Perhaps you do know something about it—a murky dream, a tale of a long-lost land or a great calamity, of another realm beyond the fog.
At the dawn of creation, there was nothing but fog and darkness. The universe hid under their blanket, until one day, a star arose, shining so bright so bright that even the fog and darkness had to hide.
After the star arose Lorein, a realm that was the height of otherworldly beauty—a sanctuary where dreams met reality, and gave birth to a miracle; harmony. The realm was unmatched in beauty, lying under a sky of boundless twilight.
The heavens were scattered with constellations that sang in a peaceful symphony of creation, their light cast like a blessing upon a world where the intangible and the tangible contended gracefully. Stars, so close that one could touch them, carpeted the land with a luminous enchantment, something can one could only dream about but it was a touch away in Lorein. There was one star hung in the sky above all others, shining so bright that it made the darkness cover, providing the most brilliant light—the Dream Star.
Yes, there were many places in Lorein which one can only imagine. One amongst them was the Shattered Sky, a landscape of breathtaking splendor and profound magic. Floating islands drifted, performing a ballet, hypnotizing the universe with elegant bridges that connected tranquil meadows and glittering lakes.
Forests of ancient, a wonder of Lorein, whispering trees stood like sentinels, their branches caressing the stars as their every-bright leaves cast mesmerizing patterns upon the ground below. The entire forest was a paradise for forest-dwellers. This was an enchanted land, a concert where every scene told a tale of beauty and harmony, and every corner presented a new wondrous mystery.
At the pinnacle of this realm was the Eternal City, the heart of Lorein, a beacon of elegance and artistic richness. Its soaring spires and arches, crafted from a material that sparkled with otherworldly light, expressed the very core of Lorein. Streets flowed with crystalline waters, singing songs of ancient mythology, and luminescent flowers painted the city in exquisite beauty. Wise and artistic, the people of the Eternal City lived in harmony with the dreamscapes through grand festivals that filled the air with joy and wonder.
The Dreamweavers, regarded as the Starbornes of Lorein's delicate balance during this age of supernatural harmony, were mystics and scholars who wielded the power of dreams to maintain the serenity of the land. In their dream magic, none could surpass them; their sanctuaries, hidden amidst the tranquility of the land, were bastions of peace and wisdom. The Dreamweavers' services kept the dreams alive, blending inspiration with calmness, upholding a perfect unity between the mystical and the real.
But golden ages were never meant to last forever. On one fateful day, the Dreamweaver King left without a trace, taking his faithful knights with him into the unknown. With his departure, a great void was left in the realm. There had never been a time when anything like this had happened to Lorein, protected for eons by a fabric of peace. As the Dreamweaver King disappeared, a dark shadow began spreading its claws across the land—an omen of impending doom.
On the Night of the Shattered Star, everything came crashing down upon Lorein, plunging the world into despair and chaos. The first blow was the fall of Guardian Hecator—beloved and first among the Starbornes. Hecator's death resounded through the realm, a harbinger of the darkness to come. The most powerful beings of Lorein, once paragons of strength and virtue, were no more; lost to Lorein. His loss left the realm exposed and defenseless.
In their wake came the Star Collapse. The Demi-Lords, those left behind by the Dream King, driven by the power vacuum, contended for dominance in an epic struggle that ravaged the land. The Dream Star, once a symbol of hope and stability, became the core of the ensuing chaos.
The celestial body was violently shattered into fragments, culminating in the catastrophic Star Collapse—an apocalypse that shattered the very essence of the heavens. The star fragmented into countless shards, buried in the darkness that now enveloped the world. The realm cried tears of blood, but none of its inhabitant cared about its loss.
As the Dream Star shattered, the Demi-Lords of Lorein—once united under the King—each claimed a piece of the celestial body. These shards, imbued with the star's power, became symbols of their new dominion and strength. But rather than bringing unity or stability, they ignited an unending conflict among them—a fierce war fueled by the pursuit of absolute power and the deep desires that the star had awakened.
This brutal and shattering conflict, known as the Great Strife, ravaged the lands, leaving a once-majestic realm in ruins. The Demi-Lords unleashed the power of their shards and waged war with relentless fury. As their armies clashed in epic battles, the world was scarred, and every piece of it was torn until it bled. The once peaceful skies were now lit by the fires of war, and the earth was stained with blood.
The war continued, but no victor emerged. The conflict became endless, with no side gaining a decisive advantage. The realm was thrown into chaos and disorder, its once breathtaking landscapes disfigured by the marks of war. Consumed by their ambitions and the corrupting influence of the star shards, the Demi-Lords became isolated figures, their power waning as the battle dragged on.
