History of the Lineage World — The Legend
Most of his face was hidden under a thick old hood, and behind him there was only impenetrable darkness. In the dim glow of his pipe it was impossible to make out his features.
He introduced himself as a bard, but nobody believed him — his voice was hoarse and rough. There was something suspicious about him traveling alone through a forest full of dangers. Still, he offered to tell us a story in exchange for food and the warmth of our fire. Could we really leave him alone in that cold forest? And we agreed.
We settled comfortably around the fire, keeping our weapons at the ready in case of danger, and listened closely.
The night chilled us to the bone. The man put down his pipe and began his tale…
Genesis
Long, long ago, in times that can't even be imagined, there was only a sphere in which all of creation was contained. And there was nothing to compare it with — so the sphere was big and small, dark and light, everything and nothing.
A hundred million years later, the sphere began to grow, and at the same time two forces began to appear. Slowly but surely they grew, and in time they separated into White Light and Darkness. The White Light took a female form and named herself Einhasad. The Darkness took a male form and gave himself the name Gran Kain. These two beings laid the foundation of a new universe and of everything that exists now.
Einhasad and Gran Kain joined forces to break out of the sphere. As a result of their experiment, the sphere shattered into pieces. Some of them soared upward and became the Sky, some fell down to become the Foundation. Between the Sky and the Foundation appeared Water, and some parts of the Foundation rose up and became Land.
The spirit of the sphere, the Ether, also underwent the breakup of all things. This led to the appearance of various animals and plants. The "Creation of Genesis" was also formed from this spirit, and its finest representatives were the giants. They were known as the Wise, and their minds were as strong as their bodies. The giants promised to believe in Einhasad and Gran Kain. The two were pleased with the giants and made them masters over all other creatures. This was before the coming of death and true paradise.
In time Einhasad and Gran Kain had children, gifted with divine power. The first five of them were honored with power over the world. The eldest daughter, Shilen, received water as her domain. The eldest son, Paagrio, received control over fire, and the second daughter, Maphr, over earth. The second son, Sayha, became master of the wind.
Only the youngest, Eva, was left without an element. She began composing music and writing verses. While the other gods were busy with their duties, Eva wrote poems and composed music for them. Thus began the age of the gods, and there was nothing in the world unknown to the gods.
The creation of the races
Shilen breathed the spirit of water into the first form that was created. And so the Elf race appeared.
Paagrio breathed the spirit of fire into the second form that was created. And so the Orc race appeared.
Maphr breathed the spirit of earth into the third form that was created. And so the Dwarf race appeared.
Sayha breathed the spirit of wind into the fourth form that was created. And so the Ertheia race appeared.
Gran Kain was the god of destruction. When he saw Einhasad's achievements, his curiosity, mixed with envy, was stirred. He repeated what Einhasad had done and created a form of his own, in his own way. Then he turned to Shilen, their eldest daughter, asking her to breathe spirit into his form. She was very surprised and asked him, "Father, why do you want to do this? Einhasad, my mother, is in charge of creation. You are the god of destruction, and any being you give life to will bring only misfortune to itself and others."
But Gran Kain wouldn't give up. After long persuasion, he finally got Shilen's consent.
"I will do it. But I have already given the spirit of water to Mother. All I can give you are the leftovers." Shilen gave her father the spirit of rotten water, which Gran Kain gladly accepted.
However, Gran Kain decided that one spirit would not be enough for his creation. So he went to Paagrio, his eldest son. Like Shilen, Paagrio warned his father. But he could not refuse his father, and gave him the spirit of a dying fire. Gran Kain gladly accepted that too.
Maphr tearfully begged her father to give up his scheme, but in the end she gave him the spirit of poor and dirty earth. Sayha, in turn, gave his father the spirit of an unruly wind.
Satisfied, Gran Kain gathered everything he had received from his children and cried out, "Behold the beings I have created! Look at those born of the spirits of water, fire, earth and wind! They will be stronger and wiser than the giants! They will rule the world!"
Gran Kain felt great pride and shouted about it to the whole world. He breathed the spirits into his creations. However, the result was terrible. These creatures were weak, stupid, cunning and cowardly. All the gods rejected Gran Kain's creations with contempt. He himself was forced to hide in shame for a while. He abandoned his creations. And those creations were humans.
