History/Beginning
From Aalynor's Nexus
[edit] The Beginning
In the beginning, there was Void. From Void were born two Brothers, Aalynor and Tilnar, unique and alone in Void. While their own companionship and love for each other was great, the Brothers grew bored of Void, and so, began to create.
The Brothers forged the world from Void, populating it with bird and animal, fish and flower, until the world teemed with life. The Brothers then created creatures in their own image. The Daer'lin, were beings much like the Brothers themselves, able to reason, and to create. For a millennium, the Daer'lin thrived, and there was want for nothing. The Daer'lin built a great society with poetry, artwork and literature beyond any seen since. However, as the first thousand years passed, the Daer'lin began to stagnate. No new artwork was created, their society was frozen in place. The oldest of the Daer'lin grew bored with their pointless existence, there was no need for them to improve themselves as the Gods provided them with all they needed, no need to do anything today when it could be done the next day.
The Brothers were saddened to see what had become of their beloved creations, and pondered the situation greatly. They assembled a council of thirteen, the greatest minds of the Daer'lin, one from each region, to discuss what could be done. Each member of the council discussed the issue with their fellows in the area, and then went to meet the Great Council. The Council decided that things would need to change for the Daer'lin, although each had their own idea for what would improve their people. However, all agreed that immortality was one of the greatest problems. And so, as the Brothers created life, Tilnar sadly accepted the responsibility to end it. Each of the Daer'lin's solutions to improve their race were used upon the Daer'lin in that area, and so were born the races of Human, Elf, Dwarf, Hobbit, Gnome, Troll, Orc, Giant, Goblin, Dragon, Kobold, Ogre and Reni. The Council members were each assigned a task to watch over, and given the power to do so. For five centuries, the world flourished once more.
Tilnar would only Touch those who had led full and complete lives, or who suffered greatly. The diversity and new challenges met by the races caused them to once more grow and better themselves. Tilnar married Dilanis, one of the ascended Daer'lin. The remaining Daer'lin handled their responsibilities well, although their powers and influences began to define them.
Malakai became Lord of Justice. Pandora became Mistress of Hope. Dilanis became Mistress of Love. Vrackon became Lord of Hardship. Twilia became Mistress of Night and Darkness. Enchantress became the Mistress of Greed, Lust and Desire. Novind became Lord of Chaos. Plekto became Lord of Theft. Erisar became Lord of Hunt and Battle. Maana became Mistress of Magic. Rudestyle became Lord of Wine and Revelry. Arskol became Lord of Knowledge. Andaras became Mistress of Arts and Beauty.
And so, the world knew fifteen Gods.
The cooperation between the races was great, and the thirteen races combined to build Nexus, City of All Races. Each of the races built a settlement in the area around the city, and trade between them and Nexus flowed freely. The spirit of harmony was such that interracial marriages became a common thing, to the point of Half-Elves and Half-Orcs nearly being considered races in their own right.
But the power corrupted some of the Daer'lin, and so, they began to scheme amongst themselves. Enchantress, Novind, Twilia, Plekto, Vrackon developed a scheme that they thought would keep the other Gods busy... She set the races to war. Enchantress seduced Erisar, that his battle skills would be used for Darkness.
So ended the golden age.
The War of the Races was bloody and horrible. The pacifistic Renis were completely destroyed, while the Dragons removed themselves from the affairs of the 'lesser' races. During this war, the Elven people were divided, as they are now, between the Sylvan Elves of Light, and the Drow Elves of Darkness. The Gods of Darkness waited for the others to enter the conflict, to attempt to stop the battles and bloodshed. Tilnar cried as he was forced to Touch multitudes wounded cruelly in battle and his realm filled with the souls of innocents, killed before their appointed times. His tears formed a sea on the world, its water bitter, yet full of life. As Aalynor and Malakai led the Gods of Light in fighting the Gods of Darkness, Tilnar retreated to his realm.
The Gods fought each other, a battle across the skies that devastated the world, killing over half of those who dwelled upon it. Energies of battle spilled over into the world, creating strange and deadly creatures. The land was ravaged, new seas filling over grassland, and old fertile land being blighted. The battle was fierce, with many of the Gods of Light, unused to battle, perishing at the hands of the Gods of Darkness. Andaras was the first to fall, followed by Arskol. The Gods of Light managed to fell Erisar, using Maana's magic. Plekto fled the battle, and the tide seemed to be turning. The Gods of Darkness had lost their strategist and warrior, and were being forced back. Victory seemed assured for the Light.
Plekto, who had not fled, but hidden, emerged from his hiding place to strike down Dilanis. As Dilanis's soul appeared in Tilnar's realm, Tilnar's scream could be heard across all the planes of existence. His beloved wife was now a shade of what she once was. Tilnar's eyes began to burn with a black fire, and he tore a hole across the realms to emerge at the battle.
