The history of DarkeMUD
Creation
In the beginning, there was the Void. Inside the Void, resided
a being of great power called the Demiurge. He had existed for all Time,
being both omniscient and omnipotent. From a perfect ideal model, he
created the world. However, the materials that he had to work with,
Earth, Fire, Air, and Water were less than perfect so the world and the
beings that he created were inherently flawed. Disappointed with his work,
he turned away from his creation in favor of other pursuits.
The Original Races
There were two original races, the Ethereals and the Elves, created
on the new world. The Ethereals were a mighty race both in intellect and
in strength. Some of the more ambitious Ethereals embarked upon research
into the basic mysteries of Life. In doing so, they gained knowledge
in the creation of life. Eager to test their newfound knowledge, they
experimented on the animals of their world and created sentient beings
from them. The Elves were a more contemplative race with more of an
affinity to the Arts and Philosophy. Elves and Ethereals generally did
not interact very much, for the world was new and their numbers were small.
The relationship between the two races was peaceful and it was a time of
tranquility.
Genesis of the Other Races
Many new races were created in the Ethereals' experiments. The
Humans, Halflings, Dwarves, and Gnomes were all attempts to create beings
similar to themselves. It is unknown why the Ethereals did not give these
new creatures wings like themselves. Perhaps this was to distinguish the
creators from their creation. Besides attempting to create in their own
image, the Ethereals also experimented on various animals in order to bring
them to sentience. In this manner were the Orcs, Gerudan, Ents, and Thranx
created. All of these new races were fully sentient in their own right.
However, their creators did not see their creations as equals and treated
them as slaves. Many of the Ethereals did not agree with this position and
neither did most of the Elves. Many slaves escaped from their cruel
masters with the help of sympathetic Ethereals and Elves.
The Great War
Eventually there was a great war fought between the opposing
Ethereals, the Elves, and descendents of the escaped slaves. During this
time, some fearsome new races were created to fight for the Ethereals.
Among these races, the Gromeks, Ogres, and Trolls, were some of the most
feared. In order to combat these new races, the Elves harnessed the power
of the elements and created the various Giant races. During this time, the
Elves also developed the Arts known as Magic. The long war devastated the
land and changed the face of the world. Some Elves who were captured were
subjected to experiments that were designed to convert them to the Ethereals'
cause. The experiments were invariably unsuccessful and resulted in yet
another race, the Sprites. Many Elves were also displaced by the war and
fled into the forests to hide from further devastation. Many of them
remained in the forests after the war ended and today are known as the
Wood-Elves.
After many long years, the tyrannical Ethereals were finally
defeated. They and their leader, Marghuul were banished to the Outer
Planes. The Ethereals that were left felt guilty over the ruin that they
had caused and eventually migrated to the Higher Planes, leaving the Elves
to care over the lesser races. However there were some Elves who had fought
on the side of the losing Ethereals. After the war, they also took a
symbolic exile into the underground, forever shunning the light. The Elves
became known as the Drow. The remaining Elves became known as High-Elves.
Formation of Magic
The Arts of Creation practiced by the Ethereals are technically and
historically not related to Magical Arts. In fact, not much is known about
the Arts of Creation as their knowledge was destroyed during the Great War.
The Magical Arts were developed during the war by an elf named Dranaxar.
He was a master of all the magical arts except for necromancy. It was
Dranaxar who harnessed the elemental powers to create the giants. He was
also researching a more powerful force, one that would give him control
over reality itself when both he and his tower were consumed by magical
energy, presumably from a failed experiment. To this day, the cause of
his death remains a mystery. It would seem that some forces are too
powerful for mortals to control. Dranaxar had four main students at the
time of his death. Unfortunately, none of these students were advanced
in more than one particular area of study. Thus Magic split into the
various spheres of specialization. Kamen, student of the elements, began
the school of Elementalism. Elysia started the school of Moon-Mages.
Mycra founded the school of Enchanters and Tazrim attempted to follow
in Dranaxar's footsteps by starting a school of Archmages.
The Order of the Blessed Return
Some members of the lesser races had worshipped their cruel masters
and served them in battle. After the war, many of them wished for the
return of the exiled Ethereals. Thus, the Order of the Blessed Return was
formed, dedicated to returning their fallen masters to this plane. Early
research by members of the Order to open conduits to the outer planes
instead yielded methods of communicating and summoning the dead.
Tobin the Black was the first master necromancer.
Ages passed and the Ethereals developed into what is known today
as Demons and Seraphim. A few Seraphim and Demons have since found their
way into this plane once more but they are here due to accidents and
temporary dimensional rifts. The Order of the Blessed Return seeks to
open a permanent and stable dimensional rift allowing the demons to
return and reconquer to land. Their leader Marghuul, through unholy magic
has managed to keep himself alive through the Ages, nursing his desire for
revenge and striving to reclaim what he believes is his.