The Elf race was wise and receptive to magic. But the elves were not as wise as the giants. So the elves had to serve the giants in politics and magical affairs.
The Orc race was strong. They had inexhaustible strength and great willpower. Of course, they were not as strong as the giants. So for the giants the orcs played the role of cannon fodder in various wars.
The Dwarf race was very skilled in everything to do with engineering, mathematics and craftsmanship in various technical disciplines. They served the giants as bank clerks and production workers.
The winged Ertheia race were freedom-loving and curious creatures. The giants wanted to enslave them. Only one thing stood in the way: once caught and put in a cage, an Ertheia quickly lost its life force and died. The giants had no choice but to let the Ertheia remain free. The Ertheia often visited the city of the giants and brought them news from other parts of the world.
Humans could do nothing well and became the giants' slaves, doing the most menial and dirty work. Their life was no better than that of animals.
The War of the Gods
While pregnant, Shilen fled to the East. Deep in the thicket of a dark forest she gave birth, cursing her mother and father with every contraction.
The children born to Shilen took on the despair and anger of her curses and turned into demons. The mightiest and strongest of them became "dragons".
There were six dragons in all — against six gods. Shilen was furious with her mother, who had banished her, and with her father, who had seduced her and then left her alone. Gathering all her might and all her children, she created an army to take revenge on the gods.
The strongest of the dragons were to be in the front ranks of the demon army to fight the gods themselves. Aulakiria, the dragon of light, hearing about this, looked at Shilen sadly and said, "You know not what you do. Do you really want to destroy the gods? Do you really want to drown your mother, father and the others in pools of their own blood?"
Her plea had no effect on Shilen.
And at last a bloody battle began, when the demon army burst into the palace, the dwelling of the gods. The six dragons left no stone standing in the palace. Even the gods were frightened by the dragons' incredible power. The battle seemed as though it would last forever. Yet if the battle had not stopped, the world would have ceased to exist, and all living beings would have been destroyed.
Many messengers of the gods and many demons fell in the battle. Every day lightning flashed and thunder rolled as such mighty forces clashed in the heavens. The giants and all other living beings trembled with fear as they watched the battle in the heavens.
The fiercest battle went on for several years, and in the end the balance gradually tipped toward one side. Despite the wounds they had received, Einhasad and Gran Kain gained the upper hand, destroying a huge number of demons.
The dragons kept fighting, though they were badly wounded and covered with scars. Their exhaustion became more and more obvious. After a while it seemed the war would end with the complete annihilation of the demon army. In the end the dragons spread their wings and flew down to the earth to save themselves. The surviving demons followed them. The gods wished to destroy the retreating enemy, but they were so badly wounded that they could not. All they could do was watch the remnants of the demon army flying down to the earth.
As Shilen's children perished one after another, losing the war to the gods, she was grief-stricken. She devised The Underworld and put herself at its head.
The Great Flood
There was no one left to control the spirits of water, and they wandered the world aimlessly. In one place too much water gathered, and a swamp formed. In another place, on the contrary, there was so little water that a desert formed. Quite often part of the continent would suddenly sink under water, or a new island would rise out of nowhere. It also happened that rain fell somewhere without stopping, day and night, until the water covered everything except the highest mountain peaks.
Wherever patches of land remained above water, huge numbers of living beings gathered. On land and in the ocean alike, all living beings suffered from this calamity. On behalf of all living beings, the giants petitioned the gods for help.
Einhasad and Gran Kain searched the whole continent and finally found the lake where Eva was hiding.
"Eva, look at what has happened because you avoided your duties. You are destroying the harmony of this continent, into which we put so much effort. I will not stand it if you do not obey me from now on." Einhasad was so enraged that her eyes burned with a bright fire.
Because of the floods, countless giants and other beings had moved into Shilen's world, which could not fail to arouse Einhasad's envy. Trembling with fear, Eva submitted to her mother. When Eva again took on the duty of governing the waters, the calamities gradually stopped. However, it was impossible to restore the continent, which lay in ruins.
Call of the Giants
The giants could travel in chariots made with their own hands and had free access to the palace of the gods. They could also use magical knowledge to raise an island into the air and live there like gods. They could live so long that their lifespan was comparable to eternity. And the giants came to the idea that they were equal to the gods. Despite their wisdom, they became excessively arrogant.
