HISTORY

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.