Author's Note: This story is born out of the Writer's Block I have for other stories. I will update to These Children Love as soon as I can think of something. I know I don't seem to be the type who would play something like Majesty, but my variety in gaming is quite extraordinary. Anyway, here is the newest fanfiction I have come up with. I would like to thank the site known as Majesty: Heroes of Ardania for its complete history guide of Ardania. It's how this story came to be. Google it up and join one day... but continuing on now... This Prologue will not involve all of the details of the history of Ardania, so be prepared for some skips and some future references. Also, if you do not like or if you are scared of Shoujo Ai Yuri, I'd suggest leaving at Chapter 1.
War of the Gods
Prologue
When the land of Ardania was just beggining, Krolm, God of the Wilderness, had become enraged. There was no creature that knew of him, no creature that would do his bidding. From his rage came the first Humans of Ardania, also known as Barbarians. They were nomadic people who believed that strength was all and they were to conquer the unknown. This all changed when Brashnard changed due to the presence of a source of great magic power. He became a Wizard and stopped his weapon training, turning to the studies of magic and creating what came to be known as Brashnard's Sphere. Rogna BloodAxe then killed Brashnard and shattered his sphere, leading all of the humans back into a Barbarian's lifestyle... for a while.
The Barbarians then got into a war known as the Dragon Wars. When the Barbarians continued to push back other creatures to take land to live on, the dragons counterattacked. Krolm came down to help his minions and traveled to the Dwarves, who helped him by forging him a sword that would kill the Dragon King, Andraxal-Kerlazor. He, in return, gave them greater strength, allowing them to push from the underground and settle on the surface. With the sword the Dwarves made him, Krolm destroyed Andraxal-Kerlazor and scattered the dragons. However, he was severely wounded. His Barbarians began to drift from his teachings; some began to settle permanently in village. Krolm decided to sire a son and a daughter to rule while he rested; none knew who the mother was. The son came to be known as Lunord, the Moon God, while the daughter was dubbed Helia, the Sun Goddess. This started what would come to be known as the War of the Gods.
Two cities, Garuta and Rendishire, grew into prominence. Garuta, built on steep, rocky spires, came into favor of Lunord. Those men who devoted their lives to Lunord became known as Adepts. Lunord bestowed upon them the Holy Chalice, which would give good health to the Adepts. Rendishire was Garuta's complete opposite. It was a grand sprawl, filling the valley at the base of the Hellfire Mountains. Rendishire's people began to worship Helia. Gnomes also came to the settle in Rendishire, though they were given a grudging welcome. The women warriors who served Helia came to be known as Solarii. Helia granted them the Sun Orb, which gave them great strength. In the year 300, many people decided to go back to their nomadic heritage. Barbarians came back to the world and Krolm came back into conciousness on his path to recuperation.
Garuta and Rendishire eventually fell into conflict. Lunord and Helia became outright enemies as they battled to become the most powerful deity of Ardania. The battle between these two city-states came to be known as the Ten Thousand Arrows War. Smaller city-states were forced to choose either side. Whenever one side gained the advantage, the other took it back. If Rendishire hadn't had their gnome friends, they would've fallen, but the gnomes, who were industialists, were able to continue rebuilding the city. The Holy Chalice and Sun Orb were lost during the war.
Barbarians, however, were treated the worst. They were forced into service by the city-states and were betrayed or used as disposible troops. In his rage, Krolm used what little strength he had to tell his followers to attack his children's followers. The city-states, weakened by the Ten Thousand Arrows War and so focused on each other, did not see this surprise attack coming until it was too late. The ensuing conflagration weakened Helia and Lunord so much that the day and night skies dimmed and there was no season but Winter for the next six years. The Barbarians fought against the two city-states, who put their differences aside and united to fight against Krolm's followers. In this temporary truce, Helia and Lunord sired seven children, four of them quadruplets. This began the second part of the War of the Gods.
The first of these seven gods was Grum-Gog, Lord of Pessilence. He rallied the goblins and trolls into countless defeats in battle. Their second and third child were misshapen beasts who were not strong enough to become gods. The second child was Url-Shekk. Url-Shekk was a creature who despised light. This infuriated Helia, who cast the genderless beast into the Nether World. Occasionally, it pushes through into Ardania, where it relieves its sufferings by torturing lesser creatures, such as Humans. The third child was Rrongol. This creature was dim-witted. It followed its father's every steps until Lunord grew frustrated of it and banished it to the mortal world. The quadruplets turned out to become a success, however. They had two girls and two boys. Each became polar opposites, just like their parents. Agrela became the Goddess of Life while Krypta became the Goddess of Death. Dauros became the God of Law while Fervus became the God of Chaos.
