The universe shuddered at the sight of the two Great Dragons Erifarius and Striagorn locked in combat
And never had the World seen a battle more terrible, and nobody knew what fate awaited them. But that was later, before that was history...
The continent of Ogriy was inhabited by the race of Humans. The Humans stood out from the broad mass of inhabitants in the World of Faeo for their higher level of intelligence. The Humans were not much given to fighting, but worked hard, pursued scholarship and achieved certain heights in this area. Yet although they rejected fighting between the races as a means of solving conflicts, the Humans were forced to go to war and prove their might in combat. These events occurred after the sage, Fionius, had made a rousing speech to a crowd of armed Dark Elves, who had come with hostile intent to the walls of the city where the Humans dwelt. But instead of heeding the voice of goodness and reason, the Dark Elves pierced the speaker with a poisoned arrow. The Humans, outraged at the Elves’ baseness and perfidy, took up weapons and battle commenced. Many Humans fell to the swords of the barbarians, but the Elves perished in even greater numbers. The concept of tactics and strategy were alien to this ignorant tribe, thus the Humans triumphed, but the price of victory was great.
On the continent of Khair, at the foot of an active volcano known as the Bloodthirsty Monster, there lived the race of Magmars. Legend has it that these beings emerged from the depths of the volcano and that in their veins flows molten lava. The Magmars are also distinguished by their exceptional physical prowess and strength of spirit. The leader of the race of Magmars was the mighty Andelvan. The secret of his might was that, unlike those of other races, he knew something of the Power of Fire Magic, which he had inherited from his ancestors. Andelvan’s magic powers came from the Rod of Fire, from which he was never parted even for an instant. This magic rod was passed on to him by his grandmother, Egiam, as she lay dying, but she died before she could teach her grandson how to master it. Egiam departed for the other world, while Andelvan, an inquisitive youth, developed his magical powers himself, drawing his energy from the Rod of Fire. As his abilities developed, so did his vanity, rampant egotism and lust for power. Once he came of age, Andelvan gathered around him the strongest of the Magmars and used the power of his words to convince them they were invulnerable, bending their reason to his will.
His Magic lacked the strength to become a powerful destructive force that would swallow up the weaker races, therefore Andelvan decided to share his knowledge of magic with his comrades, so that in future the great race of Magmars might use their fire magic to subjugate the world. But his schemes were not to be. The Humans’ wise men had foretold the destruction of the World of Faeo “at the hands of a fiery creature with a flaming staff in its hand…”.
The Humans, horrified at the words of the prophecy, decided to prevent the end of the world and hired the assassin, Goh Zanar, who was renowned for his cruelty. One moonlit night, the ruthless assassin stole into Andelvan’s dwelling and raised his sword over the sleeping Magmar. Andelvan opened his eyes and saw the bloodshot eyes before him. He grabbed the Rod of Fire, but this was not enough to save his life. The assassin’s sword smote the rod and pierced Andelvan through the heart. The shattered Rod of Fire lost its magic powers and disappeared into oblivion.
When the Magmars learnt of their leader’s death, the lust for revenge clouded their minds. Blinded by rage, they set about crushing everything in their path, sparing neither young nor old. The wave of bloodshed engulfed every corner of the World of Faeo. Orcs, Dwarfs, Gnomes, Halflings and Elves all fell victim to the Magmars’ violence In the end only two races survived, the Humans and Magmars. They lived on different continents and waged endless wars, the original meaning and purpose of their enmity long forgotten.
After these fierce battles, only malice and hatred remained in the land, embodied in the power of death, which gave birth to new beings: Zombies, Vampires and Skeletons. They filled the world with negative energy, breathing the spirit of death into living beings. It was as if the unspent magic floating in the air were trying to tear through Faeo’s atmosphere and deliver it up to the ravages of Chaos. An endless barrage of natural disasters: tornados, hurricanes, floods and volcanic eruptions, rained down on the world and sapped its natural environment.
It seemed there was to be no salvation and that Chaos would soon rule supreme over all living creatures, when suddenly the heavens parted and, rocked gently by the wind’s embrace, Sheara, Mistress of the Dragons, appeared. Her bright face lit up the heavens, as if her whole being were enveloped in an aura of goodness. Sheara was known as the successor to the god A’Aron the Just, whose profound wisdom and fairness in resolving disputes had won him the love and respect of many high-born races.
Sheara looked with sorrow upon the ruins of the World of Faeo. She spoke to the people and her words were prophetic. She told them: “Stars used to shine in your sky, leaves grew on your trees, birds sang in your windows, yet you destroyed it all. You have covered the land in a bloody shroud and caused the sky to burn with the glow of death. You have sapped the very Fundament and allowed Chaos to encroach, entwining the World of Faeo in its tentacles. Now, with every New Moon, your world will be threatened with collapse and destruction, as at the New Moon the Servants of Chaos come together and acquire a fearsome strength.
I have come to help you. I will use the energy of each race to create two dragons. The first Great Dragon, Erifarius, will be the embodiment of the Humans, and the second Great Dragon, Striagorn, the Magmars. These dragons are my faithful servants. They will be a driving force that will help you to resist the encroachment of the Servants of Chaos. At the next New Moon Erifarius and Striagorn will come together in a duel, which only one of them can win. The stronger dragon will then take on the energy of the other, so that their combined strength will suffice to withstand the dark forces of Chaos. And at every New Moon while you have energy left, the dragons will fight, but know that this cannot last for ever, the future depends on you alone…”
When the World of Faeo was created, it emerged ready-formed, in all its entirety. It could be that higher forces, unfettered by the reasoning of ordinary mortals, had invented themselves a new toy, or perhaps lesser living organisms were fused together in a single upsurge to become highly developed beings. None alive today has been able to fathom the secret of the world’s creation. But the question of who should rule over the world continues to preoccupy the hearts and minds of many. The struggle to impose this or that ideology to lead the World of Faeo to Perfection has only resulted in exposing the world to the destructive forces of Chaos. Many high-born races from different regions of the Universe have taken credit for the world’s creation and have tried to tame Chaos. But as the high-born races have sunk into oblivion after failing to create even a semblance of Perfection, it has become clear that they do not understand the Essence and are mere impostors who have brought to the world the Forces of Destruction.
In the World of Faeo, the races inhabiting the two continents of Ogriy and Khair, followed a great confusion of faiths and gods and waged endless wars. The Orcs carried out raids into the Elts Vale, which was largely inhabited by Gnomes and Dwarfs, who had previously coexisted in peace and harmony. But as the warlike Orcs took away their land, hatred and discontent grew, sowing the seeds of enmity between these races. Embittered, the Gnomes divided the land in the Elts Vale, so that the famed Eltsian Springs with their healing waters went to them, while the Dwarfs were left with nothing. Then the peace-loving Dwarfs, led by the brave Fawlius, went to war against the Gnomes. There was terrible carnage, which went down in history as the Turmoil. The Eltsian Springs ran with blood and lost their miraculous properties, the lands of the vale dried up and the air was filled with fear.