And so the giants set out to become gods.
They began to experiment, altering living organisms to create new forms of life. The giants called this kind of magical art "science". Drunk with power, the giants created a mighty army to fight the gods, despite the failure of Shilen, her six dragons and the demon army in the very same endeavor.
The gods saw the preparations and were enraged. Einhasad, who claimed sole control over all processes of creation, was left speechless by the fury that gripped her. She swore to destroy all the giants together with the continent and the rest of the world. Gran Kain called for calm.
"Since you are the Mother of Creation," he said, "the destruction of all things is my prerogative. You know all too well what came of my taking on your task. If you still wish to destroy the whole world, you will have to fight me." Gran Kain did not want to allow the destruction of the continent at any cost, and Einhasad was deeply offended by his interference. However, since they had equal status, she could not stop him.
In the end, Einhasad compromised. To punish the giants, she asked Gran Kain for his hammer, known as the Hammer of Despair. Because of its great destructive power, even Gran Kain did not use it. And yet, despite everything, Einhasad raised the hammer high above her head and hurled it down, straight into the heart of the giants' city.
The End of Ages
That was enough to destroy the greatest city in the world; many living beings also perished. The huge hole that formed in the earth was engulfed by a wave of terrifying force. In the end almost no giants were left on the earth.
The giants who managed to survive fled east to escape Einhasad's wrath. Their route was much like the one Shilen had chosen in her time. Einhasad continued her pursuit and destroyed the giants one by one, burning them with deadly lightning from the heavens. Those who remained alive trembled in fear and prayed to Gran Kain.
"Gran Kain, Gran Kain! We have realized that we chose the wrong path. Only You can stop Einhasad's wrath and madness. Do not let us perish — we who were born of the gods themselves, the wisest and strongest beings in the world!"
Suddenly Gran Kain felt a strong pity for these unfortunate beings. He decided that the giants had suffered enough and fully atoned for their guilt. He raised the deepest waters of the southern seas, thus blocking Einhasad's path.
But Einhasad cried out in anger, "What is this? Who dares to meddle with me? Eva, my beloved daughter, remove the water blocking my path at once, or prepare to share the fate of your elder sister!"
Frightened, Eva immediately obeyed her mother's command. And Einhasad continued her triumphant march, destroying all the giants in her path. And again the giants begged for help.
"Gran Kain! Mightiest of the gods! Einhasad keeps destroying us — have mercy and save us!"
Gran Kain raised the mass of earth on which the giants stood. A huge cliff blocked the path of Einhasad, who cried out in a loud voice.
"Maphr, my beloved daughter! Who dares to meddle with me? Put the earth back in its rightful place at once. Or prepare for your sister's fate!"
Frightened by these words, Maphr tried to move the earth, but Gran Kain stopped her.
"Einhasad, why do you not calm your anger? The whole world knows your fury and trembles before your rage. The wise but foolish giants have already paid a huge price to atone for their mistake. Just look! A race of proud and noble beings — who once ruled the world — has now found refuge on a narrow scrap of land. They will never again be able to challenge the gods. This place will forever be their prison. Calm your anger; your revenge is done."
Einhasad had to listen to him; she could not act against Gran Kain's will — his powers were equal to hers. She decided, as Gran Kain had said, to leave the giants on that scrap of land to atone for their sins. The hunt was over, and Einhasad returned home.
Afterward, Einhasad rarely interfered in what happened on the Earth, as she was deeply disappointed in the creatures inhabiting it. Gran Kain also agreed not to show himself there. The age of the gods was drawing to a close.
Back by the campfire
The stranger suddenly stopped his tale.
Impressed by what we had heard, we sat in silence while he initiated us into the secrets of the world's history. His voice, though soft, reached into the very depths of our minds — as if it were some kind of magic. The myth he told was completely different from the one we knew, yet there were no objections. We, hardened and strong warriors, were filled with awe of this man and were even a little afraid of him. Suddenly an owl flapped its wings nearby, and we flinched in surprise.
The stranger grinned, raised his barely smoldering pipe to his lips and continued his tale.
"Don't reject my story of the gods just because it differs from the ones you've heard. Couldn't a wandering poet be closer to the truth than all your priests? The history of the gods is the will of the gods, not of men. How, then, can mere priests know the truth? Listen carefully… I will continue the story. The story of the world after the gods vanished. Your story."