In this vulnerable state, Lorein fell prey to a darker force that lurked beyond its borders: the ancient, malevolent abyss, taking advantage of Dream Star's shattering, preying on the weakened realm. The protectors, distracted by their endless conflict, failed to notice the predator emerging from the shadows of the void, drawn by the chaos and suffering that now defined Lorein. And in one swift motion, it devoured the realm, leaving nothing behind.
This malevolent influence consumed the once-great realm, already scarred by the Great Strife. The predator fed on fear and chaos, twisting the land in its own image, turning it into a nightmare where nothing of its former sanctity remained. As Lorein was swallowed by the abyss, the fabric of reality itself was torn asunder. The once-familiar terrain twisted and warped under the weight of the encroaching darkness. The already war-torn landscapes gave way to a nightmarish expanse where the laws of nature and reality no longer applied.
This Shattered Realm, once a land of floating islands and graceful valleys, now lies in chaotic disarray. The sky was a swirling vortex of fractured constellations and dark crimson energy, with lands suspended in midair, drifting aimlessly through a distorted expanse. The forests of Ancients, once a beacon of ethereal beauty, became a labyrinth of twisted, luminescent trees and ominous shadows. The soft glow that once brought comfort now casts eerie, shifting patterns on the ground where ancient and haunted flora intertwine, obscuring the path and hiding the whispers of lost dreams.
Before you lay a sprawling ruin buried in perpetual gloom: the Eternal City, the grand heart of what was once a great metropolis. The majestic spires and grand avenues of the Eternal City are choked with creeping darkness and broken memories. The wreckage still holds faint echoes of its past grandeur, where specters of history wander aimlessly through the mist.
At the core of this fractured realm lies the Endless Abyss: an infinite maw stretching into darkness below and beyond, into the world outside. A chasm of unimaginable depth and despair, where the nightmares of the world converge and take tangible form. The abyss pulses with malevolent energy, consuming everything in its path and distorting reality itself.
The Dreamweavers, who once held control over the realm's balance, now struggle to recover fragments of lost knowledge amidst the chaos. Their sanctuaries, hidden deep within the shifting landscape, offer only fleeting glimpses of the old world, now surrounded by the encroaching void. The Demi-Lords, corrupted by Abyssal power, have become lords of the Abyss, serving the darkness.
The Lost Souls, those who ventured too close to the abyss, are now twisted echoes of their former selves. They drift through the land, forever trapped between dreams and reality, their minds shattered by the overwhelming darkness. And amidst the ever-present shadows, the Wraiths—born of the abyss and distorted dreams—lurk, their forms constantly shifting and writhing. They are reminders of the world's descent into madness, embodying the fear and despair that now reigns.
Thus, Lorein stands—a realm forever changed by the great calamity. The sanctuary of dreams has become a world of darkness and despair, where the remnants of reality and the abyss meld into an unending, twisted landscape. Here, the echoes of a lost paradise linger, a haunting reminder of what once was and a foreboding glimpse of what now endures.
In a last-ditch effort, the first ember, born from the core of the Dream Star and the stolen maddened abyssalborne, the undying, called forth its last Starborne, who would rid the world of this mad taint and save Lorein from its end.
.....
After showing Erik and Valcroy the past and the present Lorein, the maiden started speaking with a solemn tone, a speech that she seemed to have prepared for this occasion.
In the darkest hour, when the world hath fallen to shadow, and the echoes of its former grandeur are but whispers in the void, there doth shine a single spark of defiance. This first ember, born of the core of the Dream Star and the stolen, maddened Abyssal borne, doth represent the final vestige of our celestial grace.
Hearken to me, ye who art the Last Starborne. Thou art the chosen one, the inheritor of our final hope. As the predator of darkness feasteth upon the land and the lords of old lie shattered within their own shadows, thou standest as the last beacon against the encroaching void. The fragments of the Shattered Star, the relentless hunger of the Abyss—these are the trials thou must face.
Rise, Starborne of the First Ember, and embrace the mantle of thy destiny. This ember is the heart of our final plea, a light that defies the consuming darkness. It beareth the weight of a world that once danced twixt dreams and reality, and it calleth upon thee to restore what hath been lost.
Forge ahead into the abyss, with the strength of the Dream Star's light, the flesh of undying and the resolve to face the horrors that now rule this shattered realm. Reclaim the fragments of our shattered past, and fight for a future where dreams and reality may once again merge in harmony.
Lorein calleth upon thee, its last Starborne. Stand against the encroaching night, challenge the Nightmare, and bring forth a dawn that may once again see the stars shine brightly upon this forsaken world. For in thy hands lies the last hope of our realm, the final ember that may ignite the return of our lost paradise.
Arise! and let the world remember the light that was once its heart. In the darkness, let thy light be the beacon of a new beginning.