of the other Aspects and gods. The lesser gods, or guardians as they came to be known as, said their goodbyes to the first races and joined the remaining Aspects in the Upper Planes. The first races and the monsters of the material plane went their separate ways, nature was once again in harmony, for now...

Though the Fatalis was sealed, the corruption of the Five's creation still seeped into the Lower Plane, forming new devils, creatures, and other abominations. It was only a matter of time before the corruption once again leaked into the Material Plane. So, the Aspects and Guardians set forward their plans to protect the world.

Unlike the original five Aspects, the Guardians did not agree on how exactly to go about protecting the world and split into smaller pantheons that reported to one of the Aspects. They were known as: The Platinum Court, The Wild Lords, and the Radiant Eye. Some believed the creation of new monsters and expansion of nature was the best solution, and so they went to the Beastlands to begin their work.

Others believed that the first races were the answer. After all the Aspects choose them to become gods. So they shared their power and knowledge with those deserving and created what is now known as the ancient civilization. Finally, a select few sought to contain the corruption, hoping to prevent its spread. In doing so, the world would remain in harmony forever, or so they thought.

The Platinum Court

When the Guardians formed the Platinum Court they presented themselves to the new leaders of the first races at the request of the third Aspect Bahamut. The pantheon nurtured the first races, expanding their knowledge and power beyond their wildest dreams. Thousands of years passed and the ancestors of the first races came to be known as the ancient civilization. In time they used their newfound knowledge and the materials they collected from the monster corpses during the War of the Ancients to build giant towers that reached to the heavens, cities of stone within the mountains, elegant towns in the forests, and settlements of all different types across the world. They became a highly- advanced society with technology that the races of today still can't figure out.

The Wild Lords

The Wild Lords under the leadership of the Fifth Aspect Eldath, spent their time repairing the world and creating monsters to inhabit it. They started with the creation of three monsters; the akantor, odibatorasu, and ukanlos. To the races of the present day they are known respectively as the black, white, and sand gods. The odibatorasu created the deserts from the now empty sea, while the ukanlos and akantor repaired the damage from the demons within the Northern El De regions. They filled the world with warrior monsters to defend the land. These formidable beasts could mold the world around them and bend the elements to their will.

The Radiant Eye

Before the world could return to what it once was, the Radiant Eye under the command of the Fourth Aspect, Tiamat, set out to rid the material plane of the corruption that remained after the War of the Ancients. They enlisted the members of the ancient civilization and monsters alike to hunt down the rabid beasts, and sanctify the lands across the world. Using the technology of the ancient civilization and with the assistance of the Platinum Court they crafted weapons and armor to combat the new monsters born from the corruption. They used the powers granted to them by the gods, blessing the land, and sending the corruption back to the Lower Plane, but in doing so they strengthened the demons, devils, and the Fatalis himself.

Nobody knows exactly when the war that wiped out almost every monster and race began, but scholars and other researchers suggest it started long before the ancient civilization committed the Forbidden Act. A set of dominoes that fell into place if you will. Though it is mostly unknown what exactly happened in the war, The Legend of the Black Dragon is said to describe all that happened in the Great Dragon War. The war ended with most of the dragons extinct and with ancient civilization gone for good.

It all started with the Great Wheel. Tiamat along with the assistance of the Radiant Eyes attempted to patch the holes in the Great Wheel where the corruption emanated from. If successful, the corruption would grow no stronger, and the Lower Planes and Fatalis would no longer be able to use it to enter the material plane without first weakening themselves in the process. The patch for a time was a success, but it was applied at an unknown and devastating cost. The corruption had taken hold of Tiamat and as it grew within her, so did the Fatalis's influence.

With Tiamat as its new vestige, the Fatalis set its plan in motion. Tiamat slowly spread the corruption through the Radiant Eyes and its followers, twisting and contorting them into the pantheon known as the Eyes of the Abyss. Soon the corrupt monsters roamed free, spreading Fatalis's influence to the Wild Lord's creations.

During this time, the ancient civilization had stalled. Reports of Tiamat's successful patching of the Great Wheel brought celebration to the ancients, but with their resources running dry from the War of the Ancients and with the now corrupt followers of the Radiant Eye no longer killing new monsters, the ancients grew desperate. After much discussion and a bit of influence by Fatalis, the decision was made to begin hunting the monsters throughout the world. Waiting for them to die was too slow and would only ever be enough for repairs.

