Before the beginning of time, there was only the Void - infinite, boundless, silent. In its depths there was no form, no motion, no time. But even in the silence there was thought, and Vaak'Nir realized his existence.
The Void did not seek to create anything, for to create would imply change, and change violated its essence. At some point in its infinite existence, however, an aberration was born in its depths - Ke'Sharra, the first manifestation of Chaos.
Ke'Sharra could not remain silent, she yearned for movement, for change. Her appearance was the first disturbance of the absolute peace of the Void. This was the initial conflict: the Void sought to absorb Chaos, to return everything to a state of serene nothingness, and Chaos sought to break the monotony of the Void, to introduce variation and multifacetedness. Their confrontation lasted unimaginably long, until out of their clash two opposing but inseparable forces were born:
Light (Luxarius), the embodiment of order, truth, and structure.
Darkness (Noctaz'Ul) - the embodiment of freedom, the unknown, and hidden truths.
These forces, while not independent beings at first, sought to incarnate into something greater. They became intelligent entities that continued to fight each other, but in a meaningful way.
As a result of their conflict, space was born out of the infinite Nothing. At its center appeared Kronos, the first world created simultaneously by Light and Darkness. But its nature was unstable, for Light sought to give it a perfect structure, while Darkness sought to make it changeable and free.
Then came the stars and the heavens, a creation of Luxarius, bringing order and harmony. In response, Night and the Bottomless Shadows were born, a creation of Noctaz'Ul, hiding secrets and possibilities.
Ke'Sharra, not wanting to be left behind, brought unpredictability to the world: seas, storms, energy flows, ever-changing landscapes.
Vaak'Nir created the Waste Lands, places where nothing could live forever, where time slowed down and reality itself lost its meaning.
When the world took shape, it was time for life to be created.
Luxarius created angels endowed with light, purity, and the pursuit of perfection. They became warriors of law and order.
Noctaz'Ul created demons, creatures free of dogma, with the power to destroy old ways and forge new paths.
The world began to fill with energy, and the collision of these forces gave birth to mortal beings:
Elves - children of the Light, endowed with wisdom, magic and longevity.
Humans - fickle and ambitious, capable of following both Light and Darkness.
Orcs and Goblins - the spawn of Chaos, strong, wild and unpredictable.
Dwarves - children of the earth, indomitable creators and guardians of tradition.
Dragons, creatures who have absorbed the power of all the primordial beings.
After the luminaries lit up the firmament and the earth took shape, the first mortal races began their journey. In the beginning, they were few in number, and they populated the world unevenly:
Elves settled in forests and valleys, choosing harmony with nature.
Humans sought out new lands with curiosity and ambition.
Dwarves took refuge in the mountains, carving their first underground cities in stone.
Orcs and goblins lived in the wild lands, obeying the laws of force.
Dragons soared above the world, watching over mortals.
At first the world lived in relative balance, but the influence of the gods could not go unnoticed. Luxarius granted mortals knowledge, laws, and magic, while Noctaz'Ul taught them the secrets hidden in the shadows. Ke'Sharra wreaked havoc, changing rivers, lands, and the fate of entire nations, while Vaak'Nir created places where nothing could exist for long, making mortals fear the forgotten lands.
But the world could not remain static. The divisions between the mortal races were becoming more and more palpable. Humans envied elven longevity, orcs despised the frailty of humans, dwarves shunned anyone who did not share their love of labor and skill.
And when tensions reached a breaking point, the first betrayal occurred.
Luxarius, seeking to create an ideal world, envisioned a unified order - a society in which mortals followed the light, devoid of sin, fear, and doubt. But to achieve this, he needed to subjugate everyone to a single will. He chose his chosen ones, the first saints, to whom he bestowed the power to control the destinies of others.
However, one of the angels, Izar'el, began to doubt this plan. He had seen the Light suppress the free will of mortals, and realized that Luxarius' ways were as tyrannical as Noctaz'Ul's darkest designs.
Izar'el defied his creator. He did not want to become a servant of a cruel order, albeit one masquerading as good. He tried to warn the mortals, but Luxarius declared him a traitor and cast him from the heavens.
Izar'el became the first Fallen, a symbol of free will, but also a symbol of the gap between the Light and those who would not blindly follow its ways.
His fall had become the point of no return. War was now inevitable.
As the conflict between Light and Darkness flared up with renewed vigor, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse appeared in the world. No one knew whether they had been created by the gods or born out of the chaos of war itself, but their arrival was a sign of the coming catastrophe:
Pestilence - bringing disease, made the nations of mortals vulnerable, destroying their bodies.
War - fueled hatred and battles, turning cities to ash.
Famine - dried up the lands, leaving entire kingdoms without food.
Death - took those who could not resist the disasters.
Their appearance caused the Great Rift - a catastrophic event that destroyed the first civilizations. Empires fell, cities turned to rubble, and the continents themselves split, separating peoples from one another.
The surviving peoples were faced with a choice:
Humans and elves saw hope in the Light, but increasingly doubted its true nature.
Dwarves and Orcs turned away from the gods, choosing to rely only on their own strength.
Some mortals sought truth in the Void and Chaos, rejecting both Light and Darkness.
But Chaos demanded order. Thus came the Titans, the first great rulers born of the magic of the gods, who became the founders of new kingdoms.
Each of them possessed the power granted by either Light or Darkness. They led their peoples into the future, but their paths differed:
Artorius the Lightbearer became the first king of men, accepting the blessing of Luxarius.
Mor'Gar Bloodblade led the Orcs, despising the gods and relying on brute force.
Astariel Moon Sight, the Elven Queen, chose the path of balance between Light and Darkness.
The Dwarves created the Council of Blacksmiths, deciding the fate of their lands together, rejecting the intervention of the gods.
But their time was only the beginning of the coming Great War.
In time, the conflict between Light and Darkness led to war once again. Now not only angels and demons fought, but also the mortal races, each taking a different side.
Humans and elves, backed by the Light, joined together in a holy alliance.
Orcs, demons, and those who rejected the Light sided with the Dark.
The Dwarves and neutral peoples tried to remain aloof, but were drawn into the conflict.
The great armies clashed on the plains of Anathem, and the battle continued for many months. The magic of the gods tore through the land, destroying the world they themselves had created.
But the war culminated in betrayal among mortals - one of the Titans previously loyal to Luxarius defected to the side of Darkness, changing the course of the battle.
As a result, the continent split and the gods turned their backs on the world, leaving mortals to decide their own fate.
At the end of this war, the first great hero fell, but left a descendant who the seers foretold would be the one to change the fate of the world...
When the battle ended and the gods left the mortal world, an era without rulers began. Scattered kingdoms tried to rebuild, but the shadow of war remained over them.