Prelude: A Collection of Texts

Excerpt from "The Book of the Creation"

The cosmos are a vast and inexplicable place. Little is known about how the universe works, and what is known is, for the most part, not commonplace knowledge. But, in order for some aspects of this tale to be understood, it must be explained in, at the very least, minimal detail.

There has always been Argabosh. More commonly referred to as The Great One, Argabosh is the creator of creation. He makes the universes, of which there are many, and then creates the deities that will rule over that universe. For purposes of simplicity, we will say no more about Argabosh.

When Argabosh created our universe, he created his two daughters to rule it for us. One was made to be the embodiment of good, known as Itash, the other the embodiment of evil, Sar'tikh. He gave them very limited power, enough for them to create one world together. So they did, and they named Margi.

After much talk, it was realized by the sisters that if they made a world together, it would be in a constant war, for they would always be trying to destroy the other. They decided the only way to solve this was to divide themselves, each into four smaller entities. These four entities would have power only minimally greater than a mortal, as well as control over an element of the world: air, earth, fire, water. But, their power had to be limited someway. This is when things get a bit complicated.

The two great sisters manifested themselves physically upon the world, in the form of eight statues, one for each of the minor deities they had created. The deities took them, and built around them grand temples, where each became bound. They could not leave without the statue, and the statues would not budge after being placed in their spots in the temples.

As I write this, that is all that is known. The minor gods of the elements roam our plane of existence somewhere, but we know not where, or even their names. I have come to this information through a revelation. I was visited by Itash and Sar'tikh in my sleep, and they told me what I have told you. They said the rest would be revealed in due time.

-Unknown Author

Year 11, day unknown

Excerpt from "The Mortal Races"

It is believed by most that the creation of our mortal races was a task given to the eight lesser gods. Some believe the great sisters made us, but our habitual differences and natural preferences seem to be reminiscent of the four elements, which as we know are controlled by the eight minor gods. All five of the mortal races are classified into the group known as Huma, and then divided into smaller subcategories, and most of those are divided even more.

Probably the most diverse, largest group of Humas is the Humans. Humans are often seen as the extra race, and it is a common belief that they are based off the great sisters. There is no group of Humans that is more common, they range in all manners; skin tone, hair color, eye color, height, everything. However, all Humans can be divided into one of three main groups: Humans, the most common of the three groups, Elves, the fair skinned, pointed eared people of the forests, and Dwarves, the short, hairy, hardy folk of the mountains. Once more, these groups can be narrowed down to primarily location based groups, but that is of little importance.

Now, to start with the four elemental races. The first of these I will discuss are the elusive Humari, the incest like people of the ground and trees. These Humas tend to be reclusive, and they don't usually stray from their underground or forested colonies. The two main groups of Humari are woodland Humari, and Subterranean Humari.

Second, I will discuss the Humaxa, the reptilian flame lovers. This group is most easily described as large, lizard like people, ranging in skin tone from a light orange to a charred black. They can be short tempered and fierce, mostly towards Humari. They live in mostly warm places, and some are even found in volcanoes. They have no subgroups.

Now, don't confuse the Humaxa with the Humawo, the amphibious people of swamps and streams. The Humawo tend to be short and stocky, and can breathe under water. They look like large frogs and toads, and tend to be wise and kind in nature. They are divided into the groups of freshwater Humawo, saltwater Humawo, and bog Humawo. The bog and freshwater Humawo are hard to differentiate, but bog dwellers tend to be of a more murky color than freshwater Humawo.

The last are the Humagu, the winged people of the high mountains. Most people say they look like Humans, but with elongated faces, and much more slender, lanky bodies. They have two wings growing from their shoulder blades, and have no permanent residence, though they're most often found on high mountain peaks. They are divided into the groups of scale winged, feather winged, and flesh winged. The groups are easy to distinguish and have no real effect on their society.

-Normil Ditas, Human Biologist

Year 13, day unknown

Excerpt from "Prophecies of the Dawn of Ages: Book I"

When tamed is the land, and peace settles upon us, the will of the gods will be made known. One made of flaming hand will start the fire of turmoil. The land will be ravaged as the flame spreads, searching for what it desires. It will not rest until it finds it, and no hand of a mortal will extinguish it.

Do not despair, there is hope. For from the burning land will emerge the Hope and the Salvation, the Justice and the Peace. United by the Goodness, they can quench the flames. But only by destroying the Hatred and the Taint, the Agony and Pain, all bound by Darkness, can they quench the flame.

Great One grace our lands the day that flame ignites.

-Name Unknown, Priest of Argabosh

Year 14, Day 1 of New Year