When Sydrian, the Wandering King, returned the Holy Chalice to Lunord upon his death, Lunord chose an Adept known as Makket the Wise to spread the news of his sired children. Makket was struck by lightning while polishing the horns of the Temple to Lunord and fell into a deep coma. When he came to, he blabbered about his visions and came to be known as Makket the Madman. Divisions appeared, however, as many Adepts and Solarri left their orders in disillusionment. Those that stayed true to their beliefs, however, branded Makket a heretic. Makket accumulated a legion of followers dedicated to forcing this new religious practice on others. In the year 642, however, Helia's Solarii killed Makket. The remaining followers of Lunord and Helia celebrated that day, but it served only to boost the popularity of the new gods.
The four new gods decided to make their own religious artifacts. Krypta created the Holy Bell, a symbol of approaching death. Agrela fashioned the Magic Ring, which contained the power of health. Fervus created the Holy Candle, which flickered with the essence of chaos. Dauros created the Holy Book of Law. During this time, Elves came into the land of Ardania from other lands unknown. They settled in the Treldan Woods and introduced gambling, alcohol, and other vices of pleasure to Ardania.
Eventually, temples to the new gods were found around all of the towns. Due to their opposing natures, however, these gods created friction between their followers as Helia and Lunord had done before, though not as deep. They never engaged in war, but Healers of Agrela and Priestesses of Krypta refused to build their templs next to each other. Monks of Dauros and Cultists of Fervus did the same. This eventually progressed into Healers and Cultists avoiding each other as well as Monks and Priestesses avoiding each other. Temples to Lunord, Helia, and even Krolm could still be found in some towns.
Then Good King Teevus of Valmorgen came around. He unified all the religions together into his kingdom, proclaiming himself a follower of each and every one of them, stating that their different beliefs were like the different aspects of a human being.
Many years have passed since those days. Valmorgen is nothing more then a child's story. In these days, Lunord and Helia have declared war on each other once more. Krypta and Fervus have now declared war on Agrela and Dauros as well. Krolm was pulled into the war when the followers of all six of his children attacked his Barbarians and their Ranger allies while they were traveling the Central Plains. Each god influenced the rulers of five kingdoms into following their ways. Krolm's ruler is Joseph. He had built a vast, unnamed kingdom in the forest. There he lives alone with nothing more then the heroes he's recruited and the servents he's recieved. Each of the other four rulers are dominated by the other six gods. King Michael of Aria and Queen Jennifer of Malkanor are followers of Agrela and Dauros. King Shadow of Lycos and Queen Sylvanas of Vampra are followers of Krypta and Fervus. Were it not for Helia and Lunord, each pair would be allies, but Michael and Sylvanas believe in Helia while Jennifer and Shadow believe in Lunord.
During their adventures, heroes of different religions form bonds of friendship and even ties of love, which they try to keep secret, though most of them cannot. They find that, while their gods have tried to keep them apart, they can truely get along with each other as King Teevus of Valmorgen had intended.
One day, however, an ancient treasure was unearthed from the ruins of an ancient kingdom. All five kingdoms were shocked to find the ruins were of Valmorgen and that the treasure was Brashnard's Sphere. Suddenly war errupted between all five kingdoms as they all made a race to grab this all-mighty artifact, found and put together by Teevus during his time as Sovereign a long, long time ago. The War of the Gods had begun.
Some heroes left their kingdoms, however. These were the heroes who had formed friendships with heroes of another religion. They fled and created a kingdom known as New Valmorgen, which decided to operate on King Teevus's standards of unity. Eventually, New Valmorgen became a democracy. It gave freedom to its people and allowed them to decide on how things should be run.
The gods, angered by these heroes, have set a turn of events which would lead to New Valmorgen's downfall. A Wizard known as Harry, Master of the Unknowable, brought back Brashnard's Sphere, and all were impressed. However, they all knew that the five kingdoms would soon descend upon them in vengeance. They began to prepare for their doomsday, knowing that if they gave up Brashnard's Sphere to a kingdom, they would lose their freedom to that kingdom.
The War of the Gods and New Valmorgen's downfall have come into motion
End Prologue.
What do you think? Pretty good, huh?