Tilnar appeared, and Aalynor drew the Gods of Light away from him, sensing the madness and sorrow that had overtaken him. The Gods of Darkness surrounded Tilnar, attempting to strike down the newly arrived God. Tilnar screamed with pain from their attacks, feeling his life-force flowing out from him. Tilnar's Gods-powers were fading, and his fevered mind demanded vengeance. Tilnar, now consumed by the black fire, Touched Plekto. A horrible wail ensued, and Plekto's form and spirit both fell to pieces, then to ash. Plekto's power began to flow into Tilnar, black and violet streams of pure energy. The Gods of Darkness attempted to flee, but Tilnar, strengthened by Plekto's energies, Touched them each in turn. As the powers of the Gods of Darkness flowed into Tilnar, Maana approached him, to try to heal the wounds of his form. Tilnar, reveling in power, Touched her. Maana died, as horribly as had the others, her power flowing into Tilnar.
Tilnar began to approach his fellow Gods, those of the Light, when Aalynor stood before him. Aalynor said nothing, and stared into his Brother's eyes. Tilnar's blood lust was broken, the madness faded from his eyes. Tilnar fired a bolt of black fire from himself, scorching the earth, and opening a great chasm. However, the influences of the dark powers that flowed into him, and of the sadness and hatred he felt would not allow Tilnar to join the Light. Tilnar returned to his realm, and asked Aalynor to remove the souls of the truly innocent. Tilnar's realm became a place of pain, madness and torture.
And so, the world knew five Gods, with Tilnar fallen into Darkness.
The War of the Races ended soon afterwards, without the divine aid, the Goblins were small match to the assembled races. While the Godswar seemed to only take a few hours, it had spanned several centuries on the world, and most of the races grew weary of battle.
The Elves sealed themselves in the forests, the Dwarves in their mountains, and one by one, the races were divided. Humans remained in Nexus, as Pandora visited them, maintaining the spirit of Hope within them. As the centuries went by, humanity made contact once more with its former allies. Favourable relations were forged, based on Pandora's hope, with nearly all of the original races. However, magic spilled over from the Godswar had changed many of the races. The Giants, once a proud and noble race, had been divided based upon the magic that struck them. Many had degenerated becoming the unintelligent and brutish Stone and Hill Giants; others maintained some of their intellect, but the influences of the Dark Gods had made them evil and crafty, thus creating the Frost and Fire Giants. The few who were not changed in mind absorbed some of the magic released with the death of the Gods, becoming the Storm Giants. In an attempt to 'save' their brothers, the Storm Giants magically combined the essence of the Stone Giants with the essence of humanity, creating the Half-Giants known today. But, the worst effected of all the races were the Kobolds and Goblins.
Once a beautiful race, the Goblins, who had freely embraced the shadow, were given forms to meet their black hearts. They viewed this as unfair punishment, and sought to regain their lost beauty, or to inflict a similar punishment upon the other races. While their new physical forms were in no way dangerous, the Goblins too had absorbed some of the magic from the Godswar, giving them each a unique magical ability. With each Goblin having what they call "Tilnar's Gift", they had become a force to be reckoned with. They were quick to enslave the Kobolds, who like the Goblins, had lost their beauty and intellect during the wars, and had so become a cowardly race, wanting to walk in Darkness, without the courage to do so.
While the races rebuilt, each free to choose their own destiny, to walk in Aalynor's Light or in Tilnar's Darkness, and the bonds of unity slowly grew between them, the Goblins garnered their strength, adding the physical might of the Hill and Stone Giants to their own. The Goblins found the Dragons, and saw that they had suffered a similar fate to the Giants, made worse, no doubt, by their natural affinity for magic. The Dragons, unheard from in a millennium, had become a people divided, who's power and ethos were now based upon the colour of scale. The Goblins sought out the Dragons of Darkness, and promised them power and wealth, if they were to join in the army. So were born the Goblin Hordes.
The peoples of Nexus enjoyed another age of peace, their rebuilding complete, and their fellowships restored. This age came to an end, however, with the flowing tide of the Goblin Hordes. The Goblins struck quickly, and from all sides, sealing off the racial settlements around the Nexus. The Goblins then laid siege to the City of All Races, and only the magical barriers in the City Walls, and the powers of the assembled adventurers has kept them at bay.
And here we are, noble adventurer. Will you walk in Aalynor's Light, seek Justice for Tilnar, live in Pandora's Hope, enjoy the merriments of Trista, or will you embrace Kyorl's Hate? Will you be the one to defeat the Goblin King, to reclaim the land for the races? Will you be the one to restore the soul of a slain God? It will take many brave and mighty adventurers to turn back the assembled Goblin Hordes, now surrounding Nexus. Come to the lands of Altin and find your Fate.