At the same time the other gods began to take notice of the spreading corruption throughout the Five's world. The three confronted Tiamat who responded by opening a portal for the Archdevils and their army to enter the Upper Plane, sending the heavens into chaos. The Great Dragon War had begun.

As the war raged in the heaven's above, the ancient civilization continued to advance on the material plane. Their advancement did not come without sacrifices as an innumerable amount of dragons were hunted, killed, and captured for the sake of research; to improve the quality of life for the ancients. Because of this, many of the species were left on the brink of extinction. This wanton destruction of the their kin angered the dragons. No longer would they sit idly by and let their kind be killed or be used as mere cattle. It was time to break away from the ancients who had forgotten the rules of nature, and destroy them.

Eventually the wars converged, Tiamat and the archdevils were pushed out of the Upper Planes into the Material Plane. In an attempt to weaken the Aspects army, Fatalis sent an aspect of itself to destroy the kingdom of Schrade. The material plane became the battle field for all sides. The monsters of the world had been fully consumed by the corruption and joined the demons and devils in the war. This began a long, violent war between the ancients, dragons, devils, and demons that spread worldwide, leaving behind mass destruction just about everywhere.

At the end of the war, the ancient civilization and almost every creature in the world was wiped out. Tiamat was banished to the Nine Hells, along with the Archdevils. Those within her pantheon were scattered across the Planes of Limbo and Pandemonium, a punishment for their treason. The Aspect of Fatalis was sealed away in the ruins of Castle Schrade and the Platinum  Court with the  Wild Lords returned to the Upper Planes victorious in the war at the cost of everything.

Centuries passed before the gods regained their power, and many were devastated by the destruction of their creations. Some gods were so filled with despair and grief they wished to leave and start anew. Others wished to stay and rebuild. After much debate and input from the remaining three Aspects, the gods looked to rebuild. There was just one complication.

When the Great Wheel was patched by Tiamat, the corruption had only one place to go, into the life of the new creations. The corruption and Fatalis's influence would always remain within anything the gods created and they no longer had the power to change or create a new system. So they did only what they could, they poured their own divine influence into the wheel. Their creations from this point forward would be capable of both good and evil, and the war with Fatalis would continue through their creations, but so long as they guided them towards the light, the balance would remain.

The Wild Lords filled the world with new creatures, big and small, but none as powerful as the warrior monsters that existed before. They adapted nature to work with the corruption and keep it in balance with the help of the Wyverians, who became the first druids and rangers.

The Platinum Court created the races once more. Using religion and worship, the Platinum Court guided the masses indirectly towards the light. They shared their power with those they deemed worthy and limited the knowledge they gave, letting the races advance their technology slowly through the information found in the ruined settlements of the ancient civilization.

Hundreds of years after the rebuilding of the world, some wyverians began to hunt down monsters at the request of the Wild Lords. This was the beginning of the hunting career.

These wyverians were known to wander the world in search of creatures that fell to the Fatalis's corruption but also to be one with nature itself, due to having a great compassion for it and its many life forms. Besides hunting, some wyverians became merchants and began to take requests from people to do certain things, such as gathering mushrooms or mining for rare ore. The main reason why the wyverians started hunting is because the other races were defenseless against the harsh monsters that haunted many areas, due to the Platinum's Court decision to limit the knowledge they passed down. This led to wyverians protecting the other races against said monsters due to the will of the Wild Lords and taking pity on the other races. Some of the other races saw this act and followed in the footsteps of the wyverians. This eventually led to the Hunter's Guild forming some time later.

The Hunter's Guild was formed when the other races saw what the wyverians were doing in order to help preserve all species and to harmonize all races with nature. This led to the corporation growing overtime and becoming well-known among the world for its hunters and hunting restrictions.

Other corporations soon formed, such as the Royal Paleontology Scriveners and Elder Dragon Observation Team.

Generations passed since the founding of the Hunter's guild. In this time, new rules were founded in the hunters guild and technology continued to progress as hunters and other explorers searched the ruins of the ancient civilization that were dotted across the world. But those are stories for another time.