The aftermath
Now, after the sudden disappearance of the giants, panic and disorder reigned throughout the world. The usual order of things was broken; the races of elves, dark elves, dwarves and humans gained unexpected freedom, and with it the need to survive on their own in a vast world. Before them lay a world half-destroyed and ravaged by the Hammer of Despair. Many had died in the calamities caused by the Mother of Creation, but even more died in the chaos and disorder that followed. The races turned to the gods with a fervent plea for help, but the answer was silence.
The elves were the first to take control of the situation, since it was they who had handled politics in the days of the giants. The elves succeeded in reuniting the races, and for some time harmony reigned in the world. But time passed, and as it did, it became clear that the elves could not rule others as effectively as the giants once had. The first to be unhappy were the orcs.
"Who said the elves are stronger than us? No one! Do they have the right to rule us? No! Never shall creatures weaker than us stand above us!"
The orcs' military might was overwhelming, and the peaceful elves were no match for the proud and fearless orc warriors. The orcs struck like lightning, and soon most of the land was theirs, while the elves were pushed into a corner of the continent. There they asked for support from the dwarves, who, with their vast resources and superb weapons, had a chance to stand against the orcs.
"Race of the earth," the elves cried, "we ask for your help. The ruthless orc hordes are stronger than us. We can fight them together — and then we'll have a chance!"
But the dwarves coldly rejected their pleas for help. It seemed to them that the orcs were now the winners. And if so, why would the pragmatic and calculating dwarves get involved with the losers? The elves were enraged by this turn of events, but could change nothing.
The next race the elves turned to for help was the race of the wind — the Ertheia. Their skills in scouting and attacking from the air would have been enough to win a victory over the orcs. An elven delegation set off for the edge of the world to seek help from the Ertheia.
"Race of the wind, we ask for your help! The orcs are oppressing us barbarically. If we unite, we can teach them a lesson like they've never had before!"
But, as always, the Ertheia had no interest in political and military conflicts. They stayed neutral and hid themselves even better from prying eyes. The elves were in despair.
"Alas, no one will come to help us! Is this really the end? Will the filthy orcs really rule the world and demand glory and riches as their due?"
A new alliance
Rejected by the calculating dwarves and the indifferent Ertheia, the elves were still alone in their fight against the orcs. In despair they lamented their fate, when suddenly a stranger appeared among them and fell prostrate before the elven king. The king came closer to the stranger, only to realize a moment later that before him was the leader of the humans. On the man's head was a crown of three branches.
"Who has come to us? Can this be the leader of the humans, those lowly creatures?" The king was puzzled. "Have you come to mock our misfortune?"
The man bowed his head before the king and said, "No, O wise king. We have come with an offer of help. Perhaps our modest strength can be of use to you."
The elves were glad of this turn of events, and although humans were foolish and weak, their huge numbers could be useful in battle.
"Well, you may indeed be of use to us." The king agreed without a second thought. "You are insignificant and worthless creatures, yet you are loyal and ready to give your lives for us in battle. That is praiseworthy. I accept your offer."
The human king again prostrated himself before his elven counterpart, then raised his head, and their eyes met. "O noblest of elves," he said, "we humans ask that you grant just one request of ours before we begin fighting for the elves' victory. We are too weak. We cannot stand against the orcs, and so we ask you to give us the strength to withstand them. We ask you to teach us elven magic."
This bold proposal threw the elves into confusion. Teach humans their magic? Never! The elves were ready to burn the insolent man to ashes, but then the leader of the elves intervened. Veora, as she was called, decided that humans, even trained in magic, would pose no threat to the elves. And in the war against the orcs they were too weak to manage without help. So she made a decision that later cost her her life — to reveal the magical secrets of her people to humans.
The humans soaked up knowledge like a sponge, learning much faster than the elves had expected. Their physical qualities were not as superb as the orcs', but constant toil and strife within their race had hardened humans. They were skilled and capable warriors, and most importantly, they were so numerous that the human army soon became a great force.
Friends and foes
And the war began. The alliance of humans and elves gradually achieved its goal — to overthrow the orc expansion. When the war tipped in the alliance's favor, the dwarves abandoned the losing orcs in favor of the human army and began supplying humans with military equipment. Now, clad in the mightiest armor and armed with the sharpest dwarven blades, humans could defeat the orcs even without the elves' help.
