Greater Than Was Thought
In the beginning there was Chaos the creator of all. Chaos could not be all there was forever so he created a counterpart, one who would establish order and rules, she was called Order. This act was the first time that the universe saw life. And it demanded more.
Order in an attempt to suit this need created the galaxies bringing forth the possibility throughout life through the cosmos. This action prompted Chaos to create planets and moons so that life would have a place to flourish. Each were awed by what the other had made and so wanted to see what they could make together.
However this act brought forth a tragedy. The joining of the pair could not be undone and resulted in two very different creations falling to Earth. The first was a slop of primordial energy that was neither Chaos nor Order but somehow a combination of the two. The second was only know as the Cosmic Egg.
As the objects fell to Earth they landed in two different places. The primordial landed in what would one day be known as Europe, while the egg crashed into the sea forcing the land around the crater its landing caused to erupt from the sea cutting this vast area of land off from the rest of the world, and all remained still. Until the egg hatched.
From the egg two beings of infinite power emerged. First to emerge was Asha, the Dragon of Order, as she burst forth from her egg she was attacked by her brother Urgash, the Dragon of Chaos. The two fought for centuries shaping the land of Ashan until Asha was able to banish her brother to slumber at the core of Ashan. Asha used her now conflict free time to bring life to Ashan and birthed five children to help her bring prosperity to the lands and created a species for each to rule over.
The eldest pair would observe all of creation as time passed and the days changed. Elrath the Dragon of Light would forever circle his sister Malassa the Dragon of Darkness as she would forever do the same. To Elrath was granted dominion over the race of Angels, who would deliver his divine message unto Ashan. Malassa choose to be the patron for the Faceless and would later adopt those Elves driven from their homes.
The other children would be entrusted with the land, sea and air. Slyanna would find shelter in the forests of Ashan where she was worshiped by the Elves of Irollan, and those inhabiting the forests. Her sister Shalassa controlled the vast expanse of the sea and naturally found her subjects among the populous of the Naga and the spiritual beings that called the oceans home. The youngest child, the Dragon of Air Ylath asked not for a race to rule over but asked that those who worshiped him to go forth and explore doing as they wished, as long as they respected the world the Dragon Gods had created. It was to Ylath's wishes that the humans of Ashan followed, as they spread throughout the land.
Some humans sought knowledge and gathered together to create the Seven Cities, a place where learning was the only thing that was important. These seekers of knowledge would discover how to call upon the natural energies of the world to preform magic. It was one of these wizards a man by the name of Sar-Elam, who would sacrifice himself to seal away the minions that Urgash had created to free the Dragon from his prison, to trap the demons in the realm of Sheogh and prevent their return to Ashan.
Years past as they always do, and the races prospered. Most humans now worshiped Elrath and were subjects of the Holy Griffin Empire. The Empire was led by the Holy Emperor who had divided his land and granted parts to his nobles who became Dukes and Duchesses that ruled their duchies as they wished. Most lines faded and new lines were introduced but some survived the test of time to witness great changes to Ashan. Some wizards grew interested in completely stopping the demons from escaping their prison, as some did from time to time, and created new race with the sole purpose of destroying demons but these new creatures now named goblins were deemed as failures in their task as demon attacks continued but at a lesser extent. So the wizards continued to experiment and brought forth other such creations. Some were given as gifts to the other factions in efforts to open diplomacy, such as when the sharkmen were given to the queen of the Naga, the Eternal Empress, who accepted them with open arms. Others were kept for labor as with the minotaur and orcs. The latter looked at themselves then at their creators than back at themselves and wondered why they were forced to work just because they were orcs. This led to rebellion and the creation of a new faction, one that did not worship a Dragon God but a combination of two, as the new Stronghold faction worshiped both Father Sky and Mother Earth.
Some in the Griffin Empire accepted the Stronghold faction as a separate entity and realized that these new friends would be needed if the demons ever emerged again. This movement was spearheaded the Duke of Griffin, a man by the name of Slava, who offered parts of his duchy to the orcs to settle on, after Slava rode into battle alongside the orc chieftain Kraal against a demon camp that had dared to entrench itself upon his lands. This action was recognized across Ashan as the start of alliance that stand the test of time. It also gained the attention of the Naga who soon sent a messenger to meet with Slava at the request of the Eternal Empress. In response the Holy Emperor ordered Slava to island of Hashima to discuss a treaty with the Daimyo that ruled there. Slava obeyed and discovered much about the secretive kingdom of the Lotus Empire and their culture. The Naga had developed a duel hierarchal system that included both their priests and their warriors. All priests on any island were subject to that island's high priestess while any military forces were subject to the appropriate Daimyo. Slava promised to help support the Daimyos he could in return for the opening of trade between the two empires.
Slava returned home where he fell in love with Cate of the Stag Duchy. The two married and she gave birth to Slava's four children two boys and two girls. Sadly Cate died in her sleep on her and Slava's seventh wedding anniversary. Now a widower Slava called upon his aunt and his companion Kraal to help him raise his children. While Slava trained his eldest son Anton in the ways of running a duchy, his younger son Sandor found a friend in Kraal, who with Slava's blessing, trained Sandor in the ways of an orc chieftain. The eldest daughter Irina found herself fascinated with the Naga and asked her father for permission to become a vassal under the Daimyo Hashima, Lord Hiroshi. The youngest daughter Anastasya found herself under the tutelage of her great aunt Svetlana. Svetlana was a powerful necromancer who worshiped Asha herself, with the belief that "Asha uses all"
Unfortunately the happy family would fall into despair when Slava was brutally murdered by assassins. Each child was in attendance for Slava's funeral where his body was placed within the family tomb. His children remembered him fondly and strove to make him proud with their actions. Anton proved himself to be a good Duke that earned the recognition of the Angels of Elrath. Irina succeeded Hiroshi and became the first non Naga to earn the title of Daimyo with the blessing of Shalassa. Sandor found himself liberating orcs from forced labor camps and returning them to the Pao islands, land that the orcs have claimed for themselves. While Anastasya would give tormented souls the peace needed to pass on into Asha's embrace at last. The siblings cherished the bonds they shared with each other and strove to improve not only their own lands but those of their siblings as well and so they all prospered.
All of the factions of Ashan knew it was a matter of time before the Demons burst forth from their prison of Sheogh but no one knew when that would be exactly, and no expected that the demons might escape outside of Ashan.