In the beginning, a benevolent God created two forces: peace and chaos. God saw that they were in conflict and allowed them to fight, bringing about the birth of the world. Their fight would never end and out of them came the land of Graiigreald. They filled the land with their armies and each took a new name. Peace named itself Michael, and chaos named itself Cromwell. Michael's army was made of angelic beings who radiated light and goodness, while Cromwell's army was made of shadows, enslaved to an endless, hungry void. Michael created dragons to fight, only to be met with unburnable trolls created by Cromwell. Their war shaped the land, but chaos was winning. In order to stop Cromwell's army, Michael had to sacrifice himself. He did so, but not by dying. He split his soul into three parts, one was the soul of hope, the next, the soul of unity, the final, the soul of justice. His spirit trapped the March of Chaos and split, releasing the three parts over the expanse of time. His angels became the first men, and they where placed on Graiigreald. These men knew of their general's sacrifice, and thus a prophesy would be born: "At the return of evil, hope shall spring from the edge of the land, and he will be called the Man of Hope." Another prophesy stated, "The soul of hope will die above the lake, the soul of unity will lie inside the lake, the soul of justice will be born at the lake."
The lieutenants of Michael's army would form the four cardinal cities, Mao built Dragonrock, Washington built Eagle's Nest, Bonaparte built Lion's Point, and Plato built Academy. They remained immortal while the rest of Michael's army did not. They would rest in their lands for five hundred years before Cromwell returned to Graiigreald. The men who became mortal created their own cities, villages, and strongholds. They created Fort Mudstop in the tundra woods, Servinsrad in the rocky hills, Draconia in the desert, Symphonia in the plains, Rodnest in the warm forest, Sand Castle in the southern plains, and Sillsing on the southeast coast. The men created magic to aid themselves, and the dragons took from the very land. The land they took became known as the Dragon Isles, and they became legend.