The elves grew uneasy; although the alliance continued its triumphant march, they felt that human power was growing and slipping out of their control. And yet they could not even imagine that the lowest of the races — filthy little humans — could think of turning against the great elves. Soon the orcs were defeated, and the elves forgot about the humans and withdrew from them. The humans, meanwhile, kept studying higher forms of magic. The orcs had no choice but to sign a peace treaty humiliating to them and return to the caves in the northern part of Elmore.
The orc leader, laughing in the elves' faces, told them, "Fools! The victory belongs not to you, but to these mongrel pigs — the humans. How will you tame the monsters you yourselves have created?"
The orc leader turned out to be right — and the elves faced a new threat when the humans went to war against them. But the forces were unequal — the elves were inferior to humans in everything, even in magic, which humans had mastered almost to perfection.
And once again across the land a battle broke out, magic against magic. In the end, the elves were forced to retreat to their native forest and take shelter there from the attackers. There they prepared a decisive strike against the enemy forces. Their magic was many times stronger in these forests, and they were counting on this very trump card in the decisive battle. But they miscalculated — the human army was too numerous for even elven magic to defeat it. The battle raged for three days. When it ended and the bloody haze lifted from their eyes, the elves were horrified. Most of them had perished, while the humans kept advancing in an endless stream. And the elves withdrew into the very depths of the forest, finally cutting themselves off from the rest of the world with magical barriers.
And so humans became the greatest conquerors in the world.
By the campfire again
The stranger fell silent again; another part of the story was over.
What we heard differed from everything we had heard before, and yet something about the whole story felt familiar. A beautiful elf among us was moved to the depths of her soul, and tears rolled down her cheeks.
The night embraced us. The beasts in the forest fell silent, the wind stopped rustling in the branches, even the babbling of the brook became soft and barely audible. Only our breathing and the crackle of the campfire sounded in the night. It seemed that every living thing around was listening to the stranger's story.
"So, isn't it funny that the lowest of the races, the humans, ended up gaining more power than all the other races? I'll tell you the secret — the strength of the human spirit. Even the gods couldn't imagine that humans would someday rule the world."
"Well, now I'll tell you the story of the most outstanding human kingdom that ever existed on earth. It's the story of humans who repeated the path of the giants."
History rewritten
Human kingdoms in a primitive form arose back in the days of the battle with the orcs and elves. Their backbone was made up of the Ahfen clan and the most skilled mages of the time. This group was the most influential, and it imposed its influence through violence and threats, which from time to time led to armed conflicts.
The leader of the Ahfen, Shunaiman, eventually brought order by uniting the lands now known as Aden and Elmore. He named his kingdom Elmoreden and ascended the throne to become emperor, exchanging the crown of three tree branches for a crown of gold and jewels. In the teachings of his followers, Shunaiman later became almost a god.
One question troubled the Emperor: the human lifespan was short. The fact that Gran Kain, the god of death and destruction, was their creator had given humans a kind of inferiority complex, together with the story of humans being made from the leftovers of the other races. None of this pleased the new rulers of the world. Now, having created a new kingdom, humans also needed a new mythology, a new history of their kind that would prove their noble origin.
In the end, by carrying out a large-scale religious reform, Shunaiman rejected the worship of Gran Kain and made Einhasad the goddess and patron of the human race. Myth and history were changed. So was the attitude toward those who preached black magic and toward the followers of Gran Kain — they were now cruelly persecuted. The religious reform went on for several generations. As a result, the belief became firmly rooted in people's minds that their creator was Einhasad, and Gran Kain was merely the god of evil. When he learned of this, he only laughed.
"Even if they won't serve me, I won't be angry with them. But are they really so foolish as to try to embrace the sky with their arms?"
Elmoreden and Perios
While the kingdom of Elmoreden, led by Emperor Shunaiman, grew and prospered, a region called Gracia, across the sea, was still writhing in the agony of disorder. Geographically, the region was extremely diverse and dangerous. And although many warring human factions fought for power, none of them was strong enough to unite everyone into a single kingdom. The region was torn only by small conflicts, which rarely grew into anything like mass battles.
But the day and hour came when all the scattered factions had to unite under one banner — for one goal: to stand against the huge army of Elmoreden that had gone to war against Gracia. Many nobles and aristocrats fell in those battles. Those who managed to survive became many times stronger and more hardened. In the end the attack was repelled, but the losses were enormous. The lesson learned spurred the creation of a single kingdom for the whole region, named Perios.
But the confrontation continued. The kingdom of Elmoreden, which was founded first and had superior military resources, had an incomparably better chance of success. However, Perios also had some advantages. First, the sea separating the two kingdoms held back the attackers, and second, the people of Perios possessed the mightiest artifacts left on their land by the giants. These relics could be used for military purposes too, with enormous success.
And so it happened that, even with a magnificent army, the kingdom of Elmoreden could not conquer Perios.
Beleth and the Ivory Tower
In the kingdom of Elmoreden stood the Ivory Tower, an institution whose main occupation was the study of magic. The Tower's mages directed all their efforts toward restoring, studying and improving the magic of the ancient giants. Their magical mastery reached unprecedented heights, and at one point their influence in the kingdom became comparable to that of the Emperor of Elmoreden.
Among the Tower's mages was one named Beleth, the strongest of the mages and one of the greatest geniuses who ever lived. The magic of the giants drew him in so deeply that after a while he had learned almost all its secrets. However, this magic was cursed and therefore unfit for humans. Ambition and a thirst for power took hold of Beleth. Alarmed by this turn of events, the Tower's mages and the top of the royal estate decided to join forces to get rid of Beleth. But this was not easy — Beleth was extraordinarily powerful in the art of dark magic.
In the end the mages of the Ivory Tower had no choice, and they used forbidden black magic to suppress Beleth's power, lure him into a trap and imprison him in a dungeon in the Tower's cellars. But even though he was guarded by both warriors and mages, he still managed to break free of his magical and physical bonds and escape. He went to Hellbound Island to regain his former power and continue conquering lands.
The magical trap set for Beleth led to cataclysms in the southern part of the region, now known as Gludio. The land was scorched by magic, and many people died when the spell was cast. The kingdom put all the blame on Beleth, declaring him a devil in human form.
The elves' discord
At about the same time, great changes took place in the Elven forests. Having lost control of the continent, the Elves lost their vigilance and almost stopped hiding. They forgot that they had once wished to rule over everyone else undividedly, and now lived in harmony with themselves and the world around them.
Among the mass of elves, who called themselves Wood Elves, a group of Brown Elves stood out. They insisted on continuing the struggle for power, even if it meant using forbidden black magic. However, the other elves didn't share these views.
One day a human mage appeared among the Brown Elves and, approaching their leader, said:
"You desire power and might. But the Wood Elves fear that you will gain great strength. You deserve this strength. They care only about their own safety. They fear you, they fear humans. It is these very fears that have brought you elves to your present decline."
The leader of the Brown Elves asked, "Who are you, human? And what do you want here among us?"
"My name is Dasparion, I am an ordinary mage. But I possess the power you so need. I can help you satisfy your ambitions… and in exchange you must help me."
"And how can we help you?"
"I want only one thing — to learn the secret of eternal youth." A barely noticeable smile touched his face. "Though I possess the art of magic, I am only human, and my lifespan is not so long. So… what will your decision be? We can help each other gain what we desire."
The Brown Elves very much wanted to gain Dasparion's knowledge of black magic, and so they agreed to his offer. Dasparion taught them everything he knew, and in return received the secret of immortality. Satisfied, he left the forest.
The Brown Elves declared Gran Kain their new patron, while Einhasad remained the patron of the Wood Elves. The Wood Elves were enraged by the Brown Elves' behavior, and a battle broke out between them. At the decisive moment, the Brown Elves used a deadly black magic spell to destroy the Wood Elves. In their agony, the latter still managed to lay a curse on the Brown Elves that turned them into a race of darkness, known to all as the Dark Elf race.
The end of the Golden Age
Elmoreden's golden age came a hundred years after its founding, during the reign of Emperor Baium. Possessing enormous charisma and unrivaled leadership, Baium managed to create the strongest army in the kingdom's history. This army drove the orcs from the northern parts of Elmore into the dark forests later known as the Orc Kingdom. In addition, Baium's army periodically attacked the Kingdom of Perios, eventually conquering the southern part of Gracia.
Having grown old, Baium lost interest in conquest. He directed all the kingdom's strength into building a tower of the most complex design, reaching into the heavens.
"Everyone living on the continent fears me, from north to south, from west to east! I control tens of thousands of lives with a single wave of my hand: to some I grant life, to others death. My power is absolute. There is only one thing I cannot bear — that this power will end with my death! So I must ask the gods for immortality and rule my people forever!"
Baium's tower was built for thirty years. He intended to use the tower to rise to the gods and learn the secret of immortality from them. When he reached the very top, the gods told him the following:
"Human, how dare you come up here and ask us for eternal life for yourself? Has the lesson of the giants taught you nothing? Well, since your wish is eternal life, we will give it to you. But you will never be able to leave this tower."
Baium brought the wrath of the gods upon himself and remained imprisoned forever at the very top of his tower. After the emperor's sudden disappearance, panic broke out across the land.
The emperor's relatives, his former companions and the numerous aristocracy — all wanted to take the emperor's place on the throne. These feuds weakened the kingdom, already weakened by the construction of the tower. The conflict lasted a long time, and in the end the kingdom, which had prospered for more than a hundred years, fell into decline. For the next twenty years the kingdom was in a deplorable state.
Campfire
We liked what we heard less and less. We knew nothing about this stranger, just as we didn't know why he was telling us all this. And yet we listened to him, unable to look away or move, as if some unknown force held us back.
The stranger behaved as though we weren't there. Gathering some dry twigs, he threw them into the dying flames. The tongues of fire, already almost invisible, shot up with new strength. Without even glancing our way, the man spoke again.
"My story is almost over. The story I'll tell you now should be familiar to you — the struggle of humans that continues to this day. It's the story of the continent after the fall of Elmoreden."
The battle for the continent
The decline of Elmoreden would have helped Perios flourish, were it not for the plague epidemic moving south from Gracia and the devastating cold that came from the north. First Elmoreden fell, and then Perios.
After the fall of these once great kingdoms, chaos reigned on earth. The human aristocracy tore itself apart, small groups fought for power, and some of them even turned to other races for help, granting them land in exchange for military support. The orcs took advantage of this opportunity and gained some land. From there they launched an offensive, reorganizing their armies, and soon the northern part of Elmore was under their control. But the fighting between noble and lowborn orcs still weakened the former.
Between the elves and their dark brethren, too, fierce battles raged with no end in sight. As for the dwarves, they were no serious obstacle for the orc army and were easily driven back.
And then a new force appeared in the world — an influential group of humans known as the kingdom of Elmore. They declared themselves direct descendants of the emperor of Elmoreden; whether it was true or not, people believed them, because they certainly had the truth of strength and steel. Orcs and humans clashed in large-scale battles all over the continent. This war lasted many years, and it cost both sides dearly. But once again humans emerged as the victors, and the orcs retreated to their lands to sharpen their axes and prepare for revenge. Humans drove the few surviving dwarves off the continent into the mountains.
Now, although the Elmore army had shrunk in size, it took control of all the northern lands and set off south to unite everyone under its banner. But the unification of the divided continent did not happen. Oren, the most powerful southern kingdom, repelled Elmore's attack with the help of strong mages and trained warriors. The Elmore army was too weak to resist.
Under Oren's protection many southern kingdoms flourished, which later began uniting into something like a nation. Everything in this union was balanced and well weighed, and so the southern lands prospered.
The rise of two kingdoms
The wars lasted several generations, until Gracia rose from the abyss of chaos to lead everyone to unity. A man named Paris, possessing great strength and military skill, brought glory to himself and his people, winning many battles and conquering lands in the name of Beheim.
Paris became a legend when he and his army met the highlanders of Quoser. In a desperate fight with Tor, the best warrior of Quoser, Paris dealt his opponent the decisive blow. Tor, who had never lost before, said,
"Are you truly human? Such strength and speed!!"
Standing over his defeated enemy, Paris looked over the battlefield and replied,
"I only want to unite these lands… Brave warrior of the North, join me, and together we will destroy those who oppose us."
And Paris led the knights of the White Hawk, the knights of the Wind and the highlanders who joined them across the lands of Gracia, defeating many in his path and capturing so much land that Beheim grew fivefold compared to its former borders. Soon Paris overthrew the government by force and ascended the throne.
Meanwhile, a new leader appeared in the southern lands. Charismatic and self-confident, a man named Raoul was gathering a new force under his flag.
Raoul's fiery speeches crushed his opponents utterly — no worse than a sword or mace could. Here is one example of his speeches:
"Rulers of the lands! Don't you see what is happening beyond our lands? Our enemies are preparing to march against us as we speak! The kingdom of Elmore has long coveted our lands and riches and is only waiting for the right moment to attack. And if Gracia also decides to attack, we are lost! We have no choice — we must unite our forces to be ready for war."
First Raoul joined forces with his ally Innadril, and these lands were named Aden. Unlike Paris, Raoul pursued a non-violent policy and easily added the lands of Giran and Dion to Aden.
In Oren, Raoul unexpectedly met resistance to his plans. Oren did not want to recognize any leader other than its own. In the end this led to a war from which the kingdom of Aden emerged victorious. The kingdom of Gludio voluntarily laid down its arms and joined Aden, thus completing the unification. Afterward, Raoul became known as the King of Unity.
The heirs
Soon after the unification of Aden, Gracia finally consolidated itself when Paris's last opponent fell dead at his feet. Paris moved the capital to Arpenino and reorganized the structure of the kingdom.
Aden, having successfully repelled Elmore's attacks, proved that it had to be reckoned with. However, tragedy soon struck Aden — Raoul's sudden death. Sensing that the right moment to attack had come, Elmore attacked again, this time from the north. Raoul's successor, Travis, held back the attackers, but soon died of an unknown disease. The next claimant to the throne was sixteen-year-old Amadeo.
Hearing of this, Paris exclaimed, "The heavens themselves are helping the kingdom of Gracia! A sixteen-year-old king? That will be the downfall of the kingdom of Aden!"
But Paris seriously underestimated young Amadeo. The boy won a victory over Elmore in a large-scale battle. Paris felt the chance to seize Aden slipping from his hands. Ignoring all advice, even from his right hand, the counselor Dilios, Paris launched a massive offensive against Aden on land and at sea.
The result was unbelievable.
Ester, the exiled king of Elmore, joined Aden, with which his father had been at war for many years.
"Have you no pride? You should have fallen on your own sword for siding with your father's enemy!"
Ester let the tirade pass and replied, "The cub can be taken care of later, but for now my main target is you."
The battle in the Giran lands became the turning point of this war, when the warriors of Gracia, wounded and demoralized, returned home with nothing. Failure in this war deeply wounded the pride of Paris, who had never before known the price of defeat. A little later Paris fell ill and soon died.
The heir to the throne of Gracia was Karnaria — a sickly man whom many considered unfit to rule the kingdom. Kukarus challenged him, deciding to take the throne himself. Dilios, Paris's former counselor, supported him, and he began to gain fame among the people of Gracia. In the end, he and Karnaria split the kingdom into two camps. Northern and Southern Gracia became bitter enemies, directing all their energy against each other.
This news pleased Amadeo, who used the pause in the war to strengthen and fortify the kingdom of Aden. Thanks to his efforts, Aden, Elmore and Gracia concluded a peace treaty. An uneasy age of peace began.
Epilogue
When the stranger finished, dawn was breaking. The long night had passed, and dawn cut through the brightening sky. The campfire had long gone out, leaving only smoldering ashes.
The storyteller lit his pipe and took a deep drag.
"So, my story is over. Time will pass, and who knows, maybe it will continue? Who knows, maybe your names too will someday be in my story?"
The morning light lit up everything around. Suddenly I felt uneasy. As if something important were passing me by… It took some effort to speak, and I dared to ask, "Who are you? And why did you tell us all this… and… how do you know all this?"
The man rose silently. And as soon as he stood up to his full height, he began to grow! While he was sitting he was of normal size, but now he was truly huge — almost twenty feet tall — and his shadow covered our whole company. And then he slowly began to vanish! Dissolving as if in mist, he was carried away like dust by a sudden gust of wind…
He didn't answer me then, but I think I now know who he was. He knew so much and described some things in such detail… Perhaps only one who had existed since the very beginning of creation could know such things. Perhaps even the one who created humankind…
